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,” 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.”
Watch the trailer for “Top Elf” below.
