Pit Crew (Drag Race)

Last updated
Pit Crew members with RuPaul (second from left), including Shawn Morales (second from right), at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2019 RuPaul and his Pit Crew at Dragcon by dvsross.jpg
Pit Crew members with RuPaul (second from left), including Shawn Morales (second from right), at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2019

The Pit Crew is the ensemble of scantily clad male models who appear on camera for various segments of the American television series RuPaul's Drag Race and its derivatives, utilizing the motif of car drag racing. [1] During season 6 of Drag Race, [2] and on Drag Race Thailand, the group are known as the Scruff Pit Crew. The group are called the Brit Crew on RuPaul's Drag Race UK . [3] A behind-the-scenes weekly web series Oh Pit Crew launched in 2014 with season six and airs on WOW Presents Plus, and its related YouTube channel. [4] [5]

Contents

Function

Crew members often appear dressed only in designer underwear, and features as human props, and in sketches, mini-, and maxi-challenges to aid the drag queen contestants. [1] [4] In one mini-challenge called "Pants Down Bottoms Up", the competing drag queens picked Pit Crew men by two to drop their pants until they found matching underwear. [6]

Members

RuPaul's Drag Race (2009–present)

Shawn Morales in 2018 Shawn Morales Pit Crew Member by DVSROSS.jpg
Shawn Morales in 2018
Laith Ashley in the music video for "Girl Baby" by Ezra Michel Laith Ashley in the music video for "Girl Baby" by Ezra Michel.png
Laith Ashley in the music video for "Girl Baby" by Ezra Michel

Pit Crew members of the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race included Kenyon Glover, Keon Hunt, and Preston Taylor. [1] Max "The Body" Philisaire participated during the second season. [1]

Television host and men's lifestyle expert Jason J. Carter joined for seasons 3–10. [1] [7] Shawn Morales was a member for seasons 3–6. [1] [8] According to Morales, he and Carter got the job through their being go-go dancers in gay clubs; a friend "knew someone in the casting department" and secured an audition. [9]

Ronnie Kroell was a Pit Crew member for the fifth season. [10] [11] Miles Davis Moody, an actor and model, was a member for seasons 6–8. [1] [12] [13] Simon Sherry-Wood was a member for the sixth season, and previously starred on The Real World: Paris (2003). [1] [14] Bryce Eilenberg, a straight ally, was a member since season 7. [1] [7] [15] Jared North and Yadier Despaigne joined the crew for season 9. [1] Laith Ashley appeared as the Pit Crew's first openly trans man during the series' tenth season. [6] [16] [17]

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (2012–present)

Wilson Lai was a member during the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars . [18] [19]

Drag Race Thailand (2018–present)

Drag Race Thailand started in 2018 with an eight-member crew branded as the Scruff Pit Crew, after the queer men's dating mobile app. [20] Up to three members appeared in each episode. [20] Members include Nikkai, cosplay enthusiast Nut, and Pae. [20]

RuPaul's Drag Race UK (2019–present)

The Brit Crew members were announced a few weeks prior to RuPaul's Drag Race UK premiering in October 2019. [3] [21] The casting requirements included that they were at least six feet tall, attractive, “athletic and toned physique”, no tattoos, aged 18-35, and comfortable in just underwear. [21] The series debuted with five members, and two more were added after the first episode. [22] Season 1 members include:

RuPaul's Drag Race Live! (2020)

RuPaul's Drag Race Live! shows in Las Vegas features a rotating cast of RuPaul's Drag Race contestants in a live show akin to the Werq the World tour. [36] The shows Pit Crew all double as dancers in the queens' numbers. [36] Crew members include: AJ Watkins, Dallas Eli, Filip Lacina, Michael Silas, Nick Lemer, and Sebastian Gonzalez. [36] In 2024, the season 16 episode "Drag Race Vegas Live! Makeovers" featured RuPaul's Drag Race contestants giving makeovers to members of the variety show's Pit Crew.

