It’s Here! RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9 Red Carpet Premiere in NYC (& Guess Who’s the Surprise 14th Queen?)

Yes, the NYC premiere of season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race was in Times Square at the Playstation Theater –just a few doors down from Shubert Alley where Bette Midler will star in Hello Dolly next week. Everyone was excited to meet all the new queens. I brought Wowlebrity photographer Ruben Natal-San Miguel and he was front and center as they came out one-by-one. (These pics are mine but his really good ones are coming.)

Was it because we were literally on Broadway? Or because there were more than a few New York and Las Vegas girls? –but this year EVERYTHING sparkled, including the camera-ready personalities of Aja, Alexis Michelle, Eureka O’Hara, Sasha Velour, Charlie Hides, Peppermint, Farrah Moan, Jaymes Mansfield, Kimora Blac, Nina Bo’nina Brown, Shea Couleé, Trinity Taylor and Valentina.

Access Hollywood was in position #1 in the line-up but TV Guide and a few other news outlets were there too, ready to ask them all what it was like to work with RuPaul. I guess they’ll all get better at answering those questions and more as the season rolls on. (Watch TV tonight, kids. Or watch Facebook Live below, if you want to see an hour plus of the whole damn thing, which makes it all look as chaotic and oddly glam as it actually was…)

Well, just like viewers, I’m always trying to clock who’ll be the final three (and who might be the first to go.) I was impressed by them all, really with no exceptions, right out of the gate, but Eureka, Sasha, Charlie and Peppermint all look like contenders to me. (FYI, last season my faves at the premiere were Acid Betty, Kim Chi, Thorgy Thor and Bob the Drag Queen.)

Thorgy was back to do interviews for Logo and Mrs. Kasha Davis was doing the same for Wow Presents, so watch for those. Darien Lake, Mx Qwerrrk and the evening’s hostess with the mostest, Ginger Minj were on hand to sparkle plenty. Seriously, I think sequins might have been mandatory in the dress code. The Lady Bunny swooshed by me in her signature Bunny print gown (that very morning as I was walking my dog Lamonte, and Bunny breezed by me and we ended up getting soaked talking in the rain for 15 minutes…) As DJ she kept the crowd going as we watching it growing and felt the excitement started to build.

When the show started we got a very Broadway produced moment at the top of the show by the dancers and queens from Brandon Voss’s Drag Brunch. Ginger then introduced the season 9 girls one by one. She then said,

“I know there have been whispers about a 14th queen… and she is THE queen of all queens, – RUPAUL!”

Needless to say, the place went nuts for a solid two minutes! (Longer than any Trump ovation before Congress, I swear.) And there she was, Mama Ru in the flesh. You can see a bit below. She thanked everyone for making the show the hit it is and said, of course, as you’ve heard, the first episode features a very famous Lady.

“We tried to get Lady Bunny, but she turned us down.“

Bunny’s DJ booth was onstage and Ru turned to her and said.

“Lady Bunny. You are a whore.“

…and then cackled for a solid minute. She introduced the season one clip that features Lady Gaga (you will LIVE for her entrance on the show!) and then we all watched it. OMG. No spoilers, kids, but the sickening is off the charts this season. You. Will. Die. Then Live. And then come back to life.

Ru said how happy she was to be back on VH1. World of Wonder produced her talk show on the network in 1997, 20 years ago, and now she is BACK!

I shot some SICKENING performance videos for a LOT of the queens, but I’ll save those another post. For now, enjoy some behind-the-scenes red carpet glamour and stay tuned.

Season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race premieres Friday, March 24 on VH1.

Ru shocked us all by showing up to introduce episode one, season 9

Host for the evening was the sparkling Ginger Minj

Side view, no side eye from Trinity Taylor, Kimora Blac & Charlie Hides

Sasha Velour and Alexis Michelle

Thorgy Thor talks with Jaymes Mansfield for Logo

Mrs. Kasha Davis brought along Mr. Kasha Davis

Darien Lake had a moment with Wow’s Mx Qwerrrk

Darien talks to Aja

Charlie Hides sharing the mic with Mrs Kasha Davis

“Trinity Taylor, what was it like to meet Lady Gaga..?”

Peppermint

Eureka! (O’Hara)

Eureka, Peppermint and Kimora Blac

Nina Bo’nina Brown, Shea Couleé, Valentina & Charlie Hides

Aja

As seen from behind-the-scenes

W.O.W.

Look who showed up to introduce the first episode! @rupaulsdragrace @wowreport @rupaulofficial @ladygaga #omg

A post shared by Trey Speegle (@treynyc) on Mar 7, 2017 at 9:38pm PST

The post It’s Here! RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9 Red Carpet Premiere in NYC (& Guess Who’s the Surprise 14th Queen?) appeared first on The WOW Report.