Jeremy Allen White lookalike crowned in Chicago

On By Littum

AP Ben Shabad, the winner of the Jeremy Allen White lookalike contest, wearing a chef's apron and white t-shirt, is hoisted on the shoulders of audience members in a Chicago parkAP

Dozens of people descended on a Chicago park on Saturday, vying to be named the best Jeremy Allen White lookalike.

Attendees – including a toddler – donned chef’s aprons and white t-shirts in the style of White’s character Carmen Berzatto from the hit TV series The Bear.

Others dressed up as his character Phillip in Shameless, another TV show set in Chicago.

Hundreds of spectators cheered as each contestant stepped forward to display their likeness.

Based on levels of applause, the accolade went to a 37-year-old mental health therapist, Ben Shabad.

AP A crowd of Jeremy Allen White lookalikes, including a toddler, dressed in chef's aprons and white T-shirts, crouch and stand in a semicircle in a Chicago parkAP

“I wasn’t really going to win — especially seeing all these guys who looked like Jeremy Allen White — but the energy here is so exciting,” Shabad told the Chicago Tribune.

As a prize, Mr. Shabad $50 and a pack of cigarettes – a nod to Berzatto’s heavy smoking in the series.

The show, now in its third season, follows a young fine dining chef, Carmy, as he returns to the family-run sandwich shop in Chicago after his brother’s suicide.

The show won six awards, including three for acting, at the 2024 Emmy Awards, tied for most honors in succession.

The lookalike contest was organized by Chicago roommates Kelsey Cassaro and Taylor Vaske. The pair were inspired by the success of similar events in recent weeks for other celebrities including Dev Patel and Paul Mescal.

In October, Timothée Chalamet stunned fans after appearing in a lookalike contest for the actor in New York.

It seems the celebrity doppelganger craze isn’t over yet, with Saturday’s event just the latest in a series of competitions across the country.

AP Three Jeremy Allen White lookalikes dressed in chef's aprons and white t-shirts and with cigarettes in their mouths stand, the middle one with his arms over the shoulders of the other twoAP

“People were online saying, ‘Why doesn’t Chicago have one?'” said Ms. Cassaro, who spoke to the Chicago Sun-Times.

“I thought, ‘I think it should be Jeremy Allen White if we do it.’ And I think a lot of Chicago dudes look like him, too,” she added.

Cassaro and Vaske originally planned the event as a joke, posting details on social media and flyers in areas of Chicago. When the buzz picked up online about it, they decided to organize it officially.

Unlike Chalamet, White did not show up for the competition. But that didn’t dampen the spirits of his doppelgangers.

“I’m just in awe of (White’s) acting skills and the shows he’s been in have been really good, so I take it as a compliment that people think I look like him,” said Mr. Shabad.