Drag365: Show #31- Ultimate Drag Pageant, Week 3 at The West End

Carlos the Uber Driver // photo by Michael Block

Day: Thursday, February 1st   

Show: Ultimate Drag Pageant, Week 3

Location: The West End

Queens Seen: Marti Gould Cummings (@martigcummings), Allura Borealis (@alluraborealis), Bambina, Carlos the Uber Driver (@carlostheuberdriver), Gina Tonic (@itsginatonic), Foolisha (@thefoolisha), Nicole Onoscopi (@nicoleonoscopi), Precious Envy (@theenvyofprecious), Shelby Late (@shelby_late), Tiffany Anne Coke (@tiffanyannecoke)

Bambina // photo by Michael Block

Hooray for Hollywood! It was Hollywood week at The Ultimate Drag Pageant. With Nedra away, hostess Marti Gould Cummings brought along her “Shade: Queens of NYC” gal pal, Showbiz Spitfire Paige Turner to the judges panel. Offering profound insight, the duo guided the girls through their numbers ahead of the upcoming elimination in week 4. To kick things off, Gina Tonic returned from her stint in La La Land with a comical rendition of Britney Spears’ “Lucky” as the titular character fails at killing herself. The number featured Gina shaving her head live on stage. Bringing a modern interpretation to the theme, Shelby Late began with a soundbite about Harvey Weinstein that led into an emotionally charged rendition of “Creep.” Nicole Onoscopi brought the out-of-the-box comedy to the thriller genre with her flip on “Silence of the Lambs” characters Clarice Starling and Buffalo Bill. Keeping the horror trend going, Precious Envy played around with “Nightmare on Elm Street.” Eartha Kitt as Catwomen made a cameo appearance in Bambi’s diamond inspired number. Foolisha found a way to interject David Lynch into drag with her “Mulholland Drive” mix. The standard drag number “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” was the source for Tiffany Anne Coke, who looked stunning in her gown. Carlos the Uber Driver paid tribute to Hollywood while performing Broadway with a number from Sunset Boulevard. Rounding out the night was Allura Borealis lip syncing to the title song of the James Bond flick, “Goldfinger.”
With an array of interpretations, the judges went in deep and hard with constructive criticism. For the first time in three weeks, a unanimous decision didn’t happen between the judges and I. While my pick of the night was the bold “Silence of the Lambs” mix from Nicole Onoscopi, it was Carlos the Uber Driver who earned a 5 star rating as the winner of the week. The next time you read a UDP recap, at least one competitor will be gone after the Comedy week elimination. Who will it be? Come to the West End to find out!

Drag365: Show #27- Ultimate Drag Pageant, Week 2 at The West End

Nicole Onoscopi // photo by Michael Block

Day: Thursday, January 25th  

Show: Ultimate Drag Pageant, Week 2

Location: The West End

Queens Seen: Marti Gould Cummings (@martigcummings), Nedra Belle (@nedrabelle), Allura Borealis (@alluraborealis), Bambina Da Dondiva, Celah Doore (@celahdoorenyc), Carlos the Uber Driver (@carlostheuberdriver), Foolisha (@thefoolisha), Nicole Onoscopi (@nicoleonoscopi), Precious Envy (@theenvyofprecious), Shelby Late (@shelby_late), Tiffany Anne Coke (@tiffanyannecoke)

Tiffany Anne Coke, Carlos the Uber Driver // photo by Michael Block

Alright drag fans! We’re back for week two of the Ultimate Drag Pageant! Sponsored by House of La Rue, the theme for week 2 was Broadway. Nedra Belle was back alongside Marti and guest judges Tony d’Alelio and Juan Torres-Falcon. So how did the girls do honoring the Great White Way? Let’s find out! This season is unique having a couple compete against one another. In a big risk for the competition, Carlos the Uber Driver and Tiffany Anne Coke decided to share the stage in a tribute to Chicago. Carlos took on the role of Velma Kelly while Tiffany sported the blonde wig as Roxie Hart. Backed up by sexy dancing boys and original choreography, Carlos and Tiffany each took a stab at their characters’ infamous solos before doing the dance duet of all dance duets, the “Hot Honey Rag.” These chorus boys by day looked comfortable as leading ladies at night. It was safe, yet visually stimulating. Next up was Shelby Late honoring Gypsy with a live sung number. Two costume reveals, gorgeous costumes, and a stunning wig weren’t the stars of this number. Oh no, it was the gimmick Shelby surprised us all with: balloons! She blew up those silly clown balloons to create a hat for a one, Miss Juicy Lui, who was in the audience indragneto. When you got a gimmick, you best show it off if you want to stand out! Dare I say defiling Little Shop of Horrors, Nicole Onoscopi turned out a parody of “Grow For Me,” equating a blood-thirsty plant to a blood-thirsty penis. With a little collaboration from someone who may or may not be writing this article, Nicole took an idea and ran with it, never afraid of going too far. Did it pay off? Wait to find out! With a trifecta of live sung numbers in a row, Foolisha showed off the incredible pipes you may not known she had. Singing “Wig in a Box”, Foolisha got the crowd singing along. Bambina took on the diva slot of the night by performing a dance to Dreamgirls’ “One Night Only.” Despite a reveal mishap and a late game stumble, Bambina brought it all. Precious Envy went with a number that was a drastic turn from the previous week with a lip sync to “Fly Fly Away” from Catch Me If You Can. She let the ballad keep her grounded as the lyrics soared. Easily the most emotional number of the night, Allura Borealis gave us her rendition of “He Used to Be Mine” from Waitress. If there is one word to describe the number it was vulnerability. Rounding out the night was Celah Doore bringing the campy comedy with “Killer Instinct” from Bring It On. Rather than a straight up number, she mixed in names of some of the “Shade: Queens of NYC cast” for comic effect.

