Original subtitles

Welcome.

Come one, come all.

Step inside the big top.

And I don't just mean myself.

Are you lost, traveler?

Well, stay a while.

Watch the show.

But I must warn you, this is no ordinary circus.

This is a circus of kings and I am their ringmaster.

Aren't you a sack?

But beware, the kings are hungry.

You get it.

The winner of "King of Drag" will receive a custom crown from Elea's Closet,

two tickets for a Mediterranean cruise with OUTbound,

an all-expenses-paid trip to Palm Springs

to be the first drag king to perform

at the legendary queer women's festival, The Dinah,

and you get a year's worth of unstoppable beauty

from e.l.f. Cosmetics and e.l.f. SKIN,

and of course, $10,000 cold hard cash.

- Yes. - Take a seat.

Long live the Kings.

- Wow. - Yes.

Ah, saved by Tuna.

- Thank you, Tuna. - Thank you, Tuna Melt.

- Mr. Melt. - Melt.

It feels great that no one's going home today.

We all put in so much labor.

We have so many outfits.

And I'm so glad that our Midwest boys are not leaving us.

I'm so fucking happy to be in here right now.

Oh, God.

I feel like there's a truck,

and I am like being dragged on the ground,

but I am still here.

Everyone's still here,

which means there's still competition everywhere.

My butthole tightened so much.

- Like this. - It like-

Like this.

I don't wanna go against my fucking brother.

- Are you kidding me? - No, no, no.

God.

I was in the bottom.

We're not doing that again.

I'm not doin' it.

In that moment, I'm like, both of us happen

to be from the Midwest.

Right.

And it's just crazy.

Targeted.

Targeted.

I was like, "Damn, y'all, you brought us here to do what?

Leave, go home?"

Oh, my God.

This is unbelievable.

I feel resurrected.

That was like the fire under my ass I needed.

I'm so fucking excited to get another chance next week.

I couldn't imagine coming next week

and be missing one of us.

- Yeah. - It wouldn't feel right.

Oh, my God, but what about your win?

- Yeah! - Yes, win.

- Oh, my God. - The first.

Yes, the clown school, I feel like,

really helped me with this one.

- It helped. - Yes.

So well deserved.

Oh, my God.

It still feels surreal.

Day one and I did so well.

The entire day, I was like, "All right",

just got here.

"Can't go home immediately."

So it was validating, it was exciting,

and it was also like a huge relief.

I think going forward, I'm gonna fuck around and find out.

I'm not trying to find out anymore, no.

We're good.

We're good over here.

Okay, kings,

let's get some rest.

Let's go.

We live another day.

- Whoa. - Wow.

- What? - Oh, my God,

- stations. - Oh, shit.

Little mirror.

Look at these.

- Come on, e.l.f. - Yes,

- it's the real deal. - Yeah.

Thank you, e.l.f.

- Wow. - Oh, my God.

- Oh, yeah. - Think we're doing

a makeup challenge.

- Wait, where's the balloons? - What is the mini challenge

- gonna be, dude? - I know.

I'm already looking at these eyeballs.

I don't know what we're doing, but-

- Oh, fantastic. - I know, I love it.

- Oh. - Oh, my God.

Hold me.

Hombre, uh-uh, I am not part of the espooky club.

This is not for me.

Are we gonna do our makeup in the dark?

Like what's happening?

- Oh, no. - Oh, what is that?

Oh, is something gonna pop out?

- Oh, no. - A little.

- Oh, my God! - Oh, no.

Are we in "Saw" right now?

I want my mom.

- Ah! - Oh, my God.

- What the hell is that? - What is that?

Why does it look

like Cameron?

No!

VERA!, save us.

Nothing is happening to my brothers on this day

in this time in this place in this space on this day.

I'm scared.

My kings, welcome to my circus of devilish delights.

Fair warning, this is not just any run-of-the-mill circus

with clowns and popcorn.

This is a haunted circus.

Ooh.

- Nope. - With scary clowns

and scary popcorn.

This week's theme is horror.

Yeah!

- Yes. - Yeah.

Yes.

Am I a spooky king?

Am I a spooky king?

I'm the king of spook.

This is where I belong.

I think some people find me scary.

Some people are afraid of clowns.

Do I find clowns scary?

No.

Am I feeling nervous about it being horror week?

Yes.

Let's get started.

Oh, this old thing?

I just brought it from home.

Yes.

For your first spine-tingling horror challenge...

Out, damn spot.

Uh, we're doing a show here with...

- There's lights. - Out.

It was kind of a moment.

The perfumes of Arabia

will not- It's fine.

- It's, uh, it's not a big deal. - Did somebody say Big D?

No.

- Yeah. - What?

Hell yes.

I just think Big D is so cool.

On the first season, watching Big D, I was just like,

"What the fuck is this guy gonna do next?"

I'm looking forward

to just witnessing his clownery in person.

You gotta be kidding me!

Yeah.

I love having Big D.

What a comedic genius.

And somebody my age is in this Man Cave.

This beard, what's it made of?

Uh, it's um, it's giving...

It's just a mop, actually.

- It's mop. - I see.

Faux mop.

Big D, how would you like to guest judge

our first Weenie Challenge?

Oh, that sounds really awesome.

Whoo!

- Yeah! - Yes!

Kings, your first Weenie Challenge of the season is-

"Bearded, Bedazzled."

- "And Beheaded." - "Beheaded."

Can you say that

one more time?

Each of you will be decapitated

and your head served on a plate.

Just visually, not literally.

You're not the 1%.

Who we would kill.

To look your beheaded best,

you must create a facial hair look so fabulous, so fierce,

so fearsome without using hair.

I feel very comfortable making a beard,

especially out of unconventional objects.

D. Vour is very happy right now.

I am in my element being served as a beheaded head?

You're joking.

This is awesome.

You can use anything from the provided supplies

from Remainders, which is an incredible arts

and crafts thrift store for creative reuse.

We've got glitter, we've got fabric, we've got googly eyes,

we've got sushi, we've got creme brulee.

Uh, no, sorry, that's me.

I'm hungry.

I am a bearded king and I'm a bearded person,

so this should be a good challenge.

I think I got this.

You have 20 minutes

to craft your creepy beheaded facial hair look.

I made all kinds of beards during my day.

I don't know if it's weird, but...

Well, no, it was weird, VERA!

Just be honest.

I once did my entire face out of SWANA foods.

Hummus was the foundation.

I had a za'atar beard.

Baba ghanoush for the eye makeup.

Your time starts now!

- Whoa. - Go here?

The most unconventional thing I've glued

to my face is a bunch of tiles.

I do a really fun spa number.

So I feel confident about this challenge.

I need black.

Since we are using unconventional materials,

I'm looking at all the things and being like,

"Is this a flat surface on the back?

Do I think it could actually stick to my face?"

Heck yes.

Come on. Bye.

Let's go big or go home.

I'm hoping for a super long, big, intricate beard,

and so the balloons catch my eye right away.

Have you made an unconventional beard before?

I can't say I have.

Oh, my God.

I did a lot of like glitter beards.

Really? I love that.

So I don't wanna do a glitter beard today-

- Yes. - Because I want it

to be different.

I haven't even done

a glitter beard, actually- Oh, wait.

But I do wear a lot of beards.

I used to have a beard.

A real beard?

No, like a beard where you're gay,

but you have a straight partner to hide that you're gay.

Is that the term?

That's the term.

- That's the term. - I learned something new.

I had no idea.

Well, I guess I had a beard, too.

Okay, perfect.

I perused all of the little items

and none of them are calling to me.

And I noticed that in the corner was a box of TransTape

with my very face and body on it.

Is that you?

Yes.

What?

Okay, model.

- Oh, my God. - Okay,

thinking outside the box.

- Yeah. - I love that.

Or kind of inside the box 'cause it's my own face.

How are you feeling about this challenge?

You know,

I'm feeling.

I'm very nervous.

I'm like, okay, how can we make this visually interesting,

pleasing, and just a cool beard?

I have no idea what I'm about to stick on my face.

I got these little fuzzy things, a little stick.

I don't know what those are called.

The little...

You can bend 'em.

Pipe cleaner, okay.

Okay, I'll use the pipe cleaners

to kind of like make shapes.

I'm a professional wigmaker and like facial hair builder.

- What? - Are you serious?

- Yeah. - Dang.

So this is like your challenge.

This is fun doing it with the materials.

I'm so used to-

- Yes. - Taking actual hair and like-

- Right. - Plugging it into lace.

Going to cosmetology school,

I would literally make wigs and beards

and facial hair from scratch.

I get to make my own mustaches and goatees.

And also, I get to make it cheap

'cause that stuff can be really expensive.

I usually paint my beard on,

so I've never made a unconventional beard.

I don't know what I'm doing.

I'm struggling.

And in my brain, I said, "Scrapbook."

We're just gonna take all these fun, pretty things

and I'll look like an "I Spy" book vomited on me.

Get up all in there.

Putting this all over my actual beard.

Oh, babe.

I have probably half a bottle of spirit gum in my beard.

I have PCOS, so I don't take any testosterone

or any hormones.

This is literally what my body is doing.

After years of hair removal processes,

that was something I struggled with

for a very, very long time.

It's so mind-boggling when people are like,

"Oh, my God, you're changing your body.

You're going against what God wanted."

And I'm like, "Baby, God is trans,

and they wanted me to be this, and I'm fucking fabulous."

Ooh, Chase, that's looking really good, boo.

Thank you.

It's giving Easter basket.

I kinda feel like a sea urchin a little bit.

Right?

I love the glitter mustache, Twinka.

It's supposed to be like rain that like,

you know when it rains, then flowers grow

- from it. - Ah, I love-

I definitely want to have some sort of story,

some sort of concept.

I just feel like keeping it on

is like what I'm worried about.

Well, apparently, you can put super glue.

Shh, don't tell them my secrets.

I've got like scars from hot glue guns, man.

You wouldn't be a drag artist if you didn't have

a hot glue gun scar- No.

- Right? - Absolutely not.

- Ooh. - DIY or die.

Had my face on fire.

Trade, how you doing over there, booboo?

I think I'm trying to play with the colors

that I have on my vest.

I'm in it, and I'm putting these cleaners on my face,

and I'm trying to make it stay.

So much stress.

Everything's fine.

I'm doing like a Dia de los Muertos kinda vibe.

- Love it, love it. - Trying to put those skills

of the little flowers we make.

I might be delulu here, but I think it's gonna work.

I'm just making sure that it sticks on my beard

and my beard doesn't get ripped off in the process.

Kings, you've got five terrifying minutes left.

Oh, fuck.

I'm lookin' hot.

I'm high on the fumes, and there's four faces on my face,

including the one that I was born with,

so it's lookin' great.

- Oh, my God, D. - Vour, I'm obsessed.

Thank you.

I'm looking around and I'm seeing Twinka

with flowers on their face,

Lolly with diamonds on their face.

I need to add more to this.

I'm like, no one took the googly eyes?

What are we doing here?

Ooh, ooh.

Five, four, three, two, one.

Kings, off with your heads.

Your time is up.

- Whoo. - Whoo.

I feel like I have this in the bag.

No shade, but like mine looks like a beard,

and fun, and whimsical.

I feel like I'm in-

Feather jail right now.

I feel like I can't talk.

I'm noticing a shift in Cyrus' energy.

Okay, I give up.

A second ago, he was smiling,

and then I could feel him melt.

Something's wrong.

Oh, boy.

There's maybe too many fumes.

My throat's getting a little scratchy.

Something's not feeling right.

And so once time is called, I call for the medic

and the doctor takes me behind the scenes

and puts an oxygen mask on my face

and end up going to the ER

and I'm not able to finish the Weenie Challenge,

which I'm pretty disappointed about 'cause I actually feel

like my balloons would've won me the competition.

All right, Big D, let's check out our beheaded boy toys.

Up first, D. Vour, present yourself.

Ooh.

Oh, God.

That was very scary.

Yeah.

Wait, so what's going on

under the pipe cleaners?

Feathers.

If I didn't know you weren't allowed to use hair,

I would think that was hair.

Yeah, beautiful.

Thank you.

Next up is Twinka Masala.

It's floral.

It's celebratory.

Tell me about this.

These are clouds.

It gives me dessert.

My concept might not be as clear as I thought it was.

After Twinka Masala, you want some dessert?

- I think so, yes. - Oh, wow.

I felt that.

It's explosive.

It's maximalist.

It's ocular.

It is ocular.

That means eyes.

The googly eyes are gonna seal the deal for me.

The scream is so pained, but the beard is so joyful.

Man, I got this shit to stick to my face

and that's the best I can do right now.

Yes.

And I see you've put your own body on your own face.

Yes.

My face is my beard on my face.

Where does my beard end and my face begin?

What is beard? What is me?

What is beard, what is me, what is face?

You know what I mean?

Ah, ha ha, ay!

The acting.

Yeah, you are French Revolution.

You are Robespierre.

- Yes. - Reign of Terror.

- Absolutely. - Like viva la revolution.

I'm pretty sure I have like a whole bunch

of glitter snorted up my nose.

This is the most active beheaded head?

It's like I know it's pipe cleaners,

but it's also just lines of color.

I felt very artistic.

I felt like Van Gogh.

I felt like a Picasso.

That was almost more head than I could handle.

It wasn't.

Big D, who is your favorite look?

Oh, man, this is hard.

VERA! Really made me laugh.

Very stupid.

D. Vour, I just feel like this situation,

it's extra, it's geometrical, it quivers.

I love a quiver.

And then Chase Lounge, I just feel like the levels of it,

the amount of things happening, it's a lot to look at,

but it also feels really cohesive.

Okay, Big D,

who is the winner of today's Weenie Challenge?

The winner of the Weenie Challenge

is Chase Lounge.

- Shut up. - Whoo.

- Are you serious? - Wow.

Oh, my God, I won the challenge.

I'm so excited that Big D knows who I am

and thinks I did a good job.

Get in here, table.

- Oh, my God. - Yeah.

I think this is the confidence that I need.

I do feel a bit of relief right now

having won this Weenie Challenge.

Squire.

- Ooh. - You have won a gift basket

from all-gender concept store, BURKELMAN, with six

of their limited-production hand-poured Eau de Parfum,

scents for any and all genders, valued at $1,000.

- Wow. - Oh, my God.

I'm excited, and I'm a huge cologne person,

so this is the perfect prize for me.

Thanks, Big D.

You may take your bow.

Ooh.

Now get out of here.

There's a big pile of elephant poop outside

for you to shovel.

Thank you, Big D.

Kings, it's time

for the climax of this cursed carnival.

Your Beefy Challenge is "Assigned Freak at Birth."

- Oh, my God. - Ooh.

- Oh, wow. - In the past,

freak shows were used to exploit people who were different.

Today, we are going to reclaim our freak.

Yeah!

Horror drag is not my thing,

but I'm down to get freaky scary for a cause.

Being weird, putting pieces of pizza in my crotch,

that's the horror that I do.

For this challenge,

you will create a fearsome freak show act inspired

by something society deems freaky.

Your performance must include a sinister circus-themed look

and a prop transformation.

We want fully realized characters with a clear point of view

and terrifying theatrical performances.

Horror, a little bit of freak show,

not having to like dance down the runway,

getting to perform and be terrifying.

Oh, it feels so good.

I'm worried that some of my competitors

are gonna bring out looks that are much scarier than I am.

D. Vour for sure.

When getting ready today, feel free to use TransTape,

the original body transformation system that is a backless

and waterproof alternative to compression binders.

And as always, help yourself to some e.l.f. Cosmetics

'cause why the e.l.f. not?

You have two hours to prepare for your performance.

Time to get freaky.

All right, kings, all in.

Long live the king.

Your time starts now.

- Whoo! - Oh, my God.

Who's ready for the Beefy Challenge?

- Whoo! - Oh, shit.

This is gonna be a little bit crazy.

Fa ha ha.

What is my skin tone, actually?

I don't know.

I'm ready to go.

We're missing one.

Hey, Cyrus, man, where are you, buddy?

He really wants to be here.

Oh, my God.

Extra beefy.

And I know this meant a lot for him.

I'm about to cover my entire face in liquid latex.

That's what I want from you.

Yeah, right.

