Critic's Notebook

A Small Armada of Rauw Alejandro Lookalikes Gathered at Tropical Park

A crowd gathered at Tropical Park to see who most resembled the Puerto Rican superstar.
A young man dressed like Rauw Alejandro taking a photo with attendees
Alejandro won the Rauw Alejandro lookalike contest at Tropical Park on Friday, November 22.

Photo by Anna Magluta

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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.)

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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.

Related

Photos From the Rauw Alejandro Lookalike Contest at Tropical Park

Women outnumbered the men at the Rauw Alejandro Lookalike Contest at Tropical Park.

Photo by Anna Magluta

Several hopefuls came out hoping to win the 0 prize.

Photo by Anna Magluta

Attendees waiting for the contest to start

Photo by Anna Magluta

Related

Attendees waiting for the contest to start

Photo by Anna Magluta

The contest took place in the early afternoon on a workday.

Photo by Anna Magluta

Influencer Emely Hernandez organized the contest.

Photo by Anna Magluta

Contests also needed to perform for the crowd.

Photo by Anna Magluta

Related

In addition to looks, the performance and audience reaction also helped determine the winner.

Photo by Anna Magluta

Alejandro won the 0 prize at the Rauw Alejandro Lookalike Contest.

Photo by Anna Magluta

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