The Pinoy adaptation of Rupaul’s Drag Race has brought the viewers the journey of a lifetime, and fans all over the country witnessed high-value of entertainment on the DRPH stage.
Precious Paula Nicole was declared the first-ever Filipino Drag Race Superstar in the finale episode of Drag Race Philippines which was aired last October 12.
Precious bested 11 other queens and competed against Marina Summers for the final showdown.
The Pinoy adaptation of Rupaul’s Drag Race has brought the viewers the journey of a lifetime, and fans all over the country witnessed high-value of entertainment on the DRPH stage.
From show-stopper runway presentations, hilarious banters, comedy acts, and gag-worthy song & dance numbers, to bring-the-house-down “lip-synch for your life” performances.
Start your engine and buckle up as SubSelfie travels down memory lane and recall the most-talked-about moments in the competition.
VIÑAS DELUXE’S CAMPY ENTRANCE LOOK IN THE FIRST EPISODE
Who cannot forget Willow Pill’s iconic Angle entrance look?
Well, the Philippines got its very own when Pambansang Bunganga Viñas Deluxe strutted the werk room wrapped in a white towel as if she just finished her shower and belting her “grating, annoying, and obnoxious” voice (as described by Eva Le Queen).
With this look, one can all tell that she’s bringing her fun and campy personality to the competition and she did it with flying colors. Even her fellow queens were gagged when she entered!
LADY MORGANA’S CONFETTI
When queens had to lip-synch for their lives, it is an unspoken rule that they had to bring their A-game on stage to impress the judges, and Davaoeña drag queen Lady Morgana is no exception.
On the first elimination during the pilot episode, she had to lip-synch for her life against fellow contestant Prince.
In the past franchises, we see drag queens do outfit ruvelation or wig change — but Lady Morgana’s gimmick was different. She surprised everyone by throwing confetti!
Who wouldn’t be surprised by confetti, right?
Viewers might be sad to let Prince go in the first episode, but the bubbly Dalaygon queen was saved to stay in the competition.
Lady Morgana’s same gimmick made Turing go in episode 4 too.
POP OFF ATE!
To see every racer’s versatility in the competition, they are usually given challenges like rusical (musical), producing TV ads, and designing their own outfits.
One of the staples is the girl group challenge where the queens are divided into two groups and are tasked to perform on stage.
Each queen had to write their own verse for the song that they were performing, incorporate their own style, and sing or rap it.
The episode was extra special as they invited Nadine Lustre, who was a former member of a girl group, to coach the Pinay queens during the recording session.
XILHOUETE’S LENGTHY RESPONSE
If netizens were to rank the queen who has gotten much airtime during the season, we bet most viewers would consider Xilhouete to be the top.
Each time Xilhouete was given an opportunity to say something, she would really take it.
She may sometimes come off as a know-it-all or an arrogant queen but behind that persona is a caring and supportive drag momma.
In the past episodes, she would always share how her grandmother took on the role of being her mom when she was growing up.
She then revealed that it is the reason why she wants to be a good drag mother and impart so many lessons to the younger drag queens.
SNATCH GAME
In the Drag Race herstory, the ‘Snatch Game’ is the most awaited episode of all time.
Snatch Game has been the show’s tradition in every season. The game is hosted by RuPaul and played by queens who impersonate their chosen famous characters.
The host asks the guests to fill in the blanks and the queens have to match their answers. The goal is to make the host and guests laugh at the jokes and banters.
When we ask for camp and comedy, Viñas Deluxe will serve it hot and delicious!
While we can forgive her Boy Abunda impersonation, her own version of Kris Aquino was a meal that made us all salivate and left us craving for more.
From the signature Queen of All Media laugh to her condescending and tactless remarks toward other players, Viñas Deluxe indeed slayed it.
Drag Race Philippines’ Snatch Game also became a venue to learn a thing or two, as Eva Le Queen in her Rufa Mae Quinto impression taught the viewers something new.
In one of the questions during the game, Eva answered ‘Tampalpuke’ which made everyone clueless.
She had to explain to them that ‘tampalpuke’ is actually a term used to describe a flat fish. From then on, she calls her fans tampalpukeans.
Meanwhile, Marina Summers’ impersonation of Former PGMA was a perfection.
The drag queen made the viewers gag with every punchline she delivered that night from her ‘snatch’ jokes to her “baddest bitch in the game” remark.
DOUBLE SHANTAY
Not all seasons of the US franchise had a double shantay, so it was a surprise for Filipino viewers to witness the first-ever double shantay in Drag Race Philippines history.
During the lip-sync for your life battle in episode 6, Minty Fresh and Brigiding did their best in performing Maymay Entrata’s Amakabogera.
The fight between the two queens was intense since they had a rift in an earlier episode.
EVA LE QUEEN’S MELTDOWN
After a design challenge in episode 7, Eva Le Queen runway look was not well received by the judges.
Guest judge Rajo Laurel called her out for her black and gold Divi-Divas ensemble. He commented that the piece was ‘trash’ comparing it to what she did in the previous design challenge.
During “Untucked”, Eva Le Queen was really doing good at first and was able to graciously accept Rajo Laurel’s comment.
It was when she saw herself in the mirror that she broke down and had an ordeal — realizing that she might lip-synch for her life against Viñas Deluxe and sashay away from the competition.
Fellow contestants Marina Summers and Precious Paula Nicole immediately came to her rescue and comforted her.
Netizens had mixed emotions about it. Some were furious. Some found it reasonable.
As of writing, Eva Le Queen and Rajo Laurel exchanged pleasantries and were seen together having dinner.
DIVINE DIVAS’ POT-STIRRING MOMENTS
Drag Race queens always love to stir the pot, and Filipino queens made sure to add that ‘drama’ in the Pinoy version of Drag Race.
Precious, Brigiding, and Viñas, who are collectively known as the Divine Divas, had each stirred drama during the season.
Who can ever forget the moment when Precious started the misunderstanding between Corazon and Turing?
She may have misquoted Turing that she wished for Corazon’s early departure since she is just a pageant queen.
In episode 2 of Untucked, it was revealed that Brigiding reignited the feud between Minty Fresh and Marina Summers.
Viñas Deluxe also had her moment. In one of the Untucked episodes, she was drunk and came after Marina Summers.
While Marina and Minty were talking, she commented that she didn’t expect Minty to get great critics from judges and might beat Marina in the challenge.
The two instantly dismissed Viñas. But moments later, she kept on provoking Marina by bringing up her issues with Xilhouete and Brigiding.
TOP 4 ANNOUNCEMENT
The 9th episode was an emotional roller coaster ride for all the fans of the franchise.
Remaining queens Marina, Precious, Xilhouete, Minty, and Eva battle it out in the LED There Be Light and Best Drag Eleganza runway challenges.
Marina Summers cemented her spot in the finale when she won her second Ru badge and was called first to be part of the top 4. Both Eva Le Queen and Precious Paula Nicole were saved and even made it to the list.
The drag mother and daughter Xilhouete and Minty Fresh fell short and had to painfully lip-synch for the last spot. They performed Vernie Vargas’ You’ll Always Be My Number One.
Xilhouete stayed and would compete for the crown while Minty Fresh sashayed away.
Share with us your favorite DRPH moment!
About the Author
David San Jose is a PR professional and an avid fan of Drag Race Philippines.
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