Philly’s next nightlife superstar

One contender is eliminated each week. The rest return to battle.

• By Zoe Greenberg and Heather Khalifa
• Published Mar 8, 2023

Upstairs at Franky Bradley’s, the rivals are resplendent in sequins, contour, rhinestones, hair spray, glitter, cheetah print, platform heels, and false eyelashes. Lasha Snark does a split in roller skates; Savvy Baby has cigarettes dangling from her ears. Miss Thing describes her look as “stewardess on the boat to hell.” Between sets, Nirvana Noire disappears dollar bills from the stage.

Snatcherella 3000, the live competition for Philly’s next nightlife star, is ecstatically back, with themed runways, lip sync duels, and a line out the door and down the stairs. Inspired by RuPaul’s Drag Race and Project Runway, each nine-week season features a cast of drag, burlesque, and nightlife performers facing off in front of six judges and an often-sold-out crowd. The shows are on Wednesday nights — one contender is eliminated each week; the rest return to battle. This season, previous contestants were invited back for an All-Stars show.

“These contestants are doing this for the second time around. Can I assume that the expectations are higher than they once were?” asked Eric Jaffe, a longtime drag performer and the evening’s host, as she introduced the season’s rules.

“They are much higher, honey,” said Vinchelle, another judge, outfitted entirely in safari gear from Beyoncé’s Ivy Park clothing line (“for the jungle out there”).

Among other things, the victor will win $1,000, a crown and scepter made by the Drag Race-famous Fierce Drag Jewels, and a yearlong residency at Franky Bradley’s, the popular Gayborhood bar. The competition can only be “cutthroat, with love,” as Icon Ebony Fierce, another judge, put it.

This season also premieres at a moment when drag performers are being targeted by conservative groups across the country, part of an ongoing backlash to expanding LGBTQ rights. A day after opening night, Tennessee passed a law classifying “male or female impersonators” as adult entertainers in the same category as topless dancers and strippers. It bans “adult cabaret” that the state defines as sexually explicit from public property and anywhere minors might see it. Similar bills are on tap in at least 13 other states. In Philly, that has made the show feel even more precious.

“It’s just our nice little weird queer bubble,” said Nirvana Noire, 36, a producer and Snatcherella’s stage manager. “It just feels like home.”

The contest, the only one of its kind in the city according to producers, has hosted four seasons since it launched in late 2020. It grew out of a desire to create a queer nightlife competition that would nurture young performers and pay them fairly for their work, Jaffe said.

In the dressing room before the show, three performers considered the night ahead.

“I’m gonna be so frank,” said Allyria Everlasting, 21, adjusting a stocking cap on her head while preparing a Mad Max-inspired look. “I’m nervous!”

“All the butterflies right now,” agreed Demi Gawdess, 25.

Next to them, Miss Thing, 24, red hair sprayed into a formidable rhinestoned devil horn, explained the tattoo on her exposed arm. It was a depiction of La Veneno, a trans Spanish sex worker and queer icon who died in 2016. Blood runs down her chin.

“This is right after she rips a girl’s nipple off with her teeth to assert dominance,” Miss Thing said.

Despite Snatcherella’s exuberant lack of restraint, the show’s producers orchestrate it with the vigilance and precision of a small CIA operation. They’ve been preparing for All Stars since December, keeping the cast members secret from each other while planning a season full of twists and executing a sleek Instagram publicity campaign. Jaffe carried glitter-blue cards throughout the evening to stay on cue.

At the end of the night, the judges delivered their critiques in closely-timed 30-second bites.

“I commend you on all the risks you took,” The Moon Baby, 33, a judge dressed in a blue cowboy hat and matching leotard, told one competitor.

“A little bit more cleanliness getting into the reveal, but I thought it was very impactful,” said Pi, 29, another judge.

Savvy Baby, 24, ultimately won the night, lip-synching to “Air Mail Special” by Ella Fitzgerald in a lavender mullet, lilac gloves, an orange and black halter dress, and chainsaw props she stayed up making until 9 a.m. the morning of the competition. She described her look as “very Pokemon champion.”

Afterward, dreaming of a future as “Miss Snatcherella 3000 All Stars,” Savvy Baby was practically vibrating with adrenaline. And what of her prospects?

“Straight to the top,” she said.