Slaysian Persuasian Finale

Hello and welcome to Slayshion Persuasion. My name is Virginia, please, and I am Calypso. You are not mistaken, this is in fact episode 10.

We're wearing the same clothes.

We're wearing the same clothes as episode 9. However, we're doing a little bit of cinema magic here. I, at this point, I'm out of the country.

Yes, she's joining Slayshion Royale season 2.

Yes, I'm off to film, so I I wanted to come on and record and then say goodbye to this fabulous podcast. And I want to take a second to thank Virginia. I want to take this moment. It's really important because when she reached out to ask me about doing this, I thought it was for just the first episode. But then immediately after, she was like, girl, next week we'll do this, next week we'll do this. And I was like, yes, I'm down. And the only regret I have is that I didn't book this flight accordingly because I thought this season would be 9 episodes. But I just want to give Virginia your flowers. This was such a beautiful experience. I have a special surprise for you.

Oh my God.

She didn't know about this. This is a surprise. So we have been watching Drag Race Asian Royale, and we've been seeing all these queens win and get their Ru badges. And I know that you've also talked about potentially joining the Filipino cast one day. So I want to give you your first official Ru badge.

What does she say?

Ru badgina! What does she say?

Big kahina ru badge ya!

A big kahina ru badge ya!

Say it first!

Big Yan.

Big Yan.

No, Rubaj. Yeah, yeah, bigger Rubaj.

Yeah, thank you.

So I wanted to present you with a pin. I got us matching pins because I was like, because I was like, we spent 10 episodes, 9 and a half, and I was like, this is gonna be your memento. So every time we think about Slaysian Royale or moving forward, I wanted to present you with a badge.

Girl, I'm not gonna let you go unless I say something about you as well. Yeah, you were the first person in my head and I was is not mistaken because we went through this on a breeze. It was so easy. This would have been harder if it wasn't the kind of banter that we had together. And I must say that we had such memorable times. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for being with me on this journey. I feel like we're doing Slay Shan Road, the actual singing show.

I'm like, woo! Because it felt like— because it really was. Because we were like, okay girl, what are we wearing? Where are we filming? Coordinating with our schedules. And I moved during this process, I still was like, I will be here every week because this has been so rewarding. Yes. Of course, we've known each other for like over a year at this point, but this experience has really brought me closer to Virginia, I think, especially after doing GAP at the same time too. Like, girl, we've had a busy 2 months.

Thank you so much, guys.

Of course. Thank you, Virginia.

Thank you.

But these are our matching Slaysian Royale Rue badges.

But have fun on your trip in India and bring us some boys.

Oh, girl, boys.

I'll bring you some other kind of souvenirs. We'll see whatever can fit in my suitcase. But We will see each other really soon. Thank you so much to our viewers. I think my favorite part of this whole experience would be when she and I would look at the comments and text each other. Like, girl, did you see what they're saying? Yeah, we went from having sculptures in the background to standing to sitting.

I did not expect that the Slay Shan Royal contestants themselves would actually comment.

Yes, we got Brigiding, we got Kitty Space, we got Niñas. We got like, we almost a lot of them were either liking, interacting, so Thank you to the fans. Thank you to the queens. Thank you to World of Wonder for creating this show, because with every single thing that we've talked about in our 10 episodes, it was beyond just watching drag queens competing.

Yeah, World of Wonder, you might want to consider Binge Queens. Right?

Let's get it! That's just what the comments are saying. So once we're both on our respective Drag Race seasons, we will do Binge Queens for Slaytion Royale season 4 or 5. And I also want to say congratulations to Brigading! Mama, you did it! You ate, it was so good. Now enjoy the rest of episode 10. This has been Calypso for Slay Asian Persuasion.

Hello!

Oh my God, I actually have a very special guest. Calypso, you're missing so much, but I have a very important and very special guest. She is one of the matriarchs of the Babuhay Bitches. I am very proud and honored to present to you Kiki Cruz!

Hi everyone!

Hello, hello, hello!

It's your trans Filipina diva here in the bay area.

Thank you so much for being here with me to review the finale of PlayStand Royale. I am so excited to talk to you because we have so much in common and so much to talk about in terms of drag, politics, culture, gay lingo, and so much more.

Politics, politics, politics.

Yeah, well, let's begin. Yes, let's do it.

All right, last performance.

Your love, light, and legacy will continue to shine brightly in our hearts and on our stage forever.

You want to talk about Jiggly?

I'm gonna cry again. I actually cried about this, uh, when we first talked about in the series. Um, you know, I only had a few moments with Jiggly, but you know, I really felt connected with her because I feel like she has not only opened the doors for Filipino, Filipina drag queens, but, you know, I myself, as someone who is going through a journey about my identity, she has opened the doors for me to allow myself to be part of this family. And that means— that really says a lot about the work that she has done in this world. Yeah. Yeah.

