“RuPaul’s Drag Race” will return for Season 14 with a two-part premiere on Friday, Jan. 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, VH1 announced on Thursday. A gaggle of 14 queens will vie for the $100,000 grand prize — including the show’s first-ever heterosexual, cisgender male contestant.
The after-show, “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked,” will premiere immediately following the premiere at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.
For several seasons, the “Drag Race” franchise has expanded its vision of what defines a drag queen. The just-concluded third season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK” included the franchise’s first cisgender woman, Victoria Scone, who identifies as a lesbian. The first season of “Drag Race UK” featured a bisexual performer, Scaredy Kat, who had a girlfriend when he was on the show. The most recent season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” was won by Kylie Sonique Love, the first out trans woman to win in franchise history. And last year, “Drag Race” featured its first trans male contestant, Gottmik, who identifies as pansexual.
Bringing a straight man into the “Drag Race” workroom, however, marks the first time someone who does not identify as LGBTQ has participated on the show that has been celebrated for bringing queer identities into the mainstream.
The Season 14 cast includes:
Alyssa Hunter: Continuing the long tradition of Puerto Rican contestants on “Drag Race,” Alyssa is known as an accomplished pageant queen.
Angeria Paris VanMicheals: This classic Southern pageant queen hails from Atlanta.
Bosco: The Seattle native experimented with prosthetic makeup during the onset of the pandemic to add to her repertoire.
Daya Betty: Standing six-foot-four, Daya sports an ’80s look she crafted working within the Missouri-based House of Methyd, founded by Season 12 finalist Crystal Methyd.
Deja Skye: This Fresno, Ca. native has a vividly colorful drag aesthetic and boasts “killer lip sync skills,” according to a release.
Jasmine Kennedie: This New York City queen is known for her dancing skills and upbeat personality.
Jorgeous: This Latina queen began doing drag at 16 and also touts herself as a “dancing diva” on Instagram.
June Jambalaya: Another queen renowned for her dancing, June hails from Los Angeles.
Kerri Colby: One of two trans women on the season, Kerri is a Los Angeles queen who is a member of “the legendary House of Colby.”
Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté: As her name suggests, Kornbread — also a trans woman and L.A. queen — has an aesthetic based in food.
Lady Camden: This British native lives now in Sacramento, and is a trained ballet dancer.
Maddy Morphosis: The first heterosexual queen to compete on “Drag Race,” Maddy is from Fayetteville, Ark. and performs as a camp and comedy queen.
Orion Story: Orion is the first queen to represent Michigan on “Drag Race,” with an aesthetic described in a release as “smoldering Lana Del Rey energy.”
Willow Pill: The drag sister of Season 11 winner Yvie Oddly shares her outré approach to drag.
This story first appeared on Variety.com.