tHOTlist 2019: #305-251

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305. Victoria Falls

The glamorous Imperial Court of New York princess had an especially royal summer on Fire Island this year, having been crowned both Cherry Grove Homecoming Queen and Miss Ice Palace. Victoria also placed in this year’s hotly contested Miss Stonewall.

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304. Michael Cruz

A Filipino-born singer with a large hometown following and a former Boots & Saddle Bar Babe, Michael now produces the monthly “LIVE!” at Brooklyn’s The Rosemont which often features live singers in addition to drags performers. He got an Allie X concert happening at The Vault, and is an ally of the folks behind the infamous underground Inferno.

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303. Victoria Williams

Miss Rockbar 2020 is a lively and seasoned queen hailing from the New Mexico drag family that also spawned RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 10’s Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams. Victoria now hosts Thursday nights at Rockbar.

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302. Bedlam

Co-owned by nightlife impresario Daniel Nardicio, this new spot in the deep East Village wilderness (Avenue C!) is slowly carving out an interesting identity for itself. With a newly renovated folksy decor belying the sexy, smutty events that make for Bedlam’s most successful nights thus far (“The Devil Wears Nada” naked parties, “Bette Bathhouse & Beyond” where patrons wear only towels, and the fleshy Brolesque revues), it’ll be fascinating to see how this space develops.

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301. Dreamboi

A Nightcore mix maker turned drag queen and now a Brooklyn DJ, the drop dead gorgeous Dreamboi is mostly turning it at The Rosemont and The Vault these nights.

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300. Patsy InDecline & Ducky Sheaboi

The real life and onstage couple are South Carolina natives, Iconic drag competition alums, Astoria show queens (including weekly Saturday brunches at Maizal), and just basically very funny bitches.

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299. Lemon Chiffon

The riotous Aussie comedy Fur Queen is deftly making her mark on Brooklyn drag, starting with a monthly party at The Vault aptly titled “Down Under.” Fun fact: as previously reported by Thotyssey, a jockstrap number during the “Little Mx. Bitch” Brooklyn drag competition revealed possibly the prettiest butthole in the biz.

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298.  Elektra Lite

This fierce and fashionable dancer is FiFi DuBois’ drag child, and a rising star of Hell’s Kitchen’s drag scene. A frequent guest star in the shows of all-star queens like Brita Filter and Stephanie’s Child, she’s now joined the cast of “Woman Crush Wednesdays” weekly at Hardware.

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297. Valerie BeDanza

Young, pretty and stylish, this new live singing and dancing Colombian-American queen is currently hosting Thursday night bingo at Astoria Craft.

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296. Jette Grey

The Rosemont’s new Monday night karaoke hostess is a fierce showgirl, and already a Brooklyn fan favorite.

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295. Dreama Belle

The Virginia-based queen was hosting a recurring show at The Phoenix months before finally moving here in October. Bursting with southern charm, she continues to appear in her home state gigs while creating showcases here, featuring southern sisters and Drag Race alums like Jaidynn Diore Fierce and Nicole Paige Brooks.

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294. Tina Twirler

Currently a favorite presence of the weekly competition circuit and the winner of the latest cycle of Stonewall’s Polish the Queen, young Tina is potentially one of the fiercest dancers in the biz. She recently appeared in Todrick Hall’s heavily choreographed clip for “Wig.”

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293. Jae W. Brown

Winning the first ever “Gayz Got Singing” competition at Rockbar, this trans heroine and beloved leather scene emissary harnessed her rich singing and storytelling skills as the hostess of a monthly cabaret there, “Group Therapy.”

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292. She’Knead ThisGig

A true Bizarro queen, this 2019 SLAM-winner for Best Hot Mess combines sometimes silly, sometimes nightmarish, always glam clown lewks and truly off-kilter, wickedly smart humor. Expect big, weird, multimedia things from her in 2020.

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291. Andy Starling

Celebrating a decade as a New Yorker this year, the musical theater-bred Andy has made her drag mark in all sorts of ways: hosting the Uncle Charlie’s Halloween party, competing in the first ever season of Iconic at Icon Bar, and as the tallest Maggie Simpson ever in the Laurie Beechman Theatre revue The Simsinz.

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290. MTHR TRSA

The furry Florida comedy queen relocated to Brooklyn and immediately gained a slew of New York fans. Catch her monthly Tuesday nights co-hosting a show with Brenda at The Rosemont.

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289. Zola Powell

Although her performances these days are few and far between, this ultra classy veteran queen ended the Fire Island season with the well-deserved Miss Fire Island crown.

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288. Glamydia Clap

A beautiful comedy queen by night and a lucrative adult content creator for her OnlyFans site by… other nights, this young queen has them all Clapping for her monthly Rockbar show.

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287. Dexter Driscoll

A dreamy singer / songwriter, a Rockbar and Nowhere party DJ, a Kylie Minogue enthusiast and a “pop culture exhibition” curator, Dexter’s proved to be a unique and diverse scenester in nightlife this year.

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286. Zelina Duval & Paige Monroe

The thick-as-thieves pair make for youthful, glamorous and fun editions to the ranks of the Imperial Court of New York, having hosted several benefit shows all across town this year.

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285. Iodine Quartz

Blvck Lae D.’s drag daughter and one of 2019’s Mx. Nobody pageant wildcard finalists has been horrorqueening and fake-blood-puking all over the borough of Brooklyn, notably during her monthly variety show PeriodT at Father Knows Best.

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284. Boyish Charm

The young Bronx-born Boyish is determined to keep the drag scene thriving in upper Manhattan and her own native borough. She’s currently one of four queens hosting the Saturday night prime time revue “Oh Yes” at Boxers Washington Heights.

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283. Lady Havokk

A notoriously unpredictable queen who is also one of Brooklyn’s most jaw-dropping fashionistas (case in point: her above look from the Brooklyn Nightlife Awards). This year, the queen who puts the “a$$” in Aspergers was frequently turning numbers at The Rosemont and The Vault.

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282. Johanna

Unmistakably Minnesotan, this lovely young live-singing and comedy queen made waves with a funny “Fiji Water Girl” mix she performed at competition shows and in guest spots, both in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Also a Miss Stonewall contestant this year, Johanna is now hosting and “shotgirling” several nights at The Ritz, where her headlining Monday night gig is about to premiere.

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281. Viktor Devonne

The veteran naked clown ringleader of White Elephant Burlesque delivers quality revues monthly at Rockbar while performing in a variety of venues across New York, New Jersey and beyond.

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280. DJ Reaubert

The eclectic DJ keeps the kids moving to beats beyond the tired Top 40 for a weekly happy hour party at Metropolitan and frequent nights at Nowhere Bar.

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279. Jax

Who defeated an army of the city’s top drag queens to win a thousand dollars cash for the October Read My Lips lip sync battle at 3 Dollar Bill? This queen! And who just won Season 3 of Iconic at Icon Bar? Dis bitch! Fairly new to the scene, Jax is currently slaying the game, and wows us also in her other chosen medium: photography. The future is bright for this colorful artist.

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278. Flower Tortilla

Heavily inspired by musical theater, the Miss Hell’s Kitchen contestant hosted a huge benefit for RAICES at Stonewall, and took to the cabaret stage for a few intimate productions.

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277. Vegas Valentine

Known for spectacular visual showmanship and fierce dance breaks during his live performances as much as for his ethereal, theatrical original music, Vegas released his debut EP Nocturne on Halloween. You can find him alongside Dezi 5 monthly at The Vault, showrunning the “Full Length LP” showcase of multiple nightlifers interpreting entire classic albums.

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276. Tinkerbell

Whether they’re walking in balls, turning looks or destroying Brooklyn bar stages, Tinkerbell’s got enough fairy dust to make us all believers. Tink’s a regular guest performer for brother Will Sheridan’s Monday night BPM at Metropolitan.

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275. Dorothy Bishop

Few things can make one forget their troubles faster than Dorothy’s Dozen Divas, the monthly musical sendup of celebrity diva impersonations and sharp parodies that she brings to the Triad Theatre. And amazingly, it’s a repertoire she’s constantly adding to… have you seen her hilarious take on Madonna as Madame X?