Canada's Drag Race (2020–present)

The Pit Crew on Canada's Drag Race attracted media attention for including Mina Gerges, who was the first plus-size man to be featured in the Pit Crew on any edition of the series, [37] and Travis L'Henaff, an HIV-positive model and activist who has been featured in HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns in Canada. [38] Other members included Ming Yao, Seth Falk, and Evan Boutsov. [39]

RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under (2021–present)

Regular members of the Pit Crew of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under included Max Currie, Sean Walters, and Rod Tian. [40] [41]

Drag Race España (2021–present)

The twelve members of Pit Crew on the Spanish adaptation were presented a few weeks prior to Drag Race España premiering in May 2021. [42] New members were introduced during season 2, among them a trans man and a bear. [43]

Drag Race Philippines (2022–present)

Pit Crew members of Drag Race Philippines have included JP Ocat, Ricardo De Jesus, Dheyle Dizon, and Jaycee Sahagun. [44]

Drag Race Brasil (2023–present)

Pit Crew members of Drag Race Brasil have included Alex Burán and Richard Kuellar. [45]

Reference

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Shea, Ryan (October 18, 2018). "Yum! Let's Take a Closer Look at the 'Drag Race' Pit Crew". Instinct . Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  2. "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 6 Episode 9 Recap: the Queens of Talk". 15 April 2014. Archived from the original on 2016-08-23. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Towle, Andy (September 19, 2019). "RuPaul's Drag Race UK Introduces its Pit Crew, er, 'Brit Crew'". Towleroad Gay News . Archived from the original on November 13, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Tharrett, Matthew (February 28, 2014). "The Underwear Models Of The "Drag Race" Pit Crew Now Have Their Own Miniseries". Queerty . Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  5. Reid, Joe (May 24, 2017). "If You're Into 'RuPaul's Drag Race,' You MUST Check Out the World of Wonder YouTube Channel". Decider . Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  6. 1 2 Hirst, Jordan (May 22, 2018). "Transgender Laith Ashley Welcomed in RuPaul's Drag Race's Pit Crew". QNews . Archived from the original on January 24, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Shea, Ryan (February 15, 2018). "'RPDR' Pit Crew Legend Jason J. Carter on His Amazing Rise in Entertainment!". Instinct . Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  8. Lambe, Stacy (February 19, 2014). "Meet RuPaul's Drag Race's New, Bulgier Pit Crew". Out . Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  9. Spargo, Chris (February 22, 2012). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Interview: Pit Crew Shawn Morales". LOGO News . Archived from the original on January 26, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  10. Leighton-Dore, Samuel (February 18, 2019). "This former 'Drag Race' pit crew member has announced he's running for President". Special Broadcasting Service . Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  11. "Meet Ronnie Kroell—The Other Openly Gay Candidate—Who Thinks He's The Man To Beat Trump In 2020". Towleroad Gay News. 2019-02-15. Archived from the original on 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  12. Allen, Timothy (March 8, 2016). "PHOTOS: These Pit Crew Boys Can Do More Than Lube Your Engine". Queerty . Archived from the original on July 27, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  13. "Miles Davis Moody desnudo: el nuevo modelo de 'RuPaul's Drag Race'". CromosomaX (in Spanish). Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  14. Avery, Dan (February 22, 2014). ""Real World" Star Simon Sherry-Wood Is New Pit Crew Hunk On "RuPaul's Drag Race"". LOGO News . Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  15. Tharrett, Matthew (February 19, 2015). "The "RuPaul's Drag Race" Pit Crew Is Getting A Red-Hot Ginger Hunk". LOGO News . Archived from the original on June 22, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  16. Reynolds, Daniel (May 19, 2018). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Introduces First Trans Pit Crew Member". The Advocate . Archived from the original on May 22, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  17. Rodriguez, Mathew (May 19, 2016). "Dominican, Trans Model Laith Ashley Covers Gay UK Mag Targeted by #GayMediaSoWhite". Mic . Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  18. Gremore, Graham (January 28, 2019). "Everyone's gagging over Wilson Lai, the Pit Crew's hunkiest new member". Queerty . Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  19. Henderson, Taylor (January 22, 2019). "Everyone's Thirsting Over 'Drag Race' Pit Crew Recruit Wilson Lai". Pride.com . Archived from the original on January 24, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  20. 1 2 3 Ferber, Lawrence (February 14, 2018). "Meet The Hunky Pit Crew of "Drag Race Thailand"". LOGO News . Archived from the original on September 19, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  21. 1 2 Hudson, David (September 19, 2019). "Forget the 'Pit Crew', meet RuPaul's 'Brit Crew' for Drag Race UK". Queerty . Archived from the original on January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  22. 1 2 Street, Mikelle (September 18, 2019). "Meet the Men of 'RuPaul's Drag Race UK's Sexy Brit Crew". Out . Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Shea, Ryan (October 13, 2019). "Take a Look At The Sexy Pit Crew From 'RuPaul's Drag Race UK'". Instinct . Archived from the original on December 12, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  24. Yates, Jonathan (January 17, 2020). "Who's on the RuPaul's DragCon UK lineup at Olympia London?". MyLondon. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  25. "Thomas Archie Ahern - The Law Society". solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2020-01-29. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  26. Sonoma, Serena (October 11, 2019). "The Hunky Otter From 'RuPaul's Drag Race U.K's Brit Crew Is Engaged". www.out.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2019. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  27. Ashenden, Amy (September 23, 2016). "'People brand me as a gay athlete' says canoeist Matt Lister". Evening Standard . Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  28. Tharrett, Matthew (October 5, 2019). "Nyle DiMarco's day off, Justin Bieber's skivvies, & Odell Beckham Jr.'s thick thighs / Queerty". Queerty . Archived from the original on December 24, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  29. Morgan, Joe (April 29, 2016). "Here are all the incredible panelists who will debate and discuss at Digital Pride: The Festival in London". Gay Star News . Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  30. Koff, Derek de (August 3, 2017). "Let's all take a break from our busy modern lives to drool over the Mr. Gay Europe candidates". Queerty . Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  31. Scheib, Julia (December 3, 2015). "Greater York Dance's 'The Hip Nut' mixes cultures and genres". York Dispatch . Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  32. Zelko, Abbey (November 16, 2015). "See traditional, hip-hop 'Nutcracker' in York". FlipSidePA. Archived from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  33. "I am Niko Wirachman…Living his 'Best Gay Life'". Best Gay Life. 2019-01-08. Archived from the original on 2020-01-29. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  34. "Niko Wirachman By Alex Botic – Part 2". DNA Magazine Australia. December 17, 2017. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  35. "Cast Announced For BARE: A POP OPERA At The Vaults". Broadway World News . May 23, 2019. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  36. 1 2 3 "Here's the Pit Crew from 'RuPaul's Drag Race: Live' in Vegas". Out . January 31, 2020. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  37. Michael Cook, "‘Canada’s Drag Race’ Brings Beefiness To the Pit Crew With Mina Gerges" Archived 2021-10-23 at the Wayback Machine . Instinct , July 28, 2020.
  38. Mikelle Street, "'Drag Race' Pit Crew's Travis Says You Can Slide In His DMs" Archived 2021-10-27 at the Wayback Machine . Out , September 2, 2020.
  39. "Introducing Canada’s Drag Race Pit Crew" Archived 2021-10-27 at the Wayback Machine . DNA , July 17, 2020.
  40. Street, Mikelle (May 4, 2021). "Meet 'Drag Race Down Under's Hunky (and Talented) Pit Crew". Out. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  41. Hirst, Jordan (June 7, 2021). "Some Aussies have joined the Pit Crew on Drag Race Down Under". QNews. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  42. Street, Mikelle (May 15, 2021). "'Drag Race Espana's 12 Member Pit Crew Has Us Sweating Already". Out . Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  43. "La segunda temporada de 'Drag Race España' se estrena con más diversidad y un espectacular ángel caído". 20 minutos . March 28, 2022. Archived from the original on April 4, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  44. "Meet the Pit Crew Hotties of 'Drag Race Philippines'". www.out.com. Archived from the original on 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  45. "20 Steamy Pics of 'Drag Race Brasil' Pit Crew Members Richard & Alex". www.pride.com. Archived from the original on 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2023-10-17.

