A 23-year-old man came clean today about how he won a four-wheel drive in the 'hitz.fm Ford Live In It To Win It Extreme Challenge'  he deliberately set out to stink so badly the other contestants quit.

A Sritharan said he did not brush his teeth, bathe or change his clothes for 23 days as he outlasted three others living, eating and sleeping in the prize  a Ford Ranger  outside a shopping mall here.

One of the biggest problems, the driving instructor told AFP ,was having to cope with "my own stench".

The contestants, who were bidding to outstay each other in the car, were given 15 minute breaks every three hours, when they could use the toilet, but were barred from taking baths.

They were allowed to brush their teeth and change their T-shirts once every two days  but Sritharan chose not to, and even stopped washing eight days before the competition to give himself a head start in the smelly stakes.

Psychological warfare

"It's psychological warfare in there and that was my strategy ... to outstink everybody else," he said.

Two contestants, a law student and salesman, walked out of the car a little after two weeks, leaving only Sritharan and his final challenger, Mary Biniol, to play the waiting game.

Mary, a mother of two, eventually accepted defeat and on Wednesday, left Sritharan as the final survivor.

The competition barred the contestants from any form of entertainment aside from tuning in to the radio.

Meals were delivered three times a day, but food packages and boxes had to remain in the car.

"I've always wanted to know what rotting food looked like, and I guess I found out," Sritharan said.

He said he had showered five times since stepping victoriously from the RM88,500 Ford four-wheel drive  which will also be cleaned thoroughly before being handed over to him tomorrow. (AFP)