The Week in Drag – RuPaul’s Drag Race Live Comes to Las Vegas, Trixie Mattel Makes Music and Makeup, Shannel Opens Up and Lots More

Hello, hello, hello! We’re back with another roundup of all of the news from the world of RuPaul’s Drag Race you can handle.

It’s been a busy week for Mama Ru and the queens, with Ru’s hosting gig on Saturday Night Live tonight and the premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race Live in Las Vegas.

We’ve also got some amazing makeup and wig tutorials and lots of laughs from your favorite comedy queens. Let’s get into it!

RuPaul is once again making her-story, as the first drag performer to host Saturday Night Live. If the promo that NBC released earlier this week is any indication, this should be a truly fabulous episode.

Ru shows (former Drag Race judge) Cecily Strong how to “sissy that walk” and gets a primer in football from Beck Bennett. Give this a peek and stay up later tonight to watch Ru’s debut.

The other big news is the premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race Live at the Flamingo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. While drag queens are not new in Sin City – Shannel, India Ferrah, Coco Montrese and Alexis Mateo are among the familiar faces performing in shows in this exciting city, this is the first Ru-approved revue and it looks like a lot of fun.

Las Vegas news stations covered the first show (and mistook the show’s host, Asia O’Hara, for Coco Montrese – the shade of it all) and lots of fan posted clips and reviews on YouTube. Ru introduced the show on its opening night and the cast was made up of Yvie Oddly, Derrick Barry, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, Naomi Smalls and Kameron Michaels. The show is described as a live version of an episode of Drag Race, complete with a lip sync battle. It looks like a blast.

Former makeover-ee Tyler Oakley headed to Vegas for the big opening and shared his experience and met up with Kelly Osborne and Tiffany “New York” Pollard. I need to get to Vegas soon.

OG Drag Race queen-testant (and one of my forever favorites) Shannel, who is also scheduled to take the stage in the Vegas show, was the guest on this week’s “Hey Qween!” Shannel talks about her extensive collection of Lucille Ball memorabilia, how an Elvira costume helped her find her true calling and talks about her experience on Drag Race, including the infamous “headpiece-gate” incident in the lip sync. Check out part one below and make sure to check out parts two and three on YouTube.

Once again, Trixie Mattel is making news. Her latest album, Barbara, dropped on Friday and earlier this week, she shared a behind the scenes look at the recording of one of the songs on the new album, a cover of “I Can't Shake the Stranger Out of You.” The song was originally sung by a singer named Patrick Haggerty for a 1973 album titled Lavender Country, which holds the distinction of being the first openly gay country album. (It’s an interesting story.) Trixie met with Patrick to re-record the song and the result is a delight.

Trixie also paired up with Katya for another she-larious episode of their web series, “UNHhhh.” This week, the topic is “Dental Artistry” and the queens talk teeth (among other random topics.) You know, you can catch new episodes of “UNHhhh” earlier by subscribing to WOW Presents Plus.

Of course, in addition to being a songstress and comedian, Trixie also has a makeup line. She talks makeup with two other queens with successful lines, Willam and Kim Chi in a video titled, “Makeup Men.” I would love to have the chance to kiki with these three (and get a makeover to boot.)

If you want to replicate Trixie’s signature look but don’t know where to start, check out this tutorial, where she instruct you on the fine art of lash stacking. Stacking? I can’t even put one strip on!

Another queen who is magic with makeup is Atlanta’s own Nina Bo’Nina Brown and she has been a busy queen this week, presenting three of her trademark uber creative looks. Paying tribute to some classic cartoons, Nina transforms herself into the Pink Panther as well as Disney’s Donald and Daisy Duck. My favorite of her makeovers this week is her look inspired by Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey. I love Nina and an envious of her skill and creativity.

Season seven champ (and another Atlanta queen), Violet Chachki, brings the glamour (which she refers to as an “alien, genderless moment”) with a makeup tutorial she calls “Romance Fetish.” She is stunning.

Jaymes Mansfield, who celebrated a birthday this week (Happy Birthday!) gave us presents in the form of more of her fantastic wig transformation videos. First, she styles one of her own lace front creations, showing you how to make big, runway-worthy hair with a single wig. Then, she takes you through another amazing wig transformation, this time creating Hollywood-inspired waves and talking pop culture with Dixie Cuppe.

Over on the pods, Willam and Alaska (with special guest Sharon Needles) revisit the first Willam-less episode of Drag Race season four on “Race Chaser Classique” and spill the tea on “Hot Goss.” And, on “Drag Her”, Mano and Betsy Sodaro put legendary drag performer Peaches Christ in the hot seat for another round of “Who Wants to Be a Fake Drag Race Winner?”

The most handsome queen out of drag, season 11’s Honey Davenport, joins Laganja Estranja to spill the beans about her season and enjoy some “herbal refreshments” for “Puff Puff Sessions.” Fun fact: Honey can’t tongue pop.

Kimora Blac and Derrick Berry test their knowledge of the law on “Wait, What?”

I’ll leave you with a flashback from the recent DragCon UK. Check out Ru, Jujubee and Trinity the Tuck discussing AJ and the Queen. If you haven’t watched this show yet, I have one thing to say. Why not?

That’s all for this week’s news. Come on back next week for more from your favorite queens as we eagerly await season 12. Until then, everybody say LOVE!