Calling all curmudgeons! A U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) look-alike contest is coming to Burlington, with a sticker from Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign as the grand prize.
Mike Trioli, a 45-year-old dealer services representative at Darn Tough Vermont, organized the event, which will take place at noon on Saturday, December 14, at City Hall Park. The competition follows a Noah Kahan look-alike contest held on Thursday at the University of Vermont, where students were invited to show up in their “best flannel” and “sport a (not necessarily) real beard.”
Celebrity look-alike contests have become the latest pop culture craze, starting with a battle for the best Timothée Chalamet doppelgänger in October in New York City. That event drew thousands of attendees, a $500 fine for hosting a public event without a permit and a surprise appearance by Chalamet himself.
Look-alike contests typically center on male celebrities and offer modest prizes, from small cash rewards to plastic trophies. Other recent such showdowns have honored “The Bear” star Jeremy Allen White in Chicago; Top Gun: Maverick actor Glen Powell in his hometown of Austin, Texas; and pop singer Harry Styles in London.
But in Burlington, Trioli said, focusing on a Hollywood star didn’t feel right.
“I figured, who’s the unifying force in this community? To me, it’s someone like Bernie Sanders,” he said. “Instead of girls screaming for a young heartthrob, it’d be girls and middle-aged men and boomers alike cheering for our hero.”
The contest will be decided in democratic fashion: Whoever receives the loudest applause wins. Contestants are invited to bring additional Sanders merchandise to contribute to a prize pool.
There could be stiff competition. The 83-year-old U.S. senator from Vermont already has a few famous look-alikes, including “Seinfeld” creator Larry David, who portrayed Sanders on “Saturday Night Live.” The two men later discovered there was a biological reason for their similarities: In 2017, the PBS genealogy show “Finding Your Roots” revealed that Sanders and David were distant cousins.
The lesser-known Jeff Jones, a retired Los Angeles musician, has also received media attention for his uncanny resemblance to Sanders.
Trioli isn’t sure how many people will show up — or if Sanders might make a cameo (though a guy can dream). Sen. Sanders’ office could not confirm whether he would attend.
Trioli said he hopes the competition will make people smile and bring levity in the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election. He also emphasized that contestants need not be octogenarian men. Competitors may portray Sanders from any era, whether rocking his iconic, meme-worthy mittens from the 2020 inauguration of President Joe Biden or sporting the thick-framed glasses from Sanders’ younger years.
So what makes a good Sanders look-alike? According to Trioli, it goes far beyond glasses, frumpy clothing and male-pattern baldness.
“It can be a woman. It can be a man. It can be anybody. A kid could win it,” Trioli said. “It’s that curmudgeon attitude.”
Related Stories
This article appears in Nov 27 – Dec 3, 2024.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
