Got Winners? Yes

Didn't mean to leave everyone in suspense about the Fort Fridge contest, if indeed you were. It was over by Tuesday; here, courtesy of the official press release, is how it ended:

Twenty-five-year-old law clerk Geovannie De La Torre toughed it out against 28 other determined Californians. The third and final GET THE GLASS for Cash competition lasted four days. It started Friday, May 18 at 1:15 p.m at the Block at Orange. With 54 hours under his belt, De La Torre broke the GET THE GLASS for CASH contest record set by 33-year-old ex-Marine Luis Herrera. Herrera kept his hand on the glass for 49 hours during the Fresno competition in April.

"I thought I had a good shot at winning," says De La Torre. "I am used to working long hours, and I don't require I lot of sleep. These are the reasons why I decided to participate."

Second-place winner Nazret Weldeghiorgis, a third-year UC San Diego student didn't walk away empty-handed. Weldeghiorgis made a deal with De La Torre to split the winnings: $5,000 in cash, a year's supply of milk, plus an array of gift certificates and prizes. She released her hand from the glass at exactly the 54th hour.

"I didn't want to miss any more classes," says Weldeghiorgis. "I also needed to write a paper, so I decided to make a deal."

Weldeghiorgis, who also competed in the San Diego contest in April, got eliminated around the 22nd hour. That contest lasted for 28 1/2 hours amid heavy storms.