Who doesn’t love seeing their neighbor dress up as their favorite celebrity?
By DEVANSHI AGNIHOTRI —- arts@theaggie.org
Imagine going on your daily walk with your dog through Washington Square Park, yet on this day in particular, you see Willy Wonka — accompanied by several other people who look just like him. They all share the same dark curly hair and strikingly similar facial features. Suddenly, you find yourself stuck in a swarm of people who look like Timotheé Chalamet, the most-recent portrayer of the character. So, what is responsible for this phenomenon? The answer: lookalike contests.
Dressing up as your favorite characters and celebrities has been a common activity — it’s a way to show appreciation or just have fun. But recently, lookalike contests have risen in popularity.
On Oct. 27 at 1 p.m., YouTuber Anthony Po posted a flyer advertising a Timotheé Chalamet lookalike competition at the Washington Square Park Arch in New York City. Miles Mitchell won the contest while dressed up as Wonka. He earned a trophy and $50 prize while also meeting Chalamet, who took surprise photos with contestants. After Chalamet showed up to his own contest, excitement sparked around these lookalike competitions. Despite the $500 fine issued by the New York Police Department for hosting a public event without a permit, many contests have since been hosted for various celebrities.
These contests have been occurring all over the country. For example, the Dev Patel lookalike contest was held in San Francisco and the Glen Powell lookalike contest occurred in Powell’s hometown in Texas. The number of contestants has been huge, with people entering themselves, friends and even siblings into the competition.
The contests started as a way to have some fun, but they have now launched into something even greater by getting the actual celebrities involved. During the Powell lookalike contest, the actor sent in a video explaining that the winner’s family member would earn a cameo in his next movie. Powell was also able to meet his lookalike at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards when Maxwell Braunstein, Powell’s lookalike, and Mitchell, Chalamet’s lookalike, were both invited to the award show.
The two lookalikes even took an iconic photo when they held up a sign that reads: “I won a lookalike contest and now I’m at the Golden Globes.” This moment helped bring the internet’s excitement full circle.
Aside from meeting the celebrities, people have been using lookalike contests to engage with their local communities, meet new people and find out which community members look the most like their favorite celebrities. So, look in the mirror, figure out your celebrity twin and book the quickest flight to the next contest with the hopes of winning a trophy, some money or even meeting some of your own lookalikes.
Written by: Devanshi Agnihotri — arts@theaggie.org