Um, yeah, we were very surprised by, you know, when she passed. And I vividly remember it was 2 years ago during Pride of, uh, 2023. And then after that, I I had a brief moment with her at the backstage of API stage. Also, it's like intergenerational support coming from Tita Ida to Jiggly, because Tita Ida was the one who booked Jiggly for the API stage, uh, Pride of 2023. And then the last time I, I spent moment with Ate Jiggly was during our Mabuhay Bitches brunch. Yes, um, during the birthday special of Dee Dee Marie Holiday. Yeah, she really opened a lot of doors, not only for Filipino drag performers, but yeah, specifically with what you said about, um, Filipino trans performers.

Yes, yes, definitely. She's made a huge impact, um, not only for us Filipinos, Filipina performers, but also the LGBTQIA+ community all, all over the world. And my cats are running around.

It's part of the deal, it's part of the package. That's Right there. And, and, and she, she has been very vocal about it. She has been very vocal about, um, advocating for the trans community, and she was really iconic, and not only in the drag scene but also in the, the queer and trans movement as a whole.

Definitely. Yes. Let's continue.

Tonight, our top 4 present their back-to-back grand finale runway looks and their totally impressive talent extravaganza.

Oh my God.

Exciting, and I'm so thrilled to the core.

Can I, can I comment on that? Well, I want to comment on, uh, Marina and, uh, Nymphia. I, I think I could not stress this more enough, uh, seeing those two as part of the, uh, the judges, especially those two queens who have already showcased their talents in the international platform, especially with Marina bringing every, like, a Filipino culture and identity during UK vs. the World during her season. And also Nymphia win the first, like, East Asian who won Drag Race. What season is she? 17?

17.

17. And every outfit that she showcases on the runway is, is very East Asian, very, uh, a lot of like Chinese culture embodiment. Yes, the Chinese, uh, clouds, uh, Chinese like, uh, porcelain and all that. So she really did not just not elevated the, the art of drag for the Taiwanese people, but also uplifted the, the Taiwanese culture in the international.

That's what I appreciate about this show as well, because it's doing the same thing. Yes. Not only for East Asians, but Asians all throughout, in Asian Pacific Islanders, Southeast Asians, South, South Asians. Yes.

Wait, do we have a South Asian contestant?

Not yet.

Not yet.

Yeah.

Calypso. Yeah, Calypso will be—

yes, she has aspirations. Yeah, yeah, for sure.

Yeah. And yeah, and all, and And also just like, I really like, I don't know which episode was that, but it was an episode about celebrating your AAPI, Asian identity, Asian identity in Europe or in America, in other parts of the world.

Yeah, as an Asian living in another part of the world and growing up in that part of the world, I don't think this has happened before in any franchise where culture is sort of like the centerpiece of the series, right? So that's why I was very skeptical at the very beginning, you know. And as well as a friend of mine who said it's a little bit racist because we're trying to pit Asians against each other. But when I saw the very first episode, I was like, this is what the show is all about. It's really telling the stories about our experiences as Asians.

And I think inherently, like Asians, because of the stereotype of us as a community being the model minority, I don't know if that's still politically correct right now. The spirit of competitiveness really Drag Race Philippines really brought out that spirit of competitiveness amongst the contestants. Speaking of culture, I wanna divert to the name of the award, which is Tite. Yeah, I like it because this—

let them know what Tite is in the vernacular, please.

Yeah, and I really like it because not only are we showcasing like the rich history of art culture through art and history, but also culture through language.

Yes.

Um, especially like, uh, the vernaculars that we have, the sexual slangs that we have.

And so what does tite mean?

Tite, for instance, tite is slang for, um, your penis. It's like dick but in Tagalog.

Yes. Yeah.

And, um, Something that I've learned during my college years too is that Filipinos, it's part of our culture to infantilize words.

Yes.

Or to repeat the same syllable to describe something that we deem as taboo or something that is scandalous, like our body parts, like our genitals, like tite and puke and tike.

Yeah. Our lingo, our queer lingo, or beckiness, in fact, which we used in your event, you know, Maki Beki? Oh yes, yes, talk about that.

Yes, um, but yeah, um, like going back to aside from the infant— I, I like the, the crossover between like infantilizing the words like the genitals into incorporating it, incorporating it as part of the gay lingo. And then, um, it, it evolved into like tete to like burat and all that. And, uh, We have— so the gay lingo in the Philippines is more commonly known as the Swards or the Swarding. Yeah, the Swardspeak, the Swarding. And yeah, um, or Bekines. Yeah, it's, it's, uh, uh, evolving like yearly, like every generation it's evolving.

And you know, we all know queer lingo is not isolated in the Philippines. It's a common survival tactic for queer people all over the world. Yes, yes, yes. And that's why, that's why this is very significant that we are using queer lingo in a series that has a global platform and really showcasing what that means in a Filipino context. And "tite" is the word.

Yeah, and I'm really glad that you pointed out that queer lingo or gay lingo in general really does something about— it helps the queer folks with our safety and security.

Yeah, and also nurture community, right? Yeah, which is very, very important. That's what they're trying to do here in, in Slay Shen Royale, and that's why I really love this show.

