HOLLYWOOD, Calif. â Ariel Demure walked toward the exit of Hollywoodâs Avalon nightclub Sunday clutching a can of Bud Light with her new prized possessionâa trophyâtucked under her arm.
The former makeup artist-turned-porn star had a tough decision to make.
âIâm thinking Jack in the Box,â Demure said. âDennyâs is also a possibility. Iâm not a huge fan of IHOP, but itâs an option.â
Picking what to watch on Netflix, deciding where to go on a vacation, choosing a name for your pet hamster ⊠indecisiveness can be maddening. Especially when thereâs no wrong answer.
Itâs the same situation voters encountered when determining who should win the coveted Hardcore Performer of the Year trophy at Sundayâs Trans Erotica Awards in Hollywood. Unlike Demure and her post-ceremony restaurant dilemma, committee members werenât forced to choose when two names were knotted after ballots had been counted.
Instead of forcing themselves to pick one performer, they rewarded both.
Less than two years after entering the industry, Demure captured a share of the TEAâs top honor by tying Emma Rose for the Hardcore Performer of the Year award. Rose took home the honor in 2022 and had nabbed POTY accolades at virtually every major award show in the past 12 months.
The shared title was unprecedentedâbut not unjustified. Both performers have shot over 60 combined scenes in 2022 and 2023, primarily for A-list studios such as Adult Time, Evil Angel, Gender X, Grooby, and Brazzers.