Bianca Del Rio on why she’s ‘fallen back in love’ with Drag Race ahead of Pit Stop debut
Bianca Del Rio is heading your way again to host The Pit Stop for All Stars 8. (Bianca Del Rio)
Bianca Del Rio, the winner of the sixth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, will host the iconic The Pit Stop review show for its upcoming fifteenth lap.
In a new interview with Variety, the fan favourite said that succeeding the likes of Bob The Drag Queen, Monét X Change and Trixie Mattel in the coveted role has warmed her “cynical” heart, explaining that the “global phenomenon” only gets better with age – prompting her to fall back in love with it.
“This season starts with 16 queens, so it’s been amazing to map out who’s who and to keep track. It’s crazy to say, but I must admit that as cynical as I can be, I have fallen back in love with the show again. So, I might not be as nasty as I usually am. This one is really tugging on me.”
Aside from letting us know that the upcoming season has captured her special attention, Del Rio also revealed that she has “not kept up with all 15 seasons and all 96 franchises” of the show. In all fairness, the franchise does require dedication, having produced 16 iterations of its flagship show, seven All Stars seasons, four UK spin-offs, three Canadian series, two in Australia – and two Vs. The World seasons. It’s not 96, but it’s close.
Del Rio is known as an insult comic so we can be sure that she won’t hold back with whichever iconic queen appears opposite her on the beloved recap series.
“I give my critiques in my usual cheeky manner, which is exciting for me because I really haven’t had a chance to sit down and watch it uninterrupted,” she continued.
“And this is the first time I’m doing it. I told everyone the reason why I’m doing it is that I’m being paid. So that’s how it’s working for me.”
One of the crown jewels of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Del Rio’s celebrated win in season six arguably helped boost the popularity of the show and mainstream acceptance of drag.
“I started in bars and cabaret theaters, and spaces where drag was accepted – and those were the only places you could really find it at the time,” she continued.
“So, to see drag explode on this global level for the opportunities that I’ve received with getting to travel and that it’s broadcast in every country and every place and everybody can watch, it’s truly amazing.”
Recently, a steady rise in anti-LGBTQ+ hate has forced many drag queens to increase their security at venues.
Del Rio said that she while she hasn’t personally experienced this, she has contemporaries who have suffered.
“I’ve been a bit lucky because I was on the road before this hate erupted again, so I didn’t experience it. But, I have many friends that are out on the road now. I’m just shocked, appalled and saddened by the level of hate that’s in the world.”
Season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race will launch exclusively on WOW Presents Plus in the UK on 7 January, 2023 at 2am.
MTV will premiere the show in the US on 6 January at 8pm (ET).
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