If 2024 gave us anything, it is the simple joy of celebrity look-alike contests.
Sure, they have long existed. A gaggle of little girls with curls participated in a Shirley Temple-themed competition in 1934. But as we close out the year, there has been a flurry of these types of celebrity-inspired events. There has also been the surprise bonus of the star — who people are trying to emulate — making contest cameos and sending fans into a frenzy.
On Nov. 24, there was a Glen Powell look-alike contest in his hometown of Austin, Texas, which drew hundreds of people. The Top Gun: Maverick star called into the event, at which his mother and aunt were judges. One day earlier, there was a Gordon Ramsay 2.0 event in Las Vegas — and the chef popped in to award the winner a signed frying pan “trophy.” Over the weekend, there were Tom Holland, Jack Schlossberg, Jacob Elordi and even Heath Ledger contests too.
This all blew up after the Timothée Chalamet contest in New York City in October drew such a crowd — including the Wonka star himself — that police shut it down. One of Chalamet’s doppelgängers was even arrested.
While not every winner has been a mirror image, it’s been in fun. Here are all the celebrity twinning contests as of late.
Glen Powell
When: Nov. 24.
Where: Auditorium Shores park in Powell’s hometown, Austin, Texas.
Guest judges: The Twisters star’s mom, Cyndy Powell, and aunt Kathleen Fish.
Who won: Max Braunstein, a local physician’s assistant, who rocked a Top Gun flight suit.
Who organized it: Kate Carpenter, a University of Texas grad student.
The prize: In addition to bragging rights, Braunstein was awarded $5, a cowboy hat, a year’s supply of Torchy’s queso and — drumroll — a cameo in Powell’s next film for the winner’s parents (or another relative) because Powell always gives his parents cameos in his films.
A celebrity cameo? Yes, but virtually. In a prerecorded message, Powell welcomed guests to the “Justin Hartley look-alike contest” — a joke about his own celebrity twin. He also called the winner directly, but Braunstein said he could barely hear him because there were so many people in attendance.
Jack Schlossberg
When: Nov. 24.
Where: Meridian Hill Park in Washington, D.C.
Who won: Daniel Bonomo, a Georgetown University grad student, won the tiara.
Who organized it: Georgia Parolski and Ruchika Sharma, who thought the celebrity look-alike contest trend needed a political twist with the late President Kennedy’s grandson as the subject. Contestants answered trivia questions and dressed in button-down shirts and ties to channel the Vogue political correspondent.
The prize: $50 cash, a $100 Zipcar gift card and a $100 gift card to the restaurant Salazar.
A celebrity cameo? Nope, even after Schlossberg teased he may attend. “I am a little disappointed,” Parolski said. “But he has a certain mystique to maintain.” Schlossberg did say via Instagram that the winner “has 1) great teeth 2) great nose 3) great skin 4) great hair.”
There was previously a Schlossberg look-alike contest in New York City on Nov. 17 that didn’t draw as much of a crowd. That winner, Danny, won a $50 Chipotle gift card.
Tom Holland
When: Nov. 24.
Where: Parkman Bandstand in the Boston Common in Boston.
Who won: Nick Anderson from Melrose, Mass., after reciting lines like the Spider-Man actor and showing off dance moves like Billy Elliot.
Who organized it: Katherine Gehring and Dilce Oliveira. Gehring said the British actor, who had been in Boston in recent weeks where his girlfriend Zendaya is filming, is “a nerdy, lovable sweetheart and I think he deserves more credit.”
The prize: $50 and a bag of British candy.
A celebrity cameo? Nope. Gehring said “considering he went to Caffe Nero last week and I saw four TikToks about it, I wouldn’t be shocked if this man was too afraid to come outside.”
Gordon Ramsay
When: Nov. 23.
Where: Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen in Caesars Palace Las Vegas.
Who won: Keith White from Ontario, Canada, who rocked a chef coat, won. One of the runners-up was a woman, showing the all-in-good-fun nature of the contest.
Who organized it: There were fliers posted two days before the event on the Vegas Strip and online.
The prize: The winner received a HexClad 8” Hybrid Pan signed by Ramsay in addition to a larger bundle of cookware from the brand called the Everything But the Kitchen Sink Bundle (retail price: $2,799).
A celebrity cameo? Yes, after spectators picked the final three, the British chef came out to crown a winner. He called the whole thing “slightly weird but a little bit of fun.”
Heath Ledger
When: Nov. 23.
Where: Sydney, Australia.
Who won: Jude Bailey, but runner-up Samuel Preston has gotten a lot of attention for his resemblance to the Brokeback Mountain star.
