MLE Morning Snack: Bryan "Big Sexy" Beard

MLE recently caught up with The Big Sexy for a few thoughts on his career, Tim Tebow and his trademark cowboy hat...Follow him on twitter @therealbigsexy.

What’s your proudest moment on the MLE Circuit so far? It has to be when I made the 2010 Nathan's Famous Finals. Although I view every contest as a great time, I firmly believe that when I ate on July 4th in Coney Island, NY, it was the high point in my eating career! It's the ultimate goal.

What contest or contest do you anticipate most in 2012? Well last year I fell flat on my face in my only Nathan's qualifier in Hawthorne, CA, so I'm looking for some personal redemption when it comes to HDB's. So I am officially putting out a threat to Nathan's Hot Dogs everywhere... I'M COMIN' FOR YA THIS YEAR!

When not competing, what’s your favorite food? It seems lately that I've been eating a lot of fruit. Apples, oranges, grapes etc... Lean meats such as turkey and grilled chicken. This is a year of change for me so I've been being more conscious about what I've been intaking... It's crazy, fruits and vegetables do actually taste good if ya give them a chance!

What did you eat during the Pats Broncos playoff game? Well, being a wise Bronco fan, I can tell you I wasn't eating my words! I spent the time with my family and had some home-cooked chicken wings with some chunky bleu cheese! Gotta love having a mom that cooks amazing chicken wings while using the cooking method of the "WING KING" Drew Cerza himself!

Who is the better athlete - Tebow or Joey? I'm going to have to take the high road on this one (My beloved Tebow and my good friend Joey!) and use a quote that was used by somebody when Joey came to Denver and ate Bratwursts with me at Oktoberfest... "Some people can run a marathon, some people can dunk a basketball, some people can throw a ball 70 yards in the air... AND some people can eat 68 Hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes!" Tebow is an amazing athlete in his own right, but we should set him a spot at the table and let's see how he fares against Joey on the stage of gustatory greatness!

Why the hat? Who doesn't enjoy a big hat?! It's funny you ask this, because I remember when I first started, I had people walk up to me and tell me that the hat made them angry... Other tell me it's distracting... The main reason I wear the hat is that it's fun. The kids enjoy the hat and I enjoy looking out in the crowd and seeing people paying attention and watching me as opposed to watching what's going on in the middle of the table. As long as I make a good lasting impression on somebody, whether it be from the hat or interaction that I have, people will always know that I'm the big guy in the big, blue foam cowboy hat.