Since 2024, celebrity lookalike competitions have been popping up in major cities across the globe. It all started with a Timothée Chalamet contest in New York City (that was even attended by the Oscar-nominated star himself), and the trend snowballed from there, spawning similar events celebrating heartthrobs like Paul Mescal, Zayn Malik, Jeremy Allen White, and more.
Of course, while the actual similarities between these contest winners and their famous subjects is often up for debate, there was no doubting the resemblance when two winners were crowned at a Heated Rivalry-themed event held at the Wunder Garten in Washington, D.C., this past Saturday.
Since Heated Rivalry won the hearts of millions last winter, there have been a number of competitions to find the best Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander lookalikes out there.
However, this weekend’s D.C. contest in particular got fans buzzing, because not only did the two champions look eerily similar to actors Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, but it turns out their meeting might have sparked a love story for the pair. Faux Ilya and faux Shane embraced and shared a very steamy kiss at the contest; and now, they are reportedly planning their first date.
Adapted from Rachel Reid’s Game Changers romance series, Heated Rivalry quickly shot to the number-one spot on HBO Max this past November, when it was syndicated from the Canadian streamer Crave. Since, it has not only skyrocketed sales for Reid’s books and made Storrie and Williams household names in Hollywood, but evidently, it’s bringing to life new romances across the country too. Long live the lookalike contest.
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