- When the Robert Irwin Fanclub ran a lookalike competition in Robert’s hometown Caloundra, Qld, Ben Marshall,28, rushed to enter.
- His uncanny resemblance to the Dancing with the Stars champ, great dance moves and croc wrestling bagged him the title .
- Robert Irwin invited Ben to Australia Zoo and put him to the Irwin snake test. Ben passed with flying colours!
Ben Marshall gets told every week he’s a dead ringer for national treasure Robert Irwin. But now it’s official!
When his wife Jenna heard about the Robert Irwin Fanclub Lookalike competition in Irwin’s hometown of Caloundra, Qld, welcoming the Dancing With the Stars champ home after six months in the US, she rushed to the shops to buy Ben an outfit.
‘You’ve got to do it,’ Jenna told Ben. ‘I feel like something’s going to happen and you and two are going to meet. This is your chance!’
‘I was up all night practicing dancing,’ Ben Marshall.
Ben did his best to prepare for the contest.
‘I was up all night practicing dancing,’ 28-year-old electrician Ben told that’s life!
Donning a khaki shirt and shorts, Bonds undies, work boots, a plastic snake dangling around his neck and carrying an inflatable crocodile he was feeling confident until he saw the stiff competition at Kings Beach, Caloundra on January 17.
READ MORE: Gutsy snake catchers: Meet the Aussie family wrangling reptiles together
Ben strutted his stuff on the beachside catwalk with the 30 contestants of all ages , shapes and sizes in front of crowds of hundreds paying homage to wildlife warrior Robert, 22.
Jenna cheered Ben on with their son Sunny, one, and their family as Ben gave a winning ‘Crikey,’ busted out some expert dance moves and performed some classic croc wrestling.
‘Robert’s a national treasure, he’s so positive. He’s just the typical Aussie bloke.’ Ben Marshall
With his uncanny resemblance to the I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! host and some seriously good dance moves, Ben took out the title and was crowned the winner. The runner up was Reece Walker, who also looked like incredibly like Robert.
Ben was thrilled to not only bag bragging rights but also a $500 voucher.
‘It was great to be crowned unofficial doppelganger of Robert Irwin,’ Ben said. ‘Robert’s a national treasure, he’s so positive. He’s just the typical Aussie bloke.’
The real Robert Irwin called the competition ‘classic’ on social media and invited Ben and his family to nearby Australia Zoo.
‘There’s two of us now !’ Robert Irwin
When Robert met his doppelganger a few days later, he was in for a shock.
High-fiving Ben, Robert said on TikTok, ‘Holy moly. It actually is kind of weird, man. Look at this! Dude, there’s two of us now, about time!’
Documenting meeting his twin on social media Robert asked, ‘How are you around snakes?’
READ MORE: Meet Max: the Wildlife Warrior!
To test Ben’s Irwin-ness he introduced him to Australia Zoo’s Burmese pythons and the pair had one dangled round their necks.
‘You passed the test!’ Robert told his twin.
Ben was absolutely stoked to meet his lookalike.
‘It was an awesome experience meeting Robert,’ he said. ‘He’s an absolute legend… such a genuine guy. A real true Aussie and you can see why everyone loves him.’
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