HGTV Dream Home Winner 2008?

I posted a similar question, just moments after it aired. No, it was NOT just your impression. She wasn't excited. She wasn't anything other than appearing very under the influence of something. Some have said she was crying. I don't think so. I think due to her physical state, the bright lights were simply making her eyes water badly.

It was hard to understand anything she said, not that she said much, lol, but I am pretty sure when the host asked her when she planned to go see the house, she replied, "I guess I'll find out, won't I?" in a strange tone, almost sarcastic. Even if she was drinking, or whatever, you think her husband would have covered for her and shown some excitement on live TV.

Some that answered my question, thought perhaps she had been tipped off, or HGTV wasn't truthful about it being a 100% surprise. I don't think it was HGTV. If it had been, I think they would have coached her and made sure that drink wasn't in her hand- no matter what type it was. Considering the bright camera light on the host and the huge picture of the house she was carrying, perhaps a neighbor tipped them off? Even if that were the case, had it been me, I would have been excitedly planning the trip down before they got there, so I would have had a hard time disquising my excitement, pretending I didn't know, etc. when they came in the door. Come on, something like that, even if you knew about it earlier in the day, would still find most of us litterally jumping up and down that evening, and the next, and the next, heck, the rest of the year!!!

I also don't think the large amount of taxes that would be owed, as some have suggested, would have been the reason for them to have any lack of excitement. Any bank would extend anyone credit for the taxes, with just the home as collateral. She could then sell it and have a considerable amount of money.
Plus, I actually know someone that hopes to build a home on one of the lots just over from that house. They don't want the HGTV house, as they are building their own dream home there that they have been planning for 15 years. However, the word there is that so many people want to buy it, there will be a huge bidding war and she'll likely get more than the market price, if she wants to sell. Plus, the few lots, if not already sold, had many people on waiting lists for them long ago, due to the huge exposure HGTV gave the area. So, if there are no lots left, she will get WAY more than the market value for it.

In my question, I did say perhaps they were all gathered from a funeral or something dreadful earlier in the weekend, as that was the only thing I could think of that would cause the whole household to act like... well, zombies almost. I didn't hear the part where she said something about the reason they were all there was because her birthday was in JUNE?? though, so that blows any reason I could come up with for acting like they had just done a lottery scratch off ticket and discovered they'd won $5.

I felt SO sorry for the host. I am sure I was not the only one in the US, looking out my window every few minutes, hoping it was me she was tracking down! At one point, they said they were having a hard time tracking down the winner. I was really hopeful then, as even FedEx and UPS have a hard time locating our house. LOL

A lady in the background said she had entered the contest too. The host asked if she felt better about not winning since she knew/ or was related? to the winner. She said she was. That was the only fragment of happiness, excitement I saw from anyone there. Well, they did clap, but even that was odd as it was like with zero enthusiasm.

Some have suggested she will be on talk shows, interviewed by various news organizations, etc. I am thinking, with her spaced out reaction, they may not want her live on their show, since she had to have embarrassed HGTV so badly. I think that's every hosts worst nightmare- dead air time.

I still say she was out of it and under the influence of something. Even if she had forgotten she entered, or had not entered herself, it would have been so obvious from the huge, poster board photo of the home the host was carrying of the house, that she had won something big, before she ever had to mouth the words.

Of course, each of us wanted to win ourselves, but it would have been nice to have shared in the excitement with the winner on TV. I think with so much bad news in the world and on TV, I really wanted to feel good about something on TV for a change and share the winner's excitement. I feel cheated!!!

POPSFAV got it right when she used the word "zombie" as a description. It was absolutely incredible to see the COMPLETE apathy, and faint hostility or disdain toward the HGTV hostess giving the "good news"!?!

As rational people many of us will be curious to learn what the heck was that all about?

I for one have entered that dream home contest many years and would be thrilled to pieces. As far as taxes, there are lots of options to deal with that! It's still money for nothing; even with taxes.

I think we watched mainly to see the excitement of the winner, of course never expecting to be the winners...but were let down with the nonplussed reaction of Mrs Iowa.....what a disappointment!!! I'm sure HGTV is also very disappointed with the reaction of the winner. There definitely seemed to be a fore warning to the winner and perhaps she was camera shy a bit...but PLEASE...she just won a 2.2 MM home....WAKE UP!!! And the husband....could he not hold the kid for a few minutes so she could be interviewed...how embarrassing.

The winner's reaction definitely seemed a little strange considering the life changing prize she had just won. To me she seemed to be on some kind of mood altering meds, I have known people on anti depressents or anti seizure medicaltion who always seemed in a flat kind of mood and could not experience extreme highs or extreme lows.
I believe they mentioned that the family was tipped off and throwing an "early birthday party" for the winner as an excuse to all be there- that would explain why the kids were still up and maybe she was already annoyed that all those people were over on short notice.
If HGTV was planning on having her do a media tour, I am sure they are rethinking that. I thought it was hysterical that the lady who won the trip to the Keys (who lived in Palm Beach to begin with!) and the doggie dream house seemed more excited than the actual winner!

Her reaction really bothered and disappointed me, too. I do think they were absolutely tipped off, because HGTV wants a good live show, and wouldn't take a risk on the winner not being home, or not being dressed or something. Absolutely they were all gathered there for the big "reveal", so that makes it even stranger that it came across like no big deal, or almost an annoyance. When the host told her she won the flooring and the new car, she just said, "Okay." Wow. There's some gratitude.

As I watched it, I was laying around in my jammies, and my hair needed washing. I joked that I sort of hoped we didn't win, because I wouldn't want to be on TV looking like that, but I suspected even before seeing the winner that HGTV would set it up so that the "surprise" would be "successful". Although, I do think it's possible that they told her she was one of maybe 5 finalists, and that they had notified all 5 finalists to be ready in case the cameras showed up. Still, you would think she could at least fake some happiness. Even if she took a sedative beforehand to soothe her nerves, couldn't she have at least TRIED to seem genuinely pleased instead of just irritated?