Drag Race 18 star DD Fuego: ‘I’m on the greatest drag stage in the world. I’m not going to waste it’

RuPaul’s Drag Race season 18 star DD Fuego is in a taxi heading to the airport in New York when we catch up. She’s heading back home to Monterrey, Mexico, for what will likely be the most memorable holiday season of her life. 

“I’m performing for the first time back in my hometown,” she says. “I’m very excited to do that now that I’m, you know, a Ru Girl!”

In December, the fashion and stage production designer was one of 14 queens announced as a contestant on the eighteenth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. As a NYC-based performer, who has worked with designers for Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, made looks for a Drag Race winner, and designed pretty much every runway outfit that she brought to the Werk Room, her fashion is set to be one of the talking points of the new season.

It’s about time too; she’s auditioned to be on the show every single year for the past 10 years – including one audition for, given her heritage as a Middle Eastern-Mexican American, Drag Race Mexico. When she finally got the call to say she’d been cast, she knew she had to grab it by the tuck. “I was like, this is my chance,” she says. “Not to quote Hamilton, but I am not going to ruin my shot. I’m not messing around here.”

PinkNews chatted to DD Fuego about her drag background, the stress of preparing for the show, and the bonds she built on season 18.

PinkNews: Hey DD! In New York, I know you’re known for both stage production and fashion design. Tell me about your background, and how you put your experience into becoming a drag queen.

DD Fuego: I came into it from a production design and costume design standpoint. I went to school for performance but also direction and design of stage and scenic design and costume design. So when I found drag, it was my way to put all that design onto myself. I’m a very crafty queen. I loved fashion growing up and I ended up finding ways to create the fashion that I wanted to see on the runways on myself on a budget. Then I developed the love of the rest of the drag of it all, then it became ‘let’s put on the lashes and learn makeup.’ Some girls come into it for makeup and that was not my experience.

So most of the looks you’re going to be showing on Drag Race are ones you created yourself?

Yes! I’m so excited to be able to share the looks that I crafted for the show because everything is creative directed by me. Most of the things are sewn by me or crafted by me.  I worked with a local team here [in New York] to create looks that were more fashion-oriented and that told my personal story. I didn’t work with any drag designers and it felt like a very special personal collection, like I was creating a runway collection but it was really for the main stage of the show.

How long did you get to put those looks together?

I don’t think I can say how long exactly we got. What I can say is that even if they gave us a whole year, it would have been a very stressful time. The amount of work that you put into the runway package really depends on how much you want to bring to the table. And I felt like I had so much to share, so many ideas that had just sat in my sketchbooks and I was like, this is my opportunity to be on the greatest stage of drag in the world and I wasn’t going to waste it.

I was stressed out from the moment I got the call to the moment I got on the plane. Getting help along the way felt difficult because everything is very secretive and we can’t be telling any secrets about the fact that I had gotten on the show. I really took all of that very seriously because I love this program so much and I love what it does for queer culture and for drag entertainers. I took my oath of silence very seriously and I had a hard time getting things to the level because I wanted to do everything myself. 

You’ve auditioned for Drag Race for 10 years now. What was it about your audition for season 18 that caught RuPaul’s attention?

I was able to be the most myself every single take I did. Not that I didn’t know who I was or not that I was not at a level to be on the show before but my personality, there’s a gap between who you are and if you can be that on camera. This was the first time that I was confident that the version that would be on set and on camera would be the most personable, enthusiastic, joyful version of myself.

You’re bringing all your own looks to the stage, but season 18 isn’t the first time one of your designs is on a Drag Race stage, right?

That is right in a couple of ways. I helped Lemon from Canada’s Drag Race create some of the looks for her first package. At that point I was just doing this as a favour and now she works with some fabulous designers and her clothes have definitely upped the level. But at the beginning I was very happy to just help my girlfriend. I had a show with her in New York for a couple years at the time and I was like, yes, of course, whatever you need. 

Then for Kandy Muse, I made the look that she wore for her final lip-sync on season 13. I made a prop for Monét X Change for her All Stars run but she didn’t end up using it. I believe it did make the suitcase!

The first episode of season 18 is a design challenge. How did you feel learning that would be the first challenge, given it’s your speciality? 

It was music to my ears as a person that does design. Any design challenge I knew that I could take on. [The challenge is using] things from the past on Drag Race and I’m no stranger to an unconventional materials design challenge. I was very excited to take that on. It gives classic Drag Race where they’re shifting the ingredients around and giving the audience a more classic version of it starting off with the design challenge.

In addition to a design challenge, episode one features Cardi B as the guest judge. What was she like in the room?

Cardi is the realist. She is so funny. What you see really is what you get and the way that she is on the internet, on the show, on the judges panel, you see it in the trailer. She just brings her energy precisely as she is everywhere she goes which is very much an inspiration to me because not only does she take what she does very seriously, she also takes takes the p*ss out of it. She really stands on business and also gets to look at herself and say: ‘What’s funny about this and how can I make light of it?’ I love that about her and I had a lot to learn from her.

There are about 50 girls from Florida who all know each other this season…

We like to call this season Florida vs the World.

Were there any queens you immediately bonded with in the Werk Room?

Walking into the Werk Room I felt like I was at a disadvantage because I was the solo New York girl and some other girls did know each other. I did recognise a couple of the girls from the internet. Nini Coco has a couple of viral videos and I recognised her instantly. I had a feeling that she would be there. Also Juicy [Love Dion], I’d also seen on the internet. I didn’t follow any of these girls, but Juicy I think had followed me. I guess she had her eye on me before I had my eye on her!

Bonding with the cast was instant. Maybe because some of the girls were already bonded walking in, but I felt immediately bonded with so many girls. This cast, I think people will know, is really tight. We have each other’s backs. We will fight like sisters, but we will always come back to the love that we hold for each other and support each other. 

Speaking of love and support, the delightful Bianca Del Rio is this year’s host of The Pit Stop. What do you think our kind-hearted queen will make of you?

I love Bianca Del Rio and put that on the record. I’m not just saying that because I want her to be nice to me. I’m saying that because I saw drag in New York when she was doing drag in New York. The thing that she does is incredible, and if you’re going to put someone to watch our episodes and give us her unfiltered opinions, let it be the best b**ch doing it. Let’s wake that up. I’m so excited.

RuPaul’s Drag Race season 18 airs on 2 January at 8pm ET on MTV in the US and on WOW Presents Plus on 3 January international.

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