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Nov 28, 2008 3:27 pm US/Central
Wis. Contestants Bailed Out Of Truck After 55 Days
MADISON, Wis. (AP) ―
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They were allowed 10-minute breaks every three hours, time they used to eat healthy foods, exercise and talk to radio listeners. But after 55 days, officials with WMAD-FM "Star Country" in Madison began to worry the contest would never end.
AP
A radio station this week halted a contest in which neither finalist showed signs of backing down even after spending nearly two months together in a truck.
Tommy Kempfer, 26, of Sun Prairie, and Lisa Thompson, 40, of Westfield, were vying to be the last person in the truck to win a new $30,000 vehicle.
They were allowed 10-minute breaks every three hours, time they used to eat healthy foods, exercise and talk to radio listeners. But after 55 days, officials with WMAD-FM "Star Country" in Madison began to worry the contest would never end.
So on Tuesday, the station offered Kempfer and Thompson a compromise -- end the contest and each would receive $10,000 toward the purchase of a car, trips for two to Las Vegas and $1,000 for a mattress.
The pair was given an hour to accept or the contest would continue with the runner-up receiving nothing.
Within 15 minutes, both agreed to the deal.
"We sensed these two were not going to back down," said John Flint, a co-host on the station's morning show. "There was no way we expected this to go 55 days. If it was not for the deal, it's possible they could have gone on until New Year's."
The contest began with eight entrants, but the other six dropped out in the first month.
Kempfer said he was relieved the contest was over and he feels good "to be back in real life."
"When you're used to sitting almost 24-7, your body is adjusting to being upright again," he said.
As the contest dragged on, organizers tried to raise the stakes, adding obstacles such as a ban on sleeping during the day.
"Both of us were ready to go home," Kempfer said, "but we didn't want to leave with nothing after you put in that much time."
When Thompson get out of the truck for the last time, she had tears in her eyes.
"It was happiness," she said. "I was happy it worked out."
She called the contest a "very good experience" but said once is enough.
"Would I do it again? No," she said with a laugh.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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