The expansion of the Drag Race universe and a first look at season 15
Ladies and gentlemen start your engines because season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race is coming at you on January 6 from its new home, MTV. But that’s not all!
MTV also announced the global expansion of the Drag Race franchise with three new editions in Brazil, Germany and Mexico which will air on MTV/Paramount+ in their respective territories. Additionally, fan favorites from around the world will enter the first ever Drag Race Global All Stars exclusively on Paramount+ globally. And if all that isn’t enough, RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race was announced to return for season 3 next year on VH1.
“With the global expansion of RuPaul’s Drag Race, we’re thrilled to bring the franchise into three new Paramount+ territories – Germany, Brazil and Mexico – and are very excited that RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race will return for a third season with our partners at VH1/BET,” said Chris McCarthy, President/CEO, Paramount Media Networks & MTV Entertainment Studios.
The exciting news was followed up on Tuesday with the season 15 cast reveal on the Drag Race YouTube channel. Season 14 winner, Willow Pill, introduced the hour-long promo video that enabled fans of the show to briefly get to know each queen competing in the upcoming season. After reviewing the video myself, two things are for certain- there are A LOT of queens competing from Connecticut (of all places), and most of the queens this year started drag because of, or at the very least were inspired by Drag Race and its place in pop culture. Nostalgia and self-referencing seems to be a storyline that the producers will be pushing this year given that the promo looks and photo shoot for season 15 are drag race themed, as in racing cars, just like it was for the very first season in 2009.
The following is a brief bit of information about all of the competing queens:
Amethyst- This queen, hailing from West Hartford, Connecticut is named after her birthstone. She considers herself a comedy queen and got her start in theater. She thinks of her prominent nose as her trademark.
Anetra- This vixen from Sin City took her name from a stripper. She describes the drag scene of Las Vegas as highly competitive which will likely give her an edge in this competition. She enjoys creating clothes and the color green which will inevitably get her into hot water with Michelle Visage.
Aura Mayari- Originally from the Philippines, this self-described ‘face queen’ grew up in Chicago and now resides in Nashville. She has a background in hip hop and theater.
Irene “The Alien” DuBois– This Seattle queen takes inspiration from science fiction and would rather fashion herself after a Star Wars character than a Kardashian. She is a sober queen who was inspired by Drag Race alum Raven and is the drag sister of season 14’s Bosco.
Jax– Originally from Connecticut and now residing in Astoria, Queens, this stunt queen has a background in competitive cheerleading, diving and gymnastics. She claims to have started drag because of the show.
Loosey LaDuca– This veteran drag queen comes from Ansonia, Connecticut and is a construction worker by trade. An avid slasher movie fan, she considers the Friday the 13th franchise her favorite.
Luxx Noir London– Coming at you from East Orange, New Jersey, this queen is extremely confident in her looks and ability to do all types of drag. She began drawing her drag character from a very young age and considers her stage persona as the embodiment of that creativity.
Malaysia Babydoll Foxx– Self-described as the ‘fattest and baddest bitch from Miami Florida’, this queen is the first contestant to come from the Magic City. She considers drag as a form of escapism and is the drag daughter of season 4 contestant LaShauwn Beyond.
Marcia Marcia Marcia– This Brady Bunch aficionado is a New York City queen that specializes in handmade looks, dancing and comedy. She says her youthful good looks sometimes causes people to underestimate the talent she has that is her years.
Mistress Isabel Brooks– This Texas beauty likes to do old school drag with a modern twist. She likes her looks and hair to be big and over the top, as is the way of the Lone Star state, and has been playing with makeup since childhood.
Princess Poppy– This queen from San Francisco is a comedy queen who excels at hosting. Her birthday is April Fool’s Day which she says has inspired her entire life and drag character. She also claims to excel at ‘reading’.
Robin Fierce– This queen also calls Connecticut her home and considers herself an accomplished singer and dancer. Admittedly not a comedy queen she is nervous for the highly anticipated ‘Snatch Game’ this season.
Salina EsTitties – Taking her name from Selena (Quintanilla) and her love of boobs, this queen of Hollywood describes herself as an actress, dancer, and singer with p*ssy all over. She says drag makes her feel powerful but not confrontational because, after all, she is a Libra.
Sasha Colby– This trans queen is an early frontrunner for the crown based on reputation alone. She comes from Hawaii, is a former Miss Continental and is the drag mother of season 14 contestant Kerri Colby. She describes drag as the love of her life and her superpower as a ‘nasty hair flip’.
Spice– Competing with her real-life twin Sugar, this dynamic drag duo comes from Long Island, New York and now lives in Los Angeles. She describes herself as silly and crazy.
Sugar– Along with her twin Spice, sugar claims their drag aesthetic is to be living dolls. She admits to being competitive with her twin but that hasn’t stopped them from amassing 7.4 million followers on Tik Tok.
RuPaul’s Drag Race, the most celebrated reality competition franchise in history with 27 Emmy® Awards, is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and World of Wonder.
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**All images courtesy of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
