Latest news with #GeorgeGountas
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Daily Show' Staffer on Triumph at Pedro Pascal Look-Alike Contest: 'It's Been Insane' (Exclusive)
On Sunday, George Gountas enjoyed a life of relative obscurity. True, the 42-year-old resident of Brooklyn has enjoyed a taste of the limelight — literally, as he's been the lighting designer for The Daily Show since 2018. And yes, he was used to being told he looked like a certain celebrity whose profile has skyrocketed in recent years. But for the most part, he was just George from Greenpoint, father of two. More from The Hollywood Reporter "Who Gives a F*** What Other People Think": Walton Goggins, Adam Scott and the Drama Actor Roundtable Late-Night TV Hosts on Trump's "Big Stupid Birthday Parade": "Almost Makes Me Feel Bad for Him" How Celine Song's 'Materialists' Approaches New York City Wealth All of that changed yesterday when Gountas, egged on by his wife and Daily Show staffers, entered a Pedro Pascal look-alike contest. Sponsored by Lower East Side's Son Del North Mexican restaurant — who wanted to prove the Materialists star wrong in his assessment on Hot Ones that New York has no good Mexican food — the competition gave the winner burritos for a year and $50 cash, plus unlimited bragging rights. It was instantly obvious to everyone in attendance (and hundreds of onlookers showed up, plus a couple dozen contestants) that Pedro No. 5 was the clear winner. Pascal, 50, has already given his blessing, commenting on a viral Instagram post about Gountas' win with a teary-eyed smiley face emoji and a heart. Gountas granted his first post-triumph media interview to The Hollywood Reporter. *** George, I have to say this is very startling. Your resemblance to Pedro Pascal must have interrupted your life a lot over the past few years. It started back when Pedro was on Game of Thrones. He was Red Viper, a very beloved character. They killed off a lot of those in very startling fashion. My wife was so freaked out when he got killed. She's like, 'I can't watch this. I feel like the guy is crushing your head.' Then my daughter's classmates would tell their parents how I 'look like famous people.' They'd take pictures of their TVs and send them to my wife. You could be his twin brother. I look more like him than I look like my own brother. What's amazing is that you also work in show business, like him. Tell me about your job. I am the lighting designer at The Daily Show, which is a wonderful place to work. We're a very tight-knit group and have a daily text on what's needed for the day. One of the stage managers, Tyler, found the advertisement for the contest and was like, 'Yo, George, go win some free burritos.' I showed it to my wife and she's like, 'Yeah, you're going to this.' My neighbor is a stylist and art director and she was like, 'I've got shoes for you, I've got pants for you.' It was a whole thing. Pedro has done a lot of talk shows, but has he done ? In my tenure, he hasn't been there. I've been there since 2018. So I don't remember him coming by, but hopefully he does now. I feel like that's imminent now. There was a picture on somebody's Instagram with a side-by-side of him and me. Apparently he commented with a couple of tear emojis and a heart. So it was pretty funny. That's going to be a huge summit, just the two of you meeting. Let's talk about the contest. It was at a Mexican restaurant. The whole root of it is that he complained about Mexican food in New York? That's my understanding. I'm assuming he lives in Los Angeles and obviously L.A. is known for its great Mexican food. He wasn't happy [with New York's offerings]. So they said, 'We'll show you. We're going to do this contest.' I already started trying my first burritos. And they're excellent. Tell me about the scene there. Was it mayhem? How many people showed up? It was unbelievable. I live in Greenpoint, which is not too far away. My kids wanted to come, so my wife and kids joined me. And as we're getting closer, there's 1,000 people in the street. Cars are honking, trying to get by. Apparently you're supposed to sign up in advance. I didn't. I just kind of walked up and said, 'Hey, I'm here.' And so you met your other contestants. The other ones did not hold a candle to you. I guess they all realized it the second they saw you. Listen, I sized them all up, I'm not going to lie. No. 18 look good from far. Great head of hair. No. 18 had me beat in that department. The Instagram comments are pretty vicious, saying I should go to Turkey. Don't read the comments. So you were named the winner and what do you get? Burritos for a year, and 50 bucks. That's like going out for ice cream at Greenpoint. Have you heard from any of your bosses at yet? Everyone's super supportive. It's been pretty insane. There's a full page spread in The New York Post and people are just screenshotting everything and sending it to me. Has Jon Stewart said anything? I haven't seen or spoken to him yet. I'm anxious about going to the show and have everybody make fun of me. It's kind of a very cool family environment there. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Pedro Pascal Lookalike Contest Winner Looks So Much Like The Actor That People Think It Was A "Prank"
