Scott Metts: It's all in the ’stache

Scott Metts is used to people walking up to him, asking questions and wanting to take a selfie with him. That happens frequently when one sports an 18-inch-long beard and a mustache that measures 20 or 21 inches from one tip to the other.

The Winter Garden resident received plenty of attention recently when he traveled to Austin, Texas, for a competition dedicated to the art of facial hair. He and his lengthy natural beard, coupled with a sculpted mustache, came in first place in the Full Beard Styled Moustache category of the 2017 World Beard and Moustache Championships.

There were 41 competitors in this category. His winning prizes included a plaque, ribbon, handmade knife and belt buckle.

A total of 728 bearded and mustachioed participants entered this year’s contest.

PREPARING FOR JUDGMENT

The rules are specific in this competition, and judges are looking at the smallest of details, sometimes checking closely for split ends or measuring to make sure the contestant qualifies for the category.

Overall, density, color and shape play a big role, Metts said.

“Some colors are more rare; mine is one of them,” he said. “Whenever I see someone with this same color, we have to get a photo together.”

Judges also are looking at how well a beard looks on the person. Does it detract from your look or enhance it?

In the Full Beard Styled Moustache category, Metts’s beard — which he started growing four-and-one-half years ago — had to be natural with no added products such as hairspray or wax.

To prepare for the competition, Metts typically starts about two weeks prior.

“I would use like beard balms that have some conditioning stuff in it, and I keep it braided so I don’t mess with it too much,” he said. “I don’t really practice the style beforehand. Usually a few days beforehand … I let it get as natural as it will.

“The night before the competition, I will wash it with an organic shampoo,” he said. “They make shampoos that are specific for beards and mustaches. Regular shampoos damage the beard.”

The day of the competition, Metts applies the wax. It takes about an hour to shape the mustache into the perfect curl, something he has done for contests for the last three years. There has to be enough product in the mustache to make it stay in place all day.

“In that category, it’s all about symmetry,” he said. “The way the brim folds is the same way the mustache curls.”

Once Metts walks out on the stage, he has just a few seconds to do something in front of the crowd before going before the judges.

“I'll take my top hat off and shake my beard,” he said. “And I can wiggle my mustache. I just kind of go out, and here I am.”

In the beard competitions, contestants can wear what they want. Some dress up, others wear costumes. Metts’s props are minimal; he likes to let his mustache and beard do the talking. He appears in a top hat and coat with several unique rings on his fingers, including one that once belonged to his grandfather.

For his next competition, Metts, 34, wants to mix it up a little and enter a freestyle category. But that will be at least two years from now.

He will hold his world title for the next 24 months. In the meantime, he will stay busy judging competitions.

“It’s fun to judge,” he said. “It's a little nerve-wracking because … there are so many good ones. And it’s such a close community that everyone becomes close friends. You can't be biased, you know.”

To be asked to judge a contest is a big honor because it means you are respected, Metts said. “We’re looked on like celebrity judges.”

A little-known fact — if you aren’t familiar with beard competitions — is that they double as charity events and benefit local organizations through the entry fees, usually $20 to $25. One contest in Orlando raised funds for One Heart for Women and Children.

“If it didn't have anything to do with charity, I probably wouldn't do it,” Metts said.

HIS OTHER GIGS

When Metts isn’t grooming his facial hair or traveling to another competition, he is tending bar at the Bull & Bush pub in Orlando’s Milk District.

He’s also working on getting his band back together. In 2009, he and his brother, Chris, started The Lonesome City Travelers, a two-piece acoustical duo whose songs concentrated on traveling and relationships. Through the years, they added a few more band members, worked on their old-country bluegrass-with-modern-influences music, released an album and toured.

After a hiatus, the group, now a six-piece band, is working on new music and changing its name to reflect its new style. They hope to settle on a name and play their first gig early next month.

“We wanted to grow with our sound and style of playing,” Metts said. “We’re more like The Band, mixed with some more ambient stuff like Pink Floyd. This is something that we think will be a really good live show.”

Metts is currently talking to the owner of Will’s Pub on Mills Avenue about his establishment debuting the new band.