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Jason Kelce, former Philadelphia Eagles center, had a good laugh watching a lookalike contest in his honor during ESPN's Monday Night Countdown on Dec. 16. The 37-year-old was amused but not overly impressed by the contestants at Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square Park on Dec. 14.
"Newsflash! Any overweight white guy with a beard looks just like me," Kelce joked while viewing footage of the event, which drew numerous "Kelce doppelgängers" dressed in his signature looks. "It's an easy competition. There is absolutely nothing unique about any of these gentlemen other than they are large people with beards," he quipped to host Scott Van Pelt.
However, one contestant stood out. A bearded man in a Fair Isle zip-up sweater caught Kelce's eye. "That guy is spot on," he said, before adding, "That's my new profile picture." True to his word, Kelce updated his X (formerly Twitter) profile picture to feature the lookalike.
The contest featured men donning Eagles jerseys, baseball caps, and Kelce's signature Fair Isle sweaters paired with flip-flops. Many also mimicked Kelce's famous shirt-ripping move, a favorite antic of the former NFL star. Explaining the move, Kelce joked, "Sometimes when you're enjoying a few beverages and it's cold outside..."
Despite the entertainment, Kelce and the Monday Night Countdown panel disagreed with the contest winner. Kelce admitted he would have crowned "the sweater guy" as the champion instead.
Later, Kelce poked fun at the situation, saying it was "disheartening" to see how many people could pass as his double.
Meanwhile, Jason's wife, Kylie Kelce, shared tips for contestants on her Not Gonna Lie podcast's second episode, released Dec. 12. Kylie encouraged participants to wear a "heavy sweater" with a unique design or velour tracksuits featuring the Italian flag. "I can't wait to see who wins," she said.
Kylie, currently expecting her fourth daughter with Jason, clearly inspired several contestants who followed her advice to perfection.
In the end, the Jason Kelce lookalike contest proved to be a fun, lighthearted tribute to the beloved football star, with Kelce's trademark humor stealing the show once again.
