GLAAD contributor Enrique Torre Molina is a diversity, inclusion and LGBTQ+ community activist, speaker and consultant working with companies, nonprofit organizations, government agencies and media. He co-founded Colmena 41, co-hosts the “Mafia Gay” podcast and lives in Mexico City.
Spoiler alert: this article contains details about Drag Race Mexico’s season 1 finale.
The final episode began with an emotional moment in the werk room: the four finalists (Regina Voce, Matraka, Gala Varo and Cristian Peralta) got emotional talking about getting to this point. Valentina and Lolita Banana arrived to present a video in which the singer and iconic soap opera actress Thalía greeted them and explained the maxi challenge of the week: to lip sync her version of the song “A quién le importa“.
They remind us the winner will take a year’s worth of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics, a crown and a scepter from Amped Accessories, and the grand prize of 550,000 pesos (31,278 dollars, approximately).
Each queen had a sit-down interview with the hosts to reflect on the season. Gala Varo confessed that “every time I feel like I can’t go on, I can. I’m here to stay.” Regina Voce shared that “there are things that I still need to learn, but there are many that I have learned here.”
Matraka spoke of the place she grew up in: “Guanajuato is a super Catholic place. Leaving town does change your mind totally. Before, I didn’t know the difference between [being] trans and [doing] drag.” Cristian Peralta said that his “family gave me emotional stability. Having those ties and that emotional support helps you a lot in face of any attack from outside. I work so that my daughter has better opportunities. Love is love, period.”
For the maxi challenge, the choreographer Nelson Parra (who also accompanied the contestants in episode 4) returned to teach them new dance moves, some of which were challenging, such as carrying each other. When presenting the song on the catwalk, they were joined by dancers and their fellow participants who were previously eliminated. It was a very fun moment.
On the catwalk, Valentina and Lolita Banana joked about the excitement of finally being in a Drag Race finale. The category was “My best drag” and Cristian Peralta created a bridal look, with a white dress and a bouquet of flowers that Oscar Madrazo caught. Regina Voce also dressed as a bride as “a tribute to my mother”. Matraka created a blue and gold look “inspired by the Mayan codices,” while Gala Varo dressed as a “futuristic space nymph” in a red dress and orange wig.
The four finalists had one last lip sync battle with the song “Él me mintió” by Amanda Miguel and, of course, they gave it their all. But Cristian Peralta left the jury speechless when he ripped off his wig, revealing a second wig underneath that he later cut with a pair of scissors that he had kept in his dress. Afterwards, the pit crew entered the catwalk with the scepter and crown for the winner, which Lolita Banana and Valentina announced: Cristian Peralta.
Drag Race Mexico S1 airs on WOW Presents Plus, with its local airing in Mexico on Paramount+.