How out of hand can a lookalike competition get? Apparently very, especially if the star of competition shows up midway through. A viral Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest took place on October 27th, and took the world by storm. Hopeful & enthusiastic lookalikes flew in from all over the country to take part in this event, but eventually, it got a little out of hand.
The competition was widely advertised for weeks before it took place, leading people all over the country to hear about it, and
sign up. It took place in Washington Square Park, in the heart of Manhattan, and over 2,000 attendees showed up. It was packed, according to pictures and videos from the contest. The event was just taking off when pandemonium ensued. The real Timothée Chalamet stopped by the park, crashing his own lookalike competition, and causing chaos. He took some pictures with the lookalikes, and stunned some fans, before making a quick exit when things started to get too out of hand.
The original prize money which drew some to the contest was a grand total of 50$. In reality, this drew in no one, everyone that entered the contest was there for the fun of it. Overall, accounts from the event said that it was very unserious and a lot of fun. The organizers of the event originally gained a large audience for it through viral YouTube and TikTok videos advertising the prize money, but many people attending learned about it through word of mouth and through social media only a couple days prior to the event.
Eventually, after the confusion and chaos got worse, the New York Police Department took action. They broke up the event for being an unauthorized costume contest. Some attendees did not comply with the police orders to leave which led to even more pandemonium. Four people were taken into custody, and one was detained for over an hour, and now has a court summons for being disorderly and trespassing.
Although this started out as a fun and unserious contest, which the movie star himself even showed up in, it ended with legal action. Overall, though, people had a great time, and it sparked a good feeling of young community and bonding over entertainment and pop culture in New York City.
