- 4 hours ago
Step behind the glitter and glamour as we revisit the most poignant moments from this iconic reality competition. We’re exploring the raw, human experiences that took center stage, from personal health battles and family struggles to powerful disclosures and heartfelt tributes. These are the instances where queens shared their deepest vulnerabilities, revealing the strength and stories that lie beneath the wigs and makeup, reminding us all of their incredible journeys.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Going through a depression in the summer stripped everything away from me.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the moments when Drag Race
00:11showcased the pain and human stories behind the Queen's talent. For this list, we're focusing on
00:16moments where the competition took a back seat and less on standard reality TV drama like fights
00:22and shocking eliminations. Valentina, I thought you had the stuff to go all the way.
00:30Now, sashay away.
00:33Number 30. Porkchop's Experiences.
00:36Victoria is very outgoing. She's very flirtatious. She likes to meet men,
00:40and she likes to entertain, and I can do things as Victoria that I could never get away with as
00:45Victor. RuPaul's Drag Race was still creating itself back in season one, but even in its first
00:50episode, the show was serving a mix of fierce drag fantasy and a heaping dose of reality.
00:55Victoria Porkchop Parker wasn't just the first queen eliminated. She was also the first queen
01:00to give us a history lesson during the workroom segment.
01:03I did drag my first time on January 16, 1987.
01:07Oh!
01:08How was that scene?
01:09It wasn't as open as it was now. Back then, guys used to ride by, and I've been shot at.
01:14Porkchop's drag career began in the 80s. As she tells her younger castmates, drag was very different
01:20then. She shared that her life was in danger several times over the years due to prejudice
01:24against LGBTQIA plus people.
01:27I had to go to the emergency room and drag just because I was a female impersonator and I was
01:31standing in front of a gay bar.
01:33Number 29. Briar Blush Fainting. Standing in the hot lights, holding themselves up on
01:38high heels for hours, and facing negative critiques from the judges is every drag race queen's worst
01:43nightmare.
01:44Everything else I hate, you look like a WWE wrestler. I hated it. I just wanted you to
01:50jump off the ropes and just do a drop kick on somebody, probably her.
01:54It's a wonder more of them don't pass out from the stress. In season 18, one queen did exactly
01:59that. Briar Blush brought the entire judging panel to a halt when she crumpled to the floor
02:04of the main stage, her eyes wide open but her body failing her.
02:08Do they fall?
02:08Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:09Just breathe, just breathe.
02:09Oh my god.
02:10It's okay, it's okay. Just breathe.
02:12Just wait a minute, just stay there.
02:13Stay there. Stay there.
02:14Whoa. I didn't even know I fell.
02:17Drama and rumor suggested she was exaggerating to save face during La Roche's critiques.
02:22However, Briar elaborated on her medical event in the press, explaining she had pneumonia
02:26before the show and developed life-threatening sepsis afterward.
02:30And I remember going to the show feeling so tired. And then I just thought, I'm working
02:36really hard. And then when I was there every night, I'd be like, wow, it's like hard to
02:42breathe.
02:42Number 28. Rue's speech about Carry On.
02:45Drag Race viewers know its host to be largely unflappable. She's poised and quick with polished
02:51one-liners, if not sometimes robotically perfect.
02:54I think this is another challenge that we will all have to overcome. And we'll have to
03:00take it into account. Just promise me we will be queens.
03:05Although it was early in the series, she broke protocol before the season two lip-sync by
03:10explaining why she chose the weak song. Carry On by Martha Wash is a diva anthem about perseverance
03:15in spite of the odds. The song's message was important to her when her mother passed away
03:19after a long illness.
03:21I was listening to this song, uh, incessantly. It has a lyric, Mama said, never give up. And
03:28I've used it as my anthem.
03:29No matter how the lip-sync turns out, she reminds all eight of the remaining queens that sunshine
03:34is always on the other side of a storm.
03:37Even through adversity or death, love and energy lives forever.
03:44Number 27. Evie Oddly's Tic Tac Lunch
03:47The season 11 winner is known for her elastic limbs. Evie Oddly has served up some truly amazing
03:53contortions during her time on Drag Race.
03:55Baby, I'm sorry.
03:59Baby, I'm sorry.
04:02Being so bad, got me doing so good.
