Photos by Bella Balmaceda.
“Here we are for the first and maybe the last,” said the host of the first celebrity look-alike contest at Chapman.
Chapman’s Argyros Forum student union hosted its first and maybe its only celebrity look-alike contest on Oct. 28 with just three entries.
With a guaranteed brand new record player for the first place prize, the show had to go on. Yet with just the three students participating this time around, maybe this event will become a thing of the past.
“We weren't sure how the turnout would be,” said assistant director of Argyros Forum student union, Karla Monterrey. “Maybe we could have done it earlier in the semester when there was more energy.”
Celebrity look-alike contests have been around as long as there have been celebrities to idolize.
After the 1914 debut of “Kid Auto Races at Venice,” actor Charlie Chaplin’s look became widely known. His distinct hat, mustache and dark features were replicable at ease. Then came the look-alike contests, his being one of the first.
The 1930s broadened these contests, from Shirley Temple look-alikes being hosted in Australia to another in Cleveland that had 950 contestants.
The concept began to expand in the 1950s during the prime Hollywood age when Marilyn Monroe became popular and during the 1960s with Frank Sinatra doppelgangers.
A resurgence of these events arose again in 2024, when Timothée Chalamet attended his own look-alike contest in Washington Square Park, New York, sparking widespread interest online.
People long for community, and maybe that’s why these contests have popularized. What better way to find your people than to cosplay your favorite celebrity and stand alongside a number of other people doing the same?
For Chapman, maybe it is a different story. Monterrey explained that this event was suggested by Chapman students themselves after their Harry Styles listening party and look-alike contest.
“We got a lot of feedback from students that they were really eager to have that event come back,” she said. “So we listened to what they were asking and we did it again, except we expanded it to include a broader audience and kind of tie it into Halloween as well.”
The range of potential look-alikes for the event on campus still did not disappoint, despite the small number of contestants. The entries ranged from “Charlie’s Angels”' Lucy Liu to “Modern Family”’s Ariel Winter to “How to Train your Dragon”’s Hiccup.
One by one, each of the three contestants stood in front of a photo of their celebrity look-alike, sharing to the crowd how they fit the part and why they deserved to win.
Junior strategic and corporate communication major Abby Lofrano attended as actress Ariel Winter, widely known for her role as Alex Dunphy in “Modern Family.”
“37 times I've been told I look like her,” Lofrano said. “I thought I might as well put it to use here tonight.”
Clad in a black dress and explaining how she tried to copy the actress’s makeup look, too, Lofrano resembled the facial features of actress Ariel Winter.
Photos by Bella Balmaceda.
As she stood in front of the limited audience, her very own roommates cheered her on in hopes Lofrano could bring the record player prize home.
Senior double major in writing for film and television and strategic corporate communication studies Ann Hoang similarly already looked the part. Hoang attended as actress Lucy Liu, commonly known for roles in “Charlie’s Angels” and “Kill Bill.”
“So many strangers, friends and family have told me I look like her,” said Hoang. “So I felt like it was time for me to showcase this.”
Hoang said she did not necessarily dress in a specific Lucy Liu outfit, but already resembled the actress through her facial features alone.
“I feel like I've never had an opportunity to do a celebrity look-alike contest so I knew I needed to be here,” said Hoang.
The last contestant truly emulated his character. Junior creative writing major Jackson Carmichael came as Hiccup, the protagonist from the animated movie “How to Train your Dragon.”
“I had a costume lying around and I love dressing up for Halloween,” said Carmichael. “I thought this would be a fun side quest.”
Carmichael came in full costume; the leather vest, dark trousers, belt and even the arm and shoulder pieces.
“I just visited the theme park for the first time and dressed up, too,” said Carmichael. “All the employees told me I looked like Hiccup, so I figured I might as well.”
The Chapman crowd and organizers of the event had the final say. Through a quick scan and tap, the handful of attendees voted on their phones by choosing their favorite celebrity double.
And in the end, Lofrano brought home the win as Ariel Winter, giving her a new record player and another reason to embrace the resemblance.
No matter the numbers, this event still brought a crowd of the community together supporting one another. This event may have not drawn a huge crowd of doppelgangers, but if it’s the last look-alike contest on campus ever, at least each of them still got a moment in the celebrity spotlight.