Shows and movies like 'Drag Race Philippines' to fill the sparkly, glamorous void in your life
So you were introduced to the world of drag artistry when that one friend of yours got you to watch Drag Race Philippines, and you're never quite the same after it. Now, you know all the words (and choreography) to Pop Off Ate! by heart, and the queens and their stories have made their mark in your life.
The first season of the local RuPaul's Drag Race spinoff has come to an end, with the Precious Paula Nicole crowned as the first-ever Filipina winner. It's been a wild ride for fans as they've been used to tuning in every week since Aug. 17 for their dose of drama and Filipino charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent.
Now that the season has wrapped, there's a drag-shaped hole in our lives—and the only way to fill it is with more drag-centered series.
RuPaul's Drag Race, All Stars, and Drag Race Canada
For those who are newbies to the franchise, it's best to give the original RuPaul's Drag Race series a watch. In the show's 14 seasons, you'll get to know more about RuPaul, queer history and pop culture, as well as LGBTQ+ activism through the show. The format's basically the same as Drag Race Philippines with mini and maxi challenges where the queens have to sew their own garments, act, do improv, star in a music video, sing, lip sync for their lives, and more.
ICYDK, there are a number of Filipino drag queens who've entered the show like Ongina in Season 1, Manila Luzon in Season 3, Jiggly Caliente in Season 4, Vivienne Pinay in Season 5, Rock M. Sakura in Season 13.
And if you want to see more of the iconic Pinay queens Ongina, Manila, and Jiggly, you can catch them on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. This series brings back all the girls who were close to snatching the crown (and even those who were first outs) to beat the best of the best in the reality drag competition. All Stars also has more drama since old rivalries from previous seasons get revisited. Oh, and the queens get to send each other home!
For more Filipino drag royalty to stan, you can give Drag Race Canada a try. In the second season of this spinoff franchise, Filipino-Canadian queen Stephanie Prince entered the Werk Room in an outfit inspired by Jollibee.
Dragula
Standing on the tenets of drag, glamour, horror, and filth, Dragula isn't your typical reality competition, and it's certainly not for the faint of heart.
A spookier take on drag, this series sees artists from all walks of life take on a variety of challenges like gruesome special effects makeup, costume creation, and live performances.
But those who fail to rise up from the pack will face the dreaded extermination challenge where a contestant's physical and mental capacity will be put to the test. In these extreme tests, they must prove how "punk" they are against challenges like getting buried alive, eating cow intestines, skydiving, and other horrific feats.
While Drag Race mostly features drag queens, Dragula features all kinds of drag artists, including drag kings.
Die Beautiful
A film starring Drag Race Philippines host Paolo Ballesteros, aka Mawma Pao, Die Beautiful is an internationally acclaimed flick tackling the life and struggles of the trans Filipina.
Ballesteros stars as Trisha, a trans woman who suddenly died after she won a gay beauty pageant. Following her last wish to be buried as a woman, Trisha's friends dress her up as a different celebrity each night of the wake in a secret location.
A spinoff to Die Beautiful, Born Beautiful follows Trisha's best friend Barbs after the queen's death. Barbs starts a new life as a straight man but this leads her to Trisha's ex Michaelangelo, her own ex Greg, and to a woman claiming she's pregnant with Barbs' child.
Paper Dolls
Paper Dolls is a documentary following a group of transgender and gay Filipinos who migrate to Israel to work as healthcare providers. Outside caring for elderly Orthodox Jewish men, the Pinays perform as drag queens.
On top of that, members of the drag group face struggles like acceptance from their families and threats of losing their jobs and deportation.