Speaker 1: It's in the news today, but it was actually on
Speaker 1: TV Reload the podcast last week. They Hey guys, welcome
Speaker 1: back to TV Reload. I want to thank you for
Speaker 1: clicking and downloading on today's episode with Hannah Konda from
Speaker 1: RuPaul's Drag Race UK Versus the World Season two, the
Speaker 1: hugely successful Drag Race UK spinoff returns with the most
Speaker 1: international cast ever ensembled the famed drag Race competition is
Speaker 1: elevated to Olympian levels as RuPaul himself invites drag Race
Speaker 1: glamisons from all around the world to the UK Arena.
Speaker 1: The second series began airing on STAN Australia over a
Speaker 1: month ago, and I thought it would be a real
Speaker 1: treat to check in with how Hannah has been going
Speaker 1: on the series. So far, Hannah has been quite celebrated
Speaker 1: in the drag Queen universe after being a runner up
Speaker 1: on our down Under series Series two, which was in
Speaker 1: twenty twenty two, but now is our strongest hope to
Speaker 1: winning against some of these overseas legends. I will ask
Speaker 1: about the reaction from Spanky and Queen Kong when she
Speaker 1: told them that she'd been asked to start are on
Speaker 1: the UK spinoff and I want to know if they
Speaker 1: actually were a little bit jealous. We will unpack what
Speaker 1: parts of Australian culture she chose to weave into her
Speaker 1: esthetic and what australianisms she managed to teach some of
Speaker 1: the internationals. There are some interesting tidbits on what you
Speaker 1: can prepare before taking on a RuPaul's Drag Race season,
Speaker 1: and we will find out what RuPaul was like in
Speaker 1: the UK over what it was like filming the down
Speaker 1: Under series. Plus, we're going to get some brilliant insights
Speaker 1: into two of my favorites that are in this series,
Speaker 1: Tire Coffee and Scarlet Envy. And we'll find out if
Speaker 1: there is an order in the hierarchy behind the scenes
Speaker 1: of the franchise. There is actually so much to unpack
Speaker 1: with Hannah, and I had such a fun time talking
Speaker 1: to her. Let me tell you so, guys, sit back
Speaker 1: and relax as we dive just a little bit deeper
Speaker 1: into the world of Rupol's Drag Race UK versus the world.
Speaker 1: I'm just so excited I'm to have some representation on
Speaker 1: a global scale. What an amazing opportunity.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's wild.
Speaker 3: I'm incredibly honored to be able to represent no only
Speaker 3: RuPaul's Drag Race down Under, but like just down Under
Speaker 3: Drag in general on a global scale, because I think
Speaker 3: sometimes we get slept on a little bit so to
Speaker 3: be able to be there and represent what we do
Speaker 3: down here, and it's just overwhelming.
Speaker 2: It's not something I take lightly either.
Speaker 1: Well, you're from my favorite series of the Australian down
Speaker 1: Under series, so there is actually no comparison. I'm just
Speaker 1: going to say this. I feel like I'm going to
Speaker 1: get in trouble stance and it ring me afterwards and
Speaker 1: tell me to cut it out. But I just feel
Speaker 1: like that season of down Under was phenomenal.
Speaker 2: Look, I have to.
Speaker 3: Agree I may be biased, but I just think, like,
Speaker 3: even just subjectively what watching it and just seeing I
Speaker 3: think the cast was really fabulous. I think we had
Speaker 3: so many different characters that brought in so many different
Speaker 3: experiences and also we just were having fun. I've noticed
Speaker 3: as well when I went to do Versus seeing the
Speaker 3: different mindsets of different queens, Like if you see the
Speaker 3: Americans are very competitive and outwardly competitive, which is not
Speaker 3: really in the nature of what we are here, like
Speaker 3: we would be competitive.
Speaker 1: Right like Astrange's locked to Hide It You know, we're like,
Speaker 1: I'll apply for a reality TV show. I don't need
Speaker 1: to win, you.
Speaker 3: Know, But I think that becomes the charm in us
Speaker 3: then being on the show, because they're like, oh, you know,
Speaker 3: when we do say something about winning, we're.
Speaker 2: Like, oh, it would be great, but like we're here
Speaker 2: for a good time.
Speaker 1: I get it, and I completely understand it. And it's
Speaker 1: riddled throughout all Australian television. You just it comes up
Speaker 1: again and again. We just don't want to act like
Speaker 1: we want it that much, do you know what I mean?
Speaker 1: When we do, But.
