Say hello and bonjour to your Queens on the first episode of 'Canada's Drag Race'

As the 12 hopeful queens sashayed into our living rooms on the premiere episode that dropped on Crave July 2, it was clear Canada's Drag Race was going to have fun with Canuck catchphrases and puns (points for the werkroom’s glittery maple leaf!) with judges Brooke Lynn Hytes, Stacey McKenzie and Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman guiding the ship as viewers got to meet the queens vying for the crown.Essex, Ontario’s Juice Boxx provided the first GIF-able moment when she spent a solid minute trying to untangle her jewellery from her fishnet tights during her entrance. Relatable. Seasoned pageant queen Anastarzia Anaquway, the bubbly and effervescent Priyanka (a former children's show host),  punk rock headliner Scarlett Bobo, Tynomi Banks, the self-professed love child of Tyra Banks and Naomi Campbell, and NYC-based dancing queen (because what’s more Toronto than moving to New York?) Lemon, also made unforgettable intros.Kitchener’s Kyne proudly called herself the queen of all social media, having gained a massive following through her popular YouTube channel and TikToks and it's safe to say all the other queens seemed shocked when BOA (aka B***ch On Arrival) arrived dressed in cow couture. Like, literally. And when Juice Boxx noted that she doesn’t have a stellar reputation in the six, BOA was udderly unbothered, saying being underestimated is how she’s gonna snatch the crown.Rita Baga is 13-year drag veteran and well-established fixture of Montreal’s drag scene, while Kiara described herself as a rising star with no weaknesses. Bold statement!Representing the West Coast, Ilona Verley is a two-spirit performer from Vancouver who gleefully describes herself as a total B who loves serving monochromatic looks on Instagram and was excited to represent her First Nations heritage.And yes, the room went silent as Victoria, B.C. queen Jimbo walked in as a gothic mouse that gave us total Moira Rose vibes.[video_embed id='-1']RELATED: Juice Boxx spills the tea on her 'Canada's Drag Race' exit[/video_embed]

A rocky start

Onto the Mini Challenge, where the queens had to pose atop a replica of the Rocky Mountains for celebrity photographer Matt Barnes. It’s all gorgeous and glamorous until the (fake) storm kicks in. The queens did their best to werk it but watching those giant false lashes flapping in the wind we couldn't help but LOL.Jimbo worked the ridiculousness of the situation to her advantage, shrieking throughout the shoot. The contrast with her artsy look had the judges in stitches. Others, like challenge winner Kyne, managed to squeeze some glamour out of the situation despite stormy conditions.As the queens untucked, everyone was particularly interested in meeting the man behind Jimbo. Priyanka definitely seemed to be a fan. Do we smell a budding showmance?

Rooting for our queens

The first-ever Maxi Challenge kept with the True, North, Strong and Fierce vibes and saw the queens tasked with putting together high-fashion looks that gave us Canadiana Eleganza. As the Mini Challenge winner, Kyne handed out boxes to the other competitors with playful names like Muskokurrrr, Yukon Gold-digger and Lumber Janes, that were filled with materials from iconic Canadian clothing brand Roots—think Salt & Pepper sweat material, genuine Italian leather, and a variety of accessories, plaids, zippers and more challenging items like potatoes, cheese curds, CDs (remember those?) and sports equipment.The ladies had to stitch, sew and glue together head-to-toe outfits that epitomized Canuck Couture and make the judges say “Oh Canada! while expressing their own personal drag style. What, like it’s hard?

A fine line

Before the queens showed off their looks, viewers were treated to the first guest-host, none other than Elisha Cuthbert and all the '90s kids know this isn't her first time sharing hosting duties—hello Popular Mechanics for Kids!Jimbo stayed on-brand in a zany zippered creation while Boa also received high praise for her outrageous take on Anne of Green Gables, complete with a potato bra that not just anyone could envision or pull off.Thanks to a mix of fashion and camp, notably pulling a bag of cheese curds out of her dress for a lil mid-runway snack, Rita Baga became the first-ever Canada's Drag Race challenge winner, particularly impressing Brooke Lynn Hytes, who felt it exemplified the over-the-top, cabaret-style of drag Montreal is known for.The positive feedback that Rita Baga and Boa earned struck a nerve with Kyne, whose sloppy disco jumpsuit landed her in the bottom three. While the queens awaited the judges' deliberations backstage, Kyne repeatedly (and loudly) expressed her disbelief that Boa seemed to be amongst the judges' favourites. Jealousy is a not a good look on anyone, TBH.Her poor attitude was noticed by the judges, who gave her a harsh but fair warning: “There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance, we all suggest you find it.” Ouch. Ultimately, Kyne was safe and New York City-based dancing queen Lemon, clad in her Sailor-Moon/football/hockey player look, was chosen to lip-sync against Juice Boxx, whose overly simplistic MuchMusic Video Dance (remember those?) outfit missed the mark.Juice Boxx embodied the pop star vibes suggested by her look while lip-syncing to Carly Rae Jepsen's "I Really Like You" and it was great to see her regain her spark following an emotional reaction and panic attack when she placed in the bottom. But it wasn’t enough to beat out Lemon, who already called herself “one of the best dancers that Drag Race has ever had" and will hopefully have more opportunities to prove it.We can’t wait to see what maple-flavoured mayhem the queens have in store for us this season.New episodes of Canada’s Drag Race drop on Fridays at 9p ET on Crave.[video_embed id='1985411']BEFORE YOU GO: We're celebrating Pride from home with content that informs and entertains[/video_embed]