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RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race Season 2 kicked off on Friday with a bang, with nine celebrities concealing their identities in the hopes of being crowned the ultimate celebrity drag superstar at the end.
The "America's Next Celeb Drag Superstar" will win a cash prize of $100,000 for their favorite charity at the end of the show. The show was judged by Michelle Visage, Ross Mathews, Carson Kressley, and RuPaul, who delivered the iconic line,
“drag doesn’t hide who you are, it reveals who you are.”
All about the premiere episode of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race
The premiere episode of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race aired on August 12 on VH1 with nine celebrities taking to the stage. The synopsis of episode 1 reads:
"A whopping nine celebrities from different walks of life leave their famous identities behind to embrace the miracle of drag."
Viewers will not learn the identities of the celebrities until they are eliminated from the show. The nine queens made their show debut with the following introductions:
1) Poppy Love
Poppy Love was the first secret celebrity queen to take the stage in RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race, performing an energetic rendition of Alanis Morissette's You Ougtha Know.
The celeb behind the queen said that he has been performing since he was 4 years old. Love further said,
"I'm a straight man, but now I'm doing this because I'm a huge advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. I'm really in touch with my masculine side and my feminine side. I'd love this opportunity to really go all in."
He turned to drag as it meant "stepping outside of your body and outside of your comfort zone. You have more freedom. " Judge Michelle Visage was captivated by his performance as he "went full-throttle" on stage.
2) CHAKRA 7
CHAKRA 7, who lip synced to I'm Every Woman by Chaka Khan, has grown up “listening to RuPaul's songs," and has been performing since she was “a little girl." The persona behind the drag identity said,
"People have always known who I am. I can't hide, so assuming a new identity is really exciting for me."
Charkra 7 received a lot of love from the judges in RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race. Judge Kressley praised her performance, saying:
"It was fierce and fabulous. ... it was fantastic!"
3) Donna Bellissima
The third performer of the night was Donna Bellissima, whose performance of Nicki Minaj's Super Bass impressed the judges. The celebrity queen has been in show business for 20 years but "remained in the closet" as he "grappled with femininity as an issue a lot." Now on RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race, he "wants to be able to get up there and celebrate all that."
Donna's self-assurance was apparent, and the judges praised her comedic performance.
4) Milli Von Sunshine
Milli Von Sunshine's performance on Ava Max's Sweet But Psycho was "incredibly effortless," as per Kressley. The celeb behind Sunshine never imagined "competing in a drag competition," but here she was "taking great risks to have great rewards." About RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race, the entertainer and the performer said,
"Drag is just this other art form and this other identity that you step into. This is a new discovery for me — an exploration and adventure. I want to celebrate the art of drag and bring some happy, positive energy into this world."
5) Jackie Would
Jackie Would selected Juice by Lizzo to perform on RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race. The judges, however, were unimpressed by the performance. Would had this to say about the performance:
"I'm super passionate at what I do. Professionally, I'm an expert in my field. I am not an expert in this space. There's something sort of sexy about the idea of not being yourself and sort of stepping into this other realm."
Before taking the stage, the celebrity stated that she combines "a little bit of class and a lot of sass."
6) Electra Owl
The sixth queen of the night, Electra Owl, chose Pink's Raise Your Glass to perform on the show. Despite finding drag extremely “daunting," the secret celebrity says that they are,
“really looking forward to the process because I love, once you get on stage, you're somebody new. It's your journey on how you find this other person; this other being-ness inside of you."
Even the judges were happy to see the celebrity getting comfortable on stage.
7) Thirsty Von Trap
A “huge fan of the art of drag” Thirsty Von Trap mesmerized the judges with his performance of The Pussycat Dolls' hit Don't Cha. He believes that drag is “an exercise in self-confidence” and “gives you the permission to be whatever version of yourself that you want to be.” After the act, Judge Kressley said:
"Super fun, super enjoyable, very fulfilling for me."
8) Fabulosity
Fabulosity was the second-last performer on the show. Speaking about her character, Fabulosity, the star said:
"I've had a very interesting career. I never thought I'd be in a drag competition but I'm at an age now where I want to do whatever the hell I want! You know what? It's exciting and new and I can't wait to see how fabulous I'm going to look!"
But her performance on Mary J. Blige's Just Fine failed to impress the judges on the show. Judge Kressley said:
"Some of the moves and some of the dance may have been a little tentative, but realize and remember that you have the best support team in the entire drag world working with you."
9) Chic-Li- Fay
Chic-Li-Fay introduced himself as someone who “came from music” and was on a “television show.” The “big fan of Drag Race” performed on Ciara's Goodies. Judge Kressley was highly enthralled by the performance on RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race. He said:
"You can't be a professional drag queen or else you wouldn't be here, but you should be because that was so professional. The presentation, the wardrobing, the hair, the attitude, the showmanship. Working the stage, working the camera, working the judges — it was all really, really fantastic."
At the end of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race episode 1, Poppy Love was named the winner of the premiere episode. After a lip sync battle between Fabulosity and Jackie, the former was voted off. Fabulosity was then revealed to be Emmy winner Loretta DeVine.
Tune in on Friday to watch the second episode of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race on VH1.