04:05But on the all-winners edition of All Stars, she sat down to one of RuPaul's famous Tic Tac
04:10lunches and disclosed the realities of her health.
04:13Evie lives with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder that affects her
04:18ability to do the stunts and choreography she's known for.
04:21With Ehlers-Danlos, I'm feeling myself, like, actively losing skills.
04:26And, like, it's getting hard to even just stand up in heels.
04:32Evie would later take issue with the show's portrayal of her condition.
04:35But her frankness about the cost of living with Ehlers-Danlos is a sobering moment.
04:40It's also a reality check for the viewers at home about life as a performer with a chronic illness.
04:45The beauty is you can laugh and you can find humor.
04:48I mean, it's what I've got to do because it's going to keep happening.
04:52Number 26.
04:53Latrice talks about Ru's legacy.
04:55Fans were heartbroken when Latrice Royale went home in fourth place.
04:59Latrice Royale, my queen, I bow to you.
05:04Season 4's Miss Congeniality was like the resident elder among the cast.
05:08She had been through it all.
05:09But when she was eliminated from the competition, Latrice didn't make it about herself.
05:14She took the moment to express her gratitude to RuPaul for all she's done.
05:18You have changed my life forever.
05:22You have changed the world of drag forever.
05:26Latrice's tearful speech was a fitting tribute to the host.
05:29There is a real sense here that Drag Race was part of something bigger.
05:33Rather than talk about herself, Latrice used her moment on the main stage to honor that legacy.
05:38I love you and respect you so much.
05:42And thank you for seeing something special in me.
05:45Number 25.
05:46Veronica Green opens up about her depression.
05:49COVID-19 brought RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 2 to a screeching halt.
05:54Veronica Green's segments in the show's mid-season at-home special were especially heartbreaking
05:58as she struggled with depression during lockdown.
06:01I didn't leave the house.
06:03It was like I wasn't even there in the room.
06:06I'd just be staring into space for hours on end.
06:09I shut the world out.
06:11Didn't want to talk to anybody.
06:13After having to leave the competition due to a COVID diagnosis, she returned in season
06:17three for another shot at the crown.
06:19During week three, she broke down in tears on the main stage.
06:23Although her runway look wasn't up to par, the story and the pain behind it were real.
06:28Going through a depression in the summer stripped everything away from me.
06:35Veronica's forthrightness is commendable.
06:37For all the joy the contestants on Drag Race have given, moments like this remind us how
06:41human they are.
06:43And what I wanted to show you tonight was that through sadness, there is happiness and there
06:53is light at the end of the tunnel.
06:57On the one hand, the decision to put all the first All-Stars queens into teams of two was
07:02a huge mistake.
07:03On the other, without that, we wouldn't have gotten this classic moment.
07:17Drag Race besties Raven and Jujubee land in the bottom just before the finale and are made
07:22to lip-sync against each other.
07:23Instead of putting up a fight, the two decide to pull a Hunger Games.
07:27I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the guy you're taking home.
07:35They tearfully performed Robin's Dancing on My Own as a duet instead.
07:40Everyone is in tears by the end, and RuPaul has no choice but to let them both stay.
07:45I say, f*** it, we have a top four.
07:48I want fried chicken now.
07:50Number 23.
07:51Jaylene gifts Zanna a Métis sash.
07:54Zanna and Jaylene Time's connection ran deeper than Drag Race Canada.
07:57The two bonded in the fifth season over their shared heritage.
08:00Both are members of the Métis, but Zanna expressed difficulty connecting with that part of her
08:05background.
08:06My grandfather was a part of the 60s scoop as well.
08:09Like, our culture is gone, and I didn't get to grow up with that.
08:11And having you with me all the time, it just means so much.
08:17Their shared pride in their indigeneity leads to a beautiful moment where Jaylene gifts Zanna
08:21a ceremonial sash.
08:23As Zanna would say later, their shared exchange goes beyond the walls of Drag Race.
08:27And I feel like I want you to have this Métis sash.
08:31So this is regalia for the Métis.
08:35And I want to, I think it's important for it to come from me.
08:39There's a complicated but important history being honored in this interaction.
08:43It's one of the show's most beautiful and deeply meaningful scenes.
08:46It is my honor to present to you with all my heart.
08:56I love you so much.
08:58I love you.
08:58Number 22.
08:59Miss Jade So's prom story.
09:01For many, a look inspired by their high school prom might be a nostalgic and bittersweet experience.
09:07For Miss Jade So, it was deeply painful.
09:11Nung high school po ako, pumunta ako sa prom wearing a white dress.
09:18But nung nandun ako, hindi ako pinapasok.
09:22Her two-faced runway look was inspired by the time that she was not allowed entry into her prom.
09:27The administration refused to permit her until she dressed in traditionally masculine clothing.
09:31She, her mother, and a supportive teacher staged an impromptu protest outside the building that lasted the whole night.
09:37Thank you for standing with me as part of my process for fighting for my rights.
09:46Jade's story is a testament to resilience and strength in the face of injustice.
09:50Sad as it is, it doesn't stop host Paolo Balliesteros from lightening the mood a little.
09:55This is my redeeming moment.
09:57This is my glow up.
09:59Thank you, Miss Jade.
10:01So, pwede ba?
10:02Can you repeat it from the top?
10:03Number 21.
10:05Maxie's relationship with her father.
10:06Tatay ko bruskong brusko, pero hindi siya nahihiya na hishare sa markada niya na may anak siyang bakla.
10:13Tsaka niya po nakuha yung katapaman ko kasi pinakita niya sa akin na kahit bakla ako, kamahal-mahal ako.
10:18Real-life siblings Maxie and Angel Galang competed together on Drag Race Philippines' third season.
10:23In the makeover challenge, they were tasked with transforming their parents into their drag family.
10:28We are the protectors of the galaxy.
10:31Gravity, light, and state.
10:33Tatay niya.
10:34Maxie's relationship with her father was especially heartwarming.
10:37Judge Jiggly Caliente was especially moved.
10:40As the proud papa stood beside Maxie as a drag queen himself,
10:44Jiggly couldn't contain her tears or her happiness at seeing that the man was so proud to be there for
10:49his children.
10:50Thank you for accepting your children.
11:01It is a heartwarming but all too rare look at what the support of a real-life family can do
11:07for a drag artist.
11:08Number 20.
11:09Heidi Quits
11:10The All-Stars format brings with it a whole new set of challenges.
11:14Your fellow contestants are not just your competitors, they're your friends.
11:18Heidi and Closet learned that the hard way.
11:20In the Snatch Game of Love episode, gameplay and accusations of sabotage had Season 12's Miss Congeniality feeling anything but
11:28congenial.
11:29Girl, I wasn't even hitting the joke that Rue was giving me.
11:31So why are you digging the hole even deeper for me?
11:35It really, really hurt.
11:37Fellow contestant Kahana accused Heidi and Closet of trying to make her look bad during the challenge.
11:41Before she could even fully respond, Candy Muse confronted Heidi, accusing her of throwing her under the bus.
11:48Since we're talking about family and stuff, Heidi, why did I hear that you went to Jimbo and told her
11:53that I'm coming for her?
11:56Seeing the way the wind was blowing, Heidi stepped right out of that situation.
12:01She announced that her piece was more important than the grand prize and bowed out of the season completely.
12:07Number 19.
12:08Sasha Colby's Tic Tac Chit Chat
12:10From the start of Season 15, it really was like the Sasha Colby meet and greet.
12:15Welcome to the Sasha Colby meet and greet.
12:18Feels good.
12:19Her reputation as a former winner of the Miss Continental pageant preceded her.
12:23That she was a steady and gracious competitor made her eventual win that much sweeter.
12:28However, the compassionate queen has known heartache.
12:31During the Tic Tac Chit Chat segment with Rue and Michelle,
12:34Sasha opened up about her traumatic past, including her father's death by his own hand at the age of 80.
12:40He was such a good man.
12:42He was like my biggest ally.
12:44That was the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with.
12:50She credited the event for a great deal of spiritual growth.
12:53Although she's been through so much,
12:56her revelation only convinced us of her status as a goddess on this earth.
13:00Number 18.
13:01Pearl Addresses Her Younger Self
13:03This Season 7 finalist went through a lot throughout the competition.
13:07Her face-off with Rue, of course, became a defining moment.
13:14So I have something on my face.
13:16But that wasn't the only time Pearl got real.
13:19When Rue held up a photo of her as a child and asked what she would say to her younger
13:23self,
13:24her cryptic but raw response struck a chord.
13:27You're about to enter like the toughest.
13:32You're going to enter the toughest years of your life.
13:35While there were suggestions that her past was not necessarily rosy, Pearl didn't go into detail.
13:41But the thing is, she didn't need to.
13:43Seeing the sheer emotion on her face was nothing short of impactful.
13:47Her genuine, honest answer is probably one of the reasons this segment endures today.
13:53Number 17.
13:54Ginny and Bimini Talk Being Gender Non-Binary
13:57Even among creators whose art is all about gender,
14:00the question of gender identity can still be a loaded subject.
14:04For years and years, I just didn't know what I was.
14:06I didn't know whether I was a boy or a girl.
14:07I just didn't know.
14:08And that's why I wear yellow, because it doesn't say anything.
14:11It doesn't define me as anything.
14:12During week three of Drag Race UK's second season,
14:15contestants Ginny Lemon and Bimini Bon-Boulash made headlines
14:18when they discussed their experiences as non-binary people.
14:21It was a surprisingly deep conversation for two of the season's most light-hearted queens.
14:26Ginny's memories of not feeling supported by their family growing up, for instance,
14:30is reflective of far too many stories.
14:32I had a very difficult upbringing.
14:35Myself and my siblings survived.
14:38We'd never lived.
14:39We survived.
14:40Their intimate and enlightening conversation may have been an eye-opener for many,
14:45but it also made it clear that non-binary identities are not new,
14:49and highlighted the importance of such representation.
14:52Number 16.
14:54Talking Body Image
14:55The workroom has seen some pretty intense conversations over the years,
14:59and season 9 definitely delivered on that front.
15:02Eureka O'Hara's casual joke about Valentina having an eating disorder did not go over well,
15:07and Eureka herself was apologetic.
15:09Can I tell you guys about one of the disorders that I have?
15:12Eating.
15:14Don't joke about that.
15:15Several queens, including Sasha Velour,
15:17Shea Coulee, and Valentina herself,
15:20then disclosed that they have actually experienced disordered eating.
15:23Protected and supported by their fellow queens,
15:26they used their time in front of the mirror
15:28to highlight a prevalent issue in the queer community.
15:31A situation that could have become a catalyst for more reality TV drama
15:34turned into a very real and very brave conversation.
15:37I'm surprised about how many girls have struggled with this.
15:43There's power in being able to confide in your sisters and have them support you.
15:49Number 15.
15:50Charlie's Experiences with the AIDS Epidemic
15:53Another touching moment from season 9 involved the cast's most experienced queen,
15:58Charlie Hydes.
15:59I came out just before AIDS became known,
16:03so none of my friends were playing safe.
16:06I buried all my best friends.
16:08Cynthia Lee Fontaine's work with HIV prevention brought up their memories of living through the
16:12initial AIDS epidemic of the 1980s.
16:15It was clear they still carry the reality of this era on their shoulders,
16:19along with all the hardship that came with it.
16:21Fans don't always remember Charlie with kindness due to the way they left the competition,
16:25but one moment doesn't define a Drag Race contestant.
16:29Here, they opened a window to a historical era that many of the younger queens,
16:33and many viewers, simply didn't have direct access to.
16:37It's important to not forget what happened in the 80s and 90s during the AIDS crisis,
16:43and how many brilliant voices in the world of art and drag we could have without those losses.
16:50Number 14.
16:51Yara Sofia gets emotional during the lip-sync.
16:54Drag Race is a stressful experience,
16:57but few seasons seemed more demanding of its queens than season 3.
17:01No one, not even Yara Sofia, was spared from lip-syncing for her life.
17:06For me, being the bottom two, it's like losing.
17:09I feel horrible.
17:11When she and Alexis Mateo landed in the bottom together at the top four,
17:15Yara was clearly spent.
17:16By the first chorus, she looked so dazed and began tearing her runway look apart.
17:21Soon enough, she was unable to continue.
17:24I'm crying because there's a lot of emotions.
17:29I was thinking too much.
17:31I'm so angry, and I'm so disappointed.
17:35I'm a mess.
17:36Even Alexis stopped performing to console Yara.
17:39It's clear the latter queen wanted things to go differently.
17:42If you don't think Drag Race is serious business,
17:45watching the beloved fan-favorite experience this should be enough to convince you.
17:50Number 13.
17:51Kim Chi addresses her younger self.
17:53It was hard not to love Kim Chi,
17:55and everything from her iconic intro to her unique runway walk.
17:59There was something so undeniably sweet and genuine about her.
18:02When RuPaul pulled out the picture of Kim's young self,
18:05the season 8 finalist started off pretty composed,
18:08but things soon became more emotional.
18:10Through tears, she alluded to her past depression and social isolation.
18:14At times, you're going to want to think about harming yourself or even running away,
18:19but I just wanted to let you know that it will all get better.
18:22She offered her young self the advice that the things she was once ashamed of
18:26were exactly the things that made people love her.
18:29What made it so special is that this was so spot on.
18:32We had just watched an entire season of Kim Chi winning us and the judges over,
18:36because she was just that lovable.
18:38And what you thought was all just a dream will come true for you,
18:43because life will get better.
18:45Number 12.
18:45Alyssa Edwards and her sister.
18:47Alyssa Edwards and her sister Tabitha had an emotional reunion on All Stars,
18:52and family proved to be a loaded topic.
18:55Alyssa's sister, Tabitha.
18:57After initial tears over their own troubles,
18:59the Edwards siblings get a visit from Ru.
19:01But thank you for coming.
19:03The day that they closed my mother's casket,
19:07I just shut down.
19:10I just threw myself into my work.
19:12I felt that if I didn't see my family or if I shut them out,
19:16I didn't have to face the passing of my mother.
19:18So now seeing Tabitha,
19:20oh, I'm facing it.
19:22When RuPaul tries to get into Alyssa's outrageous personality,
19:25she and her sister gush about their late mother.
19:28Edwards starts coming to terms with that heavy loss,
19:30and lets out her pain.
19:31My mom danced.
19:32I got that from her.
19:33She felt like everything I touched was gold.
19:35She was always encouraging me.
19:37I had one person that believed in me.
19:38She protected me from the cruelty of the world.
19:41You are what you are because of her.
19:44Yeah.
19:45Just like when her father apologized for years of cruelty to her,
19:48Alyssa is in tears almost immediately.
19:51And now I'm not ashamed to tell people my son is gay.
19:54Oh, oh my God.
19:57I hold my head up high.
20:00She's such a strong personality,
20:01but moments like this remind us that she's also a human being.
20:05I'm glad you guys get to be together,
20:07because I think this needed to happen.
20:09This is for Cheri Ann.
20:10Yeah.
20:11The world gets to see her fabulousness through you.
20:15She's with us.
20:15She is, definitely.
20:16Number 11.
20:17The death of Detox's partner.
20:19In preparation for the week's acting challenge,
20:22RuPaul tasks the queens with donning gloomy attire and crying on cue.
20:25What starts out as a comedy challenge with the queens making up dramatic and ridiculous stories,
20:31soon brings out Detox's very real trauma regarding the death of a boyfriend.
20:34I'm looking around the room and seeing mournful-looking characters,
20:39and I feel like I felt the day that I saw him dead.
20:42And it's really hard for me to try to stay out of that right now.
20:46If there was one thing Detox was during season 5, it was professional.
20:51Confidence and polish was their M.O.
20:52And Rue help you if you came for her in Untucked.
20:55But this late-season mini-challenge saw their cool and collected demeanor slip away.
21:00It was one of those rare and revealing moments that made the competition seem secondary,
21:05even for someone as poised to succeed as Detox.
21:08I'm not used to being so vulnerable and looking so vulnerable,
21:12and I feel very uncomfortable.
21:14Number 10.
21:16Dusty's experience with conversion therapy.
21:18Many of the queens on Drag Race have been upfront about their struggles
21:22with being ostracized by their families,
21:24while others can point to their parents as their biggest fans.
21:27The queens of season 10 were discussing this
21:30when contestant Dusty Ray Bottoms opened up about their experience
21:33with their religious parents.
21:34Their coming out was deeply traumatic,
21:36and saw them being forced to undergo the pseudoscientific practice
21:39known as conversion therapy, among other disturbing things.
21:43They took me to church.
21:45They got me exercise,
21:47because they thought I was possessed by a gay demon.
21:50It's heavy stuff.
21:52But Dusty never lost their faith
21:54and went to build a beautiful life as their true self.
21:57Every queen seemed to take heart in their resolve.
22:00There is no denying this was a powerful moment.
22:04Now, I have a wonderful fiancé.
22:06We have a beautiful life together.
22:08Things are going really great in my life,
22:09and I didn't have to compromise or change
22:12for someone's small-minded view.
22:14Number 9.
22:15Monica Comes Out.
22:16Monica, season 2's Kylie Sonny Glove,
22:19and season 14's Jasmine Kennedy,
22:21showed us that being who you are can make you vulnerable,
22:23but it can also make you powerful.
22:25I definitely do, like, feel that, like,
22:29I am.
22:30Only two episodes into season 5,
22:33Monica Beverly Hills was receiving harsh reads
22:35from the judges for her disconnected performances.
22:38Also, in your runway as well,
22:39I don't know, maybe you're sad today or it's a hard day.
22:42You're kind of disconnected.
22:43Rather than fight with the judges,
22:46Monica began crying when they confronted her about it.
22:48Monica, tell me what's on your mind.
22:52It's true what you're saying.
22:53There is a line going to my head.
22:55I feel I'm not here.
22:56Hills admitted that her head was elsewhere,
22:58as she had been struggling to open up
23:00about being transgender.
23:02I'm not just a drag queen.
23:03I'm a transgendered woman.
23:05It's always so beautiful to see someone
23:08embrace their authentic self.
23:09With the truth out there,
23:11Monica went on to slay in the lip-sync as well.
23:14Ladies, I've made my decision.
23:19Monica Beverly Hills,
23:22shantay you stay.
23:25Number 8.
23:26Adore quits.
23:27Adore Delano looks so distraught
23:29by her second episode of All Stars
23:31that Alyssa Edwards stops ranting to check on her.
23:34The one joke she had was,
23:35Adore, are you okay?
23:36Uh-huh.
23:38Even though I'm trying to put on a smiley face
23:41for the day,
23:43everything's just processing.
23:46And at this point,
23:47I'm just trying to figure shit out.
23:50When Rue comes into the workroom,
23:52Delano explains she's feeling attacked
23:53by Michelle Visage over her personal style.
23:56I feel like Michelle does not take me seriously.
23:59I believe in beauty in a denim jacket and barefoot.
24:04I love all forms of drag.
24:06Of course.
24:07But if you're saying that because of the critiques
24:10on the main stage are the reason you're tapping out,
24:13is that enough to tap out for?
24:16As Adore suggests leaving the competition,
24:18Rupal sends her out to talk to Visage.
24:20After a hug,
24:22Michelle apologizes for hurting Delano
24:24with her tough love approach to judging.
24:25Despite Michelle's pleas to stay,
24:28Adore leaves because she doesn't feel right
24:30about the competition anymore.
24:32Tomorrow's another day.
24:33I don't want you to wake up tomorrow morning and go,
24:36what did I do?
24:38And that's a possibility.
24:40Delano's departure is all the more heartbreaking
24:42since Michelle and even other contestants
24:45want her to keep going.
24:46I'm leaving Rupal's Drag Race All-Stars 2.
24:50I feel like shit.
24:51I love you,
24:53but I don't want you to give in to giving up.
24:57I just don't think that this is for me.
24:58Number seven.
24:59Cynthia and Trinity talk about Pulse Nightclub.
25:02So, Trinity,
25:04when you were in Orlando
25:06when that situation happened,
25:07like, were you freaked out?
25:09I mean, I know you're from there.
25:10You're talking about Pulse?
25:12Yeah.
25:12Many people had a connection
25:14to the Pulse Nightclub tragedy,
25:15but Cynthia Leifontaine and Trinity Taylor
25:18were still processing their losses.
25:19Did you lose a lot of people, Trinity?
25:22Well, I didn't know any of the people
25:24that actually lost their lives.
25:25I knew several of the entertainers
25:27that were trapped in the dressing room
25:28that escaped.
25:30Trinity explains she was performing at Pulse
25:32only a week before the attack.
25:34The other queens are left speechless
25:35when Cynthia explains
25:37that she had to reschedule an appearance at Pulse
25:39the night of the incident.
25:41And unfortunately,
25:42one of my friends died on that incident,
25:44Martin,
25:45and he was like,
25:47like two or three hours before.
25:49Like, Cynthia, you're not here.
25:50You're supposed to have a show.
25:51That's why I came here tonight.
25:53The discussion gets dark
25:54and is loaded and raw
25:56in a way you don't always see on reality TV.
25:59Considering how devastating the attack was
26:01to the LGBTQIA plus community,
26:04this talk served as an important reminder
26:06that queer rights and spaces
26:07need to be protected from hate.
26:09What happened in Orlando at Pulse nightclub
26:12was a defining and shocking moment
26:16for gay people.
26:18And the fact that it was an act of violence
26:20against LGBT people of color
26:23is not insignificant here.
26:25Number six,
26:26Laganja gets emotional.
26:27Laganja Estranja's strong personality
26:30sometimes came off as fake to her fellow queens.
26:33So Bianca tells her she appears too forced.
26:35I believe that you've come into this competition
26:38with an act.
26:39You came in, waterworks,
26:41woe is me, woe is me, woe is me,
26:42and you're not even given a true story.
26:44So explain that to me.
26:46Though Laganja tries to suggest
26:48she isn't playing a character,
26:50Courtney insists she's noticed
26:51two distinct personalities from her.
26:53Are you aware of, like,
26:55the two kind of different personalities
26:58that we're talking about?
26:59No, no, Courtney.
27:00All right.
27:00This right now,
27:01that's the bitch that I know.
27:03Adore tries to argue with Estranja as a friend
27:05before explaining that she talks differently
27:07when they hang out together.
27:08Laganja, however,
27:10is hurt by the comments she feels are an attack
27:12and exits the set crying.
27:14Well, how am I supposed to feel in this moment?
27:17Laganja, I didn't want to make it
27:18that everybody was attacking you.
27:20I feel very attacked.
27:21Relax.
27:22Relax.
27:26Relax.
27:27It was one of those moments
27:28that escalated and devolved rather quickly
27:30and left nobody feeling indifferent.
27:33I just really don't want her to feel picked on
27:35and that was, like,
27:35my main thing from the beginning.
27:37I think she needs to figure out
27:40what is really going on with herself
27:42because I know she's fierce
27:44and I know she has it in her.
27:47Number five.
27:48Katya and Fame's heart to heart.
27:49As Katya is second-guessing herself
27:51and her place in the competition,
27:53she turns to Miss Fame for help.
28:11Fame talks to her about sobriety
28:12and admits how much the show can shake you.
28:15With Katya finally hearing someone
28:17experiencing the same thing,
28:18she admits she's never been able to love herself.
28:20I am terrified of failure
28:24and, like, my sense of humor
28:26is just, like,
28:28has been like a smokescreen for that.
28:30Yeah.
28:31That's, like, the first day I came in here,
28:35the first thing I thought of was, like,
28:37you don't belong here.
28:39Miss Fame lifts her spirits
28:40by reminding Katya
28:41that everyone is fighting
28:43their own doubts together.
28:44You're being so hard on yourself.
28:46You're in it, but you're not alone.
28:48I'm here with you having those same fears and feelings.
28:51Their heart-to-heart spotlights the reality
28:53that comes with substance use disorder
28:54and the power of opening up.
28:57By just talking things out,
28:58Katya was able to put her heart back in the competition
29:01and grow as a person.
29:02After my talk with Fame,
29:04I feel like a weight has been lifted.
29:06I can't go back!
29:07I can't go back!
29:10Oh, let's go paint!
29:12Number four.
29:12HIV disclosures.
29:14HIV AIDS looms large
29:16over many of Drag Race's acknowledgements
29:18of queer history.
29:19But many queens are reminders
29:20that in the present day,
29:22you can thrive while living with HIV.
29:24When season one's Angina
29:26won the Mac Viva Glam Challenge,
29:28she disclosed her very personal connection
29:30to the brand's fund
29:30to provide care to those living with the virus.
29:33I've been living with HIV
29:34for the last two years of my life,
29:36and this means so much to me.
29:39Similarly,
29:40Trinity K. Bonet also disclosed
29:42her HIV-positive status
29:43during the course of the sixth season.
29:45Both moments were significant
29:47not just because of what they told us
29:48about the queens,
29:49but because they helped
29:50de-stigmatize the condition
29:52by speaking about it.
29:53I wanted to come on this show
29:55and I wanted to be that voice
29:57for people who are scared
29:59to speak out about that.
30:02Number three.
30:03Roxy's Story.
30:04Roxy Andrews wowed everyone
30:06during her lip sync
30:07by ripping off her wig,
30:08only to unveil a second wig underneath it.
30:15When she talked to the judges, however,
30:17Andrews was overcome with emotion.
30:19As everyone stands with worry and confusion,
30:22Roxy explains how she was abandoned
30:24by her family at a bus stop.
30:25I just feel like my mom never wanted me
30:28and my mother left my sister
30:33and myself at a bus stop
30:34when I was three.
30:35And I remember it like it was yesterday
30:38and then like I come off
30:39as this strong character.
30:42I try to stay so strong,
30:43but it was so weak
30:44and it's so tired.
30:46Andrews is understandably hurting
30:48as she discusses what transpired,
30:50as other queens try to process her story.
30:52Even Rue is blubbering
30:53before she talks about
30:54choosing one's family.
30:56The bravery it took for Roxy
30:58to share such a personal experience
31:00so publicly cannot be overstated.
31:02We love you.
31:05And you are so welcome here.
31:08You know, we as gay people,
31:10we get to choose our family.
31:12You know, we get to choose
31:13the people that we're around.
31:15You know what I'm saying?
31:18I am your family.
31:19We are a family here.
31:21Number two, Blair shares her past.
31:24I urge to find daintiness
31:26because I feel dirty at times.
31:29In response to comments
31:30about her runway look,
31:32Blair St. Clair talks about
31:33brightening things up
31:34because she feels dirty.
31:35St. Clair starts to cry
31:37and reveals she was actually assaulted
31:38during a college party.
31:40She talks about doing the best she can,
31:42while Rue praises her
31:43for being so open
31:44and thanks her for her honesty.
31:46Thank you for being so candid with us.
31:49We love you, Blair,
31:50and we are family
31:52and I'm actually very proud of you
31:54for being so vulnerable.
31:56Any queen who's not already bawling
31:58offers Blair love
31:59and Rue even pauses
32:01to give her a moment.
32:02While St. Clair's story
32:03is by no means
32:04an easy one to hear,
32:05her fellow queens
32:07showed compassion to match.
32:08I'm very shaken
32:10and I can't wait
32:11to find that mother...
32:13No, no, I love you.
32:15Blair, are you okay?
32:17All right.
32:25Before we continue,
32:27check out this single
32:28from Sound Mojo's Aria,
32:29Songs from Iran,
32:31reimagining Persian melodies
32:32as modern rock,
32:33metal, and pop songs.
32:35Check out the full track
32:36and album below.
32:37Oh, nature bring dawn
32:41to this darkness.
32:49Spring has come,
32:52flowers bloom.
32:55Number one,
32:56Chi-Chi Devane Tribute.
32:58Drag Race Queens
32:59seem so much larger than life.
33:01It's hard to imagine
33:02they're bound by the same
33:04earthly rules as the rest of us.
33:05We lost one of our
33:07most beloved queens
33:08this past year,
33:09a beacon of love,
33:11talent,
33:11and Louisiana glamour.
33:13Unfortunately,
33:14we've had to say goodbye
33:15to many beloved queens
33:16like Sahara Davenport
33:17over the years.
33:18The show's season 13 finale
33:20faced that reality head-on
33:21with a heartfelt tribute
33:22to Chi-Chi Devane,
33:23the season 8 fan favorite
33:25who passed away in 2020.
33:27The messages from Chi-Chi's
33:28many loved ones
33:29felt like a truly beautiful
33:30way to honor her,
33:31acting as a testament
33:33to the lives she touched
33:34and the positive impact
33:35she made on the world.
33:36She was so raw
33:37and visceral
33:39and honest
33:40and I loved
33:41every second of it.
33:43As RuPaul once reminded us,
33:45there's more than one way
33:46to live forever.
33:47What serious Drag Race moments
33:49will you never forget?
33:50Let us know in the comments.
Comments