A Small Armada of Rauw Alejandro Lookalikes Gathered at Tropical Park

Around 2 p.m., mostly women had gathered at Tropical Park to witness the Rauw Alejandro lookalike contest organized by local influencer Emely Hernandez. Perhaps they had heeded her call to potentially find their future boyfriend at the event. Still, some less-than-amused boyfriends and fathers had been dragged to the event as well — heroes who probably deserve an award.

Overall, around 200 people showed up, a mix of young adults, parents, and even nurses in full uniform. This is more people than New Times expected, considering this happened during the early afternoon of a workweek.

"Me and my friend were at the gym, and we were cracked out on the pre-workout. Then we started yapping, and then I put my phone down and started recording it," Hernandez tells New Times about how the lookalike contest came to be. "Honestly, it was a joke at first."

Forty minutes later, a total of six Rauw doppelgängers were present, each hoping to claim the $500 prize. A few more trickled in as the minutes passed, finally making this feel like a true competition. In true Miami fashion, more contestants showed up later, but ultimately, it was decided they had arrived too late and weren't allowed to enter. (Miami time is a bitch.)

Overall, the contest lasted an hour and a half — and if you think it was solely based on looks, you’re sadly mistaken. Yes, looks played a part, but Hernandez and her friend also considered each contestant's performance and the audience's reaction.

A young man named Alejandro emerged victorious and crowned the man who most resembled the Latin music superstar. "It feels good to win," he told New Times. "I put a lot of work into this, so that was the whole point." Alejandro isn't looking to ride Rauw's coattails to fame, insisting he's more interested in building his own brand. "But I was like, 'Fuck it!' You gotta do it — it was 500 bucks."

The second- and third-place winners didn't leave empty-handed; they received gift cards and vinyl records provided by Rauw Alejandro's team. According to Hernadez, Rauw couldn't attend the event because he's currently in Mexico.

Even though Rauw could not attend in person, he kept up with the contest over social media, at one point asking, “¿Quien ganó?” ("Who won?") on his Instagram stories.

Photos From the Rauw Alejandro Lookalike Contest at Tropical Park