**UPDATED: Cadillac Corrigan makes the final round--surprising his doubters. Check out NBC Philadelphia's gallery of his day at the Bowl.**
Friday, 18-year-old Brian "Cadillac" Corrigan of Rockledge, Pa., will be the youngest Wing Bowl competitor ever. But don't let his age fool you.
The 6-4 freshman from Millersville University is a self-described pit bull-like eater. At 310 pounds (that is, before he started training for Wing Bowl), Corrigan is a force to be reckoned with—he’ll be the first to tell you none of the other competitors intimidates him.
Corrigan caught up with NBC Philadelphia in advance of Wing Bowl 17, where he'll battle against 26 other eaters in Philadelphia's craziest annual tradition. Check back tomorrow, as we'll be documenting Corrigan's complete Wing Bowl experience, from his 3 a.m. arrival at the Wachovia Center to his entourage’s entrance into the arena to the completion of the competition.
NBC: Have you been to a Wing Bowl before?
Brian “Cadillac” Corrigan: Yeah, last year. Going was the deciding factor that made me realize I needed to be in it this year. I had so much fun being in the stands that I could only imagine how great it would be to be up there competing.
NBC: Do you have any competitive eating experience?
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BC: I’ve never competed in anything really organized before I qualified for Wing Bowl. I’ve just competed with friends—but I always win.
NBC: How did you qualify for Wing Bowl?
BC: I went to Paddy Whacks on South Street for a wing-eating competition in early January. There were probably about 35 guys there, and I got first place by eating 56 wings in 10 minutes.
NBC: Have you been training?
BC: I’ve been training all month pretty hard. One thing I do every day is drink a gallon of water as fast as I can. But I’ve also been going to different buffets and loading up. I’m pretty sure I’ve gained a lot of weight.
NBC: Now that it’s the eve of the event, how have you been preparing?
BC: I had a pretty big brunch today, to try and keep my stomach expanded. Later I’ll have a small dinner and drink a lot of water. Paddy Whacks is throwing me a pep rally tonight that won’t be over ‘til about midnight, too—so I probably won’t be getting any sleep. I’ll probably end up drinking a 5 Hour Energy tomorrow.
NBC: Your nickname for the event is Cadillac Corrigan. Where’s it come from?
BC: Cadillac was kind of a self-given name as a joke, which eventually caught on with my buddies and has started catching on with more people. It has to do with Cadillac Williams, a running back who got drafted (by Tampa Bay)—jokingly, I said to my friends: “You guys should call me Cadillac!” And they did.
NBC: What can you tell us about what your entrance will be like?
BC: We've got a golf cart dressed up like a Cadillac, and a couple of my buddies will be holding up signs and throwing stuff out to the crowd.
NBC: What do you know about your competition?
BC: I’ve been talking a bunch to one guy, The Caveman (Mike Casciano). No one impresses me with what they did to qualify except him—he ate more wings than I did. One other guy beat me in wings, too, and I give the two of them credit. But no one else worries me. Damaging Doug (Doug Canavin) is favored, but all he did was eat five little burgers in five minutes! It’s just that he’s been in 10 Wing Bowls and they love him at WIP. But last year, he didn’t even make it out of the first round!
NBC: Okay, Brian, down to business: How good do you think your chances of winning are?
BC: Look, I’m in it to win it. I haven’t eaten wings since I qualified—I’m starving for them. I can’t wait to eat some wings!
