TEN QUEENS OF ENGLAND AND IRELAND (but no Scotland?) STAND BEFORE US.
Darlings, the cast of the inaugural season of RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K. has been Ru-vealed to the world. Ladies? Introduce yourselves.
Baga Chipz, 29, London
“I’ll never be famous, I’ll be infamous. Notorious Baga.”
“My style is more cabaret, old school, sequin frocks, Shirley Bassey, Danny La Rue, Lily Savage kind of drag.”
Blu Hydrangea, 23, Belfast
“Blu Hydrangea is like a GCSE art project, high fashion from outer space, a cartoon character – with muppet realness.”
“It’s hard sometimes. You’re performing to an empty bar with seven people and it’s very quiet.”
“But I’ve built a big social media profile, and I now have a platform that allows me to talk about what it’s like to be gay and a queen in Belfast.”
Divina De Campo, 35, West Yorkshire
“Divina says her drag is ‘old school glamour’.”
“As a kid I was dressing up in dresses all the time, but the first time I went out, I went out as Christina Aguilera from the Moulin Rouge video.”
“This is the Olympics of drag and I wanted to see where on the race track I’d finish.”
Crystal, 34, London
“Originally from Canada, Crystal has been living in the UK for 10 years.”
“I do aerial circus, I can crack a whip, put cigarettes out on my tongue – it’s a freak show.”
“Crystal is a gender bending, ‘mess with your brain’ kinda drag queen. She stands for tearing down gender constructs using creativity, looks, and fashion and crazy performances.”
Sum Ting Wong, 30, Birmingham
“I feel like Willy Wonka with the golden ticket to go to RuPaul’s magical chocolate factory. So many people would kill to be in this position!”
“When I started doing drag five years ago, I wanted a name that was cheeky but also reflected my British Vietnamese heritage.”
Cheryl Hole, 25, Essex
“Cheryl performs as Cheryl Cole in Girls Aloud tribute drag group, Gals Aloud.”
“I think my degree in dance will give me an edge because there are several challenges that are thrown at you where you have to use your body.”
“Everyone knows Drag Race is one of the most competitive competitions out there, and you wouldn’t enter something you didn’t think you were gonna win so I’m gonna put up a fight, and these girls best be ready to throw a punch.”
Gothy Kendoll, 21, Leicester
“Gothy describes her drag as ‘dark, contemporary, striking and unique’.”
“I don’t lip-sync at the party, I throw the party!”
“I first did drag on New Year’s Eve 2016 and it was a mess. I was in a leotard with no wig on but I was living my life, having the best night ever.”
Vinegar Strokes, 35, London
“Vinegar already has some Drag Race experience, having performed in London’s West End with judge Michelle Visage and former champion Bianca Del Rio.”
“Drag is the new black.”
“I do think it takes a certain kind of person to do drag. You’ve gotta have balls of steel and be able to tuck them really high as well.”
Scaredy Kat, 20, Wiltshire
“Scaredy is the youngest drag queen to ever appear on Drag Race and is fairly new to the whole scene.
“I really haven’t done it that long. It was probably about a year ago. I was with my girlfriend trying to have a laugh. It was quite embarrassing but it went quite well for a first try.”
“When I’m not in drag I’m a student so this is where my student loan is going. I’m wearing it right now.”
The Vivienne, 27, Liverpool
“The Vivienne is a comedy queen who says she’ll do impressions ‘for the right price’.”
“My style is like a scouse wife who has come into money, she moved to LA and blew it all and then she’s had to move back to Liverpool.”
“Comedy is definitely my trump card. My favourite trick in drag is my vocal impersonations so I do everyone from Kim Woodburn and Cilla Black to Donald Trump.”
We aren’t remotely surprised that the U.K. version of Drag Race is the first international spinoff in the franchise that got both Ru and Michelle to get on a plane and handle the hosting duties. The history of U.K. drag is full of international legends and distinctly British influences that have become drag standards worldwide. It didn’t all come from the New York balls and U.S. pageants. It also came from the British sense of camp, the pantomime tradition and the London nightlife scene – all of which echo throughout drag styles worldwide to this day. There are also, if you ask a British drag queen, distinct differences between the drag scenes of various cities and countries of the U.K. and we’re really going to love seeing how those rivalries play out. As for these queens specifically, we’re loving what we’re seeing. A little rougher and raunchier than latter-season U.S. Drag Race, which should be fun. In the U.S., you’ll be able to watch it when it starts airing in October on WOW Presents Plus. Expect some recapping, because there’s no way we’re letting this one go by without commenting on it. We’re so looking forward to the Drag Race franchise rotating the diamond a little and letting the light hit a different facet of the form.
[Photo Credit: BBC Three – Video Credit: BBC Three via YouTube.com]
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