The very first New Brunswicker and Acadian queen to compete on “Canada’s Drag Race: All Stars” was among the four finalists when the reality competition show came to a close last Thursday. “It was such a great experience,” says Samuel Landry of Dieppe, whose drag persona is Sami Landri. “I’m so proud that I did it.” Landry tied for third place on the show, which is currently ranked “Top 10 in Canada” on Crave. Sami Landri walked down the runway with looks showing her signature style, self-branded as “trash chic.” The getups usually feature animal prints, Barbie pink, or the occasional Acadian flag – a reference to Landry’s culture. She also competed on the sixth season of “Canada’s Drag Race” before All Stars, representing l’Acadie the whole way through. She was a finalist then, too, and just one week after that finale aired Jan. 15, 2026, was asked to compete again. “It feels really great, especially considering doing it twice within the span of a year,” says Landry. The performer says the two competitions feel more like one large experience. “Because they really were back-to-back. Really, when I was there watching the finale, it’s really then that it hit me like, OK this finally is the final chapter of this two-year adventure that I’ve been on,” he says. Landry calls the move from season six to All Stars “momentum.” He notes he didn’t have the time returning queens usually get to analyze themselves and gauge audience reactions. Even if he had a break between shows, being in the public eye and getting feedback online is something Landry is used to. In 2021, videos of the drag artist went viral, often in the cold Canadian weather with high heels, a blonde wig and a simple question: “as-tu des cigarettes?” “Social media was such a good playground and training ground to make me figure out what I want to do with my drag and how I want my drag persona to be and how I want her to exist,” Landry explains. Sami Landri’s fan base has grown significantly since then, rising to 495,000 followers on TikTok. “It played a role on and off camera for me, being somewhat in the public eye for a few years and knowing how to put myself out there,” says Landry. “It gave me time to edit myself, how to polish my specific brand… how I want to be put out there, how to grab attention.” Even starting out as a social media queen, Landry says it was always important to showcase his culture. “It means a lot to me, it’s… kind of everything to me,” he says. “Through my art and through my drag and through all the public recognition that I get, I really stamp the Acadian-ness all over it.” Landry is based out of Montreal now, but when he’s missing home, he says he goes online and tunes in to a southeast New Brunswick radio station, CJSE. “It’s like, community radio that plays French country music, Acadian country music, and even just hearing the hosts talking, the local ads, all that literally is speaking directly to my heart,” he says. He hopes to share his culture with his growing global audience. “See whenever I go around, I say, ‘I’m French Canadian,’ people will automatically assume that you’re Quebecois, people don’t know what l’Acadie is, so that’s why it’s so important for me to always talk about it, and to brand it and it put it forward,” he adds. He notes Acadian culture is mostly rural and typically heteronormative. “It’s really important, by loving my culture so much, that I give it these new reference points, these very queer reference points, that I push it forward in that way,” says Landry. Starting out as a social media drag queen from New Brunswick, he says he never thought he could compete on “Drag Race,” let alone do it twice. “Do the thing that is scary,” Landry encourages his audience. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