Speaker 3: Then when you get someone that maybe this is what
Speaker 3: contributes to like the tall public syndrome in this industry
Speaker 3: is that when you do get someone that outwardly says
Speaker 3: that they want it, they become vilified.
Speaker 2: But then we all know what we're there for, you
Speaker 2: know what I mean.
Speaker 3: It's so weird we have But you look at like
Speaker 3: a character like George King of the Jungle from Survival,
Speaker 3: like he was like, I'm here to win, and everyone's like, no,
Speaker 3: don't say it.
Speaker 1: I feel like, actually he might be the subject to
Speaker 1: the rule, right, like as in some reason, actually no.
Speaker 1: It took us two seasons to understand King George from
Speaker 1: so vib do You. We got to see him first
Speaker 1: being like I'm here to win, and we hated him,
Speaker 1: but by the time he came back, we were like, oh,
Speaker 1: we get you, and you can be arrogant and weird
Speaker 1: because we love that.
Speaker 3: It's very much the vibe, and I grew to love
Speaker 3: him in the second season. I was like, I see
Speaker 3: what you're doing, and I see your importance. And I
Speaker 3: think he also realized as well, when you go on
Speaker 3: a show like that, maybe playing a little bit more
Speaker 3: KOI is beneficial because I mean it means that more
Speaker 3: people will be drawn to you, you know, more people
Speaker 3: like you, so the chances that you're getting eliminated a
Speaker 3: less which is kind of like similar to what you.
Speaker 2: Have to do in UK Versus the World.
Speaker 3: You know, I've already had people being like, you know, oh,
Speaker 3: you're so safe, and I was like, well, why would
Speaker 3: you want to be anywhere but safe? In this style
Speaker 3: of the competition, it is a social aspect to the game.
Speaker 1: I suppose absolutely, I'm reading between the lines here is
Speaker 1: UK versus the World your George Season two of Survivor, Ah.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I am. I'm like, I'm very I'm very aware of.
Speaker 3: What we're doing and how the game works, and I
Speaker 3: understand it a little bit more. I think that's the
Speaker 3: joy of going back in because you know what the
Speaker 3: production is, so you kind of when you first walk in.
Speaker 3: When I did like what like down under it, for example,
Speaker 3: I walked in and the first thing you see is
Speaker 3: just a wall filled with cameras and different people that
Speaker 3: just stand there looking at you and can't say anything
Speaker 3: to you because they're filming a show, and you're like oh.
Speaker 3: And it's a big shock to the system because you're
Speaker 3: like oh, And you walk into the workroom, You're like, well,
Speaker 3: I anyone going to say anything, and it's like nothing.
Speaker 3: So you know, now when you walk into it, you
Speaker 3: kind of know what to expect. You know the ins
Speaker 3: and outs of how everything works, so you can focus
Speaker 3: a little bit more on just being a character in
Speaker 3: the show and like and doing the best of what
Speaker 3: you can. For me, it was so far in the season,
Speaker 3: I'm like, I think it's been beneficial that I've been
Speaker 3: safe because I'm like, I got to like get the
Speaker 3: lay of the land. You know, you don't want to
Speaker 3: be you know, an early like peak too soon in
Speaker 3: this place because that puts a target on you, obviously,
Speaker 3: because then you're like, oh, well you're.
Speaker 2: Top tier competition. If you're in the bottom, I'm just
Speaker 2: going to get rid of you.
Speaker 3: But then also like I've loved being like aucky contentious
Speaker 3: contestant within the fan base, this time, I love it
Speaker 3: because I hated my sewing challenged dress.
Speaker 2: They hated it.
Speaker 3: The fans are like, yeah, you should have gone home,
Speaker 3: And I was like, well, I pit the breath.
Speaker 2: They said ballgown.
Speaker 3: I gave you ball gown, and I argue that what
Speaker 3: La grand Dam made was not a ball gown, just
Speaker 3: saying controversy it.
Speaker 2: Bright, But I gave you the brief.
Speaker 3: I had the story down, I had like a whole
Speaker 3: story art or my characters matched. And yes, maybe I
Speaker 3: knew it was ghosh. I knew it was like a
Speaker 3: little bit, but it didn't say it had to be fashionable.
Speaker 3: Why why does drag have to be fashionable? Can't it
Speaker 3: just be tacky and gross?
Speaker 1: Well maybe that's your brand, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1: And if it is right, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2: But I thought I looked nice.
