Jeremy Allen White Lookalike Contest in Chicago Serves Up a Winner

Mar. 15, 2025

Jeremy Allen White.Photo:Hulu/Getty

Hulu/Getty

Carmy, is that you? TheJeremy Allen Whitelookalike contest in Chicago has served up a winner.

On Saturday, Nov. 16, hundreds of people flocked to Humboldt Park on the city’s West Side for acompetition in search of someone who looks likethe actor,ABC 7 Chicagoreported.

The prize offered to the best doppelgänger was “$50 cash and some cigarettes,” according to a poster who went viral onX(formerly Twitter).

Jeremy Allen White attends the Emmy Awards on Sept. 15, 2024.Amy Sussman/Getty

Amy Sussman/Getty

TheChicago Sun-Timesreported that Ben Shabad, a 37-year-old mental health therapist from Glenview, Illinois, won the competition.

“This is the coolest thing I’ve done all week,” he said,donning a crownfollowing his victory. In addition to the aforementioned prize,Shabad also receiveda blue ribbon with a picture of Carmy and a trophy. After his win, other contestants lifted him into the air to celebrate, according tovideos shared online.

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“I felt pretty confident,” Shabad added, per ABC 7 Chicago. “People have been telling me I look like [White] for a long time. I don’t know if it’s changed my life, but it’s changed my Saturday.”

Albany Park roommates Kelsey Cassaro and Taylor Vaske planned the lookalike contest as a joke, according to theChicago Sun-Times. But once the contest flier went viral, there was no going back.

Jeremy Allen White in June 2024.Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

This isn’t the first time a lookalike contest cropped up in a major city. On Oct. 27, thousands gathered in lower Manhattan for aTimothée Chalametlookalike contest.

Fans dressed as the actor’s film characters — includingWilly Wonka inWonkaandBob Dylan inA Complete Unknown— and mimicked Chalamet’s effortlessly cool style.

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The competition drew so much attention that Chalamet himself crashed the event and posed with fans. Despite his uncanny likeness, someone else wearing a purple Willy Wonka suit and a top hat took home the $50 prize (made out in a gigantic check) and multi-tier trophy.

source: people.com