Yeah, normalizing those scandalous words, quote-unquote scandalous words, and it's gently introducing it to mainstream media. That's what they're doing. Then I think that's very good.

Yeah, cool. Oh, let's continue. Oh wow, that's the Divine Gravity part!

Oh my God, that's the Divine Gravity part!

Oh my God, in the competition Seems like this challenge is made for Nicki Manza.

They should watch out for Nicki. Yes, they should watch out for Nicki Manza.

Doing the eloquent.

There we go, that's so good.

And my ethereal koi fish—

I didn't get it too much, that the koi fish did not translate so much. As I wanted it to.

It doesn't— it did not. Yeah, Bloom. I like the concept, but I don't like the fitting on her.

Yeah, I was thinking maybe if that detail in front of her face could have been a lighter yellow, it would have made a difference.

It's power.

Yellow gorgeous.

But where is the It's a Revolution in there? I don't get it a little bit.

I guess it's just the color. Yes, just the color. It's associated with, um, uh, Corey.

That's why. Please, girl, I really like this.

I really like this. Fetus, how's your head after that? I want to be invisible.

You know what really reminds you?

You know, have you—

were you bored already with the animated series He-Man? And then There's an animated, um, character, Oracle, that doesn't— that was only a hat and it's flying around like this. Oh, it looks like that.

Oh, okay.

Yeah, I can't remember the character, but I know of this one.

It's so creative. Oh my God, she is the master. She's— to me, she's like Sasha Velour in creativeness. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, you know what?

Oh, that's high praise for Vinya.

Yes.

Category is Come in Your Best Drag, starting with Arizona Brandy.

Oh, aren't you glad to see me? Yes, for my best drag, this is inspired by my promo look, but I'm going on— I don't know, it's, it's really hard to pull off stones everywhere, an orange outfit, big hair, big hair. So kudos to her for doing that, but This, I don't know, it's not doing her any favor.

I know, I feel like it diminished her, um, silhouette as well. Yeah, yeah, but I get it. It's like an orange vagina right in front of me. Yes.

So you've never seen—

oh, you should see her.

This is amazing, girl. It reminds me of that designer who created a collection about the universe.

Yeah, that's swirling with moons.

It reminds me of Violet Chachki's Step-down outfit.

Yes.

Yeah, even the hair, like, like the structure of that.

Yeah, you wouldn't expect plastic in this level of competition, but you know, she made it work. She pulled it off.

Yeah, I'm serving you.

This is so good. Oh my God.

Wow, bitch, look at how she thinks.

My word, beast.

We need to study her. We need to study her mind. Yeah, I know. We need to study her.

She chose to—

Oh my God.

There's something about cockroaches which survives.

Yeah, even when the world ends. She's still here.

The queen.

I mean, the first category is like defying gravity.

Yeah.

And it's always been gay, like defying gravity from Wicked the musical. And also just like as a queer person, as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, we always go beyond, and I think to the point of like overcompensating just to prove ourselves because we did not get any validation from, from our friends when we were younger, from our parents when we were younger. And, and so I guess that theme is very on point. I really like, uh, Brigiding and, uh, Suki's outfit. The outfit of Arizona and Viñas for me did not It felt short.

Yeah, it felt short. Yeah.

And also, like, like the way that Brigiding and, uh, Suki, uh, presented their outfit through that, um, what do you call that, like a hula hoop suspended in there?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel like they should have tested it, how it flows in the air, right? And I think only Brigiding and Suki tested it out.

What I'm really interested and I— what I really want to talk about is the, the yellow-yellow category.

Yes.

Because, because one, historically in the Philippines, uh, yellow has been like a symbol of hope, but, but then again, it's not. There's a lot of controversy between— I mean, behind, uh, the color yellow in Philippine politics because, uh, it was, um, vastly used during the 1986 People Power Revolution. Yellow has been, uh, the color of the resistance during, uh, the Marcos regime. But, but the thing is, it kind of reminded me of that song again of, um, Joey Ayala Yeah, that's a look that it's not red or yellow. It's not really, uh, it's not really a, uh, it's not supposedly a culture war. Yeah, but it's supposedly a class war.

Yeah, I really find it curious how revolutions are reduced to like basic sensitivities for human beings, you know. Like we associate, like in the case of the Philippines, we associated revolution to yellow at some point, but now it doesn't mean that anymore. Yeah, but, um, it's just curious how political tactics such as these are being used to a political advantage, right?

Yeah, I'm glad you pointed that out because, because I think it— politics is all, all about optics as well. And, um, I think like going back to, uh, basic senses like, uh, like colors or like taste or like food or anything like, um, yeah, uh very basic to human experience. I, I think that that color really, um, relates to the larger, uh, portion of that population.

