BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – A Minnesota high school teacher has lasted 20 hours on a carnival ride to win the Ride the Tide Challenge at the Mall of America.

Forty-year-old Jim Salava of Oakdale, was declared the winner at the Nickelodeon Universe theme park when his final opponent stepped down at 2:35 a.m. Tuesday.

Salava was among 10 riders who boarded the Avatar Airbender at 6:30 a.m. Monday. The pool dwindled to three riders just three hours into the competition.

The Avatar Airbender averages 43 mph and reaches heights of 70 feet. Other than bathroom and meal breaks, contestants remained on the ride at all times.

The top prize includes a family cruise, $1,000 spending cash and a lifetime pass to the theme park.

Bubble burst? Off-Broadway show’s suds stolen

NEW YORK – The bubble might have burst for off-Broadway’s “Gazillion Bubbles Show.” Someone has stolen the show’s specialized soapy bubble solution, which takes two months to make.

A show spokesman says 3.4 tons of bubble solution and 6,000 toys went missing in the June 10 break-in at a Hoboken, N.J., warehouse.

The show has only six weeks worth of solution on hand to make the air-filled globes of soapy film.

The interactive show was created by renowned bubble artist Fan Yang. It features lots of bubbles – some so intricate or big they have smoke, other bubbles or even people inside them.

Yang and his wife, Ana Yang, also have a bubble show in Las Vegas.