Who knew Anetra was in Season 16 RuPaul’s drag race?!?
The season premiere of Season 16 was a wonderful event. Some of the queens I’m really looking forward to seeing more of, while others, you actually saw them go a little downhill from their entrance to the talent show to the runway, but that’s for another post. This post is the fact that I couldn’t help but see traces and possibly carbon copies of Anetra present, runner up from season 15.
Whenever RuPaul host a talent show, 8 out of 10 times the queens are probably going to do a lip sync, which is fine, because that’s what drag queens are known for, lip synching. There have been some great surprises where some opera has been done in several seasons, painting has been done in several seasons, juggling too, and those are all great and good and I’m always for those wonderful surprises.
One of the more viral talent shows in recent years was that of Anetra. Coming out, spelling her name, which was very comical, and then doing the duck walk, which was phenomenal, and then karate chopping lumber on the main stage. Epic. It made Ariana Grande’s mouth drop to the floor.
And I’m sure I’m a little biased because I kind of thought Anetra was the trade of last season and she has immense talent. But there were three queens of season 16 that I guess maybe once I got Anetra back in my head and her amazing talent show, I could not get her out.
Throughout Amanda Tori Meating’s performance, all I could see and hear was Anetra’s talent show. The energies did not match, but it was almost the same music, the dramatic pause was almost at the same spot, the subject of pussy (one on fire, one wet), and then the ending split. There were just too many similarities for me for it to be all coincidences. What do you think? Watch both again and tell me I am wrong. It’s okay, I’ll wait.
https://www.tiktok.com/@skylarlaxe/video/7320940443674496261
And maybe that is just the format that many other drag queens have done for the talent show. I will be honest and state that I didn’t watch much of drag between, I don’t know, season 10 to 14, tried season 13, but found out I was diabetic, and then came back to watch 15, so maybe even Anetra is a copy of others previously, but the way the RuPaul’s Drag Race fandom responded to Anetra, her talent and her talent show, I think it was something the fandom hadn’t seen before.
In season 16, the “let me introduce myself” format was also done by Xunami Muse but lacked the energy of Anetra (Michelle Visage critiques Xunami about her drop in energy).
https://www.tiktok.com/@skylarlaxe/video/7320946030134988038
Mirage as well did a performance that was Anetra-esque, they’re both Las Vegas queens. Mirage even mentioned Anetra in her performance – “I’ll call up Anetra, she’ll chop you in two”. But Mirage, also my vote for trade for her season, inserted some “stripper heel clacking” which got accolades from the judges during the feedback session and Carson Kressley gagging during the performance.
https://www.tiktok.com/@skylarlaxe/video/7320944986470616325
Mirage’s outfit also reminded me of what Anetra wore during the epic “Boss Bitch” lip-sync between her and Marcia Marcia Marcia (wish WOW had a copy of this without the “Free Willy” comment). No, not every queen wearing neon under ripped black will remind me of Anetra, but …
Bravo to all the queens for taking the stage and sharing your talents. Maybe the similarities in the talents and outfits are just that. I mean I did’t call out Sapphira Cristál for doing opera like Monét X Change did for on of her talent shows.
And bravo for Anetra for walking in New York Fashion Week last year.