Hello, hello, hello and welcome to another week of news from the international stars of the Drag Race universe with The Week in Drag.
The queens of Drag Race Down Under brought their fiercest fashions to the runway on the premiere episode and some of your favorite Ru-cappers are here to rate and review the looks. We also have new music from season 13 finalist Rosé and Canadian champion Priyanka, wig wizardry from Jaymes Mansfield, a cooking challenge featuring Willam and Alaska and so much more. Let’s not waste another minute and let’s bring it to the runway!
We’ve got two more Season 13 videos to share before we move on to a new set of fabulous queens. Logo TV legend John Polly has hosted his final “Extra Lap Recap” and gives us one last look at the finale with the help of Nina West and Jujubee.
The top 4 brought their best to the finale stage, but don’t sleep on the fashions served by the eliminated queens. Yuhua Hamasaki treats us to a speed round of “Bootleg Opinions” on their finale looks.
Who’s ready to head to the land of kangaroos, koalas and Vegemite? We’ve had the chance to meet the queens of Drag Race Down Under and they brought ferocity and fashion to the runway in their first challenge. And, when there’s fashion, there’s Raja and Raven, who don’t disappoint as they toot and boot the “Born Naked” and “There’s no place like home” runway looks on “Fashion Photo Ruview.”
We can’t have a ‘Ruview” without some “Bootleg Opinions” and we’re happy that Yuhua Hamasaki is here to give us her take on the looks, and we’re also happy to see Rock M Sakura joining her for the Down Under premiere.
This is definitely the summer of drag, and we are so here for it. On the heels of Drag Race Down Under, we’ve got a premiere date for the inaugural season of Drag Race España. 10 ravishing reinas will compete to be Spain’s next drag superstar beginning on Sunday May 30th exclusively on WOW Presents Plus. With all of this international charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent, there’s really no better time that to subscribe (and there’s so much more, including uncensored episodes of “UNHhhh”!)
After finishing in the top four of season 13, the talented Rosé released her debut single, “The Devil in the Details,” on Friday. The insanely catchy song with its 80s glam throwback vibe is about breaking free of being hyper-focused on perfection. “So often, people get caught up in getting everything right on every last detail,” explains Rosé. “It can be blinding at times and cause us to miss the mark entirely! This song is a gentle nudge to remove the blindfold, appreciate flaws and live life to its fullest.”
“’The Devil in The Details’ was inspired by my turning point on RuPaul’s Drag Race,” continues Rosé from her NYC home. “I began the season with a firm endeavor to deliver a pristine and polished product to Ru and the judges, but about halfway through the season, I began to realize I was losing a vital, vulnerable, and unique piece of myself. I needed to loosen up and allow my true colors to shine! That’s when I really began to enjoy the experience of the show. Ru noticed it, too, and during one of the deliberations which not only changed my course on the show but gravely impacted who I am today, Ru remarked, “the Devil’s in the details!” I smiled and thought, “I’m gonna write a song about this.” Rosé’s “The Devil in The Details” is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and all streaming platforms.
Speaking of season 13, the queen may have been crowned, but the drama continues in the Tamisha Iman vs. Monét X Change beef. If you missed the reasons why this situation developed, Monét and Bob have dedicated an episode of “Sibling Watchery” devoted to talk about Tamisha’s looks and performances. Since I stan all three of these queens, I am taking the role of Switzerland in this dispute.
Since Monét rated Tamisha’s looks on her season, Bob felt the need for a little “tit for tat” and made this video rating and reviewing all of her sister’s season 10 looks. Bob’s We’re Here co-stars Eureka O’Hara and Shangela join in on the fun.
Trixie and Katya watch season 2 of Netflix’s social media/catfishing/Lance Bass impersonating reality competition show The Circle on the latest “I Like to Watch” (and yes, this show is koo-koo crazy.)
