Philly is hosting a Jalen Hurts look-alike contest thanks to these three best friends
The contest will take place four hours before the real Jalen Hurts takes to Lincoln Financial Field to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Will the best fake Jalen Hurts please stand up?
No, really.
Philly is hosting a look-alike contest for the dashing Eagles quarterback in Washington Square Park on Sunday, Dec. 15, at 12:30 p.m. — about four hours before the real Hurts will play against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field.
The event is the second doppelgänger competition to hit Philly: One for actor and White Boy of the Month elder statesman Miles Teller is scheduled for Sunday in Rittenhouse Square, where the prize is a cheesesteak from Angelo’s Pizzeria.
Unofficial look-alike contests have been popping up in major cities across the United States and Europe since October, when actor Timothée Chalamet crashed one organized around his likeness in New York City’s Washington Square Park that drew such a large crowd police attempted to shut it down over a lack of permit. Since then, men have competed to be the next best Harry Styles in London, Paul Mescal in Dublin, Dev Patel in San Francisco, and Jeremy Allen White in Chicago.
» READ MORE: Philly is hosting a Miles Teller look-a-like contest
In Philly, Hurts’ near-twin will win beard oil, a brush, and two bags of crawfish-flavored Lay’s potato chips — a nod to the football player’s Houston upbringing and his reputation as a crawfish connoisseur.
The event was organized by Morgan Blagman, Gaëlle Mardy, and Christiane Mushagasha, a trio of 20-something besties. The women posted a flier for the competition to their social media and several lamp posts around Washington Square Park on Monday after sending out an invite to 200 of their friends and acquaintances.
Then, the popular Instagram events page @whenwherewhatphilly posted about the competition and the comments started rolling in.
“NEW LOCATION: in my bed!!!!” one Instagram user commented. “The prize for the winner is me,” wrote another. Several asked if they need extra judges.
Blagman and Mardy, however, are already concerned about the type of competitors the event is drawing. For quality assurance, Blagman said she and her friends are reaching out to Black-owned businesses and barbershops to spread the word.
“I saw some people commenting and tagging their friends on Instagram saying, ‘Oh, you should compete,’” said Blagman, 24. “But then I’ll click on the person’s profile and they don’t look anything like him.”
“We want the real Jalen Hurts look-alikes to be aware of this,” added Mardy, 26.
Blagman and Mardy said they chose Hurts as the subject of the competition because “he’s hot” but also “embedded in Philadelphia culture.”
Hurts, 26, landed with the Eagles in 2020 after playing for the University of Alabama and Oklahoma, and took over as the starter late in that season after the team benched Carson Wentz. Since then, he’s been a champion for the city. The Eagles are currently first in the NFC East, with Hurts among the league leaders in total touchdowns (23), putting him at $115,000 raised this season to provide air-conditioning in Philadelphia public schools through his “TDs for ACs” campaign.
Even before this turnaround football season, Hurts’ reputation as a top-tier player was almost outmatched by his reputation as a (deeply philosophical) certified cutie: Fans mourned what could have been last year after finding out that Hurts has been in a long-term relationship this entire time. Prospective contest attendees have asked Blagman if they could organize a speed-dating event with the contestants afterward as a consolation prize for — well — everyone.
Both Blagman and Mardy said the plan to show up dressed like “WAGs” (wives and girlfriends of professional athletes, duh), but will not pass out their phone number to contenders.
“If a contestant does approach me, though, I will consider,” said Blagman.
» READ MORE: From 2023: Jalen Hurts has a girlfriend and Philly is in its feelings
What makes a Jalen Hurts look-alike?
Outside of the physical characteristics, Blagman and Mardy stressed that right wannabe Hurts should have charisma, a good hairline, and style. They recommend getting inspiration from Hurts’ well-tailored — and often monochromatic — game day outfits.
But for Ronnie Gunter, getting the vibe of Hurts down takes more than just dressing right and having some rizz. The 23-year-old Drexel graduate went viral on TikTok and Instagram earlier this year after Gunter’s girlfriend posted a video of him repeatedly getting mistaken for the QB. For him, the resemblance is in the details.
» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts doesn’t have much time to meet his Drexel look-alike
“The goatee is a must. You have to make sure it’s connected. You can’t just have a mustache and a bottom chin strip,” said Gunter, who said he gets approached as Hurts even more now that he’s back home in Minnesota. “And you need a fresh cut … Wear a hat if your hairline is dusty.”
Gunter said he gets a haircut every two weeks or so, though he maintains the frequency has nothing to do with maintaining the likeness.
The ringer also isn’t sure if it’s worth flying back to Philly for the competition. It might be unfair, he said. Plus the prizes aren’t worth a plane ticket.
“They’re not very enticing. If it was, like, $500, I’d really debate going back for that,” Gunter said.