The organiser of a Heated Rivalry lookalike contest in Sydney has been forced to relocate the event after the council warned there would be hefty fines if it went ahead.
The contest — which welcomes lookalikes of the show’s lead stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie — was all set for Newtown’s Camperdown Park this Saturday, January 31, after organiser Lena Tuck floated the idea on social media and went on a flyposting spree.
One TikTok video of a flyer shared earlier this week garnered over 250,000 views — a response Tuck said she “did not expect” — but the major hype was thrown into disarray when Sydney’s Inner West council thwarted the plans just days out from the launch date.
“I called up to register the party then the lady on the other end had told me she heard about it and she said I needed to shut it down,” Tuck told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
The Inner West council warned Tuck of the safety risks around an event that was tipped to draw big crowds, saying she’d be fined $2,500 if it went ahead because she failed to register the contest with enough notice.
According to the council’s website, public events typically need to be registered and approved well in advance, a step which Tuck — a self-described “type B” — missed.
“It was the fact I didn’t register, which costs money, or do the public liability forms. It also needed to be at least four weeks planned in advance,” Tuck said. “God forbid I put on a fun, community event spontaneously for the people!”
In a statement provided to PEDESTRIAN.TV, the Inner West Council confirmed the necessary steps weren’t taken to allow the event to proceed.
“Council welcomes community-led events right across the local government area,” the spokesperson said.
“In November 2025, the event organiser contacted Council about how to seek approval for the event. Council advised she would need to fill in an application and how to do so. No application was ever submitted,” they added.
The lookalike contest has since been moved to the Imperial Hotel in Erskineville, but not without some logistical headaches for Tuck.
“It’s definitely been a lot, especially the past 24 hours with the council and location move, but everyone’s response has been incredible and supportive so I’m very excited to see it all take place,” she said.
“As someone who is very type B, the fact I’ve gotten this far is insane but I’m running off three coffees, no lunch, and a dream,” she added.
The Heated Rivalry lookalike contest is one of multiple that has taken off in Australia and abroad in recent times.
Heath Ledger and Jacob Elordi contests were held in Sydney and Melbourne last year, and before that, Timothée Chalamet rocked up to his own one held in New York City (and he didn’t even win).
Call it wishful thinking, but maybe Williams and Storrie will appear at their contest tomorrow, and all those councillors will be rue the day they denied us all a trip to the cottage.
Lead images: TikTok and Getty Images
