Crunch Time

By Lindsay DeLong

Last year, La Jolla native Tyler Dixon spent $82 producing a mock TV ad that wound up airing to a Super Bowl audience of millions. Titled “The Best Part” and entered into the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl Contest, it depicted an of?ce worker who’d lick Doritos chip residue off anything (or anyone). The weird-as-hell yet hilarious spot was voted to the top three ?nalists.

It didn’t take the cheese. But with that taste of near-victory (and a considerably bigger budget), Dixon set out again this year-his eye on the million-dollar prize and the opportunity to work with a comedy troupe led by Andy Samberg (of Saturday Night Live fame).

To defeat the odds once more and beat 60,000 other entries, Dixon turned to strategy-considering carefully what tickles Americans’ funny bones. Stupid dog tricks? Check! Obstacle courses? Check! Handlebar mustaches? Um...check!

He then created a doggie obstacle course on the grounds of his old elementary school, The Evans School in La Jolla, and enlisted several teachers and their canines. And he recruited friends as actors, including longtime pal Shane Thueson, whom he told to shave his beard into a handlebar mustache.

Lo, his sharply written and edited new Doritos commercial entry, “Dog Park,” has cracked the
Top 5 in this year’s contest.

Voting is open to the public until the end of January, so Dixon won’t know if he’s a winner until the Super Bowl on February 5-when the ?ve ?nalists will be watching the game live at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis from a swanky Doritos skybox.

View the big chew right now at crashthesuperbowl.com.