Miami Tiktoker hosted a Rauw Alejandro lookalike contest as a joke. Hundreds came

No, there wasn’t a Rauw Alejandro meet-and-greet at Tropical Park Friday afternoon. But it certainly looked like there was.

About 150 people, many dressed to impress, descended on the park’s hill for the Rauw Alejandro lookalike contest hosted by local social media content creator Emely Hernandez. Ten contestants dressed in fake tattoos, sunglasses and dapper suits, wooed a raucous crowd in the hopes of winning $500 and proving once and for all who in Miami looks the most like the handsome Puerto Rican reggaeton star.

It was an afternoon of dancing, gyrating, last minute contenders, plot twists and screaming teenage girls.

“Single ladies, find your Rauw,” Hernandez said into a bullhorn.

The Miami contest was part of a growing internet trend of informal celebrity look-alike contests that began with a viral and chaotic Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest in New York City last month. There was a Zayn Malik contest in Brooklyn. A Harry Styles one in London. In Chicago, a therapist won $50 for looking the most like “The Bear” actor Jeremy Allen White.

It was about time for Miami to get in on the fun, Hernandez said, but the idea started out as a joke. Earlier this week, Hernandez, who has about 3 million TikTok followers, posted about how she wanted to host a Rauw Alejandro look-alike contest, maybe in Brickell or Dolphin Mall. The prize would be $500, and she would vlog the whole thing “to make the $500 back.”

Her video got 1.4 million views, and one comment from Rauw Alejandro himself: “lets goo.” He reposted the video on his own TikTok account.

“The fact that it’s actually a reality now and there’s a lot of people pulling up, I’m a little dumbfounded,” she told the Herald. “I thought it would be like 20 people.”

The first-place winner, a 25-year-old Colombian dance teacher who showed up almost an hour late, didn’t just look and dance like the real deal. His name is Alejandro, too.

“It was a pleasure. Thank you everyone for being here,” Alejandro Restrepo, the winner, told the crowd in Spanish. Immediately after he was declared the winner, a horde of fans surrounded him to take selfies.

Some fans were hoping Rauw Alejandro himself would show up, but he was in Mexico promoting his new album “Cosa Nuestra.” But the reggaetonero-turned-salsero did send his regards. Hernandez said someone from Sony Music, Rauw Alejandro’s record label, came to Tropical Park to deliver two “Cosa Nuestra” vinyls for first and second place winners. He also reposted a video of the contest on his Instagram story, asking “quieen ganó!???”

So many Rauws

The title for Miami’s premier Rauw Alejandro doppelganger was hard-fought. Contestants were surprised to learn that they would have to dance and lip sync like the star to win the $500. “Obviously,” Hernandez said. “It’s for $500. At least dance. A little hip movement.”

The contest started out with six brave competitors, each dancing to the song “De Carolina.” But then, a challenger appeared. With her hair pulled back, a mustache and goatee drawn on her face and sleeves of fake tattoos, 17-year-old Vanessa Fernandez emerged from the crowd to stake her claim. (Yes, she left school early for this.)

The crowd erupted in applause as she danced, but apparently, the viewers watching the contest on a livestream “hated me,” Fernandez said. She caused quite the stir, but that’s OK. “That’s what all real celebrities do,” she said.

Fernandez wasn’t the only one to make a dramatic entrance. Some in the crowd screamed as a mysterious man in a black suit ran from the hill into competition. It was Restrepo, a man who looks so much like Rauw Alejandro, the other contestants almost threw in the towel.

“Put the music!” he yelled. The crowd was uncontrollable as he danced. Hernandez, the host, was shocked. “It was like a movie,” she said.

Restrepo was running on Miami Time, but for good reason. He showed up late because he was at the barber cutting his long hair to be short and quaffed. “I was committed,” he said.

He had this message for the singer: “Just hit me up if you ever want a doppelganger or someone to sub you at your concerts. I can do the work.”

Jean Popovits, 24, came in third place and won $25. He will be spending that money at Chipotle.

“I had a lot of fun. It was good to see more participants come in because I wanted there to be more competition,” he said. “And to get top 3, honestly, I can’t get mad.”

Amanda Rivera, a 27-year-old nursing school student, came straight from class to see the show. During the contest, she told the host that the contestants should do Rauw Alejandro’s signature dance move, which involves grinding suggestively on the ground, to whittle down the competition. The fans loved it.

“All the Rauws killed it,” Rivera said. “They did their thing.”

A big Rauw Alejandro fan and fellow Puerto Rican, Rivera was impressed by the contestants, especially the winner.

“¡Acho, papi!” she yelled.

This story was originally published November 22, 2024 at 9:12 PM.