Jamaica 12-year-old boy starring on
Nickelodeon’s holiday game show
3
QUEENS WEEKLY, DECEMBER 1, 2019
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 premiered
on Nickelodeon on
Friday, Nov. 29.
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
Justice Levenson with fellow “Top Elf” contestants. Photos: Robert Voets / Nickelodeon
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,” 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.”