Philly’s latest look-alike contest? Jason Kelce, of course — one day before a Jalen Hurts contest.
“All of these look-alike contests were going for all the pretty guys. ... But Philadelphia’s sweetheart — or, like, Princess Diana right now — is Jason Kelce.”
Get ready to break out your sandals and green velour suits.
Former Eagles center Jason Kelce has taken over the world — becoming a national figure in his post-retirement endeavors. Kelce had already taken his career to New Heights with one of the most popular podcasts in America. He now also appears weekly on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown, recently announced his new late-night talk show, and has seemingly been traveling from state to state to party at different tailgates, while somehow finding the time to pop up on podcasts, commercials, at concerts, and more.
But now it’s time for a different Jason Kelce takeover.
Philadelphia will host a Jason Kelce look-alike contest on Saturday. The contest is scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. in Rittenhouse Square, just one day before a Jalen Hurts look-alike contest at the same location.
The idea came from Philadelphia native Jamir Griffin, 26, who runs the social media meme account lexaprotagnist.
“All of these look-alike contests were going for all the pretty guys,” Griffin told The Inquirer. “Which is valid. Like, everyone loves Timothée [Chalamet] and everyone loves Miles Teller. Cool. But Philadelphia’s sweetheart — or, like, Princess Diana right now — is Jason Kelce. So I thought it would be smart to host one of these events but with one of the archetypes of like, OK, if a girl is going to go out on a Friday night, the type of guy she’s probably going to go home with looks like Jason Kelce.”
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Look-alike contests have been the latest trend, making waves throughout social media. The contests have hit major cities, including New York with its Chalamet doppelgänger contest and Chicago’s Jeremy Allen White contest. Now, Philadelphia has entered the mix. The city already hosted a Miles Teller look-alike contest, with contestants competing for a free cheesesteak from Angelo’s Pizzeria.
However, Saturday’s event has no ties to the Teller look-alike contest or the upcoming Hurts look-alike contest.
Griffin believes it’s safe to say about 100 contestants will be at Saturday’s event after his fliers — placed in Center City — went viral on TikTok, getting more than 100,000 views.
The event will be judged by local comedians Claire Gill, Noah Wood, Matt Peoples, and Eagles super fan Peggy O’Leary. A cash prize will be given to the top Kelce look-alike and they will be handing out green-themed prizes to those in attendance, including an oversized Eagles chain, and they’re hoping to even have a green carpet.
But this won’t be the first time Philadelphia hosted a Kelce look-alike contest. Chickie’s & Pete’s and Garage Beer hosted their own costume contest for the former Eagles center in October. Dozens of Kelce look-alikes packed the South Philadelphia sports bar — some wearing his Campbell’s Soup robe, others in his green tracksuit, and a few wearing no shirt at all.
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Griffin hopes the community can bring that same type of energy heading into Saturday.
“Not everyone’s a square, you know,” Griffin said. “If I can get a bunch of normal dudes to come down to the city and put on a green tracksuit and shake hands and have fun, then that’s a win to me. Otherwise, these folks will just stare at each other at the bar. No one says hello anymore. Everyone is afraid to laugh at the random thing that’s happening on the corner in the city. People will just walk by and I just want to make it more normal to just stop and watch.
“I know I didn’t create the whole look-alike contest thing, but again, I think it’s just a good opportunity to take advantage of right now.”
And who knows, maybe even the real Jason Kelce will make an appearance. When asked what happens if he does show up, Griffin jokingly said, “If he shows up, he’s not winning.”
Sorry, Jason.