Congratulations to Tricia Smith of New York City! She is the winner of the HGTV Dream Home® 2025 Sweepstakes, a grand prize package valued at over 2.2 million dollars!

Tears were flowing as Tricia, a math and science special education teacher in the Bronx, slowly realized that she was not dreaming. “Are you serious?” was all she could say as she stood in shock while being told that she had won.

Slowly, host and HGTV Dream Home 2025 designer, Brian Patrick Flynn, revealed to Tricia that the art gallery and photography exhibit she was standing in was all a ruse and that her best friend, Rob, who brought her there, had been in on the whole thing!

The Set Up

Several weeks before the surprise, Rob, Tricia’s best friend from college, was contacted by a producer who was planning the setup. They devised a plan to tell Tricia that he was coming into New York City for work and wanted to get together while he was there. Tricia and Rob both have a shared interest in art, so a plan was hatched to tell Tricia that they would be dropping by an art gallery for a small photo exhibit that he wanted to check out.

The "gallery" was actually a bare studio space that was transformed by hanging photos of HGTV Dream Home 2025 on the walls. Even fake signage was posted to make everything believable for Tricia’s arrival.

Cameras were rolling as Tricia stepped into the gallery and immediately stopped in her tracks, realizing that things were not what they seemed. “Does any of this look familiar to you?” Brian asked her as she stared at the photos in disbelief.

The surprises kept coming as Brian told her that she was not only the winner of the fully furnished home but also a new 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC and $100,000 from Viva® along with a 5-year supply of Viva paper towels. “Today is a good day, isn’t it?” Brian asked her. “Today is a great day!” Tricia beamed as happy tears continued to stream down her face.

One in 118 Million Entries

When asked if she remembered entering the sweepstakes, Tricia told Brian she had entered, “Almost every single day, if not every single day,” despite never having visited South Carolina. “I will be going now!” Tricia laughed.

As a devoted HGTV fan, Tricia says she has been entering the Dream Home sweepstakes for years and is signed up for the daily reminders. “All those entries paid off, didn’t they?” Brian joked as Tricia continued to shake her head in disbelief. After learning that she was chosen out of over 118 million sweepstakes entries, math teacher Tricia quickly calculated, “That’s like the population of Egypt!”

A Dream Come True

Like many New Yorkers, Tricia lives in an apartment that she shares with her mother and younger sister. With approximately 800 square feet between the three of them, the 3,000+ square feet three bed, three and a half bath HGTV Dream Home overlooking a golf course will be a very different kind of lifestyle.

“This would be a definite change — just the space and ability to gather so many friends and family together,” she said when asked how this might compare to the city life she’s used to. “I welcome the fresh air and peacefulness.” She’ll certainly have that in abundance with this home, which sits on a stately property surrounded by lush trees and offers plenty of privacy.

As a native of Antigua, Tricia says she was “born into loving the water. I like relaxing on the beach or by a pool.” She’ll be able to do both of these easily with a gorgeous pool surrounded by multiple outdoor entertaining spaces, including a full outdoor kitchen, right in the backyard. Or she can hop in the home’s included golf cart and head to the Atlantic Ocean, which is only a 15-minute drive away.

Tricia says she can’t wait to entertain her family and friends at a house, “where all the gatherings will take place,” and luckily for her, this house is most definitely that place!

Congratulations, Tricia, and thank you to all who entered the HGTV Dream Home 2025 Giveaway®. We hope you enjoyed touring this Lowcountry escape packed with high-end design in Bluffton, SC.