Yeah, but also the flip side— on the flip side of that, I also see it as a weakness of each of, of humans that we resort to really basic concepts in order to accommodate a collective consciousness, when in fact we are all capable of holding in our hands really complex complex concepts and complex politics and decide from that. And yet, you know, these really simple concepts are still being used to not only manipulate but also control a population, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

And another layer to that, and I'm really glad you pointed that out as well, that you're correct that humans have the capability to understand complex stuff, especially like in terms of politics or like political identity and all that. But, um, it's always been being taken away from the bigger portion of the population. Folks in power, folks who are rich, folks who are rich and powerful do not want the, the masses to be educated. Yeah, that's why we're always like, uh, continuously pushing for like free education in the Philippines, make education accessible to everyone.

That's really Interesting how we've gone so deep like that. But yeah, that is the case of, of us, of— that is the status quo of the world right now. That's why there's a lot of upheavals, because technology is actually working to our disadvantage because it is being taken advantage by evil forces, shall we say. Yes, to manipulate, you know, choices in terms of politics or even choosing a president. Yeah, as in the case of, you know, the United States and the Philippines as well.

Yeah. I think like I saw a video of, of, um, an interview of Maria Ressa, and then, uh, letting folks know that social media in the Philippines has been used by the oppressors, or like the rich and powerful people who wanted to take advantage of, of the masses. They use it to propagate like, uh, fake news, and it worked. Yes, and it really worked. Okay, one final thing about yellow. I'm just also like, uh, happy that they chose yellow and it's slay-shun. It's rooted with the Asian identity. We are reclaiming something that has been derogatory against us. And now we're like, you know what? Yeah, yellow is our color. We're going to make yellow a beautiful part of the Asian culture. Yes. You may use it as a slur to us. You might have used it as a slur to us before, as, you know, quote unquote, yellow skin folks. But we are owning it. Yes. And they own it in the runway.

They are so right.

All right, yellow, yellow, yellow, yellow, yellow, yellow, yellow.

Just continue. I came from nothing. I still have the memory of when I started. I just stumbled upon a video of Jiggly Caliente on YouTube. That's how I started. I hope when they see me now, they'll be proud and they'll be inspired that everyone starts from nothing. Thank you very much.

Okay, talk about that first. Okay.

Yeah, I already want to talk about because Arizona represents a lot of drag queens who identify with what she identifies with. Yes.

And I really love her performance. It's very barangay. Yeah, it's very Filipino drag. Her choice of music during that performance, her choice of outfit, like the signage for the jeepneys and all that, she was wearing them. And even So the Budots, she also like, uh, brought up the dance Budots in the Philippines.

Yeah, the dance craze in the Philippines.

The dance craze in the Philippines. And what I really like about what Marina said is that, um, Arizona is her own brand, is her own thing, and is as equal and as good as Marina or Kiana.

Yeah, I'm really curious about that. Like, who's saying that Arizona is not as equal to, um, to Marina and Kiana. Like, who's deciding that?

Like, I think, I think, I think, uh, this is the thing. I think, uh, part of our culture and human experience as well. So it's part of Filipino culture, it's part of the queer culture to, I think, um, involuntarily compare yourself with other people, or other people will compare you. With other people even if you're not doing the comparison yourself.

I feel like there's a false perception that showgirls are better than comedy girls. Yes. And I don't think that's necessarily true. I really think it's case-to-case basis. I feel like there are comedy queens that are hugely successful. Bianca Del Rio, say for example. Bob the Drag Queen.

The drag queen, yes.

And you can never compare them to any showgirl. And they will eat any showgirl at any given point. It just really depends on situation. Yeah, so I think that perception that Arizona is not better than Kiana or Marina is an unfounded perception. It's like people believe that it exists, but I don't think it does, right?

Sister Arizona, if you're watching this, don't listen to them. Do not listen to them. That's why— that's what I appreciate about our sisterhood. Yeah, one, I think it's our shared vision and also like the shared goal of the sisterhood to really uplift one another.

Yes.

Drag are like very different from one another. Yeah, you are talking different from mine, my drag is different from Era and Natasha's, also with John and Didi and all that. But, um, we make it to a point that, um, we also share that mindset. I mean, going away from that mindset of scarcity to a mindset of abundance. Yes, because, because that works not only for our art but also like as, as he— as part of our healing. Yes, because, because, um, colonized by a lot of folks. Yeah, we've been colonized by a lot of like imperial forces and all that, that we think that the resources are scarce.

Yeah. And by the way, we're both part of the Bambuhay Bitches. This is Kiki Crunch and she is one of the matriarchs.

Hello!

Yes. And I will say amen to what you said, and I think that's why I am part of— well, I'm claiming that for myself, that I truly believe in this group because it has given opportunities to everyone with no basis at all. We are equal in that group. Yeah. And we're given the opportunities as long as we're willing and and it's available to us. And the support is just very palpable, you know, in every show, in every activities that, you know, we choose to engage in. And I think a lot of people can learn a thing or two about our group. And I hope that we're able to share that to others as well.

