Alec Spicer
Audio By Carbonatix
Less than 4% of men in the United States are over 6-foot-2. Of that small percentage, even fewer likely have a collection of tote bags, an affinity for back pocket-sized literature and the kind of suaveness and charm that appeals to the masses. Jacob Elordi, the unequivocal heartthrob of the generation, has set a high standard for hot boys to come. A one-of-a-kind man, there probably isn’t another quite like him, but we figured we might as well try to find one if he exists at the official Jacob Elordi lookalike contest at Reverchon Park on Friday night. It’s boots-on-the-ground journalism.
A group, mostly consisting of young women under 30, crowned the man closest to the “unicorn” features of Elordi, the nation’s communal future husband.
Marcello Pelton, an Italian transplant getting his master’s degree in international relations at Southern Methodist University, was declared the winner. Now, does he look like the spitting image of Elordi? No, even he doesn’t think so. But he is 6’4, and sometimes that’s enough. He also cooks, runs Iron Man races and speaks fluent Italian if anyone’s counting.
“I feel honored,” Pelton said to the Observer following his victory. “It’s always nice being compared to a very attractive celebrity. I had an enjoyable time. I cannot smile anymore, because I think it might fall off.”
After winning, hordes of young women crowded Jacob 2.0 for pictures, as if he were the real Australian superstar. Pelton took home $50 (which he plans to spend on a tank of gas), an Oscar-shaped award to remember his greatest accomplishment in life thus far and the ego boost of the century.
Lookalike contests reached Wikipedia-page-worthy virality in 2024 when a Timothée Chalamet contest in New York City drew a huge crowd. Replica events popped up across the globe, usually seeking dopplegangers of the hottest men in Hollywood. Naturally attracting a crowd of single young women, the events rarely award the man who actually looks the most like the sought-after celebrity, and instead, pick the most conventionally attractive of the offerings.
“At first, I was a little concerned because Jacob Elordi is so hot,” said one of the event’s attendees, Madison Alexander. “It’s really hard to match that, with the look, the energy and the vibes, but he had it.”
Alexander added that she’d attend another lookalike event, and that she’s glad Dallas has this kind of free fun on a Friday night. More than a hundred people attended the event, shouting things like “take your shirt off,” and “kiss,” at the parade of very tall men. The evening was harmless, albeit objectifying, fun, uniting women (and some men) by their shared lust for one of the hottest actors of our time.
The event was a marketing genius, organized by Drizz, a Dallas-based start-up that aims to fill a gap in the beverage sphere. The brand makes flavorless caffeine drops to energize any beverage, and another line of mocktail drops that transform a simple liquor-soda drink into more complex flavors, like a paloma, without having to pay for excessively expensive drinks. Founded by Rodrigo Ricaud, the business owner figured the best way to get his product into the hands of his target market was to lure them with the promise of a sexy person. And it did.
And because we care about our readers, Pelton is single, but not ready to mingle.
We were so inspired by the event that the Observer will soon host a Harry Styles lookalike contest at the desk of our music & culture editor.
