Everything we know about Brooke Lynn Hytes, the first Canadian queen on RuPaul’s Drag Race
Tonight, drag sensation and Toronto native Brooke Lynn Hytes (a.k.a. Brock Hayhoe) will make her debut as the first Canadian contestant in RuPaul’s Drag Race herstory. Here’s everything we know about the self-proclaimed #QueenoftheNorth, and why she may have a leg (or at least a pointy toe) up on the competition.
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“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” William Shakespeare #tbt
She’s a classically trained dancer
Before unleashing his drag alter-ego, Hayhoe spent five years training with National Ballet School of Canada. His first big gig was with the Cape Town City Ballet in South Africa, where he spent two years before moving to N.Y.C. to join the all-male drag ballet troupe, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. Eventually, Hayhoe permanently traded his pointe shoes for platforms.
She first tucked her stuff in Toronto
The 32-year-old Etobicoke native may look familiar to the city’s regular Village-goers. In the mid-2000s, Hytes was a frequent performer at Crews and Tangos, Woody’s and El Convento Rico. “I reached the ceiling in Toronto,” she told Xtra in a 2015 profile.
But now she lives in Nashville
In 2014, Hytes was crowned Miss Continental (the largest female-impersonator pageant in the U.S.), clinching the title with a ballet-infused version of Britney Spears’ “I’m a Slave For You.” The victory led to a gig performing three nights a week at Play Dance Bar in Nashville. In true Tennessee fashion, she says her hair has just got bigger since she moved.
She’s never been to Brooklyn Heights
In a VHI interview, Hytes confessed that she’s never even set a stiletto in her namesake neighbourhood. The name was a gift from her drag mother, who randomly bestowed it on her during a performance.
Like every good Canadian queen, she does a mean Celine
Hytes’ regular song repertoire includes Cher, Annie Lennox and fellow national treasure Celine Dion—a crowd favourite, even south of the border. “If I’m at the end of a show on a Saturday night, I always do a Celine Dion ballad. There’s something about drunk people and Celine. Everyone’s holding each other and crying,” she said. Might this be a hint at her Snatch Game character?
She’s the whole package (fishy, hunky and a total thirst trap)
For drag newbies, “fishy” describes a performer who looks extremely feminine (it’s a compliment!), and Hytes certainly fits the bill. Online RPDR fans have also tapped Hytes has as this season’s “thirst trap,” meaning she’s hot in both male and female form.
The country’s behind her
Earlier this month, Canada’s official Twitter account, run by Global Affairs Canada, posted a message of support for our country’s first ever Drag Race competitor.
But Maxime Bernier is not
The leader of the Canadian People’s Party and professional Twitter troll called the aforementioned Tweet an example of “Government Sponsored leftist logic.” Apparently, he’s a little less excited than the rest of us (and needs a rundown on the difference between drag and blackface). Maxime Bernier, sashay away!
 will make her debut as the first Canadian contestant in RuPaul’s Drag Race herstory. Here’s everything we know about the self-proclaimed #QueenoftheNorth, and why she may have a leg (or at least a pointy toe) up on the competition.
View this post on Instagram
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” William Shakespeare #tbt
A post shared by Brooke Lynn Hytes (@bhytes) on Feb 7, 2019 at 8:21am PST
She’s a classically trained dancer
Before unleashing his drag alter-ego, Hayhoe spent five years training with National Ballet School of Canada. His first big gig was with the Cape Town City Ballet in South Africa, where he spent two years before moving to N.Y.C. to join the all-male drag ballet troupe, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. Eventually, Hayhoe permanently traded his pointe shoes for platforms.
She first tucked her stuff in Toronto
The 32-year-old Etobicoke native may look familiar to the city's regular Village-goers. In the mid-2000s, Hytes was a frequent performer at Crews and Tangos, Woody’s and El Convento Rico. “I reached the ceiling in Toronto,” she told Xtra in a 2015 profile.
View this post on Instagram
Brick on brick ? @asquaredphoto #tbt
A post shared by Brooke Lynn Hytes (@bhytes) on Feb 1, 2018 at 3:26pm PST
But now she lives in Nashville
In 2014, Hytes was crowned Miss Continental (the largest female-impersonator pageant in the U.S.), clinching the title with a ballet-infused version of Britney Spears’ “I’m a Slave For You.” The victory led to a gig performing three nights a week at Play Dance Bar in Nashville. In true Tennessee fashion, she says her hair has just got bigger since she moved.
She’s never been to Brooklyn Heights
In a VHI interview, Hytes confessed that she's never even set a stiletto in her namesake neighbourhood. The name was a gift from her drag mother, who randomly bestowed it on her during a performance.
Like every good Canadian queen, she does a mean Celine
Hytes' regular song repertoire includes Cher, Annie Lennox and fellow national treasure Celine Dion—a crowd favourite, even south of the border. “If I’m at the end of a show on a Saturday night, I always do a Celine Dion ballad. There’s something about drunk people and Celine. Everyone’s holding each other and crying,” she said. Might this be a hint at her Snatch Game character?
View this post on Instagram
#transformationtuesday by @mattbarnesphoto #bestofbothworlds
A post shared by Brooke Lynn Hytes (@bhytes) on Sep 4, 2018 at 8:16am PDT
She’s the whole package (fishy, hunky and a total thirst trap)
For drag newbies, "fishy" describes a performer who looks extremely feminine (it's a compliment!), and Hytes certainly fits the bill. Online RPDR fans have also tapped Hytes has as this season’s “thirst trap,” meaning she’s hot in both male and female form.
View this post on Instagram
Hello, Bonjour ?? Welcome, Bienvenue to #dragrace See y’all on TV tonight!!! #teamhytes #teamcanada #queenofthenorth
A post shared by Brooke Lynn Hytes (@bhytes) on Feb 28, 2019 at 5:06am PST
The country’s behind her
Earlier this month, Canada's official Twitter account, run by Global Affairs Canada, posted a message of support for our country’s first ever Drag Race competitor.
But Maxime Bernier is not
The leader of the Canadian People’s Party and professional Twitter troll called the aforementioned Tweet an example of “Government Sponsored leftist logic.” Apparently, he's a little less excited than the rest of us (and needs a rundown on the difference between drag and blackface). Maxime Bernier, sashay away!){kind=link}