Meet the Drag Queens Who Are Channeling Bravolebs on Bravo’s Pride Parade Float

This year's Pride March in New York will be the biggest yet, marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the first time NYC is hosting the WorldPride celebration. And what better way to be part of a momentous occasion than to ride on a float led by Andy Cohen and other familiar faces?!

Personal Space chatted with the drag queens who will be joining Bravo's first-ever float to learn about their creative process transforming into Bravolebs. You may have seen some of these familiar faces as special guests on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen — and now you can hear directly from Chelsea Piers (Drag Erika Jayne), Ginger Snap (Drag Captain Sandy), Paige Turner (Drag Lisa Vanderpump), and Jackie Cox (Drag Lisa Rinna), too.

If Chelsea Piers looks familiar, it’s because she “covered all the bases on Watch What Happens Live.” She explained to Personal Space, “I think as far as NYC queens, I’m one of the top three record holders for appearances on WWHL.”

She's performed as many famous Housewives, including Kim Zolciak (The Real Housewives of Atlanta), Eileen Davidson (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), and Ramona Singer (The Real Housewives of New York City). Now she is back to a Beverly Hills mindset again to transform into Erika Jayne for WorldPride this year.

Chelsea Piers “jumped” at the opportunity to change into Erika Jayne, because in her own words, “What drag queen doesn't want to be Erika Jayne?” She explained, “I feel like I'm fulfilling my Bravolebrity Housewives destiny!” Not only that, but she believes that every Housewife she’s done before brought her to this point: “It’s the holy grail.”

How long does it take to transform into character?
“Typically from putting a razor to my face to stepping out camera ready is three hours. I've done it in less, though — last fall, I had Countess Luann call me to come open for her show on the Cabaret tour in NJ. I think I got ready in 45 minutes because it was such short notice! But I feel like Erika Jayne takes three hours to get ready, so I really want to honor that process. The major difference between us is that I'm going to be slapping makeup frantically on my face and she definitely has, like, 10 gays making it happen. Maybe I’ll pay a couple to stand around me and make me feel fancy!”

Is there any special process to prepare for Erika Jayne?
“I’m going to do a specific iconic look, so it’s figuring out how I put my own unique spin on it. I want to put some of my drag persona into it. I do a lot of online shopping… how many wigs can I sew together to make Erika Jayne’s big hair? It’s been a lot of little pieces to replicate it. What I'm doing is a little campy — very much an homage to one of her classic looks, but I'm putting my own spin on it!”

What is your favorite thing about Erika Jayne?
“She’s so unapologetic about who she is! There’s this expectation about women in Hollywood and music, so many stereotypes like this blonde bimbo, but I feel like she leans into it in a way that subverts it. I love how smart she is and how unafraid she is to take everything to the 10th power. The hair is huge, the outfits are completely sequined and rhinestoned — she’s larger than life and so unapologetic about it! It’s like she’s thinking I’m going to lean in on what this blonde pop-star should be and just give you exactly what you pay for.”

What are you most excited about for WorldPride?
“It feels like the timing couldn't be better to be the biggest yet with everything happening in our country. It’s really important that queer people are as visible as possible and I'm looking forward to contributing to that spirit in any way I can. If I saw the march as a kid, I would feel so inspired, so to be able to give that to young queer people or empower anyone who wants to celebrate in the sentiment of Pride feels important and necessary. The stakes are higher, so we have to be louder, more colorful, and more proud than ever!”

Ginger Snap has been playing Below Deck Mediterranean's Captain Sandy on WWHL “for about two or three years,” and she shared that “it’s been a really fun ride as her.” Being the official unofficial Captain Sandy is “amazing,” and “to be asked to come back multiple times and to be on Bravo’s float their first time doing it — it’s an honor.”

Here’s a bit more about her process!

How long does it take to transform into character?
“For my usual look, it takes one hour and 45 minutes. My regular makeup is more intricate than Captain Sandy’s makeup. The thing about her that is perfect is that I don't have to do that much — it takes me a good 45 minutes. My eyes aren't done in six colors, I use browns and neutrals and a light lip. I can’t do really crazy glamour makeup because she's not like that. She's very toned down. She’s not looking like a prostitute on a yacht and that’s what I look like all dressed up!

I try to tone her down as much as possible, but still look like a drag queen… when we did WWHL and she was there, she was gorgeous! 

