Meat flying, men heaving and girls galore! For most people the end of January means Super Bowl time. For 20,000 people at the First Union Center on Friday the 26th, the only Bowl on their mind was Wing Bowl Nine. There’s nothing more enjoying than watching 23 overweight males gnaw away at buffalo wings for the coveted prize of Wing Bowl champ.

The contestants consisted of all males with the exception of Belly Donna, who was the first female ever to enter Wing Bowl and finished surprisingly well.

Here is a brief overview of Wing Bowl for those who are oblivious to the reason why thousands of people wake up at 5 a.m. to watch a bunch of Homer Simpson wannabe’s eat wings.

It consists of a panel of men who would be highly doubtful candidates to appear in the next slim-fast commercial. Each guy must do different and crazy stunts to get in.

“Evil Ed”, a wing bowl competitor, ate 40 night crawlers to get a berth into the prestigious Wing Bowl while contestant “Dan the Cop” consumed an entire 32-ounce jar of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise in 12 minutes to qualify.

Two pounds of steak, one pound of shrimp, fish eyes and one pig’s nose in 15 minutes enabled “Big Bopper” to qualify for the Wing Bowl.
Although Wing Bowl Eight was held at the First Union Center, the upper-deck seating wasn’t even used. The turn out for Wing Bowl Eight wasn’t nearly as close to Wing Bowl nine’s attendance of 20,000 people.
610-WIP broadcasted live from Wing Bowl Nine led by host Angelo Cataldi.

Arriving at 5:45 a.m., people came by the masses, though the event did not begin until 7:00 a.m. It’s an early affair but 20,000 people obviously thought this free event was well worth it.

Wing Bowl’s attraction doesn’t stop at watching obese men devour buffalo wings. The Wingettes attract a lot of fans, which keeps bringing them back every year.

The Wingettes are girls who parade around in next to no clothing and accompany the Wing Bowl contestants in the opening ceremonies. These girls also encourage the men, clear plates and, as always, excite the crowd.

Half time? Sure there’s half time but you won’t find N*SYNC collaborating with Aerosmith at the Wing Bowl. You’ll witness some nut case trying to bash open 16 beers on his head.

Unfortunately they ended his mission at ten beers. This was a classic Wing Bowl moment.
Another crowd pleaser is when one of the competitors can’t quite hold down that last wing, and is forced to vomit.

The “Heave you leave” rule was in full effect when “Sloth” an average sized male, who was doing unexpectedly well, was unable to keep down his wings.

He couldn’t keep his sickly and dazed face still while it appeared front and center on the humungous Jumbo-Tron held high above the First Union floor.

20,000 people watched “Sloth” puke his guts out like there was no tomorrow. This was another classic Wing Bowl moment.

El Wingador might have taken home the Wing Bowl championship with 137 wings in 30 minutes, but thousands of people at the First Union Center Friday morning were the true winners.

Maybe 5:45 a.m. is early, but getting up before SportsCenter even starts once a year isn’t too bad. Wing Bowl isn’t just a bunch of fat guys eating wings, it’s a Philadelphia tradition.