Strolling into Washington Square Park usually means you’ll be greeted by janky pop-up smoke shops, an array of skaters and on-the-street interviewers who will ruin your experience guaranteed. From New York University students taking pictures of themselves chain-smoking Marlboro Reds to ominous chalk circles, the oddities surrounding Washington Square Park are commonplace. At this point, there’s relatively nothing that could shock the patrons of this park.
That changed on Oct. 27.
A sudden horde of lanky, curly-haired, androgynous 20-somethings raided the park, flocking to the arch. The group grew exponentially, making it feel as though they were a developing hivemind. They all had one goal: winning the Timothée Chalamet Look-alike Competition. The cherished prize? Fifty dollars presented to them on an oversized check.
Organizer of the look-alike contest, YouTuber Anthony Po, isn’t new to the world of humorous stunts in Manhattan. Back in April, he was known as the mysterious “Cheeseball Man” after calling for others to watch him scarf down as many cheeseballs as he could. With a crowd of adoring fans chanting, “Eat those balls!” Po gained popularity for his cheesy stunt.
After revealing himself as the Cheeseball Man through his YouTube channel, there weren’t many hints that Po would launch a new stunt to entertain the internet–until one poster started circulating online in early September. On it was a picture of Gen Z heartthrob and American-French actor Timothée Chalamet, a QR code leading to a digital invitation via Partiful.com and a date and time for the event, titled the “Timothée Chalamet Look-alike Competition.”
A competition surrounding one of the internet’s favorite celebrities meant it quickly gained online notoriety, especially on social media platforms like TikTok and X. However, as the days counted down, excitement for the contest seemed to be fizzling out.
Luckily, Oct. 27 brought a large number of contestants and an even larger audience. The crowd began at an estimated 2,500 attendees (according to the amount of RSVPs on Partiful) but quickly grew by the minute. As time passed, the crowd reached 10,000 attendees and turned into a mess of iPhones looking to get a picture. Po soon faced a $500 fine from the NYPD, which still didn’t stop him. After only 10 minutes, New York City park rangers were clearing the crowd due to rowdiness–but the competition didn’t end there. It was merely getting started.
The contestants and attendees alike migrated to Mercer Playground, where the contestants began presenting themselves to the crowd. The voting was simple: cheer when a contestant resembles Timothée and boo when the resemblance is lacking. Po began asking the various Timothée look-alikes questions fit for a beauty pageant, with a speed-dating section following right after. The fast-paced dates were done to satisfy the large section of the crowd that had shown up in hopes of finding their own Timotheé. Sommer Mae Campbell traveled from New Jersey with business cards bearing her name, portrait and email address, telling The Cut, “It’s so rare that all the skinny men of New York are in one place.”
The contestants ranged in their backstories and reasoning for being there. Many crossed state lines to compete, with Timotheé look-alike Tristan driving over 900 miles from St. Louis, Missouri, just to participate. Spencer DiLorenzo, a contestant from Long Island, came hoping to gain attention in the film world.
Some of the Timothées gained some not-so-positive attention, but not from the crowd. During the event, a video began circulating of one of the contestants being arrested by the NYPD. Matt Mannix of Long Island spoke to Teen Vogue, stating that his arrest led to four individual summons, including one disorderly conduct charge.
While Mannix was being arrested, a familiar face entered the playground. Though he didn’t compete, Timothée Chalamet made an appearance and wished the contestants good luck.
At the end of the day, there could only be one Timothee. Miles Mitchell, dressed in a detailed costume replicating Chalamet’s Wonka character, was named the winner of the viral competition. Though some believed he didn’t truly resemble Chalamet, his costume had led him to victory over the other Timothees.
Washington Square Park has two common themes: chaos and community. The Timothée Chalamet Look-alike Competition is a prime example of what happens when you balance the two, creating a bizarre event that brings people together.
When it comes to hosting another event, Anthony Po tells The Face, “Let’s just say it’ll be maybe bigger but less hectic.”