I have done this before, but I also wasn't on a timer.

Well, there's no going back now.

Is anyone particularly excited

about what they're gonna bring?

I am a combination of the ringleader and the tent itself.

- Ooh. - Oh, my God.

I am the tent and I'm going to be very lascivious

because of my doxxing experience from Drag Story Hour.

- Ooh. - Ooh.

Whenever you look at the news,

it's gone beyond story hours

to just no drag performers around children, period.

My story hours fully focus on childlike wonder, colors,

and worms, and being free, and being yourself.

I didn't even realize I was queer in high school

solely because I didn't know of it as an option.

If I had grown up with knowing

that there was even a Drag Story Hour at a library,

even if I wasn't gonna be taken to it,

it would have meant a lot.

Fox News published where I would be

and they bussed in busloads

of people.

- Oh, shit. - And they tried

to storm all of my story hours

and it was- Oh, wow.

Was really bad.

It was really bad.

The prompt was to be the worst thing they think you are

and I'm going to be that.

Of course it's really rough being tarred

with these horrifying false allegations,

but it's more about the greater world of drag being faced

with this pushback that is dangerous.

I think today is gonna be really healing.

- Yeah. - Yeah, I mean,

this whole challenge- Yeah.

Is super cathartic.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

This challenge, I think I'm probably really emotional about.

As somebody who is non-binary, and identifies as trans,

and that lives in Texas-

It is my home.

Yeah.

And no person is gonna-

Yeah.

No person is gonna tell me that I can't be

where my family has been for generations.

- Yes. - Yeah.

Yeah.

Gender for me is so intersectional.

I am a very visible trans non-binary person.

I grew out this fabulous beard, and I have my curves,

and I have my cheekbones,

and I feel like I have a relationship with gender

that people look at and are like,

"What the...

Who the fuck are you?

What the fuck are you?"

And I feel like I do experience the limitations

of gender every day.

Unfortunately, I get looked at in a way

that does sometimes make me feel like a freak.

And so this is like my take

on what it feels like to get looked at on a daily basis.

And I really wanna put the mirror back at them.

I especially relate as like a non-binary individual

from the Midwest.

It's like Kansas just passed the bill

invalidating all transgender driver's licenses.

I saw that,

yeah.

What I find freaky right now

is kinda how the government is at the moment,

and we have no representation.

Everything is run by old crusty white men,

so I decided to be the old crusty white man.

So I'm excited for this challenge.

I'm doing my take of the tattoo man.

I've always wanted to be heavily tattooed.

For a while, I held back because I thought

that I was gonna have this career as a dancer

and it was gonna not allow me to do that.

So I decided that I wanted to focus on my transition

and developing myself more as like a person

with a personality and like as an individual.

Now I am a tattoo artist.

And yeah, now I'm here.

As my job, I take very seriously

because I have the opportunity

to give other trans people the ability

to feel more in their skin just through artwork,

which is something I am really passionate about

and I feel very lucky to get to do that.

I love that.

- Yeah. - I love that, too.

Welcome back.

- Oh, my God. - Okay.

Cyrus.

Shut up.

- Whoo! - No.

- Yes. - Yes.

King!

Cyrus, Cyrus, Cyrus, Cyrus!

I'm still not feeling 100%.

My energy and confidence is not where it should be,

but I can't give up now.

Well, we missed you.

- A lot. - I missed you all.

I'm like, damn, I'm gonna miss the whole horror challenge.

That's crazy.

We would never let that happen.

I'm so happy that Cyrus is here.

Cyrus, oh, what about your horror look?

How are you feeling about it?

You know, I'm still processing where I'm at

and just jumping back in.

I feel good about the look.

I don't know how scary it is.

Maybe because it's kind of like heady as far as the concept.

I actually have a tattoo sleeve

that's all freak show-themed,

and I have a marionette doll on my bicep.

I knew immediately that I wanted

to bring a marionette doll to the stage.

We're talking about gender

and just feeling like maybe controlled

by heteronormative expectations as a teenager,

and I really wanted to maybe be a little bit more masculine

and just what it meant to feel controlled by that.

Hell yeah.

Twinka, what are you doing?

I am doing a hair look.

Oh, my God, love that.

Yeah, hair is political.

Oh, you're doing the bearded lady.

Theydy.

Theydy.

I'm doing bearded lady, too.

Oh, my God, love it.

When I first came out as trans

and first started doing drag,

my mom, who's like very liberal, was really shocked.

And the first time she saw me in drag, she was like,

"You're not gonna remove your breasts, are you?"

And I was like,

"Well, bitch, I might."

Luckily, she's come around and now she's a great drag mom.

But I think because I was just like a perfect cis woman

and just like a perfect straight girl and like skinny...

Long hair was such a big thing.

- Yeah. - And people were shocked

when I came out.

And I was shocked too, low-key.

I am like butch for butch, T for T, masc for masc,

but I was very, very femme presenting

and very compulsory heterosexuality for so long.

I was in a sorority in college.

And at first when I started doing drag,

it was very, very male illusion.

And then the more I leaned

into my transmasculinity outside of drag,

the more genderfuck I've gotten.

I can play with femininity and masculinity at the same time

and it just feels so powerful

and just like the ultimate freedom and liberation.

I feel like as a South Asian woman,

I was very expected

to have long flowing black hair and like-

Be very feminine.

And so when I started transitioning and I cut it,

my family was really upset.

It was like I cut off one of my limbs, basically.

I'm from a very conservative Pakistani family.

I was taught from a very young age to follow the rules.

Go to school, get married, have kids.

