New Mexico couple finds ghost lamp during desert treasure hunt and receives three life-changing wishes worth $1.2 million
- Ron Novak and Michelle Bush found the Treasure Games lamp in Dallas, Texas
- They spent three months cracking a Seinfeld-themed clue to find the object
- The couple settled on a motel, a sprinter van and a donation
A New Mexico couple who found a ghost lamp during a desert treasure hunt were granted three wishes worth a total of $1.2 million.
Ron Novak and Michelle Bush spent around three months on two trips to Dallas to find the coveted item as part of a competition run by Treasure Games.
Participants pay a subscription to receive clues about the hidden lamp. If successful, they can choose to receive $1 million in cash or three wishes worth $1.2 million.
Novak and Bush cracked a Seinfeld-themed clue to track down the Genie Bottle in the Texas bush… and have since received three life-changing wishes.
“At first I was shocked,” Novak said, recalling how he discovered the lamp while speaking to WWLP.
They chose three gifts – a sprinter van suitable for their four dogs, an entire motel they plan to renovate and a donation to charity.
The couple extended their trip by a day because they were close to discovering the artifact – and it paid off when they discovered it on the final day.
Novak said their first gift was a donation to the Hare Krishna Food for Life Group, a charity that he said helped him get back on his feet when he was homeless.
“For me, being able to give them money for it was the greatest gift because I used to be a taker. I just took it, and I needed help and wanted help,” he told WWLP.
The couple also purchased the Southwest Motel in Grants, New Mexico, which they are currently renovating.
They went treasure hunting in a tiny Subaru crammed with four canine passengers – so their third gift was a sprinter van suitable for their canine family.
“We bought the transporter for the dogs. “This is an internal joke,” Bush told WWLP.
They also plan to launch their own treasure hunt game, with the winner receiving a grand prize of at least $5,000.
“It will be much simpler than this – it should be resolved within a weekend or a week,” Bush said.
Treasure Games said its next Ghost Bottle Hunt with a $1 million prize begins in June.
