Paula Deen's Husband Declared Finalist In Hemingway Look-Alike Contest

Paula Deen's husband, Michael Groover, was a finalist in the 33rd Sloppy Joe's "Papa" Hemingway Look-Alike Contest.

Groover, who sports the requisite white beard, was among the 12 look-alikes chosen as finalists in the first round of judging, but he did not make it to the second or final rounds. This is his third time participating in the competition, and his second time making the finals. According to NBC Miami, about 125 men, all bearing resemblance to the author of The Sun Also Rises and A Moveable Feast, competed this year.

Deen, who was recently embroiled in controversy surrounding the public release of a deposition in which she admitted to having used the "N" word, was not present to witness her husband's success. Groover told the judges in his speech at Sloppy Joe's Bar that though she couldn't make it, she "wanted to be here to support me." The audience reportedly responded with an enormous round of applause.

The competition, which concluded Sunday, also includes a "Running of the Bulls" event (with man-made bulls) and an arm-wrestling contest.