I think that nurses don't, I mean, the nurses have their own like Filipino mafia culture, Filipino mafia. Us drag queens here in the Bay Area, especially the Filipinos, have also our own Filipino mafia group. Uh, for example, the Mabuhay Bitches. Yeah, we always share opportunities with our sisters and also like to the extended family members of the family.

Yeah, yeah. And this is actually— okay, maybe we can talk about this later, but I'm just going to talk a little bit about this. But this is really connected to that disillusionment that I was talking about to Calypso, about all these young queens, uh, coming to the drag scene thinking that drag is about the startup, the money-making industry. Yeah. Forgetting what the— forgetting and not being reminded of what, how drag really started. And drag, it's really about community and saving community and fighting for the community. And I think that's what we have as a group.

And we have a lot of role models here in San Francisco, in the Bay Area, who are like big, their names are big in the drag community all over the country and also like in other parts of the globe. Like we have Juanita Moore, we have Sister Roma, we have Peaches Christ, and Darcy and all that. You know, they're known in the drag community all over the country, but they didn't choose like stardom. They didn't choose like Drag Race.

They chose community.

They chose community.

Yes. So yeah, drag is about community, not only resistance, but what? What? Your resistance? It is resistance.

It is a protest, but also it's a community.

Yeah. Yeah. We find ways to thrive, and thriving is for all.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, there you go.

Let's all stomp our heels for our second finalist. Bring it in! Come on!

To listen, to feel, instead of using my head all the time. I think I am not here in front of you as this version of myself if it was not very much well. So I love you so much, Kevin. Thank you for your message.

I'll see you.

Okay, let's talk about Brigiding.

I think so for Brigiding, I think it's very relatable when Brigiding mentioned about like improving your art, improving your craft. Also, it reminded me of the famous line of Turing that it's not bad drag, it's you just had a bad day and it's not bad drag. And I think that's also like the challenge for every creative. It's like always making sure that what is the next big thing, or if, if it's not the next big thing, um, your creative process. I need to do something creative. I need to have something creative.

Yeah. You know, I've always had— I, I can't identify it correctly, but I thought it was, oh, she's too perfect. She's too— she always makes things out to the T. Yeah. And I feel like now she's trying to break free from that. But I still want to see more. Yeah, I, I want her— I want to see her take more risks. Yeah. And even make a mess out of herself, something like that. I, I don't know, maybe I'm expecting too much, or maybe this is the Brigadine that, that we need to accept. I don't know. But I feel like Brigadine has so much more potential and so much more to give.

I, I think that's, that's part of her, uh, personality too, that, um, she, she's very perfectionist that it's sometimes, uh, perfection borderlines, um, um, like boredom, bland, bland, or like monotony. I'm not saying that Brigiding is bland or boring, but to, to the other, uh, creatives out there, you know that being perfect sometimes, uh, not having risk, not taking risks, not being messy, takes the fun out of it, like the spirit of creativity out of it. Yeah. And One more thing, um, she— they keep mentioning, I think this was from, uh, her season as well, that she lacks brand. But you know what, I, I disagree. I disagree because, um, what I know that it's a very cutthroat industry, that it's being brought to the mainstream media, like the drag that we have right now, the drag that we are witnessing through RuPaul's Drag Race and Drag Race Philippines and all that. But you know what, brand, I think, is part like— it's a part of the commodification of drag. It's part of like the—

the brand is actually a capitalist term.

It's like the side effect or like the derivative of capitalism.

It's a profit money-making word, brand. You have to have a brand to sell your brand. Yeah, right. So why are we judging someone's artistry based off of that? I think it's a little bit unfair.

There.

And I'm guilty of that. Yeah, I'm guilty of that. Yeah.

And also, it's, it's, I think it's, it's, it's very contradictory that, um, we always say that, uh, uh, drag is, is a, um, an expression of resistance and all that. Uh, it's drag is a tool to disrupt the norm and all that. But some people who also like claims the same stuff also is like asking for a brand for Britney.

Yeah, yeah. I think it's, it's Because we are in this cycle, we're still in a capitalist world and somehow we have to operate under that. But I think discussions like this is very important so that we keep reminding ourselves that drag actually is not a capitalist point of view in the very first place. We actually started as a resistance for the binary structures that have continued to discriminate us up until now.

And I'm glad you mentioned that too, that we are operating under the system. Because the system, this institution is bigger than us. It also goes back to the like, "Oh, Kiki, I think you're being too high on your pedestal, like saying that we cannot do this and do that, otherwise we conform to the system of capitalism and all that." No, I'm also calling myself out of this. I'm also calling out myself because we are part of it. We are but victims of the bigger institution.

Exactly. And at the end of the day, we also need to eat as drag queens. So I think the answer is how to navigate that and yet not forget about who we are and what we're fighting for.

What was the term of Mufasa to Simba? Remember who you are.

Yeah, there you go. No, no, this is a very important discussion. But yeah, we're learning something from you, Brigading. Thank you so much.

Yeah, let's call in our next finalist, Suki Doll.

And I never knew that in Drag Race or in even drag career, you can have somebody that's your better half that's gonna push you even further than what you are capable not only your artistry but as a person to be even better.

