Oliver fought off some very tough competition, though. A man who works at the State Library (and didn’t know anything about the contest or Elordi himself) threatened entering, but had to get back because his lunch break was over. “What’s his name again?” he asked. “I am just here for the [$50 prize] money.”
And Alicia Liang-Morgan, the 21-year-old organiser of the event, almost entered her dad – who was also in attendance.
The crowds were small, but the spirits were high.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
“I feel like there are two bad scenarios,” she said before the event, dressed in a makeshift “I
All things considered, though, she’s happy with how it played out.
“I wanted to have a little silly event, an escape from real life. And honestly, I don’t think we could have got a better lookalike. That’s JACOB!” The pair spend some time embracing and posing for a photoshoot like he’s Elordi and she’s a crazed fan. They all suggest making a WhatsApp after.
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Fellow contestant Matthew Faiz, a 19-year-old who doubted his chances in part because he is South-Asian, agrees that the best man won. “It definitely pales in comparison to the other [international events],” he said. “But the vibe is still there.”
“It’s nice to be part of a fun thing,” Oliver says. “I’m all about more free, fun things.” (He and his mates duck into the State Library after to visit the free Rennie Ellis exhibition, Melbourne Out Loud, and he has to leave his giant winner’s sign at reception with a very confused security guard).
When asked how his family will respond to his newfound celebrity, he says: “I think my mum will feel really proud about this for no reason. I think my dad won’t shut up about it, and then he’ll tell me to go do acting. And I think my siblings will be really mean to me, because that’s how it goes.”
