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<\/p>\nGet To Know the \u2018RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u2019 Season 9 Queens in This Massive Must-Read Preview<\/b><\/p>\n
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Break out the duct tape and heels, because RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em> is back. Gay March Madness begins tonight when the ninth season of the beloved drag competition kicks off at 8 p.m. Eastern on its new home VH1.<\/p>\n As a new batch of queens descends upon the workroom, we\u2019re working on our own bracket to guess a winner. (And we\u2019ll be back with our weekly Tops and Bottoms Power Rankings<\/a> Saturdays.) We got a sneak peak of this season\u2019s Racers in action at an NYC premiere party featuring performances from all the competitors. We also got to have some quick chats<\/a> with the queens in attendance.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve shared some samples of the gurls\u2019 work and our initial thoughts below so you can get a jump on getting to know this season\u2019s ladies<\/a>.<\/p>\n And don\u2019t miss our weekly RECAPS on Saturday morning.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Aja<\/strong> Here\u2019s the Tee:<\/strong><\/p>\n This BK queen is just the right blend of underground artistry and signature star power. Her lip sync choices are unique, and she can deliver even speed rap with expert precision. \u201cAja means \u2018Come here\u2019 in Hindi,\u201d she explained at the New York premiere. \u201cThe name has so much magnetism, it just gravitates people to come toward me.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s true that there\u2019s something alluring about Aja that makes you unable to look away. The judges might clock her makeup skills though, which is a weakness. Her paint lacks a bit of refinement that might fail to stand up beside the more polished competitors.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Alexis Michelle<\/strong> Here\u2019s the Tee:<\/strong><\/p>\n It took Alexis eight tries to make the cut for RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>, but she certainly seems ready for the main stage now. This veteran performer (and self-described \u201cmost elegant dick<\/a> pig you\u2019ve ever seen\u201d) has a soft-spot for Broadway and 1970s gay<\/a> standards like Barbra, Donna Summer and Aretha Franklin.<\/p>\n What remains to be seen is if she\u2019s a little too old school when compared to some of the edgier up-and-coming queens in the race. Unlike other contestants (here<\/a> and famously elsewhere<\/a>), Alexis may actually be here to make friends. \u201cHonestly, I\u2019m not sh*tting when I say, yes, I wanted to come and compete and to win, but I really wanted to make some friends. And I did. Big time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Charlie Hides<\/strong> Here\u2019s the Tee<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Charlie Hides is an odd bird. The oldest contestant in Drag Race<\/em> herstory (52 years young) is perhaps best known for her wacky YouTube videos<\/a> parodying Lady Gaga, Cher, Lana Del Rey, Madonna and more, but her sense of humor may not be for everybody. Charlie loves to toe that line of political incorrectness in similarly stomping fashion as Bianca del Rio and other queens.<\/p>\n She once courted controversy<\/a> for performing as a character many believed to be racially insensitive.<\/p>\n When asked about the backlash, Charlie replied: \u201cAll I can say is I\u2019ve played over 100-110 characters over the years, and sometimes people have not seen the actual performances, they formed opinions based on things that they\u2019ve heard. What you\u2019re referring to is someone who didn\u2019t even bother to come see the show so didn\u2019t know the character I was doing was satirical. They didn\u2019t know the background. It\u2019s kind of like seeing a movie poster and deciding that they don\u2019t like the movie based on the poster. You have to come see the show first to understand what the performance is all about. Never judge a book by its cover, which is what that satirical character you\u2019re referring to was based on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Eureka O\u2019Hara<\/strong> Here\u2019s the Tee:<\/strong><\/p>\n Everything about Eureka O\u2019Hara is big. Yes, this season\u2019s big gurl is an imposing presence (even in full pageant paint), but she\u2019s got an oversized personality to match. With a sweet Southern twang in her voice and a laugh more infectious than staph infection in a bathhouse, Eureka is sure to charm viewers, but will she wow the judges?<\/p>\n Her performance at the season 9 premiere was high-energy with just the right amount of humor. Her drag is competent, but a touch traditional. Expect to see Eureka stick around for a bit, if for nothing more than what I imagine will be many hilarious confessional interviews.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Farrah Moan<\/strong> Here\u2019s the Tee:<\/strong><\/p>\n Farrah is for sure the queen most likely to be admonished by the judges to stop relying on her good looks. She\u2019s gorgeous. \u201cI feel like Christina Aguilera is my favorite drag queen, because she is contoured, highlighted, cut, creased with the glitter,\u201d Farrah told us at the NYC premiere. \u201cShe\u2019s in full drag!\u201d<\/p>\n Farrah bears more than a passing resemblance to Xtina, and her showgirl-meets-fetish aesthetic feels right out of one of Ms. Aguilera\u2019s videos<\/a>. Think of her like Courtney Act minus the singing or Derrick Barry minus the cluelessness.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Jaymes Mansfield<\/strong> Here\u2019s the Tee:<\/strong><\/p>\n This quirky queen is all about comedy. Part Marilyn Monroe, part Muppet, she\u2019s got kitsch down pat. Sadly, it starts to feel a little one note. Her NYC premiere performance to Julie Brown\u2019s \u201cThe Homecoming Queen\u2019s Got A Gun<\/a>\u201d felt stale, and her use of a puppet did little to enhance the performance.<\/p>\n Jaymes seems like a sweetheart, but good is not going to be good enough to outlast some of these other queens.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Kimora Blac<\/strong> Here\u2019s the Tee:<\/strong> Thirsty, children? Ms. Kimora Blac is serving ice-cold S-E-X. She\u2019s giving you body, she\u2019s giving you face, she\u2019s giving you LEWK, but she\u2019s also giving attitude. She could easily be this season\u2019s breakout villain depending on her edit.<\/p>\n While she is fierce as hell, can she slay Snatch<\/em>? How will she do in group acting challenges? Sex sells, but it doesn\u2019t usually\u00a0shantay all the way to the crown.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Nina Bo\u2019nina Brown<\/strong> Here\u2019s the Tee:<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019re OBSESSED with Nina Bo\u2019nina Brown. She burst onto the NYC stage in a full face of sci-fi makeup right out of Planet of the Apes<\/em> at the premiere, and it gave us life. She\u2019s got a cosplay-influenced style that blends costume, character and a whole lot of charisma for a truly unique individual. It\u2019s not your typical female<\/a> impersonation, and, as such, the makeup is more theatrical than glamour, which could get messy.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s hoping Nina sticks around long enough to show the judges her wide range of skills, even if that includes one obligatory pass at pageant.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Peppermin<\/strong>t Here\u2019s the Tee:<\/strong><\/p>\n Don\u2019t get it twisted \u2014 Peppermint is already a star. Regardless how she fares in the competition, the whole world is better off with a little more Peppermint in it. Not only is she the first contestant to enter the competition as an openly trans<\/a> woman<\/a>, but she\u2019s a New York institution that\u2019s been slaying stages for years. She rocked the crowd at the NYC premiere after appearing in a giant inflatable sphere, but she slayed our hearts when she told us \u201cYou could be fierce and fly, but you could also have\u00a0a heart.\u201d<\/p>\n We\u2019re not sure if Drag Race<\/em> will want to crown two established NYC queens back-to-back, but Peppermint doesn\u2019t need a win here to establish her as America\u2019s Next Drag Superstar.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Sasha Velour<\/strong> Here\u2019s the Tee:<\/strong><\/p>\n Of all the performances at the NYC premiere, no one brought the house down like Sasha. Her projection-heavy performance to Sia\u2019s \u201cCellophane\u201d was truly iconic and quite possibly the most emotionally evocative drag performance I\u2019ve ever witnessed. Sasha is a true art queen, drawing inspiration from Kevin Aviance, Lypsynka and Leigh Bowery.<\/p>\n This is a whip-smart queen with reverence for drag herstory, but is all that passion a touch too humorless? Sure, she\u2019s utterly engrossing, but how will her high-art style translate to TV? From pageant princesses to campy clowns, one thing we want from most of our drag faves is to laugh.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Shea Coulee<\/strong> Here\u2019s the Tee:<\/strong><\/p>\n Shea is the total package (and might be our pick to go all the way this season). She\u2019s got a great attitude, a vibrant DIY aesthetic and some fierce Beyonc\u00e9 lip syncs. Other Drag Racers may excel in looks, performance or paint, but Shea seems like the most balanced (and likable) of this year\u2019s batch of queens.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Trinity Taylor<\/strong> Here\u2019s the Tee:<\/strong><\/p>\n Trinity is known for her tuck. That\u2019s a real thing. In fact, her social media handle is \u201cTrinityTheTuck<\/a>.\u201d It\u2019s not exactly the kind of superlative that alone would warrant the crown, but combined with her high-energy performance and polished pageant look it might be.<\/p>\n She told us her drag style is \u201ctrue female<\/a> impersonation.\u201d She earned points in our book for choosing to lip sync to Erika Jayne\u2019s \u201cXXPEN$IVE,\u201d but it feels like she may be a bit too focused on the illusion and not enough on the artistry.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Valentina<\/strong> Here\u2019s the Tee:<\/strong><\/p>\n You may not realize just from looking at her, but Valentina is a fairly new queen. When she began the competition, she had only been doing drag for a short time, but she looks impeccable. It\u2019s not until she stepped on stage at the NYC premiere that it started to show.<\/p>\n She performed a Spanish-language lip sync that nearly bored the crowd to tears. Here\u2019s hoping her work on the mainstage has a little more life.<\/p>\n Who are your early favorites to win this season of RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>?<\/p>\n The post Get To Know the \u2018RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u2019 Season 9 Queens in This Massive Must-Read Preview<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Lady](\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.towleroad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/gaga_rupaul.jpeg?resize=195%2C195\")
The new night and channel aren\u2019t the only big news hitting Drag Race<\/em>. Tonight\u2019s premiere features one of the most exciting guest judges in herstory: Lady Gaga.<\/p>\n
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