Ben Shabad, an alum of the University and Lincolnwood native, headed to Chicago’s Humboldt Park on Nov. 16 for the city’s first annual Jeremy Allen White lookalike contest on an impulse. In the weeks following, his resemblance to the TV star has earned him celebrity status.
Shabad, 37, was a student in LAS who majored in psychology and a member of the University’s intramural wrestling team. The licensed counselor, life coach and husband to another former Illini has catapulted into Windy City stardom with features on WGN, ABC 7 and CBS Chicago.
“When I’m out in Chicago, people recognize me all the time,” Shabad said. “They’re asking to take pictures with me. They treat me like a celebrity, at least for right now. I don’t know where it’ll take me, or it might die down quickly, but right now, when I go out, I’m very recognizable, and it’s been really fun.”
White, 33, plays chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a scrappy Chicago chef who is the lead character of FX’s “The Bear” on Hulu. White has won two primetime Emmy awards for the role, and Berzatto’s signature uniform featuring a white T-shirt and navy blue apron was the look contestants replicated.
Shabad hesitated to throw his hat in the ring, especially since the contest was packed with nearly 60 other entrants. However, he ended up going after being repeatedly compared to White’s character Lip Gallagher in Showtime’s “Shameless.”
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“I just joined on a whim,” Shabad said. “Honestly, I wasn’t even thinking about winning. It seems kind of weird, but I thought it was just going to be a fun time, and I didn’t even decide to go until that morning.”
Despite his original doubt, Shabad left the competition victorious. For his win, he was hoisted onto the shoulders of fellow contestants to the screams of adoring fans. He was also given $50, a “Num. 1 J.A.W.” ribbon and a pack of cigarettes, which the nonsmoker says are sitting unused.
Shabad isn’t the only lookalike to find fame because of their resemblance to an A-lister. Miles Mitchell was crowned as the “best” Timothée Chalamet in New York City in late October. He has since been featured by the New York Times. Chalamet himself made an appearance at the event, sparking a trend of events throughout the country, finding celebrity copycats.
With a background in mental healthcare, Shabad said these competitions are a great opportunity for people to leave their social media bubbles. They can interact with others in a way absent since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think people, at least the competition that I was at and at the ones I’m reading about, people are actually going out,” Shabad said. “People are actually going out and getting together in person. That’s a really cool thing that it speaks to the human need a little bit to be together in person and talking and laughing and having a good time.”
Shabad added that he hasn’t let the win get to his head. As he tells his patients — many of whom are University students who see him via Zoom therapy appointments — it’s important to stay grateful and appreciate the present.
“I’m just kind of riding the wave, trying to be present in the moment and taking it one day at a time,” Shabad said. “You go from somebody who’s relatively unknown to people treating me like a celebrity in Chicago. It’s been just a really cool experience.”
Unfortunately, even though he’s been a hit throughout Chicagoland, Shabad has yet to receive congratulations from White himself.
“He’s (White) busy filming movies, and so I’m not holding my breath,” Shabad said. “But, does part of me think it would be awesome if he reached out to me or we got to meet in some way? Yeah, that would be absolutely fantastic.”
