(from a Chrysler Group press release)

More than 100 fairgoers kicked off the State Fair of Texas today by diving into and digging through a giant pool filled with more than 14,000 gallons of mud during the “Jeep®Stick in the Mud” challenge. After surviving three rounds of play and frantically uncovering hundreds of sticks in the knee-deep mud, Homero Perez of Garland, Texas, was awarded an all-new four-door 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited for earning the highest score and simultaneously proving he wasn’t a stick-in-the-mud.

"It felt great to get out there and wade through all that mud," said Perez. "I’m the type of person who's always up for an adventure, and I can't wait to hit the road and explore in my new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited."

Perez was chosen at random to compete in the "Jeep Stick in the Mud" challenge from nearly 2,600 entries received from 48 states and the District of Columbia. Of those, 120 consumers were invited to the State Fair of Texas to prove they were not a "stick-in-the-mud" by participating in the challenge.

The event, which celebrated the launch of the newest Jeep vehicle not afraid of getting dirty, literally brought the phrase "stick-in-the-mud" to life by asking consumers to race through a giant pool filled with enough mud to cover nine regulation basketball courts to look for hidden sticks worth a variety of points.

In keeping with the theme of the first-ever four-door Jeep Wrangler (the 4x4x4 Wrangler Unlimited), the contest was based on multiples of four with three rounds of competition — qualifying, semi-final and final. The individuals who earned the most points in each round advanced until there were only four participants competing in the final round.

"The Jeep brand has been built on its 'go anywhere, do anything' capability," said John Plecha, Director – Jeep Marketing & Global Communications. "As the all-new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited begins arriving in dealer showrooms across the country, we thought nothing would be more appropriate than to invite consumers to this year’s State Fair of Texas to do what Jeep vehicles love to do best — get muddy."

The three runners-up, Robert Dombrowski, Shang Potter and Clinton Todd Frank, were each awarded a Jeep Adventure Prize Package.