Snow On The Barb Wire

After winning Philadelphia’s SportsRadio 94WIP’s Wing Bowl in January 1999, competitive eater Bill “El Wingador” Simmons became an overnight celebrity and helped inspire food-obsessed gluttons across the nation.

However, despite winning four more Wing Bowl championships, and participating in numerous television commercials and public appearances across the country, there was much more going on behind the scenes in the life of this six-foot-five, larger-than-life character than what appeared on his plate.

Personal setbacks soon forced Simmons down a devastating and destructive road, leading to his subsequent arrest and jail sentence. A series of near-death experiences while in prison inspired Simmons to take control of his life, and his newfound path has helped him regain the love and respect of legions of fans.

With a foreword by two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee and iconic Philadelphia sports radio personality Angelo Cataldi (Angelo Cataldi and the WIP Morning Show- SportsRadio 94WIP), Snow On The Barbwire offers a no-holds-barred look at the life and times of one of the most charismatic, recognizable and colorful personalities to ever conquer the eating world. The book is co-written with close friend and confidant Joe Vallee, co-founder of the website Philly2Philly.com and co-author of A Snowball’s Chance: Philly Fires Back Against the National Media, and ‘No Curveballs: My Greatest Sports Stories Never Told,’ the autobiography of long-time sports journalist Bill Werndl.

'Snow On The Barbwire' is more than just the story of a man eating chicken wings. It is the candid, compelling tale of a man whose random participation in one of the world’s biggest eating competitions led to fame, fortune, and some rather unintended consequences. It inspires all of us to rise up against adversity and never give up on life—no matter how dire the consequences may seem.

They often say that some of life’s greatest moments happen when you aren’t even expecting them. In the case of Bill Simmons, one would have to believe that’s true.

After developing a reputation as a ferocious eater in his small South Jersey town in the late 1990s, Bill, who stands at 6’5” and weighed 290 pounds at the time, received a random phone call that changed his life forever. The call was from a former contestant of Wing Bowl, an a chicken wing eating eating contest created by Philadelphia sports talk show hosts Angelo Cataldi and Al Morganti, who believed Bill had what it took to become an eating champion. After passing the eating stunt on SportsRadio 610WIP (now 94WIP), Simmons became a contestant for Wing Bowl- and promptly won the contest. Bill Simmons was now known throughout the Delaware Valley as “El Wingador.” Bill’s “every man” personality, combined with his natural charisma and national appeal, made him a household name. His five Wing Bowl championships are still a record, and gave him the title of the “World’s Greatest 30-Minute Eater.” Bill’s numerous television appearances and commercials helped bring Wing Bowl to massive heights and national attention, and the event now attracts 20,000 attendees each year.

Behind the scenes however, there was trouble brewing. A recession, followed by a failed business venture and the events surrounding its demise, left Bill in desolate circumstances, which led him down a dangerous and destructive path of drug dealing. Bill’s transgressions caught up with him when he was arrested in 2012 and subsequently sentenced to a lengthy prison term. While incarcerated, Bill faced obstacles he never envisioned for himself. Driven to the brink of despair, he truly wondered whether he was ever going to leave jail alive. After some extensive soul searching, Bill didn’t give up. He found solace in therapy and Bible Study, and after several more stumbling blocks, his time in jail finally came to an end. Since his release, Bill has rekindled his relationship was his family, and is always willing to spend his time helping others and offering encouragement, so that they don’t suffer the same mishaps that he once did.

With a possible reality television series as well as a restaurant and speaking engagements in the works, the sky is indeed the limit for Bill Simmons. The road hasn’t been an easy one, but his future is a bright as he wants it to be, and he’s just getting started.