On Sunday, November 24, BTS’s Jungkook enthusiasts came out in droves to register for the new American trend surrounding celebrity lookalike contests. As Hindustan Times (and several other outlets) previously reported, the winner at the event held at Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chicago, Illinois, was given a $20 cash prize and a bottle of soju. As it turned out, some of the K-pop septet’s longtime fans already knew the much-discussed winner of the anticipated poll.

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A flurry of videos and photos shared by fans surfaced online on Sunday (US time), capturing the three finalists in action, as did other Jungkook impersonators wearing a variety of black outfits. Ultimately, widely renowned YouTube sensation Andrew Alexander was crowned the winner. Even if the name doesn’t ring a bell, some BTS fans will remember the content creator from a years-old YouTube video in which his sister “transformed” him into the beloved K-pop group’s maknae.

Who is Andrew Alexander, the winner of Chicago’s Jungkook lookalike contest?

According to the social media personality’s YouTube videos, Andrew is a third-year university student living in California. He apparently flew to Chicago specifically for Jungkook’s competition this week.

Four years ago, Alexander’s sister Ashley posted a video titled “I turned my brother into BTS’s Jungkook”, in which she highlighted how “a lot of people say he’s a K-pop star. Looks like”. Noting their “striking similarities”, as evidenced by not only their resemblance (though not validated by many fans) but also their behavior, Andrew’s other sister (presumably), Amber, said at the time, “We Also posts videos he’s so funny, there’s at least 20 new people who are like ‘I don’t know if anyone has ever said this, but Andrew looks like Jungkook’.

However, Andrew himself did not acknowledge the similarities. This didn’t stop BTS fan pages from drawing comparisons between him and the BTS singer.

In a video posted before the viral win was announced, Andrew’s sister documented the scene at the competition site. “He flew in from LA and we flew in from New York,” Ashley confirmed in the caption. Ironically, the final contestant who looked like Jungkook was also registered as #7, a number that holds a lot of emotional significance among BTS fans, considering the group’s member count.

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A netizen who has been a longtime fan of the Alexander sibling clan – all YouTube personalities – commented on a post by Andrew on November 24, “Been a fan since 2018,” as he watched Ashley’s YouTube channel “Ur Mom.” Reference was added. Ashley.”

In another video posted by Amber Alexander, she also recorded the full-circle moment: “He flew all the way from California for this (crying emoji) after years of getting comments that he looks like Jungkook @andrewalexander Won the lookalike competition.”

Hours before show time, Ashley also took to her TikTok profile (@aaashleyk) to give a behind-the-scenes peek at how the family ‘Jungkook-ified’ Andrew drawing the pop star’s famous hand tattoo and suggested they Also requires a lip ring. For his final look, Andrew was also seen getting Jungkook’s eyebrows and ears pierced.

Fans react to being crowned the winner of the lookalike contest

While some people immediately approved of this decision with comments such as “Andrew is really the only one who looks like Jungkook, the others bear virtually no resemblance,” others who perhaps wondered about the siblings’ years together. Having never tracked old digital footprints, they were lost as to why this win was gaining significant traction, especially online.

Someone else wrote in the comments, “If Andrew didn’t win, I would host another one to make sure he wins.” Others quipped along the lines of how Jungkook came back from the army and “It’s kinda crazy how they let Jungkook win his own lookalike contest.”

Those familiar with Andrew’s journey certainly agreed with how “ripe” the competition felt with its final decision, especially since “the lore runs deep.” Who could have known that this had been going on for years at a time when lookalike competitions were not the norm?