If you are fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race, especially season 13 winner Symone and season 12 runner-up Gigi Goode, then you are familiar with The House of Avalon.
The Los Angeles-based creative collective is the subject of a new, genre-bending series on World of Wonder’s WOW Presents Plus, described as “part-talk show, part-sketch comedy and part follow-style documentary.” It includes documenting Symone’s first Met Gala, Goode’s transition, interviews with celebrities on a Symone-hosted talk show and more. As the logline states, “Whether it’s fashion, nightlife, drag, art, comedy, or media – this chosen family is creating one iconic pop culture moment after another, and skyrocketing to success by their own set of rules.”
In the series, alongside Goode and Symone, are fellow Avalon members Marko Monroe, Hunter Crenshaw, Grant Vanderbilt, Caleb and Rylie.
In a Shadow and Act interview with Symone and Monroe, the former said she is excited for the world to learn more about the group, their relationships and how they operate.
“For me, it’s very special [for people to get to know the other members] because I get to see it every day,” she said. “But I’m very excited for everyone to experience it and see how we interact with each other, and see how we cut up, chile [laughs]. It’s very special for me, and I’m so excited for everyone to see it. I think we’re in the right time for it to happen. I think the world needs it, chile.”
Monroe, who is not only known for his work during Goode and Symone’s runs on the show but also his work as a designer and stylist for Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Megan Thee Stallion and more, said he’s ready for this moment for people to see him in front of the camera.
“For me, I’ve never been shy in the sense of sharing this stuff, but I had reservations,” he said. “But at the end of the day, that’s how people get to know you. I’m ready to step out from behind the scenes. We do have a lot of fun, and I think that’s what is most fun about this show and that what we’ve created is being able to exploit everything we love about television in one sort of capsule, but also get to know us as well.
The House of Avalon’s profile has risen incredibly over the past few years since Goode and Symone were on Drag Race. And even within the past year or so, they’ve gone from making an impact in the LA scene to having national and global reach. They influence LA’s fashion and nightlife scenes, currently running a biweekly show at WeHo’s Gloss and another at DTLA’s Precinct.
“We kind of get this rep of being above it all sometimes, and I think this show in particular will show that we do not take ourselves that seriously,” Symone shared. “And I think when people meet us and they get to know us, they love that about us. And that’s why we’re able to keep going back to these things and keep having the success and career that we have is because we are stunning, fabulous divas, but we also like to have a good time, and we’re good people, and we don’t take none of it too seriously. I think that has a lot to do with why we’re having even this moment.”
Monroe added, “We like to entertain ourselves. So while maybe in times what’s going to be fun about the show [is that] you get to see the behind-the-scenes of like, yeah, we may think that one movement of the jacket [and] where it lands is serious in the moment, but that’s our way of playing because it’s all play. Life is fun. So we just entertain ourselves. The main route is always just to make sure that we are making each other laugh or having fun. And if that can resonate to someone outside of our chosen family, then, great, let’s bring them on board.”
Avalon TV bears the same name as a Twitch stream that the group started during quarantine. Making it their television channel of sorts, it included several shows and skits. In a way, this is the natural next step to bring it to television. And though this is happening now, the sky is still the limit for the group.
“I think all of us are so creative, and we have so many ideas that aren’t just limiting to one area,” Monroe expressed. “A lot of times people that are creative think they have to pigeonhole themselves into one lane, but we’re not, we like to write short stories. We do parodies, we do Christmas shows, we love all these things. We create things, we make stuff. And the thread line of all that is that we love storytelling. And I think if we can keep telling stories in different facets, whatever it may be, I think for me after wrapping this season, it’s fun. Now we have more ideas. It just keeps coming and we want to do more. And I think we’re just getting started.”
Avalon TV airs new episodes on Mondays on WOW Presents Plus.