Don't make too much of a scene.

It's always like, what will people say?

What will people think?

And tacking on the queerness and then the transition,

I was being told to become smaller and smaller

and quieter and quieter and just hide yourself, basically.

And I felt like I was shrinking

as I started figuring myself out more,

which wasn't a good feeling.

Hair has just been such a strangulating part of my life.

And my mom, she was very cool with my transition

until I wanted to go the medical route,

so she canceled one of my appointments in front of me.

- No. - Oh, my gosh.

- What? - And it was just

to see if I could start testosterone

by getting a blood draw.

There was a waitlist a couple months long,

and the day of the appointment,

she cancels it in front of me in the kitchen.

And I'm pissed.

Why would you rip my dreams away from me?

I've always just been a really sensitive person,

and I was just like, "You think that testosterone

would make me into this monster."

So it just really hurt my feelings.

So I think I wanna just convey that on the stage.

The way that she was describing her grievances

with me starting it were very much hurtful

in saying things like it turning me ugly

or it making me into a douchebag or an asshole

or making me aggressive.

I am the most non-confrontational,

non-aggressive person that I know.

I'm like a big soft teddy bear.

Some trans men do adopt toxically masculine behaviors.

And sometimes that's compensation for wanting to pass.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

And sometimes it's just

they're douchebags, you know?

But it's definitely

like an individual-

It's like they were probably like that pre-T.

No, exactly.

You know what I mean?

We're doing somethin'.

Yeah, babe.

You see how the powder kinda sunk it in there?

- Yeah. - Trade might be my new son.

I feel very paternal with him.

You're such a kind soul and you're so good

- at what you do. - Babe.

Babe, back at you.

To me, drag is a way to support others,

but I also get supported.

I feel full and satiated when I go watch a drag show.

So I am a big giver, but it's for me, too.

Kings, just five minutes left.

Oh, my God.

The end is near.

Gotta put on my mustache.

I gotta put on my beard.

Come on, baby.

It's showtime.

- Babe? - Oh, get it.

- Oh, wow. - Jesus Christus.

Right here, yeah.

I'm feeling the time crunch right now.

Breathe, breathe.

I need to get all of these temporary tattoos on me

because, yes, I'm heavily tattooed,

but I can see all of the blank spots.

And for me, it's not enough to be the tattooed man

and have blank spots anywhere.

Who has a hand right now?

I do.

Can you erotically

or non-erotically rub into this, just rub it in?

Yeah.

Before coming here, I was like,

"Should I go get a bunch of actual tattoos?"

And then I was like, "I can't afford that."

"I don't have time for them to heal."

Trade, did you need anything?

I am baby oiling my body, soaking, soaking myself

to get this huge 40-pound muscle suit on.

Wow, everyone looks incredible.

I'm a little intimidated by what other people have brought,

and I'm realizing the level of drag being done

in this competition is very high.

Time's up, freaks.

Clean up your blood splatter and your bodily ephemera

and meet me in the Royal Hall.

Ha!

Believe it or not,

that is a lot easier than finding parking in LA.

As usual, we have our conniving Kings' Court

to keep our kings in check.

Let me introduce our escreamed panel.

Who's that little devil?

It's Vico Suave.

A nightmare come true.

It's Gottmik.

Winner of "Skin Wars: Fresh Paint," costumer to the stars,

and "King of Drag" finalist, it's Henlo Bullfrog.

Ah, behind you!

It's vampire Damian.

And our ghostess with the mostest,

winner of "RuPaul's Drag Race," host of "HIGHKEY!"

and Queen of the Queerdos, it's Yvie Oddly.

Court, today, the kings have been asked

to put on a freak show inspired

by what society considers freaky.

So Yvie, what draws you to horror?

We're treated and viewed as monsters a lot of the time,

and I think part of what makes being queer

and what makes being a drag artist so important

is that you get to wear the most scary parts

of yourself with pride.

I'm honestly hoping to see something

from the kings that I'm like,

"I don't ever wanna see something like that again."

Now, Henlo.

Each of the performers is opening a door

within their own hearts.

And to really succeed at it,

they have to step through that door.

That's not up to anyone except themselves.

I grew up obsessed with horror

because I always kinda felt like a freak,

and I think this challenge is a perfect way

to channel what we've all experienced

and gone through as queer people.

I wanna see a big, beautiful prop.

I wanna see that transformation,

how they incorporate that into the entire performance.

And I wanna be gooped, gagged, and gobbed.

I mean, I'll gag you

if that's what you're really lookin' for.

Okay.

Well, court, it's time to start the freak show.

Let the freak flag fly!

- Yes! - Whoo!

That's how it's done.

Yeah.

He will make the dead rise.

It's Trade.

Is this what you want?

Is this what you think I am?

Am I the beast you thought I was?

- Yes, Trade. - Yeah.

- Whoo! - Yo.

- Whoo! - Yeah.

I never perform like this.

Even if I'm wearing a body that is also very muscular,

I wanted to show the judges that I'm not just a body.

It just felt really good to let the energy out.

It's alive.

It's VERA!

Step right up.

Step right up, children.

Do you wanna see my tent flaps?

You wanna see tent daddy?

The transitioning prop is the pole

that is the holder together

of my burlesque outfit,

then becomes the circus pole.

And that being tied to the myth

of the circus tent pole being the first burlesque pole.

You like it?

You wanna see?

Daddy likes it, too.

And my shoulder pops off and becomes the circus tent top.

Am I two tents in one man's body?

Tent daddy's here.

Ooh, hi.

