Local Bills' fan cuts the mustard in viral Super Bowl commercial

Like many living in southern Ontario, Edward Mair bleeds blue and white when it comes to sports.

But while those are the colours of Toronto’s sports teams, by adding a touch of red, they’re also the scheme of another team located just across the border that has an ardent following that includes many Ontarians like Mair.

So, when the 39-year-old Midland resident got that call that he had been selected as one of two fans to appear in a mailchimp commercial celebrating his beloved Buffalo Bills, he did a Lambeau-style leap (sorry for the Packers' reference Bills’ fans) at the opportunity.

The premise of the commercial surrounds Pinto Ron, also known as Ken Johnson, a Bills’ superfan known for attending every single Bills home and away game and hosting a tailgate party outside the Bills’ stadium from 1994 to 2020.

He’s also known for his red Ford Pinto and “antics cooking food on his car hood in a variety of objects such as a shovel and army helmet” and a tradition of being doused in ketchup and mustard.

So, with that to work with and plenty of condiments on hand, the commercial’s producers gathered Pinto Ron, Mair and another superfan along with a number of professional actors to shoot a spot last November in Toronto.

“It was kind of a cool thing,” Mair said. “It’s been on TV for about two or three weeks now.”

Similar to Pinto Ron, if you take away the propensity for being doused in ketchup and mustard, Mair considers himself to be a superfan. He imagines his “pretty popular” following on Instagram (SnackMan @RareSnacks_Toronto) likely led the commercial’s producers to scout him for the ad spot.

“They (the producers) said just show up like you would for a Bills’ game,” Mair explained. “It was an interesting opportunity.”

During the nearly 10 hours of shooting, Mair says the professional actors went inside to warm up when not being filmed, but he and the other superfan from Newmarket just took it all in and watched the commercial unfold.

For his efforts, Mair was a guaranteed baseline fee of $775, which included COVID-19 tests and a commitment to be there for 10 hours of filming. And if he actually appeared in the final cut, he would be paid an additional $4,000.

“I needed to get one second in the final cut to be paid,” Mair said, adding when they asked if anyone wanted to hold a sign during the commercial, he immediately grabbed one.

“Anytime the camera was rolling, I’d make sure I was near the action.”

He used his windfall to take his son Carter to Mexico, which was a lot warmer than the Bills-Miami 'snow bowl' game he attended in mid-December where every seat was covered with at least a half-foot of snow.

Mair says he always enjoys attending Bills’ games, especially given the love the city has for its team.

‘It’s just such an awesome city and it’s amazing how many love that team. If you go into a store on a Saturday before a game, at least 75 percent of people will be wearing some sort of Bills’ apparel.

“It’s a crazy atmosphere.”

And while the Bills didn’t make it to Sunday's big game, he still hasn’t decided whether he’ll cheer for the Kansas City Chiefs (go, Chiefs, go!) or the Philadelphia Eagles.

He adds: “I’m just hoping for a close game … I have it within three points.”