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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘RuPaul's Drag Race': Onya Nurve and Jewels Sparkles dish their ‘ride of a lifetime,' stolen jokes, and turning drag ‘inside out'
"I'm super grateful for the love that I've been getting from the community and from everyone in the world," Onya Nurve tells Gold Derby's Reality Derby. Onya won Season 17 of MTV's RuPaul's Drag Race in April, while Jewels Sparkles placed as the runner-up. "I'm learning every day how much it's changing my life," says the latest champion. Jewels has been "so blessed and so lucky for all of the opportunities that have come from the show." She reveals, "The first episode came out and I feel like our lives changed overnight." Since then, their "ride of a lifetime" has included "getting to travel the world, meeting fans from everywhere, performing in different cities ... I'm pinching myself every day. This is genuinely the coolest thing ever." More from GoldDerby 'And then somebody throws a piece of sh-t at you': 'The Diplomat' star Ato Essandoh on Stuart getting honeytrapped Emmy experts analyze Limited Series race: Why 'Adolescence' is 'the one to beat' as voting begins Making of 'Mid-Century Modern': How comedy legends created Hulu's freshest sitcom starring Nathan Lane and the late Linda Lavin Heading into the grand finale, Onya "didn't know" that she'd be claiming the crown. "I was up there with entertainers that were just as talented as me," referring to Jewels, Lexi Love, and Sam Star. "The only thing that was going through my brain — because there was so much going on and so little time to do anything — was me telling myself, 'Onya, you just have to do your best and try to have some fun.'" Jewels' mindset was, "We did the work, we did the show, and now we're going to go in and do what we can and have fun. I went in there with no expectations. Whatever happens is going to happen, and whatever's meant for me is going to be meant for me." Onya asks, "What's the saying? Prepare for the worst?" "And expect the best," Jewels finishes. "Wait!" "The other way around!" Onya laughs. "But something like that." Jewels expected to be "the first one to go home," she confesses. "So, any day that you get to survive after that, that was my mentality on the show, to be honest." She adds, "We got time between filming and airing to watch ourselves before we went back for the finale. Not every season is like that, so we were really lucky to be able to learn from watching ourselves on TV," which she likens to an "out-of-body experience." As a relatively new drag queen, Onya felt "underestimated" heading into the Werk Room for the first time. "I felt like I had to prove myself, but I really didn't have to. I think that was all in my own head. We were always on the same playing field. There's the competition aspect of the game, and then the social aspect of the game, and I feel like the social aspect of the game is where I personally had the most work to do." The makeover challenge really struck an emotional chord with viewers, particularly as both of their fathers appeared on the show to support their children. "Me and my dad are really close," says Jewels, who cherished "getting to share that moment" with him. "For a straight Latino man to go and support his son in that way? It's the greatest gift ever."for MTV Onya agrees it was an "amazing" experience to makeover her father, proclaiming, "My dad has always been a huge supporter of my drag. But like Jewels said, I didn't know it was to the point where he would get on the show with me and do drag. I thought my mom, or at least some woman in my life, was going to come in. So, when my dad came in, there was an extra level of, 'Oh sh--!' Not only do I have to put my dad in drag, but he's wearing a beard, and he has to shave." Both contestants performed well in the "Snatch Game" challenge, with Onya portraying Eddie Murphy and Jewels taking on Miss Big Feet. "I've been watching movies that [Murphy] has been doing for a long time, like The Nutty Professor and Shrek," Onya explains. "So, I really had a good idea of his humor, style, and cadence. But I've also played Donkey in Shrek in community theaters ... so I just rolled with it and had a lot of fun." Jewels loved the idea of "redeeming" Miss Big Feet since there'd only been "this one picture where she's naked, walking in the woods." So, she decided to "put makeup and eyelashes on, and make her really pretty, because that's what you would want to do if the only thing people know about you is a naked picture of you in the woods. Like, that's so disgusting." Onya's hardest moment on the program was the "sewing challenges — we had three of them, which is a lot." And Jewels' biggest obstacle was when the competition narrowed down to the Top 5, and everyone around her was a "strong competitor," which caused her to "self-sabotage." Surprisingly, Jewels doesn't harbor any ill will toward Arrietty for stealing her jokes in the roast challenge, because, "Her roast was one of the worst roasts ever on that show, and I want to take no credit for that." She turns to the camera and smiles, "Gotcha, bitch!" SEE'We need to be gayer than ever before': 'RuPaul's Drag Race' queens and producers get political at FYC pool party They are both "so proud" of Lydia "Butthole" Kollins representing their season on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. "Lydia left on such a high note," Onya divulges. "The audience and the room were just getting a chance