The Week in Drag – All hail the Queen of Queens, meet the queens of Drag Race Philippines, get “evil” with Trixie and Katya and more
Hello, hello, hello! Welcome to our latest wrap-up of all things drag. This week, we welcomed a new queen into the Drag Race Hall of Fame as Ru crowned the winner of season seven of All Stars after a series of fierce face-offs. This week, we also got to meet the competitors in the latest international Drag Race spinoff and take a look at the fashions on All Stars, Drag Race France, and Canada’s Drag Race. We also check in with some of your faves for laughs and looks. There’s lots of charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent heading your way, so let’s bring it to the runway!
This week, we learned who is Queen of All Queens as the all-winners seventh season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. Since we needed to fill time, Ru did it in the most delightful way, getting the queentestants into quick drag (yay!) and giving them the space to strut their stuff in a homage to the legendary Soul Trainline dance. And a good time was had by all.
For our last runway, the queens pulled out all of the stops and served Grand Finale Eleganza. From Jaida’s white bugle beaded fringed gown to Trinity’s sparkly nude illusion bedazzled bodysuit, the looks were what we’d expect from this winning cast. Monét’s neo-African futurism and Raja’s aquatic/space alien/insect mashup were standouts.
After the judges praised all of the queens on their season seven journeys, we go to the Lip Sync Lalaparooza Smackdown for the crown. First up, the wheel came out to determine the “Queen of She Done Already Had Herses”. The wheel picked The Vivienne and Yvie as the first pair to face off and Viv picked Salt ‘n’ Pepa’s classic “Push It” as their song. Yvie emerged as the winner, truly embodying the spirit of the song. Raja and Jaida then faced off to Deniece William’s “Let’s Hear it for the Boy”. She may have been slept upon this whole season, but Raja knocked it out of the park.
Next up, the final four. First up, Jinkx and Shea do battle to “Judas” by Lady Gaga. Jinkx won (and she has to credit her red cape with the assist, as she worked It perfectly in tune with the song.) “Twinners” Trinity and Monét performed (an awkwardly edited) “So What” by P!nk Monét, who proudly declared that she “topped Trinity on national TV” came out on top as well. Raja and Yvie then battled to the tune of “Sisters Are Doing it for Themselves” by Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin. It looked like Yvie lost her wig, but it was just the setup for a fab wig reveal. Despite this, Raja is now your Queen of She Done Already Had Herses and takes home a cool $50K.
The big finale face-off between Monét and Jinkx was done to the tune of “Swish Swish” by Katy Perry and, despite Monét edging out Jinkx on the stage, Jinkx’s impeccable track record over the course of the season pretty much guaranteed her the crown So…congrats to Jinkx, Raja and all of the season seven queens and thanks for an amazing season.
Now that the dust has started to settle on the season, let’s take a trip back to last week’s Drag Race Gives Back Variety Extravaganza. Bob and Vanjie (both looking absolutely amazing) discuss the looks and performances on “The Pit Stop.”
Yuhua Hamasaki and Drag Race UK’s Choriza May take an in-depth look at the variety show looks on “Bootleg Opinions.”
Monét and Alyssa Edwards tell tales, spill tea and react to last week’s episode along with Batty Davis and Kara Mel D’Ville at Chicago’s own Roscoe’s Viewing Party.
Laganja Estranja and Joseph Shepherd discuss the episode on the latest episode of their podcast “Queening Out.”
Over on Drag Race France, the queens are delivering looks that are le stun. Adriana and Scarlet Envy are back to toot and boot their looks paying tribute to the iconic French singer, Mylene Farmer.
Globe hopping again, we take a trip to the Great White North, where Eve 6000 and Suki Doll play “slap or scrap” as they rate the fashions from last week’s Canada’s Drag Race “Goddesses of the Ancient World” runway looks.
Season two of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK brought us such unforgettable competitors as Bimini, Tia Kofi, Joe Black, Ginny Lemon, and the season’s winner, Lawrence Chaney. You can reacquaint yourself with these fierce queens in season two of God Shave the Queens. The first two episodes debuted on Friday, with stories focused on two, gone-too-soon queens – Cherry Valentine and Asttina Mandella. Tune in on WOW Presents Plus.