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo is the latest Drag Race alum to come “Out of the Closet” and invites us into her drag room. She shares the stories behind her many looks, her wigs, her inspiration, her love for a strappy sandal and her trademark swimsuits. She also shows us what became of the corset that got her eliminated (and catapulted her into Drag Race her-story) on season 10. All I want to know is how have I lived this long without “Hoochie” earrings.
Trixie Mattel and Orville Peck’s new video for their duet “Jackson” is great, and here, the pair take us behind the scenes for the shoot.
Entertainment Weekly assembled a panel of Drag Race Champions: Shea Couleé, Jaida Essence Hall, Lawrence Chaney, Priyanka, and Envy Peru for a roundtable discussion about the current state of the industry and the future of drag. Jaida said, “I'm glad people are realizing our art is actually art. Sometimes it takes a while, but we're worth it.” The whole conversation is insightful and entertaining and it’s a must-see if only to hear Lawrence explain the popularity of the Eurovision-inspired hit (that you can’t get out of your head) “Bing Bang Bong.”
If you’re a fan on Nailed It, but want to see more drag queens on it, you’ll love this video as Willam and Alaska (and friends) test their cake-making abilities on “Failed It.”
I don’t know about you, but I would love to hang out with Willam. Since I can’t, I can virtually hang with her and watch her get painted by Sean and Dion, who bring the sparkle on the latest “Paint Me Bitch.”
More makeup videos? Sure! Jaymes Mansfield takes a break from wigs and transforms her friend Kevin into the best Conchita Wurst illusion.
Jaymes works her wig magic on a blonde human hair unit and colors it with Got2B metallic dyes.
Canada’s Drag Race winner Priyanka beats her mug while looking back at some of her most cringeworthy moments as a former kid’s show host.
This week, Priyanka also released a cover of Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”. She said she wanted to cover the tune because, “First and foremost I want to marry Lil Nas X and something tells me he wants to marry me too because I’m a demon. Kidding. This song is the most iconic song of the last decade and I HAD TO PUT MY SPIN ON IT. For the video, I created the teenage bedroom of my dreams. When I was younger I painted my room bright blue because ‘boys couldn’t wear pink,' had a fake microphone and performed Pussycat Dolls to my window. I thought I was the only popstar in the world and these covers in my pink bedroom are just me fulfilling my fantasy!”
Drag icon Sherry Vine is coming to your screens soon with a new variety show promising show-stopping musical numbers, hilarious sketches and appearances from some of your favorite queens. The Sherry Vine Variety Show, which premieres on May 25, re-imagines the classic tv variety show standard set by the likes of Sonny & Cher and Carol Burnett. This weekly fun-filled half hour show is packed with iconic special guests including Alec Mapa, Candis Cayne, Mario Diaz and Nadya Ginsburg and some of the world’s top drag superstars including Alaska Thunderfuck, Bob The Drag Queen, Bianca Del Rio, Jackie Beat, Monet X Change, Peppermint, Tammie Brown, Varla Jean Merman and more. Sherry says that, “As a child, I was obsessed with Carol Burnett and the variety shows of the 70’s. Working on this show, with the unbelievably talented cast and crew, is literally a dream come true.”
The show, written by Sherry Vine, Jackie Beat, John Mark and Bob The Drag Queen is directed by John Mark & produced by PEG for OUTtv. The show will be available exclusively on the OUTtv Apple TV Channel HERE in the US and Canada.
Michelle Visage made headlines when she underwent surgery to have her breast implants removed and her journey is chronicled in a new, must-see documentary from World of Wonder. EXPLANT, which makes its world premiere in June on Tribeca at Home follows Michelle on her personal journey to have her implants removed. It also takes a deep dive into the stranger-than-fiction history of the breast implant. From interviews with the first-ever recipient of the modern-day implant to a confession from a whistleblower, the film shows how complications and auto-immune issues have shadowed implants for decades – and why the medical establishment is reluctant to warn patients of these risks.
And that wraps up our latest round up of all things drag. Until we meet again, stay healthy, stay safe, get vaccinated and say LOVE!
