Wing Bowl 16: All Gristle, Not Too Gory
Once again Broad and Pattison became sloshing ground for the city’s annual chicken wing eating/$5 strip show at the Wachovia Center. Just a little after 5 a.m., the first tailgaters maneuvered their way through the dark to the nearest fence corner to unleash a healthy three-beer urine strain.
The show? Timid this year. There were no horrifying evacuations (there was one competitor who was disqualified after “snotting” a piece of chicken out his nose), and although crowd was praying for a triumphant Bill “El Wingador” Simmons upset, reigning champion Joey Chestnut’s professional jaws were just too formidable. Simmons placed third, behind another professional eater, the sinewy, mohawked, Patrick Bertoletti.
Once again Broad and Pattison became sloshing ground for the city’s annual chicken wing eating/$5 strip show at the Wachovia Center. Just a little after 5 a.m., the first tailgaters maneuvered their way through the dark to the nearest fence corner to unleash a healthy three-beer urine strain.
The show? Timid this year. There were no horrifying evacuations (there was one competitor who was disqualified after “snotting” a piece of chicken out his nose), and although crowd was praying for a triumphant Bill “El Wingador” Simmons upset, reigning champion Joey Chestnut’s professional jaws were just too formidable. Simmons placed third, behind another professional eater, the sinewy, mohawked, Patrick Bertoletti.
Wing Bowl attendees won’t be able to slam brown-bag beers before they stumble into the Wachovia Center at 5 a.m. tomorrow morning. In an effort to lessen the chaos, police and city officials have promised to “crack down” on the pre-event tailgaiting that has been as important to this 15-year tradition as cascading vomit and latent misogyny. 
Based on some hints being thrown around on the air on WIP’s morning show last week, there’s a