January 24, 2023
2023 Rewind: How Adult Male Star Liam Riley Won Mx. Pineapple 2023
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
This piece is part of EDGE's 2023 Rewind series. We're reaching into our archives and sharing some of our favorite stories from the past year.
Recently CockyBoys favorite Liam Riley was crowned Mx. Pineapple at the 2022 Mx. Pineapple Pageant under the name of Bambi. The pageant is a fundraising event in which adult male performers do drag to raise money for Pineapple Support, a nonprofit dedicated to providing free and subsidized mental health services to the adult industry, writes The Sword.
"Liam, who is actually the drag daughter of RuPaul's Drag Race star Shangela, was crowned after giving an elaborate performance that featured major costume changes and support from queer pop artist Rob Flo as the two sang the live debut of their new song 'Boys Don't Cry,'" The Sword said. Serenity Dai (Adrian Hart) was the year's runner-up.
The Sword added that both Riley and Hart both ultimately beat out fellow competitors Sir Vain (Taylor Reign), Tara Dactyl (Jack Hunter), and Va'Chyna Banks (Calvin Banks) for the win. This decision was decided by celebrity judges Gemini Dai, Max Konnor, Rhea Litre and Morgan McMichaels who sat, watched, and critiqued the performances. Throughout the event, people like Pineapple Support founder Leya Tanit, Hairspray director Adam Shankman, Vanderpump Rules cast member Raquel Leviss, social media personality Evan Ross Katz, AVN Best New Starlet 2022 Scarlit Scandal, and AVN Hall of Fame inductee Brittany Andrews all made appearances, mingled, and cheered on their favorite stars.
But how did Riley achieve his winning look?
"In a YouTube video posted to Liam's official YouTube channel, the popular CockyBoys star reveals just how much work it took to get ready for their show-stopping Mx. Pineapple performance at Heart WeHo," The Sword said. The nearly 10-minute video shows the massive team that helped with the major win as the star heads to dress fittings, discusses their new song, and rehearses their big number. We seriously mean it when we say that Liam/Bambi went through a lot of preparation for this show."
"In addition to Liam, the vid features some familiar gaymous faces like Morgan McMichaels, Rob Flo, Rhea Litre, Sister Roma, Lushious Massacr, and RuPaul's Drag Race favorite Shangela – who you may also know as Bambi's drag mother. We even get footage of Bambi's winning Pineapple performance after some quick shots of Liam's guest appearance on the Discretion Advised podcast where Liam revealed which stars they'd like to film with if they were ever to do a major return to the gay porn industry."
Watch the vid below: