PHILADELPHIA — It was a frigid 24 degrees at 4 a.m. Friday as thousands of devoted Wing Bowl fans lit grills and knocked back beers and shots in the parking lot of they Wells Fargo Center before the 25th annual 94 WIP Sports Radio event.
Not everyone is up for predawn tailgating but the parking lot filled with people getting an early start for the 6 a.m. event.
While the main event is the chicken wing eating contest, the revelries also include the competitors parading, most in costume, with strippers and other scantily-clad women and a contest for the sexiest “wingette.”
Collin Michaelis, 22, of Collingswood, rented a Uhaul as a portable party spot. He wasn’t sure they would even let him in the gate. “It worked out pretty well,” he said as the group jumped up and down in the truck, cheering on a friend chugging a beer.
Ryan Dobbins, 23, who is from the Philly area, came from Brooklyn. “I literally drove down here at midnight,” he said. “I didn’t want to miss Wing Bowl. It’s a great Philly tradition.”
It’s been a quarter-century since WIP host Al Morganti decided a Wing Bowl was what was needed to take Philadelphians’ minds off the again failing to make it to the Super Bowl. It’s grown from 150 people in a Center City hotel to a sold-out, no-holds-barred event drawing 20,000.
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As the party moved inside Friday morning, people waited for the beer concessions to open and Wing Bowl 25 competitors paraded around the arena in character.
Henry “Hank the Tank” Goldey entered on a float dressed as Donald Trump, grinding against a woman in a Hillary Clinton mask and a striped prison jumpsuit. Robert “Farmer Bob” Garges made his entrance surrounded by cowgirls.
Commentary was provided by hosts Morganti and Angelo Cataldi, plus a Donald Trump impersonator.
People tailgate in a Uhaul for Wing Bowl 25, Feb. 3, 2017.Rebecca Everett
And it wouldn’t be Wing Bowl without a few strange celebrity appearances. This year, rapper Coolio and former wrestler Ric “The Nature Boy” Flair — famous for his “woos” — are expected to appear this year.
New this year is a rule that past overall champions cannot compete, so Wing Bowl fans are guaranteed a new champion. That person will go home with a Hyundai Santa Fe, a champion medal and ring, and $10,000.
There are two past champions who will get to face each other this year in a five-minute eat off. Molly Schuyler, champion of Wing Bowls 22 and 24, will take on Bill “El Wingador” Simmons, who won Wing Bowls 7, 9, 10, 11, and 13.
Simmons, of Woodbury Heights, was arrested in 2012, served two years for cocaine distribution and wrote a book about his experiences.
WIP is also throwing a bone to other memorable competitors from past years with a new “Legends” competition. Ten favorite eaters were invited to compete against each other at Wing Bowl for a Harley Davidson.
As always, those who vomit during the contest are disqualified.
If a “legend” eats more wings than any of the competitors in the other division, he will take home the prizes from both categories. The Wingette of the year will also get $5,000.
Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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