Speaker 3: I still maintained to this day. I loved it, But yeah,
Speaker 3: so the fans were like, they were like, you're discussing
Speaker 3: you should have gone home like a rancher should have
Speaker 3: been saved, all this drama, and I was like, oh,
Speaker 3: shut up, hut you bitch face. I love it because
Speaker 3: I'm like, if they're going to say stuff to me now,
Speaker 3: I have every right to say it back, you know,
Speaker 3: because that's how life works. It's not it's not a
Speaker 3: bark something at someone and it's a one way street.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 3: We're people on the other side of this things. So
Speaker 3: I'm like, nice stuff is, I'm going to say it.
Speaker 3: I don't care anymore. And then last week they thought
Speaker 3: it was robbed, they thought I should have won. I'm
Speaker 3: getting whiplash, fandom, calm down, what do you want?
Speaker 1: I think you'd have whiplash from the fact. And we
Speaker 1: need to talk about how protective we are of you
Speaker 1: in this series. And there's only one of you representing Australia,
Speaker 1: and I mean, I don't know anyone that doesn't like you.
Speaker 1: So that's a good start. It does feel like there's
Speaker 1: a lot more protection over you surviving each episode. And
Speaker 1: I have to admit, even for myself, when I watched
Speaker 1: the first episode, I was like, please don't go first,
Speaker 1: please don't go first, Like it felt like it was
Speaker 1: a part of me, you know what I mean, And
Speaker 1: that's sweet. And then but I've spoken to so many
Speaker 1: of the big RuPaul's Drag Race fans from all over
Speaker 1: Australia and they all are just every episode it's hard.
Speaker 1: It's like it's I'm an anxiety mess.
Speaker 3: Oh babes, well you know what I have to say.
Speaker 3: I felt I feel the love of the Australian people
Speaker 3: behind me. I feel so much support and so much
Speaker 3: love coming by way from people here and in New Zealand,
Speaker 3: which is just so heartwarming. Like it has been so lovely,
Speaker 3: and that's why I'm like, I went there to do
Speaker 3: us proud and to showcase us as a whole.
Speaker 2: I guess there was a part.
Speaker 3: Of it's for me obviously, but for me, my goal
Speaker 3: was to showcase what we do down here as drag artists,
Speaker 3: but also just as people, like we're really.
Speaker 2: Good time people.
Speaker 3: You know, we have all the American UK girls come
Speaker 3: here on tour and they're like, oh my god, you're
Speaker 3: all amazing.
Speaker 2: It's so much fun. And then you.
Speaker 3: Know, we never really get invited to go back over
Speaker 3: there to perform or whatever never reciprocated.
Speaker 2: So going into the show was like, I just want
Speaker 2: the world to.
Speaker 3: See how fabulous we are as a country, Like we're
Speaker 3: really good people where you know, we're very lucky in
Speaker 3: this country, and I don't think until you travel outside
Speaker 3: of it you realize how lucky we actually are. And
Speaker 3: I think some I think some people could definitely do
Speaker 3: with a little bit more traveling if I what is
Speaker 3: or actually like reading things outside of their own little bubbles,
Speaker 3: because we're actually very lucky here. But yeah, I just
Speaker 3: I'm very proud of what we do here, and I'm
Speaker 3: very proud of our community and our drag artists.
Speaker 2: And that's all I wanted to represent for.
Speaker 1: How do you get asked to do a version of
Speaker 1: a series like this though, because I don't know whether
Speaker 1: or not you have to fill out an application because
Speaker 1: you can only imagine if there was an application process,
Speaker 1: every single one that every single queen that had ever
Speaker 1: been on Drag Race would obviously apply. But I was wondering,
Speaker 1: is it an application or do you get tapped on
Speaker 1: the shoulder for something like this?
Speaker 3: It is like it's like a random tap on the shoulder.
Speaker 3: I had no idea that I'd ever be going back.
Speaker 3: To be honest, I didn't think I would ever get
Speaker 3: asked back. Like I knew I did a good job,
Speaker 3: but I was like when I watched down Under. Although
Speaker 3: I'm really proud of it, I just didn't really see
Speaker 3: myself in it. Be that because I didn't showcase it
Speaker 3: I thought I did, or be that it just didn't
Speaker 3: make the cut, or it wasn't what my character was
Speaker 3: meant to be on the show. I just didn't really
Speaker 3: see myself there, and I kind of was a little
Speaker 3: bit like deflated.
Speaker 1: Because it's you, you know what I mean. So it's
Speaker 1: hard for you.