Related Research Articles

RuPaul's Drag Race is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV, WOW Presents Plus, VH1 and, beginning with the fifteenth season, MTV. The show documents RuPaul in the search for "America's next drag superstar". RuPaul plays the role of host, mentor, and head judge for this series, as contestants are given different challenges each week. Contestants are judged by a panel that includes RuPaul, Michelle Visage, an alternating third main judge of either Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews, or Ts Madison, and one or more guest judges, who critique their progress throughout the competition. The title of the show is a play on drag queen and drag racing, and the title sequence and song "Drag Race" both have a drag-racing theme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BeBe Zahara Benet</span> Cameroonian-American entertainer (born 1981)

Nea Marshall Kudi Ngwa better known by his stage name BeBe Zahara Benet, is a Cameroonian-American drag performer, television personality, and musician best known for winning the first season of the reality-television drag competition RuPaul's Drag Race in 2009. In 2018, he returned as a surprise contestant for the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, placing in the top four.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska Thunderfuck</span> American drag performer and recording artist

Justin Andrew Honard, best known by the stage name Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 or mononymously as Alaska, is an American drag queen and singer from Erie, Pennsylvania. She is best known as the runner-up on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and the winner of the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DWV (group)</span> American pop group

DWV was an American pop group based in Los Angeles, consisting of drag queens Detox, Willam Belli, and Vicky Vox. They found fame with the release of "Chow Down " in March 2012, a parody of "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips, satirizing Chick-fil-A's controversial stance on gay marriage. The single's music video went viral online. They followed this up with the January 2013 release of "Boy Is a Bottom", a parody of the Alicia Keys song "Girl on Fire", which proved to be even more popular, amassing 25.8 million views on YouTube, as of 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bianca Del Rio</span> American drag queen

Roy R. Haylock, better known by the stage name Bianca Del Rio, is an American drag queen, comedian, actor, and costume designer. She is known for winning the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Since her time on Drag Race, Del Rio has written and toured several stand-up shows, including It's Jester Joke (2019), which also made her the first drag queen to headline at Wembley Arena. She has also performed as a host for various international tours, most notably Werq the World. In 2018, she published her first book, Blame It On Bianca Del Rio: The Expert On Nothing With An Opinion On Everything.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adore Delano</span> American drag performer and recording artist

Dani Noriega, better known under the stage name Adore Delano, is an American drag queen, singer-songwriter, and television personality. She appeared as a contestant on the sixth and seventh season of American Idol in 2008 and later competed as Adore Delano on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, placing in the final three. She then went on to compete on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, placing ninth after voluntarily leaving the competition. She has recorded and released three studio albums: Till Death Do Us Party (2014), After Party (2016), Whatever (2017), and one EP Dirty Laundry (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trixie Mattel</span> American drag queen and musician (born 1989)

Brian Michael Firkus, better known by the stage name Trixie Mattel, is an American drag queen, television personality, and singer-songwriter originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is known for her exaggerated, high-camp style and blend of comedy and acoustic pop. In 2015 she competed on the seventh season of the drag competition RuPaul's Drag Race, where she finished in 6th place. In 2018, she went on to win the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob the Drag Queen</span> American drag queen, comedian, and musician

Christopher Delmar Caldwell, known by his stage name Caldwell Tidicue, and better known as his drag name Bob the Drag Queen, is an American drag queen, comedian, actor, activist, musician, and reality television personality. He is best known for winning the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. As of 2020, he has more than one million followers on Instagram and was the first Black Drag Race queen to reach the milestone. After Drag Race, he pursued acting, appearing in television shows such as High Maintenance (2016), Tales of the City (2019), and A Black Lady Sketch Show (2019). In 2020, he began co-hosting We're Here on HBO alongside fellow Drag Race contestants Eureka O'Hara and Shangela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shea Couleé</span> American drag queen, musician, actor, and podcaster