So thank you, sister. I love you.

Thank you very much, Suki Dam.

Thank you. I think it's, it's really, um, what I called it, it raised awareness with the Cambodian culture, what she did, especially with her, uh, with her number. Um, there was like a dancing involved and also like the shadow play.

Yeah.

And I think that's very really amazing to witness on the stage of Drag Race Philippines.

Yeah, the storytelling was superb. But let me just say, Suki is so beautiful. You know, I never— it took me a while to see that. And I think someone else, someone pointed that out. Brigading pointed out on the show, oh, Suki is so beautiful. And I was like, bitch, what? And then I saw it. I'm like, oh my God, she's so beautiful.

She is. She is really beautiful. I really admire her makeup.

Yeah.

And it's really interesting that they showed a video message from Isis Couture. The times that I've been at DragCon in LA, their booths are always together. They're always together. Isis Couture and, uh, um, Suki Doll.

Yeah, but you know, some would say that Suki is kind of like a token international queen in the top 4. Do you have an opinion about that? Um, because people would say, "Kanna should have been there," like John said, like, "Kanna should have been there." But she also agrees, although, that, um, Suki is also deserving of But there's that opinion.

I mean, it's TV, it's show business, and, and I think it would also like give, uh, Drag Race Philippines bad rep. A bias.

An obvious bias.

An obvious bias. Yeah. Uh, having not having an international, international queen for the top 4.

Well, let's get into that though. Why did not— because people say, oh, they got the really like underperforming queens from their seasons? Why didn't they get the really good Asian queens from other franchises? How would people would say that?

Well, we don't really know what happens during the casting, uh, process, but I think, um, it has something to do with, uh, the contract of World of Wonder, if it already expired or not, because I think they, they have like a 5-year contract if I'm not mistaken.

I don't know. Yeah, so what you're saying is more complicated than that.

Yeah, it's more— there's a lot of layers of that. Yeah, and also it's, it's the availability of queens. Yes, because I heard that we have Drag Race Philippines sisters in the Philippines who also got offered, or who also like, uh, called to, you know, for, for casting, but they declined. Yeah, because they think they're not ready.

But let's just indulge the idea though. What if Vinius and Brigadine competed against Manila Luzon, or Plastic Tiara, or Jujubee? What would have happened? Added in your mind?

Oh my God, um, the OGs would eat, uh, Vinas and Brigette, the likes of Manila Luzon, the likes of Jujubee, the likes of, um, what's the other one that you mentioned?

Plastic Tiara.

Plastic Tiara.

I would say they would still have a chance.

They would still have a chance if, um, if we're looking at, um, what do you call this, like performance. Yes, because looking at the track record of Manila, Jujubee, and, um, Plastique, yeah, they're all performers.

Yeah, but you'll never know once you're in the competition.

Also, also, it also depends on the format of the All Stars. Yes, because, you know, we all, we, we all thought that Manila will— yeah, would, uh, you know, we thought that she will win, uh, All Stars 4, but it did— the, the format that season did not do her any favor.

But come on, girl, would Manila or Plastique say yes to competing against—

no, I don't think so.

Filipino So see, that's how complicated it is.

Yeah, yeah, so many layers. And also it's like, how much is the, the stipend? Yeah, for the talent fee. The talent—

these girls are already earning.

Yeah, I was like, girl, no, 80,000 pesos? No. Yeah, yeah, wait, two—

yeah, 2 million for the Ru badge. For the Ru badge is 80,000 pesos.

80,000 pesos But 2 million is how much here? Um, it's $35,000. $35,000 US dollars, girl. That's, that's, that's not even like, um, half of the, the, the regular, the regular price here.

So yeah, there you go. Yeah, yeah, it's more complicated, girl.

It's more complicated than that.

And finally, make some noise for Vinas Deluxe!

Parents, I want to make the most.

Thank you, thank you very much. Now the judges and I will deliberate. You may leave the stage.

Yes, um, I can't help but compare Venus with Brigiding because like you mentioned earlier, Brigiding is a perfectionist. She's polished and all that. Um, but to me it's, it's not the opposite but kind of like a complementary with, um, Brigiding is Venus is like, uh, she's a risk taker. She's a risk taker. She's not afraid to be messy. She's not afraid to be funny and all that she's not afraid to think outside of the box, like really think outside of the box. Yeah, compared to like other contestants.

I actually compared the both of them to, um, Glinda and Elphaba. Oh, in a way it's like, who, who is Glinda and who is Elphaba? Elphaba is, of course, Venus.

Yeah, Venus.

And Glinda is, Glinda is, uh, Brigadine. Yeah, um, almost the exact opposite, but not exactly, but the opposite side of the spectrum. But they both represent the best Yes, of what they represent. Yeah, yeah.

And, um, you also mentioned earlier that, uh, Venus is kind of similar to Sasha Velour in terms of her life, how she thinks outside of the box, creativity. And if I remember it correctly, Sasha Velour, uh, recently adopted, um, Brigadine.

