The competition (and publicity stunt) called ‘”Kiss a Kia” was held by radio station 96.7 KISS FM in Austin, Texas. Thousands tuned into the live stream on Facebook Live. The competition started with 20 contestants, narrowed down to 11 after the first 24 hours, and ended with a final seven people still kissing the car. DJs for the radio station drew names from the final contestants to choose a winner, and 30 year old Dilini Jayasuria, who works in a state laboratory, was the lucky one.
She didn’t meditate, she didn’t count sheep (or cars), she merely allowed herself to experience the highs and lows of getting through the marathon competition, knowing each would be temporary. “I had a couple of freak-out moments,” she said, adding that her husband said she could give up, but she refocused her mind. “You think you can’t do it, but then you tell yourself you can do it.”
She walked away with a 2017 Kia, which retails at $23,095, which would otherwise cost $462 per hour after taxes to earn in the same 50 hours. And that doesn’t include the gift taxes that must be paid on such a prize.
Participants were allowed to move, cough, and make noise, but they have to keep both lips on the car. Some were seen listening to music on headphones to pass the time and one contestant was watching Netflix on his phone. Contestants got a 10-minute break each hour so technically, they need to kiss the car for 50 minutes each hour for 50 hours. The other six finalists who had kept their lips pressed to two cars on and off since 7 a.m. Monday won a variety of prizes, including Austin City Limits passes and tickets to Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars and the Chainsmokers.
Courtesy of www.mystatesman.com
