Ultimate Pizza Smackdown

Tonight, I am one of the media judges at a make-your-own pizza contest at a new Sammy's Woodfired Pizza place opening at I-215 and Flamingo. Whichever team wins gets their choice and their concoction on the menu from Feb. 13-28 with proceeds going to some charity.

Anyhow, I thought you'd be amused to learn who the teams are:

Team #1: George Wallace & KLAS-TV anchors

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Handicap: George Wallace has been a standing joke on "The Strip" ever since he lied about where he was and hung up on us in the middle of an interview in 2005. (Hear that here; it was one of our earliest shows and before we edited it, so there's some other stuff in the beginning.) And the folks from Channel 8 are the arch rivals of Miles' station, KVBC. That said, Channel 8's sister station, LV1, has had me on from time to time.

Team 2: Alicia Jacobs, Robin Leach & Zowie Bowie

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Handicap: Alicia Jacobs is a fun friend and works with Miles at KVBC. But she once accidentally flashed my mom (at the Barry Manilow premiere) and she's failed to get the guests I've begged her to get for me for "The Strip." Also, not crazy about her support of live-animal auctions, which most animal-welfare advocates oppose. Then again, she did get Amy and me into the VIP section of the re-opening of Planet Ho, which led to the classic Gene Simmons hair-gripping photo. So a toughie. Robin is a jolly competitor, of course, but someone whose taste in pizza I'd trust implicitly since I believe Wolfgang Puck once made one up for him. And Zowie Bowie? All I know is that I've spent more time than I should admit staring at the ads for their concerts at various Station Casino properties wondering, "Is it said Zowie Bauw-wee or Zoh-wee Bowie?" Maybe I'll ask.

Team 3: KLUC 98.5 morning DJs & 2 Jersey Boys

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Handicap: Hmm. The Morning Zoo guys have never asked me to appear. But to be fair, I don't listen to local radio much anyway; even my KNPR listening is via podcast. And the Jersey Boys are now the leads in my favorite show in Vegas, at least now that Mamma Mia! has left us.

Verdict: I pledge to be impartial and set aside my petty biases in the name of great pizza. Also, I'm just one on a daunting panel that also includes food critics Max Jacobson and John Curtas. That said, here's a little hint to the competitors: I hate olives. Just sayin'.