There's no age limit here.

The tent's open 365.

Whoo!

- Yeah. - Wow.

Oh, boy.

Don't feed them after midnight.

It's D. Vour.

Oh, my God, Yvie's here.

Yvie, Yvie, Yvie.

Especially on horror week.

I mean, having both Henlo and Yvie there.

I just feel very excited

to put my art in front of these people right now.

I have a little bit of a color guard background,

so I just wanted to symbolize this call to rally

with this big, beautiful, shining flag

that pulls a whip out.

When people like this lead,

especially with blind rage,

people just rally for no reason and then they get hurt.

Like blind leading the blind.

Whoo.

This feels awesome

making a statement with my drag.

And I am very proud of the message

that I am portraying right now.

You may want to sit down.

It's Chase Lounge.

You're trans.

You're not a real man.

You're just a bearded lady.

Fine, I'll erase my masculinity.

My prop is a bloody razor.

My look is sickening.

The only thing I'm worried about

is that my prop only transforms once,

so I can't practice with it.

Fuck this.

I am a real man.

I am king.

Whoo.

Yeah, babe.

The performance started excellently,

but I had a prop malfunction.

I am anxious,

which is not a feeling I ever, ever have in drag.

The Prince of Bel-Scare, it's Cyrus K. Stratton.

Henlo is my BFFFF.

We co-teach a how to be a drag king camp in Philadelphia.

I know that they always play a fair game

and super exciting to see them.

My marionette doll is about this idea

of being forced into femininity.

I control my narrative.

Very personal to me and kind of scary maybe to be judged on.

- Whoo. - Oh, my God.

Our resident demon twink, it's Twinka Masala.

My hair's been too short.

Beard hair, too long.

All my life, my hair has been wrong.

My transitioning prop is a vase that is holding flowers

that has hair growing from them.

The flowers are really representing femininity

and my previous feminine self.

All right.

- Wow. - Stunt that made me gasp.

Hope you're not afraid of clowns.

It's Lollygag.

I'm wearing a wig for this challenge,

which is something

that I do not usually do,

but it's giving me a lot of gender euphoria.

My transitioning prop is a big ole rubber chicken.

I use these hair clippers as my tattoo machine.

You turn it on, it makes like a buzzing noise.

I use like this crazy disgusting mouth rot

- to be like ink. - What?

Oh, shit.

I feel something that I have not felt before

that I'm excited about.

- Wow. - Yes.

I was literally drooling at the end.

Putting the boo in booty, it's Papi Culo.

Every day of my life, I am stared upon-

As If I am a freak-

Because of how I look.

Feeling their energy of some type of evaluation

and I wanna look at them back and yell in their face.

Man

or woman

I am a man.

I am a man.

I am a man.

I am a man!

I am a woman.

A woman.

I'm a woman.

I'm a woman!

I... am...

a human!

I have never done anything like this

with this much vulnerability in my life.

I'm nervous

because I'm emotional,

and I don't want that emotion to lose the message.

I hope the judges get it.

And I hope the pain

and the suffering can translate for them.

- Whoo. - Wow.

Really emotionally intense.

- That's insane. - Whoa.

That was cathartic.

Great freak show, kings.

I gotta give you props.

Ha ha.

The Kings' Court has made some decisions.

Vico?

Trade,

Twinka Masala,

and D. Vour,

you three are all

safe.

It felt really good going on stage

and challenging myself to be so vulnerable.

I'm screaming on stage and I don't really use my voice.

It felt good letting it out.

- Thank you so much. - Thank you.

I am so happy 'cause I know I slayed.

I've gone through so much with my hair journey

that has felt so deeply personal to my transition.

It felt really good

to just hear the judges react the way they did.

Am I upset that I didn't win?

No, because I am very, very proud of what I put together.

The rest of you represent the tops

and bottoms of the week.

VERA!, we'll start with you.

Wow, VERA!

Thank you for making so much direct eye contact

while talking about your tent flaps.

I appreciated that your horror

was maybe not necessarily like a physical horror.

It was the character.

I am such a fan of your performance work and intensity.

I'm afraid that the storytelling

was really where it lost me.

Got it.

Yeah, it was kind of intense.

I was left confused if that was a personal story.

What was the concept you were trying to explore with this?

Yeah, I was taking inspiration

from being doxxed for doing Drag Story Hour,

and one of the key things that people would yell would be

that they thought I was naked when really I'm just

in a peacock suit reading "Worm Loves Worm."

And so I really wanted to show what I think people fear most

about me when I'm reading to the kiddos.

Thank you for the clarification.

It was pretty clear that everyone didn't really get it,

and that makes it slightly harder

to immediately explain yourself,

especially when it's something so personal and emotional.

Grandpa did grandpa's best.

Papi Culo.

I think you absolutely slayed this.

It just was so brilliant.

The scars, the outfit.

It just took us to a new world.

Love, perfection.

Thank you so much.

Wow.

As a visual artist, I love this mix of textures

that you're working with here.

The storytelling was very clear.

I was genuinely disgusted and I love that.

I'm still in shock.

I'm not gonna lie.

There was moments that really fucked me up

as a non-binary person.

Struggles with body dysmorphia.

I think it's genius.

The look, the use of the prop.

The emotion that you emoted spoke to me.

And I am extremely thankful

and humble that you gave this message

to this audience tonight.

Thank you so much.

I just wanna just say sometimes in the real world,

this is how I feel trying just to even go

to the grocery store

and the stares that I get under all this.

