‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ has its cast for Season 14. This queen will be representing Fresno

DeJa Skye has a prediction for fans of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

“We are going to dominate this season,” says Skye, one of 14 queens competing on the 14th season of the Emmy Award-winning competition show, which premieres at 8 p.m. Friday on VH1.

She’s speaking in the royal “we” in this case, to include Fresno, her hometown and the place where she started her career in drag a decade ago.

Skye has become a known entity over the years, performing around town at places like Splash Fresno and taking part in events like the Drag Queen Story Hour.

In a “Meet-the Queens” live stream for the show last month, Skye described Fresno’s drag scene as “small, but mighty. Much like my weight.”

It also helped her prepare for this moment, she says in a telephone interview with The Bee.

There were times when 600 people would show up to watch her perform. Other times, she might get six.

“And you have to deliver,” Skye says.

That ability to understand and work a crowd is what makes Skye so appealing to watch, says Clinton Moss, General manager at Splash. The LGBTQ+ video dance bar has Thursday and Friday night drag shows and has become known for hosting “Drag Race” viewing parties each week.

He expects the crowds to really pick up once people realize Skye is competing this season.

Moss hopes to have her attend the viewing party for the premiere.

“The support she gets from Fresno is crazy,” he says.

“I want to make sure she sees that support.”

Skye is what Moss calls a “do-it-all queen,” with a “great personality to back it up.”

“She’s a big ol’ nerd, too.”

Prior auditions for RuPaul drag show

That was something that helped Skye land her spot on the show this season. She’d auditioned twice before, but had been focused on presenting as the kind of drag queen she thought the producers wanted.

This time around, she was 100 percent herself.

“At the end of the day all they want is you. If you are not a hug personality, don’t try to be a hug personality,” she says.

“I’m like a huge dork. I’m not afraid to be silly, not afraid to look weird. I love laughing at myself.”

And she does several times during the interview.

Guest judges include Lizzo

And “Drag Race” (along with its horror-themed counterpart, “Dragula”) has helped bring the totality of drag culture to mainstream audiences. The show has its first straight-drag competitor this season, Skye says.

It also has a slate of celebrity judges including Taraji P. Henson, Christine Chiu, Jennifer Lopez, Sarah McLachlan and Lizzo. The latter superstar will judge the two-part premier episode.

Watching these celebrities, fan-girling over the queens, Skye realized the true reach of the show. She also realized that “Drag Race” is about more than being fabulous and having pretty hair. The queens are real people, with huge levels of talent and something to say.

Of course, there are people who can’t, for whatever reason, agree with the the art of drag, Skye says.

She has a prediction for them, too.

“It is a new dawn. It is a new age. We’re not looking for tolerance. We’re looking for acceptance,” she says.

“Once people stop being so cerebral about things, they will start loving things for what they are.”

This story was originally published January 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM.