For as long as celebrities have existed, so have lookalike contests. It used to be traditional for the winner to take home a keepsake trophy, but the stakes are being raised these days – by the celebrities themselves.
Last week, Top Gun: Maverick and Twisters star Glen Powell offered the winner of his lookalike contest one of the biggest prizes ever heard of in such a competition: a cameo role for a family member in his next film. And in October, Timothee Chalamet caused pandemonium when he turned up at his lookalike contest in New York City, forcing authorities to shut down the event.
From New York to London, celebrity lookalike contests are popping up everywhere. And now with the stars themselves joining in on the fun, there's more to life than just looking like a famous person, it seems. Here are some of the best ones.
Glen Powell
Held in the actor's home city of Austin, Texas, the lookalike contest was judged by Powell's mother and aunt, and drew hundreds to Auditorium Shores. While the initial prize was $5 in cash, plus a cowboy hat and a free cheese dip at a local restaurant, Powell sent a surprise video announcing his once-in-a-lifetime offer, according to Fox 7 Austin.
“I know there is some cash and a hat at stake here, but I just wanted to say that the winner of today’s contest gets a personal prize from me,” Powell said. “Now, you may know that my parents make a cameo in every movie I make, but today, the winner of the Glen Powell lookalike contest wins their parents or any family member of their choice, a cameo in my next movie. I am completely serious. This is a cash-value prize of $6 billion.”
The winner of the competition was Maxwell Braunstein, who works as a physician's assistant. He told Fox he was not totally surprised by the result as he’d heard the comparison to Powell before. “My face hasn't hurt like this since I was ten and at Disney World,” he said, following his win.
Gordon Ramsay
A day before the Powell event, British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay surprised the winner of his lookalike contest with a signed frying pan held at his Hell's Kitchen restaurant in Las Vegas.
While Ramsay didn't seem impressed by the finalists, which included one woman, the winner, Keith White from Ontario, walked away with what is possibly one of the most valuable prizes in such a contest. Besides the signed pan, he received an assortment of pans, pots, knives and kitchen tools valued at $2,799.
Timothee Chalamet
In October, New York police shut down a lookalike competition dedicated to the Dune star after he turned up to the event himself, causing public safety concerns, according to NBC, which said visitors numbered in their thousands. Associated Press reported that police fined organisers $500 for an “unpermitted costume contest” and one lookalike appeared to be arrested and dragged out in handcuffs.
After the competition moved to another park, each contestant was introduced and rated by the crowd on his Chalametness. The final four contestants were asked about their French-speaking skills, as Chalamet has French roots, as well as their romantic intentions with reality star and entrepreneur Kylie Jenner, who is rumoured to be Chalamet’s girlfriend, according to Associated Press.
The eventual winner was Miles Mitchell, 21, who came dressed in a purple Willy Wonka outfit, a nod to Chalamet's movie and character. “I’m excited and I’m also overwhelmed. There were so many good lookalikes. It was really a toss-up,” said Mitchell, who was named “Best Tim” and took home $50 in prize money.
Zayn Malik
While visitors weren't as lucky to be graced by the star himself, a lookalike competition in honour of the British pop star also attracted hundreds of fans in Brooklyn, New York. Shiv Patel from Queens won the competition, which was organised by fans of the British singer. “I feel so good right now,” he told Brooklyn Magazine as he posed for pictures. “This was the ego boost I did not need!”
Jeremy Allen White
The popularity of the acclaimed show The Bear has turned its lead star into one hot property, so much so that his lookalike contests are popping up all over the US. In Chicago, where the Emmy-winning show is set, contestants, including one toddler, came dressed as White's character Carmen, a chef who tries to revive his late brother's failing restaurant.
The winner, Ben Shabad, 37, was picked based on levels of applause and also won $50. “I didn’t really plan on winning – especially when I saw all these guys that looked like Jeremy Allen White – but the energy here is so exciting,” Shabad told the Chicago Tribune. A similar competition dedicated to White was also held in New York.
Harry Styles
In London, a crowd of 500 recently cheered on 13 contestants vying to be best dupes for singer Harry Styles. The winner Oscar Journeaux, 22, is also a singer and guitar player and walked home with £50, according to The Guardian. The competition also awarded the “Worst Harry” prize to a contestant who came holding a kilo of sugar and one small watermelon, a nod to Styles' hit song Watermelon Sugar.
