New York’s latest viral lookalike contest crowned a modern-day JFK Jr. ‘biggest hunk’

New York City has once again proved that if there’s a celebrity with a recognisable face, someone in the city will organise a lookalike contest for them. This weekend’s target? None other than the late JFK Jr.

The event joins a growing list of NYC doppelgänger competitions that have gone viral over the past year, including contests for men who resemble Timothée Chalamet and Harry Styles.

TikTok

Interest in JFK Jr. has picked up again following the release of a new series from Ryan Murphy. The show, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, launched at the end of February and explores the highly publicised relationship between JFK Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, before their tragic deaths.

Disney+

To capitalise on the trend, organisers invited hopeful contestants to try their luck at being crowned the city’s best JFK Jr. double. The reward wasn’t huge, just $250, but it also came with the bragging rights of being declared the event’s “biggest hunk”.

Plenty of people turned up to watch, though they weren’t exactly impressed by the lineup. Clips from the event circulated on TikTok, where people quickly began roasting the contestants.

“They’re trying too hard to act effortless,” someone commented under a video from the crowd.

@jordanataylor The lookalikes just keep getting better and better 🤩 did you get to go to the JFK Jr. one in Washington Square park today? #jfkjr #jfk #carolynbessette #nyc #washingtonsquarepark ♬ original sound – Mercy🐈‍⬛

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The renewed attention hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Kennedy family either. JFK Jr.’s nephew, Jack Schlossberg, has been openly critical of Murphy’s project since last year, previously describing it as a “grotesque way to profit” from his uncle’s story.

Still, the series appears to have had a cultural knock-on effect. Some men have begun copying JFK Jr.’s signature style, with newsboy caps and other retro pieces suddenly popping up.

The competition did eventually produce a winner. 31-year-old Stamford native Julian DeVincentis walked away with the title. He went for a sporty take on the JFK Jr. look, wearing a black tank top, matching shorts, sunglasses and a backwards cap. He even rollerbladed through the crowd while posing for the audience with the real JFK Jr.’s picture.

@katiefeeneyy Replying to @Nat the winner of the JFK Jr. look alike contest! #lovestory #jfkjr #nyc #newyorkcity ♬ original sound – Katie Feeney

Speaking to the New York Post afterwards, DeVincentis said being compared to the late public figure felt surreal.

“It’s honestly an honour to be compared to someone like JFK Jr.,” he said. “I’d only heard it once before, about three years ago when I was rollerblading on the West Side Highway and someone told me I looked like him.”

“He was a legend in his own right.”

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Featured image credit: TikTok