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Canada’s first Drag Superstar is named on ‘Canada’s Drag Race’

September 4, 2020 /
“Canada’s Drag Race” finalists Rita Baga, Scarlett BoBo and Priyanka. ALL PHOTOS: Bell Media

They wore it well, they danced it well, they sang it well, they walked it well — the top three did Canada proud on the first season finale of “Canada’s Drag Race.” And I do mean proud. I am really proud of all three.

Also, I’m glad I’m not a judge because I could have pictured any of the final three walking away with the crown and the title of Canada’s first “Drag Superstar.”

Montreal’s Rita Baga killed it in the maxi-challenge: rewriting and remixing RuPaul’s “U Wear It Well” and then lip-syncing it to a dance routine choreographed by Hollywood Jade. Rita’s lyrics were the best, she sang them the best and, despite her troubles in rehearsal, she killed the choreography and looked hot doing it.

Scarlett BoBo, Rita Baga and Priyanka perform RuPaul’s “U Wear It Well” in the last maxi-challenge.

So did Toronto’s Priyanka and Scarlett BoBo, who also both slayed on the “Coronation Eleganza” runway: Scarlett in a beautiful black gown with a flowing train and hot pink lining; Priyanka in a gorgeous, sparkling West Indian lehenga. And if I didn’t love Rita’s green-skinned alien queen look, I can still appreciate the artistry behind it.

And then there was the lip sync, with all three queens performing “You’re a Superstar” by Love, Inc. Wouldn’t you know that the contestant who hadn’t lip synced all season was the one who blew the roof off the place when she finally got her chance?

Scarlett BoBo promised Canada “the best fucking lip sync they have ever seen” and she delivered.

Scarlett BoBo spun and cartwheeled and death-dropped and high-kicked and hair-flipped and slid across the stage on her knees, and spun right out of her dress partway through to reveal a black and nude bodysuit underneath.

So who won the title and the $100,000 prize? The pop star, the rock star or the French Canadian diva? Go ahead and say her name: it was Priyanka (my personal favourite).

Canada’s Drag Superstar Priyanka with her sceptre. It comes with a matching crown.

The judges didn’t explain their decision, but earlier Brooke Lynn Hytes called Priyanka a star. “She just has that ‘it’ factor,” Brooke said.

And she’s right, Priyanka is a star — and that’s after just two and a half years of doing drag. But Rita and Scarlett are stars too and though they lost, they also won. They’ve gained valuable exposure from being on the show; they’ve taken their drag to a new level and they’ve elevated Canada’s drag scene in general by demonstrating how talented our queens are.

All 12 “Canada’s Drag Race” queens with judges Stacey McKenzie,
Brooke Lynn Hytes, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman and guest host Traci Melchor.

And not just them, but all 12 of the contestants, with the eliminated queens back for a final walk on the runway and to show their support for the finalists. It was a great season and I really hope, pandemic permitting, there will be more to come — and not just because it’s entertaining to watch.

There were several reminders throughout the finale that “Drag Race” is about more than the competition and all the things viewers love so much about it: Snatch Game and Everyone Loves Puppets, and the runways and the makeovers, the reading and the shade and so on.

The top three queens got a couple of chances in the finale to talk about what drag meant to them and it kept coming back to two things: wanting to inspire other people and wanting to be their true selves.

Priyanka, Scarlett BoBo and Rita Baga in the werk room.

“Drag saved my life,” Scarlett told Traci and Jeffrey in an interview. “Drag was the only thing that made me feel like I took up space in the world and I meant something.” Later, she told the judges she wanted to give “all the queer youth the armour it will take for them to rise above and come to this point right here,” and to inspire people who, like her, might feel like they never fit in.

Rita Baga, who’s done drag for 13 years, also talked about feeling like an outsider. Priyanka said she wanted people to feel “loved” and “lifted” through her drag. And she talked about how proud she was to represent her culture on the runway. (Speaking of representing culture, Ilona Verley wore a version of an Indigenous jingle dress on the finale.)

One of my favourite parts of the episode were the moments of sisterhood between the queens, whether it was Rita giving an encouraging look to Priyanka as she talked about her runway look; the finalists all holding hands at the end of the lip sync; or Ilona, Lemon and Kiara telling Scarlett, Priyanka and Rita how proud they were of them.

There was a cloud hanging over the season because of hate being spewed online by people who didn’t like the judging or were angry when their favourites got voted off. I’m not a drag expert, but that kind of thing seems completely at odds with an art form that’s all about acceptance.

Jimbo does a multi-coloured reveal on the final “Canada’s Drag Race” runway.

Better to focus on the positive: we have a very deserving winner, it was a fun season — and we got to enjoy another special Jimbo look.

As Priyanka said at the start of the night, “Jimbo is a literal creature from outer space brought here to entertain the masses.” For which the masses are grateful, to her and all the queens.

Shedding tears for a clown on ‘Canada’s Drag Race’

August 28, 2020 /
“Drag Race” legend Michelle Visage with Canadian judges Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman,
Brooke Lynn Hytes and Stacey McKenzie. ALL PHOTOS: Bell Media

SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU DON’T KNOW WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED ON “CANADA’S DRAG RACE” EPISODE 9, STOP NOW, COME BACK LATER.

There’s a certain irony to the fact that Canada’s favourite drag clown was eliminated from “Canada’s Drag Race” after another contestant clowned around in the lip sync.

Look, I’m as shocked as many of you. I prescreened the episode right up until the end of the lip sync (I never find out who won until the episode airs); I wrote almost an entire post based on the assumption that Rita Baga lost because I couldn’t imagine Jimbo getting sent home. Not only am I sorry to see Jimbo go, I had to start my whole friggin’ post over from scratch.

Jimbo’s crown threatened to fall off during the lip sync while Rita Baga had to tear off her long skirt.

I wasn’t jumping up and down over either lip sync performance, to be honest, but Rita seemed to get the judges onside by playing for comic effect. She tore off her long, tight skirt mid-song with the help of scissors stashed in her bodice; she made fun of the awkwardness of the foam ice on her dress; she slid across the stage on her butt.

Jimbo, on the other hand, was going for sultry and sexy, but was hampered by her gown and the giant crown of Christmas paraphernalia on her head. By the end of Tegan and Sara’s “Closer” she could only use one arm at a time because the other was keeping the crown from falling off.

So here we are: the top three are Rita, Priyanka and Scarlett BoBo. Is it the top three I envisioned? No, I would have figured Jimbo, Priyanka, and either Rita or Lemon, but you know, I’m not mad about this.

Jimbo is talented as hell and, once the pandemic releases its grip on the entertainment industry, she’s going to be in high demand.

Let’s backtrack to how we ended up with a couple of ice queens battling it out for the last spot in the top three.

The episode began with a victory for Rita, her first in a mini-challenge, after the top four queens did screen tests singing comedic versions of “O Canada,” coached by comedian Sabrina Jaleez. Rita and Jimbo were definitely the funniest.

But that was child’s play compared to the maxi-challenge, creating three looks for a “snow ball,” the final one made from scratch: “Executive Holiday Party Realness,” “Apres the Apres Ski Icy Walk of Shame” and “Ice Queen Eleganza.” And the queens were walking the runway in front of legendary “RuPaul’s Drag Race” judge Michelle Visage. Cue the nerves.

As the queens prepped their outfits, much was made of the the fact that Scarlett didn’t know how to sew. You might have figured she was headed for the bottom, which was of course the point of all those references to her lack of sewing skills, but you would be wrong. Scarlett finally won a maxi-challenge. Talk about peaking at the right time!

The judges described Scarlett BoBo’s look as “rocker white walker.”

The judges were gagging for Scarlett’s ice queen look of silver hot pants and bra festooned with faux pearls, and silver and faux fur cape. It definitely wasn’t the bet sewing job, but the judges focused instead on Scarlett’s “rocker white walker” vibe. And I have to say her makeup was spectacular.

Also, her “Icy Walk of Shame” snow bunny outfit was adorable and she looked like a proper boss in her “Executive Holiday Party Realness” suit.

Personally, I preferred Priyanka’s runway overall. I know, I know, she risked Michelle Visage’s wrath by wearing a bodysuit “with stuff stuck on it” for her Ice Queen look with a paper skirt (did she learn nothing from the paper “knight” costumes in Episode 4?), but her hair and makeup were fabulous. And I loved, loved, loved the Christmas tree executive suit and the slutty morning-after-the-party look of a sweater (or was it a parka, as Michelle said) belted with a maple leaf.

Priyanka said she loves Christmas. We never would have guessed.

What didn’t I love? Everything Rita wore. Her long executive blazer was boring. The hideous nylon track suit and mullet for her walk of shame? Sure, Michelle Visage found her hilarious and called her runway “performance art,” but I didn’t get it. And I appreciate the work that went into sewing her Ice Queen gown, but it wasn’t flattering. Brooke was dead right about it needing a waist.

And what of Jimbo? To her face, the judges were mostly complimentary except that Brooke found her crown awkward and Michelle had an issue with her makeup. Privately, Brooke said she was really disappointed in Jimbo and that she had gotten too comfortable. I confess I was underwhelmed by all three of her outfits and I can’t even put my finger on why. Just didn’t love them.

Jimbo does her “Icy Walk of Shame” in a romper, moon boots and very fuzzy coat.

Every “Drag Race” episode has what you could call a teachable moment. This week’s saw the judges holding up photos of each queen as a little boy and asking them what they’d tell their younger selves.

Every queen was in tears. Every message was a variation on believing in yourself and being true to yourself. Every message also touched on past pain, whether it was Priyanka telling young Mark, “You’re gonna have a really hard time growing up because people are gonna be really mean to you”; or Scarlett, who earlier talked about watching her alcoholic stepfather beat her mother, telling young Matty that “no matter how hard it gets to keep pushing through.”

But the main takeaway for me was that these are real people with real feelings, just as on any reality competition. So if you’re cyberbullying any of these queens because you’re pissed that they won a lip sync and your favourite went home — or any of the judges because you didn’t like their comments — give your head a shake and get the fuck over yourself.

Jimbo leaves ’em laughing as she exits “Canada’s Drag Race.”

As far as exits go, Jimbo put on a great show. She dropped to her knees, screamed “Whyyyyyyyy?” and then face-planted on the stage and crawled away. The judges laughed so hard I think they might have peed themselves a little. It was a fitting farewell for a clown.

Backstage, Jimbo was proud of herself for making final four. “Drag is all around us,” she said. “It’s the costume, the character that you put on in the morning to face the world, and anyone that can fearlessly self-express and share that in the world should be commended.” And then she smeared red lipstick all around her mouth and laughed maniacally.

I can’t believe it, but next week is the finale. The top three queens have to rewrite and remix RuPaul’s “U Wear It Well.” All 12 contestants return, so expect some shade. And most important, Canada’s first Drag Superstar will be crowned. Until then . . .

Catch the “Canada’s Drag Race” finale Thursday at 9 p.m. on Crave.

Make ’em laugh or you might go home on ‘Canada’s Drag Race’

August 14, 2020 /
From left, Jimbo, Scarlett BoBo, Rita Baga, Lemon, Ilona Verley and Priyanka in the first ever
“Drag Race” pageant on “Canada’s Drag Race.” PHOTO CREDIT: All photos Bell Media

SPOILER ALERT: DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHO WON AND LOST THIS WEEK ON CANADA’S DRAG RACE? THEN DON’T READ THIS YET.

Never mind world peace – the queens couldn’t keep the peace in the werkroom on “Canada’s Drag Race.”

Tensions were high this week, which featured the first drag pageant in “Drag Race” her-story. (And yes, the old “world peace” pageant Q&A cliche was trotted out.)

Lemon was still pissed about the four girls who said she deserved to go home last week. Ilona claimed it was because they were all jealous of Lemon.

Ilona had perhaps the funniest insult, referring privately to Rita Baga as “that old one” and “a senior citizen.” Girl, I’m pretty sure Rita’s still in her 30s. She’s mature, yes; old, no.

Scarlett BoBo was the most snappish of the queens. The fact she hadn’t yet won a challenge was weighing on her. 

She took it out on Ilona in the werkroom: something about being mad at Ilona because she rolled her eyes, I don’t really know. Priyanka called it “the ‘Seinfeld’ of all fights” because it was about nothing, and that sounds about right.

Scarlett BoBo was told her runway outfit was “magnificent.”

So would this be Scarlett’s week? After all, she was told she was “magnificent” on the runway and she did well in the pageant . . . but nope, sorry, Lemon won again, making good on her boast that she was going to “prove a lot of bitches wrong.”

Judge Brooke Lynn Hytes told Scarlett earlier that “slow and steady wins the race,” but does it? I don’t know.

“It just sucks. I’ve been trying so hard and no one sees me,” Scarlett said after Lemon’s victory, her second in a maxi-challenge.

So if you’re keeping score, that’s Rita at three wins, Lemon two, Priyanka and Jimbo at one each.

And what of fan favourite Jimbo?

The clown queen excelled in the pageant. The deal was that each queen had to play a character in the “Miss Loose Jaw” pageant. Jimbo’s was Miss Behavin’, the “the town bicycle” and “sex-positive horndoggess,” and Jimbo played it to the dirty hilt.

For example, in her intro speech, she said her life’s ambition was “to lose my gag reflex all together.” And then, after fellating the microphone, “Wow, that tastes really good . . . like strangers.”

I laughed more at that than I did at Lemon’s mime routine, clever as it was.

Judge Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman said Jimbo’s runway outfit wasn’t glamorous.
Jimbo questioned his knowledge of the English language.

Alas, Jimbo got savage reviews on the runway (the theme was Pageant Perfection) for her hot pink dress trimmed in marabou feathers, which had a skirt pouffy enough to hide a couple more drag queens underneath.

To say it wasn’t glamorous, as judge Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman did, is preposterous — she was wearing freakin’ marabou and faux diamonds and gloves — but I do agree with Brooke and Stacey McKenzie that it wasn’t a flattering shape. Nonetheless I understand why Jimbo was pissed, particularly at Jeffrey.

Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman described Lemon’s pageant look as “JonBenet Shablamsey.”

“I think he maybe needs to look up the word glamour,” Jimbo said about Jeffrey during the untuck.

She’s got a point. I mean, if Jimbo’s gown wasn’t glamour, how did Lemon’s imitation of a five-year-old pageant contestant pass that test? Maybe her interpretation of the runway theme was “genius,” as Brooke said it was, but that pouffy yellow tutu skirt wasn’t any more figure-flattering than Jimbo’s as far as I could see.

The judges told Rita Baga her runway gown was “stunning.”
“Bitch, I need this dress,” said Brooke Lynn Hytes.

My favourite gowns of the week were Rita’s cream and black strapless mermaid number (although I’m with Jimbo, the wig did look fried, perhaps not “like a grandma dunked her head in the toilet” fried, but still) and Scarlett’s nude chiffon and sequins and black lace confection.

Heck, I might have given Scarlett the whole enchilada just for her runway look, even though I didn’t find her as funny in the pageant as Lemon, but I’m not a judge, so what do I know?

And let’s revisit the pageant for a moment and pay tribute to one of the pageant judges, Michelle DuBarry, Canada’s oldest performing drag queen and at one time the world’s (sorry, the interwebs tell me somebody else took that title away from her in 2016, the bitch).

The “Canada’s Drag Race” top six with Canada’s oldest performing drag queen, Michelle DuBarry.
Wigs off to you, Madame.

“I feel like she’s lived through so many major gay events and historical moments, and she’s been there right at the front fighting for us,” Lemon said in the werkroom.

The older generation of queens, “they’re the ones who gave us the right and freedom to be our openly queer selves, so we have to make sure that we’re always giving thanks . . . because Michelle DuBarry paved the way for all of us,” added Scarlett.

Well said.

OK, back to the competition.

Ilona Verley and Priyanka lip sync to a song by guest host Allie X.

If you saw the pageant, you wouldn’t be surprised that Ilona and Priyanka had to lip sync for their lives — the second time for both — even though the judges loved Priyanka’s beautiful gold and blue dress. Ilona’s mopey Miss Erable and Priyanka’s angry Miss Demeanour just weren’t funny.

Luckily for Priyanka, she turned on the funny during the lip sync to “Hello” by guest host Allie X (more on her later), keeping the judges laughing by waving to them and playing various air instruments. Ilona emoted the hell out of it, but I think the judges had already decided her time was up.

She was all class as she sashayed away. “This has been amazing as a non-binary person to be able to come on this show and be open about being who I am as a two-spirit Indigenous person. And I hope that my story, and just me being here and being myself, can inspire and empower other people like me.”

Amen to that Sissy.

Guest host Allie X visits Ilona Verley in the werkroom after her exit from the stage.

What really made me tear up was when Allie X came to the werkroom to give Ilona a hug and tell her how taken she was with Ilona’s “spirit and being.” It was a sweet exchange. In fact, Allie brought a sweet and generous demeanour in general to the judges’ table. And, you know, she described Rita as “a glamazon zamboni smoothing out the whole stage.” That’s some inspired critiquing right there.

Next week, the top five queens meet newcomers to Canada on the Rainbow Railroad, which helps LGBTQ people escape persecution in other countries, and give them drag makeovers. I suspect that will elicit some tears as well. Until then . . .

You can catch “Canada’s Drag Race” Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Crave.

The heart goes on, this queen not so much on ‘Canada’s Drag Race’

July 31, 2020 /
Clockwise from bottom left: Rita Baga as Edith Piaf, BOA as Gypsy Rose Blanchard, Jimbo as Joan Rivers, Scarlett BoBo as Liza Minnelli in the first Canadian Snatch Game. PHOTO CREDIT: Bell Media

SPOILER ALERT: DON’T READ THIS UNLESS YOU’RE COOL WITH LEARNING THE RESULTS OF EPISODE 5 OF “CANADA’S DRAG RACE.”

Can we talk?

Canada had its first ever “Snatch Game” on Thursday night and, thanks to Jimbo doing a hilarious Joan Rivers and a few other excellent impersonations, it was a hoot.

I mean, I had never seen JoJo Siwa before (sorry, I missed “Dance Moms”), but Lemon cracked me up as the over-enthusiastic teenager. Ditto with porn star Rebecca More — Ilona Verley earned some genuine laughs impersonating the bawdy Brit (Brooke Lynn Hytes: “Spell cock”; Ilona as Rebecca: “C-ock”). Rita Baga was fantastic as a cranky, sleepy version of French singer Edith Piaf and Scarlett BoBo did a decent Liza Minnelli.

(Don’t take my word for it. Check it out on Crave if you haven’t seen the episode yet.)

Lemon killed as JoJo Siwa of “Dance Moms” fame. PHOTO CREDIT: Bell Media

But what the hell happened to Priyanka? Even though I had never heard of psychic Miss Cleo I figured Priyanka was going to kill it given her triumphs in the ‘Her-itage Moments” and “Canada Gay-M” challenges. Instead she was like a deer in the headlights whenever Brooke Lynn came to her for answers. 

Priyanka claimed she was good at improv as a former kids’ TV host. I guess children are way easier to please than a bunch of drag queens and a couple of gay designers (hello Colin and Justin).

What’s that Priyanka? The Toronto queens are “dropping like flies”? No shit. Priyanka ended up in the bottom two but survived the lip sync against Montreal’s Kiara.

I’ve had Priyanka figured for top three or four, at least. Maybe Miss Cleo would know . . . er, never mind.

Thursday solidified Victoria’s Jimbo and Montreal’s Rita Baga as the front-runners. They’re both smart, quick-witted and inventive on the runway.

Speaking of the runway — “Night of a Thousand Celines” as in Dion — Jimbo was a hit there too as she recreated Celine Dion’s 2019 Paris Fashion Week look. Together with her Snatch Game triumph, it won Jimbo the maxi-challenge.

Jimbo does Celine Dion’s Paris Fashion Week outfit, but way sparklier. PHOTO CREDIT: Bell Media

Jimbo’s wasn’t my favourite look, however. That was Priyanka, who started out in a replica of Dion’s over-the-top 1994 wedding dress and fur cape then stripped off to reveal a copy of her gold gown from the 2016 Billboard Music Awards.

Rita Baga did a double look too — the white Eurovision coat dress from 1988 and a sparkly black mini dress from Dion’s tour that same year — but it wasn’t as impressive as Priyanka’s.

Given Priyanka’s runway excellence, I don’t get how she ended up in bottom two instead of BOA, who underwhelmed the judges with both her Snatch Game and her copy of Dion’s fringed Met Gala dress. Maybe it’s just me.

Kiara had a nice look — a sparkly, ruffly version of Dion’s little black 2019 album release dress — but her Snatch Game was just as bad as Priyanka’s. Let’s just say if you have a strong Quebecois accent, imitating a celeb who doesn’t sound French is not the best call. Kiara might have redeemed herself with a clever answer or two to Brooke’s questions, but she had nothin’.

However, she definitely left it all on the stage in an epic lip sync to Dion’s version of “I Drove All Night” — perhaps a little too much as there were moments she looked frantic. Priyanka struck a better balance between tricks and emoting for the win.

Kiara and Priyanka lip sync for their lives on “Canada’s Drag Race.” PHOTO CREDIT: Bell Media

And can I pause here and say I loved comedian Mary Walsh as guest host? (Mary to Brooke: “Miss Brooke Lynn Hytes, have you ever tasted cod tongue?” Brooke: “I’m sorry, I don’t speak East Coast lesbian.”)

The episode marked another first for Canada’s drag queens: the first reading session. Lemon won that mini-challenge, but I would have given it to Rita Baga. After all, she had the audacity to read Brooke Lynn: “I’m very grateful that we have this opportunity to do ‘Drag Race’ so finally a Canadian can win ‘Drag Race.'” That’s gotta take balls, tucked or untucked.

Anyway, if you want to talk about being shady, next week the seven remaining queens have to tell the judges which of their fellow queens should go home and why. Until then . . .

Catch “Canada’s Drag Race” Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Crave.

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