This past Sunday, The Starlighter and House of Eternas hosted one of the most glamorous and goriest alternative drag pageants that San Antonio has ever seen. With a credible line-up of judges and talented contestants ready to take home the bejeweled butcher’s knife, this was definitely one of the most cutthroat and competitive events that guests and participants have attended.
The judge’s panel included many influential figures within San Antonio’s drag community, starting with the infamous Miss Taint — Founder and Mother of House of Eternas; Bloody Blush — CEO of B.B. Cosmetics; Ez Brezzy — Miss Gay Alamo City 2023; Puffpuffpoms — owner of The Starlighter and Basilio Romo — Mr. Gay S.A. America 2018. With a very talented panel of judges, contestants brought all they had to the stage.
The pageant started with a bang as the judges gave frightening yet fierce performances as contestants prepared to present their art and talents. Whether it was engaging lip-synching performances from Miss Taint and Ez Brezzy or original songs performed by Basilio Romo, the judges had set the stage for a fun and amusing night.
There were four talented drag artists that competed in the MX Cutthroat pageant, including Mistress Baby Rae, Ethel Institution, Duva Lýnn and Joselyn Breezy. Each participant was required to compete in each of the pageant’s categories, starting with their clown presentation, then Q&A, talent and, most importantly, the ‘shock us’ category. Before the contestants stepped onto the stage, the judges offered some encouraging words for the competing drag queens.
“Y’all are f–cking sickening,” said Puffpuffpoms, “and no matter what the outcome is today, you all will be sickening. All you b–ches better shock us.”
As the competition ensued, the contestants started with their personal presentation, where they showed off their most glamorous and terrifying outfits for the night. In light of the pageant’s theme, Killer Clowns, the contestants came out in their most glamorous, horrifying clown attire.
Next, for the Q&A segment of the competition, the contestants were asked a question pertaining to either their art or the competition. Contestant Mistress Baby Rae was asked by the judges, “Which part of the pageant did you prepare for the most and why?”
Baby Rae responded, “The part of the pageant that I prepared for the most was the ‘shock us’ category. It’s a number I’ve wanted for months now, and it’s essentially my trauma that I’ll be able to directly correlate to my art.”
Contestant Ethel Institution was asked a question surrounding their drag persona as Miss Taint asked them, “If you could give your younger drag self one piece of advice, what would you say to them?”
They responded, “I would say to be your mother f–cking self b–ch, because there is no one else like you.” After hearing from the competing drag artists and their responses to the various questions, attendees were ready to see the talent portion of the competition.
As the pageant progressed into the talent category, the competitors showed off their insane skills. Everyone had amazing performances that had the crowd on the edge of their seats. Whether it was a comedic mime performance done by Duva Lýnn or an amazing lip-sync performance by Joselyn Breezy, where she did flips and tricks on and off the stage, every drag queen participating in this competition showed off the insane talent they had to offer.
Last but not least was the competition’s ‘shock us’ category, which judges, participants and guests were excitedly waiting for. In this category, the contestants were given the creative freedom to do whatever they liked; the only requirement was to shock the crowd and judges, which the contestants definitely did. The talented drag queens went all out. Contestant Mistress Baby Rae did a beautiful and haunting interpretive performance using a large tub full of fake blood and their terrifying screams to really set that shock factor in for the audience. Joselyn Breezy had the audience and judges participate as she did a very captivating performance, allowing individuals to take turns throwing pie pans full of whipped cream at her face.
As the pageant came to an end, judges finally tallied up the points and got ready to crown the next Miss October in the MX Cutthroat pageant competition. Mistress Baby Rae was crowned as Miss October, and she won the honorary bedazzled butcher’s knife along with a $100 prize, a paid photoshoot, Bloody Blush lip products and automatic entrance into the MX Cutthroat pageant finale. With her amazing performances and glamorous attitude onstage, she was definitely deserving of the win.
“This win means so much to me,” stated Rae. “This house has been my first stage, and Miss Taint was the person that gave me the opportunity to start drag, and I wouldn’t be a drag artist without this venue and this house.”
Every drag queen that participated did a phenomenal job displaying their art and truly set the bar high in this competition. This pageant was definitely one for the books, and if you want to keep informed on the next competition or any other similar events, please check out The Starlighter’s and House of Eternas’ social media pages. You will not be disappointed.
