A ball in Atlanta got a little too spicy this weekend, and the ballroom community is more than gagged.
The main category at the Haus of Del Core’s Black Card 4 ball was butch queen face, a category for cis men to sell a prize-winning, photo spread-ready mug.
The cash prize for this category was a smooth $10,000:
It was no doubt a prize worth fighting for. However, after one man was chopped (a.k.a eliminated) from the category, his boyfriend took it much farther than your average ballroom scrap.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Toni Del Core was done up, selling Hellraiser to the tens. What he apparently wasn’t selling was butch queen face.
The judges weren’t buying it:
The Chop pic.twitter.com/5in3Q88BS9
— TENz Magazine (@TenzMagazine) September 4, 2022
In the video, Toni demands to know who chopped him. Apparently, it was a single judge: the up-and-coming icon Vinny Margiela.
The chopped contestant then attempted to rush the panel, and presumably Vinny specifically:
The first attempt to approach panel pic.twitter.com/ytayqSknO5
— TENz Magazine (@TenzMagazine) September 4, 2022
Related: Legendary Jack Mizrahi is spreading the gospel of ballroom across the globe
Later in the night, Toni’s boyfriend, Prince Carter Del Core took the situation into his own hands.
In the now-infamous moment, Carter quickly passes by the judging panel, spraying them all with bear mace:
It’s the way we predicted this 15 minutes b4 it happened on IG. Let’s not make CLEARING the panel a regular occurrence pic.twitter.com/64FxTC4C9J
— TENz Magazine (@TenzMagazine) September 4, 2022
Rumors began swirling that the event was premeditated. After all, why did he have bear mace on hand at a community competition?
Further fueling these rumors was the fact that the ball was hosted by Fred Del Core, the overall founding father of their house, as well as Carter being allowed to leave the building unscathed. Some allege that Del Core members then protected Carter from retaliation in the parking lot following the assault.
Though he hosted the event and presides over the house of the perpetrators, most do believe it’s doubtful that the father himself was involved in the attack. Fred Del Core has hosted Black Card balls for over a decade (previously as Fred Chanel) and likely would not knowingly allow his personally renowned event to be disrupted by petty violence.
Since the incident, the father has removed both Toni and Carter from the house. The house has also pledged ten thousand additional dollars to be donated to charity.
Here are just a few of the reactions to the event:
The ballroom scene was robbed of a historical moment tonight. 10k BQ face; paying homage to iconic FQ face moments IT WAS ABOUT TO BE A BATTLE ROYALE but the ball was shut down because someone maced the panel and you wonder why heavy hitters don’t walk anymore?
— Amiyah Scott (@KingAmiyahScott) September 4, 2022
To the person that maced an entire panel of judges at the ball in Atlanta tonight… That was premeditated. You didn’t just have all of that mace in one container ready to mace all those people at one time…
— Jonah Sahn (@jonahsahn) September 4, 2022
How does somebody mace the ENTIRE judges panel at a ball and just leave…
— J. (@jaIentino) September 4, 2022
I’m screaming laughing because he went to the ball with mace bitch you already knew you was getting chopped and planned it
— è ★ (@Afemqueen) September 4, 2022
If i ever got chopped at a ball and my man don’t mace the whole panel, i don’t want him.
— Shemar. (@_yungkovu) September 4, 2022
Related: The House of Juicy Couture slayed the ‘Legendary’ stage: here’s a recap of their best performances
And, deservedly, just a few of the butch queen looks that didn’t get to walk that night:
the homage 10k BQ Face
-not only did he have REAL butterflies, but he had iPads installed all around and inside the chest so Gucci logos would flutter like actual butterflies; I’m so proud & honored pic.twitter.com/uzFcRZ5WLy— Amiyah Scott (@KingAmiyahScott) September 6, 2022
Ohhh BITCHHH ❗️❗️ Christian Banks was go EATTTT for that 10k BQ Face ❗️This is a moment ✨ pic.twitter.com/fRKRj5EXdR
— Larry Bradshaw (@Boytrapbradshaw) September 5, 2022
A few of the BOs that were prepared
to walk for the 10K pic.twitter.com/0TMSno4oD6— TENz Magazine (@TenzMagazine) September 4, 2022
the homage 10k BQ FACE
my son, London, as the fire-eater (fire was going to shoot from his sleeves) pic.twitter.com/SJolKVja0i— Amiyah Scott (@KingAmiyahScott) September 6, 2022
Some of BQ face lineup that didn’t get to walk #ballroom #face #themoment pic.twitter.com/pKEBneHpgD
— Mistress Valentine ⛓ (@QUANNAMC) September 4, 2022
Diplomat
Wow. Some of those outfits are amaaazing.
CatholicXXX
As much as I enjoy the occasional ballroom, the some of the participants have always been too…. “passionate” for me. There’s always a lot of yelling and arguing.
Yooper
What the serious fk. One pitiful arsehole ruins an event for everyone. Hopefully they press charges and the idiot gets jail time for assault.
Kangol2
I’m astonished to see this report on Queerty, since it’s the sort of thing that’s usually not on your radar (or even under it), but great reporting, the mace queen is lucky her @ss wasn’t arrested (or beaten to within an inch of her life), and non-BQ FACE man got chopped because he didn’t meet the standard. In the old days at balls you’d never have this kind of behavior, but like everything else these days some people are totally out of control.
jt1990
“…..his boyfriend took it much farther than your average ballroom scrap.” Just have a look at the offender, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Let’s just say it’s a natural tendency!
quantum
“In the old days at balls you’d never have this kind of behavior”
Lol quit quoting Dorian Corey.
*ignoring racist troll who also replied*
Kangol2
Of course here’s “jt1860,” with his usual (veiled) racist crapola! Gurl, bye!
bachy
This kind of poor sportsmanship gets a big “No” from me.
humble charlie
i wish more of this went on. what a memory!
Beanie16
Think of it this way the queen with the mace probably got the idea from those White Wing whack offs, you know the ones that are keeping POC from voting & Jan 6th traitors aka the Republicans. BUT LISTEN UP MY LOVES!!!
Our communities are under attack now more than ever, our black and brown trans sister’s are being murdered at an alarming rate. Drag anything is being attacked by large groups of armed men and “christians” I know because I was raised around this white garbage and I know first hand how they train their children for “hunting”, I had my first Sheriffs gun safety course when I was 6. They were still my family, Ive disowned them all, they have huge stockpiles of weapons and ammo of all sorts, they literally get off on perfecting the art of murdering people, look at the majority of video “games”. It has zero to do with me being gay but I never got into hunting, I had fun shooting at targets but aside from a Sunday dinner chicken I couldn’t get into killing an animal myself, the whole gun fetish or hunting or even fishing for more than anything other than as a means to feed you and your family. Basically what I’m trying to say is that these freaks are on the hunt and our community, especially the Trans and Drag communities are to their sick delights the human targets they feel justified in shooting, Pulse was only the beginning. I believe it’s because we are more peaceful however you put it. But we need to be prepared because honestly they are organizing to overthrow the government and they are even training the have been training them so we need to be ready all of us down to the last leather daddy need to start to learn how to protect yourselves, think what to do if a bar is being overtaken did you know that in many cities you can now text 911? Learn how to use that White Trash Aphrodisiac “Bear Spray” or better yet just a nice little can of mace, they even make them with rhinestones now along with matching tasers that will both fit in a nice clutch. Take a self defense class, if there isn’t one near you then hit up UTube get a buddy and practice. Remember even a tiny can of hairspray makes a blow torch that will give you the time to run, there are tiny key ring alarms that would wake the dead. I use a cane and recently bought one that delivers a few thousand volts. We see that some of the cops will shoot us before those attacking us so you have to be ready to defend yourselves. Even in our own supposed safe cities and towns we are still being beaten to death just for being gay man, here in Palm Springs Ca they beat an older gay cpl resulting in the death of one, a little old man, what kind of monster beats an old man to death, in public no less. We can’t sit and allow ourselves to continue to be victims. I’m not saying go buy a gun, not everyone should have one but at the very least go online and buy two $10 cans of mace they can fit in your pocket. I hope this post is allowed because I believe it’s an important discussion we need to have in our community ASAP.