Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
These look-alike contests look a lot like the Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest
By
Ryan Kailath
Published Nov 5, 2024
Modified Nov 5, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Ryan Kailath / Gothamist
By
Ryan Kailath
Published Nov 5, 2024
Modified Nov 5, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Apparently it’s the season of look-alike contests in New York City.
A series of events are cropping up that mimic the viral Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest last month, where scores of scrawny, wanna-be Timmys flooded Washington Square Park, leading to multiple arrests and a $500 fine for its creator.
Across the city, flyers have appeared advertising a Jeremy Allen White look-alike contest on Nov. 17, a Zayn Malik look-alike contest also on Nov. 17, and even a contest for Jack Donoghue, a musician from the foundational 2010s witch-house band Salem, scheduled for Nov. 10.
Some of the flyers have contact information, though none of the organizers responded to requests for comment.
All of them advertise prizes, including “2 packs of cigarettes + 7 day metrocard” for the winner of the White contest, a free tattoo for the Zayn contest winner, and $75 cash for the best Donoghue.
And all of the contests are set to take place in public parks seemingly tailored to their potential audience. The Donoghue contest will be at Seward Park, on the border of Manhattan's Chinatown and the Lower East Side, for the ultra-hip and in-the-know crowd. The Zayn competition will take place in the younger and queerer Maria Hernandez Park in Bushwick, and the competition based on the mainstream, A-lister star of “The Bear” is happening in Washington Square Park.
The original Timothée Chalamet competition was the brainchild of Anthony Po, a YouTuber who has memed other viral events into being. That includes one featuring the NYC Cheeseball Man, who ate an entire bar of the puffy snacks in front of roaring crowds in Union Square.
Po builds buzz for the events through physical posters that take off on social media. They’re so effective that even the real Timothée Chalamet showed up to the look-alike contest in his honor last month.
He said he’s not behind any of the copycats, nor would he want to be.
“I’m not trying to beat a dead horse,” Po said. “If other people wanna do it for fun I encourage that, I think it’s super cute. But I got other things to do.”
One online commenter wondered if the viral promotion was the driving force behind all these look-alike events.
“is this the new trick to summon your favourite celebrity to your neighborhood park???” Luca wrote on X.
Multiple commenters, meanwhile, had the same idea for turning the contests to their advantage, writing: “Jeremy Allen White look-alike contest in my bedroom."
This story has been updated with comment from Anthony Po.
Tagged
new york city
Timothee Chalamet
parks
art
Ryan Kailath
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
Spoiler alert: It's still 26.2 miles.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 2:36 p.m. ET
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .