'El Wingador' repeats as Wing champ

In the second-fattest city in the U.S., who needs football when you have competitive eating? Although Philadelphians had little to root for during last night's Super Bowl, last Friday morning they had El Wingador and barely clothed Wingettes to cheer on. Gluttony, cleavage and free admission drew 16,000 people to the First Union Center for the 11th annual Wing Bowl, established 10 years ago by radio station WIP-AM 610's Al Morganti as, ironically, a distraction for Philly fans from an Eagle-less Super Bowl. Beating the old record by a single chicken wing, four-time champion Bill "El Wingador" Simmons chowed down 154 wings during the three-round binge, defeating the second-place finisher by 25 wings. "I'm still hungry," announced Simmons -- ranked 22nd in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating --after Friday's breakfast. Trailing Simmons was Don "Moses" Lerman, the IFCE's 13th-ranked eater who boasts consuming three pounds of dog food in less than three minutes. The 26 contestants also included "Dan the Cop," whose claim to fame is eating eight crayons in 10 minutes, and "Yao Wing," who asked the crowd before his big meal, "Who wants to sex Yao Wing?" El Wingador fan Dean Gilbert, like many spectators, predicted the contest's outcome as he watched the competitors battle it out after Miss Wing Bowl Jennifer Burmeister dropped the ceremonial egg. El Wingador's "a three-time champ," Gilbert said. "I like the favorite." And what else attracted Gilbert to First Union that cold morning? "The girls," he responded with a grin, as the rows of male fans below him ogled the high-heeled, bikini-topped women through rented binoculars. Squealing and bouncing, the Wingettes are the muses of the art that is gorging. Each competitor is flanked by females who encourage them through the two 14-minute rounds and final two-minute sprint -- half-time highlighted Bob "Mize" Meyer crushing seven full beer cans on his forehead in two minutes. "Sometimes the Wingettes will make a huge difference," WIP's Rhea Hughes commented. However, the Wingettes were surely not to blame for "Coondog" O'Karma's sad performance -- the weak-stomached Ohioan quit after just over seven minutes of wing-gobbling. "They were making me sick," Coondog said. "The Wingettes are eating more than Coondog," Morganti commented. "They're basically calling him a loser." Philadelphia's own Danielle Kroungold won the title of top Wingette with her hula hoop stylings. But the Wingettes weren't the only women baring skin -- a few audience members took Wing Bowl as an opportunity to show off their own assets. In the end, however, El Wingador was the star of the show and rewarded with a new car to add to his collection. "You've just witnessed true greatness," WIP's Angelo Cataldi said after El Wingador's performance. "He's a class act, isn't he?"

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