February 7, 2023
Meet the Pit Crew of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 15
Timothy Rawles READ TIME: 4 MIN.
On "RuPaul's Drag Race" Season 15, we got an eyeful of the Pit Crew. Remember that peekaboo shot of their bulges underneath the desk on the Snatch Game? These four guys are gorgeously fit and undeniably useful as human props for the competing queens.
But beauty is only skin deep, there is more to them than just pink designer underwear and zero body fat. These guys are mentally fit too, with degrees in everything from business to rocket science. Although they may not have fared well on Snatch Game, they are certainly winning at life.
Bruno Alcantara
Bruno Alcantara is a Brazilian model and life coach. According to his website, he grew up in a loving household with lots of support. It was when he realized he was gay that things got complicated. His Catholic upbringing was at war with his sexual orientation, and he hid the truth from everyone. The struggle lasted a while. But, after meeting other gay people, his internalized homophobia began to diminish.
At 26, he moved to Los Angeles where opportunities began to open up and over time, Bruno, who has gone on to work with Madonna and Elton John, eventually became comfortable with his identity. He wanted others who were struggling as he did to overcome their shame, so he became a life coach and spoke from experience. "I learned that the more I accept myself and embrace who I am, I become stronger, more authentic and free," he says on his website. "So I can say from my experience that self-love has changed my life."
Calixto Quan
Calixto Quan joined the Pit Crew with "Drag Race" Season 14. Being both part of the Asian and Latinx community, he has said that growing up, he rarely saw anyone who looked like him on television, therefore he didn't have many role models. But he hopes his time on "Drag Race" has changed that.
He is doing the same for the gaming site Twitch, working as the Senior Program Manager of Creator Diversity. He holds a Bachelor of Business Degree from Arizona State and he is also a volunteer at the charity organization Out in Tech. "I help shape the creative vision of website and branding for LGBTQ+ organizations across the world," he says on LinkedIn.
As for being a member of the Pit Crew, Quan says his profession may allow him to explore growth from a product user's point of view, but he also appreciates the creator's perspective. "I am honored to be a part of the 'RuPaul's Drag Race' cast on Season 14 as a part of my commitment to Asian and Latinx representation in media, to the LGBTQ+ community, and to learn about being an underrepresented creator so that I can apply these experiences to my growth strategist and partnerships work."
Bryce Eilenberg
First thing to note: Bryce Eilenberg is straight. He first appeared as a Pit Crew member with "Drag Race" Season 7 and became the show's first red-headed heartthrob. But there is more to his good looks than just a perfect body. Eilenberg is also an aerospace engineer; a rocket scientist so to speak.
Eilenberg's story about becoming a member of the Pit Crew is an interesting one. While working at Honeywell Aerospace he began to take up an interest in doing fashion photography, especially featuring designer underwear. Inspired by David Beckham's famous Emporio Armani underwear campaign, Eilenberg mimicked the ad and posted the photos on an internet site called "Model Mayhem." A casting agent saw the sexy snaps and reached out with an offer to appear on "Drag Race." He took it blindly, having no idea about the show's premise.
"The very first explanation I got [about 'Drag Race'] was basically Vanna White, except you're a dude in your underwear," he told The Daily Bruin in an interview.
Today, the model continues to pursue photography between making guest appearances on the show. He also loves to run. Which is useful for modeling clothes for the ginger-centric lifestyle brand, Red Hot 100.
Asaf Goren
"From Israel with love," said RuPaul while introducing Asaf Goren on this season's "Supersized Snatch Game." Goren is a successful dancer and a judo champion. He also won Season 3 of Israel's "Big Brother," appeared on MTV's "Are You The One?" and was even in a Britney Spears music video. Last year, he went on social media and challenged himself to release one original song a week for a year, which he has managed to do so far.
The handsome "Super Jew," as he calls himself, joined the Pit Crew for Season 10 and reappeared in Season 15 for Snatch Game.
After his appearance, he gave a shout-out to his fans on Instagram: "Thank you Ru Paul's Drag Race for giving me the opportunity to be the best I can be, to showcase myself, and to be a light for the world. Peace. Love. Shalom. God Bless. Pit Crew out!"
Last April, Goren and his partner, Maayan Rudich, welcomed their son Ivri into the world.