“Behind the Drag Queen of the Year” with Alaska and Lola

For those who didn't catch the first season, what's the show all about?

Alaska: The show is basically following us on our kind of craziest and most stressful night of the year, which is the night of the pageant…the Drag Queen of the Year pageant. You get to see the headaches, the screaming matches, all of the nonsense that goes on to make a show like this happen. You also get to see the stories of our eight contestants. So you get to learn about these really amazing and inspiring drag artists and that’s really what the show’s about.

How does the show stand out against others like RuPaul’s Drag race?

Lola: Well, this pageant is really one of a kind… We’re special in our own right because in other television reality shows or different pageant systems, there are such boxes that contestants are put in. There are people out there that want to do exactly what these other queens and other performers are doing, but they’re not accepted amongst a lot of these places because they’re weird or they’re different or they’re trans or whatever the case may be. So the whole point of Drag Queen of the Year was to create a safe space for people that are not really accepted anywhere else.

We love diversity and we accept diversity and we welcome diversity. So it’s nice because our pageant really does have a platform that is extremely diverse and takes all these different folks and shoves them into one crazy show, and gives them a stage to showcase their talents and compete for $10,000.

Any advice for future queens who want to apply?

Alaska: There’s an X-Factor that ends up being the thing that all of the contestants have in common, who’ve ever been in the show. It usually ends up being artists who come at drag from a unique viewpoint. Usually there’s a wink, there’s a sense of humor, but really it’s that spark, it’s that X-Factor that I think the selection panel Is looking for.

Lola: The amount of applications that we receive is astronomical…and the amount of talent that we get to see is astronomical. It gets very difficult for those who are narrowing it down to the eight of them you see each year.

In season one there seemed to be a lot of issues with the venue. Is it changing for season 2?

Alaska: Yes, yes, yes! The good thing is that when you have a really horrible experience in a venue like we did the year prior, you end up learning a lot about the questions you need to ask and the things you need to check off. We need to make sure that the air conditioning works. We need to make sure that the audience is allowed to have a drink. We need to make sure that the water is running in the bathrooms. So now we have learned the questions you have to ask before doing any event. Don’t take anything for granted.

And how did you two meet?

Alaska: We met at the Eagle in Pittsburgh and Lola had just won a pageant. I think she was only 20 years old. She wasn’t even supposed to be in the bar….but she won the pageant so she was able to sneak into the part of the bar where she could have drinks. So we met when Lola was underage drinking pretty much, but you know, we met and we became friends and we’ve been friends ever since.

Lola: Yeah, 12 years later, and still putting up with this bitch. Can you believe that?  And likewise, she still puts up with me, which is truly, that’s the blessing.

How does the drag scene in Pittsburgh differ from a city like New York or LA?

Lola: It’s much more eclectic.

Alaska: Pittsburgh has this working class sort of history. So the drag can be really gritty and doesn’t come from the regular opulent glamour standpoint, but more so from the side a little bit……and that’s the kind of drag I love.

Lola: I’m just the pretty stand in bitch model girl of Pittsburgh, at least allegedly when that 15 pounds of spackle goes on.

How do you handle it when things don't go according to plan?

Quit. Quit drag. Stop while you’re ahead! No, I’m just kidding…. go into it with passion. If you don’t have the passion behind it, then think again. You have to go into it wholeheartedly. Queens spend hours upon hours and and thousands of dollars to do this….it’s never easy and simple when it comes down to drag or putting on a show. You really have to put your entire heart into it.

Favorite moment from the show?

Lola: Well everything is kind of streamlined with the show, but the biggest change is with the contestants. That’s the whole point of the show. It’s the most exciting part of the show, getting to see what these people have spent so much time preparing for. My favorite part of the night is being beside the stage as everyone is going out and doing their stuff. I’m the last person they see when they walk on and the first person they see when they walk off. I love that because I want to be sure that they are going on stage with love. I want to be sure that they feel as comfortable as possible walking on that stage. When they come off, I want to be sure that they know how fucking great they are and how fucking great they did. So that’s truly my favorite part and that changes every year with the folks.