HGTV Smart Home 2016 Winner Announcement
HGTV host Tiffany Brooks surprised grand prize winner Theresa Smith of Glenwood, Md., in front of family and friends. See her priceless reaction as she learns the good news.
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When Theresa Smith, a mother of five, arrived at her sister’s house at the end of June, she thought the crowd of family, including three of her nine siblings, was there to celebrate her sister’s birthday. So she was floored when HGTV Smart Home 2016 designer Tiffany Brooks and a small production crew showed up to tell her that she’d won the stunning tech-savvy home in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“I know I did a happy dance,” she says. “It’s the biggest surprise I’ve ever experienced!”
Theresa’s sister, brother-in-law and other family kept the news a secret so that Theresa could be completely surprised. She was grateful that she could share the moment with her loved ones. “I do come from a big family, and it’s so much fun to share it with them,” she says. “This isn’t just about me; it’s about how I can share it with them.”
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Theresa’s name was randomly drawn from nearly 83 million entries to the sweepstakes. After entering the HGTV Dream Home 2016 sweepstakes a few times earlier this year but not winning, Theresa was committed to entering daily from the start of this year’s HGTV Smart Home. “I entered almost every day, twice a day,” she says.
She also toured every space along the way and picked her favorites: the master bedroom and master bath, the kitchen and the screened-in porch. Theresa and her family will tour the home in North Carolina in person along with Tiffany later this month. “Tiffany is a doll,” Theresa says. “She did such an amazing job with the house.”
Theresa is an HGTV super-fan. “I love HGTV; I watch it all the time,” she says. “It’s fun, interactive TV. You get sucked into it because you feel like you know the people.”
Her daughters, who still live at home, have already picked out their rooms, but for now, Theresa is just enjoying being the winner and sharing the excitement with her whole family. “I’m in a state of complete and total gratitude,” she says. “This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, other than having my kids.”
