Exiting queen John Fedellaga admits she felt more validated as a drag queen in Drag Race Philippines Season 3
After reaching the sixth of the ten-episode reality competition, John Fedellaga, the undisputed social media star, sashayed away after an emotional moment on stage. After losing the lip sync battle against Popstar Bench, John said that she was grateful to Drag Race Philippines because she was able to display “the real me, the drag side of me…even though there was more I wanted to show.” However, in the strongest season of Drag Race Philippines yet, John was outshined by the other queens during their performance of AaWicked Kita: The Rusical, a spoof of the Wicked musical, as well as during the runway category Kum-Haute Couture.
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Hailing from California, John Fedellaga’s wit and humor amassed her legions of millions followers on social media, but in Drag Race Philippines, the queen set out to prove her prowess beyond the digital space. During an online interview with select members of the press, John confesses there was pressure. “How was I going to bring my content to the Drag Race stage? It was very challenging. It was not easy.”
Despite that, John has had a stellar track record during the challenges and runways—one of her best was her impersonation of Angel Locsin during the Snatch Game, the highest-rated episode of the competition. John tells MEGA Drag that the Snatch Game was actually her favorite. “The moment I auditioned for Drag Race, I was aiming for the Snatch Game. I always said it was going to be mine because I knew that I could show Drag Race Philippines my interpretation of Angel Locsin. So, I’m happy with the result and that people loved it,” she shares.
The actress herself recognized John’s comedic and improv abilities, saying, “Slayed so much!” with a clapping emoji. John infused many of Locsin’s roles within her script, inserting and executing many of the action-drama queen’s references while bantering with guest judge Kyle Echarri and the rest of the contestants.
But John’s time in the show was cut short—a shock to many of the viewers, as the episode had placed her at the bottom for the first time. The audience was also hoping for more of the queen, but John herself expressed that though it was early, she was also already satisfied with her run: “I was able to show my Snatch Game, my hosting, and my performing…I was also able to show my brand of drag: babae. Woman. Soft. A femboy.” She adds that Drag Race was an outlet for her to “show the person that I am, the real me, and the drag side of me—before, I was always shy to show my personality.”
John also expressed her gratitude to all of her sisters in the cast of Drag Race for giving her a safe space to demonstrate her craft and at the same time, be brave enough to share her story as a rape victim.
In Untucked, she mentioned, “Na-validate ako as a drag queen here because I never felt that I was part of this community…because people always judged me for just doing content creation. I’m so happy I was able to share my story and that I was able to show I’m a fierce queen. Now, I feel excited to perform again because I know I’m part of the community, and napakita ko kung sino si John Fedellaga in drag.”
Though John is out of the running, she teased that she wanted to release a documentary centering on her Drag Race Philippines Season 3 journey.
John sashayed away, and seven queens remain. Who will be Philippines’ Next Drag Superstar?
Watch new episodes of Drag Race Philippines Season 3 every Wednesday, 7:00 PM, exclusively on HBO GO.
