A Celebrity Gets Involved in the Skyline-Mountain Dew Drama Skyline Chili and Mountain Dew have been a classic culinary pairing for years for many in Greater Cincinnati, so fans of the duo were heartbroken when Skyline announced this past spring that it would be switching its pop products from Pepsi to Coke. The online outrage became so prominent that it caught the eye of Mountain Dew, who enlisted a man who knows a thing or two about chili to help with a special promotion. Actor Brian Baumgartner, a.k.a. Kevin Malone from the NBC hit series The Office, teamed up with Mountain Dew and took to social media for the special promotion in March: "I have been closely following the breaking Cincinnati-style chili news over the last day or so, and I'm here to tell you, there is no cause for concern. I repeat: There. Is. No. Chiligate," Baumgartner said in an Instagram video. "As a fellow chili aficionado, I come bearing good news. The truth is: Mountain Dew? It isn't going anywhere — well, not really." Because while you could no longer enjoy a Mountain Dew in-store at Skyline, you could still enjoy it at home, and that week, Mountain Dew offered one of their beverages on them with the purchase of chili anywhere in Cincinnati. Photo: Screenshot from @bbaumgartner/Instagram

Actor Brian Baumgartner, a.k.a. Kevin Malone from the NBC hit series The Office, knows a thing or two about chili. That’s why he’s teaming up with Mountain Dew for a special promotion after news broke that both of Cincinnati’s beloved chili institutions are switching from Pepsi to Coke products.

Gold Star Chili made the switch to Coke products this week, and Skyline Chili announced Monday that it would be rolling out Coke products in April — much to the dismay of the Cincinnatians who have paired their Cincinnati chili orders with fountain Mountain Dew from the chains for years. One Skyline-with-Mountain-Dew fan even started a petition to stop the switch.

Related

However, nothing is stopping anyone from enjoying a crisp Mountain Dew with their coneys and ways at home, and that was the exact message the beverage brand wanted to relay on its social media. Kevin — er, we mean, Baumgartner was part of a famous scene from The Office where his character — best known for being a big goofball and a bit clumsy — brings a pot of chili to share with his coworkers before accidentally dumping it all over himself and the ground. So Mountain Dew enlisted his help to share some good news.

“I have been closely following the breaking Cincinnati-style chili news over the last day or so, and I’m here to tell you, there is no cause for concern. I repeat: There. Is. No. Chiligate,” Baumgartner said in an Instagram video. “As a fellow chili aficionado, I come bearing good news. The truth is: Mountain Dew? It isn’t going anywhere — well, not really.”

Baumgartner continues by saying there will be an opportunity later this week to get a Mountain Dew “on us” with the purchase of chili anywhere in Cincinnati, and you can follow Mountain Dew on social media for the latest information.

You can get all your Cincinnati chili and Mountain Dew updates from the brand on Instagram @mountaindew or Facebook.

Related Stories

This article appears in Mar 20 – Apr 2, 2024.

Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she...