Billed as "Chaos in a Coop." (a
parody of such real life fights as "The Rumble in the Jungle" and "The Thrilla
in Manila") the mock event pit a white chicken named TC (TenderCrisp) with
a fiery red feathered fowl named Spicy in a knock-out fight that hoped to
prove which was the best chicken sandwich on Burger King's menu.
Spicy (a.k.a. "The Red Riot") was known for his ferocious kicks. He hailed
from
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. His trainer was Pappi Garcia.
Spicy's equally formidable opponent, TC (a.k.a. "The Golden Bird") was famous
for his devastating right hook.
Eventually, a 15-minute battle between TC and Spicy unfolded with all the
festivity of a gladiatorial competition. As the two dynamic fowls entered
the ring at the Pico Rivera Sport arena outside Los Angeles, cheers and boos filled the
hall to herald the impending chicken
combat that would feature the combined skills of boxing, wrestling, kickboxing and
other assorted martial arts moves.
Hosted by Don "The Dragon" Wilson (Light
Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion of the World for 12 years) and Carlos Del
Valle (a sportscaster at KNBC-4 in L.A), the tongue-in-beak event focused
on a big enclosed wire cage called "The Poultry Penitentiary" that
measured 20-by-20-by-20 feet. Inside there were two 8-foot-high perches
that served as the fighter's corners. Joe Moldinado refereed the event whose rules were simple: The
first chicken to knock out the other was the winner.
"Practically anything goes. It's an all-out
brawl," Wilson explained
In the end, the fight lasted two rounds with Spicy chicken taking out his
plucky opponent with a strangle "sleeper" hold that suffocated TC, and collapsed his
feathery body at Spicy's feet. But because the
hold used by Spicy was "illegal," the judges awarded the match to TC. The
decision, of course, left open the door for a rematch.
This battle of the birds created such hype that
Intertops.com, one of the
Internet's first and largest sports betting sites, was accepting wagers on
the outcome of this farcical event. Intertops company spokesperson
Michael Waerz commented, "This is the first time we are offering
odds on actors in a chicken costume beating each other silly. We realize
how sizzling this fight is, so we thought it would be a great opportunity
for our customers to get in on the action." The odds are 10/13 on "Spicy"
and 10/11 on "TC."
Not everyone was enthusiastic about Burger King using cock fighting to
promote their products, however. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
called on the BK company to pull its "chicken fight" advertisement because
it makes light of what HSUS described as the barbaric and widespread
practice of cockfighting. Despite the fact that a disclaimer stating that
"No real chickens are being harmed" and that neither Burger King nor Intertops.com endorse or condone animal cruelty in any way, The Humane
Society saw little humor in the festivities that glorified the pummeling
of poultry on a nationwide telecast.
More that one million people
visited the Burger King website prior to the main event to vote for their
favorite chicken at <www.chickenfight.com>. The actual fight was also simulcast on the
Internet at
http://msn.foxsports.com/chickenfight. As for whom the actors
are underneath the chicken costumes, it's still a mystery.
TRIVIA NOTE: A few months before the fighting chicken ad
spots, the Burger King folks had hosted a website called "Subservient
Chicken." The website let visitors type in commands while the chicken
on the screen did exactly what you asked (within reason). Another earlier BK spot
featured Dr. Angus, a fictional doctor "famous" for his Angus steak-burger
diet.
*DISCLAIMER: "No real chickens were
harmed in the making of this advertising campaign. Burger King Corporation
does not endorse or condone animal cruelty in any way including chicken
fighting. The chicken characters featured in this advertising campaign are
just actors wearing a chicken costume."
