- Tonight on RuPaul's Drag Race
casting extravaganza,
you'll meet this season's
k*ller cast of competitors.
- I can't wait to serve y'all
little girls.
- And we'll take a sneak peek
at the top 12 queens'
audition tapes.
- I really, really like to be
naked.
- Plus unforgettable footage
of some of the ladyboys
who didn't quite make the cut.
- I'm keeping my baby.
- Can I get an "amen"?
- Heer neer.
- And just when you thought
it was safe to go outside...
Shocking.
Drag Race's first ever
open casting call.
- I will sleep with anybody
if it helps me get the part.
- [gasps]
Get ready for an hour
of amazing transformations...
- [giggles]
- Outrageous fashions...
- Do you know how many Muppets
I had to k*ll?
- And more lip-syncing for
your life than ever before.
- Top that, J.Lo.
- All this and some sexy
pit crew auditions
not suitable for work...
unless you work for me.
So take off your pants,
and let's dance.
RuPaul's Drag Race casting
extravaganza starts now.
- [screams]
- ♪ RuPaul's Drag Race ♪
- ♪ Gentlemen,
start your engines ♪
- ♪ RuPaul's Drag Race ♪
- ♪ May the best woman win ♪
- ♪ R-R-RuPaul's Drag Race ♪
- ♪ Gentlemen,
start your engines ♪
- ♪ RuPaul's Drag Race ♪
- ♪ May the best woman,
best woman win ♪
- Greetings, race fans.
Welcome to the starting line
of RuPaul's Drag Race
season three.
Months before the competition
begins,
we scour the nation
to bring together the best
drag divas in America.
Get ready to gag on the gaggle
of glamour girls I've gathered
for this go-around.
But before I reveal
this season's top 12 queens,
let's take a look at some of
the home videos sent in
from the thousands of hopefuls
who dream of becoming America's
next drag superstar.
- ♪ Yes, my name's Alaska ♪
♪ And that's just like
the state ♪
- My name is Miss Kiki,
a.k.a. Antonio Forte.
- Hi, RuPaul.
I'm Jacqueline.
- I am Misty Eyes.
- My name is Yekaterina
Petrovna Zamolodchikova,
but please just call me Katya.
- ♪ Everyone thinks
Sarah Palin ♪
♪ When they hear my name ♪
- I'm Dax ExclamationPoint.
I come to you now in a look
that I'm calling...I'm calling
Seth Nando Barbie.
- I am Vivika Westwood Mugler.
Right now, we're in the middle
of the Bronx,
in the middle of the projects,
in the middle of the night.
- ♪ I think Palin's great ♪
♪ Just kidding, I'm a Democrat ♪
- My character is very unique,
because I'm kind of bipolar.
- Miss La Fierce is ferocious.
She's...
Arr. Rowr.
Rowr!
- This is Sushi Vega,
the fiercest, baddest bitch
performer in Texas.
And if anybody has anything
to say about it,
they can speak to my mother.
- Hello, RuPaul's Drag Race.
My name is Andrew Levitt.
I grew up in Canton, Ohio,
which is the Pro Football
Hall of Fame capital.
Then I moved...
- I am the fierce diva
that is going to end up
ruling this country.
- I'm in my car.
That just tells you I'm ready
for the race, doesn't it?
- I'm gonna stop you right now
and tell you that if you do not
cast me, this show's gonna suck.
- Ru, you need somebody
interesting on your show.
- So get me on the show,
heer neer.
- Please pick me.
[giggles]
- All of my dreams have come
true except for one thing!
I need to be
on RuPaul's Drag Race!
- I deserve a sh*t
on RuPaul's Drag Race because...
♪ I can sing, oh ♪
- And if you give me that call,
I can be on my way in a jiffy,
because...well, right now,
I'm bumming, but, you know...
- I really want to be on TV.
- Mami, yo tengo esta
en RuPaul's Drag Race.
You have to cast me, mami!
- And if you don't get me on
the show, you better believe
I'm gonna be right here sending
another video tomorrow.
- ♪ Alaska, Alaska ♪
♪ 'Cause she wants to be friends
with you ♪
[laughs]
- And so choose me
for RuPaul's Drag Race
season three.
Because let me tell you
about a drag race.
This bitch knows how to run.
Can I get an "amen"?
- Amen.
- Amen. Holla.
- Amen.
- Is that it?
Did we get it?
Amen.
- Those queens ain't too proud
to beg,
and I applaud them for their
shameless self-promotion.
Oh, did I mention my book,
Workin' It!
RuPaul's Guide
to Life, Liberty,
and the Pursuit of Style,
is available on Amazon?
I didn't think so.
[ding!]
Now, speaking of selling
themselves,
these next two queens
sold me on the fact
that they were the best
of the best.
So let me introduce the first
queen chosen to compete
in this season
of RuPaul's Drag Race.
From New York City,
Manila Luzon.
