Hundreds of spectators packed the plaza beneath the Washington Square Arch in Greenwich Village on Sunday to judge a look-alike contest for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, according to an Associated Press report.
Nine contestants took turns on an impromptu stage, many with closely trimmed beards, brown suits and patterned ties meant to echo the mayor's campaign-trail wardrobe. Judges asked each man a single question — their favorite pizza order — before the crowd picked a winner by the volume of its applause, ABC7 New York reported.
The title went to comedian Amadeo Fusca, who wore a New York Knicks jersey beneath a dark suit and had already built a following online imitating the mayor's mannerisms. Fusca told reporters he "took a shower and kissed my wife" before heading to the park "to be with the people," according to NBC New York. His prize was $100 in cash, which he noted covers about 33 rides on the city bus.
Fusca said strangers began stopping him on the street to remark on the resemblance almost as soon as Mamdani won the mayor's race last November, and that he had let his hair grow out to lean into the comparison. He got a fresh haircut the morning of the contest to sharpen the likeness before taking the stage.
Sunday's event is the latest in a string of good-natured look-alike contests that have become a recurring feature of Washington Square Park since a Timothée Chalamet version drew a much larger, more chaotic crowd in 2024. This one stayed calmer, organizers said, with police keeping watch from the edges of the plaza rather than intervening.
Fusca said the contest has already led to offers for paid appearances at comedy clubs and private events around the city, where he plans to keep the Mamdani impression in rotation alongside his other material.
