Review: RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race

RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race was a four-episode special showcasing a variety of Drag Race Legends making over celebrities from Vanessa Williams to Hayley Kiyoko. The show went above and beyond my own expectations and despite not knowing most of the celebrities on the show, it was still an amazing concept. Celebrity Drag Race saw straight men get into drag and feel empowered to women who were scared to show their femininity to those who do not identify with gender and embracing their gender fluidity. It was a truly beautiful and amazing show that with each episode always seemed to touch my heart.

Each episode of the show showcased three celebrities who would get a drag makeover by a former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant and then take part in a favourite RuPaul challenge from Snatch Game to the Rusical. Fan favourites, Trixie Mattel, Bob the Drag Queen and Monet X Change makeover Nico Tortorella, Jordan Connor and Jermaine Fowler and then the queens would compete in Snatch Game and to mix it up even further they would lip-sync for the crown. The celebrities on this week’s episode were barely known, however their stories were beautiful to hear. Nico Tortorella identifies as non-binary and finds drag to escape the gender norms that are usually set upon them. Whilst Jermaine Fowler wanted to do drag to feel a greater connection to his late mother who was gay, in his transformation he saw how similar he looked to his mother and it was a heart-warming scene. Riverdale star Jordan Connor was quite an introvert, however, drag brought out his charismatic side and he was able to win this week’s show.

Episode Two greeted us with the legendary Vanessa Williams, Loni Love and Tami Roman getting a makeover from Alyssa Edwards, Trinity the Tuck and Asia O’Hara (no butterflies were harmed in the making of this episode). This was a Rusical challenge which all the queens slay, however the best thing to come out of this episode was the contestants drag names, Loni picks Mary J. Ross, Vanessa chooses Vanqueisha De House, however Tami’s was pure genius with Shenita Cocktail.

EpisodeThree3 saw Mike Iseman, Dustin Milligan and Alex Newell receive a makeover from Nina West, Kim Chi and Bob the Drag Queen. Their main challenge for this episode was the RuPaul roast which was even better than the original shows roast episodes. It was amazing seeing a variety of men from masculine to femininity to anything in-between becoming so excited by drag, it showed pure positive in a world that often only focuses on the negative.

The finale episode starred Hayley Kiyoko, Madison Beer and Phoebe Robinson who were received a makeover from Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, Monique Heart and Alyssa Edwards. These girls were to be part of a punk rock band and they all rocked the house done, it was touching to her all their stories from Madison doing drag because her grandad recently came out as gay to Hayley wanting to feel comfortable in her femininity, it was a great show. Which I cried at (I have done this for every episode of RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race).

The celebrities may not all be A-Listers, however the beauty of the show does lie with the fame of the cast but instead the empowerment that drag can have. We are introduced to men like Matt Iseman who as — said they would never expect them to do drag, it shows us the world is becoming more accepting of queer entertainment. By watching the show there was someone’s story you felt you could connect with. I that were not being in touch with your feminine side like Hayley or truly loving your feminine side like Nico it is a great show that surpassed any expectations I could have set.

Watch all episodes of RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race streaming on Netflix.