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After later making the leap to VH1, “Drag Race” blossomed into a hit with critics and audiences. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” began in 2009 as a low-budget reality show on the Logo network. Both Benet and Luzon have also appeared on “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.” Mundt will be the fifth Minnesotan to compete on “Drag Race,” following Season 1 winner BeBe Zahara Benet, Manila Luzon (Season 3 runner-up), Max Malanaphy (ninth place in Season 7) and Mercedes Iman Diamond, who made it to 12th place in Season 11. The season was filmed this summer following strict COVID-19 health and safety guidelines. “We’re excited to root for a hometown girl.” “She’s a quirky, goofy, creative artist who entertains kids and adults through pop culture and art,” said Chad Kampe, who prior to the pandemic regularly booked Utica Queen for his popular drag brunches at Union in Minneapolis. He got more serious about drag after he graduated in 2017 and, before the pandemic, performed regularly at Lush in Minneapolis. Mundt started doing shows as an amateur while studying at Hamline and eventually befriended some veteran queens who helped him refine his approach and look. After high school, Mundt went on to earn a double major in fine art and theater production from Hamline University: “I basically went to school to become a drag queen and it’s awesome.”
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In high school, he joined a teenage improv troupe in Rochester that did a drag scene at the end of every show. He first tried his hand at drag in kindergarten, when he dressed as Mary Poppins for Halloween. “We don’t even have a school or a gas station, but we do have four bars. “It’s a tiny, tiny town of 291 people,” he said during a January 2019 interview with the Pioneer Press. Identifying as the wacky, wavy inflatable arm tube queen, Utica is hoping to take the world by storm with her own form of goofy, pop-art drag.”Įthan Mundt, the man behind Utica, took his drag name from his hometown of Utica, located about two hours southeast of St. Utica’s show bio reads: “Utica Queen is ready to wiggle her way straight to the crown. Identifying as the wacky, wavy inflatable-arm-tube queen, Utica is hoping to take the world by storm with her own form of goofy, pop-art drag,” according to her show bio.Minneapolis drag performer Utica Queen is one of the 13 contestants competing on the upcoming 13th season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” which debuts Jan. Now, as a contender on Drag Race, “Utica Queen is ready to wiggle her way straight to the crown. Her day job as a costume technician enhanced her ability to transform herself through apparel and props. In 2017, after graduating, Utica Queen hit the local drag scene with a bang, performing regular gigs. She developed her performance style by doing amateur shows and consulting with veteran drag queens. “I basically went to school to become a drag queen and it’s awesome,” she told. This all set the stage for her current career. Utica Queen began dabbling in drag as a kindergartner, later joining a teen improv troupe and attending Hamline University in Saint Paul to study theater production and fine art. We don’t even have a school or a gas station, but we do have four bars. In a 2019 interview with, she described her namesake town, which is a couple of hours from the state capital, Saint Paul. While her name refers to the “beautiful little farm town” (via StarTribune) where she grew up in Minnesota, Utica Queen’s persona is anything but country. Utica Queen has been prepping to be a drag queen from a very young age
UTICA DRAG QUEEN FULL
But what else sets Utica Queen apart from these queens? Keep reading to get the full scoop.
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UTICA DRAG QUEEN PLUS
In the past, Minnesotans have fared pretty well in the competition, including Season 1 winner BeBe Zahara Benet, plus other strong showings from Manila Luzon, Max Malanaphy, and Mercedes Iman Diamond, according to. “Sparkle, glam, and a hint of underground art kid - that’s what makes Utica a Queen,” she writes on her website. The Minneapolis resident is hoping this artful aesthetic, a departure from the ultra-femme look of many other contestants, will win her the $100,000 prize and the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar on Season 13 of the VH1 reality show, which premiered in early January 2021 and promises a new twist. The art school background of Utica Queen, the stage persona of current RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Ethan Mundt, is obvious the moment you set eyes on her elaborate costumes, inspired by everything from Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz and Renaissance art to the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland.