A Penn education can really pay off.
Just ask College seniors Brett Muhlada and Nancy Duan, who came from behind to win the first-ever Robbins Diamond Dash - and a $20,000 Hearts on Fire diamond ring.
Hosted by local jeweler Robbins Diamonds, the 550-person scavenger hunt spanned more than two hours last Saturday, kicking off at Philadelphia's Thomas Paine Plaza and concluding at Love Park.
To win, contestants worked in pairs and received text messages with clues leading to various Philadelphia locations.
They received points for figuring out where to go as well as answering a question about the location, once they got there.
"When we won it was like a scene out of a movie," said Muhlada, a College and Wharton senior.
Duan, a College senior, and Muhlada were in sixth place when they got their final clue: "find the original White House."
The couple - who have known each other since freshman year and have been dating for eight months - rushed to City Hall, where they were prompted to count the amount of air-conditioning units.
"By the time we got there, people were already counting," said Duan.
But the couple outpaced their competitors, texted the answer and ran to Love Park, where they were greeted by Robbins Diamonds CEO Jerry Robbins and the coveted diamond ring.
"It's perfect and so beautiful," said Duan, who is now the ring's proud owner.
But even with a diamond on the line, Philadelphians shared some brotherly love.
"I was out in the field with the contestants and everyone seemed to be having a blast running around the city scrambling for clues," Gordon Robbins, vice president of Robbins Diamonds, wrote in an e-mail. "It was especially nice to see the teams helping one another out with the answers."
Contestants had to apply as pairs to compete, so there were many married people who competed, in addition to unmarried couples and close friends.
"We were watching the Amazing Race and I said that I'd love to do that," said Duan.
So when they heard about the Robbins Diamond Dash, the couple immediately applied.
A local start-up tech company, SCVNGR, created the software for the dash so not all the contestants received the same clue at the same time.
Couples were also able to get extra help by texting and to see where they ranked during the competition.
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