Mother, daughter win KTIV look-alike contest

ORANGE CITY-Elli Krosschell doesn’t mind looking like her mom.

In fact, she kind of likes it.

“There are some people who ask me, ‘Do you like looking like your mom?’ and I say, ‘Yeah, actually I do. I enjoy it,” the 14-year-old said.

And if it wasn’t enough that friends and family members are always confusing the two, their similarities were confirmed May 1 when Elli’s mom, Kimber, received a phone call from KTIV-TV in Sioux City informing her that the mother/daughter duo had won the station-sponsored “Free to be Girlie — Mother/Daughter Look-Alike Contest.”

“I said, ‘You’re kidding me,’ and they said, ‘Nope. You really do look alike,’” Kimber said.

As the victors, Kimber and Elli won a $100 gift certificate for chocolates or flowers from Lottie & Eva’s in Sioux City as well as $100 gift certificates to Massage & Body in Sioux City and School Supply Corner in South Sioux City, NE.

The two already have begun planning a mother/daughter day out to redeem the prizes, but said they would include those that helped them out by giving them chocolates.

Kimber, who’s 41, and Elli heard about the contest while they were watching television together.

“There was an ad on for it and Elli said we should do it,” Kimber said. “I thought it would be fun, but asked Elli if she thought we could win.”

Elli felt confident enough, as did Kimber’s husband, Perry, and the couple’s three other children, Bret, 18, Kade, 10 and Mali, 7.

“Our family got totally excited, because they’re always confusing us,” Kimber said.

As a requirement of the contest, Elli and Kimber had to send in pictures documenting their personalities. As Perry just finished a six-year stint as head football coach at Unity Christian High School in Orange City, Elli and Kimber wanted to showcase their love for going to the games together, so they wore identical black Knights football sweatshirts.

But, one more thing needed to be done to make sure the Krosschells stood out against the other competition.

“We’ve kind of had similar hairstyles forever, but just a couple of days before the contest, I had gotten my bangs cut,” Kimber said. “Elli had let her bangs grow long, so we talked about it and decided we had better get our hair to look the same again, so she got her bangs cut.”

For the pictures, which Perry took, Kimber and Elli stood side by side. Kimber stood on her tip toes and Elli had to slouch a bit to make sure they were at an even height.

“She’s two or three inches taller than me,” Kimber said. “That’s where we don’t look alike.”

But, for both Krosschells, the contest only affirmed their love for each other.

“I think it’s every mom’s dream to have a daughter look like them,” Kimber said. “It’s just an honor and a privilege. There’s nothing you can do to make it happen, necessarily. Sure, we style our hair the same or wear the same sweatshirt, but beyond that, it’s a gift from God.”

And Elli has no qualms about it.

“She’s my best friend,” Elli said. “She’s always there for me.”

ANOTHER LOOK-ALIKE? It’s obvious Kimber Krosschell and her 14-year-old daughter, Elli, look alike. Even their family members confuse the two blondes. But, what about and her other daughter, 7-year-old Mali? “She has dark hair,” Kimber said. “But, I think we looked more alike when we were younger than even Elli and I did.”

This article appeared in the May 16, 2009 edition of The N'West Iowa REVIEW.