Speaker 2: And I think I'm a toughest critic. Yeah, we all are.
Speaker 1: We did that to ourselves. It's just human nature. Something
Speaker 1: about your drag that is very ex scessible, even to
Speaker 1: people that are not a part of that community. Do
Speaker 1: you know what I mean?
Speaker 2: Did you just is that a way of just saying
Speaker 2: that I'm bad dressing?
Speaker 1: No? What does that say about me? Then?
Speaker 2: No, I'll just take it. I don't know, but.
Speaker 1: No, that's not very accessible about your warmth. You know that.
Speaker 1: That's what I'm talking about. I'm actually talking about even
Speaker 1: the I'm talking about a collection of things I must
Speaker 1: have been.
Speaker 2: I feel you and I understand it. I think you know,
Speaker 2: but I have to say that.
Speaker 3: So when I went into what I'm saying with the
Speaker 3: down Under things, I didn't really feel like I saw myself.
Speaker 3: And maybe that also could have been a mindset that
Speaker 3: I was in when I was watching it, and so
Speaker 3: I was like, oh, I just didn't I felt like
Speaker 3: I had more to give, but I was like, I
Speaker 3: don't know. If I ever get asked, I'll do it.
Speaker 3: But then I was in Newcastle in the UK with
Speaker 3: my partner's family on holiday and then I get a
Speaker 3: random call from a random number and they're like, hey,
Speaker 3: do you want to come back and do another drag Rings.
Speaker 3: I was like sorry, I'm just I'm sorry. I'm just
Speaker 3: currently eating, you know, my big English breakfast in the
Speaker 3: middle of reason or tits Ofuce. Yeah, I will, I
Speaker 3: will come back. I just like I said, I let
Speaker 3: everything go. I just was having in the best time.
Speaker 3: And I have to say when I first watched the
Speaker 3: first episode when it came out, I was like I
Speaker 3: saw more of myself in that than I did in
Speaker 3: down Under, which again could be my mindset now, But
Speaker 3: it also could be the freedom that I allowed myself
Speaker 3: to just be and just enjoy the experience more so
Speaker 3: than a I think.
Speaker 1: It's you've gathered your stories and it's something that we
Speaker 1: all need to do, do you know what I mean?
Speaker 1: Like it is that level up. You've had that experience
Speaker 1: and you've grown from it, and we all start to
Speaker 1: become more comfortable inside our skins with our nuances. You know,
Speaker 1: we start to embrace the things we didn't like about
Speaker 1: ourselves and just think, you know what, that's anaconda. I'm
Speaker 1: going to lean into that. You know.
Speaker 2: I want to each of us and this is who
Speaker 2: I am.
Speaker 3: And and I think I stopped caring as well, what
Speaker 3: like what people are thinking of me? Ye, Like it's
Speaker 3: too hard, Like I'm never going to please everyone. I'm
Speaker 3: never going to be perfect. It's never going to happen.
Speaker 3: So just to get there and just to let that go.
Speaker 3: The freedom that gives you is so wild, and I
Speaker 3: encourage everyone to kind of do that. I know we're
Speaker 3: in the world of social media where your opinions are
Speaker 3: shared so easily, but I encourage people to a not
Speaker 3: think about what other people think of you, but be
Speaker 3: also be careful with your unsolicitated opinions. Don't think that
Speaker 3: every thought that comes into your mind has to be
Speaker 3: posted on social media, because it does not need to be.
Speaker 1: And also do what we need to add in as well.
Speaker 1: I think we need to be more generous in our
Speaker 1: observations of other people as well, and that's what we
Speaker 1: seen to be missing. I was watching Marshall Heinz on
Speaker 1: Australian idol over the weekend and you know, she says
Speaker 1: you're welcome, and I don't know just the language that
Speaker 1: she's using. That's just reinforcing something kind and why not
Speaker 1: filter spaces with kindness?
Speaker 2: You know, well, this is the thing.
Speaker 3: And I know that they go, oh, that's kindness is
Speaker 3: not a reality TV show make but I do believe
Speaker 3: that there is space for that. And I think, you know,
Speaker 3: the world can be quite harsh and in amongst the
Speaker 3: campness and the bitchiness and all that, I think showing
Speaker 3: elements of humanity and kindness I think is important because
Speaker 3: otherwise we lose touch of that. I think that could
Speaker 3: be for every reality TV show to be fair.
