'RuPaul's Drag Race' Queen Katya Happily Runs Away With the Competition (Exclusive)
Who needs a crown when you’re Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova? Sure, the cash prize and title of America’s Next Drag Superstar would have been great for Katya (real name: Brian McCook), but the drag queen ran
away with the competition on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season two. On Twitter, she was dubbed Time’s “Person of the
Year.” She has since appeared on her own web series, I’m Not a Doctor and UNHhhh with fellow contestant Trixie Mattel. And Bjork even took notice!
Inspired by the likes of comedians Tracy Ullman and Maria Bamford, gymnast Elena Zamolodchikova, a past college professor and McCook’s own real-life anxiety, Katya is a persona unlike any other seen on eight seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Her blend of charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent easily earned her the title of “Miss Congeniality” and made her a favorite of longtime fans.
On All Stars, McCook perfected Katya’s zany presence with fierce runway looks (“I fucking love fashion,” she says) and a hilarious ad for “Katya's Crisis Control.” “I created a product that’s not only very useful, but really fun. I’ve always wanted to do a commercial,” Katya tells ET about her favorite moment of the season. “I want to sell stuff!”
While Katya is quick to joke that her backside is her “best look,” she also points to her Bjork impression from Snatch Game as one of her bests. (It also earned her her first of three wins during the All Stars season.) An homage to Bjork’s Volta era, Katya says her latex dress was a collaborative effort between herself and Nina Kate of Hollywood Villains. It was so good, it even caught Bjork’s attention. “I absolutely loved it, especially when she started humming to herself,” the singer revealed on Reddit, adding: “She nailed the feminist activist tribal Volta.”
“Bjork, you’ve always been out there and I’ve always loved you and now you know it and I’m happy,” Katya says, revealing that she’s ready for a Katya-Bjork collaboration. “Bitch, game on!”
--Additional reporting from Brice Sanders