Who’s the gay Olympian making a big splash on the ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ runway?
Five Team GB Olympians are given astonishing drag makeovers on the latest episode of “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs the World.” The post Who’s the gay Olympian making a big splash on the ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ runway? appeared first on Outsports.
Mark
The “Makeover Challenge” has been a staple of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” seasons since the very first batch of queens tentatively stepped onto our screens, all the way back in 2009.
While we’ve seen athletes transformed on past episodes with titles like “Jocks in Frocks” and “Hoop Queens,” the latest instalment of the “UK vs the World” franchise takes that sporting connection to the next level — “Olympian Makeovers.”
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The familiar format for the competing queens is international all-stars, but in episode 7 of this third season, with five contenders remaining, they’re joined by a group of Team GB Olympians and tasked with turning them into members of their drag family.
Swapping their tracksuits and trunks for sequins and stilettos are gold-medal-winning long jump hero Greg Rutherford; three-time BMX world champion Shanaze Reade; rugby sevens star Celia Quansah; climber Molly Thompson-Smith; and swimmer Daniel Jervis.
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It’s Jervis who steals the spotlight. Paired up with the pride of Atlanta, the legendary Mariah Balenciaga, the Welshman is a vision in orange when she emerges onto the main stage as drag sister “Amirah.”
Jervis, who came out publicly as gay in the year after he made the 1,500-meter freestyle final at the Tokyo Olympics, throws himself into the challenge from the off.
“I want to be as good as all the other queens in here!” he tells RuPaul in the Werk Room, before Mariah begins the Welshman’s metamorphosis.
As always, part of the process is opening up to your drag mother, and Jervis talks about the coming-out decision he made at the age of 24.
He explains how growing up in a Christian community, it took him longer to feel comfortable in his sexuality and to feel confident that he would be accepted, which ultimately he has been.
Jervis recently shared more about this moment in a video he recorded for Team Wales in the U.K.’s LGBT+ History Month. He explains how his parents initially struggled with his personal news but soon became his biggest supporters.
Drag queens drool over ‘cutie’ gay swimmer Dan Jervis
Also on the episode, Rutherford discusses his long-standing LGBTQ allyship and recalls doing a naked photoshoot for Attitude magazine in 2014.
Meanwhile, there is a particularly powerful conversation between Reade and her drag mentor, The Only Naomy, in which the former elite cyclist talks about conquering alcoholism.
Reade, who raced for Great Britain at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, spoke in the media about being gay after competing at the Olympics, and she continues to be a strong advocate for the LGBTQ community in sports.
@bbc Family Resemblance
When Drag Olympians make over Team GB Olympians!
#DragRaceUK #DRUK #Olympian ♬ original sound – BBC
It’s refreshing to see a different side to all the athletes. When the Balenciagas emerge together in flowing gowns and high-fashion jewels — truly “serving glamour,” as Mariah says — it’s clear the judges are captivated by their elegance.
Providing expert commentary on YouTube’s “Binge Queens” are Drag Race royalty Derrick Barry, Kimora Blac, Plane Jane and Kori King, who are also taken with Jervis, describing him as “handsome” and “a cutie” as they watch the episode back. “I’m in love!” says Kimora.
Like the judges, they’re all impressed by Mariah’s makeover and how Jervis carries the wig and drapes with all the poise of a seasoned queen.
In a post on his Instagram story after the broadcast, the Welshman pays tribute to his drag mother, writing: “I am honoured for you to let me be a part of the Balenciaga family. Thank you for giving me a glimpse of this amazing world.”
The episode is available to watch now on WOW Presents Plus.
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The post Who’s the gay Olympian making a big splash on the ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ runway? appeared first on Outsports.
