If you follow Drag Race I’m sure you’ve seen the UK Drag race promo by now. The video promo shows a little interview with each of the queens, introducing us to their drag, personality and style. Honestly, I am living for it, being a Brit myself I’m always excited to see UK drag in mainstream media. So, I thought I’d talk you through my take on the line-up!
Baga Chipz
Baga Chipz is giving me campy with a side of glam!
Her promo shows her wearing a look reminiscent Cruella De Ville, serving quirky glamour. When checking out her Instagram I saw a different side to her, a lot of her pictures show a gorgeous, polished character, she reminds me of Marilyn Monroe serving old Hollywood beauty in big blonde wigs. Her video shows a campy character, she seems funny, silly and up for a laugh. Despite mentioning she cannot sew (a real no-no for Rupaul), she seems pretty well-rounded, I cant wait to see more of her on the show!
Blu Hydrangea
Blu Hydrangea is giving face, face, FACE!
I have been following Blu Hydrangea for a hot minute and I was so happy to see her on the drag race line-up. This is a queen who can beat a mug into anything you can imagine, looking through her Instagram you will find a plethora of gorgeous looks that will make you ask “how on earth did she do that?!” So shes got the look in the bag, but does she have the personability to be the UK’s next (and first) Drag Superstar? Well, she seems likeable enough, but as shes says herself, she may struggle in comedy challenges, and we all know how important Snatch Game is. I’m looking forward to seeing Blu on the runway serving looks, but I’m also interested to see how she fares in comedy challenges.
Divina De Campo
Camp by name Camp by nature!
This seems to be a queen who has a lot of experience. In her promo video, she comments that she has been on TV a few time before Drag Race and has worked with a lot of the US Drag Race queens. From her promo, I couldn’t quite sus out what her strong suits and downfalls will be, but we do learn that she is up for anything and has a wide repertoire when it comes to drag performance. You never know if big names will make it far on drag race, but Divina seems to have a lot of experience and a killer laugh, so she may have what it takes.
Crystal
Not a Cookie Cutter Queen!
I am personally very excited to see Crystal on Drag Race, she seems to be the most relatable to me, she seems to represent what UK drag is, especially for the millennial generation. Alike my local Drag Scene, Crystal claims to be a gender-bending, liberated queen, which isn’t seen too often on Drag Race. However, this may not be an advantage to her on Drag Race, since the show has repeatedly been criticised for being very mainstream in the drag it promotes, most of the queens will either be fishy and femme, or campy and larger than life, they have quite a specific casting that limits the type of drag that is perpetuated in mainstream media. So I hope this doesn’t hinder her time in the competitions. She also seems to have some unique performing skills such as aerial circus. Overall she seems fun and interesting, I am very excited to see how she fairs in the competition.
Sum Ting Wong
Sum Ting Wong sing us a song!
Sum Ting Wong, seems chatty and likeable. She comments on having a range of experience, performing across the UK, including performing to 20,000 people in Trafalgar Square on pride- wow! She mentions singing is her strong suit so let’s hope we get to see her in action. I feel like this promo doesn’t do Sum Ting Wong justice, looking through her Instagram she looks a lot more polished and put together. In the promo, the face looks a little off, but I love the hair and the outfit. Overall, she seems to have a lot of talent and I think the promo doesn’t show us the full scope of Sum Ting Wong, we’ll have to wait and see what shes got when the show airs!
Cheryl Hole
Essex glamour with a touch of showgirl!
Cheryl Hole seems to be performance heavy, she makes a point of letting us know she a lip-sync assassin, so fingers crossed she delivers with some killer performances throughout the season. Cheryls look is beautiful, but perhaps a little simple? I love her the ways she paints, it a gorgeous mug that compliments her feature, but isn’t over-bearing on bright, intricate eye make-up. Her outfit, I’m not convinced by, it’s a structural green dress with beaded embellishments, however, it isn’t styled with any jewellery or tied in with the rest of the look. It’s a stunning piece, but I would’ve like to see it reflected somewhere else in the look. I have a feeling Cheryl Hole will slay the competition with her killer personality and performance skills.
Gothy Kendoll
I am already in love with this fashion queen!
Gothy Kendoll is already one of my favourites, her aesthetic is appealing to me. As a former fashion student she has a great fashion sense and, judging by her Instagram, will turn mouth-water looks on the mainstage. She will likely be good at the sewing challenges as she knows how to work a sewing machine and design gorgeous looks. She also has a beautiful mug, her paint complements her face so perfectly as well as her aesthetic. Despite her eye for fashion, she admits on the promo video that she isn’t the strongest performer, so lipsyncing may be her downfall in the competition. I’m excited to see this queen on the show, I hope her fashion talents can carry her through this competition.
Vinegar Strokes
The charismatic comedy queen!
I really like Vinegar Strokes, her personality and view on drag speaks to me. She seems very likeable and down to earth, I can see her being the Miss Congeniality of Season 1. Vinegar claims to be a comedy queen so I am very excited to see her slay the comedy challenges and I’m very curious about what she’ll pull out of the bag for snatch game. Vinegar’s promo look is not my favourite, it’s a bit confusing to me, however, I cant wait to see what she serves up on the runway! Overall, I want to get to know more about Vinegar Strokes on the show.
Scaredy Kat
The Youngest ever Drag Race contestant!
Scaredy Kat is an interesting choice for Drag Race Casting, she is only 19, making her the youngest ever contestant. Also, she isn’t gay, which is pretty out of character for Drag Race, who often sticks with cis gay males where possible. Of course, I’m very excited to see someone who doesn’t quite fit the drag race norms, being so young will bring a modern air to this season, she seems to have a appealing aesthetic that I’m excited to see play out on the runway. I love the look she’s wearing for the promo, the all-pink ensemble is saccharine sweet and reminds me of a barbie doll. I love the make-up as well, she carves out her face with more pink and tops it off with pretty freckles. I’m excited to see how the other queens interact with Scaredy Kat who admits to having very little experience. Overall, I think Scaredy Kat is a great addition to this cast and will mix things up on the show.
The Vivienne
Old school and new school put together!
The Vivienne impressed me in this promo, she seems like a real all-rounder. Her look is quite nice, you can’t go wrong with a jazzy catsuit, the wig is stunning, and the mug suits her face, it’s not too overstated and complements her features. Not only that but she claims to be funny as well, and I don’t doubt it! I can see her slaying this competition, however, queens with big following either flop or fly through the show, so which will she be?
Final Thoughts
I’m quite excited for this season, although, once again, the cast isn’t hugely diverse (but that’s another conversation), I’m glad British drag is getting some mainstream air time. It’s really hard to pick my favourites as I like all of them for different reasons, but I especially like Blu Hydrangea, Gothy Kendoll and Vinegar Strokes. I have a feeling Cheryl Hole will become a fan favourite because of her endearing personality and performance skills. I reckon The Vivienne has a good shot at the crown, along with Divina De Campo as they’re both very experienced queens, however, we have seen a lot of successful young queens on the US show, so who knows who’s going to win!
Let me know you’re opinions in the comments, who’s you’re favourite?
One thought on “First Look: Rupaul’s Drag Race UK Promo”