Robert Irwin was stumped after finding out the Sunshine Coast community hosted a lookalike competition to find his doppelgänger.
Local father Ben Marshall took out the competition, telling Yahoo Lifestyle he stayed up “all night” preparing by practising his dance moves and yelling “Crikey”.
Marshall won $500 in prize money along with the informal title of being the closest match to the 22-year-old wildlife conservationist.
Shortly after his win, he received a call from Irwin’s team inviting him to Australia Zoo for a face-to-face meeting.
“I saw them talking to the winner and I went, ‘hang on a minute, this guy really does look like me,’” Irwin said.
“I want to see how Robert Irwin this bloke really is.”
Donned in his khakis, Marshall visited the Queensland attraction, where the resemblance had left Irwin stunned.
“There’s two of us now. About time,” he said, describing the likeness as “uncanny”.
During the visit, Marshall copped more than just a handshake and a smile – he was seen alongside Irwin, holding a large Burmese python while the pair posed for photographs. The Caloundra dad managed to stay unfazed as the snake was draped across them.
Irwin later said Marshall “passed the test”, prompting an outpouring of reaction online.
“This made my face hurt from smiling. So wholesome,” one person wrote.
“Robert and Robert 2.0 make a good duo,” added another.
“Well they say everyone has a twin out there somewhere! This is so fun to see!” commented a third.
Despite his confidence entering the competition, Marshall said he was surprised by the number of participants who shared similarities with the 22-year-old.
He described runner-up Reece Walker as the “spitting image” of Irwin, adding that he believed Walker missed out on the top spot by not wearing Bonds underwear.
Walker travelled nearly two hours from Logan after seeing the competition advertised on Instagram.
“A few people on the weekend said you look like Robert, and I was like, oh, you know what? $500 wouldn’t be too bad,” he told Yahoo Lifestyle.
“So I made the trip to try a win, but second place isn’t too bad.”
The real Robert Irwin can currently be seen on television most nights, appearing on Channel 10’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!.
Images: Instagram
