One night a month, drag’s fiercest and most fashionable walk among mortals, inviting fans, friends — drag aesthetes and amateurs — to step through the mist of Avalon and play in their world. For those weighed down by their desk jobs and caged by their cubicles, Sugartank is a return to the frivolous. Unabashed creativity and childlike wonder. It’s a taste of something sweet, once again. But just a taste, you don’t want to get a sugar rush.
Last Friday, as I rounded the corner of 4th and Broadway, I felt a buzz, distinct from the usual anxious excitement I feel as I approach the tank, Precinct DTLA. I climbed from base camp to summit, greeted the gatekeepers, and grabbed my drink. I did my lap, “I lost my friend, I found my friend,” quick hellos and kisses to curators, culturists, and cool kids Hunter, Marko, Caleb, and Rylie.
The energy was palpable. Queens were pacing the poster wall, prepping to shoot their shot at the sweet taste of victory, $1000, and the title of Miss Sugartank.
After being flooded with sign-ups, The House of Avalon selected 15 artists to compete in the first-ever Miss Sugartank competition; each queen has a chance to walk the runway in hopes of impressing the judges and the crowd enough to advance to the Top 5.
“I have been swimming in depressing letters— having to tell an onslaught of fantastic entertainers that they didn't make the cut has been hard for an empath,” Producer and DJ Mateo Segade said.
By 11pm the crowd had packed the dance floor. I secured my spot (just below the A/C vent). A pantheon of judges presided over us — Symone, Xunami Muse, and Gigi Goode.
The sound of MC Grant Vanderbilt’s iconic and instantly recognizable voice marked the start of Category One: Presentation.
Based on judges scores and audience reactions, Simply Cebuana, Trustin St. Trustin, La’Don Amour Jacobs, Katrina Chimera, Girlie, Rainy Dayz, Novia, and Klassy Jean Liqcour — though they presented a polished and artful range of drag — did not advance to the next round. Despite their elimination, several standouts left a strong impression on the crowd and the judges in just one walk down the runway.
“I bring the light to the darkest spaces…With drag, you can just let go, express your feelings, and make people smile,” Klassy Jean Liqcour said.
A picture of gentle, genuine grace and confidence, Klassy shined in bridal attire with sunflower accouterments. As she took the stage, Symone’s face melted. Novia, an undeniably arresting beauty, was hard to ignore in stick-straight platinum hair and silver galactic fuck-me armor. “Hair, body, and face – perfection,” as she described herself to me backstage. She’s not wrong. Rainy Dayz, a drag queen’s drag queen, upped the caliber of the competition with the scale of her costume, a giant metal unicorn head. But as soon as they came they went; I have a feeling this won’t be the last of some of these girls.
The House of Avalon knows how to keep a room of reality TV-obsessed fags engaged in a drag competition, introducing a twist just before Category Two: Performance.
After announcing the Top 5, Mateo gave the judges the opportunity to use their wild card to bring one eliminated contestant into a Top 6, that wildcard contestant ultimately being Sassquatch. The remaining six contestants then each chose a lip-sync song, starting with Sassquatch’s performance of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” Big tits, huge lips, and covered in fur head to toe — sort of if Dolly bumped into the Matterhorn Yeti — Sassquatch was a true fan favorite. “I think I just found my new favorite drag queen,” an audience member said.
Scarlett Letters, a member of the Haus of Derma, also picked a Madonna song (an excellent choice for an Avalon event, as Gigi points out). Performing “Lucky Star,” Scarlett gave the Sugartank audience a sultry, mystifying fusion of drag and burlesque. In Presentation, Scarlett displayed artistry in full bloom with a flora fantasy, stoned head to toe. As Xunami noted, Scarlett secured her Top 5 spot when she revealed the encrusted honey-blonde finger wave she had tucked beneath her headpiece. Considering her package (which you can see just below) I was surprised Scarlett did not advance to the Top 3.
As a fan of rising star Rae Obilivion, I knew she would throw her blue ringlets into the Miss Sugartank race as soon as it was announced. And she did not disappoint the fans who clearly showed up to scream her name.
“I’m the winner because I’m, well, cunt!” Rae said after joking about all the sugar in her tank. So well said for the queen of USC.
In presentation and performance, Rae exuded a cool confidence, strapped in black and white belts barely covering her slicked skin. Somehow revealing to even more nudity during her lip sync, Rae impressed the judges with her dynamism and skill.
“You know your body, you commanded the stage,” Symone said “And a girl who can keep her hair out of her face…you know what you’re doing,” Gigi added.
Unfortunately, Sassquatch, Scarlett, and Rae were cut before the final round, leaving the judges three queens to narrow down to a Top 2. DIVOS, grinning ear to ear, bounced her neon green bustle as the crowd *screamed* her name. Though she wore the same Eda Birthing creation for both categories, she showed the judges her gown-to-corset reveal after her performance of Chappell Roan’s “Naked in Manhattan.” But despite the crowd’s DIVOS-induced decibels, she was cut just before the lip sync for the crown.
And the one thing you could hear over the sound of DIVOS’s name was the crowd screaming Pixie’s. Supported by a gaggle of beloved fans and family in the front row, Pixie Dot presented two gorgeous royal blue ensembles and had the entire crowd enraptured with her performance of “Amor A La Mexicana.” As Pixie triumphantly unraveled a Mexican flag, the crowd poured out pure love, sweet like pure sugar (from the tank).
“I am so proud to be able to display my art…and showcase my best work to date…in front of my lovely friends & the LA scene,” Pixie said on Instagram. “Thank you for showing me so much love over the past three-plus years…To everyone who came to cheer me on, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
With the crowd on her side, Pixie advanced to the final lip sync for the crown to Ariana Grande’s “yes, and?”.
“So many hours of hard work & love went into the package I presented…Thank you to the beautiful souls who helped me and put in all their love, sweat, and rhinestones,” Pixie said.
Aside from a brief performance by Xunami Muse, the only thing standing between Pixie and the prize was Queen Angelina. A Houston queen, Angelina is new to Los Angeles. Noting her “expensive-ass LA rent,” she prepped for the competition intending to win and secure the cash prize.
In Presentation, Angelina immediately impressed with multiple reveals, each more satisfying than the last. During her J.Lo performance, she got right off the floor, working the entire room and climbing up to the judges to make sure they, too, were getting loud.
“I wanted to show my LatinX pride with Mexican-themed costumes and a shock factor that would separate me from the rest of the competition,” Angelina said. “All I could think of during my performance was to not forget any of my stunts while trying to pick up dollars for my gas back home in case I didn’t win.”
Luckily for her, after a lip-sync for the crown, the House of Avalon was ready to fill Queen Angelina’s empty (sugar)tank as they named her the first-ever Miss Sugartank.
“Since I came to LA, I have been begging to perform at Precinct…Sugartank was the first drag show I saw when I came to visit for Drag Con 2023…It all came full circle…I know I was meant to win the first-ever Miss Sugartank,” Angelina said.
With the success of the competition, Avalon is already planning for the next Miss Sugartank, though Queen Angelina is disappointed her reign won’t be longer.
Great article. I felt like I was there live!