Drag Race Philippines named Precious Paula Nicole as the first-ever Drag Race superstar in the biggest drag race competition in the country.
From twelve iconic queens, only four remained during the finale that aired this Wednesday night, October 12, 2022. The other top contenders were Xilhouette, Eva Le Queen, and Marina Summers.
As the show drew to a close, PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) looks back at some of the most controversial and most-talked-about moments in the competition which led to heated discourse among online fans.
VIÑAS DELUXE’S PINK PAK BOOM! RUNWAY LOOK
Pinay Drag Queens consistently served interesting looks on the Drag Race Philippines runway.
From their "Meet the Queens" look to every runway piece they have worn in the competition, the contestants surely did not disappoint.
But during the fifth runway challenge "Pink Pak Boom!," the 25-year old performer Viñas DeLuxe outfit was certainly not the judges’ favorite.
She wore a pink swimsuit and lace kimono robe–looking like a queen being pampered for a big event. She even accented the look with a wig full of pink curlers and a pink-colored facemask.
Viñas DeLuxe is one of the members of a popular drag group called "the Divine Divas." Aside from doing drag, Viñas is also the CEO of his own wig business DeLuxe Wigs PH.
A Twitter user cannot believe that Viñas runway outfit was not well-received by the show’s judges.
"Camp has always been a way to express creativity and individuality lalo na within the queer community; kaya it was hard for me watching the judges being dismissive of Viñas and her looks during the past few episodes.
"Fashion is camp and Camp is fashion," the netizen underlined on her Twitter account.
This post did not sit well with Drag Race Philippines host Paolo Ballesteros.
Addressing the Twitter user, Paolo tweeted, "Wala naman nagsabing this is not camp san nyo ba yon nakukuha paghindi ba nanalo sa runway or nabottom e hindi na camp? Sino ba ang may hawak ng batayan kung camp ba or not at mapalo nga.”
He pointed out that while he admires Viñas, he already donned a similar look during a photo shoot in 2021.
Paolo's tweet read (published as is): "I love viñas and her looks kc nagiisip. Hindi lang nagsusuot ng mga damit tas gagawa ng looks.
"But with this look, kung wow na wow sainyo ehmmm nagawa ko na po kase yan. 2021 pa. Photoshoot namen ni Honey. o ayan para sa mga madaming say [face with hand over mouth and grinning with sweat emojis]
"Yung may pasensya at energy na ipimpoint sayo isa isa [face with hand over mouth emoji] tas balitaan nyo nlng akik hehe. Kung di nyo pa den gets at matanggap, no prob naman. Gow. Past is past."
RAJO LAUREL’S “THIS IS TRASH” COMMENT
Drag Race Philippines guest judge and fashion designer Rajo Laurel drew criticicms from netizens after giving "harsh" comments to contestant Eva Le Queen’s runway outfit.
This happened during the seventh episode when the queens faced a design challenge dubbed “Divi-Divas," where they need to come up with a runway outfit from materials that can be bought in Divisoria.
Rajo described Eva Le Queen’s runway look as "ugly" and "trash" after her performance.
“And I’m being fierce because I know you can do better. And I’m being hard because I have seen what you can do," said Rajo.
Eva, for her part, took the criticisms graciously.
However, video clips of Rajo’s comments made rounds on social media and were even picked up by international Drag Queens.
One of them was RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Kandy Muse who tweeted, "I would have thrown a shoe at the judges, now critique that."
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"TAMPALPUKE"
The show also had its share of light and hilarious moments.
In the "Snatch Game" episode of Drag Race Philippines, the improv skills, wit, and comic timing of the queens were put to the test as they impersonated famous Pinoy personalities while playing in the "Match Game" spin-off.
The goal of the game is for the queens to stay true to the celebrities they're impersonating while delivering witty and hilarious punchlines.
The one that stood out is Eva Le Queen, who was then impersonating Kapuso comedy actress Ruffa Mae Quinto.
During the game, Paolo Ballesteros asked talent manager Jojie Dingcong to fill in the answer to the question, "Para i-represent ang mga Pilipino, Bruno Mars rewrote his hit song '[Blank] on the Floor.'"
Jojie answered, Mamaru on The Floor."
When Paolo asked the other queens to show their answers, Eva surprised everyone with the word that she came up with.
"Ang sagot ko—favorite ko kasi ito—tampalpuke," Eva said, while flawlessly channeling Rufa Mae's signature speaking voice.
"Itong tampalpuke—huy, totoong isda ito. Totoong isda ito sa Cavite, shoutout sa mga Caviteño. Ano ito, flounder fish. Ito yung best friend ni Ariel,” she added.
Eva's answer drew lots of laughter and became a trending topic on Twitter.
"Tampalpuke" sounded raunchy, but it was actually the local term for flounder fish.
And they thanked Eva Le Queen for sharing that informative bit of trivia.
Eva Le Queen is a former OFW who gave up her corporate job in Singapore to pursue her dreams of becoming a drag artist. She’s one of the founders of Drag Playhouse PH and a resident queen at Nectar, one of the famous LGBTQ+ nightclub in the metro.
THE SHOW’S FIRST-EVER "DOUBLE-SHANTAY"
In the same September 14 episode, Minty Fresh and Brigiding were up for elimination after the judges’ deliberation.
The two had to lipsync for their lives to Maymay Entrata’s Amakabogera. Adding to the thrill of the showdown was the fact that two are known to have had a previous rift.
After the showdown, viewers were shocked when Paolo Ballesteros announced the first "double-shantay" in the history of Drag Race Philippines–making both Brigiding and Minty Fresh still in the running to win DragRace Philippines.
"Shantay" as in "shantay you stay" is the term used on the show when a queen can stay in the competition, as opposed to "shashay away" when it's time for the contestant to go.
Every RuPaul’s Drag Race enthusiast knows that a double "shantay" in the competition is highly possible. But for Pinoys to see it in the local version was indeed a treat.
Here are some of the comments:
XILHOUETE’S AIRTIME
If there’s one queen who isn’t afraid to speak her mind, it will be Xilhouette.
Give her a chance to speak, and she’ll definitely do so—even for a long period of time, unconsciously stealing fellow contestants’ airtime.
Netizens were quick to notice that in every episode of Drag Race Philippines, the dark horse of the competition was always given substantial airtime.
Xilhouette serves as the Creative Director and one of the owners of Nectar Nightclub in BGC.
Drag Race Philippines's finale streamed tonight, September 12, on WOW Presents Plus, Discovery+, and HBO GO.