Celebrity lookalike competitions have been sweeping the globe and finally made an arrival in Australia over the weekend with a Heath Ledger contest.
After Timothee Chalamet and Jeremy Allen White‘s doppelgangers were recently crowned in the United States, Sydney played host to its own contest on Saturday.
Locals bearing a striking likeness to Australian actor Heath all descended on Camperdown in a bid to be crowned as his most uncanny lookalike.
As well as being judged on their physical resemblance to the late Australian actor, participants also had to take part in some amusing singing and acting competitions.
The wannabe lookalikes all had to belt out their best rendition of Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, famously sung by Heath in cult classic film 10 Things I Hate About You.
They also had to show off their best ‘moody’ looks and do their best impersonation of the Why So Serious? beatboxing challenge, a TikTok trend which sees people beatboxing as Heath’s Joker.
They were also ranked based on whose beer was the coldest, as well as whether they had driven across the Nullarbor Plain at the age of 16 in a classic Australian twist.
A young man called Jude Bailey was ultimately crowned as the winner of the lookalike competition and took home the $51 cash prize.
Jude dedicated the win to his mother, who had persuaded him to take part in the lookalike competition, according to the Courier Mail.
With a huge turn-out at the outdoor event, he was seen serenading the crowds with a rendition of Can’t Take My Eyes Off You after being named as the winner.
However, it was the runner-up of the competition who caused a tailspin on social media, with many left floored by his uncanny resemblance to Heath.
Footage shared to TikTok showed the man, believed to be called Samuel Preston, showing off his muscles in a white tank top as he stood alongside his fellow competitors.
Fans took to the comments section to share their shock over his likeness to Heath and appeared won over by his charisma as they called for him to have won.
‘Yeah tank top won that immediately,’ one wrote, while another simply said: ‘White tank top.’
A third remarked: ‘When you have eyes for second place at the Heath Ledger lookalike contest.’
A fourth gushed: ‘This is a good one honestly,’ and another commented: ‘He operates like he knows he’s on camera.’
The event had been advertised on flyers all around Sydney before the big day and was hosted and judged by comedian Joshua Khoury and Luca Trovato.
When asked why they decided to host a Heath lookalike competition, Joshua described him as the perfect fit because he is an ‘Australian icon’.
Born and raised in Perth, Heath moved to the United States and found fame in Hollywood with his roles in Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight series.
Heath tragically died of an accidental drug overdose in his New York apartment aged 28, and remains to be a beloved Australian figure around the globe.
It is not the first time a celebrity lookalike competition has taken place in recent days as the trend is currently sweeping the globe.
Earlier this month, more than 50 Jeremy Allen White lookalikes descended on Humboldt Park in Chicago to show off their resemblance to The Bear actor.
Ben Shabad, 37, was officially crowned as the most convincing lookalike in front of the hundreds of attendees who had descended on the park to watch the competition.
Video footage captured the massive crowd chanting the actor’s name and hoisting Ben up into the air upon his victory.
‘I’m so happy,’ Ben, a mental health therapist said. ‘This is the coolest thing I’ve done all week.’
Just weeks earlier, Timothee Chalamet had sparked pandemonium among his fans in New York by unexpectedly showing up to his own lookalike contest.
Flanked by bodyguards, the actor posed for photographs with his curly-haired doppelgangers – some of whom had dressed as his characters, including Willy Wonka and Dune protagonist Paul Atreides.
Fans had traveled from as far as St Louis, Missouri and River Falls, Wisconsin for the wacky competition, where the best lookalike won $50.
Miles Mitchell, a Staten Island college senior, was ultimately crowned the winner and tossed candy from a briefcase while dressed in a purple Willy Wonka outfit upon his victory.
The frenzied event, advertised on flyers around New York, was one of several doppelganger competitions hosted by YouTube personality Anthony Po.
Minutes after the competition began – and before the real Timothee made his entrance – police ordered the large group to disperse from Washington Square Park.
Organizers were slapped with a $500 fine for an ‘unpermitted costume contest’, and at least one doppelganger was dragged away in handcuffs as the crowd screamed: ‘Let him go!’
Witnesses and competitors told DailyMail.com the scenes that unfolded were ‘insane’.
‘The people filming it and the people reacting to the cops became another layer of spectacle. It was just absurd,’ one said.
