Filipino-American drag queen Manila Luzon did not think her career would last this long.<\/p>\n
She gained international attention in 2011 for finishing as the runner-up on the third season of RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>. Unbeknown to her, the show would become a cultural juggernaut, bringing drag to mainstream attention and spawning over 100 seasons across its spin-offs globally.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were the pioneers of the sisterhood. So all of my future sisters got to have an idea of what to expect,\u201d Luzon says.<\/p>\n \u201cI did not know how long the show would go for, but I definitely did not expect that my career would be able to survive, or thrive, for this long.\u201d<\/p>\n 02:41<\/p>\n Manila Luzon talks Drag Race legacy, representation and learning to cook on TV<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Manila Luzon talks Drag Race legacy, representation and learning to cook on TV<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Manila Luzon grew up as Karl Westerberg in the US state of Minnesota. Her stage name pays tribute to the Philippine capital and its largest, most populous island.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/8Au9FDY3qAU\/maxresdefault.jpg\"\/)
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