Marilyn Monroe Look-A-Likes Wow Judges in Palm Springs

Contestants on two and four legs capture the late movie star's magical presence

Yale Jesser LGBTQ+

In high heels, some stood over 6 feet tall.

Others were barely 4 feet tall.

But most of them had blonde hair, save for the contestant entry on four legs.

Wego the Labradoodle swept to first-place honors in the Pet category of the Forever Marilyn Palm Springs Look-A-Like contest honoring the late Marilyn Monroe, whose 26-foot tall statue will remain in downtown Palm Springs until mid-November after two extension grants.

Hosted by Bella de Ball, the event held in conjunction with the traditional Thursday night VillageFest drew a good crowd to watch the contestants take the stage and give their best Marilyn impersonation.

The rest of the winners included:

Palm Desert's Maria Espero, who wore a dress made from pink balloons to pay homage to the famous pink dress in the Monroe classic, "How to Marry a Millionaire", captured the Mrs. Ms. category.

La Quinta's Bonnie Gilgallon, who was profiled by palmspringslife.com prior to the event, took first in the Performing Marilyn category.

Tim McIntosh, performing as Marina Mac, won the Drag Marilyn category, while Nikole Holm stuck to traditional garb to collect the Junior Marilyn title.

The event was sponsored by PS Resorts, the city of Palm Springs, Buzz Factory, Meeting Magic and Party Lab. Prizes were donated by Hyatt Regency Suites Palm Springs, Lulu California Bistro, the Saguaro Palm Springs, Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel, the Viceroy Palm Springs and the Riviera Palm Springs.

VIDEO: If you couldn't make it, check out this overview of the Forever Marilyn Look-A-Like contest.