The Gold Rush has finally announced the 12 drag performers who will be competing in its brand new season, which is set to arrive on OUTtv and FROOT.tv this summer.
Filmed at The Glory, one of London’s most beloved LGBTQIA+ venues, the eight-part series combines the best elements of a reality television competition with a docuseries.
It follows a diverse cast of drag performers as they create, rehearse and perfect their acts in the hopes of winning the title of ‘The Next Nugget of Drag Talent’ and a grand prize of $3,000, a MAC make-up bundle, goodies from JML Direct, LuvJus and Dragr.
Taylor Trash (known as John Brock out of drag) and Crayola, two of the UK’s most well-known drag queens, serve as the host and head judge of The Gold Rush, respectively.
Discussing the series, which she has been working on as a creator and producer since 2018, Taylor said it “promises to shake up the drag scene by giving viewers an inside look into the world of drag” through showing the behind-the-scenes work that goes into making a show as well as the final product.
“But it’s not just about the competition, The Gold Rush will give an insight into the performers’ personal lives, their struggles, and their triumphs,” she told GAY TIMES. “The show delves into the performers’ backstories and explores the challenges they face as members of the LGBTQ+ community and as drag performers living in the shadow of the mainstream idea of ‘what drag is’.”
The Gold Rush S3 Now Streaming on https://t.co/BNRO01aDNe and https://t.co/aJ2g92s1LL 📺🌟⛏️https://t.co/NjoedBxgkJ pic.twitter.com/cvkTRWOJgl
— The Gold Rush (@thegoldrushldn) August 30, 2023
Guest judges with expertise in drag, music and entertainment will join Taylor and Crayola each week as they decide who is eliminated in front of a live audience.
The bottom two performers will battle it out in The Showdown, though exact details of what that looks like are yet to be confirmed.
Victoria Scone, star of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs the World, will appear alongside JMAC, a contestant on Glow Up, as the first episode’s guest judges.
“I was so honoured to be asked by Taylor to be a guest judge on The Gold Rush and I can’t wait to see the new season,” Victoria said of the opportunity. “The competitors really served me what I was looking for and this is why I love drag! If I had any advice for anyone wanting to perform in drag it’s to enter competitions like The Gold Rush.”
Sammy Harkin, Director and Executive Producer of The Gold Rush, said the editing of the series was inspired by “the golden age of reality TV” – the early-2000s.
“When I started making The Gold Rush into an online series back in 2018, a lot of my motivation came from the fact that there is no representation for Kings on RuPaul’s Drag Race,” they continued. “My goal is to create a platform for all types of performers to compete on a level playing field, and to showcase stories that are not being featured in the mainstream. I want to build on the great work Drag Race has done but for the many and for an inclusive future.”
New episodes of The Gold Rush will land every Tuesday on Froot.tv in the UK from 29 August and will also be available via OUTtv in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
You can watch the premiere for free on YouTube here or below.
Keep scrolling to meet the full cast of the new season…
Taylor Trash: ‘The Cockney Cowgirl’
Crayola: ‘The Park & Bark Queen’
Brent Would: ‘Essex Lad Gone Wild’
Pasty: ‘The Queen of Greggs’
Quiches Lorraine: ‘Full-time Mother’
Bonk: ‘Drag Chaotic Nightmare’
Indy Nile: ‘The King of CAMP’
Lori Mae: ‘International Show/Cowgirl’
Mocha: ‘Cartoon Princess’
Plattapussy: ‘The Drag Clown’
Aphrodite: ‘The Goddess of Love’
Kyran Thrax: ‘Punk Superstar On The Rise’
Heather Duster: ‘Queen of Clean’
Nina Gaston: ‘Passion, Fiesta & SASS’
More