Another series in the ever-expanding Drag Race universe is on the way. On Wednesday, August 17 the inaugural season of Drag Race Philippines will premiere exclusively on WOW Presents Plus in the US, with sickening new episodes dropping every following Wednesday. Featuring the fiercest, most fabulous Filipino drag artists from all over the world, Drag Race Philippines will be broadcast primarily in English with some portions in Tagalog. Paolo Ballesteros, the multi-awarded Filipino actor, model, and drag artist, will host the ten-part series with the iconic Drag Race alum Jiggly Caliente and popular Filipina writer, TV personality and activist KaladKaren serving as judges. Also, for the first time in Drag Race herstory, an official after-show, Drag Race Philippines: Untucked, will premiere August 19 with a new episode dropping every Friday.
The queens competing to be the Philippines First Drag Superstar are Brigiding, Corazon, Eva Le Queen, Gigi Era, Lady Morgana, Marina Summers, Minty Fresh, Precious Paula Nicole, Prince, Turing, Viñas DeLuxe, and Xilhouete. Meet these beautiful new members of the Drag Race family.
Bob and Monét are back with more season 8 flashbacks on “Sibling Watchery.” This week, they revisit the season’s final challenge, where Bob, Kim Chi, and Naomi Smalls make a video for Ru’s song “The Realness”
In honor of National Wing Day (which was Friday), watch as Bob and Monét consume increasingly hot wings (a la the web series “Hot Ones”) while they attempt to carry on a conversation.
I am not a drag queen myself, but I do appreciate a nice pair of shoes. So do Willam and Kylie who show off some fabulous Louboutins (and as much as I love Willa, it’s always great to see Kylie.)
Willam takes us along as he struts on the red carpet for the premiere of a work-in-progress screening of Unconventional at Outfest Los Angeles, The film, directed by EastSiders’ Kit Williamson, stars Willam, along with Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Cameron Scheetz (from Queerty) and Kathy Griffin. Watching Willam walk up a paved drive in sky-high heels reminds us all that the struggle is indeed real.
Looking for thrills, chills, and action? All that, plus lots of laughs, are yours as Trixie and Katya react to the new Resident Evil series on Netflix on “I Like to Watch.”
G’day! Trixie is on tour in Australia and still manages to share content with us. Watch her latest vlog as she gets ready for a gig in Perth.
Gottmik and Violet Chachki have an online kiki on the latest episode of “No Gorge.”
Kerri Colby, Lady Bunny, Juno Birch and Kevin Aviance are among the performers scheduled to appear at the 2022 Bushwig Festival. The world’s largest drag & music festival returns for its 11th year at The Knockdown Center (52-19 Flushing Ave, Queens, NYC) on September 10th & 11th, expanding with a third outdoor stage for live music by queer and trans artists. Over 150 performers are treating audiences to two days of non-stop drag, music, and dancing.
As the original Brooklyn Festival of Drag, Music Love, and Unity, Bushwig is an inclusive event and takes great pride in being a celebration of anyone for everyone. The festival functions first and foremost as a community event, giving local and international artists a part of the stage and an opportunity to share their talents with queer people from around the world. From legendary queer icons to rising acts of today, Bushwig continues to expand its platform, foster LGBTQ safe spaces, and deliver inclusive setlists of extraordinary queer entertainment.
Founded by Brooklyn artists Horrorchata and Simone, Bushwig has garnered an international audience—including shows in Los Angeles and Berlin—featuring curated lineups with the most well-respected names in the drag community.
Simone says, “At Bushwig, we connect & celebrate the global queer cultural diaspora. This year sees us moving further away from mainstream drag aesthetics. We are aiming to provide platforms for lesser known stars that operate off-the map, alongside the new drag stars that are pushing onto the stages of NYC.” Information and tickets are available at bushwig.com.
Not ones to rest on their laurels, two of our season seven All Stars have released new music. Trinity the Tuck just released her new album, Ego, featuring “Southern Hospitality”, the track she performed on last week’s variety show.
And, our new Queen of Queens, Jinkx Monsoon, also released new music this week, a cover of the Electric Light Orchestra hit “Strange Magic.”
That’s all for this winning week of news from the world of drag. Until we meet again, stay safe, stay healthy and say LOVE!
