Bucks County teen goes viral with Beyoncé copycat video

A Bucks County teenager’s affection for Beyoncé has gone viral. His shot-for-shot remake of one of the pop star’s music videos has made him a star, too.

Sixteen-year-old Ton Do-Nguyen remade Beyoncé music video “Countdown,” exactly as Beyoncé did. Except he did it in his parents’ house, while wearing a Snuggie.

He matched every costume change, every camera angle, and every shot length. It’s an exact re-creation, only the curvy superstar is replaced by a shortish Asian boy wearing glasses.

He posted it on July 9, after several months of work shooting and painstakingly precise editing. In the two weeks since he posted the video, it has gotten about 1.5 million hits.

“I never expected any of this. I only did it for fun,” said Do-Nguyen. “But all of a sudden, all these views started popping up. I’m still shocked by all the positivity for the video. There’s so much love going around for the video.”

Do-Nguyen will be a junior at Neshaminy High School, where his flamboyant personality has already made him a campus character. He has led hundreds of students through choreographed routines at the school’s popular Gym Night dance showcase, and successfully ran for class president. He’s no shrinking violet.

“He’s the kid that talks to everyone,” said Rachel Rottveele, a fellow student who wrote about Do-Nguyen’s video for the Bucks County Courier Times. “He never sits in a corner by himself. He’s always out there. Everyone knows him. He’s always dancing.”

Do-Nguyen’s two YouTube posts, including the original video and a side-by-side comparison video with the Beyoncé version (above), have attracted hundreds of comments and media attention. He has been heralded by Asian blogs (he is Vietnamese) and gay blogs (he says he’s not gay). Even his idol, Beyoncé herself, gave him a shout-out on her website.

“There are some comments that hit me,” said Do-Nguyen, who is spending the summer basking in his own meme. “People have been messaging me, like, ‘Oh, my God, you’re such an inspiration.’ I never expected that to happen. I was just doing what I like to do.”

There are likely more videos in Do-Nguyen’s future, and more Beyoncé. “She’s my No. 1,” he says.