All the queens you need to know in ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ season 12
Yaaaaas, hunty! RuPaul’s Drag Race will return and just a few days ago the 13 queens for season 12 of the long-running competition series was announced. In a patriotic photoshoot, fans were introduced to the queens hoping to have the Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent to impress the judges, take home the $100,000 prize, and receive the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar.
In order for fans to prep for this, here’s all 13 queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 12.
Aiden Zhane
Hailing from Acworth, GA, Aiden Zhane is a queen that loves horror and grew up in the “shadows of bumf— Georgia”. With no gay bars in the area, Aiden Zhane filmed the audition for RuPaul’s Drag Race inside her bedroom. She considers herself to be a scream queen, but adds some colorful cartoon pops of color as well.
Fun fact for fans of Dragula, Aiden Zhane dated St. Lucia for five years. Telling EW, “She got into it for me. We both shared the dream of making something of ourselves and getting on a show…. Everybody says it’s weird, like it should be flipped — she’s prettier, so she should be on Drag Race, and [I] should be on Dragula!”
Brita Filter
This NYC queen is one of the most famous city that never sleeps has to offer. Brita Filter performs seven nights a week at NYC drag clubs on top of appearing on Shade: Queens of NYC and Saturday Night Light along with backup dancing for Katy Perry. Brita has attracted the attention of celebs like Jennifer Lawrence and Adele.
With that kind of oomph behind her, Brita will be one of the most season queens on the runway in season 12 of Drag Race. So it will be interesting to see how far she’ll go to the competition. Seasoned usually helps, but it also means that it can be hard to take a critique too.
Crystal Methyd
Hailing from Springfield, MO, Crystal Method is all about the unexpected. She started a recurring drag night, Get Dusted, in her hometown of Springfield. The twist is that, rather than host it at gay bars, she does it at rock-themed straight bars for, in her words to EW, “an all-ages show”.
Crystal is a comedy queen who likes going new ways with her fashion. She wants people to be in on the joke while also not really having a clue what is going on with this. Michelle Visage may come for your wig, Crystal. So hold on there.
Dahlia Sin
Hailing from L.A., Dahlia Sin has apparently posed nude on a donut. That definitely may be a first for Drag Race. (Disappointingly that Insta post has since been deleted if you were curious.) She also knows that she’s totally hot and is always ready to own her hotness. In addition, Dahlia is a rapper, a burlesque dancer, and puts out editorials on her Insta like they’re Tic-Tacs.
And she has a Drag Race pedigree behind her as well. Her drag mother is Aja from season nine of Drag Race and season three of Drag Race All Stars. So Dahlia, hopefully, used that resource available to her in order to prep for her season.
Gigi Goode
Another L.A. queen, Gigi Goode loves fashion and has dreams of working the runways one day. Gigi has a love for fashion, make-up, and hair as her mother, an interior designer, and theatrical costume designer, reared her on that deep-seated love for such things.
That doesn’t mean, however, that Gigi isn’t afraid to get weird with her fashion. She prefers to rail against the rigid standards of fashionable poise. Speaking with EW, she said, “I love getting out onstage as a pretty fashion girl and striking a pose, but as soon as the song starts, my jaw is on the floor, my eyes are as wide as they can be, I’m shaking and grooving. . .like a giant spaghetti noodle in fashion.”
Heidi N Closet
Coming from Ramseur, NC, Heidi N Closet doesn’t believe in the “cutthroat” attitude of the pageant world. Instead, this queen prefers to help rather than harm her competitors in any way she can. That doesn’t mean that she won’t bring it on if necessary. But she doesn’t see why that you should be mean to your fellow competitors. As she puts it, she would never start drama, but she will finish it.
Heidi also has a strong dance background in addition to her route on the pageant circuit. She likes to combine an old-school pageant line but with a modern flair to it. So it will be great to see what her sensibility will bring to Drag Race.
Jackie Cox
This NYC queen is comedy all the way, channeling her nerdy love of Star Trek and I Dream of Jeannie into her drag if she gets the chance. (Wonder how she feels about ST:D then.) Jackie believes that comedy can heal divides on and off the stage and the screen. She already has a big-name fan in Bravo’s Andy Cohen, who saw her Real Housewives of Beverly Hills inspired drag and let her book a gig on the Bravo float at Pride.
We’re all for more nerdy queens letting their flags fly please and thanks. We can’t wait to see her bring her talent for improv to the stage because Drag Race queens need to work on the fly.
Jaida Essence Hall
Coming from Milwaukee, WI, Jaida may look like your typical pageant queen, but is anything but. Instead, Jaida prefers to combine the pageant look with some awesome spooky character creations. So if you want queen that can do both glam and gore, then it’s time to see what Jaida can bring to the runway.
While she did her time on the pageant circuit, Jaida wants it known that it’s not all she can be. She’s not a queen that will rest on her looks, having focused on sharpening her performance skills and crowd interaction.
Jan Sport
Hailing from NYC, Jan Sport is another contestant with a Drag Race connected drag mother: season nine’s Alexis Michelle. This is also not the first time that Jan has appeared on reality television. She and the group of Stephanie’s Child audition for America’s Got Talent where Jan gave it good to Simon Cowell, who likened their audition to “screaming”.
You tell him, Jan.
If there is any contestant of Drag Race that she’d like to work with, then it would be the “Frock Destroyers” from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. Tell us when the collab will come out, Jan.
Nicky Doll
This French native who transplanted to NYC, Nicky Doll likes her severe exterior. While her exterior may be anime villain severe, Nicky swears that she’s very sweet. We get it. RBF affects us all, Nicky. While she may have the look, she doesn’t want to be known as a look queen. According to Nicky, you need to have more nowadays than just a look.
Nicky likened her drag process as letting a monster out. She preps her looks carefully, but makes sure to enjoy herself as well.
Rock M. Sakura
Rock M. Sakura comes from San Francisco, CA, she also thinks that you will (definitely) pronounce her name wrong. That’s more than okay with her. Sakura loves using self-deprecation along with her arsenal of anime and manga-inspired looks.
Another connection to Dragula is Rock M. Sakura is a frequent collaborator of season two’s Erika Klash. When they get together, things can get a little messy. As she described one number, “I will ruin my drag for a good number. I do one to Utada’s ‘Simple and Clean,’ and I reveal sponges for my boobs and I start cleaning the audience. I spray them with Gatorade in a bottle, then I do a wig reveal and there’s a mop on my head. I put it in a bucket and then I mop the floor.”
Sherry Pie
Another NYC queen with an impressive pedigree, Sherry runs a full production performance six nights a week. Seriously, these have sets and costumes because Sherry Pie doesn’t play around, everyone. She also believes in using her performances to raise money for a variety of LGBTQIA causes.
Why? Well, she wants to bring the community back into drag. “At a good drag show, you should laugh and cry, and [asking for donations] is our serious moment.”
Widow Von’Du
Widow Von’Du comes from Kansas City, Mo with a sensibility described as a “ratchet ass queen in high-class fashion”. She is fully prepared to set straight anyone who crosses her. While she’s had trouble both with drugs and romance, Widow is in the best place of her life (she’s in a loving throuple) and her rising drag career.
Don’t think the new happier face in her life won’t stop her from digging deep in the pain of her past to get the job done, Widow is not her to play around.