Yes, in her house.

Oh my God. Yeah, so like, okay, is, is it a Venus this is time to— yes, like after showing her, her, um, you know, what she can do outside of the box, what she can do.

Yeah, I was thinking of something. Um, uh, you know, Biniyas is one of those artists where you just have to appreciate her with the work that she offers. And I feel like when she talks, it's a little bit diminished for me. Like, I don't— I don't need to, to, to hear her talk. Yeah, her work speaks more volumes than what you can even say or articulate, because she's a genius like that. She's that kind of a genius.

And I think you're correct, uh, uh, on that matter, because, uh, they have this like introduction before their number, right?

Yes.

She didn't really say as much as the other queens.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And, um, I really like, uh, what she shared, uh, with the audience, uh, in terms of like, you know what, just, just keep doing what you like. Consistency is the key, especially for like younger queens who, who want to be, uh, sustainable, uh, in this craft, uh, in this community. Consistency is the key.

I would even go as far as Venus's talent is beyond Drag Race. I feel like she has the capacity to be Sasha Velour, where she can create an entire experience. Yeah, you know, of a concert where she's really telling a story and being so creative about it with so many aspects in, in the show. I think she has that potential.

Yeah, whoever wants to produce, uh, Venus's show, yes, do reach out.

Yes, yes, you should collaborate with her.

Yeah, collaborate with her. Her mommy's fans.

Oh, what am I saying? I hear the cameras right now.

But yeah, um, and, um, yeah, we, we had an amazing, like, uh, brief moment, uh, during last year's DragCon in LA. And yeah, yeah, she's, she's just amazing. She has this very nice energy.

Yeah, yeah. So yeah, we're big fans, you know that.

La muyan, Missis.

All right, let's continue.

Queens, it's time to take a trip down memory lane. We've got some adorable baby photos of you all. Let's see what you looked like before you became the fabulous queens, you know, and loved it.

Of course, the drama.

Thank you, queens.

You want to talk about that? I think I want to talk about it. Yeah, I, I think one of, one of the many, uh, things that this show has brought to the community is having that moment to— having that healing moment talking to your younger self.

Yeah.

I mean, it works for the contestants and also it makes you reflect as an audience.

Yeah.

As a queer audience, it's like, oh yeah, we really need to have a conversation with our younger self.

Yeah, it really gives a lot of hope in my opinion, because it shows that there is a journey, that our lives are not static, and that at some point we could be at the very bottom, but we, we can be in our journey. We can be in our journey and, um, and, and be victorious, you know, through that journey.

What are you gonna say to your younger self? What are you gonna say to younger Jess?

No, let's do it!

Let's do it. Yeah.

Oh my God. Oh, you're gonna make me cry.

You're gonna make me cry.

I'm gonna tell myself that you're gonna be alone and separated from family, but, and it's gonna be double hard journeying a life being alone and as a queer person, but body, and you're gonna stumble and do so many, um, bad decisions. But, um, just hold on to yourself. Um, hold on to that inner light that you have allowed to guide you, even if you're alone. Yeah. And, um, and you're gonna make it through.

Oh my God, it's your turn. No, um, yeah, like I mentioned earlier, um, I'm really, really happy and proud of our sisterhood because, um, yeah, um, you, uh, Era and Natasha and our other sisters, like, in the sisterhood really, uh, helped me find healing, uh, and also like navigate my, my journey here abroad. And if I'm gonna say something to my younger self, I'm gonna talk to like Francis. Yeah, it's still giving me like— it's giving me goosebumps whenever I say the word Francis, or whenever I hear someone named Francis, like, like, like, uh, Cassiopeia's fiancé. Um, yeah, um, I really wanted to, to thank, uh, Francis for actually, um, preparing this physical body for someone stronger and beautiful in her own way to thrive. Yeah, because, because without, without Francis, um, um, I think I not have that opportunity to take care of Kiki. It was— and I'm sorry that, Francis, you've been confused. You've been confused in a lot of ways. You've been hurt in a lot of ways. But all of those experiences have, like, reasons behind it. Because while you're navigating the world as a younger male-presenting gay kid, you're actually preparing a place for Kiki, for Kiki to thrive. So yeah, I'm really, really thankful to my younger self for also enduring a lot of like childhood trauma and challenges through, like, throughout growing up. But I'm just glad that Francis did not give up. If Francis gave up, Kiki will not be here. So, oh my God, this is my God. No, no, no, we did not expect it.

No, and I wish, I, I wish that our viewers will also go through and be brave enough to talk to themselves, to their younger selves as well. It's, it's a, it's a— that's what the show, if anything, that's what the show gives us, is it allows us an opportunity to, um, confront our healing journeys. And, um, and if anything, you know, hopefully that will help us navigate, and if not, help us feel better at that moment as well.

Yeah, I know, I know, it's good TV, but it also like, um, help us like really reflect on stuff that happened, uh, to us when we were kids, especially right now that we have all these platforms, all this opportunity to explore and, and navigate healing through the shows. So yeah, exactly.

