Last night, instead of a new episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, fans tuned in to VH1 to find a “special episode†called Corona Can’t Keep a Good Queen Down, all about filming Season 13 during during a pandemic. The special is essentially an hourlong reel of the cast talking about how safe they felt on set, with footage of backlot COVID tests and producers walking around in masks and face shields. New York queens Kandy Muse and Olivia Lux also describe their struggles with coronavirus in its early months, while cancer-survivor Tamisha Iman explains how she tested positive for COVID back in Atlanta after filming despite having zero symptoms, which “does go to show you how unpredictable COVID is. It is the invisible monster and you have to treat it as such.†But the most worthwhile part of the episode has nothing to do with COVID: It’s the exclusive looks we got at the season 13 cast’s audition videos. It’s a chance to see their drag outside of the Drag Race environment, and there’s a truly show-stopping moment when Denali skates backwards into a backflip and lands flawlessly on the ice, before quipping to the camera, “Ice to meet you.†Mr. Freeze wishes.
Watch Denali Do a Backflip on Skates in Her RuPaul’s Drag Race Audition Video
