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That firefighter in the Zaxby's commercial? A Marietta chiropractor
Seen the Zaxby's commercial with good-looking firefighter? Well, he's right here in Cobb County.
If you've been wondering about the hot firefighter from the Zaxby's commercial, you're in luck.
It's Jason Pero, a Marietta chiropractor.
Here's the scene:
A woman and her Zaxby's chicken sandwich are in a generic office lunchroom with her sheepish male co-worker who makes a corny comment about her spicy meal. She bits into her sandwich and through TV magic the geek is transformed into a hunk of a firefighter holding an adorable kitten.
He asks: "Is it hot enough?"
She answers "smoldering" before saying her name is April. He responds with "I'm July" as he flips open a calendar to an even-less-dressed picture of himself.
Eyebrows are raised, and the commercial outro begins enticing viewers with food from Zaxby's — which opened its first location in Statesboro in 1990.
Pero is satisfied with the outcome of his second audition, considering this is not even his day job.
Pero opened East Cobb Health four years ago, about six months after he finished his chiropractic studies at Life University in Marietta. He completed his undergraduate studies at Michigan State University but came to Georgia just for chiropractic school.
"It’s almost like a calling," he said.
Still, even cracking backs can get boring, so he looked to acting.
"It’s a creative outlet for me. And the day-to-day stuff in the office can get kind of monotonous," he said. "To get a speaking role so soon is great.” And he enjoys fielding questions from clients who’ve seen the locally-filmed TV spot.
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And then there was the other aspect of this role: You got to look good.
That wasn't tough for Pero, who qualified for the 2015 National Physique Committee Men's Physique Division at the Georgia championship.
So, does Pero actually eat the food he peddles?
He tries "to do things a little bit healthier" and will cook when he can.
"When you’re busy right now, it’s good to have something that’s quick ... That's definitely when I’ll splurge."
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This experience has inspired Pero to give a percentage of his new-patient fees to the Georgia Firefighter Burn Foundation, which educates people about burn prevention and donates to burn facilities in the state.
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About the Author
Ben Brasch is the reporter tasked with keeping Fulton County government accountable. The Florida native moved to Atlanta for a job with The AJC. If there's something important to you going on in Fulton, he wants to know about it. Help him better metro Atlanta by dropping a line, anonymously or otherwise.
