RENEE ITTNER-McMANUS/MCTThis past Friday, I participated as a Wingette in the Philadelphia Wing Bowl. Doors opened at 5 a.m. Friday, Feb. 1 at the Wachovia Center.
When I first said I would participate, I had no idea how early it started. I had to be there by 4 a.m. to check- in and put on my naughty nurse outfit. The contestant I escorted to the stage is known as Dr. Bigtime, a professional eater from Tennessee. Interestingly, he is also an orthopedic spine surgeon, thus why his entourage of men dressed as doctors and I as a naughty nurse. Before escorting Dr. Bigtime on stage, I was interviewed by FOX news and I told them I was surprised as to how many people turned out for this year’s Wing Bowl.
Every contestant had a float, but Dr. Bigtime wanted to be remembered so he brought $1,000 all in single dollar bills and had his girls throw money out into the crowd. People asked me why I just didn’t keep the money, but where was I supposed to keep it? I was wearing a string bikini at that point.
Once we circled the stadium we were brought up on stage. Basically my job was to stand there and look pretty while handing Dr. Bigtime a new plate of wings every time he finished a plate. It was a great experience to be able to be up on stage with my friend Stacey, who also happens to be Miss 610 sports radio, and listen to the crowd cheer.
Unfortunately Dr. Bigtime was eliminated in the first round so we exited the stage and watched the second and third round from backstage. I think it was staged so that a Philadelphia guy would win, but that’s my opinion.
The winner ended up being Joey Chestnut, a competitive eater from Cali. who once ate 59.5 hotdogs in 12 minutes and because of those wins, won a motorcycle and a Toyota Tundra. Maybe I should enter into competitive eating!
I had a great time participating in the Wing Bowl and it was very flattering to have guys coming up to you asking if you’ll be in a picture with them. I did expect to see more celebrity athletes, however the celebrities there consisted of Pat Croce, who was the announcer of the contest, and Nikki Benz, an adult film star. There were way too many drunken women in the audience taking all their clothes off just to get on the jumbo screen, which made me feel embarrassed for them because it was really tacky.
Although I had to be on stage in front of hundreds of people in a hot pink, sparkly bikini, I was not nervous. I loved walking around the arena while the men cheered and took pictures; I got to feel like a celebrity for a day.
When the Wing Bowl was over, all of the Wingette’s rushed to the dressing room to take off their costumes. The No. one complaint was definitely how much our feet hurt after wearing platforms for three hours. When we exited the Wachovia Center, men continued to cheer for us as we walked to our cars. Then the men probably went off to the nearest strip club, while I went home to get some sleep. So the event began at 5 a.m. and ended by 10:30 a.m.
I would not hesitate to participate in the Wing Bowl next year; it was a great experience if you don’t mind an occasional man grabbing you as you walk past.
My only regret is that Dr. Bigtime got eliminated after the first round; it would have been cool if he won. But, my friend did win a diamond necklace for being runner-up in the top ten wingette contest so all in all, the day was a success.
