Drawn by curiosity and hopes of a meet-cute, a crowd braved a chilly Sunday afternoon in Herbert Von King Park in Bedford Stuyvesant for a Black Heartthrob Look-Alike Competition.
It was Brooklyn's second look-alike contest following a Zayn Malik look-alike competition in Bushwick on Nov 17. Marketed on TikTok and Instagram by Culture Unfiltered, an entertainment media start-up, the contest was organized by Masani Musa, a 32-year-old content creator and radio host from Crown Heights.
Musa said she organized the event to bring people together and address the lack of Black representation in the recent look-alike competition trend.
Many women came out to the event and brought food, drinks and snacks to enjoy the occasion.
“We are extra and very hungry. We went to church this morning and decided to make a whole cute day out of it," said Chey Lombard, a Bushwick resident. "We stopped to get Chinese food and we stopped to get a little bottle, now we’re here to enjoy the vibes."
When the competition was supposed to begin at 3:00pm, the amphitheatre was full of female spectators, but very few men willing to participate in the contest. After a few hours, a few volunteered.
Eventually, nine contestants were brought to the stage and were asked questions, including what was their best date or their favorite movie. After each question, a contestant would be eliminated based on audience applause or votes from the judges who asked follow-up questions.
Spectators in the crowd talked among themselves and made friends with one another as they discussed who they should vote out in the next round.
Bryce Dixon, a 25-year-old artist from New Jersey who was the third-place winner after the crowd agreed that he looked like the rapper Skepta, said he was randomly in the park and was asked to participate.
“I wasn’t supposed to do this, but they convinced me to," after being told he looked like Marvin Gaye, Dixon said.
The winner of the contest, Shaken Grohmann, won for looking like NBA star Jayson Tatum. Gorhmann, a 31-year-old tech engineer from Bushwick, was grateful for the experience after being cooped inside during the pandemic.
“It felt amazing seeing people come out today, I’m just enjoying being outside," Gorhmann said.
The winners won $50 and a pair of Adidas shoes from the sponsor Do What You Love Productions.
