Prep work helps couple to get top spot

Good preparation served consumer researcher Zhou Jiu Yu and her process engineer husband, Mr Kim Min Woo, well at the My Paper Love Hunt at Bugis+ and Bugis Junction yesterday.

For the treasure-hunt event, now in its second year, the couple, both 29, had studied the many stores and food and beverage outlets at the two malls to "familiarise ourselves with the stores' locations".

While the exact locations of the challenges for the Love Hunt were not made known to contestants, the legwork Ms Zhou and Mr Kim did paid off as they emerged winners and walked away with the top prize of $2,000 cash.

"Even though the clues were misleading, we managed to find our way," said Ms Zhou.

The Love Hunt, which commemorated next month's Friendship Day in advance, had 83 teams of two racing to complete a series of 13 challenges, which started in Bugis+ and ended in Bugis Junction. Friends, couples and family members had to complete tasks at a store or food and beverage outlet before receiving clues to the location of the next challenge. One of the outlets was Berrylite, a yogurt store at Bugis+, where couples had to go through a blindfold taste test. The blindfolded partner would be fed three samples of yogurt and had to guess their flavours correctly before they could proceed to the next station. An incorrect guess resulted in a five-minute delay.

Many contestants were stumped by one particular sweet flavour - graham cracker.

At the i Darts Halo outlet in Bugis+, contestants had to score more than 300 points on an electronic dartboard to proceed.

In Bugis Junction, contestants at accessories shop Alice Claudine had to pick out five accessories priced between $15 and $25 and take photos of them.

Although there was only one winning team, some couples managed to win special awards, including the team which displayed the most sportsmanship, as well as the most energetic team.

The winners of the most photogenic couple, home-maker Tan Su-Anne, 33, and educator husband Gerardo Seow, 41, said the race was exciting and that they would "definitely join again".

wtkoh@sph.com.sg

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