Ru Paul's Drag Race fans are packing bars like sports nuts

[edjames]

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ fans are packing bars like sports nuts

By Christian Gollayan

 

April 5, 2018 | 5:07pm | Updated

 

It's standing room only at Boxers bar on Ninth Avenue, where "RuPaul's Drag Race" has become a beloved spectator sport.Stefano Giovannini; Courtesy of VH1

On Thursday nights, gay bars in the city get as packed as sports bars on Sundays during football season.

 

The reason? “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” a weekly reality show where drag queens compete to be crowned “America’s next drag superstar.” Ever since its Season 10 premiere in March, watering holes in Hell’s Kitchen have been teeming with fans.

 

“This is our football season and the finale is always our Super Bowl,” says Marti Cummings, a drag queen based in Hamilton Heights.

 

In lieu of a halftime show, Cummings asked two guests to stand on a bar table for an impromptu twerking competition. One of them was Sean, a 26-year-old teacher based in Bloomfield, NJ. After shaking his bum for the crowd while Top-40 music played, he won the dance-off and was rewarded with a vodka-cranberry cocktail.

 

“Just give me a stage and I’m on it!” says Sean, who didn’t want to disclose his last name for professional reasons.

 

Meanwhile, a few blocks away at Mom’s Kitchen & Bar, Terry Preston, a 24-year-old publicist and competitive pole dancer, was at another “Drag Race” viewing party sipping $5 vodka sodas and cheering on his favorite drag queen, Miz Cracker.

 

“At first I didn’t understand why straight people like getting drunk and yelling at the TV over a game,” Preston says. “But now I get it … it’s a really fun way to meet people.”

 

‘At first I didn’t understand why straight people like getting drunk and yelling at the TV over a game. But now I get it .’

 

Viewers say that the series portrays the LGBT community in a positive light to a mass audience.

 

“A lot of what [RuPaul ] does is empowerment — teaching people how to push their boundaries . . . and that resonates with the queer community,” Rye, back at Boxers, says.

 

And while the on-screen competition may be fierce, it’s a bonding experience for everybody.

 

“It’s an opportunity to watch queer people on TV and see ourselves, and it’s great seeing [contestants] from all different cultural backgrounds — there’s somebody for everybody to watch,” Cummings says. “This show is a great dialogue for people to bring their straight friends to watch, and they get invested . . . it brings people together.

[+ Kman]

It is a good show. The queens end up talking about real personal problems it makes the show much more authentic...especially after last weeks episode (mainly the untucked portion).

[+ Kman]

Of course the main part of the show is the drag competition but yes I think you do see a lot of good but you’ll also to get the ugly (got to keep the ratings up).

[maninsoma]

I'd say that Drag Race frequently shows the best of people but sometimes also shows less than admirable behavior. One might think the producers deliberately try to stir up s****, but the queens have to be willing to participate in that nastiness for it to make it to video. Some seasons are better than others in terms of group dynamics focusing on common interest and support. The current season seems to have at least a couple of people who simply like creating drama with other people.

[+ Kman]

I think they tried to portray two people (the Vixen and Aquaria) into starting drama but after last week it’s just Aquaria who just tries to stir up drama and then run away which is what the rest of the queens called her out on which was awesome.