Victoria Parker, also known as Victoria "Porkchop" Parker, is an American drag performer, actor and contestant on the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race. She was eliminated in the first episode, placing 9th and becoming the first queen ever eliminated.
Drag Name Origin[]
She started as "Victoria René Parker" since a pageant girl had to have three names in the '80s and '90s.[3]
Her given name is Victor, so it was natural for her drag name to be Victoria. "Parker" is from a former Miss North Carolina, Joni Bennett Parker. She got "Porkchop" from making good fried pork chops and her drag mother Carmella Marcella Garcia saying Victoria loved them.[4][1]
Track Record(s)[]
| Statistics | USA Season 1 |
|---|---|
| Ranking: | 9th Place |
| Maxi Challenges Won: | 0 |
| Mini Challenges Won: | 0 |
| Times as Team Captain: | 0 |
| Times in Bottom: | 1 (Ep. 1) |
| Episode Eliminated: | Episode 1 |
Legacy of "The Porkchop"[]
Porkchop has appeared in the audience of almost every Grand Finale of RuPaul's Drag Race, usually greeted by RuPaul with a "Hey Porkchop" and an "I always have a seat for you." She has become somewhat of a legend within the Drag Race franchise and has been referenced many times.[5]
During Season 8 when the queens were trying to figure out who RuPaul called, Bob the Drag Queen said it should be Porkchop as she deserves another chance.
Porkchop appeared in the audience of All Stars 2's comedy show where she gave a disgusted and bored reaction to the routines, which resulted in a viral meme.[6] She was also referenced in Alaska's Read U Wrote U verse with "Who's that bitch that's on the top? Oh wait that's me, hey Porkchop!"[7]
She appeared in a gag during the Grand Finale of Season 9 where Mimi Imfurst picked up India Ferrah from her seat in the theatre in order for Porkchop to have a spot.[8]
On Episode 1 of All Stars 3, guest judge Vanessa Hudgens lip-synced against "Porkchop". It was an actual pork chop, but RuPaul jokingly called it Parker.[9]
Porkchop made a cameo in Episode 1 of Season 10 along with other Drag Race alumni. She also appeared in the finale, lip-syncing alongside Vanessa Vanjie Mateo and Monét X Change.[10]
Porkchop appeared in the first mini-challenge of Season 11, posing in a photo-shoot with Soju, who, coincidentally, was the first eliminated queen of Season 11, on the first episode.[11]
She made a special guest appearance at the virtual reunion of Season 12.[12]
The first episode of Season 13 is called "The Pork Chop", in reference to Porkchop.[13] In the following episode she was referred to as a star by RuPaul when she was discussing the effect being a first out has on queens. Porkchop later appeared in Episode 9 as a contestant on Snatch Game, alongside Raven. RuPaul announced her as the winner at the end of the challenge[14], making her the second guest to "win" the Snatch Game, after Alec Mapa in Season 2. She was also the only guest not presenting to be at the live finale of Season 13, coming out to surprise Rosé with the "Porkchop Loading Dock" sign.
Contestants who become the first eliminated of a new series are often referred to as "The Porkchop" of the season.
Memorable Quotes[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 1[]
- "Victoria is very different from Victor, Victoria is very outgoing, very flirtatious, she likes to meet men, she likes to entertain, and I can do things as Victoria, that I could never get away with as Victor."
- "I want a snickers!"
- "I'm hungry!"
- "I hate my outfit, but this is what I've got to work with so I have to make the best of what I've got and the charisma inside of me."
- "This is the first outfit I've ever made in my life, I've never sewed a stitch."
- "Would you fuck me? I'd fuck me."
- "I got selected in the top nine from thousands of people, so I have nothing to be upset about."
- "Live your dreams, don't let anyone stop you, don't let your size stop you. Unfortunately I'm the first to go but I made it here."
Trivia[]
- Victoria is a very successful pageant queen, having attended over 200 pageants and winning over 100 of them[2]. She has also won four national titles including Miss Continental Plus in 2003.
- Victoria was kicked out of their parents' home for being gay.[15]
- Victoria, in Drag Race, is the first...
- ...contestant from North Carolina.
- ...plus-sized contestant to compete.
- ...contestant to ever be eliminated.
- ...contestant to lose a lip-sync.
- ...contestant to be eliminated on a design challenge.
- ...contestant to only compete in one episode.
- ...contestant to be the oldest of their respective season.
- ...contestant to ever place 9th.
- ...contestant to lip-sync to a song in front of the person who sung it (Supermodel by RuPaul) along with Akashia.
- Victoria was fired after placing last [3]
- Victoria started doing drag on January 16, 1987, her 17th birthday.[3]
- Victoria was the oldest contestant to compete on Season 1.
- She is the 3rd oldest drag queen to compete on the show after Tempest DuJour and Charlie Hides.
- Victoria is the first contestant from North Carolina to not win a challenge.
- She would later be followed by Tempest DuJour from Season 7.
- Victoria was the highest placing contestant to be eliminated first, placing 9th on her season
- This record would later be broken by Ivana Vamp on Drag Race Italia Season 1
- Victoria's goal is to entertain, have fun on stage, and please the audience. Victoria wants to make the people in the audience forget their problems and enjoy her performances and the show for a good couple of hours.[4]
- Victoria has been performing and entertaining since she was 18. Victoria is experienced in not only female impersonation, but also in show choir, theatre, and acting.[4]
- Victoria believes that Drag and Female Impersonation have two different meanings. Victoria defined drag as "Dressed as Girl", and one that goes out to a gay bar dressed as a woman to have a good time, while female impersonation means to her "a male dressed as a woman for entertainment purposes." [4]
- Victoria defines herself as a female impersonator, not only because of its meaning but because it's a career, it's something fun she does for a living, and when she goes home, she takes off her makeup and lives her life as a man.[4]
- Victoria was crowned Miss Continental Plus in 2003[16] and Miss Gay International Plus in 2005.[3] She was also first runner-up to Necole Luv Dupree in the 2002 National Entertainer of the Year pageant.
