On HGTV's My Lottery Dream Home, host David Bromstad, the King of Color, takes lucky lottery winners on a search for the mega-mansions of their dreams. But in Season 16's 'Gold Lady of Lake Mendota' he meets a savvy investor with millions to spend, and they go house-hunting with the biggest budget in the show's 17-season history (so far).

Who needs the lottery when an investment pays out in eight figures instead? Kathy Cox doesn't say exactly how much she made, but David's jaw drops when he learns she has the biggest shopping budget in the history of My Lottery Dream Home. Her windfall came from investing in a biotech company, and she's willing to pay $3 to $4 million for her personal slice of paradise. If David can find the perfect property, she says, she'll go up to $5 to $6 million.

Kathy brings along her sister, Peg Cox, to explore listings with David in Madison, Wisconsin, where Kathy currently lives. Kathy's lifelong dream, she says, is to have a lake home — specifically, on Lake Mendota, the biggest and most desired lake in the area. "She deserves this," Peg says. "Her whole life, she's given to everybody else. It's her turn now."

Kathy's Dream Home Wish List

• lake house
• gorgeous views
• an open floor plan
• 5000+ square feet
• three or four bedrooms
• three or more bathrooms

Real estate agent Karisa Mihlbauer provides David with leads to luxurious lake homes. Inventory is low, he discovers, but they pinpoint three stunning mansions with spectacular views of Lake Mendota: Blackwolf Bluff, Thornberry Bay and Whistling Wake.

House #1: Blackwolf Bluff

• three bedrooms and four baths
• 4,988 square feet
• 0.5+ acre lot
• boathouse
• outdoor chessboard
• backyard dining and sitting areas

Price: just under $2.5 million

Kathy and Peg love the contemporary style, open floor plan, minimalist decor and geometric-patterned wallpaper in the primary bedroom in Blackwolf Bluff. They're thrilled when David shows them an outdoor putting green on the bedroom's private deck. "We both play," Peg says.

There's an induction cooktop in the stylish kitchen, and, in the long, level backyard, oversized chess figures sit on a big chessboard design in the lawn. They head downstairs to the first floor to check out a pool table and guest bathroom with — get ready for it — a musical toilet that raises its lid when someone enters. Geese honk overhead as they approach the boathouse. Kathy loves the panoramic view, but she wants more square footage — so it's on to the second stop, Thornberry Bay.

House #2: Thornberry Bay

• four bedrooms and five baths
• 7,401 square feet
• two garages
• boathouse

Price: $4.25 million

A circular driveway leads to two separate garages on either side of this stately mega-mansion. The front door swings open to reveal a spiral staircase and a sunken living room with 70 enormous windows that offer spectacular views of the lake. Even in winter, everyone agrees, it's beautiful.

David walks them into the ultra-high-end kitchen, which leads to indoor and outdoor dining and sitting areas. Wall-to-wall windows in the primary suite give way to more stunning views of the water. Kathy likes the idea that she could cast a line and fish off the boathouse out back. But she's not finished looking. She tells David she's not deterred by the price and she's willing to go higher. The buyers are ready for the third and last stop on their tour: Whistling Wake.

House #3: Whistling Wake

• four bedrooms and eight baths
• 6,384 square feet, not including a pickleball court
• four-car garage and garage space on a lower level
• steam room, sauna, private gym
• sports bar

Price: $5.2 million

This show-stopper, David says, is one of the coolest homes he's ever seen. The floor-to-ceiling front door opens to a kitchen furnished with four ovens and gold-plated, touchless features like a sensor-equipped faucet. All the bedrooms, including the main suite, have private baths and are on the fourth level. The home feels like a resort, Kathy remarks, right down to the marble-topped island and light-up clothes rods in the closet off the primary bedroom.

An elevator whisks them to the second floor with its high-end, fully-equipped gym and sauna, steam room and sports bar. In the basement, Kathy, David and Peg whack balls across the indoor pickleball court and check out a locker room, kitchenette and bathroom. A charming, A-frame boathouse sits out back on the level lot. "This is a lot of house," Kathy says. "And a lot of money." Is it too much money?

The Big Decision

"There's one house I couldn't say 'no' to," Kathy admits. "Whistling Wake ticked all the boxes and then some." She surprises David with a pickleball paddle, balls and an invitation to come over and play after they seal the deal.

"My lifelong desire was to have a lake home," she says, and she went over her initial budget to own her heart's desire. "You can make more money, but can't make more time or memories without this kind of house. I would do it all over again and twice on Sunday."

Watch My Lottery Dream Home Friday nights on at 9|8c. Follow David Bromstad on Instagram at @bromco.