With Wing Bowl’s Friday date looming larger in the horizon, one final qualifying push stood between Damaging Doug and a return to the bright lights of the Wells Fargo Center.

In the darkness of early morning, the hulking eater made his way into the 94.1 WIP studio, bristling with his usual confidence.

“Nobody beats me in a wing-off,” he said adamantly. “I’m going to stop eating with two minutes left and just laugh at these guys.”

The WIP studio in the A.M. is the realm of Al Morganti and Angelo Cataldi, who created the Wing Bowl event back in 1993 and saw it grow from humble beginnings to sold-out stadiums.

“Doug is the most controversial contestant in the history of Wing Bowl,” Cataldi told The Spirit. “The way that he approaches the event is one of the main factors in what has made this as exciting as it is – you just want to see what he’s going to do next.”

Outside the studio, a motley crew was taking shape. The Shocker, Farmer Bob, and Oink-Oink joined Damaging Doug, and the group made small-talk and re-lived Wing Bowls of yesteryear.

“Tough to make a call on this one,” pondered Morganti, sizing up the competitors as they shuffled into the studio. “You’ve got a few veterans; it’s going to be a tight race.”

As the wings were carted in, Cataldi worked at stirring the pot, and in moments he had Doug and the Shocker thoroughly riled up.

“You guys know how to sell an event, you’re showmen like no others,” Cataldi beamed. “That’s why there will always be a place in Wing Bowl for you.”

Doug, never one to turn down a soapbox, used the opportunity to criticize what he calls the phasing out of local eaters to an ever growing national and international constituency at the Philadelphia event.

“You’ve got circus acts instead of real eaters.  You’ve got multiple people here,” Doug  gestured at his fellow contestants, “who all deserve to be in Wing Bowl. Put us all through!”

“That might be true, but it ain’t happening,” Morganti shot back.

3-2-1, EAT!

With much fanfare, Cataldi set the eaters in their spots, counted them down, and the frenzy officially commenced.

At this point, I’ve witnessed Doug’s violent eating form several times, although the same couldn’t be said for everyone in the room.

“This is just… revolting,” said ex-Phillies reliever turned radio personality Ricky Botalico.

“I’m used to it though, you should see him at holidays, he’s the same way,” laughed Doug’s niece Jacqueline Wooeyhan, who had come along to marvel at the spectacle.

The Wing Bowl attraction in her blood, the lovely Jacqueline was promptly offered a role as a Wingette for this year’s main event.

With her ticket to the big event stamped, all that was left was for her uncle to solidify his own legacy.

Grunting as he tore through his stack of wings, beads of perspiration growing across his brow, he rabidly attacked. At his side, newcomer Oink-Oink kept a close pace as he bounced and bobbed, frantically devouring his plate.

Down the line, Farmer Bob and The Shocker have begun to slow; the sheer volume and the swiftness of consumption have begun to take their toll.

“This is disgusting. Is this our contribution to the city of Philadelphia?” mused Cataldi. “Fat men eating wings in the morning… is this what we leave behind?”

As time ticked forward and expired, the eaters looked relieved and dazed.

But respite would be short-lived, as the results had yielded a tie. Moving forward to a final, one minute overtime would be Oink-Oink and Damaging Doug.

The two eaters took center stage and made one last 60 second push.

When the smoke cleared and the final tally was revealed: eight wings Oink-Oink, eight wings Damaging Doug. Another tie.

“This is unprecedented! Incredible!”  exclaimed an animated Cataldi.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Doug lamented. “Put us both through!”

This time, an exasperated Morganti yielded, granting the two worthy competitors golden tickets to the main event.

With that, Damaging Doug solidified his 11th Wing Bowl, and the opportunity to share a table with the world’s greatest eater, Takeru Kobayashi.

“It was destiny,” he said as he left the studio.

Wing Bowl 20 will take place this Friday morning at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia.