Drag Race Philippines: Drag, On! Race, On!

After months or even years of waiting, the most awaited franchise of the Emmy-winning franchise, RuPaul's Drag Race, is finally here in the to the Philippines! Dubbed as Drag Race Philippines, this exclusively available show on WOW Presents Plus, Discovery+ and HBO GO with Philippines' very own, Paolo Ballesteros as host.

All photos are courtesy of  Drag Race Philippines Facebook Page

In a private preview held at Bonifacio High Street, invited guests where treated to the shows first episode where the 12 Drag Race Philippines Queens were introduced. All glammed up and ready to slay, the first ever Drag Race Philippines contestants including (1) Corazon, 34, from Bolinao, Pangasinan; (2) Brigiding, 29, from Mandaluyong; (3) Eva Le Queen, 29, from Marikina; (4) Gigi Era, 38, from Melbourne, Australia; (5) Lady Morgana, 30, Davao City,; (6) Marina Summers, 25, from Quezon City; (7) Minty Fresh, 31, from Quezon City; (8) Precious Paula Nicole, 35, from Daet, Camarines Norte; (9) Turing, 29, from Cainta, Rizal; (10) Viñas DeLuxe, 25, from San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan; (11) Xilhouete, 34, from Cabanatuan, from Nueva Ecija; and (12) Prince, 25, from Calumpit, Bulacan.

Corazon

Minty Fresh

Brigiding

Gigi Era

Eva Le Queen

Marina Summers

"The Drag Race franchise has shined a spotlight on so many incredible queens from around the world and we are so excited to introduce audiences to the dazzling queens of the Philippines." said World of Wonder co-founders Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey. "WOW Presents Plus was created to serve as a springboard for underrepresented voices, so we are thrilled to exclusively premiere Drag Race Philippines on the platform for our global viewers."

Viñas DeLuxe

Turing

Xilouette

Prince

Precious Paula Nicole

Lady Morgana

Following the original format of RuPaul's Drag Race, Drag Race Philippines will have a mini contest prior to the main show where the queens’ creativity in costume and makeup is highlighted along with their other special talents. The two least favorite will then compete on a lip-synch battle. On this local version, Paolo will also serve as the main judge along TV Host and impersonator Kaladkaren, Filipino-American drag performer and RuPaul's Drag Race contestant Jiggy Calliente. Guest judge will be different every episode, which is something to watch out for.

Episode 1 Judges; (L-R) BJ Pascual, Pops Fernandez, Paolo Ballesteros, Jiggy Caliente and Kaladkaren

After watching the first episode, we also got a chance to see the first episode’s Untucked version, which showcased some juicy behind-the-scene shots of the first episode. With Ice Seguerra as director of the show, expect some funny, emotional and colorful scenes that will give more story to the show. I was told that this is the first Untucked series that was allowed outside America – Philippine Drag must be that fabulous to get that permission.

For my early favorites, though I must say that show was really good and the selection of queens was done nicely, I’m eyeing Marina Summers and Minty Fresh going head to head at the end. But of course, with all the drama surrounding them, we’ll never know, right?
Congratulations, queens! This show is something that we should be proud of as it does not just show how our country is starting to be more inclusive but also the artistic creativity that the queens are sharing t the world – they are just fabulous!




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