Jamaica 12-year-old boy to star on
Nickelodeon’s holiday game show
BY ANGELICA ACEVEDO
Justice Levenson was trying
on some shoes at a Foot
Locker when his mom, Davina,
received a call that he’d
been cast as one of the contestants
on Nickelodeon’s new
game show, “Top Elf.”
“My mom started screaming
‘you got the job, you got
the job!’” Levenson, who resides
in Jamaica and attends
Stephen A. Halsey JHS 157
middle school, told QNS. “And
we were all like, ‘we’re going
to LA, we’re going to LA!’”
Levenson will be one of
seven “Elf-testants” on “Top
Elf,” which premieres on Nickelodeon
on Friday, Nov. 29 at 8
p.m. The Christmas-themed
game show will test the building
and design skills of the kid
contestants who will compete
in festive challenges to become
Santa’s “Top Elf,” and
have their wish lists granted.
Their wish lists, though,
aren’t for themselves — rather
they are for good causes in
their hometowns.
Levenson chose March of
Dimes, a nonprofit dedicated
to improving the health of
mothers and their babies, as
the organization he’s competing
for. The 12-year-old said
the reason he’s choosing to
compete for them is because
his mother benefitted from
their services when he was
born.
“I was born at 32 weeks,”
Levenson said. “When my
mom was in the NICU, it was
a really tense experience for
her and those nurses really
helped her, so we wanted to
give back.”
Levenson said he auditioned
twice for a spot on
the show. The first time, he
made a drawing that was inspired
by Netflix’s “Stranger
Things,” and then the second
time, which took place in Los
Angeles, he created a small,
toy-like robot with detachable
parts.
The experience will mark
Levenson’s first time on TV,
which he said he is “ecstatic”
about. But his excitement
is matched only by his two
younger siblings, 11-year-old
Tyler and 5-year-old Callie.
“Every time the commercial
comes on they go crazy,”
Justice Levenson with fellow “Top Elf” contestants. Photos: Robert Voets / Nickelodeon
Davina, Levenson’s mom,
said. “They lose their minds.”
Levenson said that while
his mom encourages them all
to act and go on auditions, he’s
the most artsy of the bunch.
After all, his biggest goal is to
become a filmmaker and has
already submitted a stop-motion
movie to a film festival.
He’s now working on creating
his own YouTube channel
with his brother and a friend.
And although Levenson
loves watching Nickelodeon
— “The Loud House,” “Henry
Danger,” and “SpongeBob
SquarePants” are some of his
favorite shows — there’s another
show he wishes he can
someday be on, too.
“I really want to be on
the ‘Ellen Show,’” Levenson
enthusiastically said. “It’s
just really funny and I enjoy
watching it!”
For now, Levenson is happy
that everyone will get to
see the show, where he said he
made long-lasting friendships
and got to celebrate his favorite
holiday.
“My favorite holiday is
Christmas since it’s a big deal
in our family because my
mom is from England,” Levenson
said. “We have a lot of
amazing traditions from her
country, which include Mince
pies and Father Christmas.” Elftestant Justice Levenson is set to star on Nickelodeon’s “Top Elf.”
TIMESLEDGER,QNS.COM NOV. 29-DEC. 5, 2019 13
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