25th Fox 8 Turkey Bowl champion: How it all played out

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WJW) — The 25th annual Turkey Bowl happened Thanksgiving morning at the FOX 8 Lanes. Check out how this year’s tournament all played out!

This year’s contestants were:

• Tyler Vanichek, Shelby (Defending champ)
• Ronnie Rollins, Olmsted Falls
• Marty Zeleski, Slavic Village
• Lynn Hallum, Willoughby Hills
• Leeam Altano, New Philadelphia
• Joseph Subotnik, Barberton
• JJ Mammoth, Olmsted Falls
• Sharon Pacek, Brunswick
• Lance Taylor, Canton
• Jerome Karn, Valley City
• Jeremy Putnam, Elyria
• John Videc, Westlake
• Jackie Landolph, Parma Heights
• Laura Lowery, Canton
• Dan Werner, Medina
• Janet Wise, New Franklin

After the first round of bowling in the Fox 8 News studios, these are the contestants who made it to the quarter-finals:

• Tyler Vanichek
• Marty Zeleski
• Joseph Subotnik
• Sharon Pacek
• Lance Taylor
• John Videc
• Laura Lowery
• Dan Werner

Next up, we’re on to the semi-finals! Here are your contestants:

• Tyler Vanichek
• Joseph Subotnik
• Lance Taylor
• Dan Werner

And we’re down to the final two! Who is going to be the 2024 champion???

• Tyler Vanichek
• Dan Werner

Congratulations Dan Werner! Dan is now the 25th champion of the Fox 8 News Turkey Bowl.

He stopped Tyler Vanichek from winning his 3rd in a row! Check out the winning moment:

The first Turkey Bowl happened back in 1999 at an old Tops grocery store in Brooklyn and was hosted by the late FOX 8 Sports anchor Dan Coughlin. FOX 8’s Kenny Crumpton joined as co-host until Dan retired. FOX 8 anchor Todd Meany joined Kenny a few years later and they’ve remained the powerhouse hosting duo ever since.

Over the years, the event grew in popularity and would attract large crowds to the Giant Eagle in South Euclid where it was held for years. It’s even been featured on the FOX News Channel and on the giant monitors overlooking New York’s Times Square.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 event had to be cancelled.

Starting in 2021, the Turkey Bowl was moved to FOX 8 Lanes in the FOX 8 garage. That was also the beginning of the Celebrity Turkey Bowl — which was held on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. That continued through 2023.

This year, FOX 8 hosted the Tournament of Champions on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving which featured 13 former champions.