On Saturday, more than 50 Jeremy Allen White lookalikes descended on the sledding hill at Humboldt Park to compete for $50 and a pack of Marlboro Red cigarettes.
Hundreds of attendees cheered and applauded as each contestant stepped forward to show off their resemblance to the actor, known for portraying Chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto on the Chicago-based show, “The Bear.” Most of the doppelgangers were white men, but some women and people of different ethnicities got in on the fun.
There was even a toddler White lookalike.
But the prize ultimately went to 37-year-old mental health therapist Ben Shabad of Glenview.
“I’m so happy,” said Shabad, who was given a crown and hoisted into the air in the middle of the crowd. “This is the coolest thing I’ve done all week.”
Organized by Albany Park roommates Kelsey Cassaro and Taylor Vaske, the contest follows several other celebrity lookalike competitions in other states. Earlier this month, there were Harry Styles and Dev Patel contests in London and San Francisco, respectively. And in October, actor Timothée Chalamet crashed his doppelganger contest in Lower Manhattan.
Cassaro and Vaske originally planned the Jeremy Allen White event as a joke, posting a flyer on social media and along North Milwaukee Avenue in Logan Square. When the competition picked up traction online, they said they knew they had to make it happen.
They did not expect the massive turnout, which included Jeremy Allen White fans Josephine Krieger and Alexis Kline, of Roscoe Village.
“He’s like a Roman god to me,” Kline said.