Speaker 1: Like You're dangerous though, with the way like you walk
Speaker 1: this dangerous typewrope though, of being in an industry where
Speaker 1: you can be sassy and you can read people, but
Speaker 1: then you still manage to make things not that, do
Speaker 1: you know what I mean?
Speaker 2: Ye?
Speaker 3: Look, I think there's also like an element of it
Speaker 3: that where I come from, and you know, we understand
Speaker 3: that we're humans and in the industry. I came up
Speaker 3: before drag race, so you know, I've got quite a
Speaker 3: thick skin, and this is our love language. The way
Speaker 3: that we talk, especially down under, you know, throwing quips
Speaker 3: back at each other, pulling a party to those looks
Speaker 3: or whatever. It's always done with love and with the
Speaker 3: fact that we all know that we're all on the table.
Speaker 3: I'm self deprecating, but I'm also willing to have someone
Speaker 3: else tell me things about me or pick make fun
Speaker 3: of me because we're all on the table together.
Speaker 1: The audience gets it like is in yes, something's you know,
Speaker 1: if you retell the story of some of the sassy
Speaker 1: things that people say, be like that's mean, and you're
Speaker 1: like no, no, no, you have to watch it. You have
Speaker 1: to wonder stand because if it is truly coming from
Speaker 1: a place.
Speaker 2: Coming from a place I hate, you'll know me, you.
Speaker 1: Know, yeah, but we know, we all know, we all
Speaker 1: know moving away from us both being very oprah right now, Yeah,
Speaker 1: I need to say, were Queen Kong and Spanky Jackson
Speaker 1: super duper jealous of you? Being asked? I feel like
Speaker 1: they would be. I know that the three of you
Speaker 1: have a bond. I've seen it in the flesh and
Speaker 1: it's remarkable. But was there a small amount of jealousy?
Speaker 2: You know what?
Speaker 3: I have to be one hundred percent honest. I'm not
Speaker 3: talking to them anymore. I'm just joking out.
Speaker 2: I'm so jaggy. They honestly, they were like, shouldn't tell
Speaker 2: anyone of them. I did tell that when I got
Speaker 2: on the show.
Speaker 1: Can you fly over with Queen Kong?
Speaker 2: Though?
Speaker 1: When you're already doing something over there? Or is?
Speaker 3: We were on two up, we were on the Babs
Speaker 3: store when I got the flight the confirmation, and they
Speaker 3: honestly like, again, maybe it's a down under nature, but
Speaker 3: it's like they were just the best support for me.
Speaker 3: They were just so proud of me, so happy and
Speaker 3: thrilled it. But it was the same thing when Spanky won,
Speaker 3: you know, like it didn't matter to us because one
Speaker 3: person succeeding is all of us succeeding and it's just
Speaker 3: another stepping stone so for me to go and do
Speaker 3: this show. They were like, like honestly, they were so
Speaker 3: proud and supportive and they did did their best to
Speaker 3: help me out with everything because we're, like I said,
Speaker 3: we're in the middle of a tour and it messed
Speaker 3: up a couple of the tour dates.
Speaker 2: But we just had like they were.
Speaker 3: Willing to take it on the chin, and like, you know,
Speaker 3: we lost a little bit of money on it because
Speaker 3: I had to go, but there was just no question,
Speaker 3: like they were like, you have to do this, this
Speaker 3: is your moment. Go out and do it, and you know,
Speaker 3: and everything that they achieved now I'm right behind them,
Speaker 3: like just cheering.
Speaker 1: Them on in their audience. I mean, we all and
Speaker 1: this is again we're back at Oprah. But I mean,
Speaker 1: I think it's true though we do need to support
Speaker 1: the people.
Speaker 2: I mean, I enjoyed watching people succeed.
Speaker 1: It is a conscious decision, and I think it's silly
Speaker 1: if we don't say that it is. But those feelings
Speaker 1: that we sometimes get of ih wish that was me
Speaker 1: or whatever, you know, flip that those are the moments
Speaker 1: where you need to make a conscious decision to support
Speaker 1: the other person, because if you do that for someone, boy,
Speaker 1: you're going to get that back, you know, oh.
Speaker 2: Yeah, one hundred percent.
Speaker 3: And like, and you know it's natural to be like
Speaker 3: you know, whether or not they were jealous or upset
Speaker 3: or anything.
Speaker 2: They never voice that to me at all.
Speaker 1: They're on the phone now, told you.
Speaker 3: But even if they were, like you know, like I understand,
Speaker 3: it would be very easy to do that.
Speaker 2: But like, it's how you deal with that.
