Britney Spears "Strikes" Big; Pop Diva Crowned Champion of the 2012 Celebrity Bowling Hall of Fame Competition

ARLINGTON, Texas, April 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In a dramatic race to the finish and with thousands of fan votes, the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America (BPAA), announced today that Britney Spears has been named the 2012 Celebrity Bowling Hall of Fame champion and will be inducted into the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame. Leading up to the final frame, Spears bowled over a number of fellow celebrities and pop icons including, Hulk Hogan, Drake and LeBron James, before finally taking down Christina Aguilera in last week's final round of competition to be crowned champion. Jeff Bridges (a.k.a. "The Dude") will also be honored as an inductee for winning the "Legacy" portion of the bracket for defeating rival bowling icon Bill Murray (a.k.a. "Ernie McCracken").

The third annual competition "spared" no expense this year. The BPAA debuted a new, bracket-style competition, allowing fans to vote for their favorite celebrities who were "pinned" against each other in the battle for bowling supremacy. Several stars, including Justin Bieber, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Hulk Hogan and Tim Tebow, brought their A-games, but in the end, rolled gutter balls as celebrities were eliminated week after week until only Spears and Bridges were left standing on the lanes.  

Additionally, throughout the four week competition, the Celebrity Bowling Hall of Fame "Legacy" bracket centered upon two bowling icons that have popularized the sport of bowling on the silver screen and in pop culture.  Jeff Bridges (who starred in the cult bowling movie favorite "The Big Lebowski") went head-to-head with Bill Murray (star of the hit bowling film "Kingpin") in a winner-take-all matchup where "The Dude" outlasted "Ernie McCracken" in a duel for the ages that went all the way to the tenth frame.

Pop princess Britney Spears' bowling domination was "in the zone" throughout the competition and beat out "The Voice" co-host and music megastar Christina Aguilera last week in the final week of voting at www.GoBowling.com. Spears' fans refused to let their favorite pop princess' chance to be enshrined in bowling history go to the "gutter." Britney's overwhelming amount of support proved to be too much for Aguilera, who came up just short of earning a coveted spot in bowling history.

"With mega stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in our Celebrity Bowling Hall of Fame, this year's raced proved to be a tight showdown between fierce female finalists," said Steve Johnson, executive director of the BPAA. "We congratulate and welcome Ms. Spears as our 2012 celebrity inductee into the Hall of Fame and applaud all of our celebrity nominees for their continued support and promotion for the great sport of bowling."

Fans were directed to www.GoBowling.com, where they were able to cast their vote for their favorite celebrity each week. As an added incentive for consumers, each voter was awarded a coupon for a free game of bowling, redeemable at one of more than 3,500 participating bowling centers across the United States.

For more information about the Celebrity Bowling Hall of Fame please visit www.GoBowling.com.

About BPAA
The Bowling Proprietors' Association of America (BPAA), founded in 1932, serves as the voice of the bowling industry.  Headquartered in Arlington, TX at the International Bowling Campus, the BPAA provides it's more than 4,000 member centers with group purchasing programs, business and educational seminars, legislative representation and proactively promotes the association and bowling industry.  The BPAA's mission is to enhance the profitability of its member centers and raise the profile of bowling, America's top-ranked participatory sport.  For additional information please visit www.bpaa.com or call 1-800-343-1329.

About International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame
Located at the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, TX, the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame collects, preserves and researches bowling's history, provides a suitable home for bowling's major halls of fame, and makes the museum's information and collection available to interested parties globally for education, promotion and entertainment.

SOURCE Bowling Proprietors' Association of America (BPAA)