Austin's penchant for the quirky and delightful was on full display at Auditorium Shores when hundreds turned out for the Glen Powell look-alike contest, which was notably judged by Powell’s very own mother and aunt, adding a familial touch to the proceedings, according to AOL. Amidst laughs and cheers, it was Maxwell Braunstein, a physician's assistant and local Austinite, who cinched the title, not just with his resemblance to Powell but with charm in spades, his victorious grin earning him a host of prizes, "a whopping $5, a cowboy hat, free queso from Torchy's for a year, and a thumbs up from the real Glen Powell’s mom," according to FOX 7 Austin.
In an engaging twist that ups the ante on the typical celebrity lookalike contest, Powell himself, via a pre-recorded video, announced an extraordinary opportunity for the winner, the chance to award a family member a cameo appearance in one of his upcoming movies which Powell humorously claimed had a "cash-value prize of $6bn"; and though he couldn’t be in Austin due to shooting for Edgar Wright’s remake of "The Running Man" in England, he managed to inject his personality into the event, suggesting shirtlessness as a criterion for commitment and framing the gathering as a "criminal Glen-terprise" with his lookalikes, the actor projected a jovial camaraderie even from across the pond.
It appears that before Braunstein walked away with the spoils, which may just include that family cameo in a forthcoming film, every participant got a slice of fun and Austin's own brand of oddball celebration, as Stephanie Gallegos, a self-proclaimed Powell fan in attendance, caught the spirit of the day sharing, "It's just such an Austin thing to happen, and we love Glen Powell so we were, like, you know what, let's go see like who truly thinks they look like Glen Powell," a sentiment amplified by the city's readiness to hail a new heartthrob as Powell seemingly overtakes Matthew McConaughey within UT Austin culture.
The event, one among several such celebrity doppelgänger contests that have been popping up nationwide - with names like Timothee Chalamet, Paul Mescal, and Harry Styles drawing crowds, mirrors a curious social phenomenon exploring the allure of celebrity resemblance that goes beyond a mere physical likeness, with fans converging not just for entertainment, but with a genuine engagement in the novelty and shared community experience, a dynamic captured when Chalamet himself surprised attendees at his own lookalike contest in New York, according to AOL.
As Braunstein reportedly savored his queso victory, he quipped to FOX 7 Austin, "My face hasn't hurt like this since I was ten and at Disney World." It seems fitting then that such wholesome fun and competition in the capital of live music managed to embody the city's unofficial mantra: Keep Austin weird.
