The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) announces a celebrity event to be hosted by GRAMMY nominated, award-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and avid bowler Jimmie Allen. The Jimmie Allen PBA Challenge presented by Bowlero will air Oct. 16 on FOX, varying per market, before or after local NFL games.
The event will take place on Oct. 5 at Bowlero Matthews in Matthews, N.C. with a live musical performance beginning at 6 p.m. ET and bowling beginning at 8 p.m. ET. This event will feature performances from some of country music’s best talent including Wicks, Young, Neon Union and of course, Allen. In addition to their performances Wicks, Neon Union and Allen will be joined by Owens and Rucker on the lanes.
The country music stars will also be competing alongside PBA Tour stars Pete Weber, Kyle Troup, Sean Rash, Ronnie Russell, and AJ Johnson. Each artist will be paired with a PBA player for a doubles competition, with the artists bowling the odd-numbered frames and the PBA players bowling the evens. In addition to the main tournament, the event will feature a Celebrity Super Clash, in which each celebrity rolls one shot and the low score is eliminated in each round until only one celebrity remains as the victor.
“Since the moment my friend Cortland Finnegan introduced me to bowling, I’ve been hooked,” said Jimmie Allen. “I’ve been a fan of the PBA for years as a viewer. But I’m excited for the next part of my journey with the PBA, and that is to make bowling a worldwide sport with the same respect that’s given to basketball, baseball, and football.”
Allen discovered his love for bowling during the pandemic, calling it his “pandemic passion”, after being introduced to the sport. He quickly made it a goal to become an expert, bowling several hours a day in different cities while on tour in addition to at home in Nashville. He currently belongs to five bowling leagues and plans to try out for the Professional Bowlers Association in 2023.