The internet has a lot of thoughts on the line-up for RuPaul’s Drag Race UK
Baga Chipz caught up with PinkNews from lockdown. (BBC)
It just wouldn’t be a new series of RuPaul’s Drag Race without the internet throwing shade, would it?
The BBC has finally announced which 10 queens will enter the werk room for the first time in RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
Among the queens competing to become Britain’s first drag superstar are Baga Chipz, a cabaret queen from London, Blu Hydrangea, a Belfast queen who describes her look as a “GCSE art project”, and Crystal, a British-Canadian “gender bending, ‘mess with your brain’ kinda drag queen”.
Joining them are Cheryl Hole, an Essex queen who calls herself a lip sync assassin, Gothy Kendoll, a 21-year-old fashion graduate from Leicester, and ex-All Together Now judge Divina De Campo, from Yorkshire.
Completing the line-up is Sum Ting Wong, a singing queen from Birmingham, bedroom queen Scaredy Kat, Drag Race’s youngest-ever contestant at 20-years-old, The Vivienne, who describes her look as “scouse wife”, and former Everybody’s Talking About Jamie actor Vinegar Strokes.
As the first images of the RuPaul’s Drag Race UK queens were released, Twitter users were quick to throw shade.
Drag Race UK contestants are dazzlingly butters
— Snuff Daddy (@ChairmanBLAOW) August 21, 2019
The cast of Drag Race UK are….interesting & kinda what I expected of UK drag…..cheap ?
— Gavin (@GavLawler) August 21, 2019
Some were surprised by how polished the queens looked.
The Drag Race UK queens don’t really look representative of British drag…. where’s the haggard 50 something with a nicotine stained beehive and clothes from Bon Marché?
— Rich (@richwalker1978) August 21, 2019
We didn’t really expect Drag Race UK to show the diversity and irreverence of the UK drag scene, did we? Anyway, good luck to them all. Except Baga. She can go.
— r i c ???? (@ricardo_jpl) August 21, 2019
Others had deeper concerns about the gender and racial diversity of the cast.
THAT SAID, I know it is the case with everything but I thought drag race might have been different and showcase a representative mix of the UK not just England with one token Irish – there are so many good Scottish Queens #DragRaceUK
— Katie✨ (@whtkatiedidnxt) August 21, 2019
Drag Race UK: qwhite something
— i am ant ?️? (@iamanthonyjames) August 21, 2019
There are so many amazing femme/bio queens & drag kings in the UK it’s frustrating they’re not being utilised in drag race. Yeah, it’s the first season, but still, they’ve had eleven others across the seas & they’ve had that opportunity even if they’ve not taken it, and-
— Elle? misses DragWorld? (@elledrawsdrag) August 21, 2019
Much of the conversation surrounded one of the contestant’s politics, after it emerged that Baga Chipz lent her support to the Tories on the eve of the 2017 general election.
just found out that baga chipz is a tory and i am RESIGNING from the lgbtq+ community
— alison ? (@aIisonhaIl) August 20, 2019
But for others, there were issues of higher national importance.
drag race uk has me EXCITED for snatch game for the first time in my life because i’m actually gonna know all the impersonations… baga chipz saying she’d fo deirdre from corrie is making me screeeeeam
— alicia (@whouffaldi) August 21, 2019Honestly if drag race uk doesn’t incorporate the talents of @SophieASlut and @more_milf then they fundamentally don’t understand camp.
— Max Kruemcke (@MaxCookie) August 21, 2019
With more than a month left to go until the series begins, it’s safe to say we’re in for quite the ride.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK arrives in October on BBC iPlayer.