- Hi, my name's Karl with a K,
not a C.
Hi. I'm Manila.
The thing that I have
that you haven't seen
on your show yet
is that I'm Asian
and I'm taller than 5'2".
I'm Filipino.
Well, my mother's Filipino.
My dad's white.
So I'm a mix.
The Philippines
is the birthplace
of the prison Thriller video
and famous for the former
first lady Imelda Marcos.
- My favorite song to perform,
I think, of all times is Vogue.
I actually like
performing it better
as just, like me
and, like, picking out
fashionable clothes
and voguing.
My category is face.
- I have a famous boyfriend.
He's on TV.
You guys might know him
by the name Sahara Davenport.
both: Hi!
- Hey, there, it's me, Sahara,
wishing my baby girl, Manila,
all the best of luck.
And you guys better pick her.
- Looks like Manila's
gonna be a thriller.
The next queen to be competing
this season
is from the Garden State,
New Jersey's own Carmen Carrera.
- Yo, what's up?
This is me, Chris.
And I want to audition
for RuPaul's Drag Race.
Carmen Carrera is this, like,
fly-ass, glamorous girl.
She just has no worries.
I really, really like to be
naked
and just make costumes
out of unordinary things.
The animal-print pasties
with the mohawk,
that's, like, really Carmen.
Like, Carmen likes to be
really naked.
This is my drag closet.
Couple of sexy things,
skirt that I made.
Rhinestone.
My shoes.
I got married last year.
Me and my husband were
extremely happy about that.
He has a four-year-old daughter,
so I'm kind of, like,
stepmother.
I'm going to give you guys
a little runway,
stop some traffic.
Doing drag and performing
is important to me
on a personal level,
because it helps me grow
as an individual
and as an artist.
[RuPaul's Jealous Of My Boogie]
I can perform for people
and have them take something
from my show,
whether it's happiness
or whether it's inspiration.
I really appreciate your time,
and I hope to hear back soon,
all right?
Amen.
[clicks tongue]
- Like a prayer, this Jersey
girl will take you there.
Now, this might surprise you,
but many of the queens
that auditioned
are still in the closet.
It's true.
Of course, they're just in there
playing with dresses and wigs
and pantyhose.
And lucky for you, they invited
us in to take a look.
- I'm gonna show you my closet.
Take a look.
- This is my closet.
I'm gonna take you on a tour.
I have named it
The Interior Illusions Lounge.
- I spend a lot of money
on drag to look cheap, honey,
and I don't need any other bitch
to take it from me.
So, yes, it's a double lock,
as you can see.
- I'm about to show you
Joaya's fierce closet.
So here it is.
This is pretty much her closet.
- Drag closet, drag closet.
Come on. Let's go.
Everything that I have...
my house is so small
that I have to hide it
under the house.
- This is my special closet.
It's my freezer.
- Some people say garage.
I say closet.
- There she is.
- I don't wear
- I wear this to all
the appropriate events,
like family functions, dinners.
- Oh, and listen to it.
[dress rustling]
Merry Christmas.
- Everybody should have
at least one good
straightjacket.
- I go from different looks.
You know, sometimes I'm demure.
Sometimes I'm classy.
Most of the time, I'm whorey.
- This is my closet in all
its...oh, we have bras.
Am I supposed to show this?
- Little bit of cheetah,
leopard, and my zebra.
But one thing you'll never find
on me is beaver.
- I have developed
quite an affinity
for gluing sh*t
to other sh*t.
- And then this is my
Space Girl Goes Green.
She, you know...
she a little scandalous.
- This is my alien space queen
outfit.
I hope you like it.
I am a natural green hair.
- This right here
is a lovely feather boa
made out of...
scented trash bags.
- And right here is where I make
my own theatrical rhinestone
jewelry.
- Those are some true
fashion plates.
The first time a man puts on
a wig, some makeup,
and a pair of heels,
and prances out that door
is the ultimate act of courage.
Many of our hopefuls told us
about their first time in drag.
- When I first started
doing drag,
I looked like a five-cent
prost*tute clown.
- I started, you know,
a zesty mess in a dirty dress,
like everybody.
You know, my best girlfriend
would do my makeup,
and I'd put on a flat wig
and clothes from the body shop,
and I thought I was real.
And I thought, "Oh, my god,
it's just like prom
but every night."
- I started doing drag,
actually, on Halloween.
And if you would have asked me
back then
if I was gonna be a full-out
drag queen,
my answer definitely
would have been no.
- I was kind of a mess,
you know.
I was walking around.
I was, like...I had that wig on,
and I was roll around,
"Ho ho ho ho."
- I decided I was gonna dress up
as Liza Minnelli
just for one time, and I'm never
gonna do it again.
Shockingly enough,
I had so much fun,
from that point forward,
I knew that I was going to
become the drag queen
that I am today.
- I started doing drag
in Lincoln, Nebraska.
There was a competition
for people who had never
did drag before.
