Latest news with #SonDelNorth
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
Buzz Feed
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Jon Stewart Shocked His Staffer Won A Pedro Pascal Lookalike Contest
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. 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. The winner of Pedro Pascal lookalike contest in New York City 📹 jameskleinmann | instagram — Pedro Pascal Daily (@pascalarchive) June 15, 2025 @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. '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.' The winner of the Pedro Pascal lookalike contest is also The Daily Show's lighting designer, George Gountas! #AfterTheCut — The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) June 17, 2025 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. I almost feel like that is Pedro Pascal and they're punking us. Anyway Pedro has to meet Jenny he just has to! — Nice4What (@mizztotal) June 18, 2025 @mizztotal/X / Via @dailyshow should change their intro to say "now featuring pedro pascal on camera 2" — Lucas Lyons (@lucaslyonsart) June 18, 2025 @lucaslyonsart/X / Via Pretty amazing!!! He's got the body language dialed in. — Wear your masks (@tonyver45) June 18, 2025 @tonyver45/X / Via He's got the mannerisms down! If that's not him trying to do that, it's even more eerie — j🍥 (@Noteless) June 17, 2025 @Noteless/X / Via
Indian Express
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Who's your daddy?': actor Pedro Pascal's look-alike wins New York Father's Day contest and a year's worth of burritos
On Father's Day Sunday, the streets of New York's Lower East Side turned into a celebration of doppelgängers as a Pedro Pascal look-alike contest drew a curious and cheering crowd. Fans ultimately crowned Pedro #5 George Gountas, a dad from Greenpoint as the man who most resembled The Last of Us and The Mandalorian star. Gountas walked away with $50 and a year's supply of burritos, courtesy of host Son Del North, a local Mexican restaurant. The event, now going viral on social media, was shared by @jameskleinmann on Instagram. The caption accompanying the video said, 'Who's Your Daddy? Mexican restaurant @sondelnorth celebrated Father's Day with a Pedro Pascal look-alike contest on the streets of the Lower East Side, NYC. And the winner is… Pedro #5! aka George Gountas who won $50 & a year's supply of burritos. While @streamonmax, home of The Last of Us, handed out Who's Your Daddy branded condoms at the event.' A post shared by James Kleinmann (@jameskleinmann) The resemblance stunned viewers online. 'Wait. Is that not just Pedro Pascal?' one Instagram user commented. Another added, 'Hahahaha omg I love this so much. He is definitely the winner for sure!!!' A third wrote, 'Sooo, is he single? Asking for a friend.' One fan even mused, 'I love that Pedro Pascal has made my name popular again and that it's associated with someone so sexy and talented.' George Gountas is a lighting designer for The Daily Show, reports NYPost. His wife, Jenny Gania, shared with The New York Post how the comparisons began, 'It started when Game of Thrones came out the first time — that's when we first heard it,' Gania said. 'Then some kids started noting it, too, so I was like, when we saw this [contest], I was like, 'It's Father's Day. You have to go. It's going to be your Father's Day treat.'' 'It's funny, because he's not on social media at all. But now he's going to be everywhere.' Indeed, Gountas stood out among nearly 30 contestants vying for the top spot. According to Son Del North chef and co-owner Annisha Garcia, the event was also a cheeky response to Pascal's infamous 2023 remark that there was no decent Mexican food in New York: 'I'm, 'So sorry, but there's no Mexican, good Mexican food in New York?'' Garcia said. 'And we were like, 'There is, and we are here.'' Her co-owner, Wim Shih, explained the motivation behind the joyful gathering. 'There's just so much sadness in the world right now, and we wanted to be a bit of sunshine today amidst all that.' The Pedro Pascal look-alike contest is part of a growing global trend. In late 2024, media outlets reported a surge in look-alike competitions across the US, UK, Ireland, and Australia, followed by ones in Brazil and India. The phenomenon was first sparked by a Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest in October that year, which the actor himself attended. Since then, fans and organisers have held contests for a wide range of celebrities including Paul Mescal, Jeremy Allen White, Zendaya, BTS's Jungkook, political figure Jack Schlossberg and even fictional characters like Peaky Blinders' Tommy Shelby, besides like Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
