Shirtless Ansel Elgort Does The Ice Bucket Challenge, Gets Mistaken For Member Of One Direction [Video]

Ansel Elgort is the latest celebrity to take part in the viral ice bucket challenge.

The Fault in Our Stars actor shared the YouTube video above documenting his ice bucket bath. He made sure to show himself emptying an entire bag of ice into a large bucket before dumping it on his head and exclaiming, “Oh my God!”

Ansel Elgort wasn’t just trying to show everyone how tough he is — he got shirtless and soaking wet for a good cause. Here’s what he wrote underneath the first video posted on his YouTube channel:

“I got nominated to do one of these challenges and at first I thought it was dumb, but then I realized that it was for a good cause. Raising money for ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Today I gave 500$ to the research and I encourage you to give as well!”

Ansel Elgort nominated his The Fault in Our Stars costar Nat Wolff to complete the ice bucket challenge next, along with author John Green and Teen Wolf star Dylan O’Brien.

You’ll be glad to know that the ice bucket challenge is nothing like the salt and ice challenge that The Inquistir previously reported on — teens were actually burning and scarring themselves by applying salt and ice on their skin. Unlike that dangerous trend, the ice bucket challenge seems pretty harmless.

Here’s the scoop on why Ansel Elgort iced himself, via Mashable:

“The idea of using buckets of ice water as a platform for ALS awareness came from former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2012. Together with fellow ALS patient Pat Quinn, who inspired the charity Quinn For The Win, the pair began to challenge their social networks to take the plunge in late July. Pat’s brother Dan posted a video on the charity’s Facebook page in support of the challenge.”

You’re supposed to donate $100 to an ALS charity if you refuse to take on the ice bucket challenge, but celebrities like Ansel Elgort are recording themselves completing the challenge and donating to the ALS Association. After taking the challenge, you must nominate three other people to douse themselves with ice water.

It’s surprising Ansel didn’t call on one of the members of One Direction to take on the ice bucket challenge next. Elgort recently took to Twitter to complain about being mistaken for one of the members of the British boy band:

Don’t ask for a picture if you think I’m part of one direction.

— Ansel Elgort (@AnselElgort) August 6, 2014

The Insurgent star doesn’t really look anything like Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, or Louis Tomlinson. However, Sugarscape points out that Ansel Elgort could pass for the lovechild of Niam.

The members of One Direction haven’t participated in the ice bucket challenge yet, but plenty of other celebrities have doused themselves with freezing water to fight Lou Gehrig’s disease. According to Gossip Cop, celebs who have participated in the challenge include Jennifer Morrison, Matt Lauer, Martha Stewart, Lance Bass, Elizabeth Banks, and JoAnna Garcia. However, unlike Ansel Elgort, none of them got shirtless in their ice bucket challenge videos.

Ansel Elgort and everyone else participating in the challenge really are making a difference – the ALS Association saw a tenfold increase in donations between August 4 and August 6 compared to the same time period last year. Would you be willing to try the ice bucket challenge?

[Image credit: Ansel Elgort/YouTube]