And all my friends were like,
"You should do it."
I'm, like, "I'm not
a drag queen," you know.
So I came in, did that
competition, and won
and b*at, like, nine girls.
Like, they say
that I was the girl
that came bucking at the gate.
Like, it was just my calling.
- I used to photograph
drag queens in L.A.
for about a year and a half.
I was just like, "You know what?
"I'm tired of taking pictures
of drag queens.
"I'm going to turn the camera
and the spotlight onto me,
and I'm going
to make it happen."
I started off in this one
little bar in the Castro.
I called all my friends.
I was like, "b*tches, you guys
better be there.
"And even if I suck,
I don't give a sh*t;
"your asses are gonna scream
like you had just seen Madonna
poop on herself."
- When I was in college,
I was dating a man
who said he'd never sleep
with me again
if he ever saw me in drag.
This devastated me.
But I was answering
to a higher power
the night I picked up the flyer
for Chi Chi Larue's
fishbowl contest.
And you know what?
I walked away
with that fishbowl trophy
and a cash prize.
- Those queens have nerve.
And it do take nerve.
Now, here are two queens who
are ready to let you have it.
A professional makeup artist
who's worked with
some very big names.
Meet Raja.
- My drag character
or my drag name is Raja.
I'll be 36.
I'm a makeup artist,
and I'm a female impersonator.
I'm gonna sound
really f*cking old,
but I started really young,
and I've been doing this
for about 20 years now.
As soon as I came out
of the closet, I was like,
"I'm gonna be
a fierce f*cking bitch."
So my brows were tweezed.
My hair grew.
I kept my weight
at a certain weight.
I wanted to be a supermodel.
That's all I wanted to be.
I've always known
in the back of my mind
that there's something better
about me than everybody else.
I think I have
a different insight
and an understanding of
the world.
Raja is a jet-setting,
avant-garde supermodel.
She's a little boisterous,
but at the same time,
she's very classy.
We're about to explore
my closet.
Definitely have to be thin.
No fat girls allowed.
[chuckles]
So this is one of the pieces
that I made.
Not bad, right?
Sometimes I go have coffee
in the morning down the street
and I go down through
West Hollywood,
go to the thrift shop
in this gown.
I've been watching Drag Race,
and I'm frankly disappointed
at the collection that these...
men are wearing.
They don't have sh*t
like this.
I watch them, and they're just
walking around
in their, you know,
home sewing machine, like,
cheap Lycra nonsense.
And, frankly,
I don't understand it,
and I think it's irresponsible,
and I think they need
to get it together.
I'm a makeup artist.
That's what I do.
And I work with a ton of
celebrities.
This is my friend Adam Lambert.
So what do you think about me,
like, trying to become
the next top drag queen?
- You are the top drag queen.
- Oh!
- Those b*tches
better look out.
- There you go.
Enough said.
- You're going to kick
their ass.
- Sorry about that.
- Not only is Raja
the prettiest queen;
she's also the most creative
and resourceful
and [speaking indistinctly].
- To me, drag is an art form
and it's a visual art.
And so the more visual it is,
the more powerful it is
and the more important it is.
- This drag veteran
is ready for the race.
You go, mama.
Here's a diva supreme
who comes to Drag Race
with a daunting reputation.
From the Buckeye State,
meet India Farrah.
- My name is Shane Richardson.
I started drag
at a very young age,
at the age of 12, actually.
And my brother,
whom is also gay,
was currently in a relationship
with a drag queen
in my hometown,
who got me started in drag
and gave me the drag name
India Farrah.
Oh, hello.
When did you get here?
No, it's not Kris Kardashian.
It's me, India Farrah.
I started performing
at the age of 14.
There's been some hardships
that I've had to face.
A lot of people actually tried
to bring me down
when I was younger,
because I started so young.
And luckily, with the support of
my family and close friends,
it was a battle that I overcame.
This is my closet,
and I want you to come in
and take a look with me.
This right here is a new wig
that I just created, actually,
and it weighs about 20 pounds.
This is a little fabric boa
that I made.
Makeup, lashes.
I like to keep stock of stuff.
One of my top hats for Rihanna.
This right here
is my galaxy costume,
and I absolutely love it.
[fast-paced music]
Why is drag an important part
of my life?
I would have to say since I was
homeschooled since second grade
by my parents,
that drag allowed me
to be more social and outgoing.
So I think, honestly, drag
helped me out a lot.
And I think that's why I click
to it so much.
- ♪ Don't be jealous
of my boogie ♪
♪ Don't be jealous ♪
♪ of my boogie ♪
♪ You can say that you are not,
but I always see you lookin' ♪
- You have seen
my audition video
for RuPaul's Drag Race
season three.
I hope to be seeing you
at the starting line soon.
Can I get an "amen"?
- This dancing queen is gonna
bring the heat to the runway.
You know, my ladyboys aren't
the only ones who have to prove
they've got the right stuff.
