Prepare to wave the flag, Canada, from queen to shining queen.
The day after Canada Day, our nation is sashaying into the drag TV big leagues with the much anticipated debut of 鈥淐anada鈥檚 Drag Race,鈥 a spinoff of 鈥淩uPaul鈥檚 Drag Race.鈥
For the new show鈥檚 resident judges, a gag-worthy (praiseworthy in 鈥淒rag Race鈥 speak) trio in their own right, it鈥檚 about time the franchise got some maple leaf flavouring.
鈥淐anada is usually slept on,鈥 said Stacey McKenzie, a Canadian supermodel and 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Next Top Model鈥 mentor. 鈥淲henever I鈥檓 in other countries, people always say, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e Canadian?鈥 as if it鈥檚 a shocking thing. We have some amazing talent here and drag is one of those amazing talents.鈥
Her fellow judge, Canadian actor Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman (鈥淎merican Horror Story,鈥 鈥淯nREAL鈥), concurred in a joint phone interview.
鈥淭hese queens are fierce,鈥 said Bowyer-Chapman of the 12 鈥淐anada鈥檚 Drag Race鈥 contestants. 鈥淭here is not a weak link in the bunch.鈥
That鈥檚 high praise considering Bowyer-Chapman has been a guest judge on the show that started it all, 鈥淩uPaul鈥檚 Drag Race,鈥 as well as 鈥淩uPaul鈥檚 Drag Race All Stars.鈥
The American show, which began in 2009, has gone from cult hit on an LGBTQ-focused pay TV channel to Emmy Award-winning juggernaut, steered by RuPaul Charles, the world鈥檚 most famous drag queen.
To Canada鈥檚 most famous drag queen, Brooke Lynn Hytes, the show is 鈥渢he drag Olympics鈥 and she would know: Hytes, the third resident judge on 鈥淐anada鈥檚 Drag Race,鈥 was runner-up on Season 11 of the U.S. show and its first Canadian contestant.
鈥淭he wonderful thing about 鈥楻uPaul鈥檚 Drag Race鈥 is it鈥檚 given drag queens a global platform,鈥 Hytes said in a separate interview.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 so important for people in any profession to have something to aspire to 鈥 It lights a fire under you and it makes you want to be better; it makes you push harder. And that鈥檚 exactly what the show does, so I鈥檓 just so happy we鈥檙e giving the queens of Canada the opportunity.鈥
Those first 12 queens are competing to win $100,000 and be named Canada鈥檚 first drag superstar.
Over 10 episodes, various challenges will test their skills in areas like singing, dancing, acting, impersonation, improvisation, costume-making, makeovers, runway walking and, of course, lip-synching. One competitor is eliminated weekly.
The challenges will be familiar to viewers of the original 鈥淒rag Race,鈥 which has spinoffs in Chile, Thailand and the U.K., with Australia to come, but the judges promise a unique Canadian flavour.
鈥淚f Ru is the gumbo, then we鈥檙e kind of like the Canadian fusion of gumbo,鈥 said Bowyer-Chapman, referring to the fact that RuPaul鈥檚 name comes from 鈥渞oux,鈥 the base for the southern soup. 鈥淚t鈥檚 gonna be just as delicious with a little Canadian kick.鈥
Exactly what we鈥檒l see when 鈥淐anada鈥檚 Drag Race鈥 debuts on Crave is a closely guarded secret. I鈥檝e watched a five-minute preview of one of the challenges, but I鈥檓 not allowed to spill the tea, i.e. share the information in 鈥淒rag Race鈥 vernacular.
Let鈥檚 just say it looks as funny, naughty and snarky as you would hope.
Bowyer-Chapman said he was 鈥渂lown away and gagged every single day鈥 by the contestants, who 鈥渁re all talented in their own individual unique way.鈥
They include seven 海角社区官网queens: Tynomi Banks, Anastarzia Anaquway, BOA, Juice Boxx, Lemon, Priyanka and Scarlett BoBo. There are two queens from Montreal, Kiara and Rita Baga, and two from B.C., Ilona Verley of Vancouver and Jimbo of Victoria. Kyne, from Kitchener-Waterloo, rounds out the group.
McKenzie, 47, said she loves the diversity of the cast. She singled out Ilona, a two-spirit Indigenous artist who was 鈥渁ble to use this platform to tell her story, which is great.鈥
McKenzie, who was born in Jamaica, credits the drag shows she started seeing as a teen in 海角社区官网鈥 and later in New York, Paris and London as her modelling took off 鈥 with helping her embrace her own identity.
鈥淭hey were different looking. I could relate to them in a way because 鈥 I was different looking and I felt even more different looking when I was younger,鈥 she said. 鈥淭he drag scene 鈥 they embraced me, and they loved my look and they loved my voice, and they gave me that extra confidence for me to own who I am.鈥
For Bowyer-Chapman, 35, drag was also 鈥渁 beautiful introduction to my own self-exploration.鈥
Going to shows in Vancouver as a young man and seeing drag kings, nonbinary queens and trans men as well as more traditional drag queens helped him 鈥渞ecognize that I am not in the binary of straight or gay. I鈥檓 on the spectrum of queer. I鈥檓 drawn to every gender expression,鈥 he said.
One of the beauties of 鈥淒rag Race鈥 according to both Bowyer-Chapman and Hytes, 34, is how it humanizes drag queens.
鈥淒rag queens often have amazing life stories. A lot of the people who become drag queens have overcome huge obstacles in their lives to get to where they are,鈥 said Hytes. 鈥淥ne of my favourite things about drag becoming so mainstream is that it鈥檚 showing that we are people and that we do have stories and lives, and hopes and dreams, just like everybody else.鈥
Said Bowyer-Chapman: 鈥淭o have the artistry of drag, and specifically LGBTQ people, celebrated internationally it鈥檚 so important because for so long LGBTQ people, we鈥檝e been told that who we are, what our interests are, what our passions are, how we express ourselves, how we present ourselves to the world is not worthy of celebration.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been shamed for it, we鈥檝e been punished for it, we鈥檝e been murdered for it, so to 鈥 provide a safe space and a platform to not only celebrate queerness and otherness, but to place a crown on top of someone鈥檚 head and to give them $100,000, it鈥檚 so important.鈥
鈥淐anada鈥檚 Drag Race鈥 debuts July 2 at 9 p.m. on Crave.
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