TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Five Contestants Still Hanging On For Hannah Montana

ADVERTISEMENT

By Josh Poltilove The Tampa Tribune and Eric Hausmann News Channel 8

Published: November 11, 2007

Updated: 11/11/2007 11:49 am

Audio Slideshow Day 4 | More Tickets To Go On Sale | Photo Gallery | Watch It Live
TAMPA - As of late Sunday night, just five of the original 20 participants remained in a contest to win coveted Hannah Montana concert tickets.

The contest, sponsored by a local radio station, tests participants' endurance. They are gathered around a giant statue of Hannah Montana and must keep at least one hand or foot on the statue at all times, taking only a 12-minute break every three hours.

The last one holding on wins four tickets to the Disney Channel star's show in Tampa and $5,000.

Four of the remaining contestants are women.

The remaining man, Jody Powell, 35, of Port Charlotte, is trying to win tickets for his 7-year-old daughter.

"Well, her name's Hannah," he said. "So if she didn't get to go to the concert, I couldn't come home."

Fellow contestant Rosana Ramirez, 36, of Jacksonville, also is trying to win tickets for her children. She lay by herself this morning, covered by a blanket and touching the statue with her foot.

The hardest part of the event is trying to sleep at night without moving, but there are other challenges, too, such as the cold nights and hot days, she said.

"It's hard. You do have to make sacrifices," she said. "But I don't think it's anything like 'Survivor.' We don't have to go and try to catch our own food and kill it or try to eat it raw or anything like [that]."

The stunt began Thursday in the parking lot of Clear Channel Communications, 4002 W. Gandy Blvd., and will continue until Sunday, the day before the concert, or until there's a winner.

Contestants receive 12-minute breaks every three hours. They are not allowed to entertain themselves, meaning no iPods, books or cell phones. Permission is needed to switch positions.

For contestant Lara Padgett, a 37-year-old Tampa resident, spending several days without sleeping in a bed or bathing has been rough.

"These things that we do for our children, it's unbelievable, huh?" she said. "Spoiled rotten."

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove @tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691. Photographer Eric Hausmann can be reached at ehausmann@wfla.com or (813) 314-5386.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT