SUBSTANCE AND SURPRISES
MARIA CRISTINA, NAIA AND SHEWARMA ADVANCE AS ‘DRAG DEN’ FINALISTS IN EPISODE OF
The first Filipino-produced drag competition included a lip-synch battle as twist
Drag queens Maria Cristina, Naia and Shewarma were announced as the top three finalists of Drag Den, during its sixth episode, which debuted on 12 January on Amazon’s streaming platform Prime Video.
At the start of “Round 6: Drag is Political” of the Filipino-produced drag competition series, Drag Runner Sassa Gurl announced the contestant rankings based on the last episode, with Aries Night and O-A tying for the top spot, followed by Naia (second), Pura Luka Vega, (third), Barbie-Q (fourth), Lady Gagita (fifth), Shewarma (sixth) and Maria Cristina (seventh).
For first challenge, Themewear Drag Test, Drag Lord Manila Luzon revealed that the category was “Pinoy Protest Fashion” and introduced regular Drag Dealer Nicole Cordoves and guest Drag Enforcer Antoinette Jadaone, the show’s producer and award-winning filmmaker.
On the runway, the eight competitors showed their interpretations of the theme in fashion and personas — O-A as U Kay, commenting on fast fashion and labor issues; Aries Night as Gising, taking Juan Luna’s Spoliarium to illustrate oppression; Pura Luka Vega as Gun Violence, denouncing police brutality and abuses; Barbie-Q as Jenniffer Louder, decrying violence against transgender women; Lady Gagita as Cancel Cancel Culture, commenting on cancel culture; Shewarma as Stop Killing Farmers, speaking against the killing of farmers; Maria Cristina as U = U, espousing HIV awareness; and Naia as The Rebel Women, speaking against extrajudicial killings and Oplan Tokhang.
For the next challenge, Main Drag Showdown, with the category “Women of Power, the queens must answer the question, “If you could eliminate any social issue that disempowers women, LGBTQ people and the youth, what would it be and why?” They must not only serve looks but also give a speech on their advocacy. Another guest, Miss Trans Global 2020 and activist Mela Habijan, appeared to give advice to the contestants.
“May lalim ‘yung drag. At ‘yun ang lagi natin panghahawakan (Drag has depth. And that is what we always uphold), the drag is not just spectacle, but it allows us to see different perspectives so that we can learn to appreciate, not just the entertainment but humanity,” she said. Barbie-Q as Filipina Transdyosa spoke about transgender rights, while Naia as
Corruption shared her story of being harassed, bullied and sent death threats after she joined an anti-Martial Law protest rally, which resulted to anxiety problems.
“And I want to let it all out now on the stage because I do not want to be afraid any longer. But my message for the youth is that to rebel is justified in a world that is unjust, that you have to believe in what you’re fighting for, and you always have to have your community by you, and I found my community here at Drag Den,” she said.
Pura Luka Vega as Mother Nature wanted to normalize talks on mental health and to make services available especially for queer people and the youth, while Lady Gagita as Confidently Powerful With a Heart talked against bullying and about being confident. She also shared that former Vice President Leni Robredo served as inspiration because she remained calm despite being bashed and being a victim of disinformation.
Maria Cristina as Women of Color spoke for the “victims” of “broken families” and told them “that you choose your own family from the community you belong to,” while O-A shared about being gay, the struggles she endured and overcoming them.
Shewarma as Barda! promoted body positivity, while Aries Night as Textile Memory fought for the separation of church and state.
Before tallying all the scores, Manila added a twist — a lip-synch showdown as Dragdagulan bonus round — which enabled the winner to earn extra points.
The queens lip-synched the song “Sinner” by Kio Priest and Paulo Castro and then Manila revealed the ranking: Pura Luka Vega in eighth place, O-A in seventh place, Aries Night in sixth place, Lady Gagita in fifth place and Barbie-Q in fourth place. The top three queens — Maria Cristina, Shewarma, and Naia — remained to compete further until one of them clinched the title of Drag Supreme.
Manila closed the show with a commentary: “As women all over the world continue to suffer from inequality and abuse, the fight for equality is far from over. And as we work together to make the room bigger for all women, let’s not forget our struggles are intersectional and that trans women are women. Drag will always be and always has been political. And oh, the future is a woman.”