Dragula Is First U.S. Reality TV Competition With a Drag King

The Boulet Brothers Dragula has made LGBTQ history.

The series, whose third season is debuting this month on Amazon Prime Video, will be the first U.S. reality drag competition aired on television to feature a drag king, Landon Cider. Additionally, Dragula showcases another AFAB (assigned-female-at-birth) performer, Hollow Eve.

Cider is proud to represent this breakthrough moment in television. He follows in the heels of Hugo Grrrl, a drag king who bested eight queens to win the New Zealand reality show House of Drag in 2018. The YouTube series Camp Wannakiki also features a drag king, Boris Tudeth.

"I am a proud cis woman, lesbian and drag king. AFAB drag performers share the same length of history with queens, fill our communities with incredible artistry, and I am honored to be just one in an infinite sea of talent," Cider told The Advocate. "Hollow and I are shattering glass ceilings. So grab a shard, AFABs, cause we're all coming for blood!"

RuPaul's Drag Race, VH1's Emmy-winning drag competition, has never featured a cisgender female contestant. “If a female were to do drag, it loses the irony," RuPaul told The Advocate in 2016. When asked why drag kings would not be cast in the future, Ru explained, "If you mix it up it's like trying to make a Mac computer compatible with a PC. … They don’t really mix."

However, The Boulet Brothers Dragula is a far different creature than Drag Race. The reality series features "monster drag artists" who look capable of actually devouring queens from the pageant circuit. The winner becomes "the world’s next drag supermonster," but only after surviving "extreme fear-based challenges" that include being buried alive and consuming maggots. The grand prize is $25,000.

Hosted by the Boulet Brothers — ghoulish party promoters who have long presided over the more macabre sectors of Los Angeles queer nightlife, including the recently deceased Queen Kong — Dragula "shines a light on a corner of queer life that is rarely depicted on television including the harsh reality some gay men, lesbians, and trans people face while living and performing as underground queer artists in their respective communities," according to a statement sent to The Advocate.

"The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula is different, dramatic and daring. The Boulet Brothers have created a series that is unlike anything viewers have seen before and we are thrilled to be working with them on a new season of the show," said Brad Danks, CEO of OUTtv Network, which will air Dragula in Canada.

"Forever grateful to the Boulets for sharing a variety of voices on the platform they've built for all the queerdos. This season is one not to be missed and it's just the beginning!" Cider added.

In addition to Cider and Eve, Dragula will feature contestants Dollya Black, Evah Destruction, Louisianna Purchase, Maddelynn Hatter, Maxi Glamour, Priscilla Chambers, St. Lucia, Violencia Exclamation Point, and Yovska. Guest judges will include Henry Rollins (Black Flag), Bonnie Aarons (The Nun), Millie Shapiro (Hereditary), Rachel True (The Craft), Danielle Harris (Halloween 4), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), and Darren Stein (Jawbreaker).

The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video in the United States and 63 countries every Tuesday starting August 27; it will air on OutTv in Canada and TVNZ in New Zealand. Previous seasons are also available on Amazon Prime.

Meet the season 3 cast of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula below.