Congratulations to Leah Nadorff of Columbia, South Carolina; she is the winner of the HGTV® Smart Home 2022 sweepstakes, a grand prize package valued at over $1.2 million dollars.

"It’s a whirlwind. Totally surreal. It’s crazy I won this," Leah said about learning that she was the winner of the brand-new waterside home, a Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV and $100,000 cash.

Leah, an eighth-grade science teacher, grew up in Hartsville, South Carolina, but now lives with her husband Nick, their two small kids, cats and a dog in Columbia, South Carolina — a short three-hour drive from HGTV Smart Home 2022 in Wilmington, North Carolina. "I saw a post about the house on social media and loved how close it was," said Leah. Even though she hadn't tried her hand at HGTV sweepstakes in years, she signed up for email reminders and entered almost every day for a chance to win HGTV Smart Home 2022. She thought, "What do I have to lose?"

The Reveal

HGTV producers lured Leah and her family to the house by telling them that, although she didn't win the grand prize, she and 20 other lucky families did win an all-expenses-paid weekend trip to Wilmington to see the sites and tour HGTV Smart Home 2022.

When the family arrived for the tour, designer Tiffany Brooks was waiting in the backyard to break the exciting news. "They did a great job keeping up the ruse," said Leah. "It didn’t fully click that I'd won until about 30 minutes later. It was an out-of-body experience."

Watch the smile-inducing surprise here:

About the Home

Featuring three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms, the brand-new, two-story modern farmhouse is filled with gorgeous coastal cottage furnishings and top-of-the-line smart features by designer Tiffany Brooks. Just steps from the Cape Fear River, the waterside home is a quick drive to world-famous surfing, diving and fishing as well as the best-in-class dining, gorgeous shops and local entertainment found in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina.

"I love the kitchen," said Leah of the open-concept cook space. "I love that everything is so open, so you could be cooking and talk to people and watch TV all from one spot." But the kids' favorite spot? The fully-stocked playroom, of course. "My three-year-old didn’t want to leave. She kept saying 5 more minutes!"

Congratulations to Leah and the whole Nadorff family!