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George Gountas, a lighting designer for The Daily Show, recently won a Pedro Pascal look-alike contest in New York City, earning $50 and a year’s worth of free burritos. Stewart, clearly caught off guard, invited Gountas for an on-air interview, admitting, “I’ve never noticed that he looks like Pedro Pascal.”
To prove it, Stewart showed a photo of Gountas at work — glasses off, curly hair, full beard — and finally conceded, “You’re a sexier, younger Pedro Pascal.”
Gountas explained how he entered the contest after a nudge from a coworker. “Tyler Goldman, our stage manager, texted me and said, ‘You should go win a year of free burritos,’” he recalled. After getting encouragement from his wife, and wardrobe help from a stylist neighbor, Gountas decided to give it a shot — without even reserving a spot. “I rolled up and I’m like, ‘Yo, I’m here.’ And they were like, ‘You’re going to win.’”
His wife, Jenny Gania, is enjoying the buzz but has one request: “I’m cool with you getting all this attention, if I can meet Pedro Pascal.”
Facing the camera, Gountas made a personal plea: “Hey Pedro, this is Pedro #5 from New York. It would mean the world to my wife if we could meet.”
While Gountas says he’s used to being around famous people, appearing on The Daily Show felt more nerve-wracking than expected. “I knew I was gonna get roasted by my friends,” he said.
But in the end, he walked away with bragging rights, burritos—and maybe even a shot at a meeting with the real Pedro Pascal.