Idris Elba has long been known as a heartthrob, and now women are going crazy over the chance to win a Valentine’s Day date with Idris. As seen in the viral Valentine’s Day contest video below, Idris jokes around in the actor’s signature British accent about what might occur on the date with him. With glasses of champagne before him, Elba invites others to join him on the Valentine’s Day date that actually doesn’t land on February 14. However, that isn’t stopping plenty of people from trying to become Idris’ Valentine near Valentine’s Day. The date with Idris involves being flown to the actor and accommodations in a four-star hotel.
While that YouTube video has gotten more than 70,000 views since being uploaded on January 10, the same version of the video uploaded to Facebook (as seen below) has swelled to more than 7 million views.
According to the Omaze contest page, although the chance to win a date with Idris might seem like a dream to some of Elba’s fan, the contest is real. But married and taken women might feel more comfortable with the fact that the contest allows folks to bring a guest with them to the romantic candlelit meal at one of Idris’ favorite eateries.
“Idris Elba needs a Valentine and he thinks you’re just his type. No, this isn’t a dream. Pinch yourself if you don’t believe us. You (and a guest, if that’s your thing) will join Idris for a candlelit meal at one of his favorite restaurants, where you’ll enjoy delicious conversation and great food. You can talk about anything you want to: movies, music, your deepest desires. Idris is a great listener. He’s also a great talker. He’s pretty much great at everything. I mean, have you seen Luther? We’re just over here pretending not to be bitter. Flights and hotel included.”
The contest allows folks plenty of ways to potentially win a date with Idris, including simply giving up their email address for 100 entries. After doing so, contest hopefuls receive a confirmation that they’ve just received 100 contest entries for the opportunity to win a date with Elba.
“Your entry is confirmed—you officially have 100 chances to be Idris Elba’s valentine! You can go ahead and celebrate now.”
[Image by RW/MediaPunch/IPX/AP Images]
The contest actually ends on Valentine’s Day — on February 14 — and afterward, the winner will be notified that they are headed for a date with Idris when they receive the blessed news via email. Meanwhile, the Omaze website lets Elba’s fans know that they get more chances to win by giving a donation to W.E. Can Lead, a charity that helps women in Africa gain quality educations. The fact that the donations benefit W.E. Can Lead and also provides an opportunity to potentially meet Idris in person and pound his “yams,” as Elba puts it in the viral video, is being described as a win-win situation by some folks.
As such, the donation items are selling out. One such item that provided 2,500 entries to win was a Pacific Rim poster that is 24? x 36?, but is now currently sold out. According to the cost of bundle that includes 1,000 entries to win and a T-shirt of Idris for sale for $100, the bundle with 2,500 entries coupled with the poster likely sold for $250 for each bundle. Also sold out is the bundle that combined 10,000 entries to win and a signed Luther DVD, which was “a copy of BBC’s Luther Season 1 autographed by Idris Elba.” Chances are that might have sold for $1,000. Then there was the bundle that offered 15,000 entries to win and a signed 8? x 10? autographed head shot of Idris that’s also sold out, and probably went for $1,500.
[Image by KGC-42/STAR MAX/IPx/AP Images]
However, not all of the bundles offering extra entries to win a date with Idris are sold out. Elba fans might want to jump on the contest, because there are only three bundles left — as of this writing — to buy 50,000 entries to win and a “copy of Interview featuring and signed by Idris Elba” for a $5,000 donation. The bundle with 250,000 entries to win a date with Elba, along with tickets to the Dark Tower premiere, only has one left — but goes for $25,000.
[Featured Image by Chris Pizzello/AP Images]
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