Timothée Chalamet showed up to his own look-alike competition in Washington Square Park but missed out on the $50 cash prize.

On Sunday, Oct. 27, the park transformed into a mob scene filled with a swarm of press including Teen Vogue, Variety, and The Daily Mail  — as well as hundreds of people gathered to watch the city’s first-ever Timothée Chalamet look-alike competition. 

“When I signed up three weeks ago there were 86 people going…as of this morning, there were 2,500,” contestant Spencer DeLorenzo said.

The event was set to begin at 1 p.m., but by 12:30, the north side of the park was already packed with Timothées dressed in Wonka and Dune costumes. Even a dog dressed up as the actor, and the resemblance was uncanny.

The press interrogated anyone who looked remotely like Timothée Chalamet, attempting to interview them before the competition began. But they weren’t the only ones approaching look-alikes; some spectators were there not only to have fun but to look for love. One woman made business cards to pass out to the look-alikes. Another wore a t-shirt that read “If you look like Timothee Chalamet, please text me.”

By the time co-hosts Anthony Po, who is known for doing comedy sketches throughout the city, and Tamir Omari arrived at Washington Square, they were overwhelmed by the crowd. New York Police Department officers soon arrived, resulting in the arrest of one of the look-alikes. Po was also charged with a $500 fine for conducting an “unpermitted event for a costume contest under the arch plaza.” At 1:30 pm, the production was moved to Mercer Playground. 

“I hung up around 50 to 100 posters throughout Manhattan, but I had no idea this was going to be the turnout,” Po announced to the crowd.

The “Timmy pilgrimage,” as Omari deemed it, took to the streets on a quest to find a new location where the competition could continue.

After arriving at Mercer Playground, an audience gathered around as the Chalamet competitors came to the center of the circle one by one. The judging process was simple, the crowd was told to scream “Yes” or “No” if they liked the contestant’s look. 

The top five doppelgangers were chosen by the crowd before the next round began: the Q&A. Competition judges, including TikToker Chloe Forero, asked the contestants to name their favorite Timothée Chalamet movies, say a sentence in French, and specify what they would do to make the world a better place.

The last and final round was the dating game. All single Chalamets were told to step forward while singles from the crowd were chosen to give their best elevator pitch as to why the look-alike should choose them to be their date after the event. 

After much deliberation, the crowd and judges decided on the overall best Timothée doppelganger and pronounced Miles Mitchell the winner, a contestant from Staten Island dressed as Chalamet from Wonka.

Moments after Mitchell won, press descended upon him for interviews and photos. At that moment, Mitchell’s legacy was set as the first-ever winner of the Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest.

“It feels surreal, honestly, I don’t even know what to say. Everything is just very overwhelming,” Mitchell said to a swarm of reporters. 

Mitchell collected his $50 reward in the form of a giant check, along with his 6-foot trophy — that the hosts informed the audience they spent $250 on.

“Timmy himself did actually show up at Washington Square Park, but I feel like if he showed up [at Mercer Playground] he wouldn’t have won,” Omari said.  

The competition was not the first of its kind. The same hosts held a Kai Cenat look-alike contest the day before “to test the waters,” Omari said, but nothing could compare to the chaos the Timothées brought.

“I’m really excited to be able to come out and do stuff like this, and I hope to do more in the future,” Omari said.