In the late eighteenth century, English poet William Blake penned “Proverbs of Hell.” In it, he wrote, “The nakedness of woman is the work of God.” Though Blake might not have meant his words to be taken literally, the ladies of Effie’s Club Follies seem to think he was onto something.

On Saturday night, Athens’ most delightfully dirty and pricelessly provocative entertainment troupe, Effie’s Club Follies Slapstrip Comedic Burlesque, held its Third Annual Chili Cook-off fundraiser at Little Kings.

“We were looking for ways to raise money for our big themed show we do every year,” said Andrea Boyd of Effie’s Follies. “We’re like a community theater in that any money we make is put back into the next show. It’s actually pretty expensive for us to put on a show, and we don’t get a lot back.”

So what, pray tell, does chili have to do with burlesque?

“Absolutely nothing,” Boyd said. “There are a lot of people who like what we do and want to help, so we threw a chili cookoff.”

It’s no surprise that Effie’s has so many loyal fans eager to come out and support them – these girls put on the kind of show that can’t be found anywhere else in town.

“We’re different from other burlesque troupes in that we don’t necessarily focus on the vintage, pin-up recreation,” Boyd said. “We focus more on comedy. We realize that most of what we do is pretty ridiculous and that we have more in common with weird sketch comedy than with retro burlesque.”

This year, the Effie’s girls have big plans for the funds they raise at the cook-off.

“We’re saving up money right now to go to the Fringe Festival, which is an alternative performance art festival in New York City,” Boyd said. “We’re trying to get up enough money for all of us to go.”

The chili cook-off contest, which was open to restaurants and individuals, was divided into categories: Best Beef Chili, Best Veggie Chili, Peoples’ Choice, Judges’ Choice and Wild Card.

“We have a panel of celebrity judges every year,” Boyd said. “We’ve got Hillary Brown who writes ‘Grub Notes’ for the Flagpole … Rev. M.C. Hatchet from the Dictatortots, Mario Castro from Ashford Manor Bed & Breakfast, and ‘T,’ bar manager of Little Kings.”

This year the category winners were George Felis for Wild Card, Geoffrey Horney for Best Beef, Sarah Himmelheber for Best Veggie, Brian Southard for Peoples’ Choice and Aaron Hardin for Judges’ Choice.

“I entered for the fame, the fortune, and the women,” Southard said with a laugh. Southard said he was able to bring home the big win with a few unique ingredients: Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and ginkgo biloba. “It makes you smart,” he said.

After announcement of the winners, Effie’s Follies indulged the audience with a rare vocal performance – not, of course, without a fair share of sequined pasties and proud, shining decolletage.

The troupe re-wrote several famous tunes, giving them a special “Effie’s” twist. In “We Need Some Lovin’,” the Effie’s girls gave professionally-trained Broadway performers some serious competition with flawless dancing and singing.

There was no want for passionate, even fervent support for the Effie’s Club Follies on Saturday night. Paula Edmondson-Copley, an Effie’s member in the audience, was thrilled to show her dedication.

“The girls are fantastic, and I’m so excited to see them perform,” she said. “They rock, and they’re hot. I love variety of the women. All women are gorgeous in their own right.”

Another Folly, Becky Brooks, the leading lady of local pop band Cars Can Be Blue, was there with bells on.

“I’m in Effie’s Follies, but I’m not performing tonight,” Brooks said. “But who doesn’t like to hang out and see girls show their boobs?”