Dec 17, 2024 - News
Celebrity lookalike trend goes back 90 years in Cleveland
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Contestants at the 1935 Cleveland Food Show's Shirley Temple lookalike contest. Photo: Courtesy of Cleveland Memory Project
Lookalike contests have become all the rage, but they're nothing new to Cleveland.
Catch up quick: A contest to find actor Timothée Chalamet's closest doppelganger held in New York City in October went viral, kickstarting a global trend.
- Contests were held in Ireland for actor Paul Mescal, in London for pop star Harry Styles, in Chicago for "The Bear" star Jeremy Allen White, and in Philadelphia this past weekend for Eagles legend Jason Kelce.
- Rap star Drake gifted $10,000 to a female fan who won his lookalike contest in Toronto last Saturday.
Flashback: Lookalike contests have been around for more than a century, with one of the more famous ones taking place in Cleveland in 1935.
- More than 900 contestants competed in the Cleveland Food Show's Shirley Temple lookalike contest.
- The event was so popular, it spawned future contests for film stars Katherine Hepburn and Myrna Loy, plus singer Alice Faye.
State of play: Which local celebrity would make for the perfect lookalike extravaganza?
- We're thinking Halle Berry, LeBron James or Machine Gun Kelly (assuming a bunch of skinny, tall white guys are willing to apply fake tattoos).
- Lawyer Tim Misny, with his signature eyebrow, or Drew Carey, with his trademark glasses, are other great options.
📧 Email [email protected] and tell us which celebrity lookalike contest would bring you out.
- And if you look like a celeb, send us a photo to prove it.