See the Wild First Winners of John Oliver’s Yankees Seats Contest
The New York Yankees lost their season opener to the Houston Astros today, April 5th, though just as notable as the score were the two fans seated in the second row, behind home plate, dressed as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
While ESPN confirmed it, the attire of Joe Spillo and John Welch left little doubt that they were the first winners of John Oliver‘s competition to disrupt the elitist status-quo of the Yankees’ high-end “Legends Club” seats.
There are two guys behind home plate dressed as Ninja Turtles that have to be the John Oliver contest winners pic.twitter.com/K7XbXz8Tih
— Davril Lavignezo (@davelozo) April 5, 2016
On Sunday’s Last Week Tonight, Oliver slammed the storied New York team for their decision to stop accepting print-at-home tickets at games as a way to make reselling tickets harder — or, to keep luxury seats out of those who supposedly don’t deserve them.
Yet due to such high prices, many “Legends Club” seats usually end up empty, allowing Oliver and Last Week Tonight to score two to the Yankees’ first three games. The host promised, “We will sell [the tickets] to you for just 25 cents apiece, on one condition – you must dress like you have never sat in a premium location before.” Fans could enter to win the tickets by tweeting a picture of their improper game day attire and the hashtag, #IHaveNeverSatInaPremiumLocation.
Half-shelled heroes Spillo and Welch were visible in every shot from the center field camera during the Yankees-Astros game. “It’s a practical joke, but it’s fun for us and it’s awesome to be sitting here for 25 cents,” Welch told The Daily News. “Big shout out to… John Oliver. This could not have been any better.”