Tuesday night titillation
Looking for some naughty fun? Check out some Tittie Bingo at The Highball
You might think that bingo is a game reserved for grandparents, something to kill some time at the retirement home. But guess what: this seemingly wholesome game has been appropriated by some particularly dirty minds at The Highball.
Every Tuesday night, crowds gather to play some Tittie Bingo, which is billed as “Not your grandmother’s bingo.” (If that’s not the case for you, then you happen to have a pretty awesome grandma.)
The weekly event is run by The Action Pack, well known to Austin film lovers for hosting their series of sing-alongs and quote-alongs at the Alamo Drafthouse. While Tittie Bingo is a night filled with several games of bingo, the highlight of every night is a special screening of an edited porn parody that’s just as interactive as any Action Pack event.
How does the average night of Tittie Bingo play out? First, the crowd is treated to two regular games of bingo that are designed to select multiple winners who then compete on stage for special prizes. The competition is specially designed by host Craig Ries to further entertain the crowd — contestants can expect to play in some particularly titillating games such as “sexual questions,” “tit-tionary” or even in a good old-fashioned game of Twister.
At their pre-holiday show, Craig decided to hold a little hot dog eating contest in honor of the evening’s special screening of Deep Throat, a.k.a the Citizen Kane of porn. Taking place in the third round, the audience gets a special card that, instead of numbers, spells out certain notable scenes or actions that take place in the movie. When they occur, you mark them on your card and hope that you’ll get the chance to yell out “Tittie Bingo!”
Past screenings have included more recent and downright hilarious porn parodies of our favorite movies and TV shows, from 30 Rock to The X-Files. Of course, these movies have to be edited to cut out any of the hardcore action, but you’re still guaranteed to see plenty of T and A.
First taking place in early May of 2011, the marriage of skin flicks and bingo was born out of the Alamo Drafthouse and Highball offices. Henri Mazza, the Chief Creative Officer of the Drafthouse, helped to originate the idea, while the concept was fleshed out by Sarah Pitre, the Highball programming manager, and Nathan Garcia, the first host. Pitre wanted to incorporate bingo into the Highball’s lineup of entertainment, but insisted on a special twist that would help it stand out.
The idea of having a film-based version of bingo was first proposed, but it was Mazza who had a sudden eureka moment. If films were going to be incorporated, why not have them be porn parodies? And with that, a Highball mainstay was born.
For Craig Ries, the show that he now helms is just another great example of how Austin has embraced alternative and unique forms of entertainment. He has noticed how the crowds have gotten larger, as more and more people decide to check out an event that eclipses your average night of trivia at the sports bar. It’s completely free and loads of fun, so consider starting a regular Tuesday night tradition with your friends that’s about as naughty as you can imagine.