What do you do to prepare to be Captain Sandy?
“The thing about Bravo which is really amazing, when I do her on WWHL, they have everything for me — they have the wig, the shirt, and I bring the slacks and black shoes. I love that Captain Sandy is brassy… she's really tough and that’s what I love about her. When I do Ginger as my stage name, that’s kind of my thing, too. When Captain Sandy is on the ship, she takes her job seriously and I’ll go a little crazy with her.”

What is your favorite thing about her?
“When Captain Sandy caught on that I was doing her on WWHL, I got a text from her that she loved it! I thought she was kidding, I kept it. When she found out that I was going to be on the float dressed as her, she was so sweet. She basically said, ‘OK, this is what's happening, I'm gonna get you one of my shirts, I'm gonna get you the amulet’ — everything she wears on the yacht. For me, that’s what I find the most unbelievable. For someone to take the time to text me and care, it’s really amazing and shows her character. She is amazing, I really love her.”

What are you most excited about for WorldPride?
“The last time I did Pride on a float it was 1994 — Hetrick-Martin for gay youth. For me, being a gay kid, teenager, 19-20 years old, and being on the float and experiencing that: I couldn't even express how I felt that day… all these feelings are going in my head. Now I'm 40, I'm going to be on the Bravo float for the first time dressed as Captain Sandy and WorldPride and Stonewall 50th — it’s history being made that day! I just got chills just talking about it. It’s coming to the very core of me, realizing how proud I am to be who I am. It’s the first time in my life that I feel I'm meant to do this and that I’m special.”

Paige Turner is no stranger to the Bravo family — she has also appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen several times, but Pride will be the first time she stars as Lisa Vanderpump! Turner explained she has “been compared to Lisa a lot in the drag world,” because she’s very big on "drag as a business.” It’s actually been on her “radar a lot lately, so it’s no surprise that the stars aligned."

How long does it take to transform into character?
“Two hours the day of is a really good amount of time for me. I’m wearing much different clothes than I’m used to (without giving too much away), so I will do a dry run beforehand. The parade is going to be huge this year, so I will have to add time to getting to my location and making sure I’m through security… it helps that I have done the parade the past three years, so I know what to expect, however it’s WorldPride… so expect the unexpected!”

What do you do to prepare to be Lisa Vanderpump?
“Every time Bravo calls me to do a character on Watch What Happens Live, it’s sort of a challenge/make it work moment. What’s great is that I have way more time than usual to prepare for her look. Bravo sent me pictures and I had a vision of what I thought would best represent her. I’ve actually gone through several pieces and narrowed it down to what I think is best. It’s also Pride, you’re on a float and in the direct sun-so all that comes into play. Lisa would of course have some subtle way of incorporating that into her look.”

What is your favorite thing about her?
“I actually love how opposite she is of my usual style, which makes it fun for me.  Lisa has a style all her own and is big on branding — you definitely get that right away with her in her look. I'm also always a blonde as my drag persona Paige Turner, so brown hair is super fun to switch it up.”

What are you most excited about for WorldPride?
“That it actually is WorldPride! I mean, this is a big deal and it’s happening in NYC. I’m happy to be a part of Bravo’s first float and feel right at home after being on Andy’s show several times. I also get to do the float with some of my best drag sisters, so that’s definitely a great way to spend Pride. There is so much crazy in the world right now and if we can have a day to celebrate how far we’ve come as a community and spread a little joy — what could be better than that?”

Pride will be the third time Jackie Cox is transforming into Lisa Rinna since performing as her twice before on WWHL. Cox shared with us that after the first time she played her, Lisa “had such an amazing response to my impersonation” that of course she said “YAS!” when she was asked back.

How long does it take to transform into character?
“It takes me about two hours day of to get ready. That includes shaving, makeup, hair styling, and putting on many layers of tights to get the right silhouette!”

What do you do to prepare to be Lisa Rinna?
“The most iconic things about Lisa is her hair and her lips. The hair I accomplish by layering a couple wigs on top of each other to get her signature look. To achieve her flawlessly plump lips, I use a few different makeup tricks, including overdrawing the lip liner and using gloss to add that plump dewy look.”

What is your favorite thing about her?
“What I love about Lisa Rinna is that she ALWAYS keeps it real and she has such a playful, fun attitude about life. She is also a supporter of the LGBTQ community which was important to me in portraying her for World Pride.”

What are you most excited about for WorldPride?
“I’m so excited to celebrate with the whole world and with the Bravolebrities like Reza and Captain Sandy, who are representing our community onscreen, in addition to Andy Cohen who has done so much to progress LGBTQ visibility in television and media.”

For more, be sure to catch the action live on Sunday, June 30th at the WorldPride March in NYC!