I put potential pit crew
candidates
through their paces too.
And trust me; it was grueling.
- My name is Patrick Cronen.
I'm 27.
I did swing for eight years,
but primarily dancing
in the mirror
is how I occupy
my spare time these days.
- I would have to say
I like my stomach the best,
'cause I put the most work
on that.
- I played football for the
University of South Dakota
for five years.
I'm an actor/model, and I can't
dance worth sh*t.
- I sew, I paint,
and I do an amazing one-handed
hand stand
while humping the wall.
[chuckles]
- I'm a musical theater actor
and dancer.
I'm the biggest p*ssy
you will ever meet.
I cry at everything.
I got a nice butt.
It's big.
[boing]
- I'm very confident.
I have some Tom Cruise moves.
You need to get ready, actually.
- I do cry at movies.
I'm very emotional.
And I think I'm a good dancer.
Yeah, got a great ass, so...
[laughs]
- I'm a ex-go-go dancer.
My favorite part of my body is
my ding-dong.
[elephant trumpets]
- I'm actually not a dancer
at all.
- So the one thing you probably
would not know about me
is that I can be very buff.
I can look like I'm really
cut up and really ready to go.
But I can also get really skinny
very quickly.
- I have in my blood
the mighty DNA of God.
So I have his blessing.
I can do it all.
both: We are from Russia.
- My age is 21.
- And I'm 18.
Sometimes we dance
in the shower.
- My name is Alien Hanson.
I'm the world's best dancer.
[cymbal crashes]
My career goals are to be famous
and to be a household name
on everybody's TV screen.
- The economy's turned terrible,
as we all well know,
and I turned to male escorting
to put bread on the table,
to feed my family,
and keep the women happy.
I was a Playboy model,
Penthouse model for years.
- Yeah, I'm probably a little
too short to be a model.
- You know, everyone sees
my chest,
and it just drowns
everything out, so...
See a little bit of that?
[laughs]
- My name is Shawn.
I'm 31 years old.
I work in outdoor advertising.
My favorite part about my body,
I guess, would be my midsection.
[laughs]
- My favorite aspect of my body
would have to be my abs.
- I love my chest.
That's all.
Other people always comment
on my ass, though.
- Hi, my name is Jason Carter.
I'm 29.
I am a dancer/radio jockey/
host.
That's what I do for a living.
What I like best about my body
is my abs.
- Do you see how I suffer
to bring you this show?
You can thank you me later.
Actually, you can thank me now,
because the season three
pit crew is here.
Say hello, boys.
both: Hello, boys.
- This season, we received
a lot of submissions
from plus-sized ladies.
Let me just say,
the bigger the cushion,
the better the...drag queen.
- I'm really freakin' annoyed
with all the big girls
that have been
on RuPaul's Drag Race.
A big girl can't make it past
the first or second episode.
- I'm 6'7" flat-footed,
I wear size 17 shoe.
And I dance like I'm little.
[laughs]
- Initially,
when I first started drag,
I was always too big
or I was always a booger
or I was not feminine enough
or not this enough
or not that enough.
- My butt goes up and down
on the scale and everything.
But a girl doesn't have to pad.
- You know, I was always
the fat kid,
and drag just gave me confidence
to be ballsy, brash,
kind of like a Mae West.
- I make fun of myself.
I don't want to make fun
of other people.
Yeah, I'm a bigger guy.
I'm a bigger drag queen,
a bigger girl.
But I have a lot of fun.
- Unfortunately, those zaftig
queens didn't make the cut.
But here are two delicious dames
who did.
This next queen
will not be ignored.
Joining the competition,
it's my pleasure to introduce
Mimi Imfurst.
- Hey, everybody,
it's Mimi Imfurst,
the hardest-working bitch
in show business,
and I'm the fat bitch
you're looking for.
You need to put a fat bitch
on the show
who's gonna tell it
like it is.
You need to put a fat bitch
on the show like me,
who's gonna deliver,
'cause I'm sick and tired
of messy fat girls
misrepresenting the big girls.
Honey, I'm gonna come in.
I'm gonna squash
the competition.
I don't care
if you're skinny or fat.
I know how to win.
I'm gorgeous, I'm glamorous,
and I'm semi-Ret*rded,
and that is the advantage
that I need to take over
and be America's next
drag superstar.
All my drag is big
and glamorous and super campy
and smart.
And most importantly, I'm a
fierce m*therf*cking lip-syncer.
This is my fabulous closet.
As you can see, there are wigs
and dresses.
Lots of ruffles and sequins
and feathers.
Do you know how many Muppets
I had to k*ll to make this?
I didn't make this one,
but I have Asian slaves
in Thailand who did.
- ♪ Hey, deejay, love the way ♪
♪ I lose my inhibitions
when you spin ♪
- What I love about doing drag
is that it's empowering,
is that it allows you to be
anything that you want to be,
that you can take
what you were born with from God
and transform it
into whatever you can dream.
