‘The Daily Show' staffer crowned winner in Pedro Pascal lookalike contest

CNN

6 hours ago

In this time of division, a group of New Yorkers found themselves agreeing with each other about one thing this past weekend: Two Pedro Pascals are better than one.
On Sunday, Brooklyn eatery Son del North hosted a Pedro Pascal lookalike contest, ultimately crowning George Gountas, a lighting designer for 'The Daily Show,' the winner.
Gountas, who according to IMDb has worked for the television program since 2017 and is a two-time Emmy nominee, won in a victorious moment featured on the restaurant's Instagram page.
Gountas, whose resemblance to the 'Last of Us' star is certainly uncanny, is a father of two from Brooklyn, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He was awarded a $50 cash prize and 1 year of free burritos from the restaurant.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter published Monday, Gountas said his coworkers at the 'Daily Show' and his wife encouraged him to participate in the contest after seeing a flyer.
'One of the stage managers, Tyler, found the advertisement for the contest and was like, 'Yo, George, go win some free burritos.' I showed it to my wife and she's like, 'Yeah, you're going to this,'' he told the publication. 'My neighbor is a stylist and art director and she was like, 'I've got shoes for you, I've got pants for you.' It was a whole thing.'
Gountas said his wife and kids accompanied him to the contest for support and that he was overwhelmed by how many people showed up, calling it an 'unbelievable' scene.
His 'Daily Show' co-workers, he added, were also thrilled about his big win.
'Everyone's super supportive,' he said. 'It's been pretty insane.'
Celebrity look-alike contests have become a growing trend after a Timothee Chalamet doppelgänger was crowned in New York City, an event that the 'A Complete Unknown' star showed up to.
Since then, contests for actors like Jeremy Allen White and Paul Mescal, among others, have popped up in cities across the world, making a splash on social media.
Some winners have walked away with more than bragging rights. The winner of the Chalamet contest was invited to appear in a 'Saturday Night Live' promo for the episode that Chalamet was hosting in January. Others have nabbed deals with brands like Away and Torchys.
Pascal, who is active on social media, had not weighed in on the contest as of Monday afternoon. But maybe the Internet's 'daddy' had Father's Day off.'