Dan Gross: Wing hat trick for Chestnut

Whether he's done with Wing Bowl forever remains unknown, but Joey Chestnut says he will definitely not return to Wing Bowl next year after winning his third yesterday morning at the Wachovia Center where he set a new record, of 241 wings, in 610 WIP's annual circus of early morning boozing, gluttony and half naked chicks.

Bill "El Wingador" Simmons, the five-time champ who came out of retirement to face off with Chestnut yesterday only to come in third place by eating 205 wings, has declared an end to his competitive eating days as well.

This means the playing field is wide open for Wing Bowl 17, tentatively scheduled for Jan. 30, 2009 at the Wachovia Center, but interested eaters should start training now.

Chestnut, the California-based eating machine, made eating 241 wings look easy yesterday. Following Chestnut was Chicago's Patrick Bertoletti, who downed 227 wings, then Simmons with his 205. Dave "U.S. Male" Goldstein of Voorhees chowed a very respectable 143 and Gentleman Jerry Coughlan of Clifton Heights had 139 wings, all from brand-new wing provider, P.J. Whelihan's Pub, the local chain which this year replaced the Rib Ranch at Castor and Aramingo avenues, which provided wings for most of Wing Bowl's 16-year history.

For his troubles, Chestnut picked up a 2008 Harley Davidson from Barb's for winning the first round and a 2008 Toyota Tundra from Liberty Toyota for his overall victory.

Chestnut told us he might take a few years off, but he wouldn't say he'd never return to Wing Bowl. He told us earlier in the week that Wing Bowl 16 would be his last.

610 WIP's Angelo Cataldi teased us about scooping his WIP morning show about Chestnut's plan to retire, win or lose, after Wing Bowl 16.

Cataldi told us that when he greeted Chestnut yesterday morning he told the California champion that he should have held out because next year a house was top prize. Chestnut didn't fall for it.

As usual, Cataldi was accompanied by his Wing Bowl co-creator Al Morganti and co-hosts Rhea Hughes, Keith Jones, Hugh Douglas and Joe Conklin. International Federation of Competitive Eating president George Shea provided color commentary. Before the event, Shea had categorized the Chestnut/Wingador battle as having global and historical significance.

Chestnut wasn't the only winner; Jillian McCleaf, of Hanover, Pa., won the title of Miss Wing Bowl 2008 and a 2008 Scion. The 23-year-old is a dancer for the Philadelphia Kixx indoor soccer team.

Before the contest, Wingador told us he was hoping to eat an unprecedented 240 wings, but he'd "be happy if I break 200." He can and will retire proud of his 205.

Sandwich king Tony Luke, Jr. and "Survivor" alum and actor Gervase Peterson were part of El Wingador's large entourage that entered the arena to thunderous applause.

Chestnut, who was booed badly last year, was outbooed this year by the crowd, which jeered every time he was shown on screen.

Fortunately, he had some inspiration in his Wingettes. Model Tiffany Heller served as Chestnut's Wingette yesterday and also helped cheer him to victory the two prior years. She was accompanied again by Stephanie Ciliento, who also cheered Chestnut to victory last year.

To the undeniable delight of the crowd, the jumbo screens were much more liberal with nudity than in the past. Rather than the camera operators cutting away as babes in the stands flashed their breasts, they stayed on them for an extra few seconds. When we told WIP GM Marc Rayfield about the crowd's enthusiasm, he suggested maybe they should show another second or two next year before pulling away.

One star of the big screens was 32-year-old Bekki, a dancer at Crazy Horse Too in South Philly. The mother of three from Somers Point, N.J., lifted her shirt and lowered her jeans almost incessantly throughout the contest and also posed for pictures with fans in the crowd. She told us she was surprised by the attention and would have expected the big screens to show a hot twentysomething instead, but her endless flashing of her 32DD breasts probably played a large role in her onscreen popularity.

Even the house band Shorty Long & the Jersey Horns got in on the fun while playing "The Chicken Dance," with the only lyrics in the song being changed to "Show me your t--- ." The group also worked boob-baring inspirational lyrics into Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline."

"A lot of people look down their nose at this event, but it's a Philadelphia phenomenon," the State Supreme Court Justice Seamus McCaffery told us.

"Where else in America can you find 20,000 people in the middle of winter at 5 a.m. enjoying a contest like this? These people elected me," he says. "You never forget where you come from," added McCaffery, a Wing Bowl and 610 WIP regular.

We asked Marc Rayfield about rumors that Wing Bowl 16 was the last one. He replied: "Didn't you ask me that last year?" He was right. The same rumor floats every year.

But with the crowd enthusiasm, the big-money advertising and the media attention the Wing Bowl commands for WIP, the sports talk station would have to be insane to ever give up what has truly become, in Justice McCaffery's words, "a Philadelphia phenomenon." *