Speaker 3: And you know, jealous is a very natural thing and
Speaker 3: it's a human thing, but it's what you, like, like
Speaker 3: I said, what you do with that feeling and that energy.
Speaker 3: You know, you can either push it out there into
Speaker 3: the world and act jealous and be mean and not
Speaker 3: talk to people or whatever, or you can process why
Speaker 3: am I feeling jealous? And this is how I do it.
Speaker 3: I go, why am I feeling jealous about that?
Speaker 1: Okay?
Speaker 3: Because they've got something that I would love to get? Well,
Speaker 3: that wasn't for me. But what can I do that
Speaker 3: gets me to a place where I can achieve that?
Speaker 3: And that's how I shifted, because then it's like you're
Speaker 3: flipping the switch on the jel and you're using it
Speaker 3: as a driving force rather than taking it out on
Speaker 3: the person that you're jealous of.
Speaker 1: This is why you where you are, you know what
Speaker 1: I mean?
Speaker 3: Like he I had new age parents that took me
Speaker 3: to a lot of therapy and I've done a certificate
Speaker 3: one in hands on healing reiki.
Speaker 2: I think it's the years and years of therapy that
Speaker 2: got me there.
Speaker 1: Whatever it is, it's working for you. I have to
Speaker 1: ask about you know, everyone talks about the access to
Speaker 1: RuPaul himself. You've done the down Under version, which was
Speaker 1: filmed in New Zealand, but now that you're in the
Speaker 1: UK versus the world filmed in England. Yeah, you're seeing
Speaker 1: him again in a completely different environment. Is he just
Speaker 1: exactly the same as he was in Australia or was
Speaker 1: there different?
Speaker 2: Just the same.
Speaker 3: Honestly, She's so much fun and I think, like, again,
Speaker 3: I don't know if this is just my nature, but
Speaker 3: it's always been like a thing that I've had, Like
Speaker 3: when I've been working in like retail or whatever, people
Speaker 3: get freaked out by the area amount of jug but I'm.
Speaker 2: Like, it's just another person. I don't give a shit.
Speaker 3: I don't give a shit their status like when I
Speaker 3: go to like a Rick Carpter event and stuff, I'll
Speaker 3: walk up to anyone and be like, oh, Hi, how
Speaker 3: how's it going.
Speaker 2: I don't give a shit. They're just people.
Speaker 3: And yes she's mother rou and whatever, and there's a
Speaker 3: grandiosity about her and whatever. But she's so much fun,
Speaker 3: Like I just enjoy being with her, and she's she's
Speaker 3: easy to make laugh. She tells you exactly what she wants.
Speaker 3: That's why I'm like, you can't, like you could, honestly,
Speaker 3: the shittest drag queen in the whole time world could
Speaker 3: win drag race because Rue Paul would tell you what
Speaker 3: she wants. She literally tells you every challenge what she.
Speaker 2: Wants to see. So it's like you just follow what
Speaker 2: she wants and give them.
Speaker 1: What they want, you know.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, But she's fun, Like she's just an old
Speaker 3: school camp time And like, I just enjoy chatting to
Speaker 3: her when she comes in because you're not with her
Speaker 3: like all the time.
Speaker 2: We're not hanging out or whatever.
Speaker 3: But you know, when she comes into the workroom, does
Speaker 3: her chats and does her welcomes in the morning. You know,
Speaker 3: like you pretty much see all of her time with
Speaker 3: us on camera, but you know, they'll be like hi,
Speaker 3: and she'll like, oh, you all look great, Like how's
Speaker 3: the morning going?
Speaker 2: Having fun?
Speaker 3: Like she checks in on us just to make sure
Speaker 3: we're good. There's just another sister, Like she's really just
Speaker 3: a good person.
Speaker 1: And it's a good way to see it like that
Speaker 1: as well, do you know what I mean? Like, you know,
Speaker 1: when we start to put people on pedestals or treat
Speaker 1: people differently by you know, their privilege or whatever. You know,
Speaker 1: you're sort of jumbling it up. You know, we should
Speaker 1: just be true to ourselves.
Speaker 2: You need to just let go, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2: So if you're freaking.
Speaker 3: Out about the fact that she's sitting there looking at
Speaker 3: you being a dick, you're never going to win.
Speaker 2: What can you do? You know what I mean?
Speaker 1: Queens do often say to me though that you know,
Speaker 1: you become addicted to the laugh, you know, because she
Speaker 1: has that very iconic laugh, and so you just.
