Raya Unveiled: My Month In The Exclusive Dating App Didn'T Quite Meet Celebrity Expectations

What is Raya?

Raya is not your average dating app. It’s a members-only club that requires a golden ticket to enter. To get behind its prestigious gates, hopefuls must link their Instagram profiles and, ideally, snag a recommendation from a current Raya member. I checked off all those boxes – public Instagram, friend referral, and a willingness to shell out $24.99 a month (or $49.99 for premium perks) – yet it still took months before I got the green light.

The Anticipation Builds

While waiting to be accepted, my imagination went wild. Would I bump into a celebrity? Maybe find love with a "Heated Rivalry" star? When the day finally arrived, I was ready to dive into this world of glitz and glamour.

Where Are the Celebrities?

Once inside, the reality was different. Sure, there were influencers and creative directors aplenty, but hardly any celebrities. I had grown up on a diet of tabloids and talk shows, so I had high hopes. I knew Dakota Fanning and Nikki Glaser were on the app. Andy Cohen reportedly joined thanks to John Mayer's referral. But my experience was more modest – I saw a C-list actor, but that was about it.

"I see TikToks all the time of women listing the A-list men they've swiped through on Raya. Maybe, I wondered, it's because I'm gay."

Despite the lack of star power, I kept swiping. Raya’s interface is similar to Tinder, but with less emphasis on bios and more on jobs, Instagram links, and photos. It was easy to spot who was truly influential and who was just playing the part.

Challenges of Swiping and Matching

One major hiccup was Raya’s location algorithm. It often matched me with people who were just passing through New York or lived out of state. Great if you can afford jet-setting for love – not so much for a local dater like me. Despite these quirks, I did match with some interesting folks: a music video director, a ballet dancer, and a Big Tech engineer. Not bad, but not the celebrity roster I envisioned.

Lessons Learned

Raya’s confidentiality policy is strict. I learned this the hard way when I screenshot a friend’s ex and was swiftly warned. Another slip, and I’d be out.

After trying many dating apps over the years, I’d say Raya has its merits. The user experience is smooth, and the app does a decent job filtering out the riffraff. It’s more of a "no scrubs" test – ensuring members are well-connected and willing to pay the price of entry. Yet, for all its exclusivity, it’s not quite the celebrity playground I imagined.

Final Thoughts

In the end, writing this might get me booted from Raya anyway. But hey, it was an intriguing ride while it lasted!