Nathan Fielder lookalike contest coming to Toronto this month
Nathan Fielder lookalikes will compete with mock business pitches and karaoke at Toronto’s Paradise Theatre on Nov. 17.
Contestants will pitch, sing and compete at Paradise Theatre on Nov. 17
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A roomful of Nathan Fielders will take over Toronto's Paradise Theatre this month as part of a lookalike competition for the Canadian comedian, actor and filmmaker.
The roughly hour-long contest will take place at the multi-arts venue on Tuesday, Nov. 17, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
Organizers say competitors may be asked to deliver mock business pitches or take part in "Nathan-inspired karaoke," including tracks by Evanescence and Lana Del Rey — a fitting nod to a viral video posted to YouTube 12 years ago, in which Fielder sings Del Rey’s breakthrough hit, Born To Die.
Toronto comedians Andrew Phung, known for Kim's Convenience and Run the Burbs, and Hannah Spear, a Second City alumna and actor, are set to co-host and judge.
The poster for the Nathan Fielder lookalike competition, which will take place on Nov. 17 in Toronto. (Mubi, Bad Dog Theatre Company)
Contestants will compete for gold, silver and bronze, though the prizes have not yet been announced. The event is sponsored by streaming service Mubi, which, along with Bad Dog Theatre Company, is providing the prizes. The evening will end with a screening of the first episode of The Curse, the series Fielder co-created with Benny Safdie.
Entry is free for both contestants and spectators, but the theatre's capacity is limited. People can sign up through the QR code on event posters or the RSVP link shared by the Instagram accounts of Mubi Canada and Bad Dog Theatre Company. An RSVP does not guarantee admission; organizers say entry will be first come, first served.
Organizers reported more than 100 people signed up as of Oct. 30.
The Toronto event follows a New York City contest held Oct. 25 in Washington Square Park, where Nathan Fielder lookalikes competed alongside Elizabeth Holmes impersonators. The contest was inspired by You Can See Everything, the hit documentary about Holmes co-directed by Fielder and Lance Oppenheim.
Organized by comedian Maddy West and a friend, it drew dozens of people, with more than 200 responding to the event's registration form. Social media posts from the day showed contestants in Fielder-inspired outfits and Holmes's signature black turtlenecks and blonde hair. Joe Sivick won the Fielder category, and actor and comedian Nicole Travolta won the Holmes category.
The Nathan Fielder lookalike craze also crossed the Pacific, with a competition held in Sydney on Nov. 1.
A poster shared by X user Levi Fishman also advertises a Nathan Fielder lookalike contest at Lafayette Park in San Francisco on Nov. 7. The poster says: "Winner literally gets crowned the most Nathan of Fielder (crown and bragging rights)."
The format has a precedent beyond Fielder. A Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest in New York in 2024 drew a large crowd and made headlines when Chalamet himself briefly appeared.
Similar contests followed in other cities, including competitions for actors Paul Mescal in Dublin, and Jeremy Allen White in Chicago, and singer Harry Styles in London.
The gatherings often start with a simple flyer or social post and turn into a public spectacle, with contestants dressing the part and spectators sharing photos and videos on social media. The Toronto contest is taking that familiar format indoors, with a deliberately Fielder-esque twist: rather than relying on resemblance alone, contestants will have to perform.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christine Pagulayan is a Toronto-based producer and writer with CBC News, currently with the Entertainment unit. She has worked in various roles at CBC News Network and The National. She has also worked as a multiplatform reporter in Toronto, Winnipeg, Halifax and Moncton. You can reach her at christine.pagulayan@cbc.ca.
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