As the quintessential RuGirl, undisputed All Stars 2 winner and general golden child of Drag Race, who better than the one and only Alaska Thunderfuck to judge who is crowned the ‘Drag Queen of the Year’?

Dubbed ‘A Pageant for Everyone,’ the Queen of Snakes is opening the doors globally to submissions for the new prestigious title, which she’ll be judging at this year’s Drag Con in LA.

The competition is open to drag kings, bio queens and trans performers, and the bar is surely set to be very hiiiiiiieeeeee (sorry) so we caught up with Alaska to talk about the pageant, the possibility of a much-discussed winners season of Drag Race and what she makes of Cardi B trying to trademark the drag staple ‘Okkkkurrr’ recently…

Tell us about your Drag Queen of the Year contest!

‘I’ve been wanting to do it for so long – and at a certain point you just have to pull the trigger and do it if it’s something you dream about.’

Could it ever become its own TV show?

‘I just want to get year one off the ground and then we can talk about other things! I was actually really inspired by the Fyre Festival documentaries. Not because I want it to be a disaster, but if these guys can throw this huge event – and it almost happened – I figured, I could do better than that in my sleep!’

And the criteria seems very open?

‘It is definitely open – I like it being that way. I don’t want to go into it thinking I know who’s going to win, or wanting someone to win or having any agenda. I really want to see what these people are able to bring. To be shocked and I want to be surprised. I want it to be fully not rigged. That’s my goal.’

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alaska (@theonlyalaska5000) on Jan 9, 2019 at 4:22pm PST

Can famous queens apply?

‘There’s nothing in the rules that says you can’t already be famous. Or already be a title holder. I am not entering though because I’ll be too busy that weekend.’

Your podcast Race Chaser has been a huge success, were you expecting that?

‘I’ve been really surprised and astounded by the response to it. People have been really supportive and into it and loving it. And that’s why we did it. The fans of Drag Race are not like the fans of other shows, they live and breathe this phenomenon. And I’m one of those people. We want to go deep hear interpretation. We want to hear details.’

You and Willam bring very different perspectives to the show…

‘Well, Willam says I’m the voice of reason and he’s the voice of treason. But I’m not worried about it because I think that’s what makes it special. We both have a point of view and that’s what makes it sizzle. I’ll keep him in check and I’ll also be open to his view point.’

Do you know if Drag Race approves of the T spilling on Race Chaser?

‘We’re very careful not to reveal too much. Anything we talk about that might be an insider secret is usually something already out there that’s been revealed in an interview or YouTube. Because I believe in the magic of the show. I don’t want to reveal whether Santa Claus is real. I like to believe that Santa Claus is real.’

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alaska (@theonlyalaska5000) on Nov 26, 2018 at 9:56pm PST

Which guests would you like to have on the podcast?

‘I would love to have RuPaul or Michelle Visage. But Jeffrey Moran from Absolut Vodka is number one. And Merle Ginsberg.’

And will we be getting new music from you this year?

‘If you come to the Drag Queen of the Year pageant, maybe you’ll hear something…’

What are your dream collaborations?

‘There’s so many people I would love to work with. I love what Aja is doing, and I love Shea Coulee.’

Many fans view you as somewhat of an authority on Drag Race, how does that feel?

‘That’s great, but I like to view it like a fan. I cannot hear spoilers. If I’m on tour with one of the girls from the current season – I have to remove myself if we’re having conversations that can reveal anything. I want to watch it with fresh eyes. It’s a challenge but I make it clear – like Roxxxy Andrews.’

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alaska (@theonlyalaska5000) on Oct 15, 2018 at 11:24am PDT

Do you think an All Stars winners season is going to happen?

‘Everybody keeps asking… and they’re fully not going to do it. Because I think a lot of the queens would not want to go back in. I definitely would back in. If they called me tomorrow I’d be like, let’s do it. I would go in with no intention of winning and I would just want to have a good time – and try to enjoy myself because last time I was putting an immense amount of pressure on myself and I could’ve had a much better time.’

But you won!

‘But you know what, it’s about the journey. I could’ve enjoyed myself and my process there, and even afterwards I could’ve enjoyed it so much more thoroughly. If I’d just let go of the thought of even winning. And I think I would’ve won anyway. But I would’ve been mad if I didn’t win. I’m not congenial. I’m kind of a bitch. It’s hard for me to be congenial when somebody else wins a contest that I wanted to win. I just get mad and I cry and I throw a tantrum and that’s just part of my nature.’

Do you think you could beat Jinkx Monsoon a second time around?

‘It would be hard, dude, she kicks ass. She’s ridiculously talented and she’s so fucking smart and she can do splits. I’m scared of her. I’m scared of a lot of them.’

And what would your Snatch Game be a third time around?

‘Something Golden Girls related.’

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alaska (@theonlyalaska5000) on Sep 10, 2018 at 8:58am PDT

What do you make of Cardi B’s recent attempt to trademark ‘Okurrr?’

‘I think it’s a bunch of hot steaming bullshit, is what I fucking think. I mean, I’m not saying I know where it comes from. But I know that she didn’t invent it. And people often say to me, you should’ve trademarked ‘hiiiieeeeee.’ And I’m like, no, I stole it. That’s the point. That’s language, drag lexicon. It belongs to everybody.

‘So for me to say it’s mine, and I’m going to make money off it is complete lunacy. It’s ridiculous. I think it’s stupid. I don’t understand. So what does that mean, am I supposed pay her if I ever say that? Or if Laganja said it, is she supposed to pay? I’ll see you in court Cardi. I’ll see you in court Tootsie Loo…’

Superfans on Reddit often say you’d be the perfect choice to replace RuPaul on Drag Race if she ever retired. What do you think of that?

‘I think Ru is going to outlive us all. So long as he is able to sit behind that desk, I think there’s no one else who could do that job. So, that’s very sweet of the Reddit kids.’

For more information about Drag Queen of the Year, visit here

See also:

Drag Race’s Alaska to star in the last Sharknado film

Alaska decides on statewide LGBTI bill dubbed ‘last frontier’ of civil rights