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274. C’etait BonTemps

With a name that translates loosely to “it was a good time,” here is one of New York burlesque’s most in-demand, idiosyncratic and edgy performers. And from his monthly variety showcase NICHE at Dream Baby to epic showcase events like October’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina-themed “Lupercalia” at Talon Bar, C’etait is a formidable producer as well.

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273. Xunami Muse

The new, young drag daughter of Kandy Muse brings a rare combo of high fashion class and street sexiness to the stage, winning fans as a favorite competitor in both Shequida’s Drag Wars and a recent season of the Ultimate Drag Pageant. Additionally, she and Kandy co-host occasional shows at No Bar and Metropolitan.

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272. Vicky DeVille

The beloved hyperqueen is Miss Gay America 2018 Andora Teteee’s daughter, and this year’s GLAM winner for Best Scene Queen. She also happens to sport one of the most enchanting beats in the biz. A frequent guest performer for many of her sisters’ shows at Stonewall, Vicky made her headlining debut there in September with “Bachelorette Party.”

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271. Lee VaLone

Taking a big step away from the spotlight due in part to the closing of home base Bizarre Bushwick, the innovative and enigmatic Goblin King of Draglesque now produces a creative and fun take on karaoke at Rockbar: Yell Club, where Lee and a gaggle of house drags lip sync to the singers on stage.

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270. Princess Bitch

The good time Ganja Goddess long co-hosted a superfun Sunday night show at Macri Park with her sis Lilith LeFae, while turning out a wicked Whitney Houston for the bachelorette crowd in the Copacanana’s Divas Royale revue.

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269. Pussy Willow

The quirky hyperqueen best known for shows at Astoria’s Albatross and Icon bars, 2019 saw Pussy as an Ultimate Drag Pageant All-Star contestant, a hilarious Lisa Simpson in the Beechman production of The Simsinz, and the star of a campy multimedia Fringe Festival stage retelling of classic B-horror movie Carnival of Souls.

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268. Cherry Poppins

Switching home bars from Pieces to The West End, Cherry now co-hosts Sunday brunch there with Elise Navy-Dad while occasionally producing Broadway-themed revues at Stonewall. This year, Cherry also took a stab at the Miss’d America crown.

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267. Le Petit DumDum

The world’s sexiest, nakedest clown is mostly at home at The Vault these days, bartending, hosting karaoke and occasionally performing (ask him to bring back his titillating burlesque monthly there, Duck Duck Goop). Meanwhile, his gorgeous drawings are turning up on show posters all over Brooklyn.

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266. Allegra Spread

Whether we’re discussing drag queen Allegra or their alter ego, singing burlesquer Satine S’Allumer, this eclectic performer had a banner year in 2019 with major self-produced shows at Coney Island USA and The Bad Old Days, plus a series of brunches at The Montrose.

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265. Spacebabe

For years, Jeff Poulin was a drag queen without a drag name, performing in Brooklyn alongside the likes of Misty Meaner and Mocha Lite. But in 2018, she reinvented herself as a sci-fi B-Movie inspired Queen of Outer Space, and is now the host of a monthly happy hour show in Long Island City’s Sangar Hall called “The Sunday Aesthetic.”

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264. Hedda Lettuce

One of the last standing pioneers of New York’s Golden Age of Drag, the globetrotting Hedda is currently enjoying her undoubtedly raunchy Puerto Vallalarta residency after another successful summer at Cherry’s on the Bay.

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263. Elise Navy-Dad

After hosting her own Stonewall Invasion resulting from winning a cycle of Polish the Queen, this comedy queen began popping up everywhere. In addition to having competed in Iconic’s third season, Elise can now be seen at The West End hosting a monthly Christmas show (that’s right, a Christmas show every month) and co-hosting weekly Sunday brunch with Cherry Poppins.