Jaren Kyei Merrell, known professionally as Shea Couleé, is an American drag queen, musician, actor, podcaster, and fixture of the Chicago nightlife scene. Born in Warsaw, Indiana, they began their drag career in 2012. In 2017, Couleé achieved international fame after competing on season nine of RuPaul's Drag Race, placing in the top four. In 2020, Couleé won the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Couleé later returned to compete on the all-winners seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars in 2022, once again placing in the top four.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayhem Miller (drag queen)</span> American drag queen and performer

Mayhem Miller is the stage name of Dequan Armand Johnson, an American drag performer and actor, best known for competing on the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race (2018), the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (2020), and the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World (2024).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mo Heart</span> American drag performer and singer

Mo Heart, formerly Monique Heart, is the stage name of Kevin Leandrew Richardson, an American drag queen, reality television personality, and recording artist best known for competing on the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race (2018), the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars (2018–2019), and the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World (2022). Since first appearing on Drag Race in 2018, Mo Heart has appeared in a number of web series produced by World of Wonder, including a starring role in Manic Moments With Monique Heart, and hosted her own podcast, Ace of Hearts with Monique Heart. In January 2019, she released her debut single "Brown Cow Stunning", and later released her debut extended play Beloved SoS 6.3 in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monét X Change</span> American drag queen

Monét X Change, is the stage name of Kevin Akeem Bertin, an American drag queen, singer, podcaster, and reality television personality. She is known for competing on the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race (2018), on which she placed sixth and was crowned the season's Miss Congeniality, and for winning the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (2018–2019) alongside Trinity the Tuck. She returned to compete in the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, an all-winners season, where she placed runner-up. Monét X Change released her debut EP, Unapologetically, in 2019. Later that year, she debuted her own web talk show The X Change Rate, distributed by the BUILD Series.

Simon Sherry-Wood is an Irish-born American television personality and model, best known for his appearances on The Real World and RuPaul's Drag Race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kylie Sonique Love</span> American drag queen (born 1983)

Kylie Sonique Love, formerly known as Sonique, is an American entertainer, singer, dancer, model and reality television personality. She rose to prominence as a contestant on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2009, and achieved further popularity by winning the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars eleven years later in 2021. Love was the first person to ever come out as transgender on any reality TV show. Upon winning All Stars 6, Love became the second transgender winner in the Drag Race franchise and was the first trans woman to win an American series of Drag Race. Additionally, in 2020, she co-hosted Translation Season 1, the first talk show on a major network hosted by an all-trans cast. Her first single, "Santa, Please Come Home", was released in 2018.

Mercedes Iman Diamond is the stage name of Curran, a Kenyan-American drag performer who competed on season 11 of RuPaul's Drag Race. Originally from Mombasa, Kenya, Curran relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he created the drag persona Mercedes Iman Diamond and competed in pageants. Diamond was the first Muslim contestant on Drag Race. Internet memes of her on the show went viral, and her lines in a parody film challenge spawned a dance remix by Adam Joseph.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shawn Morales</span>

Shawn Morales is an American model, actor, and nightlife personality based in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India Ferrah</span> American drag queen and costume designer

India Ferrah is the stage name of Shane Richardson, an American drag queen and costume designer best known for competing on the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Richardson was raised in Roanoke, Virginia, and came out as gay and started performing in drag as India Ferrah during his teens. He later lived in Dayton, Ohio, and performs regularly in Las Vegas. India Ferrah competed on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gottmik</span> American drag performer and make-up artist

Kade Gottlieb, better known as Gottmik, is an American drag performer and make-up artist. He became the first openly trans man to compete on RuPaul's Drag Race, coming in shared 3rd/4th place on the thirteenth season with fellow contestant Rosé. Gottmik co-hosts the podcast "No Gorge" alongside fellow drag queen, Violet Chachki.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symone (drag queen)</span> American drag performer

Reggie Gavin, known by the stage name Symone, is an American drag queen and model. She is best known as the winner of season 13 of RuPaul's Drag Race (2021). She is a member of the queer art collective House of Avalon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tayce</span> Welsh drag performer

Tayce Szura-Radix is a Welsh drag queen, rapper, and model from Newport, Wales. She is best known for competing in the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, in which she placed joint runner-up.