Westwood served up competition Nov. 24, hosting a lookalike contest based on characters from the 2024 movie “Challengers.”

The UCLA student-led Art and Patrick lookalike competition brought over 100 people and 25 contestants to Westwood Park. Attendees competed for a $50 cash prize and a free churro for the two people that looked the most like Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor, who play Art Donaldson and Patrick Zweig in the movie.

Organizers welcomed lookalikes and spectators by playing the score of the movie. Contestants donned outfits similar to ones worn by characters of the movie, including Art’s Stanford University hat and the gray t-shirt reading ”I told Ya” worn by Tashi, played by Zendaya, in the film.

At the event, contestants were challenged to activities pertaining to “Challengers,” such as line reads, replications of Art’s serve from the film and attempts to rally a tennis ball. The intensity of crowd cheers served as scores for contestants, with additional feedback from two attendees who brought scoring cards with them.

Spencer Blanchard, the Art Donaldson lookalike winner, said events such as these bring the community together in a fun way. He added that he plans to use his winnings to see a movie or pay his rent.

“The best part about events like these is that it brings a lot of people together,” Blanchard said.

Celebrity lookalike contests have recently popped up in cities across the country, with subjects ranging from athletes to musicians. The phenomenon was partly popularized by a Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest in New York City in October, which Chalamet himself attended.

[Related: Second Take: Lookalike contests bring social connections offline, demystify celebrity beauty]

Another contestant, fourth-year communications student and men’s soccer captain Pietro Grassi, said he showed up because he saw a flyer and liked the idea of making a fun memory, adding that he was excited that his friend was crowned the Patrick Zweig lookalike.

The event drew attendees not only from the Westwood area, but from across Los Angeles. FilmUpdates, an account on the social media platform X that has nearly one million followers, posted about the event beforehand, which helped the competition garner attention.

Christopher Sims, a contestant for Patrick, said he participated in the competition despite originally being from the United Kingdom. While he came to LA to visit his girlfriend, his friend, Jackson Twait, told Sims that he looked similar to the character and suggested they go for fun, Sims said.

“It’s a true LA experience – you get out here and you do something movie-related,” said Twait, who also competed.

Caley Conser, a fourth-year political science student, was one of the organizers of the competition. Carrying a bullhorn to introduce each contestant, she walked through the line of Arts and Patricks, giving them challenges and judging the audience’s cheers to find the closest lookalike.

After seeing other lookalike events happening online, Conser said she was inspired to host her own so she could experience it herself.

She added that she enjoyed being an organizer and choosing who to center the contest around. Conser said she ultimately chose to base the competition on “Challengers” because she loves the movie and felt it was a good choice to get movie lovers together in one place.

“We did pros and cons. Our runner-up was Drew Starkey – that was a tough choice,” she said. “But we figured that this would bring the best vibes, the funniest people.”

Hannah Merritt, who attended the event, said she saw the poster on the social media platform X and immediately sent it to her friends, insisting that they had to be there because “Challengers” was her favorite movie of the year.

Merritt added that the event brought a sense of community to LA – something she noticed the city struggles with.

“I think part of what makes the lookalike contests so fun is how not organized they are,” she said. “I mean the prizes are $50 split between two people, so everyone’s here for the fun of it.”