A roar of boos erupted Sunday from a crowd of hundreds in Washington, D.C., as Georgetown University graduate student Daniel Bonomo announced he was not single.
The nation’s capital hosted a historic moment with its highly anticipated look-alike contest in Adams Morgan’s scenic Meridian Hill Park. This time, the spotlight landed not on Timothée Chalamet but on former President John F. Kennedy’s grandson, John Bouvier “Jack” Kennedy Schlossberg.
“I kind of had FOMO from all the other look-alike competitions in different cities, so I was like ‘When are they going to do it for D.C.?’” attendee Emma Campagnolo said. “I thought that this was the perfect person for a D.C. look-alike contest.”
Contestants included a baby from College Park, a self-identified lesbian and a runner who was stopped in the park — all vying for the “Jack Schlossberg look alike” title. Despite varying levels of resemblance and knowledge, only one could claim the win.
Schlossberg is known for producing quirky, politically-charged content, often sprinkling in the occasional thirst trap. This summer, Vogue named the 31-year-old a political correspondent due to his knack for connecting with Gen Z on social media.
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Contestants kicked off the contest by introducing themselves and disclosing their relationship status, passing a megaphone down the line. The Schlossberg look-alikes turned the contest into an episode of “The Dating Game,” comedically pandering to a mostly-female audience. One attendee held up a simple yet informative poster that read, “I’m single.”
Co-hosts Georgia Parolski and Ruchika Sharma said they took into account crowd participation and engagement, the ability to answer Kennedy trivia, poise, elegance and “silly goofy-ness” in addition to physical resemblance to Schlossberg.
One contestant, Martin Burstein, entered the competition after just missing out on October’s Chalamet contest in New York City. His costume, which he referred to as a “deeper cut,” was inspired by a viral video of Schlossberg singing “Ticket to Ride” shirtless.
“A lot of people went for the cliché suits,” Burstein said. “I didn’t think I would make it that far. I knew [my hair] would be a deal breaker. I’m honestly just happy to be here, happy to compete.”
Just a few days ago, Schlossberg posted a video where he delivered a monologue directly to the camera with no context: “I need you. I don’t wanna live without you and if I can’t have all of you, I can’t, I can’t handle anything less than all of you.”
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When it was Bonomo’s turn to prove his authenticity, he recited the viral video, now with more than a million views, earning cheers from hundreds of chronically online fans.
After intense rounds of questioning and brutal eliminations, attendees crowned a king. Bonomo walked away with $100 in Zipcar credit, a sparkly crown and a new credential for his X bio: “Jack Schlossberg lookalike contest winner.”
After Bonomo’s coronation, attendees and media swarmed him for photos, interviews and autographs.
“I am honored to be the people’s princess,” Bonomo said as he stood surrounded by an overwhelming number of people eager to take pictures with the newly-anointed local celebrity.
What began as a 3 a.m. dream for Sharma last Sunday turned into an event that garnered 1,220 Partiful RSVPs and even caught Schlossberg’s attention. On Monday, he shared multiple Instagram stories, writing, “Thank you to everyone who supported my lookalike contest” and “This person has 1) great teeth 2) great nose 3) great skin 4) great hair I’LL TAKE IT HANDSOME DEVIL.”
To the disappointment of attendees — and the contest’s winner — the real Schlossberg did not attend, despite teasing on social media that he might.
“It is probably honestly better for the meme that he didn’t show up because Chalamet already did,” Parolski said. “That’s already been done.”
In a final nod to Schlossberg’s lighthearted randomness — as well as a summation of today’s biggest pop culture moments — Bonomo concluded his victory speech with, “I’m gonna go watch ‘Wicked’ right now.”
At last, Washington, D.C., had its time to shine. As one attendee shouted, it was a “Jack-off” like no other.
