The hardest part was hiding the bulge.

Breasts taped down and jockstraps tucking it under, contestants at the Totally Fabulous Drag Show did everything they could to pass as the opposite sex.

The four finalists scurried around backstage, some rehearsing their moves and others adding the finishing touches to their ensembles.

Backup dancers ran from one side of the room to the other, looking for wigs and padding to stuff bras, while others changed in plain view of their competition, stripping down to their knickers in the rush to get changed between performances.

‘Five, six, seven, eight,’ one group shouted out loud, practicing before the curtain rose.

There was a sense of stark competition while everyone practiced in the cramped room behind the Goldstein Auditorium – this was no ordinary beauty contest.

The contestants would be judged on appearance, technique (of dance and song), crowd appeal and overall performance, explained host and professional drag queen Peppermint.

There was no room for error.

Slipping in those 5-inch heels or tripping on the runway in front of the more than 700 students, faculty and community members who came to see the show Friday night would be a death sentence at judging.

All the contestants witnessed the brutal whip of the judges at last Thursday’s preliminaries, and the final four knew that the slightest hiccup, missed step or lost wig could cost them the title of Drag King or Queen.

Tim Westbrook was the first to go. Onstage, Westbrook transformed into Eastriver, the sassy brunette doused in fur and lavish silk.

Slowly making her entrance onto the stage, Eastriver glided down the catwalk and began her whimsical and frail performance, which suddenly turned into a striptease with Lady Gaga.

‘I’ve been wearing dresses since I was three,’ the sophomore fashion design major said.

Westbrook’s mother cheered from the audience, clapping loudly and calling out her son’s temporary name.

Guest performances separated the contestants, exciting and arousing the entire crowd.

‘Bring your money up to the stage!’ Peppermint demanded. And the audience paid heed.

Girls as boys, boys as girls – it was all in good fun as people rushed the stage, slipping dollar bills into the performers’ pants or bras. Some made the guest performers take it from their mouths while the rest of the audience applauded and cheered.

Lauren Hannahs, president of Pride Union, said they collected more than $200 in tips onstage from audience members, all of which was donated to charity.

‘I’m feeling the love,’ Peppermint said. ‘It seems like the entire school, faculty, students and the community support the event.’

The contestants and host weren’t the only ones who showed up dressed to impress; audience members, judges and performers emulated their frisky counterparts with wigs, makeup and hats as disguises.

‘It’s fun to interact with the performers and get caught up in the energy onstage,’ said David Pimentel, a graduate student in the School of Information Studies, who fed a dollar to one of the performers as he lip-synced onstage.

But once the guest performers were finished, the rivalry was back on

Nick Deyo, a freshman television, radio and film major, took the stage as Amy Luck, the sexy blonde whose long curls dazzled as she got down and dirty onstage to Britney Spears’ ‘Womanizer.’

‘I went out there to have fun,’ said Deyo.

Deyo’s tight-fitting onesie almost gave him away, he said. Needless to say, the little black dress he sported during the show was intended to be tight.

‘I am Fierce,’ an ensemble led by a master of guile and gender switching, performed to an original mix of music.

First as cunning boys, then as sexy girls in low-cut, short black dresses, the group led a performance that the judges said was ‘mad hot.’

Miles Long also fought for Drag King and brought a performance that was ‘sexy,’ said guest judge and director of the LGBT Resource Center Adrea Jaehnig.

After all the performances, the judges tallied up the scores and tussled over who would be crowned.

All four contestants stood spaced out on the stage for the final verdict, Eastriver biting her nails, Amy Luck clasping her hands tightly as the prospects for King kept their cool.

Peppermint paced the stage, walking from contestant to contestant, building the adrenaline.

The crowd grew more anxious; Westbrook’s mother nearly jumped off the rail shouting for him.

‘Our drag queen is …’ Peppermint said, smiling as she read the paper. ‘Amy Luck!’

Deyo jumped up and down as his backup dancers rushed the stage, one of them only wearing tight red underwear.

The King, Peppermint announced, was ‘I am Fierce.’

‘I was surprised,’ Deyo said backstage.

Westbrook, on the other hand, was shocked and disappointed.

‘It’s cause I got the (Lady) Gaga back and they’re jealous because I did better,’ Westbrook joked.

The audience, on the other hand, cheered for all the contestants.

‘Everyone’s a winner,’ said freshman illustration major Melissa Smith. ‘They went above and beyond what they needed to.’

Smith’s girlfriend, Erin Kid, attended the preliminaries and thought there was no way the show could be bested after last Thursday. But after the finale, Kid said she was ‘wowed’ by the performers.

But the moment was over.

All of their hard work, the hours of practicing complicated dance routines and intricate costume enhancements – it was all done, and the King and Queen walked away knowing they were the best in show.

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Published on February 15, 2009 at 12:00 pm