Following a trend of celebrity look-alike contests around the nation — and in the most D.C. fashion — one honoring a political legacy baby happened at a Northwest park on Sunday.

Hundreds of college-aged D.C.-area residents came out for a Jack Schlossberg look-alike contest being held at Meridian Hill Park in Columbia Heights.

The appeal is obvious: people crave community.

A scion of the famous Kennedy family, Schlossberg has been called the “people’s princess” for his pretty-boy good looks, an appeal to young Americans and the playful new energy he brings to politics.

His occasional public appearances, often in support of political causes, have led to comparisons to his grandfather, former President John F. Kennedy — both in terms of appearance and charisma.

In front of the James Buchanan Memorial statue, some 10 contestants stood in front of the massive crowd. Done up in plain button-up shirts and black ties — or one contestant who decided to strip in the 50-degree weather — the diverse group of contestants did their best to emulate the Kennedy grandson.

One by one, the crowd yelled in approval of which contestant they thought looked most like Schlossberg.

“I think he’s the perfect look-alike subject for D.C. He’s from a political family and he’s a political leader himself. … D.C. loves a handsome man in politics and we’re glad we picked him over any old senator. That would have been way less fun,” said event organizer Georgia Parolski.

Though Schlossberg hinted he would be attending the event, Instagram stories made outside a Tesla location in New York proved otherwise.

“I am a little disappointed. But he has a certain mystique to maintain,” Parolski said.

Co-organizer Ruchika Sharma said they could have never expected the turnout: “We were originally supposed to be in Dupont Circle, and the RSVP response was just incredible. We had to move it.”

They said over 1,200 people RSVP’d to attend the event.

After about half an hour of bracketing out the crowd-favorites and asking Schlossberg trivia questions, a winner was crowned — taking home a $50 cash prize, a $100 Zipcar gift card and a $100 gift card to the restaurant Salazar.

“I’m way too online and I’m way too into politics,” said winner Daniel Bonomo, a 25-year-old graduate student at Georgetown University.

Bonomo elicited jeers from the audience after announcing he was, unfortunately, not single. But standing in a tiara in front of the hundreds of oglers, he said he would always “commit to the bit.”

Organizers Sharma and Parolski said they don’t intend to host another event, citing the quick cycle of online trends.

“When (Sharma) texted me about a look alike contest, I said, ‘We need to do it as soon as possible, because it’s going to leave the cultural zeitgeist in a week anyways,’” Parolski said. “And I think we sent it out with a bang.”

WTOP’s Abigail Constantino contributed to this report.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.