to see exactly who she was. And we all saw RuPaul give her that twinkle in her eye when she did the 'Boogie Wonderland' [lip sync]. So, I knew once Lydia was eliminated, that wasn't the last time we were going to see her. Did we think we would see her that soon? No! But it gagged me." With the Emmy Awards coming up, do they think Season 17 deserves to win the trophy for Best Competition Program? "We will win," Jewels predicts. "This season has everything. We have amazing drag. There's so much heart, so much friendship, so many real stories." Onya chimes in, "Our season in particular let the audience see the inside of who we are as people, on top of the glamorous drag that we wear. We turned our drag inside out for the audience to see that we are real, emotional, messy, and sometimes very troubled human beings under all this drag. I thought it was a kick-ass season." Also in our exclusive video interview, the contestants take us behind the scenes of the "Squirrel Games" challenge, they delve into the special "love" they share for all of their sisters, and they reveal the best piece of advice that RuPaul Charles gave them while filming. RuPaul's Drag Race is eligible at the 2025 Emmys. SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby TV Hall of Fame: Top 50 best choices who should be inducted next Carrie Preston on fencing with Matthew Broderick and the heart, humor, and growth of 'Elsbeth': 'She's more than just quirky' Making of 'Mid-Century Modern': How comedy legends created Hulu's freshest sitcom starring Nathan Lane and the late Linda Lavin Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘How dare you!': ‘The Masked Singer's' Ken Jeong on 13 seasons of wacky fun, his favorite reveal of all time, and Emmys
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Welcome to Reality Derby, our weekly deep dive into all things reality TV, hosted by Gold Derby senior editors Marcus James Dixon and Denton Davidson. Joining us this week is The Masked Singer's Ken Jeong, who discusses working alongside host Nick Cannon and panelists Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, and Rita Ora on Season 13 of the Fox reality competition show. Watch our video interview above as he discusses how he landed the ultimate gig, who his favorite reveal of all time is, and if reality TV judges deserve their own Emmy category. More from GoldDerby "My sitcom Doctor Ken had just gotten canceled, and so I was doing a lot of different jobs," Jeong tells Reality Derby. "Whether it be supporting roles in movies, doing stand up comedy, or working on my Netflix special. And then this just kind of came across my desk." The comedian reveals his stint on another reality competition show is what ultimately led to interest in him joining The Masked Singer. "I was a guest panelist on America's Got Talent and and I had a blast," Jeong says. "It was my first time doing a panel show. I was hesitant to join The Masked Singer because it really wasn't a goal of mine. But it was my mom — I'm from Korean descent — my mom watches The Masked Singer. It was the number one show [in Korea] and my mom was like, 'You should totally do this show. It will change your career.' Thirteen seasons later, here we are talking about it." Jeong calls Season 13 the best yet — and he particularly enjoyed dressing up as Lord Farquaad during "Shrek Night." When asked about is "ridiculous" costume, Jeong fires back with his signature line — "How dare you!" "That was sincere," he jokes. "That was supposed to be my dramatic performance. It was so enjoyable. Actually, all credit goes to the producers. They suggested that I dress up as Lord Farquaad. I wasn't even thinking about dressing up in character. I think I just rehearsed it on the day — kind of did it on the fly. It just kind of exploded." SEE 'Drama's harder than comedy': Ken Jeong says lead role in 'Accused' was 'beyond a dream come true' To date, over 200 celebrities have been unmasked on The Masked Singer — from Grammy recipients to Oscar winners — but Jeong's favorite reveal of all time had a personal connection. "Still Margaret Cho from the first season," he declares. "We're good, dear friends. She's, a role model for me. When I was in college, I was her opening act. She's one of my heroes and I know her so well. She played my sister on Doctor Ken." Cho performed as Poodle on Season 1 of The Masked Singer and was unmasked on Episode 4. Prior to her reveal, Jeong guessed the crooning canine was Melissa Rivers. "The look on my face of embarrassment," Jeong recounts. "When Margaret said, 'I was really surprised that you did not know,' on air in front of the audience — the Korean shame was real." When asked if the Emmys should expand the awards to include a prize for reality TV panelists, Jeong says he's happy with the recognition The Masked Singer has already received. "To get awards and to get nominated is such a big honor, but truthfully, the work to me is the reward. Just getting a job is a reward. For me to do this for 13 seasons — I don't think about awards, I don't think about fame, I don't think about glory. I really think the contestants and the costumes are the stars of the show." When reminded that he's talking to Gold Derby, Jeong takes it all back, confessing, "Awards matter!" The Masked Singer has won two Emmys to date — both for Best Costumes for a Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Program. The Season 13 finale airs Wednesday, May 7 on Fox. SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article.
