‘Nasty Casty’ look-alikes show up — shirts unbuttoned, flashing their chains — for contest

Old City’s Fringe Bar was awash in “Nasty Castys.”

The venue held a contest Friday evening to find the best doppelganger of Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos.

While Castellanos walked twice and the Phanatic poked fun at the infamous Coldplay “kiss cam” controversy as the Phils played the Angels on the bar’s TV’s, 23 contestants stepped up to face the packed crowd in and around the venue’s outdoor seating area.

Most had at least a resemblance to Castellanos and a passable bat swing when prompted by emcee Simon Rabinowitz. Each brought out their best “Nasty Casty” swagger, celebrations and props to sway the crowd, including unbuttoned jerseys, chains, Scooby Doo references and even one Uncrustables sandwich.

How were the Nicks being scored? For one of the four judges, local content creator Penny Gsell, it was about the contestant’s vibes and attitude, along as well as their likeness. 

“I want someone who carries that persona of, not nonchalantness, but also nonchalantness,” Gsell said. “Facial hair is big for me. You have to have the defined jaw with the facial hair, the very strong nose. It’s one of those things, if you see it you know it. But just someone who encapsulates Castellanos’ attitude, especially in the face.” 

The contest’s eventual winner, Ambler native Michael Penna, exuded that “not nonchalantness, but also nonchalantness” that Gsell and the other judges were looking for. He was convinced to sign up by his wife Nicole and twin daughters, 10-year-olds Ariana and Mikayla, while they were all on their way home from vacation in South Carolina.

Other prizes included two 300-level tickets and a Jim Bean gift bag for second place, a cooler and a $100 Fringe Bar gift card for third, and a 30-pack of Bud as a constellation prize for last place.

There was also a People’s Choice category, which earned a Castellanos jersey (an arguably redundant prize, given most contestants were wearing one already). That award went to the contestant who got the biggest cheers all night, 9-year-old Jackson Ryan, who convinced his dad Al to sign him up. While Jackson had the shades and the shirt on point, his 5 o’clock shadow needed to be painted on to complete the look.

“I honestly didn’t have any interest in doing this,” Penna said. “I’m a 44-year-old dad that doesn’t really go to bars much. But they were all about it, and they loved it. So it was really cool.”

Penna took home a check for “all the Philly street cred,” four Hall of Fame suite tickets to a Phillies game and a Hornito’s tequila branded cornhole set for his win, which the whole family was happy about.

“We played [cornhole] in South Carolina. It was my first time and I loved it so much,” Mikayla said.

For some of those who came to spectate, it was a chance to find their dream man. Lisa Acerba and her coworker Katie Holsonbake said they were there to find Acerba’s future husband. Holsenbake’s support earned her an automatic invite to Acerba’s wedding.

“Some guys are ambitious, not going to lie,” Acerba said of the early field that showed up. “We’ll see how this goes.”

Unfortunately for Acerba and others, many of the contestants were spoken for. Castellanos’ signature ring-finger salute was thrown up by many doppelgangers, but some used it to highlight a wedding band when they were asked about their relationship status.

Castellanos joins the growing list of Philly figures who’ve had look-alike contests in the city, part of a national trend that flared up last year. Previous competitions have been held to find the best look-alike for Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, former Birds center Jason Kelce and Hollywood star Miles Teller.

This was Fringe Bar’s first foray into the field. When the idea came up three weeks ago, there was practically no discussion about who the subject would be. 

“My business partner and our chef, Kenny Bush, he got so excited and he was like, ‘We have to have a Nick Castellanos look-alike contest. He’s not from Philly [Hialeah, Florida. You’re welcome], but he is the most Philly dude ever,’ ” said Fringe Bar’s general manager and partner Liz Boleslavsky. 

While there’s no plan for another contest yet, Boleslavsky said they might already know where they’ll pick their look-alike from.

“We love the Eagles too, so we might do something Eagles-related in the future,” she said.