- We'll see if Mimi has
what it takes to finish first.
Bow down for our next queen.
From Back Swamp, North Carolina,
Miss Stacy Layne Matthews.
- Hello?
Oh, what's up, RuPaul?
It's me, Ron Jones.
Give me a second.
I'll be right out.
I'm gonna show you a little
glimpse into my life.
My drag persona
is Stacy Matthews.
She's vivacious.
She's large and in charge.
So being a big girl,
don't let anybody ever tell you
that you cannot do the things
that small girls can do,
because I've done it all.
I would say
my life as a drag queen
has been the most fabulous thing
I've ever experienced.
I've been doing drag now
for about nine years.
Being a plus-sized queen,
it's not always easy
to have the confidence
that you need,
especially living where I live.
I am from the deep South.
This is my closet.
I want to show you a few things
that I've been working on.
Here are some of my shoes
that I do wear.
We've got this...flower gown.
You see that fringe, girl?
- ♪ Hey, deejay, love the way ♪
♪ I lose my inhibitions
when you spin ♪
♪ And I don't care
if people stare ♪
♪ I'd rather boogie
than try to fit in ♪
- Being in the Bible Belt,
people around here
look down on people like us,
because they don't
understand it.
So I do not feel upset or angry
at those people.
It's my job as a queen to
show them that we're people too
and we deserve respect.
- This country queen is busting
out of Back Swamp
and coming for the crown.
Let's hear from some of
the other hopefuls
to find out what inspired them
to do drag.
It's a little package
I like to call
"everything you wanted to know
about being a ladyboy
but were afraid to ask."
- This is my calling, and this
is what I'm supposed to do.
- I could have never anticipated
all the people
that I would meet
or the places that I would
travel to.
- In my charity work,
I've raised almost $200,000.
- Doing drag, to me, means
escaping the everyday life.
- Drag enables me to be
a supersonic version
of who I am on the inside.
- I don't want to be a woman.
I just want to dress up
and have fun.
- Drag, for me, gives me that
courage and that fearlessness.
- You can wrap people
around your little finger,
and they can't say a word.
- For me, drag is like therapy.
And so I don't have to pay
a therapist.
- Drag, for me, was an art form
that I can actually hide
all of my feelings behind,
from all the name callings
or just the word "f*gg*t"
in general.
- I am not a gay man.
I'm a straight man
that performs in drag
for entertainment.
- When I was 19, my mother
kicked me out of the house.
By doing drag, I was able to
eat, to dress myself,
to go out shopping.
- I have two younger sisters.
They saw me perform
for the first time,
one of the best things that's
happened to me when performing,
because I really love
performing.
- I've done everything.
I've worked in Lower Manhattan,
the financial district,
for six months.
I've sold sunglasses
at the mall.
I've even been a contestant
on Showtime at the Apollo.
But nothing comes close
to the satisfaction that I get
from doing drag.
- A drag queen
is a true artist,
and her body is the canvas.
As many queens showed
in their audition tapes,
their face painting is nothing
short of a masterpiece.
Eat your heart out,
Michelangelo.
Raa!
- I put some Elmer's glue stick
over my eyebrows.
And I'm just gonna give you
a very pretty fishy lady face.
Aren't I gorgeous?
Don't you want to do me?
[kisses]
- First of all, it takes me
a good shower.
You must wash that ass
before you get in drag.
- I always do my makeup.
Normally, I take a good hour,
like, on my face.
And I'll put on
a really cute outfit.
When I walk into the bar,
I'm ready to perform.
- Now I'd like to show you
what it takes to become Versace.
So undergarments are an
extremely important accessory
for a drag queen.
I like to take in my waist
even further
with a cincher like this one.
And this is not my real ass,
but I did pay for it.
- This is what it takes to
transform into Jackie
along with a...with a nice big
roll of duct tape,
and we're all good.
And some couch cushion.
'cause you know
I'm a white girl,
so I got to put the curve in it.
- Can I get a "amen" up in here?
- Speaking of stunning
transformations,
the next two queens
competing this season
are masters of illusion.
First this high-energy queen
could give the Energizer bunny
a run for her money.
From the isle of Puerto Rico,
Miss Yara Sofia.
- I'm Gaby, a.k.a. Yara Sofia.
I'm from Puerto Rico.
I was born and raised here
in this beautiful island.
My character's name come
from a girl that I have
in high school.
She had beautiful legs.
So everybody told me
that I have beautiful legs,
and that's why I'm Yara Sofia.
When I look in the mirror,
I wasn't boy.
I was a girl,
'cause I love being a girl.
Now we're gonna talk fashion.
I have too many looks.
This one is a remake
from Alexander McQueen.
I could never forget the shoes.
What Yara Sofia loves to wear,
the animal print,
'cause I love animals.
I'm a fierce bitch.
