One of the original inventors of Jelly Belly jelly beans, David Klein has pledged to consign an entire candy factory to the winner of a new nationwide treasure hunt that's very much inspired by Willy Wonka.
To sign up, you're going to have to dish out $49.99. Keep in mind that spots are limited: there will only be 1,000 tickets available per state. Participants will then receive a riddle that will lead them to a golden ticket—a gold-colored dog tag—that will in turn earn them $5,000.
According to CNN, "the mysterious candy factory is the ultimate prize and with it comes full ownership of the building and a candy making course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Whoever claims the candy factory can create their own candy company, though Klein will offer his confectionary expertise if necessary."
There's a Facebook group dedicated to the challenge that also lists the rules of the hunt. Check it out right here.
Given the rather absurd premise and guidelines of the game, it isn't surprising that loads of people have used the social media group to denounce the entire gimmick as a scam. Specifically speaking, there seems to be an aura of confusion surrounding the grand prize. Although Candyman Kitchens, which Klein currently operates, is registered in north-central Florida, it "operated a recently closed store in Clearwater on the Gulf Coast," reports CNN.
This isn't the first treasure hunt of this kind to raise eyebrows: back in August, we wrote about the Blackbeard Treasure contest, which claimed to have hid ten treasure chests each containing $1 million all over the United States. After publishing the piece, several readers notified us about certain contest inconsistencies. Could this Willy Wonka-like stunt be more of the same? Let us know if you find out—or just send over some candy.
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