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.
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Spoiler alert: this article contains details about Drag Race Mexico’s season 1, episode 11.
A week before season one’s grand finale, this was Drag Race Mexico‘s reunion episode: the four finalists and the seven eliminated queens got together with Valentina and Lolita Banana on the runway to review their performances, share how they feel, and crown a Miss Congeniality.
Throughout the reunion, the eliminated queens offered comments and reflections on the season: Vermelha Noir felt “happy to be with you. I understood that it’s important to put aside your fears and have fun. That’s what I did in the third episode… and I was out.” Pixie Pixie mentioned that “it has been the best experience I’ve had in my life” and she recalled that, shortly before joining the show, her father died of a heart attack — making it difficult for her to decide whether she would participate. Serena Morena expressed her excitement for “starting as a fan of the show and then deciding to do drag and now doing drag on the show.”
Argennis was grateful that she was noticed while being “from such a small city like Ciudad Juárez.” Margaret Y Ya confessed that she came on the show “scared because out there my drag is very criticized.” Lady Kero shared that she “always kept a diary… As the competition progressed, I trusted myself more and thanked myself more,” and she spoke of the importance of paying attention to your mental health.
The finalists also weighed in on what it felt like to be a part of Mexico’s first Drag Race franchise. Cristian Peralta said that “coming here was like being a child again, connecting with that artist side that I have always had. Each challenge has been about breaking down mental barriers.” Gala Varo mentioned that “it has been a difficult journey. It is the most wonderful experience of my life, but also one of the hardest.”
Matraka was surprised because “I never thought they would call me a fashion queen. It was the last thing I thought they would say about me, really,” and Valentina replied that “you have a very unique way of interpreting things.” I agree.
Regina Voce got emotional: “I’m always getting out of my comfort zone. It seems to me that you can always learn and that we are always starting, and this seemed like an incredible opportunity to start over. I came to learn.” We saw the queens drop their secret vote into a ballot box to choose a Miss Congeniality and Lady Kero won, taking home a prize of 18,000 pesos (1071 dollars, approximately).
In the end, Lolita Banana asked for “an applause for everyone” acknowledging that “it has been an i-co-nic season.” The competition among the four is tight, and next week we’ll find out who walks away with 550,000 pesos (32,731 dollars, approximately), a year’s worth of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics, and a crown and scepter from Amped Accessories.
Drag Race Mexico S1 airs every Thursday at 2am ET on WOW Presents Plus, with its local airing in Mexico on Paramount+.