Who organized it: Josh Khoury and Luca Trovato organized it as a tribute to the Australian actor, who died in 2008. An attendee said it was a surprisingly “heartwarming” event. Fans recited the 10 Things I Hate About You star’s most iconic lines and sang songs, like Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”
The prize: $51 (in the form of a $50 bill and a $1 coin).
Jacob Elordi
When: Nov. 23.
Where: Melbourne, Australia.
Who won: Maxie Oliver, who told the Guardian, “I don’t look like him at all, I’m just tall.”
Who organized it: Alicia Liang-Morgan, who said no contestants showed up. So she approached five random people to ask them to compete. Of the five, Maxie was the closest.
The prize: $50
A celebrity cameo? No, the contestants didn’t even want to show up. Elordi wisely stayed away.
Zendaya
When: Nov. 20.
Where: Wilma Chan Park in Oakland, Calif., the Challengers actress’s hometown.
Who won: Zainab Bansfield, who danced and did a catwalk during the competition.
Who organized it: Cassi Simms, who wanted to see women “have fun and have a space” at one of these look-alike events, which have been male-centric, she told NBC Bay Area.
The prize: $40 prize and hair care products
A celebrity cameo? No such luck. She’s been in Boston filming.
Zayn Malik
When: Nov. 17.
Where: Maria Hernandez Park in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Who won: Shiv Patel of Queens, N.Y., whose friends had long told him he looked like the One Direction singer. He told Brooklyn Magazine that winning was “the ego boost I did not need!”
Who organized it: Malik superfans Jazmine Arnold and Savannah Neely. Contestants got onstage while Malik’s music was played and took part in a trivia contest.
The prize: A free tattoo — Malik has many — from Hel Heart. No word of if he’ll get it.
A celebrity cameo? No, Malik has been keeping a low profile amid the death of his former bandmate Liam Payne and postponed the start of his tour.
Jeremy Allen White
When: Nov. 16.
Where: Humboldt Park in Chicago, where The Bear is set.
Who won: Ben Shabad, who wore a white T-shirt and blue apron like Carmy.
Who organized it: Roommates Kelsey Cassaro and Taylor Vask, who started the contest as a joke, but it took on a life of its own. Hundreds of people showed up at the “definitely chaotic” event, Cassaro told Yahoo Entertainment.
The prize: $50 and a pack of Marlboro Red cigarettes that Allen’s TV counterpart would enjoy.
A celebrity cameo? No, sadly the Calvin Klein model wasn’t there.
Dev Patel
When: Nov. 10.
Where: Mission Dolores Park in San Francisco.
Who won: Jaipreet Hundal, who told Yahoo Entertainment that his girlfriend has long been telling him he looked like the Slumdog Millionaire star.
Who organized it: Friends Sitara Bellam, Tasnim Khandakar and Sahana Rangarajan after noticing that the other contests centered around white celebrities. They promoted the event on social media and approximately 500 people showed up to watch.
The prize: Hundal took home $50, flowers and a small monkey statue, a nod to Patel’s directorial debut, Monkey Man.
A celebrity cameo? No.
Harry Styles
When: Nov. 9.
Where: Soho Square in London, one of the two places where the singer lives.
Who won: Oscar Journeaux, an aspiring singer in the London band Parlay.
Who organized it: Journalist Katrina Mirpuri, who called it a “joyous day filled with chaos, fun and laughter.”
The prize: £50 (approximately $62).
A celebrity cameo? Nope — for the same reason as Malik. The prize was presented by former Love Island contestant Eyal Booker.
Paul Mescal
When: Nov. 7.
Where: Smithfield Square in Dublin, where the Irish actor attended college.
Who won: Aspiring screenwriter Jack Wall O’Reilly, who rocked some short-shorts.
Who organized it: There were flyers posted in the area.
The prize: “€20” — around $20 dollars — or “3 pints” and a pack of Denny sausages. Mescal’s first acting job was a commercial for the brand.
A celebrity cameo? No, the actor was in the middle of promoting Gladiator II. The men later connected on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show though. “You captured the spirit of me very well,” Mescal told O’Reilly.
Timothée Chalamet
When: Oct. 27.
Where: Washington Square Park in the A Complete Unknown star’s hometown of New York City.
Who won: Miles Mitchell, a 21-year-old from Staten Island, N.Y., who wore a Wonka costume, including a briefcase, and tossed candy to the crowd.
Who organized it: YouTuber Anthony Po who had a team post fliers around the city and many more people than anticipated showed up, estimated by NBC News to be in the thousands. Police made four arrests at the unpermitted event, including one of the contestants. Mitchell told Yahoo, “It was the craziest environment I’ve been in.”
The prize: $50
A celebrity cameo? Yes, amid the chaos — and adding more — Chalamet arrived and posed with his doubles.