By Kevin Ferrisi –

This month, Trevi Lounge in Fairfield was home to Connecticut’s first ever alternative drag competition, Mx. Toxic 2023, hosted and judged by CT’s self-proclaimed premier drag fire entertainer and Mx. Chez season 5 winner Kalysta Kaykes, who also created the event. The state’s new drag competition showcased a different set of drag Queens and Kings to compete in an underground style drag competition. The artists battled for the chance to win the title of Mx. Toxic 2023 among a long list of prizes. The show celebrated underground, alternative drag art and each contestant was judged in two categories; Runway and Performance.

Kalysta is no stranger to the theme. Often hosting alternative style drag shows, Toxic has become the cultivated brand that Kalysta has brought to an annual competition setting. Alongside Kalysta on the judges’ panel were drag artists Mx. Kynk 2022 Glass Staine and the epitome of Connecticut drag, Mia E. Z’Lay. Competitors were first tasked in a runway challenge that showed off the contestant’s costume creation and special-effects makeup. They then returned to the stage for a second round to be judged on a live performance and stage presence.

The lineup consisted of a wide range of talent from six participants hand picked by Kalysta: Rory Roux Lay, Mystikuntt, Dexx Delirium, Felicity V. Lay, Kuicky Silver and Paxx Headroom. After strutting the runway showing off their self-made looks, a brief intermission, and then returning for crowd-thrilling performances, the judges also each took to the stage to perform a solo show-stopping lip-sync number. It was a proud night for Kalysta. Thinking back on the night, Kalysta tells the audience, “We’ve created a family tonight, without a doubt, with all of you in the audience, with the stage kittens, with the judges and the contestants. I like to take drag and turn it into more of a family than it is just an artform or just a job. Toxic means a lot to me.”

To conclude the night, Kalysta Kaykes returned to the stage with the contestants to announce the top three finalists. Kalysta first asked Rory Roux Lay, Mystikuntt, and Felicity V. Lay to step forward and unfortunately delivered bad news. This left the room cheering for the top three finalists that remained standing which were Dexx Delirium, Kuicky Silver and Paxx Headroom. The moment everyone was waiting for had arrived. The confetti bombs burst, and Kalysta screams the name of the first ever Mx. Toxic winner, Paxx Headroom!

For Paxx’s runway look, he wore an elaborate black and white striped suit that looked as if the insides of a computer tower exploded and started to consume his body. He described his outfit on a recent social media post sharing that the patches were custom fabrics referencing different computer errors or virus that included a fun analog glitch pattern and blue screen errors. He explained how his gloves were made with an Apple keyboard, wires, and fairy lights that ran up the collar and shoulders. He used cables, ribbon, hard drive components, HDMI cords, and keyboard parts throughout the look, as well as rhinestones that were added to catch the light.

For his performance he returned as Dionysus, the God of Wine, in a black and gold ensemble wearing a crown of gold leaves with grapes and his body wrapped in a belt of multiple gold faces, lip-syncing to ‘Impermanence’ by Major Parkinson. He closed his act by eating what looked to be a tiny human-shaped figure that was made out of rice cereal treats and turkey meat marinated in grape juice and red food coloring for added shock value. Paxx’s vision was trying to recreate the famous paintings; ‘Saturn Devouring His Son’ by Spanish artist Francisco Goya and ‘Cronus Devouring His Child’ by Giulia Lama, both depicting just as the titles themselves suggest.

After reaching out to Paxx, he ended with, “I was definitely in a state of disbelief, super surprised because there was so much tough competition, I didn’t think I had it. I just really wanted to show off and have a good time.” Paxx also said, “I was really happy to win, at the same time I wanted my drag kids to win, so it was bittersweet,” referring to his two drag kids Mystikuntt and Dexx Delirium, who also competed. Paxx Headroom won an impressive prize package that included $200 cash, a $50 gift card to Ulta, a paid guest host spot for a future Toxic show, a custom outfit made by Felicity V. Lay, a custom music mix made by Rory Roux Lay, custom lashes by Kalysta Kaykes, a black leather crown, a custom made Mx. Toxic 2023 sash, and of course, the title of Mx. Toxic 2023.

Click here to check out all the photos in the events gallery from Mx. Toxic 2023, at Trevi Lounge in Fairfield, CT. Photos by James Hilton.