I have been in newspapers and magazines before, but this was different - People magazine! It is a major publication, and this was a very nice surprise. Thanks to Shaul Schwarz for his expert photography.
I am still in awe of the incredible series of events that have unfolded since I entered their Celebrity Look-Alikes contest. What a series of blessings it has been! The highlights that I'll never forget: 1) Being selected to appear on the show, 2) Meeting Kelly Ripa, Bryant Gumbel, the crew, and the other celebrity lookalikes, 3) Having my sister there to watch the show as part of the live audience, 4) Having photos taken with Kelly after the show, 5) Kelly signing my "I Love Kelly" t-shirt (that I bought from their website before I flew out to NY), 6) being selected as the winner out of nearly 10,000 entries, 7) watching the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" on the plane ride home (which inspired me to donate a share of my winnings to a homeless shelter), 8) receiving a $10,000 check in the mail from Pricegrabber.com, 9) being able to not only donate some of the money, but to also have my employer match a portion of it, 10) being able to share the remainder with my family. I couldn't have asked for more, and I have to thank God for all of this.
I appeared on Family Feud during Celebrity Impersonators week, and we all got a chance to raise money for our selected charities. I chose the Tiger Woods Foundation to be the recipient of my share of the winnings. It was fun, and the bonus rounds ("Fast Money") were hard!
I was hired to appear at a Tag Heuer event for invited guests, and a concert was put on by Jim Belushi's band. After the concert, I had my picture taken with Jim. I was there with 2 other Tiger Woods lookalikes, so there were 3 of us walking around, mingling with the crowd. It was fun, and a few people were fooled. Some of them talked to me as if I were the real Tiger - they had to find out eventually...
This was my first television appearance - it was only a local TV station, but you have to start somewhere, right? My friend Claire spotted a TV camera with a sports anchor, and she asked if they wanted to interview a Tiger lookalike. They agreed, and it was a brief interview, and it was the start of my part-time career as a Tiger Woods lookalike.
These are just a few highlights that I've chosen, and there are a few more that I'll be adding in the near future...
