TheGrio caught up with competing queens Jax, Malaysia Babydoll Foxx, Luxx Noir London and Robin Fierce at the NYC premiere.
Start your engines, because “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is back with its 15th season! The popular reality TV competition series returns Friday, Jan. 6, at its new home of MTV, and theGrio caught up with some of the new queens at the New York City premiere.
Fifteen years in and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is just getting started. The show returns tonight with 16 brand new queens from all over the country for fans to root for this season. Competing for a cash prize of $200,000 and the coveted title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar,” all are ready to show the world what they’ve got.
Excitement was certainly in the air at the red carpet event in New York City, as many of the queens shared their experiences with us and what they’re most looking forward to now that audiences will finally see their journeys. Jax, one of this year’s queens, told us, “Drag has always been great on a local level, and having people see us now and getting this stamp of validation feels amazing!” She quipped, “I’m still the same old girl, I’m the same old b—h and I’m still doing the same old s–t, but now it’s just heightened and elevated!”
Luxx Noir London, who is representing New Jersey in this year’s competition, teased a “crazy, fierce and sickening” season for audiences this year. “I am so excited for the world to see how talented we all are as a cast, as individuals. We all have such compelling stories and I think especially now, it is so important to have these stories in the forefront.”
The show also brought surprises for many contestants, who have spent years watching the show but are now fully seeing how “the sauce gets made.” London told us she was surprised at how close she got with her fellow queens. “It really does become like ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Drag,’” she said. “You are surrounded by people who share similar stories with you, similar perspectives, similar point of views, but you’re all so different in your own way. So it’s kind of this culmination of all of these different queer stories and artistry coming together.”
“You think you know this show, but you have no idea,” Malaysia Babydoll Foxx shared with us. “What we see is a very short version of what it is, but it’s very long days, very hard work, standing in heels for hours and hours and hours.” Still, the Miami queen hopes that with her platform, she can inspire people watching from home. “I’m just gonna wait to see what the world thinks about me, and my art and me sharing it with the world. Not that I care about anybody’s opinion, but I just want people to love it and hope there is somebody out there that I can connect to who sees my drag and I can inspire them.”
Even knowing other contestants who had gone through the “Drag Race” experience, there are still twists and turns production throws at these queens that are impossible to predict. “I was fortunate to know three or four of the girls who have been on the show before this and even when they try to give you tidbits of stuff, you’re never gonna be fully prepared for what the show brings,” Robin Fierce told us. “It’s always a gag.”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” premieres Friday, Jan. 6, at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.
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