Former Preschool Teacher Wins HGTV Dream Home $2.3 Million Grand Prize: 'I'm in Shock'
A former preschool teacher from Osgood, Indiana, has won a life-changing prize, PEOPLE can exclusively announce.
Beverly Fulkerson was ambushed by HGTV designer and host Tiffany Brooks when she thought she was gathering with family to celebrate an award for one of her two daughters. When Brooks appeared with a camera crew to tell her that she was the winner of HGTV’s annual Dream Home Giveaway — which included a custom lakefront home in Whitefish, Montana, a 2019 Honda Pilot Elite, and $250,000 from national mortgage lender Quicken Loans — Fulkerson was “in shock.”
“My mind has gone blank right now,” she said as tears of joy welled up in her eyes. “I don’t believe… this is all surreal.”
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The grandmother of three later told HGTV that she was a “deer caught in headlights” and that the life-changing news is “just now starting to sink in.”
Fulkerson said she was first drawn to the annual giveaway in 1998, when the Dream Home was located in Beaufort, South Carolina, and she has been entering ever since.
“I entered knowing I would never win,” she said, but that didn’t stop her from doing so, almost every day, twice a day, during the 2019 sweepstakes period for the lakefront Montana home with mountain views.
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“I would love to be sitting on that porch and in that hot tub!” she remembers thinking while entering to win.
The 3,650-square-foot, two-story house, designed by Brian Patrick Flynn boasts three bedrooms, and three and a half baths. But its real allure is the full-on indoor/outdoor lifestyle it provides.
The main living space features glass stack doors that seamlessly connect indoors and out and capitalize on the home’s mountain views. There’s also a huge pass through to the kitchen from the outdoor breakfast bar, which sits beside a plein air dining area, multiple lounges and an enviable grilling setup.
Ultimately, Fulkerson’s name was randomly drawn from nearly 135 million entries to win the grand prize, valued at over $2.3 million.
She has lived in nine different states, and currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, but has never been to Montana. According to a release from HGTV, she and her husband will get a chance to see the home in person for the first time in the coming weeks.
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To watch Fulkerson’s full reaction to the ambush and winning the grand prize, tune in to the HGTV Dream Home 2019 Giveaway Special, premiering Friday, May 24 at 1 p.m. EST on HGTV.
