Snow spiraled around the Showalter Fountain at noon Saturday, dusting the brunette hair of the three men who stood in front of a crowd of about 30.
Just one week after Indiana University redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza led the Hoosiers to a Big Ten Championship win, three IU students competed to see who looked the most like him.
The competition was organized by IU Student Television’s show, “Not Too Late”, which hung posters on campus inviting people to sign up for the contest.
“Find your future husband,” one sign read. “You + Fernando Mendoza lookalike contest”.
Despite steady snowfall and 26-degree weather, an audience bundled in coats, scarves and hats gathered around the Fine Arts Plaza to see who would win a $30 BuffaLouie’s gift card, almost enough to buy two Mendoza Bros. Burgers from the restaurant.
While 16 people signed up to compete, according to Delia Bratton, a “Not Too Late” writer, producer and director, only three contestants braved the cold and showed up. The students manning two or three cameras unfurled umbrellas over them, trying to keep the snow off.
Attendees cheer for Max Augustini at the Fernando Mendoza Lookalike Contest on Dec. 13, 2025, at Showalter Fountain in Bloomington. The winner of the contest was decided by the amount of applause from attendees.
Bratton said "Not Too Late” contacted Fernando Mendoza’s team and messaged redshirt freshman quarterback Alberto Mendoza on Instagram but didn’t hear back. She didn’t expect them to show up, since Fernando is a finalist for the Heisman Trophy — an award that honors the top college football player. The Heisman Trophy Ceremony will take place 8 p.m. Saturday in New York City.
“Not Too Late” host and producer John Carter Krell got the idea after hosting two other competitions last school year, including a chicken-finger-eating contest and a pizza-eating contest.
“It was sort of the first time that we got our series out there and in the public eye,” Krell said. “And I wanted to do something similar, not an eating challenge, just because I don’t know if my stomach could handle it.”
After taking inspiration from a Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest, they decided to host a competition more related to IU.
Instead of being centered on who most resembled IU’s redshirt junior quarterback, "Not Too Late” focused the competition on three challenges — football-throwing, a race and a mock interview.
Sophomore Christian Stenger, senior Max Augustini and senior Rocco Jann lined up in front of the crowd shortly after noon, ready for the first round.
The contestants of the Fernando Mendoza Lookalike contest are pictured Dec. 13, 2025, at Showalter Fountain in Bloomington. Three contestants participated in challenges to see who is most like Indiana football quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Jann said his roommate, IUSTV’s entertainment director, brought him the flyer and encouraged him to sign up.
“Fernando Mendoza is generally known as a pretty good thrower of the pigskin,” announcer JB Diehl narrated.
Augustini and Jann were up first, but their throws didn’t go as far as Stenger’s, who managed to chuck the ball nearly the whole length of the Fine Arts Building and win the throwing part of the contest.
Stenger said when his friend sent him a picture of the flyer, he knew he had to go. He said people come up to him on campus and tell him he looks like Mendoza.
Next, the contestants had to run half the length of the circular road around the fountain to see if they could emulate Mendoza’s running skills. The road was powdered with snow and slush, but the men dashed around it without slipping. Augustini crossed the finish line first, with Stenger and Jann coming up behind him.
Finally, the contestants had to give a 45-second pre-game interview.
“You’re waiting in the hallway 45 seconds before you walk out in the national championship game against Ohio State, a reporter comes up to you,” Diehl said. “She asks you, ‘What are you gonna do to win this game?’”
“This is about Hoosier Nation, this is about LinkedIn,” Jann said, referencing Mendoza’s “HeisMendoza” LinkedIn account. “I’m ready to go against Buckeyes. Who’s Buckeyes? Who are they, bro?”
Jann said his strategy going into the contest was to personify Mendoza’s positivity and optimism. He said he’s been told he talks in Mendoza’s speech pattern, but he knows his Achilles heel is throwing a football.
Stenger gave his speech next. His strategy was to practice the speech a bit, trying to copy Mendoza’s voice.
“All glory goes to God,” he said, calling back to Mendoza’s Big Ten Championship post-game interview.
Augustini went the same route, imitating some of Mendoza’s voice cracks from the Big Ten interview.
IU senior Max Augustini participates in a post-contest interview after the Fernando Mendoza Lookalike Contest on Dec. 13, 2025, at Showalter Fountain in Bloomington. After Augustini won the contest he had his photo taken and was interviewed.
“All glory to God, I’m excited to go out there, my brothers, my boys, get behind that,” he said.
Laughter bubbled up from the crowd. The audience voted by cheering for their favorite Mendoza lookalike, and in the end, Augustini took home the gift card. He said five friends sent him a picture of the flyer and told him to go, and his family “bullied” him into competing.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Augustini said. “So I had to show out.”
The episode will be out next Thursday or Friday on the IUSTV website.