Foolisha // photo by Michael Block

For the second week in a row, the judges and I were unanimous in our winner of the week. Nicole Onoscopi and her rag-filled “Grow For Me” walked away the gift certificate to House of La Rue. Can Nicole keep up the momentum going into Hollywood week or will week 1 winner Gina Tonic, fresh from her trip from Hollywood come back for the top spot? Or will one of the other eight make this competition interesting and emerge as a front runner? Check out week three of the Ultimate Drag Pageant on February 1st at 11:00pm, only at The West End.

Drag365: Show #20- Ultimate Drag Pageant at The West End

Gina Tonic // photo by Michael Block

Day: Thursday, January 18th

Show: Ultimate Drag Pageant, Week 1

Location: The West End

Queens Seen: Marti Gould Cummings (@martigcummings), Allura Borealis (@alluraborealis), Bambina Da Dondiva, Celah  Doore (@celahdoorenyc), Carlos the Uber Driver (@carlostheuberdriver), Foolisha (@thefoolisha), Gina Tonic (@itsginatonic), Nicole Onoscopi (@nicoleonoscopi), Precious Envy (@theenvyofprecious), Shelby Late (@shelby_late), Tiffany Anne Coke (@tiffanyannecoke)

Nicole Onoscopi // photo by Michael Block

Hosted by TV’s Marti Gould Cummings and Nedra Belle, the Ultimate Drag Pageant is a drag queen showcase competition where one queen will emerge victorious. For their sixth season, Ultimate Drag Pageant is upping the game. Now with ten contestants, this season is sponsored by House of La Rue, who will be giving away a weekly prize to the winner of each week. The first week’s theme was “Show Us Who You Are.” It’s a way for each contestant to show the judges and the crowd what to expect from them through the season. With Nedra away this week, filling in was guest judge Bearded Bitch, Kizha Carr.

Shelby Late // photo by Michael Block

To kick off the season, Nicole Onoscopi wowed the crowd with a Fancy mix, looking shiny and fabulous, as she mashed up the titular songs by Iggy Azalea and Reba McIntire, alongside some spoken word bits about being fancy. Serving robotic mask realness, Foolisha delivered a robot inspired mix which brilliantly featured “Coin Operated Boy” by The Dresden Dolls. Celah Doore showed off her pipes doing with an acoustic Lady Gaga medley. Timing is everything and Precious Envy capitalized on the recent death of Cranberries’ lead signer Dolores O’Riordan through a mashup of Katy Perry’s “ET” placed against The Cranberrie’s “Zombie. The seasoned queen of the cycle, Gina Tonic started off with a smart stand up set before singing a 20s-set version of “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift. Allura Borealis went for a straight number with “Gemini Feed” by Banks. The drag dancing diva Bambina Da Dondiva, or Bambi for short, brought a high-energy MILK mix with all the tricks you could want on this stage. This season is special for bringing the competition’s first couple competing as individuals. First up was chorus girl turned drag queen Tiffany Anne Coke with an NYC inspired mix. Her partner, Carlos the Uber Driver brought what she called a “Disco Nonsense” Mix, which included basically everything. The night concluded with Shelby Late offering the second twisted Taylor Swift number, with a live sung “Look What You Made Me Do.”
As stated, the season, the judges would award a weekly prize to the winner to the strongest performer of the bunch. I decided to do the same thing in my recaps. Coincidently, both the judges and I were unanimous. Gina Tonic was the clear-cut winner of the week. Keep an eye out for what Gina will bring as the competition continues. This is a very unique group of competitors. It’s evident that there are some tops and bottoms after one week. Will the bottoms rise to tops? Can the tops remain there? Follow along each week and make sure you take a visit to The West End and vote for your favorites! Each drink is an audience vote!