Cornerstone of Culture: The Timothee Chalamet Lookalike Contest

New York City: home to the Met Gala, New York Fashion Week, and as of October 27th, 2024, the Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest. Amid Lower Manhattan, namely Washington Square Park, thousands of people gathered on a Sunday afternoon to witness a group of curly-haired, gangly-limbed twenty-something-year-old guys, each with cheekbones so sharp they could kill, compete for the ultimate prize: an ironically large check of fifty dollars, a six-foot tall trophy worth 250 dollars, and the title of being the best Timothée Chalamet look-alike. 

For weeks leading up to the momentous occasion, posters advertising the event could be found on numerous telephone poles in the Big Apple, along with a Partiful invite which spread like wildfire across the nation, resulting in 2707 RSVPs. Social media and news sites alike buzzed with anticipation, eager to witness the showdown. The mastermind behind it all? Youtuber Anthony Po. To those who know him, his involvement does not come as a surprise. He previously went viral for being the man behind the neon orange mask of Cheeseball Man; in Union Square Park, Po consumed an entire jar of 985 cheeseballs, backed by a cheering audience. Though some may find this contest silly or pointless, there is a layer of rational reasoning behind it. Po had made a bet with his friend that more people would show up to a Timothée Chalamet look-alike competition than a Kai Cenat look-alike competition. To test this, he hung a hundred posters advertising both contests around the city. Clearly, Po was the winner of this bet. 

Before the event could kick off, New York City park rangers told Anthony to relocate or he would be arrested. At this time, several activities went down simultaneously. First, the real Timothée Chalamet revealed his identity beneath the Washington Square Arch, throwing his arm around one of his look-alikes and briefly posing for pictures with fans, before being ushered out of the crowded park by his bodyguard. Second, only a few feet away from the movie star, a Timothée contender, Matt Mannix, was getting arrested. Cries of “Free Timmy!” and “This is Fascism!” resounded around the square to no avail. The crowd could only watch as Mannix was escorted to a police car with his wrists held behind his back by a police officer. Last but not certainly not least, Po was parading down the streets of New York with more than 3,000 people in tow, embarking on the “Great Timothée Chalamet Pilgrimage.” After the relocation to the nearby Mercer playground, the competition officially began. The Timothées lined up at the front of the crowd, and one at a time, they stepped forward to receive their evaluation. The onlookers would either shout “Yay!” or “Nay!” depending on how fitting of a Timothée Chalamet they deemed the contestant to be. Approximately thirty minutes were spent going through this meticulous selection process, with around forty competitors in total. After much discussion, the highly qualified judges picked five finalists. 

These lucky few were subjected to a round of harsh questioning, being forced to come up with answers on the spot. A known and adored fact about Chalamet is that he is nearly fluent in French, even holding dual United States and French citizenship. Thus, it was crucial that the look-alikes were able to hold their own in French to properly embody Chalamet’s spirit. To test this, each contestant was asked to speak one sentence in French, most miserably failing. Of course, the role of being the best Timothée comes with great power and as a result, great responsibility. Consequently, the judges had to ensure the contestants were up to the job, asking them to name one thing they would do to make the world a better place. One finalist answered, “I would organize more events like this” in a deliberate attempt to suck up to the judges. Their romantic intentions with Kylie Jenner, who Chalamet is rumored to be currently dating, were also examined. After narrowing down the competition to the final two look-alikes, Zander Lueve and Miles Mitchell, a final question was posed: what would you do with the fifty dollars if you won? Lueve gave a genuine answer, saying he would like to take his girlfriend on a date that night. A collective “Aww” resounded from the crowd, touched by his pure intentions and love. Mitchell, dressed as the Willy Wonka version of Chalamet, took a different approach. He had been carrying around a briefcase all afternoon, passing out free chocolate to attendees to play into the Wonka persona. To continue his act (and perhaps to bribe the audience), he replied that he would use the money to buy more chocolates to give to everyone. The crowd screamed with joy at the promise of a sweet treat. Ultimately, greed prevailed over love as Mitchell was crowned the best Timothée Chalamet and awarded the grand prize. However, Po declared at the end of the contest he would be bestowing fifty dollars to all the participants, to which they responded with enthusiastic chants of “Day Drinking! Day Drinking!”

Just like everything else in life, what you get out of the Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest is what you put in. Many treated the event as an opportunity to find a date, some holding signs with words such as “Looking For A Man” or “Hi Timothées!” next to a cutout picture of Chalamet’s face. One woman went as far as creating business cards specifically for this occasion, handing them out to competitors who were single. (The business cards worked by the way. She was asked out by 2 Timothées.) Po is in full support of the dating aspect of the event, saying that it was his “weird pipe dream” for a couple to meet at the contest and end up getting married. In fact, he offered to cover part of the wedding cost if this happened. Other attendees came for networking and were scouted by modeling agencies or approached by film companies. Mannix, the arrested Timothée contender, revealed that HBO asked to book him for a casting after the incident. 

Despite receiving a 500-dollar fine for “hosting an unauthorized costume contest,” Po expresses no regrets for organizing the event. He explains that the event was meant to be chaotic, providing a place where people could have meaningless fun and gain a story they could tell their friends and, one day, their grandkids. It is astounding how something as simple and, I’ll admit it, as stupid as a Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest can bring thousands of strangers together for an afternoon of unparalleled excitement. As one bystander remarked, “So many Wonkas, so many Timmies. It’s such a beautiful life.” And it truly is. In our increasingly partisan society, it’s wonderful to see everyone united over their shared love of something, even if that something is a skinny white guy with a terrifyingly defined bone structure. Though Po will not be holding any more look-alike contests, he says he has a couple of other events “planned and scheduled,” but he plans to remain anonymous to maintain the charm. Look-alike contests for other celebrities have emerged in cities around the world from Paul Mescal in Dublin, Ireland to Dev Patel in San Francisco here in the United States. Po undoubtedly has a firm grip on the pop culture world at the moment, and it’s safe to say that everyone is eagerly holding their breath to see what stunt he pulls off next. 

Sources

Cartter, Eileen. “The Agony and Ecstasy of a Timothée Chalamet Lookalike Contest.” GQ, GQ, 28 Oct. 2024, www.gq.com/story/timothee-chalamet-lookalike-contest. 

Huston, Caitlin. “A Timothée Chalamet Look-Alike Contest Turns Chaotic, as Organizer Plots Next Move.” The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Oct. 2024, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/local-news/timothee-chalamet-lookalike-contest-organizer-interview-1236047019/. 

Ishmael, Aiyana. “Arrested Timmy Chalamet Lookalike Tells All: I Don’t Know ‘What the Hell’ to Think.” Teen Vogue, Teen Vogue, 29 Oct. 2024, www.teenvogue.com/story/arrested-timothee-chalamet-lookalike-matt-mannix-interview. 

Rhoden-Paul, André “Timothée Chalamet Crashes Look-Alike Event in New York City.” BBC News, BBC, 28 Oct. 2024, www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy99mlg7e2o. 

Goffe, Nadira. “I Attended the Timothée Chalamet Lookalike Contest. It Was Twinkageddon.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 28 Oct. 2024, slate.com/culture/2024/10/timothee-chalamet-lookalike-contest-nyc-wonka-dune.html. 

Dickson, E.J. “The Timothée Chalamet Lookalike Contest Was Absolute Chaos.” The Cut, The Cut, 28 Oct. 2024, www.thecut.com/article/timothe-chalamet-lookalike-competition-photos-scene-report.html. 

Po, Anthony. “how i created the timothee chalamet lookalike contest.” YouTube, YouTube, 1 Nov. 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0L9qs8rzfM.