So, I was invited to be a guest judge at the online show Pinoy Drag Queen by my friend Shandii Bacolod. At first I was hesitant because I saw clips of the show and Shandii and all of the judges were in drag but as I asked about what would I wear, anything casual or that suits my taste. So, in short, anything that I’ve been wearing whenever I leave the house for an event.
So, I said yes.
Honestly, I’m still nervous. I’ve never judged a pageant, or anything live, I only write what my judgments are when I review movies, series, phones and other things that I can review with my work. So, I watch some of their episodes online and episodes of Ru Paul’s Drag Race on Netflix and two episodes after, I was enjoying the humor, the visuals and the characters of the contestants. Now, I understand why some of my friends love the reality competition show.
Days after, I arrived at the venue. Felt safe that people are following safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Make up and pre-prod done and we’re I’m off to judge in the episode six of Pinoy Drag Queen.
First, Pinoy Drag Queen is hosted by fashion designer and entrepreneur Mitch Desunia which also serves as one of the resident judges of the show. Shandii Bacolod of Team MSB, a filmmaker and actor, and Yves Marcelo, hair and make up artist are the two other resident judges.
Yours truly, Naz Tabares and director and producer Howard (HF) Yambao are the two guest judges for the sixth episode of the online show.
Pinoy Drag Queen
Six contestants, three rounds, one on one. The theme of the episode is Savage Queen.
At first, it kind of felt uneasy to judge verbally. I, sometimes have a problem with my writing but at least I can edit some of that. But I wanted this experience to be smooth, to be spontaneous, so I just go with the flow.
It was fun. It might be a vague description but that’s what I can say. You get to meet people, you get to explore a different kind of entertainment which is drag, and you get to see these contestants present how resourceful Filipinos can be. You see contestants that not only design and create their own costumes but also with the production design and editing of their videos.
Gays are definitely talented and this show proves all those talents can really fit in one person. I think I was lucky (or maybe not) for being in the episode with all the contestants showing impressive skills. From costume, production, performance and projection. It was quite hard but we had to choose a winner.
Tune in to DBC Online’s Facebook page and YouTube channel to watch episodes of Pinoy Drag Race. Airing every Sunday at 8PM.