Hazel and PM Are Taking Vancouver Drag to New Heights in the Sixth Season of Canada’s Drag Race

Canada’s Drag Race returned for its sixth season this November, and unless you’re waiting for all the episodes to come out (anyone else enjoy weekend binge-watching?), you’ll have noticed two local icons rocking the stage: Hazel, Vancouver’s “it girl” who traded competitive diving for electrifying performances and PM, a nonbinary “little drag alien” with 17 years of ballet training under their belt. 

Competing against ten other Canadian drag artists for a $100,000 prize and the title of Canada’s Next Drag Superstar, the duo—who are also best friends outside of drag—were lip syncing for their lives last week in a fiercely heated performance of Avril Lavigne and Nicki Minaj’s “Dumb Blonde.” Though Hazel was eliminated, the audience can appreciate each artist’s distinct aesthetics and genuine approach to drag throughout the competition.

Hazel served hyper-feminine glamour with the flexibility and precision of a former national-level diver, while PM continues to channel nearly two decades of ballet into otherworldly creature creations that defy all conventions. Together, they’re proving that Vancouver’s drag scene is as diverse and fearless as they come. 

We connected with Hazel and PM to talk about the pressure of representing the West Coast, how their pre-drag careers shaped their performance styles and why this season is unlike anything Canada’s Drag Race has seen before.

VM: Vancouver’s vibrant drag scene is made up of iconic characters portraying a spectrum of identities—from pageant queens to drag kings and everything in between. How has the local community shaped who you are as an artist, and how does it feel to represent the city in this season of Canada’s Drag Race?

Hazel: Vancouver’s drag scene shaped me in the way that I finally figured out who I am as a person. I identify as a queer individual, and once I joined drag, I found my community, the people I feel comfortable with and not feel crazy around. 

The past three episodes have been really cool to see, with me and PM showing our strengths of who we are as performers and what we can do. And it’s a lot of pressure. You’re not only representing B.C., but you’re representing the whole West Coast. This is the Olympics of drag for Canada, and you want to put your best foot forward in any challenge because all eyes are on you. You’re being judged not just by the judges, but by the world. 

PM: I’d say Vancouver has probably one of the best drag scenes in the world. We have so many different avenues you can explore: drag queens, drag kings, drag things, drag monsters. Vancouver is very limitless, and I don’t come from the classic, pretty drag world that we see a lot on TV; I do a lot more creature creation. So going into the show, I really wanted to make sure that I stay true to why I do drag, and represent all of the artsy weirdos in the city, because we got a lot of them. 

You both came to drag from incredibly disciplined performance backgrounds (Hazel from competitive diving and PM from ballet). How do you translate skills from your previous experiences into drag?

Hazel:  I was a competitive diver before, was on a national team a few times and then I really used those skills and brought them into my drag career. Diving taught me about control, flexibility, hard work and dedication. And that’s the thing, drag is like a sport. I view drag as a sport. We’re all in this as a team, but we also have to one up each other because we want to be the best, right? You just want to boom, boom, boom and get to the top. 

So diving taught me to put in the work and focus. If something doesn’t happen or it’s not working for you, don’t give up. Keep going and focusing. Patience is another big one because you’re dealing with a lot of spicy individuals who come from all different backgrounds. Not one person in this season is the same, and it’s really, really cool. 

PM: I trained and danced basically my whole life. I did 17 years of ballet training, went to school for it, got into a contemporary ballet company and realized that it was not the place for me. 

I feel like my drag always stems from movement; I always think about the music or what my body will do before I conceptualize the look or the face or any of that. It’s my focus, it’s what I love to do. I do enjoy hosting, the comedy aspect and meeting people, but it’s really when I’m on stage performing—that’s the reason I do it.

What was going through your mind when you learned that you were going to be competing in the show? Did you do anything to prepare mentally, creatively or emotionally?

Hazel: I was prepared down. You only have a couple of weeks to get all your outfits and everything made, and then you have to go film right away. So you’re in a high-stress, high-pressure situation the entire time. 

Once you’re on the show, you’re cut off from the world, so you can’t bring anything. Wigs, makeup, all of that stuff needs to come with you to get ready for the competition, and then it’s up to your own discretion. You get the category and you decide with the prompt what you want to do with it. That’s why everyone’s looks are so different.

PM: I auditioned for Season 2 and 3, and then I took Season 4 and 5 off because I wanted to focus on why I did drag and my love for it instead of trying to cater it to a TV show. This year, all of the pieces just seemed to click. 

As a dancer, you’re kind of always in the wings, waiting. So when I got the call, I was more excited than nervous. I had no nerves, no worries, and I trusted what I was doing at the time and just amplified that. Everything I had done—dance, fashion, drag—had led me to this moment.

How would you describe what you bring to the series that audiences haven’t seen before? How is Season 6 different from previous ones?

Hazel: I’m bringing a whole different level of what my type of drag is. Usually, you see Hazel in a little skirt, dancing on stage and shaking the butt. Now, I’m giving you full drag: different outfits, different genres that you would never ever see me in. The fun part is, I’m really challenging myself creatively and giving the audience a whole new perspective of what I can and can’t do.

And for this season, we’re playing drag race. Drag race is a competition. Usually, everyone’s like, “Okay, we’re just gonna listen to the judges critiques and knock off people this way.” No, we’re doing it like Big Brother, Survivor—alliances with alliances. There are twists and turns happening every episode, from production as well. This season has so much flavour to it because you don’t know what you’re going to get. 

PM: I feel like this season is very honest, and we’re there to play the game. There are twists and turns, and everyone is such a unique personality this year. 

As for me, I’m very honest. I am 100 per cent myself while being there and I was fearless. Even if I was tasked with a challenge I haven’t met myself in the past, I do it to the best of my abilities. At the end of the day, I’m a performer, so I took risks.

Beyond the competition, what do you hope the audience will take away from your journeys this season?

Hazel: I really hope the audience sees me as someone who goes into the workroom every day with a positive attitude and has the best time ever. I want them to see how much charisma I have, how much talent I can bring to the stage and also just see me for me. Because what you see on TV is me; I’m not acting more, or less, and those are all my true emotions. 

I also want them to see that there’s so much to drag that people don’t really know or understand. The amazing part of what Canada’s Drag Race does—especially our season—is great representation from the whole spectrum of people. I really want people to watch the show and take away that you can be whoever the hell you want to be. Glue a wig on and live your best life.

PM: Something I’ve been saying is that the path you think you might go down isn’t always the one you end up on, and that’s really okay. Things shift in life (and in this show) and you just roll with it. As long as you stay positive, you’re not really failing.

Also, at the end of the day, it’s reality TV. It was filmed months ago and we are all good friends. We all have so much love for each other. 

Season six of Canada’s Drag Race streams Thursdays at 6 p.m. on Crave.