The fake Pedro Pascal may be as charming as the real Pedro Pascal. On Tuesday, The Daily Show shared a behind-the-scenes clip to its X account in which Jon Stewart revealed to fans that the winner of a New York-based Pedro Pascal lookalike contest was George Gountas — who happens to be the lighting designer for The Daily Show. After inviting Gountas on stage, who looks like he could be a long-lost member of Pascal's family, Stewart made a confession. 'I've never noticed he looks like Pedro Pascal,' Stewart admitted, before showing a photo of what Gountas typically looks like in the office, which looks less like Pascal, but still very Pascal-esque. 'How did you do this?' Stewart asked Gountas. Gountas then launched into a very funny explanation as to how he went from 'Pedro No. 5' during a silly contest on Sunday to its ultimate winner. Gountas explained that a fellow Daily Show staffer noticed fliers for the contest last week. The contest was held at Son Del North, a Mexican restaurant in the lower east side, and the prize for the winner was $50 and a year's supply of free burritos, according to local news station FOX 5 New York. The co-owner of the eatery, chef Annisha Garcia, told People she was inspired to create the contest after coming across an interview with Pascal in which he said that there isn't any 'good Mexican food in New York City.' Gountas went on to tell Stewart about the contest, who was only mildly interested, and completely forgot about it. That was until he mentioned it to his wife, Jenny, just two days before the contest — and Jenny told Gountas he was absolutely doing it. Related: Shia LaBeouf Just Shared A Screenshot Of His Private Email Exchange With Timothée Chalamet, And It's Certainly Interesting Contesting whether Gountas liked it or not, Jenny enlisted the help of a neighbor, who was a stylist, in order to pin down Pascal's look. 'And I showed up on Father's Day — you were supposed to pre-sign up, I did not sign up,' Gountas said. 'I rolled up, and I was like, 'Yo, I'm here.' And they're like, 'You're going to win.'' And he did. @pascalarchive/X/jameskleinmann / Via Later on in his discussion with Stewart, Gountas eventually revealed that his wife had an ulterior motive in her insistence that he enter the Pedro pageant — and it's that she wanted to use Gountas' 15 minutes of fame to meet the real Pascal. So, Gountas decided to be a good hubby and shared his wife's request on camera in hopes that Pascal would receive the message. Related: This 17-Question IQ Test Will Reveal How Much Celebrity Knowledge You Have 'Hey Pedro, this is Pedro No. 5 from New York,' Gountas began. 'It would be a great, great, great gift if you could meet my wife, Jenny. It would mean the world to her. We need to make this happen.' Although it's currently unclear if Pascal is even aware of this whole fiasco, fans of the Daily Show were blown away by how much Gountas does look like the Last of Us star. See their comments below. @mizztotal/X / Via @lucaslyonsart/X / Via @tonyver45/X / Via @Noteless/X / Via @joansnuggets/X / Via This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Also in Celebrity: Chrissy Teigen Posted The Results Of Her Hairline Lowering Surgery, And Ouch Also in Celebrity: 17 Weird Celebrity Red Carpet Moments That'll Make You Say "Wow, I Can't Believe That Actually Happened" Also in Celebrity: 22 Absolutely Bonkers Things I've Learned About Old Hollywood Celebs That Made My Jaw Hit The Floor
Geek Feed
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Feed
The Winner of the Pedro Pascal Lookalike Contest Works on the Daily Show
