“Sometimes you think, ‘oh this kid’s gonna make it all the way’ and sometimes, most times I’m so shocked,” Charles admits. “Any one talent can take it clean out because of circumstances out of their control. It could happen to anyone.”
Charles continues, “If you have experience you have what it takes to overcome any obstacle. Was I surprised by Eureka’s ascension? No, she’s a go getter. Even when she was injured she championed through that injury as far as she could before she tapped out.”
This season The Vixen prompted a lot of discussion about racial reactions in the gay community and society overall. It was refreshing because it’s one of the few social issues the show’s contestants haven’t seriously focused on during the show’s decade long run, even on the behind-the-scenes discussions of the “Drag Race” companion series, “Untucked.” Charles reminds us, however, that these are the sort of topics about identity that drag has always put that spotlight on throughout the history of the art form.
“Drag is there to remind our culture to not take it identity and ego too seriously. So we like to get in there and tear things a part,” Charles says. “That’s what we’ve done. That’s what we’ve done with identity. We’ve taken the concept of synthetic femininity and made it a caricature as a statement, as a social statement about identity. And the same is true with drag kings and all of that. ‘Untucked’ is a great forum for open discussion because girls have already been through the pain. They get back there, they throw their shoes off and they get real. I’m so proud of the season [of ‘Untucked’]. It’s so much fun. I’m glad it’s back on television.”
While some notable changes were made including a glow up for the werq room and a new design for the maquettes each queen receives when they leave the show, Charles says they didn’t feel the need to overdo it for the show’s 10th season.
“it’s never really about topping ourselves, but really about just being the most creative and the most fun,” Charles says. “Honestly, if you start with what inspires you, you don’t have to worry about being bigger or better. It all cumulative. Our show is rolled out of different formats around the world at different times, so there are people who are just now discovering season three for the first time. So, it’s part of a bigger picture, not sort of a linear narrative.”
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Todrick Hall doesn’t have much time for a formal interview. This episode’s guest judge and challenge choreographer, who oversaw a musical salute to Cher earlier in the season, is so busy the only time he has to speak is on the way from his dressing room to the stage. Considering the amount of work and short rehearsal time he has with queens he’s thankful the production team are “really, really, really good” about letting him know specifics in advance.
“In fact, I think that if you were to ask the producers, they would be like, ‘Todrick makes us very nervous every time,’ because I operate on such a last minute schedule, just on a daily basis,” Hall says. “Being a YouTuber, I’m used to something happening in social media one day, and 48 hours, having to have a video already filmed, produced, edited, and live on my channel.”
In fact, Todrick admits he usually doesn’t choreographs anything until he meets the specific queens who will be part of the specific challenge.
“if I don’t know them, there’s no way I can predict what is going to look good for someone’s body,” Hall says. “So, I like to be able to feel them out. You can’t tell until you’re actually teaching someone. There are sometimes people who look like they are super physically fit and they’re fashion and they’re awareness of everything else in their life makes you feel that they would be a great dancer or singer, but that’s not always the case. It’s kind of like a relationship or an interview. You have to feel them up. It’s kind of like a choreography Tinder date.”
There always seems to be some tension on set where a contestant can’t remember the choreography during rehearsal (it’s a familiar story beat for the show), but overall Hall is very impressed with this group in particular.
“I think that it’s very cliché for people to say this, but this truly is one of the strongest seasons,” Hall says. “When working with the queens on [a number] that was a few episodes ago, just their ability to retain information. Their knowledge about what their brand is just so much further in comparison to people I’ve seen in other seasons.”
