COUPEVILLE — Brian and Tuk Kutz were accustomed to watching famous designer David Bromstad help families pick a new home on his HGTV show, but they were a little unprepared for what it was like to be that family.
The “My Lottery Dream Home” episode featuring the Coupeville couple will air again 11:30 a.m. Wednesday on the HGTV channel.
Brian Kutz knew his $200,000 scratch ticket win wouldn’t allow them to buy an over-the-top mega-mansion like the ones usually featured on the show, but he thought he’d give it a try. A couple of days after he received the winning ticket in March, he got in touch with the network.
“My wife and I had always watched that show before we won the scratch ticket,” he said. “I used to joke we’d have David find us a house if we ever won.”
It’s no longer a joke. A producer for the show quickly responded to Kutz’s email, in which he described the beauty of Whidbey Island and how much he and his wife wanted Coupeville to be featured. In mid-July, the crew arrived on the island for a few days of shooting and to help the Kutzes find their dream home.
The couple and their two children had been living in a rental home since 2017 and fell in love with Central Whidbey. The two wanted to use this opportunity to pick a “forever home,” Brian Kutz said.
Brian Kutz, his daughter Kendra and wife, Tuk, stand in front of their new home, purchased while appearing on HGTV’s “My Lottery Dream Home.” (Submitted photo)
The family was looking for either a “peek-a-boo” view of the water or a bigger lot where they can be away from a main road and not too close to neighbors. In the spirit of the show, they managed to find a place with both. Those who plan to watch the episode and don’t want to miss out on the suspense over which home the family chose should probably stop reading here.
In the aptly named episode “The Sound of Freedom,” the Kutz family settled on a Victorian-style house located near the Navy’s Outlying Field Coupeville.
On his way to helping the Kutzes find new digs, Bromstad took a trip to what was then The Cove Cafe on the Coupeville Wharf and visited the expansive purple fields at Lavender Wind Farm.
The TV personality was enchanted by Whidbey’s charm and even checked out a little waterside home for himself.
While the couple enjoyed their experience with Bromstad and the crew, Brian Kutz said the days were exhausting. Filming could take up to six hours each day, and he wasn’t prepared for the number of times he had to walk into the same room and look surprised.
He said he’s not always very animated, but his wife shined enough for the both of them. However, neither of the two decided to be on the show to bring attention to themselves, he said. It was more about showcasing the island that they’ve come to love.
“I wasn’t there to be Joe Hollywood,” Brian Kutz said. “We really were just trying to get Coupeville on the map.”
It certainly seemed to leave an impression with Bromstad. As drone footage panned across the water, Deception Pass Bridge and other Whidbey landmarks, the host’s voice over declared, “This island is utterly fantastic.”
The Whidbey News-Times is a sibling Sound Publishing publication of The Daily Herald of Everett.
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