Read This: Meet Robert Sanchez, the man behind the amazing mustache in the most recent episode of Breaking Bad

By Kevin McFarland | August 20, 2013 | 10:40pm

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The second of Breaking Bad’s final eight episodes, “Buried,” turned down the heat just a bit, to cool the drama and let it linger for as long as possible throughout the final season. But in an episode with some wonderful highlights to balance the domestic strife and Jesse’s silent breakdown—Kuby and Huell going full Scrooge McDuck on the pile of money—one extra’s mustache reigned supreme. As Hank walked into work at the DEA, there was the man with the glorious grey mustache in the foreground. NewsCastic tracked down the actual person, retired Albuquerque firefighter Robert Sanchez, to talk about his unexpected breakout moment.

The social media furor of this past Sunday probably erupted due to Breaking Bad’s ratings improvement, considering Sanchez has been on the show more than a few times. He shook hands with Hank after his promotion, gave the middle finger to someone in Tuco’s crew, and stood in the elevator when Hector Salamanca visited the DEA at the end of the fourth season. According to NewsCastic, Sanchez played softball with Steven Michael Quezada, who plays Gomez, and got his part on the show after playing golf with Quezada and Dean Norris. And the mustache is award-winning: Sanchez will compete in the National Beard And Mustache Championships in New Orleans later this year.