A crowd gathered outside Barrel House in Washington, D.C. for a lighthearted competition celebrating one of America’s most recognizable political figures: John F. Kennedy Jr.
The event invited contestants to see who most resembled the late public figure, with participants stepping on stage one by one as spectators cheered them on.
Organizers said the idea for the contest came after renewed interest in JFK Jr. sparked by the Hulu series “Love Story.”
“This was my friend’s idea to host this,” said Lucy Nuñez, a dating matchmaker who helped organize the event. “She got inspired by the Love Story series on Hulu. I just watched it and loved it as well.”
Nuñez said the event was also inspired by similar look-alike contests happening in other cities.
“I have been loving watching the look-alike contests all over the country,” she said. “I don’t think we have enough in D.C., so I was so happy to bring a little bit of joy and frivolity to D.C.”
After the crowd cast its votes, contestant Matthew Orgera was named the winner of the JFK Jr. look-alike contest.
Orgera said he initially entered the contest at the encouragement of friends.
“My friends told me I should come out for it, and I got it sent to me,” he said. “It was cool. They are in there supporting me.”
Nuñez said the continued fascination with Kennedy stems from both his public legacy and cultural image.
“I think it’s because people really love the legacy of JFK Jr.,” she said. “He’s not only handsome, but he represents so many different things about masculinity that I think women long for.”
Orgera acknowledged the renewed attention on Kennedy and his wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, whose lives and tragic deaths have remained a topic of public interest.
“They lived pretty private lives and ended in a tragic way,” Orgera said. “This is all a dramatization for entertainment, but it’s bringing them back to cultural relevance. They’re icons in their own right.”
As for the comparison to Kennedy, Orgera said he’s heard it before.
“I’ve been told in the past that I look like JFK Jr. a little bit,” he said. “Since the show came out, I’ve heard it more. I’m flattered. I’ll take it.”