Drag Race Premieres :: Engines Alive for Season Six!

JC Alvarez READ TIME: 3 MIN.

Like an excitedly wild debutante ball, the new crop of contestants for Season Six of "RuPaul's Drag Race" were unveiled at a premiere event in New York City. The fourteen new drag queens vying for the $100,000 cast prize and the title of America's Next Drag Superstar represent the competitive reality show's most unique and diverse group of drag acts ever assembled, ranging from pageant legends, camp and cabaret courtesans, and catty club kids -�they encompass all walks of life and every corner of the country.

The East Coast event was held on the West Side's Stage 48 the multi-level space is the Saturday night home of epic club promoter John Blair's "Viva!" which continues to prove the city's biggest weekend party. Notable nightlife event producer Brandon Voss teamed up with LogoTV as one of the premiere's architects, drawing a crowd of eager fans that circled the block onto 11th Avenue. With an evening emceed by the always eloquent contestant judge and RuPaul bestie Michelle Visage, attendees were introduced to performances from all of the new girls competing for the coveted crown.

For this returning season of television's most-original, most-watched reality competition, RuPaul has put together the show's most varied and talented set of queens to date, ranging from long-time (personal) favorites like Bianca Del Rio, to West Hollywood notable ingenues including Adore Delano, the first of the new queens to set foot onto the work room set, and the ultra-fishy still spiffy Gia Gunn.

Bianca Del Rio, who hosts the long-standing Friday night attraction at 42West, "Hot Mess" alongside the legendary Lady Bunny and "Drag Race" alumni Milan finally confirmed a rumor that until recently Del Rio was preparing to hang up her high-heeled pumps forever. Deciding to compete, on "Drag Race" as one of the cast's most seasoned acts has invigorated her dedication to the performance art form and energized her competitive spirit, making her one of the queens to watch. Will she find herself at the bottom lip-syncing for her life?

NYC's own Vivacious, a first-time cast competitor, agreed that the talent pool is fierce and that her goal is to shine a light on the dynamically enduring legacy of club kids that have paved the way for the current crop appearing on the scene. The aforementioned Gia Gunn couldn't have been more pleased with her experience on the show, and the responsibility that comes with being a part of such an enduring phenomenon like. Elevating the art form from the obscure and into the mainstream, the LogoTV hit show has already been renewed for an upcoming seventh season -�unprecedented in the show's historic run.

Showing little signs of lag or over saturation, fans appear poised to root for the new crop of contenders, and begin a love-hate relationship with the show's heavy-hitters, drama queens and scheming mimis. All across the scheme of nightlife, local bars prepare to launch Monday night preview parties, making "RuPaul's Drag Race" Season Sixth premiere the "must-see" television event of the year -�at least until this cycle's finale, crowning its next drag superstar.

The new season of "RuPaul's Drag Race" begins Monday, Feb. 24th at 9 p.m. EST/PST on LogoTV, immediately followed by a new season of the behind-the-scenes tell-all show "Untucked: RuPaul's Drag Race."

For exclusive video from the NYC premiere event go here.


by JC Alvarez

Native New Yorker JC Alvarez is a pop-culture enthusiast and the nightlife chronicler of the club scene and its celebrity denizens from coast-to-coast. He is the on-air host of the nationally syndicated radio show "Out Loud & Live!" and is also on the panel of the local-access talk show "Talking About".

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