The “Asian Pop Drag Idol” J Quinn sashays away from Drag Race Philippines after five episodes. On her relationship with the queens? She gives us the current score
Drag Race Philippines continues its fabulous and increasingly tough third round with one of the most awaited challenges in its franchise: the Snatch Game. Exiting queen this week was J Quinn, whose impersonation, comedic, and improv abilities were put to the test. Unfortunately, the other contestants’ performance of their characters were much more convincing and up to the mark. In this series, MEGA Drag continues to talk to the eliminated queens from the third season of Drag Race Philippines. Below, J Quinn reveals her current relationship with the other queens following her elimination.
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After the best Snatch Game in the her-story of Drag Race Philippines, according to host Mama Pao, J Quinn found herself at the bottom two again with her impersonation of Confucius. Yudipota’s self-elimination from episode four saved her, but her performance in the next challenges fell short—ultimately dropping from the lip sync battle with Zymba Ding. Only eight queens remain fighting for the crown; J Quinn’s run for Philippines’ Next Drag Superstar has ended.
One memorable scene from the episode was J Quinn expressing her frustration with regard to her relationship with the other queens slash competitors: “Pa’no ako makikipag-bonding kung ayaw n’yo naman makipag-bonding sa’kin?”
While creativity, branding, and overall performance—whether it be comedic talk shows, modeling, designing, or writing a song verse—are all important in a cutthroat competition that heavily relies on visuals, authenticity is, too. Drag, after all, is self-expression. But despite the tension and friction between J Quinn and the other queens shown in the episode, the Asian pop drag idol clears the score in a Zoom interview today with select members of the press: “During the show, there was a lot of animosity, because of course, we were in a very competitive setting—all the girls were fighting. But after filming for the show, we’re a very tight-knit cast and we update each other in our group chats. We are all friends despite people saying that we hate each other—we work with each other a lot, we see each other often. And even before the premiere of DRPH, we went out to eat in the typical samgyup-style.”
Drag is an art form that the queer community uses to express themselves—but more than that, it’s community. It’s friendship. It’s sisterhood. This season’s cast of queens prove that, as J Quinn clearly stated.
In her time in the show, J Quinn has shown the nation consistent looks and ensembles deeply rooted in East Asian aesthetics. Her drag is her visual interpretation of the Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cultures she grew up with and became a fan of. For the Sari-Sari Store Eleganza challenge, J Quinn dressed as an Ajumma, the Korean archetype often a restaurant worker or a street vendor. For the Per-Yeah! challenge, her ensemble was a mix of the Philippine fair and the Japanese aesthetic Decora Kei, decked out in pink and blue stuffed toys. For the 3D Fractal Extravaganza runway, she channeled the anime Sailor Moon.
But after Drag Race Philippines, the Caloocan queen shares that her drag evolution is now leaning into the more cosplay side: “One of my biggest inspirations at the moment is what Alodia and Myrtle was giving in their prime days as cosplayers, and that is me going forward with my evolution and drag. I also want to do a very masculine type of cosplay that I can do in drag—because why not?”
When asked how J Quinn defines the line between cosplay and drag, she tells MEGA Drag, “They’re more similar than what people think, because a lot of Asian gay kids dabble into their femininity using cosplay—like, ‘No, Mom, I’m not cross-dressing, I’m just cosplaying this character.’ And that resonates with me a lot because I started exploring my femininity in cosplay then later on transitioned into more of a drag style with it. A lot of Asian drag queens have a fondness towards cosplay and a lot of drag queens are also cosplay-adjacent but not similar to my type of drag. So I think that’s where people are confused and they start asking: is she a cosplayer? Is she a drag queen? But it’s just art. Cosplay is art, and drag is art.”
Though now out of the running for the crown and prize, J Quinn wants to let the country know that successful in showing the country what she can do with her drag: “A lot of people are fans of anime, K-Pop, and Chinese dramas, and I think I showcased that on a big platform. I’m proud of showing my type of drag to the world.”
To viewers of the show, the recently eliminated queen has one thing to say: “There’s been a lot of my bad side that’s been shown…it’s only a glimpse of my life, so thank you for still choosing to stay with me and support my drag.”
J Quinn also adds that her favorite runway look was reserved for the next episode. She encourages viewers to watch out for this on her social media channels.
