N.Y.C. Dad Wins Pedro Pascal Lookalike Contest After His Wife Convinced Him to Enter (Exclusive)
“So I shaved the mustache, got dressed up and here I am,” he explains at the crowded event on Sunday, June 15, where Gountas was compared to 26 other Pascal-esque competitors.
The Son Del North co-owner, chef Annisha Garcia, tells PEOPLE she was inspired to host the contest after coming across an interview with Pascal in which he said that there isn’t any “good Mexican food in New York City.” Garcia didn’t think he was wrong, but now she’s challenging his claim.
“I agree, but then we opened the store,” she explains during the competition. “We consider our restaurant one of the most authentic Mexican places.”
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Garcia says she and her team dreamed up the Pascal lookalike contest when brainstorming how the restaurant should celebrate its one-year anniversary. They were inspired by the viral Timothée Chalamet lookalike event that took place in October 2024.
At the Father’s Day event honoring Pascal’s likeness this weekend, the first round of judging saw each contestant stepping up to a podium one by one. All but 10 hopefuls passed on to the next round, when the judges whittled down the pool to a top three lookalikes. The crowd’s loud cheers ended up sending Gountas over the finish line as the first-place winner.
His reward? $50 and one year’s worth of burritos. After nabbing the coveted prize, Gountas took a moment to deliver an acceptance speech to PEOPLE.
“This is a big shoutout to everyone at The Daily Show who made me come do this. And to my wife and my neighbor Stephanie who helped me with the clothes,” he shares. “And my kids, who are putting up with me doing all this before I take her to her dance recital.”
Gountas — who joins a roster of winning civilian lookalikes resembling stars such as Chalamet, Glen Powell, Zayn Malik and Jeremy Allen White — has a simple but friendly message to send Pascal.
“Let’s hang out and have a beer and make a new friend,” he tells PEOPLE, later addressing The Materialists star and adding, “Vamos Pedro! Let’s go!”
