By Anna Bechtel –

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT – On Saturday, August 29, a beloved tradition returned to the Chez Est stage in Hartford: the 4th annual Mx. Chez Comedy Legend pageant. As always, the event was hosted by its creator, Enigma Jones. This year’s judging panel consisted of Mx. Chez Comedy Legend 2025 Frizzie Borden, Mx. Chez Comedy Legend 2023 Indica Fontaine and Sativa Sarandon, and Let’s Have a Kiki host Kiki Lucia.

Five contestants showed up to show off their comedy chops: Whitney Sour, Perry Winkle, Ronda, Carmen Syde, and Chapstick Roan. They competed in three different categories. Talent, where they put together a comedic performance. Comedy, where they were asked to read their fellow contestants to filth. And finally, Runway and Question & Answer, where they wore an outfit highlighting their sense of humor while a pre-recorded funny answer to a question played. The judges scored each number to determine the winner.

The competition was stiff this year, and for the first time in the competition’s history, the judges’ initial scores were tied, forcing them to go to a tiebreaker. After much anticipation, Carmen Syde was announced as the winner. Ronda finished as the runner-up, and Perry Winkle finished in third place.

For her winning performance, Carmen opted to sing an original parody song live on guitar rather than perform a mix. Carmen began the number in a somewhat serious tone before revealing the hilarious lyrics she had written and encouraging the audience to sing along. Her number poked fun at the many accusations Republicans make against trans people, including claims about forcing children to medically transition and eating dogs. Her chorus went, “We’re gonna eat all the dogs after we turn your kid trans.” At the end, backup dancers came out with Bluey plushes and began eating them, causing the audience to erupt in laughter.

The judges praised the number, with Kiki calling it the most unique performance she had seen in four years. “It gave me so much queer joy,” she told Carmen.

For her runway, Carmen again shocked the audience. She wore a red dress covered in hearts and a wig in the shape of a heart. Her dialogue was serious at first before turning into a funny argument with her partner.

Ronda brought one of her signature characters for her talent number. This time, she played a Mormon housewife getting plastic surgery. Ronda performed to a mix containing her recorded voice, dialogue from “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” as well as “Habits (Stay High)” by Tove Lo, and “The Boom Boom Doll” by Miss Ayesha featuring Xpcboyx. Throughout the number, Ronda wore exaggerated masks and breasts and pretended to inhale laughing gas from a vacuum. At one point, dancers dressed as Jesus and a turkey came out to interact with Ronda, giving the number a hilarious twist.

Ronda continued the character for her runway portion of the night, coming out in a sparkly, long blue dress and carrying a bag from ShopRite. She then pulled various tools from the bag, including a hammer and a drill, and used them to reveal a nude bodysuit with a breastplate on her back.

Perry Winkle was inspired by children’s TV shows for his talent. He began the number lip-syncing to dialogue from Miss Rachel, along with “Sloppy Joe” by CupcakKe and “We Like to Party!” by Vengaboys. Then he and his backup dancers performed the theme song from Doc McStuffins, “Throw Some Ass” by Sofi Tukker, and “The Wiggle Dance” by Danny Go! The number ended with another dancer lip-syncing “The B-I-B-L-E” from VeggieTales before comedically being beaten up by Perry. For the finishing touch, Perry lip-synced “Now It’s Time for So Long” from Blue’s Clues, which had the audience laughing and singing along.

For his runway, Perry wore a pink muumuu covering his face, a blue boa with an orange toy on his head, and sparkly sneakers. His voiceover explained that the outfit was inspired by a previous number he performed that received criticism from drag legend Bebe Galini.

After all the contestants hit the stage, it was the judges’ turn to show off their comedic chops. Indica and Sativa performed first and created one of their signature character numbers. This one featured two housewives who smoke weed and make a milkshake out of a baby, which had the crowd howling. Kiki Lucia performed a comedic mix of “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift, “Every Breath You Take” by The Police, and “(You Drive Me) Crazy” by Britney Spears. For her step-down performance, Frizzie Borden performed a mix highlighting different kinds of families, using posters featuring Connecticut drag performers as visuals.

Hostess Enigma Jones took the stage three times. First, she read a series of jokes written by her fiancé. Then she performed a mix featuring “Working for the Weekend” by Loverboy and “Friday” by Rebecca Black. For her final number, she performed her original song “Down to Clown.”

After much anticipation, the judges were finally able to narrow down the top three. The audience burst into cheers as Carmen Syde was announced as Mx. Chez Comedy Legend 2026. Everyone left on a high note, enjoying a night of creativity and performances while eagerly anticipating next year’s competition.