Well, thank you for giving us, both of us, that opportunity.

Okay, let's go, let's watch the rest of Now, based on your grand finale and totally impressive talent extravaganza, I have made my decision.

Ah, this is it.

Before, there was a lyric that says babe. Ah, but I think she wasn't able to do it on time or the right way because she was too caught up on trying to reach the idol, right? Yeah. Condragulations for making it to the grand finale. You turned looks, snatched wigs, and shut it down.

Do you think that's RuPaul's clone?

Who will claim the crown?

The time has come to show the world. You think you need RuPaul in there? I don't think we need RuPaul in there. She's not saying anything. Yeah, who's gonna win?

I think this is AI. Thank you, Mama Ru.

From royalty herself, we hope these slay queen are making you proud, Your Majesty. And also, I would love to extend my deepest gratitude to my styling team headed by Mike Samonte and the brilliant Filipino designers who crafted my fabulous slay royal-worthy looks. Stitch, sparkle, and silhouette was a work of art.

It's the same silhouette, bitch. It's all terno the entire time.

Erich Mendoza, Richie Bondoc, Arbonick Gabriel, or Stephen Alvarado, Cherry Berry, and Franco Salvador Marani.

Salamat po, queens.

In addition to the title of being the first Slaysian Royale Superstar. The winner of Drag Race Philippines will receive a 1-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills Cosmetics and a cash prize of ��2 million, powered by Bingo Plus. Now the time has come to crown our queen. Queens, I have made my decision. The winner of Drag Race Philippines Slaytion Royale, the very first Slaytion Royale drag superstar, is— Ding ding ding ding ding!

The brightest star! Well deserved, well deserved, well deserved.

Thank you.

Yes, I have a question though.

Why does her crown look like— it looks like it has— it's missing something in the middle.

Look at the crown. Season 1, uh, Fake Drag Race Philippines, and I'm excited to explore myself and understand myself.

That's an interesting choice.

Yeah, yeah.

To the Philippines and to the rest of Asia and the world about—

this is the testament.

Yeah, it's hollow.

Yeah, learning is the new winning. So please, please don't be afraid to share your story and do not give up on your dreams Because dreams don't expire. Thank you so much.

Yes, congratulations. Okay, let's recap what we just watched.

I think it was, it was really a well-produced finale for Drag Race Philippines Nation Royale, it being the first season. So, um, yeah, they, they had a very good run. The top 4 are very deserving. I really love, uh, how They each showed their expression of drag from Arizona to Suki to Viñas to Brigading. But also Viñas, kona, kona misis.

You are the it girl.

Ika una talaga misis.

Yeah. Yeah, please say, Slay Shenreal, please continue this way of making entertainment where we learn a lot about each other's culture. I think the world needs it. With the world in war right now, the best thing we need is to understand each other. And shows like this, this help us get there because we understand like the context, the cultural perspective. And I think that's, that's really, really helpful. Yeah, to understand each other.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that, and that's really true, um, uh, because ignorance is, is really like, uh, the root of all like the discrimination, the hatred and all that. And, and having this type of platform where we can talk about or discuss about sensitive issues or like even other cultures, uplifting other cultures, it's really a good way to understand one another and, you know, foster peace among people.

Yes, and don't be afraid to be too political. There's no such thing as too political. As drag queens, we are here for a reason, and that is to really challenge perspectives to the rest of the world. The moment we get into our drag, it's we're really suggesting that there is an alternative way of thinking about the world other than the binary. And I think that's the very first purpose of drag.

Yeah, it's very powerful, like going beyond the social construct of gender, the binariness of gender. It's really powerful. And to showcase through the expression of drag that gender is fluid and it's a very large spectrum, it's a very wide spectrum, it's truly a testament of how far we've come as members of the LGBTQIA+ community. But also, we still have a lot of things to fight for.

Exactly. And we can't wait for season 2. I wonder what they will bring. Yeah.

Oh my God. Ramboo lang to.

But yeah, I've gained so much from the experience. I'm very thankful for Slay Channel. I was very skeptical at first.

First.

But thank you, thank you, thank you so much. Maybe I'll see you there in one of the seasons.

Oh, I don't know, I don't know. Maybe I'll just be, um, Sasha Colby and I'll, I'll just wait for them to cast me. Okay.

No, but what, what a wonderful conversation with you, Kiki. You've, you've filled the shoes of, um, and even more with Calypso because you have more, um, Filipino context in that context. Calypso, by the by the way, because Calypso is also really good. But I was pleasantly surprised with our conversation. It was really, really good. So thank you for, for being here with me and finishing the Slayshon Royale series. No, but thank you so much, Kiki. Thank you.

Thank you, Virginia, for having me.

And with that, um, we'll see you again next season.

Yeah, next season. This has been Virginia Please, and this has been Mix Kiki Crunch, and this is Slayshon Persuasion.

Bye!