Speaker 2: Take me so hot. I'm like, every time I'm a
Speaker 2: maker laugh, I'm.
Speaker 1: Like, oh, yes, I need to ask you about two queens.
Speaker 1: I was going to ask you a lot more other things,
Speaker 1: but we are getting towards the end of our time,
Speaker 1: so I want to ask you about tear cop Tea
Speaker 1: because love the mess that this that she is. She's
Speaker 1: a mess. She's a mess, Like I just what is
Speaker 1: she like in real life? Is she a mess in
Speaker 1: real life?
Speaker 2: She's She's not. She's just wild.
Speaker 3: She's such a fun human that thinks that million miles
Speaker 3: an hour. She's always got so many ideas. She's such
Speaker 3: a creative of little soul, and she is just a
Speaker 3: ball of fun.
Speaker 2: Like we got along really well.
Speaker 3: I thoroughly enjoyed just spending time with her, and like,
Speaker 3: and I think you saw in the episode three, saw
Speaker 3: me and her sitting there together gett their makeup on.
Speaker 2: And I'm like, just.
Speaker 3: The baby's ass, and she'd sit there giggling. I love
Speaker 3: making her laugh. We're very much on the same wave
Speaker 3: like and she But you can see that the glow up,
Speaker 3: you know, in her drag and the way that she
Speaker 3: paints and stuff. But fundamentally the same Tea is there.
Speaker 3: She's still just a quirky little nerd that is just fabulous.
Speaker 1: I don't know why, but you know, I love people
Speaker 1: for their uniqueness, do you know what I mean? Like
Speaker 1: there's something she's very aids. Yeah, and you just like,
Speaker 1: I don't know, I just it's not fake either. You
Speaker 1: could have you would recognize that again, like there's another
Speaker 1: thing you recognize as a view of really quickly if
Speaker 1: someone's putting something on. She just genuinely is mad in
Speaker 1: the best way possible.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and she's just and again she's like me. She
Speaker 3: just says what she thinks like that. It's kind of
Speaker 3: like we should have a filter.
Speaker 2: Over our mouths, but it just sometimes the filter doesn't work.
Speaker 3: Never.
Speaker 1: So Scarlet, though, is someone who I've enjoyed in two
Speaker 1: other seasons because she's American? Was she a bit of
Speaker 1: an uppity bitch? Like you know, they're very competitive? Like
Speaker 1: was there? I feel like, as much as I love her, again,
Speaker 1: I love her for being authentically that. But what's your
Speaker 1: take on her? Was it strange having someone American?
Speaker 3: Then?
Speaker 1: Yeah?
Speaker 3: Well, so we had Mayhem and Scarlett our American divas,
Speaker 3: and I'd met Scarlett not long before we went to film.
Speaker 3: She was very quiet, she never said anything, and I
Speaker 3: didn't need it obviously because I'm a good girl for
Speaker 3: the NDA. But we'd work together and she was a gem.
Speaker 3: She was such so much fun. But in a drag
Speaker 3: race setting, the competition. Americans are incredibly competitive and I've
Speaker 3: noticed that now being in the room with them, and
Speaker 3: she's very, very competitive. She's there to win and she's
Speaker 3: not she doesn't beat around the bush about that, and
Speaker 3: for me, I find that a little bit confronting. I
Speaker 3: don't like people being like, like I said, Australians don't
Speaker 3: like being outwardly competitive. So I really did struggle with
Speaker 3: that a little bit. But like a drag is amazing,
Speaker 3: she looks beautiful, and again she's just to go get it.
Speaker 3: She wants she wants the money and she's not afraid
Speaker 3: to tell you that that is what she wants. And yeah,
Speaker 3: it was just personality wise, it's in that space. It
Speaker 3: is challenging. But I do get along with most people,
Speaker 3: so I can find ways around that to navigate that.
Speaker 3: But yeah, it was. It did get me a little
Speaker 3: bit nervous because she was like, you know, and I
Speaker 3: consider myself a good competitor, and knowing that her gameplay
Speaker 3: is to just get rid of the top ones. I
Speaker 3: forget in the bottom and she's there, I'm like, unscrewed
Speaker 3: because she will get rid of it.
Speaker 1: What worked in Australia that didn't seem to work over there.
Speaker 1: Did you come across stuff that you were like, oh,
Speaker 1: that really landed in Australia, But I've tried it here
Speaker 1: and it's not working as well because it is a
Speaker 1: collection of environments from all around the world.
