Wing Bowl
| Wing Bowl | |
|---|---|
Wing Bowl XV
|
|
| Date(s) | Friday before the Super Bowl |
| Venue | Wells Fargo Center |
| Location(s) | Philadelphia |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | January 29, 1993 |
| Founder | Al Morganti, Angelo Cataldi |
| Most recent | February 3, 2017 |
| Next event | 2018 |
| Attendance | 20,000+ |
| Leader | Commissioner Jon Dorenbos |
| Current Champion - Bob Shoudt | |
Wing Bowl is an annual eating contest founded in 1993 by Philadelphia talk-radio hosts Angelo Cataldi and Al Morganti. The contest was first broadcast on WIP. Wing Bowl XXIV was held 2-5-2016 and won by Molly Schuyler, who ate 429 wings in 26 minutes, dethroning Patrick Bertoletti, who consumed 208. He had eaten a record 444 wings last year. Wing Bowl XXV is scheduled for 2-3-2017.
About 150 people attended Wing Bowl I (held in a hotel) in 1993 to see a competition between two contestants. The event pits competitive eaters in a chicken wing eating contest. The Wing Bowl is traditionally held on the Friday before the Super Bowl. The event, which began as a radio promotion, has grown to encompass television, the Internet, and a contest for women who are termed "the Wingettes."
Since 2000, the event is held at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center, where it is still broadcast live on 94-WIP-FM. There are currently no television deals to broadcast the event live; however, a replay is usually shown on CW 57, Comcast SportsNet, or one of the other local stations within the following week. The Wing Bowl now draws crowds of over 20,000.
Wing Bowl was the brainchild of WIP radio host Al Morganti, who came up with the idea when it became apparent the Philadelphia Eagles were not going to make the Super Bowl anytime soon. It is also suggested that Morganti was fed up with the Buffalo Bills going to the Super Bowl and not winning. The first Wing Bowl was held in the lobby of the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel in Center City. Carmen Cordero walked away with the inaugural title, receiving a hibachi as his prize.
Since then, media coverage has grown to the point where every one of the major Philadelphia television stations has covered the event. The ABC 6, CBS Channel 3 and Fox 29 affiliates all aired live reports from the event during their morning news. Features on the event have appeared in the Courier-Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News as well as a host of newspapers in the surrounding counties. The event has been featured on ESPN and the syndicated television shows Real TV and The Montel Williams Show. Segments on Wing Bowl have appeared on TV newscasts in cities throughout the country. Several Wing Bowl contestants, including "El Wingador," competed in Fox's "Glutton Bowl" in the spring of 2002. The 2007 Wing Bowl was carried on Comcast Cable's On Demand channel.
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