As the Boulets say some returning "monsters" actually did themselves a disservice by coming back on the show, they also spill on why some contestants are getting a third shot at winning and the "pretty rotten" star they'd never have as a guest judge.
Returning to an all-stars season of any competition series can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you can prove how you've upped your game since your last appearance. On the other, you could actually end up tarnishing your legacy.
And on Season 2 of The Boulet Brothers' Dragula: Titans, the latter is exactly what happened to "more than one" contestant -- at least according to Boulets themselves.
Swanthula and Dracmorda Boulet are back hosting another all-stars season of their Shudder series, which pits a crop of spooky drag performers -- or "monsters" -- against each other in a series of challenges in which they're meant to impress with their best filth, horror and glamour. Returning stars include Frankie Doom, Evah Destruction, Loris, Priscilla Chambers and Abhora -- all of whom are competing on some form of Dragula for their third time.
"Oh, the fans are very excited. I mean, we've gotten a huge response of just, like, oh my god, this season has been cast within an inch of its life," said Swan. "Some people were saying, 'It's too stacked. Oh my god, I don't know who to pick.' And of course, we love that."
Drac explained they filled this cast with contestants who finished in the Top 3 previously, as well as "monsters" who they believe are "iconically Dragula," or "iconic characters that have become synonymous with the brand." The pair also looked for contestants who they felt "had a lot of potential, and a lot of great star quality, but weren't quite ready when we cast them on their initial season," she added, saying some didn't develop into "incredible drag artists" until after their initial eliminations.
"I think, by and large, everyone's very excited to come back. There's a few people that might be apprehensive, because we've seen on other shows ... an all-star season, it's an opportunity to shine, but it's also an opportunity, and sometimes it goes this way, where you put a little kind of dirt on your name, where it doesn't work out," Swan warned. "And I think that brings an intensity to Titans that isn't there in a regular season of Dragula, because they're feeling like, well, this may be my last chance, so everything is, like, really critical."
Getting very candid, Drac then added, "There are some people that appear on this season of the show that I don't think you will ever see again," as they both confirmed "more than one" returning star did, in fact, put dirt on their name by returning. "It's one exciting, unpredictable season, I'll say that."
Shudder
While some viewers may wonder why certain "monsters" are getting a third chance at stardom, the pair said they compare their show to the Real Housewives -- in that you'll always see some familiar faces and a crop of newbies every time out.
"We're huge fans of reality television, and one of the best things about it is you follow your favorites -- the ones you love and the ones you love to hate -- from season to season," said Swan, as Drac added, "I feel like, if you have stars, you should make the most of what you can with those stars."
Comparing working on the show to living in a "circus" for more than month, the pair said they've come to expect the unexpected -- admitting there's always a lot they didn't see coming, including who succeeds and who falters along the way. The shocks come "not just daily," but "multiple times a day" during production, said Swan, as Drac said "it's pretty frequent" that their predictions on who will win before filming starts are completely wrong.
"You never know how someone's gonna show up, especially when they've been on the show before, because I think sometimes people who did really well on their season thought, 'Well, okay, well, that was good enough, like, I was great, so I'm going to do the same thing again,'" Drac explained, "but the problem is everybody else around you has elevated what they're doing, so what you did before may not quite be enough this time."
Shudder
Titans 2 also brings back a few familiar guest judges, including friends and fans of the show, Jennifer Tilly and David Dastmalchian. When it comes to landing the perfect guest, the Boulets explained what kind of advice they give their special visitors -- and what they're hoping to get out of them. Spoiler alert: It's not a harsh critique!
"We tell them, you're not here to judge the drag, that's why we're here. We're drag artists, so we're the drag part of the judge," Drac explained. "What we really want them to do is to judge on what their expertise is. So, Jennifer Tilly is a very celebrated actress, and she knows tons about the horror genre, and she's very successful. So, to me, she has input that's valuable to the cast, especially if it's a horror-themed challenge."
"David Dastmalchian, great friend of ours, he's usually on, and he's a very talented actor, so he knows what to look for as far as stage presence and the way that someone is presenting themselves. So that's really what, mostly what we tell them," Drac continued, adding that "we tell them not to be jerks" and claiming they "would never have someone on that's really rough."
Drac explained they specifically don't want judges who "are just nasty," saying that she could think of a few people who "probably should have been on the show as a judge that I refuse to put on for that reason." While she didn't name names, she called out one person in particular, sharing, "There's someone I know that really could be a judge on the show. But I'm like, I know you in real life, we're not friends, but I've encountered you many times over the years, you're pretty rotten, and I don't want to celebrate that energy or tell the cast that they should emulate that or look up to that."
Any guesses?
The Boulet Brothers' Dragula: Titans Season 2 debuts today on Shudder, with new episodes every Tuesday.