It all started with a silly Timothee Chalamet Lookalike contest back in 2024, and since then there have been several other attempts at celebrity lookalike competitions throughout the year. The latest one making headlines is a Pedro Pascal lookalike contest, and what's funny is, the winner, George Gountas, actually works on The Daily Show, and he was brought in to actually talk about his experience on air. Check this out: What's funny is that, people were supposed to sign up to enter the contest, but Gountas was so confident that he would win and he just walked up to the event and everyone immediately thought that he would land on top. Though people aren't really expecting things to blow up for Gountas after he won the contest, he is using his few seconds of fame to call out to the actual Pedro Pascal; apparently, Gountas' wife said that she would only be okay with all the attention her husband is getting if she managed to meet the actual Pascal. We don't know if that will eventually happen, but with the popularity of The Daily Show and Pascal currently doing press for Fantastic Four , having him meet up with Gountas and his wife would probably be a quick payday for the press if they managed to get it together. Watch out for The Daily Show weeknights on Comedy Central. Pedro Pascal stars in Fantastic Four: First Steps which comes to cinemas on July 25.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The Daily Show' Has Some Fun With Its Very Own Pedro Pascal
When George Gountas, a Brooklyn dad, won a year's worth of free burritos in a Pedro Pascal lookalike competition, few figured he'd be on The Daily Show less than 24 hours later. However, it soon turned out that Gountas, in fact, worked at The Daily Show as a lighting designer, or as one of his colleagues called him when he went to work on Monday morning, the 'new Hawk Tuah girl'. More from Deadline Jon Stewart Calls Out Normalization Of Violence In The U.S., Says Our Sole Concern Is "Whose Side The Perp Belongs To" Pedro Pascal Look-Alike Contest Winner In NYC Deserves The Title 'The Daily Show' Hosts On Political Optimism, Catharsis & Hunting Pythons After an emotional episode covering the latest political news and an unhinged interview with John Mulaney, Stewart featured Gountas on After The Cut, one of the Comedy Central show's digital extensions. Gountas revealed that it was Daily Show stage manager Tyler Goldman who first suggested that he should enter and after a little help from a stylist who lives in his building, he 'rolled up and they said 'You're going to win'.' 'This is crazy. Woman are, as you can see, reacting quite frankly animalistically, and some of the men,' Stewart said. What does Gountas's wife think of the situation? 'Her position is that 'I'm cool with you getting all of this attention if I can meet Pedro Pascal'. After looking into camera three ('I know how this works'), Gountas added, ''Hey Pedro, this is Pedro #5 from New York, it would be a great, great gift if you could meet my wife Jenny, it would mean the world to her, we need to make this happen',' he said. 'I don't see how Pedro #1 can turn down Pedro #5,' said Stewart, before calling him a 'brilliantly talented' lighting designer. 'You should see what I look like without his lighting, it's some crypt keeper shit,' the host added. [youtube Best of Deadline 'The Buccaneers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More
CBS News
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Meet the NYC dad who won a Pedro Pascal look-alike contest and won a year of burritos
When George Gountas' wife couldn't bear to watch Pedro Pascal's character die on "Game of Thrones" because he looked too much like her husband, she had no idea it would one day pay off in free burritos. The New York City father and "Daily Show" lighting designer proved his uncanny resemblance to the beloved actor was worth cold, hard cash and Mexican food when he won a Father's Day Pedro Pascal look-alike contest over the weekend, beating more than 20 competitors for $50 and a year's worth of burritos. Gountas said he initially learned about the contest through a group text from Tyler, a stage manager at "The Daily Show," but didn't immediately commit to participating. His wife ultimately convinced him to enter just two days before the event. A New York dad entered a Pedro Pascal look-alike contest at his wife's urging and walked away a winner Photo by Toyafor Disney "I showed her two days before, she was like, 'You're going to do this,'" Gountas said. He received styling help from a neighbor who works as a stylist and showed up to the contest without pre-registering. "I showed up, walked on. They're like, 'You're going to win,'" he said. The father of two daughters said he plans to maintain his Pascal-inspired look for now, despite some family resistance. "My older daughter is kind of over it. 'When are you going to shave that mustache?'" he said. "But for now it's working." Gountas, who describes himself as a private person without social media presence, said he's enjoying the attention and hopes Pascal himself might visit "The Daily Show" someday so his wife can meet the actor. The lighting designer used his $50 prize money to treat his family to ice cream in Brooklyn's Greenpoint neighborhood.
