Instead of playing for a spot in the NCAA's regional …
Alicia Christmann is headed to Houston on the Indianapolis Colts owner's dime to see Butler play in the Final Four.
Alicia Christmann is headed to Houston on the Indianapolis Colts owner's dime to see Butler play in the Final Four.
Updated: Wednesday, 30 Mar 2011, 10:54 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 30 Mar 2011, 10:54 PM EDT
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Only 24-Hour News 8 is documenting a moment in the Butler Final Four history. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay had a trivia contest on Twitter and only our cameras were on the Butler campus when the winner survived what could be considered a combination of Jeopardy, Survivor and The Amazing Race.
It all started around 9:30 Tuesday night with a tweet from Irsay: "THE RIDDLE..what kind of handle opens the door when Brad Stevens meets a blair witch project?"
The person who could solve the riddle would win two tickets to the Final Four, including airfare, hotel and spending money. But first they had to figure it out, race against time and in a scavenger hunt find a person named Ray on the Butler campus to deliver their answer to.
Throughout the day Irsay gave Twitter hints:
"I keep wiggling my nose today...I wonder why?????????"
"Could Ray be between Historic bulldog?"
"Ray is literally roaming butlers campus n blueNwhite n u guys r onto the bewitched Stevens connection,stick with male association bewitched."
"I'm gettin sleepy, time 4 a Starbucks break"
24-Hour News 8 cameras were stationed inside that Starbucks to catch the winning moment and Irsay finally tweets: "WE FOUND A WINNER!"
Alicia Christmann says she is "just a mom." She has kids but they don't go to Butler.
"They're actually on spring break, and I had the day free so I thought it would be a fun thing to do,” Christmann told 24-Hour News 8. “I was actually going to give my tickets to Matt Howard's family if I won so I tweeted that last night. I didn't know they actually had the tickets before right now."
The riddle and the answer were tough. Like Butler, it took a team to win.
"My tweeting partner actually helped out a lot,” Christmann said. “I've been in and out of this Starbucks I don't know how many times and I saw you guys sitting in here so I thought it was here."
She almost gave up, but just like Butler returning to the Final Four, she came back one more time — to win.
“I was getting ready to give up and drive away and I thought, ‘No, I'm going to try again,’" she said.
As Irsay tweeted just before 6 p.m. Wednesday, "You're going to Houston!"
She plans to take a friend.
The answer to Irsay’s riddle: Darrin Stevens, who was the husband on the TV show Bewitched.
Initially, Irsay said the winner had to be a Butler student, but late in the day he opened it up to anyone.