It wasn’t any fancy trash talk or psychological warfare that defeated Reinier — the two are said to have developed a good friendship during their stay — it was the food that clinched the victory. After already being warned for refusing to finish a pizza served by the Challenge organizers several days before, Reinier refused a second time when he was told to finish a meal composed of three burritos and a bag of nachos, thus eliminating him from the Challenge.
A silly reason to give up a Ford for? When your life is constrained to what seems like a jail sentence spent in a non-moving vehicle with only a few minutes each day to get out and stretch one’s legs while other people watch you, and while others dictate what little else from the world you can (or in this case, must) take in, food is a big deal. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if some psychology majors decided to check out the Challenge and treat it as a weird case study of sorts.
Mark was only too happy to win the Ford Ranger and be reunited with his girlfriend and their year-old son. It’s not been confirmed whether he shared the leftover nachos with them to celebrate his lived-in pickup truck. "For the longest time, I’ve been thinking of a way to propose to her. Ford gave me this opportunity to do it in a very creative and memorable way," Mark beamed.
Recently hired as a pre-school teacher at the Oxford School for Children, Mark cited several coincidences that convinced him that he had a solid chance of winning. "I didn’t expect to get into Oxford and then they called me this May to say that I can start teaching there. It’s funny because I was born on the year of the Ox and now I have a Ford."
When Mark and Reinier were given a pizza last May 28, Mark prayed before he ate it. He finished the pizza and asked God how he finished the whole pie. He flipped the pizza box and there again, he saw another sign: the box was printed by Oxford Printing.
"When we were given chocolates the following day, I looked at the box and the first thing I read was ‘30 pieces’. It occurred to me that we will be ending the contest in 30 days," Mark added.
"I really believe in what Reinier said [during the Challenge], miracles are waiting for you and not the other way around," said the proud new owner of the Ford Ranger.
The Ford "Live in It to Win It" Challenge is the ultimate endurance test to determine who embodies the Ford "No Boundaries" attitude, and who is tough enough to outlast competition and win the Ford Ranger.