According to the Britannica Dictionary, the word Doppelgänger can be defined as “someone who looks like someone else.” Of German origin, the word translates in English to the literal meaning of “double walker,” as in a ghost or shadow of yourself. The phrase is commonly used when referring to a person who shares an uncanny resemblance to a certain celebrity.
Recently, this genetic anomaly—regardless of how far-fetched it might sound—could be quite rewarding. How does a cash prize sound? Dollars, pounds, or euros? The challenge is simple. In late October, thousands of Willy Wonkas, Paul Atreides, and pairs of skinny jeans flocked to Washington Square Park for a Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest. This event took an unexpected turn when Chalamet himself showed up, and one of the look-alikes landed in handcuffs with a $500 fine for hosting an “unpermitted costume contest.” Since then, a global wave of doppelgänger competitions has emerged, summoning groups of men bearing the slightest resemblance to our favorite celebrities to congregate in parks around the world.
Three weeks later in London’s Soho Square, Londoners decked in sequins, feather boas, and vibrant colors put their looks to the test, battling for the £50 prize. There were twelve contestants each competing to look like the famous “Watermelon Sugar” singer—the one and only Harry Styles—in front of 100 enthusiastic spectators. The lucky winner was Oscar Journeaux whose talent went beyond looking like Styles’ identical twin; he utilized this opportunity to promote himself as a singer. According to The Standard, he was guaranteed victory by portraying Style’s “cozy” look, wearing a brown leather jacket and a scarf.
That same week Dublin hosted its own Paul Mescal look-alike competition. The star of Normal People and the newly released Gladiator II, the term “normal” was taken quite literally, defining Mescal as another ordinary Irishman with a knack for acting. The prize was €20, or the Irish equivalent of 3 pints of beer. The winner dressed in the star’s signature style of wired earbuds, a hoodie, and white sports shorts. “There’s a Paul Mescal in all of us,” he stated, according to The Guardian.
A week later, dozens descended on Chicagos’ Humboldt Park, vying to be crowned best chef, or Jeremy Allen White look-alike. Contestants—including a toddler—met on the sledding hill to compete for the grand prize of $50 and a pack of Marlboro Red cigarettes. Many donned chef’s aprons with cigarettes in true Carmen Berzatto fashion, and styled their hair into Phillip “Lip” Gallagher curls.
Four days later, on November 20, a crowd of more than 50 people gathered at Wilma Chan Park in Oakland to witness seven contestants participate in the look-alike contest of the two-time Emmy winner and Oakland native Zendaya. This contest was much more than simply finding Zendaya’s dopplegänger—it was a celebration of the movie star’s unique spirit. This was no ordinary look-alike contest, as it was a festivity full of dancing, answering trivia questions, and fashionably walking down the runway. The winner embodied the actress’s character in the movie Dune by wearing a long cream dress with a checker-patterned scarf wrapped over her head. Zainab Bansfield not only received the honorable title of “Miss Zendaya,” but a whole arrangement of prizes: a flower crown, a white sash, a gift basket of chocolates, Carol’s Daughter shampoo, $40, as well as other additional items.
Bansfield used this contest as an opportunity to come out of her more introverted shell. Reflecting on the competition, she said, “What is Zendaya? She’s energy. She’s fun. Let me bring that.” This was recorded by the San Francisco Chronicle. Cassi Simms, the contest’s organizer, decided this would be the best way to make the most out of her day off from her healthcare job. She noticed how in the previous viral dopplegänger competitions, involving Chalamet, Styles, Mescal, and White, they all shared one particular trend – they were all male actors. Therefore, Simms changed the culture of these competitions before they turned into “another male-dominated thing” as it “…needed a breakthrough [and] a breath of fresh air.”
Four days later, Glen Powell, the movie star from Anyone But You, took some sort of presence in his look-alike contest held in Austin, Texas. However, here’s the unique twist: Powell told the crowned winner that their parents or any other family member of their preference would get rewarded with a cameo in his next film. Only the winner’s parents or other family members get the cameo because in a couple of his movies such as “Twisters” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” his parents often appeared on screen for small roles. As much as Powell yearned to attend the competition in person, he was filming the remake of Edgar-Wright’s “The Running Man” in the United Kingdom. Nonetheless, Fox 7 Austin reported that his mother and aunt helped in determining the winner. The final verdict declared Maxwell Braunstein triumphant. Braunstein received some distinguished awards as he won $5, a free queso from Torchy’s Tacos for a year, a cowboy hat, and a virtual greeting from Powell himself, who joined the event through FaceTime. As Powell met his “identical twin”, Braunstein humorously remarked that having his family in a cameo would guarantee them a “cash value prize of $6 billion,” according to Variety.
Look-alike competitions may seem like a silly trend, but you might be surprised that this form of entertainment traces back to the early 1900s. Charlie Chaplin Jr. commented on how his well-known father not only participated in his very own look-alike contest but amusingly came in third. This event was organized at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, between 1915 to 1920. In 1934, Sydney, Australia, hosted its very own Shirley Temple competition, and because it became so popular, another one was organized at the Cleveland Food Show in 1935, attracting more than 900 children. In 1979, a competition was held in Toronto, Canada, based on the “9 to 5” singer Dolly Parton.
This long-standing tradition of dopplegänger competitions provides not only an amusing form of entertainment but manages to describe the truth behind humanity. As CNN documented, these contests prove that biology is not some sort of fate; on the contrary, people always can be whatever or whomever they aspire to be. Therefore, whenever contestants make the effort to look like a celebrity, they are “giving someone an indication of just how malleable and changeable we are as human beings.” After all, “humanity isn’t fixed.”
