WASHINGTON — A local couple shares a remarkable story of how the Washington, DC Auto Show helped them find love in unconventional places. Although they didn't win the car, Darlene Thompson and Tyree Crossland won each other.
Thompson and Crossland met a decade ago at the hands-on contest at the auto show in D.C. For them, it was love at first sight, and despite not winning the car, Thompson humorously expressed, "I didn’t win the car, but I won the man, so it was wonderful."
The contest required participants to maintain contact with a vehicle for three hours, with 15-minute break intervals. Positioned on opposite sides of the vehicle, the couple found their breaks synchronizing, allowing them to spend their breaks getting to know each other, and an unexpected romance developed.
Thompson said Crossland's striking appearance is what sparked the initial attraction. “Tyree is 6'2" and very handsome, so we just kind of drew to each other,” she added.
She entered the contest because she desperately needed a car, so she wrote a letter to the contest, and she was chosen. According to Thompson, the contest lasted five days, but by the third day, she was eliminated.
“He [Crossland] was asleep at the time, but the participants knew that we had something special because they woke him up to tell him that I was leaving,” she said. “And he's like, 'call me,' and yelled his phone number, and I just said sure, and wrote his phone number down, and the rest is history.”
Thompson added that though Crossland didn’t win the contest either, he returned three years ago and went all the way to the end, where he received a cash prize for completing the challenge.
Although she doesn't remember the exact date of the contest, every year Thompson remembers her anniversary because it’s during the Washington, DC Auto Show.
To skeptics, she encourages following one's feelings, believing that "if you feel it go with it, it can't be wrong."
As for their relationship, Thompson concluded, "I just love him so much, and I am so happy I went to the contest."
Today, the couple resides in Stafford, Va., and though they haven't returned to the auto show, the prospect is open.
The Washington, DC Auto Show is happening right now until the 28th, for more information about the event or to get tickets, click here.
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