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The new reality seriesSlag Wars: The Next Destroyercarries itself with surprising swagger, and even more surprising politics.
Its this outlook that makes the show and its queer cast more than the sum of its body parts.
(Such a showhas been attempted at least oncebefore.)
But inSlag Wars, the competition is really a unit for exploring queer values and queer sexuality.
about sex is the goal here, as is building a community around those attitudes.
Through a deft balancing act,Slag Warsmakes itself more than a porn reality show.
It then got worse before it got better.
If a straight man won, hed receive a cash prize.
(Mercifully, it was poorly received andregarded as offensiveeven then.)
Hot on the heels ofDrag Racecame another hit in ShowtimesThe Real L Word.
This tendency to center one group of LGBTQ people hung around for a few more years.
The queer (mostly gay) Fab Five are primarily accessories to the shows repetitive new beginnings narratives.
ButAre You the One?walked so thatSlag Warscould run.
Its this kind of clever production decision that makesSlag Warswork as a queer text.
Filmed in just four days, mid-pandemic, it has its clunky moments, but dodges major pitfalls.
