Trinity Taylor will be the first to tell you: She's got the best tuck in the business.

Her business is drag, and Taylor, 31, has spent about 14 years perfecting her moves, refining her makeup, working on her costumes -- and making sure that no body part distracts audiences from the shimmering illusion she's created.

"I'm known for my tuck," Taylor says during a recent phone interview. "It's very important for my style of drag. No one can do a tuck like I can do a tuck."

In fact, the Birmingham native uses @TrinityTheTuck as her handle on social media, and the phrase is, well, tucked into the URL of her official website. It's just one example of the audacity and wit displayed by this drag queen, and probably one of the reasons Taylor was chosen for "RuPaul's Drag Race."

She'll compete on Season Nine of the Logo series, along with 12 other queens who are determined to dazzle the judges with their charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent. Taylor, who lives in Orlando, Fla., promises to be a standout on the show, if early video clips offer any indication.

On the first episode, which debuts March 24, Taylor announces her penchant for plastic -- "Trinity does not pad. I love plastic surgery, and I went from a pancake to a Kardashian" -- and throws major shade when she's dissed by a fellow contestant, Eureka O'Hara. ("Maybe she has an issue with the fact that every pageant that we've been in, I beat her, " Taylor says.)

Snappy comebacks should serve Taylor well in her quest to impress RuPaul Charles, the prime mover of "Drag Race," and earn the title of America's Next Drag Superstar. The show's winner receives $100,000, a crown from Fierce Drag Jewels and a career boost that RuPaul has described as "a launching pad internationally."

"The No. 1 thing about this: It's a competition," Taylor says. "You're not there playing patty-cake. You're there to win $100,000. If you're not competitive, why the hell are you there? 'RuPaul's Drag Race' is a pageant, the biggest pageant out there."

"Drag Race" has undergone one significant change in 2017, although the series will uphold its competitive structure and flamboyant themes. (Think "Project Runway" meets "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.") New episodes will air on VH1, Fridays at 7 p.m. CT, and encores can be seen on Logo, the show's usual TV home.

Most of the reality series is filmed in advance, but Taylor can't discuss specifics right now. The show's gag order prevents contestants from discussing the mini- and maxi-challenges, or how they fared on "Drag Race," before the episodes air.

"Maybe I was successful and maybe I wasn't," Taylor says. "You'll have to watch and see."

It's clear, however, that Taylor was in it to win it, ready to throw rivals under the bus and press her advantage at every turn. But as Taylor explains it, that highly competitive spirit also spurred her work ethic, compelling her to tackle the challenges with speed and determination.

"When you get the call to be on 'Drag Race,' you don't have much time and you don't have much information," Taylor says. "When they say it's "Drag Race,' it is a race. You have to be quick-witted and quick on your feet and fast about what you do. That was one of my positives for the show."

During previous seasons, contestants have taken on photo sessions, dance routines, runway struts, video shoots, celebrity impersonations and puppet shows. The ability to strike a pose is important, and looking drop-dead gorgeous is an obvious plus. But the queens also have to sew their own costumes, do their own hair and makeup, create their own choreography and write their own jokes.

RuPaul and the other judges -- Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley and Ross Mathews -- like to laugh during runway critiques, tossing out puns that rely on double entendres and pop culture references. Contestants need a sense of humor to make the cut on "Drag Race," where smart, sharp and outrageous are valuable accoutrements.

"What people need to remember is that we're men in dresses," Taylor says. "If you can wear pantyhose, you better be able to laugh about it. But I'm definitely serious about my craft and serious about my career."

Taylor, whose offstage name is Ryan Taylor, has learned a lot since her first drag experience, as a student at Springville High School. (Taylor was born in Birmingham, grew up in Trussville and Springville, then returned to Birmingham as an adult. At age 27, she left Alabama to pursue a career in Orlando.)

"There was a high-school charity event every year," Taylor recalls, "and all the guys from my high school would dress up in girl's clothes. I went to Party City and got an ugly Beatles wig. I had my cousin do my makeup. It was terrible, but I won the beauty pageant."

Later, when her look became more polished, Taylor found her niche in drag pageants around the country, winning more than 20 titles including National Entertainer of the Year in 2014 and Miss National Renaissance in 2016. She also performed in drag shows -- Al's on Seventh in Birmingham remains a favorite spot -- and refined her lip-syncing skills.

"I grew up in a small town, and there were not a lot of resources in Alabama," Taylor says. "There was no one to sew for people, no one to do hair, no one to teach you makeup. I had to create looks with whatever I could find, and that made me a crafty queen. ... When I started doing pageants, it really helped me to expand my audience. Inevitably, that's what took me out of Alabama."

Although the move to Orlando has been positive for her career, Taylor's ties to her home state remain strong. She visits family and friends here, and comes back a few times per year to perform at Al's on Seventh. (Note: Taylor isn't particular about pronouns, answering to "he" or "she" with no qualms. We used "she" throughout this story because it's focused on Trinity Taylor, her drag persona.)

"Birmingham is my home. It will always be my home," Taylor says. "The LGBTQ community in Birmingham is very supportive. My sister lives in Pell City, and I have a couple of close cousins. I was 16 when I came out, and my sister found out and pulled me aside at my grandfather's funeral. She seemed more upset about me being gay than about the funeral.

"We come from a very small town, and we were raised Southern Baptists. Southern Baptists are not always known for their open minds. Now she realizes that being gay is only a very small part of a person. It took her a few years to come around, but she's my No. 1 fan. She comes to many of my competitions, she's traveled to my bookings, and she loaned me the money I needed when getting ready for the show."

Although there's no real way to prepare for the fast-moving production schedule of "Drag Race," Taylor says watching previous seasons is a no-brainer. That way, contestants become familiar with the challenges and absorb the show's overall tone. Also, they'll be ready for traditions such as The Library, which asks the queens to give "readings" on the other competitors -- basically, trash-talking them for comedic effect.

"I don't like to plan stuff in advance," Taylor says. "I'm a Sagittarius and I like to be spontaneous. I don't like to limit what I can and will do. It's obviously a good idea to watch at least one season, so you can kind of see how things go. But there's a lot more that goes into the production than what you see on TV. You have to be ready for anything."

Taylor, a self-taught seamstress, says her ability to use a sewing machine gave her a leg up in the competition, along with deft and zippy makeup application and an unbounded supply of confidence.

"I can make something out of nothing in a short amount of time," she says. "You might not want to sell something I make in a store, but it looks great on stage. I'm also willing to do things that are not in my realm of expertise. I gave my 100 percent and worked hard, even on things that were a bigger challenge for me."

Early episodes of Season Nine have titles such as "Draggily Ever After," "She Done Already Done Brought It On" and "Oh. My. Gaga!" (Lady Gaga guest-stars on the season opener.) Guest judges also included Lisa Kudrow, Kesha, Tamar Braxton, Meghan Trainor, The B-52s, Tori Spelling, Andie MacDowell and Denis O'Hare.

Taylor admits that she got a few goosebumps when stars appeared on the set, including the glamazon in charge.

"I've been fortunate enough to travel to 19 countries, and coming from this business, I've only met a few celebrities," Taylor says. "RuPaul is a huge idol in the drag world. To see her in person and meet her ... Yes, I can still be starstruck."