Romi Bean can put quite a few titles on her resume. She's a professional cheerleader, a talk radio host, a local TV sports reporter – and now, a famous T. Rex.
"I didn’t really think my coaches would let me do it," said Bean, who got national attention for dancing and cheering through the first quarter of Sunday's Broncos-Chargers game in a ridiculously goofy inflatable dinosaur costume.
"I have a lot of harebrained ideas. That’s kind of why our radio show works so well," she explained. (Bean's show is on Denver Sports 760, and she's also on CBS4's Broncos Insider team.)
Anyway: "Somehow, I came across this T. Rex. costume. I thought, 'Oh, this is hilarious.'"
She doesn't recall exactly where on the internet she found the costume, but inflatable reptiles are reliably amusing. Stubby arms, giant heads, good stuff.
Bean paid $65 for one, hoping but unsure she would be allowed to bring it on the field.
"I got it on Amazon. It comes with a fan ... batteries not included. I must have got the discount one, because the fan broke when I was chasing (former Bronco and fellow radio host) Ed McCaffrey around the office," she said. Without the fan, the thing won't inflate. "So, I had to order a new fan."
Bean's coaches initially said that she could wear the costume only through the pre-game player introductions and not during the game itself. She didn't practice a lick of dancing in the dino outfit.
"I didn't, and I probably should have," she said. "I got so excited, I didn’t want to risk them changing their minds."
She went out in the suit about 30 minutes before kickoff. The audience and her bosses loved it, she said, so she ended up wearing it all the way through the first quarter.
"I was really worried that they would be upset, so I was dancing full-out in the suit," she said. The Broncos' official site has a great view of the dino in action. Have you ever seen a bipedal reptile get its foot that close to its face?
"The kick line kind of went viral. We try to get them basically up to our face. That was incredibly difficult – and then of course the arms," she said. " ... But I've got to tell you, the hardest part is actually it’s so hot in there. I couldn’t see out at all. It was like when your ski goggles fog up."
People absolutely loved it.
"Best NFL Dance Routine Ever," said Uproxx. "The Real Winner," according to HuffPost. She "hit it out of the (Jurassic) park," The Washington Post proclaimed. (Wrong sport, people.)
"I was shocked that it kind of took off as much as it did. I definitely think the humor piece was a big part of it," Bean said. "I think the other piece is sometimes, especially with cheerleaders, there’s a stereotype. You don’t necessarily know who all the women are, and there’s a lot of really accomplished women."
She continued: "People are still expecting the same things. To really shake things up, that’s who I am. I’m a goofball. I like to make people laugh, especially if it’s at my own expense."
The Broncos ultimately won the game in a nail-biter – and Bean would have stayed a T. Rex the whole time if she could have.
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