- ♪ Don't be jealous
of my boogie ♪
♪ Don't be jealous
of my boogie ♪
♪ You can say that you are not,
but I always see you lookin' ♪
- I want to compete
in this fabulous race,
RuPaul's Drag Race.
So here I am.
This is the time.
The third time is the time,
'cause after Jessica Wild,
the Puerto Rican girl
will win this race,
this competition.
It's for us.
So be prepared and watch me.
- Will Yara's edgy style
get her to the finish line?
Escandalo.
This next queen impressed me
with her professionalism,
not to mention she put the "hot"
in Hotlanta.
It's my pleasure to introduce
Phoenix.
- Hi, my name is Brian Trapp,
also known as Phoenix.
Hi, RuPaul's Drag Race.
Phoenix here
in Atlanta, Georgia.
I started drag, like,
ten years ago.
I kind of started doing these
little, like, amateur contests
and started winning.
And I kind of just got pushed
into the scene, and here I am.
The biggest hardship
is the boys.
The boys are crazy with it.
Like this year alone, I've had
this happen several times.
I'll have a guy, like,
all into me as Brian,
and then they figure out
what I do,
and it just completely changes.
It, like...
and it drives me insane.
I just look at me doing drag
as more of another way
for me to be creative
and be an artist.
I don't really consider myself
just a normal drag queen.
I look at myself as more like
an entertainer.
- ♪ Hey, deejay, love the way ♪
♪ I lose my inhibitions
when you spin ♪
- I've pretty much been
a full-time entertainer,
and now I work six days a week.
I have one day off a week.
But I'm ready to do
something different,
and I really think,
from what I've seen
with RuPaul's Drag Race,
it gives you a larger scale
to work with.
Bye.
- Rising from the ashes,
Phoenix is ready
to burn it down.
Now, that's my kind of queen.
For the very first time,
we held open auditions
on Hollywood Boulevard.
[people cheering]
Drag Race judge Santino Rice
joined me,
and we got to meet
some very colorful characters.
- Let me get in on your sh*t,
girl.
I'm sorry, girl.
- Let me in there!
- Security?
- My name is Delta Work.
I'm from Norwalk, California.
And I'm here to try out
for RuPaul's Drag Race
season three.
I'm so excited.
I put my tape together
the day before the deadline.
I rushed it.
I was ready to go.
The waiting's over, and I'm
ready to take it to the top.
- You ain't gonna do nothing.
- You shady cow.
- My name is Venus D-Lite.
I'm 26 years old.
I'm from Los Angeles,
California.
I think what sets me apart
from all the other drag queens
is that I'm unique,
I'm professional,
and I like to get
the sh*t done.
- Hello, world.
It's me.
It's Terlene.
I'm America's next
drag superstar,
'cause I have the f*cking gall,
the talent, the nerve.
- I'm America's next drag
superstar,
because I am a superstar.
- I'll cut some b*tches
if I have to.
I'll do whatever I have to do.
- I'm not worried at all
about the competition.
Bring it on.
I've dealt with a lot
of shady queens.
I'm ready, RuPaul.
- Where would you put this
if you were me?
- Tell us
about your drag persona.
- My name
is Miss Mona Lot-Moore.
- I'm Miss Barbie Q.
- I'm Allusia.
- Mercedes Electra,
the Hollywood icon.
- I bet you are.
- My name is Detox.
I'm pretty much, like, a mix
between Jem and the Holograms
on cr*ck
and Patrick Nagel.
- Oh, well,
that's all you need.
- Whoo!
All right!
Yeah!
Whoo!
Bring it on, baby!
Bring it home to mama.
- I feel like a fake
Barbie right now, to be honest,
the way I'm talking.
Do I sound like a Barbie to you?
"Yes, hello.
How are you?"
- [chuckles]
- I'm Christina Boss.
I'm 16.
Okay, I'm 27.
Shh.
- Vickie Bouffant.
I'm 37.
And, bitch, I am from Chicago!
Originally.
- Hi, I'm Wendy Watch
from Wetumka, Oklahoma,
and I'm 42 years old.
- Mona can go from gowns
and, like, glamour
to solicitation
on the streets.
[record scratch]
- Are you Lady Deuce?
- Yes, I am.
- How'd you get the name
Lady Deuce?
- One of my really, really best
friends,
her name is Lady Deuce.
Kind of, like, a tribute to her.
- You have a best friend
whose name is Lady Deuce?
- Yes.
- And you decided, "I think
I want to use that name too."
Did you try Claire Voyant?
What about Sarah Tonen?
- No.
- Tara Misu?
- Tiramisu?
- Yeah.
- Isn't that, like, a soup
or something?
[cymbal crash]
- Hi, good morning.
- Hello.
How gorgeous you are.
- Thank you.
My name is Delta.
I'm 34 years old.
And I'm from the city of
Norwalk.
I've been doing drag
for over ten years.
- Do they tip
in southern California?
- On a good night, yeah.
I hate showing up to,
like, Ross,
and paying all ones, but...
- Do you cross-dress for less?
- I cross-dress for more,
'cause I got more to cover.
- Okay.
- A lot of the "big girls"
that do shows,
it's always a comedy.
I do comedic things.
I do things that are serious.
Hopefully, overall, the thing
that runs through it all
is just entertainment.
- Awesome.
What unique skills do you have?
- I can stick my tongue
behind my uvula.
- I've been tap-dancing
for the last ten ye...
last ten...
[gasps] 20 years.
- I can sing live.
I've been classically trained.
♪ Amazing grace ♪
♪ I need a drink ♪
- ♪ That saved
a wretch like me ♪
- Hmm, well, my physical talent
right now is a little tucked.
- I can, uh, make a dinner
for 40 on $1.95.
- Oh!
Oh! Ah!
Ah!
Mm.
- [laughs]
- I can get spots
out of anything.
- I can do this.
[crickets chirping]
- Jiminy Christmas.
- Yeah.
Ah.
Well, hello there.
What as surpris...look at that.
- Oh, do you live?
- Oh, Mary McFadden,
eat your heart out.
- Oh, yes.
- I love it.
- Now, this is just day wear,
okay?
You got to see my evening wear,
okay?
- You're Venus D-Lite?
- I'm Venus D-Lite.
- Now, you look like
a country queen.
- It's a little Cyndi Lauper
too.
- Just a little bit.
I'm giving, like, Cyndi Lauper,
Judy Jetson.
- Who do you pattern yourself
after?
- Madonna, Grace Jones,
Barbra Streisand.
Madonna just shocked people,
and that's me as a performer.
- How long have you been
performing?
- Almost ten years, and I'm 26.
- Oh, my goodness.
- Wow.
- Jailbait queen. Brilliant.
- Thank you.
- I tell you what.
Let's take a look
at your lip-sync prowess.
Are you ready?
- Yes.
- Okay.
- Can I turn around?
- Yes, ma'am.
- [clears throat]
- ♪ No no no, no no no ♪
- Is this new?
- Yeah, it's new.
- [laughs]
It's the new new.
- Is this KISS FM?
- ♪ Hey, deejay, love the way ♪
♪ I lose my inhibitions
when you spin ♪
♪ And I don't care
if people stare ♪
♪ I'd rather boogie
than try to fit in ♪
♪ Turn it up,
let them scrutinize ♪
- ♪ I know you're watching ♪
- ♪ Way up, 'cause the night
is mine ♪
- I know you're watching.
- ♪ Turn it up,
let me scandalize ♪
- ♪ I know you're watching ♪
- ♪ Yeah, up
under flashing lights ♪
- ♪ No, no, don't be... ♪
Oh, my goodness!
Don't hurt nobody, now.
♪ You say that you are not,
but I always see you lookin' ♪
♪ Don't be jealous
of my boogie ♪
♪ Don't be jealous
of my boogie ♪
Oh, okay.
Yes.
- ♪ Always see you lookin' ♪
♪ Don't be jealous
of my boogie ♪
♪ Don't be jealous
of my boogie ♪
♪ You can say that you are not,
but I always see you lookin' ♪
- Gorgeous.
- [laughs]
Thank you guys so much.
- Thank you so much.
- Thank you, baby.
- Thank you, Allusia.
And we'll see.
- All right.
Mwah. Bye.
- Well, thank you so much,
Reya.
- Thank you.
- Thank you,
and I will sleep with anybody
if it helps me get the part.
Just putting that out there.
- Thank you.
- Well, Mercedes Electra,
thank you very much.
- Thank you.
- And that boa is amazing.
Wow.
- It's like the embodiment
of being gay.
- Now, would you wear a boa
like that?
Well, I got to tell you,
you know,
I'm so impressed with you.
I think that you are...you're
what we're looking for.
And, Venus, you're coming
to Drag Race.
- [squeals]
Oh, my god!
Oh, my god.
Oh, my god.
- [laughs]
- Thank you.
- Don't f*ck it up.
- This is the best thing that's
ever happened to my life.
I'm so excited.
This is just...oh, my god.
I finally won my Academy Award.
Oh!
[squeals]
- You know,
you are so unspookable.
- Am I?
- Yes.
- Okay.
- Well, condragulations, Delta.
You're in.
- Really?
So in the running, like there's
one more step, or...
- No, you're in, girl.
- [screams]
Oh, my god!
I just got on RuPaul's Drag Race
season three!
I'm excited.
I'm ready.
Let's do it.
Start the race.
sh**t the g*n.
- All right, darling.
- Buh-bye. Thank you.
- Bye. Awesome.
All right, Santino, I think we
got some really gorgeous gals.
- The world is going to gag.
- The world will be gagging.
Let's go.
- Let's get out of here.
- Every drag queen knows
that there's one thing
that can never be too tight:
her lip-sync.
Because one day, her very life
may depend upon it.
- ♪ Hey, deejay, love the way ♪
♪ I lose my inhibitions
when you spin ♪
♪ And I don't care
if people stare ♪
♪ I'd rather boogie
than try to fit in ♪
♪ Turn it up,
let them scandalize ♪
- ♪ I know you're watching ♪
- ♪ Yeah, up
under flashing lights ♪
- ♪ No, don't be ♪
- ♪ Don't be jealous
of my boogie ♪
♪ Don't be jealous
of my boogie ♪
♪ You can say that you are not,
but I always see you lookin' ♪
♪ No no no, no no no ♪
♪ No no, no no ♪
♪ Don't, don't ♪
♪ ♪
- Some of those lip-syncers
were pretty tight.
But, unfortunately, none of them
made the final cut.
My advice to those girls is to
keep working on your game,
because persistence pays off,
as proven by this next queen,
who applied not once, not twice,
but three times
before being invited to compete.
Please meet a girl who won't
take no for an answer,
Alexis Mateo.
- Hi, everybody.
My name is Alexis Mateo
from St. Pete, Florida.
I'm 30 years old.
I always bring something
to the table
completely different
and completely fresh.
And I'm original
from Puerto Rico,
and I come from a broken family.
I grew up
always trying to be accepted
and always trying to be
part of something.
When I was 12 years old,
I realized that all my dreams
were set in the performing life.
This is Alexis Mateo,
the little character
that I create inside my room
after that fabulous first
drag show that I saw.
It's the only thing
that I have of my own,
that nobody can steal from me.
When I'm with other drag queens,
I do have a very strong
point of view that I defend
and that I make myself be heard
and be respected.
Let me see.
What else can I show you?
This, I started
with a long dress,
and I just kind of cut it.
I use Mardi Gras beads sewn.
It's completely turned
into a giant ball gown.
I love the 3D effect
of the flowers.
- ♪ Don't be jealous
of my boogie ♪
♪ Don't be jealous
of my boogie ♪
♪ You can say that you are not,
but I always see you lookin' ♪
♪ Don't be jealous
of my boogie ♪
- Alexis Mateo means to me
everything.
I love Alexis Mateo
because of that,
and, of course,
I love Alexis Mateo
'cause he can disguise
as everybody
and just be himself.
♪ ♪
- This pageant queen
has her eyes on the prize.
And last but not least,
this breathtaking beauty
is from Atlanta,
and we call this queen Mariah.
- I am Mariah, and I reside now
locally in Atlanta, Georgia.
Mariah, she's an eclectic
bundle of inspiration
from everybody.
My style,
especially professionally,
is pretty much
just to go in there,
do what you have to do
without a whole bunch
of unnecessary extra.
Well, I don't perform
professionally.
That's not, like,
my form of income.
I don't do it for a living.
I actually compete
in the ballroom circuit.
And so it's pretty much kind of
a sudden-death version
of a pageant.
You have about 30 to 45 seconds
to prove yourself.
I'm bringing my "A" game,
so y'all girls better have your
lashes, your wigs,
and your fish grease,
because this one's
gonna be good.
Okay, so I'm officially out of
the closet,
ponytails and all.
This is the magic room.
This is, like,
all my human hair wigs.
This is where I keep them,
'cause they're so delicate.
They're so easy to tangle.
If you don't condition
and shampoo them
like you would your real hair,
oh, guess what.
This is where I keep
all my drag,
my feathers and hair
and shoes and things.
Actually made these myself.
I can't wait to serve y'all
little girls.
- ♪ Hey, deejay, love the way ♪
♪ I lose my inhibitions
when you spin ♪
♪ And I don't care
if people stare ♪
♪ I'd rather boogie
than try to fit in ♪
- Life is a drag,
and it's fabulous.
I mean, I'm really actually
couldn't see myself
doing anything else.
It's been an ongoing process
of meeting new people,
learning new things.
To me, my whole life...
it's an adventure.
Just enjoy it.
Don't take anything serious.
Except for your hair.
- Mariah is bringing ballroom
heat and serving realness.
So there you have it,
the 12 top queens competing
this season
for the title of America's next
drag superstar,
the best of the best.
Manila Luzon.
Carmen Carrera.
Venus D-Lite.
Delta Work.
Raja.
India Farrah.
Stacy Layne Matthews.
Mimi Imfurst.
Phoenix.
Yara Sofia.
Alexis Mateo.
And Mariah.
Now, as fun as their audition
tapes were to watch,
let me tell you,
you ain't seen nothing yet.
These gentlemen are about to
start their engines.
And spoiler alert:
the best woman wins.
So buckle up for safety,
and I'll see you
at RuPaul's Drag Race
season three.
03x01 - Casting Extravaganza
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RuPaul plays the role of host, mentor, and head judge for this series, as contestants are given different challenges each week.
RuPaul plays the role of host, mentor, and head judge for this series, as contestants are given different challenges each week.