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 7.
After an emotional exit from Argennis at the end of the previous episode, she left a message for the 6 participants who are still competing: “You will always be my family.” The level “is getting more and more cabrón” (harder), as Cristian Peralta said. Regina Voce said that she deserves to win “because she’s the greatest” and Margaret Y Ya acknowledged that she probably won’t win as “I haven’t stood out as much as the rest of you.”
Lolita Banana and Valentina announced that the maxi challenge of the week would be “Villain therapy”: the queens would have to tape a sort of talk show, directed by both hosts, in which each would get into drag in the style of some of the most emblematic Mexican telenovela characters. In this challenge, the age difference among contestants was evident: the older ones, who knew the characters they were parodying, had more tools to play with, while the younger ones said they were not so familiar with that performance style.
On the catwalk, the category was “telenovela ball” and consisted of creating three looks that would tell a story. The guest judge was Alan Estrada, an actor and travel content creator who publicly came out as gay a few months ago, and who worked with Valentina on the film La Usurpadora. Gala Varo was “very happy that a person with so much scenic experience and such a good eye is judging us.”
Elimination day arrived and the runway looks were truly spectacular. My favorite was Cristian Peralta because of his versatility, evoking the character of la Chilindrina as well as Amanda Lepore. Alan Estrada noted that he was the only one who truly told a story.
Oscar Madrazo criticized Margaret Y Ya for her lack of ability or willingness to try different styles of makeup, and Valentina told her that she would like to see her in more uncomfortable and challenging looks. Lolita Banana congratulated Lady Kero on her decision to include a rosary on her dress because “it represents the outdated and rotten parts of society.” Oscar Madrazo said that Regina Voce had “the only moment that reminded me of a telenovela.”
During the deliberation among the judges, their comments showed they’re being more demanding as the season progresses. Matraka won this episode’s challenge and took home a prize of 18,000 MXN (approximately $1,058), while Regina Voce, Gala Varo and Cristian Peralta were saved. It was Lady Kero and Margaret Y Ya’s turn to face each other in an i-co-nic –as Valentina says– lip sync with Quítame ese hombre, ‘banda’ version, by Pilar Montenegro. Lady Kero definitely stood out, and in the end Margaret Y Ya was eliminated.
Drag Race Mexico S1 airs every Thursday at 2am ET on WOW Presents Plus, with its local airing in Mexico on Paramount+.