Kenya Pleaser will take on the infamously tricky “Snatch Game” and continue in the tradition of “Paris is Burning,” the first Columbia-based queen to do so in nearly 20 seasons.
The Sumter native was featured alongside the cast in a promotional video released Dec. 2, where she promises viewers, “You can’t take a big diva.”
“A celebrated Lizzo impersonator, Kenya mixes heart, humor and high-energy performances that get the crowd on their feet,” Pleaser’s official bio reads. “Kenya is here to show the world that southern charm, curves and confidence are a winning combination.”
A cast member at Capital Club, the state’s oldest “and most dignified” gay bar, Pleaser has performed at venues and events around the city and has made recent appearances in Charlotte, Greenville, Charleston and Augusta.
Pleaser is the first to formally represent the capital city on the main stage of “the Olympics of drag.” Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté, a fan-favorite from season 14, is a Columbia native, but didn’t come up in the local drag scene.
The appearance of a Columbia-based queen on drag’s biggest stage will bring a spotlight to the local scene.
RuPaul Charles picks up their official Emmy statuette at the 75th Emmy Awards Trophy Table for for outstanding reality competition series “RuPaul’s Drag Race” on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Mark Von HoldenInvision for the Television Academy/AP Images
“Columbia drag is a nice melting pot,” Devour told Free Times. “We have such a vast variety to not be a huge city, which I think is pretty lucky and pretty insane.”
Locally, drag queens perform at venues around town, including Capital Club and PT’s 1109, as well as regular events like drag brunches and fundraisers. “Our city embraces drag moreso than just in bars,” Devour said.
Several have been vocal in local politics, too, speaking out about the city’s repeal of its conversion therapy ban earlier this year.