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262. Miss Ogeney

With a background in immersive theater and intricate costume design, this platinum-coiffed (and no longer mustached) performer makes for a quirky-yet-popular weekly bingo hostess at No Bar. She is also currently Izzy Uncut’s Wednesday night co-host at Pieces.

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261. Lady Macncheese

The star of the monthly “Court of Filth” variety showcase currently residing at Rockbar, Lady M lives up to her namesake by being both the Comfort Food and the “What Exactly Is This Made of, Anyway?” of West Village drag.

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260. Sucia

Boxers Washington Heights’ multi-talented karaoke hostess is a singer, dancer, violinist, and pageant competitor, plus the screenwriter and star of the recent short Neon Boys.  We’ll soon see what other tricks she’s got up her frilly sleeves.

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259. Mancie Mandell

Crowned Miss Paradise 2019, Mancie is a glamorous veteran performer of the New Jersey drag stage.

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258. Carlos Acosta

The founder of production company Icon Project, Carlos is here to remind us that Britney and Beyonce did not invent queer culture and fandom. Right now he’s hosting events at The VNYL and Brooklyn’s Arrogant Swine that feature both edgy drag queens and female-led punk bands on the lineup, and fronting his own Stonewall house rock band The Debbie-Donnas. Carlos is also schooling the children that Grace Jones, Debbie Harry, Cher and of course the Empress Madonna herself are the ones who built this homo empire: pop music trends have a shelf life, but Carlos is here to remind us that gay NYC’s gritty punk roots are immortal.

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257. Sweaty Eddie

The graphic designer and videographer digs from deep within his batshit brilliance to produce visuals that make any performance or event a thousand times more memorable. As far as his own performing goes, Eddie is drag king with a very specific, fully realized character (think Steve Buscemi as Jerri Blank’s nebbishy brother) that cracks us up, creeps us out… and maybe turns us on a little? We’re not alone: Eddie’s top surgery benefit at Icon Bar was attended by legions of loving fans and friends.

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256. Divinity Banks

A graceful dance queen who’s been a mainstay of Jersey drag for years, Divinity is finally hosting her own weekly night right here in New York: Tremendous Tuesdays at Suite Bar.

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255. Ty’s

We know that this Christopher Street neighborhood dive has a long history and a devoted clientele, but to us this will always be The Julian Bar where the bartender with the best musical taste (and ass, but that’s besides the point) VJs us nostalgia-heavy playlists throughout the week.

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254. Jasmin Van Wales

Last year’s Miss Monster continued to grace that bar’s stage as Holly Dae’s monthly guest for “Wicked Wednesdays.” The legendary ball diva was also a fun addition to Rockbar’s POSE viewing party hosted by Dijoun Thompson, and it was a gag to see her pop up on an actual episode of the TV series as a ball judge.

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253. Dusty Ray Bottoms

As is par for the course of RuGirl careers, Drag Race Season 10’s Duchess of Dots–always one of the city’s quirckiest queens–has been touring out of town for most of 2019. She  returned for stretches to host a Season 11 viewing party with The Only Productions, and later in autumn for several Halloween-themed gigs. Be on the look out for a new TV cameo from Dusty coming soon!

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252. Gigi Cutina & Amber Guesa

The drag scene in Westchester county is not large and occupies straight venues, but a fierce cadre of performing ladies keeps it all going. The multitalented Gigi and Amber, in particular, bring the party to NYC as well (respectively as Bootsie LeFaris’ monthly guest for her Saturday night Pieces show, and a monthly hostess of The Liberty drag brunch).  Other Westchester queens that more than deserve a shoutout: Rhoda Rollins Stone, Bella Biscotti, Tess Tickles & Dotty Spartans.

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251. Neon Calypso

It was kind of a coup for NYC when one of Boston’s most celebrated queens moved to Brooklyn in 2019. She now turns it with the BK girls quite frequently, and has wowed Manhattan audiences with her brand of high energy and political sincerity (in particular, a recent month of co-hosting Pixie Aventura’s “Drag Swap” at Hardware brought her a lot of new fans). And amazingly, Neon is keeping up with her Boston gigs as well.

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Continue to #250-201