Voguing, catwalk, floor performance, spins, dips and duckwalk are just some of the components that make up the art form that is ballroom. Legendary is a brand new competition series to HBO Max in 2020. Eight ballroom houses go head to head and while seven of them will end up being history, one will surely make history as the Legendary winner.
The competition kicks off from May 27 and hosting the show is King of Vogue himself, Dashaun Wesley. Each ball will have a different theme and DJ MikeQ, who's been active on the ballroom scene for almost two decades, is in charge of all things music. The series has been produced by the brains behind Netflix's Queer Eye - Scout Productions. They're the people who get to say who stays and who goes. So, let's meet the Legendary judges Jameela Jamil and Megan Thee Stallion.
Jameela Jamil is often featured in the headlines for one reason or another and it seems that the announcement of her involvement in Legendary was another event that landed her in the press. Jameela's road to becoming a part of the Legendary judging panel wasn't as straightforward as the other judges. She was initially cast as the competition's MC but after some serious backlash from Twitter users, her role was revised and she's now a judge. After the Twitterati went in on Jameela in February 2020, stating that she had no place in judging the contest given that she doesn't represent the black LGBTQ+ community, she then used the opportunity to come out as "queer" in her own Tweet.
Jameela stated on Twitter that coming out as "queer" is something that has caused her "a lot of confusion, fear and turmoil" as a child. She also added that the post was "absolutely not how I wanted it to come out." Not that the TV presenter, actress, and model should have had to defend her casting, Jameela further mentioned that she's a "lead judge, due to my 11 years of hosting experience, being fully impartial, a newcomer to ballroom (like much of the audience will be) and therefore a window in for people..."
After it was confirmed that Jameela was not the competition's host, Dashaun Wesley was announced as the show's MC. Jameela, 34, has a background in acting, TV presenting, modeling, and writing. More recently, she's added activism to her long list of work. As well as her main Instagram account (@jameelajamilofficial), she runs another (@i_weigh) which Jameela writes "is part of my revolution against shame". I Weigh has over a million followers and is described as being "about radical inclusivity, so that no one feels alone. Our job is to amplify, advocate, and pass the mic."
Ensuring that everyone's having "a good a** time" in the Legendary trailer, we have our next judge and if there's anyone who screams fab-u-lous it's Megan Thee Stallion. The 25-year-old rapper hails from Texas and is best known for her songs 'Hot Girl Summer' and 'Savage.' Megan's music career has taken off in the last year with the rapper collaborating with Beyonce in 2020 on the 'Savage' remix. Megan Thee Stallion makes no apologies for being herself and anyone who follows the artist on Instagram (@theestallion) will know that she's not shy of a bougie outfit, whether that be a string bikini and cowboy boots, PVC bodysuit or head-to-toe diamante drip.
Iconic celebrity stylist Law Roach is also a Legendary judge. In Law's Instagram bio, he describes himself as an "Image Architect." He's styled everyone from Beyonce to Celine Dion, Zendaya, and Ariana Grande. It looks like Law has been dressing the rest of the judging panel, too, as Jameela Jamil thanks him for one of her most memorable looks of the series on Insta.
Choreographer, actress, and model Leiomy Maldonado is also placed firmly on the judging panel. Hailed as the "Wonder Woman of Vogue", Leiomy has a whole host of experience under her belt to judge this series. She's featured in many music videos including Willow Smith's 2010 song "Whip My Hair," which she also choreographed. Making history herself, in 2017 Leiomy was featured in a Nike advert, it was the second campaign to feature a transgender athlete. The judges are certainly in for a tough time having to decide who stays and who goes each week given the level of talent of the performers.
The eight houses taking part in Legendary include The Houses of Lanvin, West, Balmain, St Laurent, Ninja, Ebony, Gucci, and Escada. The house parents of each of the eight houses are Dolores (Ninja), London (Escada), Michelle (St Laurent), Eyricka (Lanvin), James (West), Isla (Ebony), Jarrell (Gucci) and Jamari (Balmain). It all boils down to one thing: "If you slay, you stay" and this lineup of judges are slaying in everything they do, so it's safe to say the competition is in the best hands.
Source: Jameela Jamil