I am visibly non-binary and visibly trans in Texas,

and I just wanna be able to be myself as I am.

And when I see people stare at me,

I feel like this is what they see.

- Oh, baby. - And I want people to know

there's more to me than what they see.

Yeah.

I'm willing to give my whole heart

into these types of representations.

Drag has such a deeper meaning and it can be so healing.

I am a human.

And we need to see each other for who we all are.

It's just we're human.

Yeah.

Chase Lounge.

I had an experience with a prop malfunction

in my horror episode,

and it is a hard thing to recover from.

I lost my confidence for a minute,

which is very unlike me as a performer.

It's one of the things

that makes live performance so exciting because it's risky.

And you did recover.

But yeah, seeing that moment, I felt for you.

I would've appreciated a bigger transformation

in your prop.

I just would've wanted a bigger crown.

You can't be like, "I'm a king,"

and then pull out the little BK snippet.

You deserve more.

Look at all this hair.

This is an exploration

that I know is very much a part of who you are,

but I felt like the movie ended early

and I needed the ending.

It happened so quickly.

Take your time.

I've been doing drag for five years.

This is honestly the first time

that I have lost my confidence in that way on stage.

I'm not used to feeling insecure

or losing confidence in drag.

I'm shook.

Cyrus K. Stratton.

I really appreciated that you had a role

as both the puppeteer and the puppet.

I think I would've enjoyed seeing some more exploration

of that story, especially while being dressed as a puppet.

Take up the whole stage and then deliver your work.

You pull my strings.

Any day.

The puppet coming out, it was unexpected.

It's so unique.

But I think because you're such a brilliant artist,

I would just love to see you trust yourself.

We would love to see you grow

and step into that artistry that we all know you are.

We see it right in front of us,

and we just want you to see it and show us, too.

Yeah.

The inside feels different than the outside,

you know?

But I'm working

on being big.

This right here is my best friend.

Mr. Bullfrog, hello.

My heart is in my throat.

I saw your confidence struggle

and I know what it feels like to be shaken.

I felt it, too.

You all just are so stunning, you know?

I just...

Henlo and I are both very stoic by nature,

and to see them get teary-eyed makes me teary-eyed.

We've had conversations about growing

in both of our confidence.

I feel like I've let them down in some ways.

And last but not least, Lollygag.

I appreciate that you gave me the colors

and brightness of a circus.

I really enjoy when horror is something subversive.

Interesting choices all around.

I will see you in my nightmares.

See you there.

You're so specific.

You know your character and we immediately are drawn in.

Your attention to detail is so good,

like the way you know where to rhinestone.

I was obsessed.

As a purveyor of freakishness,

I absolutely connect with everything

that Lollygag is bringing, and I'm fascinated.

Your color palette really setting you apart.

The delight that you take in your drag is really exciting.

Thank you.

Thanks for letting me do that.

It feels incredible to be seen in this way

because I just always assume that the stuff

that goes on in my brain is so weird

and I'm very happy for how it was received.

Kings, please head back to the Man Cave

while the court deliberates.

All right, so we have some tough decisions to make.

Let's start with our favorite kings.

Papi Culo.

From the first week to the second week, I mean, 180.

Horror is an essentially emotional genre-

- Yeah. - And Papi Culo

absolutely nailed it with making us feel something.

I could just like really hear your pain.

There was pain.

I mean, just couldn't stop crying

and I just had to let it come out.

A perfect example of when something is so deep

and meaningful to you and you just put your heart into it,

everyone's gonna connect with it.

I felt like this was my opportunity to try to let go

of what I still maybe feel.

I could feel myself letting go.

Letting go of so much pain.

Whether or not I win,

this message that I have is important to share.

And I'm so proud of myself.

I'm so proud of myself.

My personal favorite of the night was Lollygag

because it was a horror direction I wasn't expecting.

Lollygag brought us a reference

to classic sideshow with the geeking.

- Yeah. - That's what I appreciated

is Lollygag was creative enough to get a story across

without having to say any words.

To me, that's a sign of a very, very good artist.

I am very curious to see what Lolly will give next week

because we can't see clown three weeks in a row.

- No. - Right?

Okay, let's talk about our bottom kings.

For me, I felt like Chase, their confidence fell short.

They obviously had that mishap with the prop.

I personally have never performed

without something going wrong.

It is magic there's still a wig on my head.

But what really makes the difference

is how you can recover from it.

I'm such an improv person

and I never lose confidence on stage,

so I'm just honestly shocked that I did that.

It feels like VERA! Had something really important to say,

but fell short in how they were connecting that

to their personal story.

If you're going to create art about such a looming topic

that we're currently fighting,

you have to really be clear about your message.

Solid negative feedback

across the board.

I'm a very weird person.

It is not the first time that like,

in my head, it's so clear.

Let's talk about Cyrus.

Your costuming is perfect.

Your makeup is stunning.

You walked in with such beautiful presence.

And the moment that something didn't go exactly

as he expected, I saw the energy fall.

And I really wanna see Cyrus trust

that he is oozing with talent.

It's just the confidence

to match the look, right?

This is gonna be a hard decision to make.

It's time for the court's royal decree.

Damian?

We have decided

that the winner of this week is

Papi Culo.

- Yeah! - Yeah.

Yes, love you!

Bitch, I won.

Oh, my God.

San Antoni-guau!

Were espooky.

Winning this isn't just winning for me.

This really is winning for my community.

- Yes, love you! - I'm here.

I've arrived

and these contestants need to watch out.

Papi Culo, you currently are first in line for the throne.

- Yes. - Yes!

Thankful to be safe.

I felt good about this challenge.

I was able to connect with the judges,

so I'm just trying to like keep up that confidence.

Now, the hard part.

Henlo, which kings are up for elimination?

VERA!, your performance skills are unmatched,

but we would like some clarity on your perspective.

I thought maybe even if they didn't get it,

because I had committed with so much kind of confidence

and because I had provided a slight entry point

via the backstory that I might be safe.

Henlo said no.

Grandpa is not safe.

Chase Lounge, your visual presentation is such a wow,

but we're looking for a bigger climax.

This is not what I saw happening for myself.

My look was sickening.

I know I had a prop malfunction,

but I honestly thought my story and my look

and performance were strong enough to keep me safe.

Cyrus, what you're doing

and what you've brought here is incredible,

but we wanna see your confidence

carry you through all the way.

I'm an anxious being and it's scary.

Scary stepping on a big stage in front of brilliant artists

and being judged on it.

VERA!,

I'm sorry, but you are up for elimination.

Chase Lounge,

you are

also up for elimination tonight.

Cyrus K. Stratton, that means you are safe.

As much as I know that I'm deserving of being here,

I wish I could go back in time.

I wish I could do that performance

again, I think the second time

would've been a little bit more badass.

VERA!, Chase Lounge.

- Brother. - My brother.

My brother?

- Brother. - Brother.

My brother?

My brother.

- Brother. - Brother.

Kings, I'm sorry,

but this means you are both in the bottom

and will face off in the Final Thrust.

I find it very funny

that we're a duo week one-

And essentially,

we're now a duo week two.

Long live the kings.

Forever may they pack.

Oh, it's rough.

Kings, today, the Final Thrust challenge

is "Inner Demons."

Ho ho.

You will have just 10 terrifying minutes

to go create a monstrous mug over your existing beat

using UV face paint.

One of us is going to be the first to go home.

I don't want it to be me and I don't want it to be them.

It's rough.

It's rough.

In conclusion, it's rough.

When your time is up,

we will reveal under black light your inner demon.

- Oh. - Oh, wow.

This is your final chance

to remain in the competition.

I don't wanna be the first one to go home.

I'm just devastated that it's gonna be me

or my bestie in this competition,

but I am going to do what I have to do.

Gentlemen, you have 10 minutes.

Come on, kings.

Love you, babe.

Love you so much, my brother.

Brother.

I have a delusional confidence that I can do anything,

but I have never used UV face paint before.

I have this huge beard

that is taking up a lot of real estate,

and I'm thinking this is giving me a huge disadvantage.

I'm just trying to make a big, deep, guttural throat,

which will make it look like my maw has opened.

I love VERA! So much,

but I want to stay in this competition until the very end,

so I'm just gonna go for it.

How you doing, babe?

Oh, shittin' myself.

Same.

It's giving IBS.

Although I am a comedy king,

I am a strong makeup king, so try to go

for like a "Xena: Warrior Princess" barbarian vibe.

Brother, we're going down swingin'.

Let's go, brother.

Let's go, brother.

Time to shine the light on your inner demons.

By the grace of God, I actually do look sickening,

but I'm giving more barbarian.

I think VERA! Actually went more horror than I did,

so I have no idea who is going to go home.

Kings, that was the scariest thing I've seen

under a black light since that one motel from my 20s.

But only one of you slayed your inner demon today.

Our Kings' Court will now vote

on who will stay in the competition.

Vico.

My vote for the king staying in the competition goes to...

Chase Lounge.

Yvie.

My vote will go to...

VERA!

So far, we have one of each.

Gottmik.

My vote is

Chase Lounge.

Damian, what is your vote?

My vote for the king to stay

in the competition tonight is

Chase Lounge.

Chase Lounge, that's a majority.

Congratulations.

Your pursuit of the crown continues.

I am relieved, and at the same time, I'm gutted.

Long live VERA!

Long live you, brother.

- Whoo. - I love you.

I love you so much.

This is not going to stop them.

VERA! Is going to change the world

and there is no way I'm gonna let them go out

without a bang.

Excuse us, Cameron.

- Hell yeah. - Whoo!

Is this the way I wanted to go out?

No.

But did I wanna go out making out with my brother

and hiding him under my hoop skirt?

Yes.

- That was hot. - Man.

It feels truly eviscerating, and yet somebody's gotta go,

and it was grandpa today,

and there's nothing I would've changed.

VERA!, before you go, thank you for being here

and sharing your talent with us.

You really brought it.

Thank you.

You're in tents.

Like camping.

Kings, bring it in.

Judges, too.

VERA!, we're so proud of you.

We would like to honor you.

Please, take a knee.

Oh, it's meant everything to be here.

I have seven new brothers.

I've expressed myself.

I'm just delighted.

I dub thee forever a member of the "King of Drag" family.

Do you have any parting words?

Daddy loves you!

Hi, House of Pack.

Hi, kiddos.

Daddy loves you so much.

And hi to all of my Armenians,

and all of my trans and non-binary folks,

and all of my 40-plus folks, all my climate justice folks,

and all of my nonprofit workers with a 501c3.

VERA!, please pack your packer and head home.

- Huzzah! - Huzzah!

Whoo!

- Huzzah! - La la la la.

Yeah.

Hey.

Running a haunted drag king circus is no joke.

And you were supposed to help.

Where were you?

Never around when I need you.

Also, same outfit?

'Kay, are you not gonna close your eyes?

Do you have eyelids?

No.

That's one of your biggest problems.

Other than that, you could be president.