An early surprise birthday celebration turned into the surprise of a lifetime when 31-year-old Stephanie Dee learned she was the winner of the 2008 HGTV Dream Home, leaving the Iowa mother of two overwhelmed and speechless.
"I don’t know what to say," said a teary-eyed Dee. Thank you, thank you!"
VIDEO: Watch the winning moment, plus Q&A videos where Stephanie answers questions submitted on the HGTV Dream Home blog.
A physician assistant at nearby University of Iowa Hospital, Dee is an avid HGTV viewer who has faithfully entered the HGTV Dream Home Giveaway the last several years. "I watched this year’s special, then entered almost every day," Dee said.
HGTV enlisted the help of one of Dee's girlfriends to plan the early surprise party Sunday night, when HGTV’s cameras and host Lauren Lake crashed the celebration in the Dees’ Solon, Iowa, home with the big news. Not even her husband, Tommy, was in on the ruse.
"We’re very fortunate," he said. "I can’t believe we really won!"
The Dees also can’t wait to take their family, which includes 3-year-old Taylor and 9-month-old Sydney, to Islamorada, Fla., to tour their HGTV Dream Home in early April. For Tommy, it’s the reputation for fishing and the room dedicated to the sport that’s the lure, while soft-spoken Stephanie says, "The whole house is amazing. The location is the best thing."
HGTV Dream Home Central
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