CNN
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
‘The Daily Show' staffer crowned winner in Pedro Pascal lookalike contest
In this time of division, a group of New Yorkers found themselves agreeing with each other about one thing this past weekend: Two Pedro Pascals are better than one. On Sunday, Brooklyn eatery Son del North hosted a Pedro Pascal lookalike contest, ultimately crowning George Gountas, a lighting designer for 'The Daily Show,' the winner. Gountas, who according to IMDb has worked for the television program since 2017 and is a two-time Emmy nominee, won in a victorious moment featured on the restaurant's Instagram page. Gountas, whose resemblance to the 'Last of Us' star is certainly uncanny, is a father of two from Brooklyn, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He was awarded a $50 cash prize and 1 year of free burritos from the restaurant. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter published Monday, Gountas said his coworkers at the 'Daily Show' and his wife encouraged him to participate in the contest after seeing a flyer. '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,'' he told the publication. '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.' Gountas said his wife and kids accompanied him to the contest for support and that he was overwhelmed by how many people showed up, calling it an 'unbelievable' scene. His 'Daily Show' co-workers, he added, were also thrilled about his big win. 'Everyone's super supportive,' he said. 'It's been pretty insane.' Celebrity look-alike contests have become a growing trend after a Timothee Chalamet doppelgänger was crowned in New York City, an event that the 'A Complete Unknown' star showed up to. Since then, contests for actors like Jeremy Allen White and Paul Mescal, among others, have popped up in cities across the world, making a splash on social media. Some winners have walked away with more than bragging rights. The winner of the Chalamet contest was invited to appear in a 'Saturday Night Live' promo for the episode that Chalamet was hosting in January. Others have nabbed deals with brands like Away and Torchys. Pascal, who is active on social media, had not weighed in on the contest as of Monday afternoon. But maybe the Internet's 'daddy' had Father's Day off.'
CNN
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
‘The Daily Show' staffer crowned winner in Pedro Pascal lookalike contest
In this time of division, a group of New Yorkers found themselves agreeing with each other about one thing this past weekend: Two Pedro Pascals are better than one. On Sunday, Brooklyn eatery Son del North hosted a Pedro Pascal lookalike contest, ultimately crowning George Gountas, a lighting designer for 'The Daily Show,' the winner. Gountas, who according to IMDb has worked for the television program since 2017 and is a two-time Emmy nominee, won in a victorious moment featured on the restaurant's Instagram page. Gountas, whose resemblance to the 'Last of Us' star is certainly uncanny, is a father of two from Brooklyn, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He was awarded a $50 cash prize and 1 year of free burritos from the restaurant. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter published Monday, Gountas said his coworkers at the 'Daily Show' and his wife encouraged him to participate in the contest after seeing a flyer. '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,'' he told the publication. '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.' Gountas said his wife and kids accompanied him to the contest for support and that he was overwhelmed by how many people showed up, calling it an 'unbelievable' scene. His 'Daily Show' co-workers, he added, were also thrilled about his big win. 'Everyone's super supportive,' he said. 'It's been pretty insane.' Celebrity look-alike contests have become a growing trend after a Timothee Chalamet doppelgänger was crowned in New York City, an event that the 'A Complete Unknown' star showed up to. Since then, contests for actors like Jeremy Allen White and Paul Mescal, among others, have popped up in cities across the world, making a splash on social media. Some winners have walked away with more than bragging rights. The winner of the Chalamet contest was invited to appear in a 'Saturday Night Live' promo for the episode that Chalamet was hosting in January. Others have nabbed deals with brands like Away and Torchys. Pascal, who is active on social media, had not weighed in on the contest as of Monday afternoon. But maybe the Internet's 'daddy' had Father's Day off.'