- Along with Alyssa Edwards, she appeared in the 2008 documentary, Pageant, a film documenting five men competing in the Miss Gay America pageant.[2]
- Victoria's most memorable moment was winning a pageant a year prior to competing on the show, performing alongside Ericka Dunlap, the former Miss Real America 2004. Porkchop addressed that she and Ericka wore matching costumes as well.
- Victoria said if she were to look like anyone, it would be Elizabeth Taylor as she is one of her idols and Porkchop always found Elizabeth a beautiful and fabulous diva.[4]
- Another one of Victoria's idols is Bob Mackie.
- Coincidentally, he appeared as a guest judge for the first episode of Drag Race (which happened to be the episode where Victoria was eliminated).
- Another one of Victoria's idols is Bob Mackie.
- In 2018, Victoria won the very first RuPaul's Drag Con Pageant. Some first-eliminated queens competed for the crown in this pageant (Coco Montrese, Naysha Lopez, Pandora Boxx, Tempest DuJour, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo).[1]
- At the Season 10 finale, Victoria was one of only two Season 1 contestants to lip-sync alongside two queens, alongside BeBe Zahara Benet.[10]
- Victoria was shot and had acid thrown on her face outside of a gay bar back in the late '80s while doing an impersonation. She had to be rushed to the Emergency Room in drag.
- She had silicone injections done by an unlicensed nurse in 1999, resulting in Granuloma. [17]
- Donald Trump had her blocked on X.[19]
- Victoria believes in Astrology and horoscopes.
- Being the first eliminated contestant of RuPaul's Drag Race, Victoria inaugurated the group of the Porkchop Queens, the contestants who are the first to be eliminated in an entire franchise.
- Victoria is the first person to win Miss Continental, then be first eliminated on their season, she would later be followed by Naysha Lopez.
- She appeared in the premiere episode of the Netflix Original AJ and the Queen, New York City, as a character named Porkchop. In the episode, she was defended by Ruby Red after she was bullied by the owner of The Box, a drag club in the city that never sleeps.
- Victoria has previously mentioned she wants to be on All Stars.[1]
- Victoria was actually late for Snatch Game in Season 13, it wasn't scripted. A friend, who was supposed to drop her off at the set, got in a car accident on the way to pick her up. Resulting in her having to find a rental car last minute and driving to the hospital, checking on her friend before heading to the set.[3]
Gallery[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 1[]
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 1 Looks[]
Videos[]
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Trantasia | Themself | Documentary | [20] |
| 2008 | Pageant | Themself | Documentary | [2] |
| 2021 | The Bitch Who Stole Christmas | Bertram | [21] |
TV[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 1 | Themself (Contestant) | Eliminated in 9th. | [2] |
| 2012 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 4 | Themself | Episode: "Reunion" (Audience) | [22] |
| 2013 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 5 | Themself | Episode: "Reunited!" (Audience) | |
| 2014 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 6 | Themself | Episode: "The Finale" (Audience) | [23] |
| Bones | Unknown | Episode: "The Drama in the Queen" | [24] | |
| 2015 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 7 | Themself | Episode: "Grand Finale" (Audience) | [25] |
| 2 Broke Girls | Protester | Episode: "And the Inside Outside Situation" | [26] | |
| 2015 MTV Video Music Awards | Themself | Dancer for Miley Cyrus | [27] | |
| 2016 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 8 | Themself | Episode: "Grand Finale" (Audience) | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Season 2 | Themself | Episode: "Revenge of the Queens" (Audience) | [28] | |
| Botched: Season 3 | Themself | Episode: "Double D-Saster" | [17] | |
| 2017 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 9 | Themself | Episode: "Grand Finale" | [8] |
| 2018 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 10 | Themself | Episode: "10s Across the Board" (Guest), Episode: "Grand Finale" (Audience) | [1] |
| 2019 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 11 | Themself | Episode: "Whatcha Unpackin?" (Guest) | [29] |
| 2020 | AJ and the Queen | Porkchop | Episode: "New York City" | [30] |
| RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 12 | Themself/Alice | Episode: "Alone Together" (Guest) | [12] | |
| 2021 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 13 | Themself | Episode: "The Snatch Game" (Guest) | [14] |
Web Series[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | RuPaul's Drag Race Under the Hood | Themself | Contestant | [31] |
| 2013 | RuPaul Drives | Themself | Guest | [32] |
| Ring My Bell | Themself | Guest | [33] | |
| WOW Shopping Network | Themself | Recurring guest | [34] | |
| 2016 | The Pit Stop | Themself | Guest | [35] |
| 2017 | Hey Qween! | Themself | Episode: "Porkchop Parker & Nina Bo'nina Brown" (Guest) | [5] |
| Look at Huh! | Themself | Episode: "Porkchop Parker" | [36] |
Music Videos[]
| Year | Title | Artist | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Pink Pony Club | Chappell Roan | [37] |
External Links[]
References[]
[]
| Winner | BeBe Zahara Benet |
|---|---|
| Runners-Up | 2nd: Nina Flowers (Miss Congeniality) • 3rd: Rebecca Glasscock |
| Other Contestants | 4th: Shannel • 5th: Ongina • 6th: Jade • 7th: Akashia • 8th: Tammie Brown • 9th: Victoria "Porkchop" Parker |
| Judges | RuPaul • Santino Rice • Merle Ginsberg |
| Pit Crew | Emanuel Palmer • Max "The Body" Philisaire |