Speaker 2: Yeah. To be honest, I think I just.
Speaker 1: Amped it up, okay, I elevated it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, because it was like I felt at points that
Speaker 3: people thought I was talking a different language, you know,
Speaker 3: because just the colloquialisms and the things, and they found
Speaker 3: it funny, like you know, the kick it in the
Speaker 3: dick thing. That's just the thing that Queen Spanky and
Speaker 3: I say to each other all the time, like kick
Speaker 3: it in the dick.
Speaker 2: And we thought it was just a.
Speaker 3: Very casual teen but they were like, sorry, do you
Speaker 3: speak English?
Speaker 2: And I'm like, yeah, kick it in the dick. But
Speaker 2: now I.
Speaker 3: Think as a cultural exchange, I've got Marina and the
Speaker 3: Philippines saying kick it in the dick now, so with.
Speaker 1: The Australian accent as well.
Speaker 3: Yeah, with the Australian accent. So I think I've achieved something.
Speaker 1: I'm like Jesus, Okay. So there's obviously a lot of
Speaker 1: mystery around what you can prepare for something like this.
Speaker 1: I just wanted to know in advance. Do they tell
Speaker 1: you some of the challenges so you can prepare stuff
Speaker 1: and how much did you try and lace your Australian
Speaker 1: theme into some of the challenges.
Speaker 3: Well, I think so we do get like brief of
Speaker 3: certain things. So obviously you know that like the Snatch
Speaker 3: game is going to be there because they're like, you've
Speaker 3: got to prepare your characters, so bring options. So there
Speaker 3: was that you get a few like costume clues because
Speaker 3: you're like you have to bring a packing so you
Speaker 3: have like certain costume things that they go this is
Speaker 3: for a challenge and you're like, okay, well I'm getting
Speaker 3: this done. So it kind of starts getting your brain
Speaker 3: and what it could be. But they're very cryptic with
Speaker 3: the challenges challenges. You really don't get too much in
Speaker 3: terms of lacing Australia into my looks and stuff like that,
Speaker 3: especially like well the first look for me, the PRIs
Speaker 3: with the Aboriginal artwork for me was like Pinnacle Australia,
Speaker 3: like that is I was like, that's my love letter
Speaker 3: to Australia. But then I think what the way that
Speaker 3: I brought Australian drag into it is that. I do
Speaker 3: believe I went a little bit more costumey because we
Speaker 3: love a costume here and I'm not a fashion queen.
Speaker 3: Like I'm not, and I'm never going to be a
Speaker 3: fashion queen. I know what looks good on me, and
Speaker 3: I like certain things, but I'm not.
Speaker 2: I'm not.
Speaker 3: When you've got the ground dam in the room and
Speaker 3: she's getting like she has, She's like, I'm there was
Speaker 3: one of her outfits that's in the in the room
Speaker 3: that I saw and I was like, where is this from?
Speaker 2: Who made this?
Speaker 3: And she's like your book joking, like I can't compete
Speaker 3: with that. So you know, I'm like sitting there, like,
Speaker 3: you know, putting my pink and green dress on with
Speaker 3: mice stuck all over it, like I'm a costume girlie.
Speaker 2: That's what I do.
Speaker 3: I do drag that is costuming, and I think that's
Speaker 3: very Australian as well. We're very campy and very fun
Speaker 3: and I leant into that a.
Speaker 2: Little bit more.
Speaker 3: And I'm just trying to think if there was anything
Speaker 3: more iconically Australian. Oh well, Kylie, I did my so
Speaker 3: my pope into the show girl that was that was
Speaker 3: modeled after Kylie's show Girl outfit.
Speaker 1: Definitely. I guess before you go, you know, now that
Speaker 1: you've competed on a global stage, is there such thing
Speaker 1: as a hierarchy of these RuPauls franchises. Now, I don't
Speaker 1: necessarily think this is your hierarchy that I'm asking about.
Speaker 1: I'm talking about the general feel. So do we just
Speaker 1: assume that America is at the top of it? And
Speaker 1: then how does it all fall down?
Speaker 3: Okay, there are one hundred percent is and you've hit
Speaker 3: the nail on the head. The American franchise is the
Speaker 3: mecha that is, so that's your flagship store for those
Speaker 3: that work in retail, and then I think the next
Speaker 3: one would be like your all Stars for this for America.
Speaker 2: I think that's your next tier.
Speaker 3: And then I think you'd go to the UK, and
Speaker 3: then I think you'd go, oh well, then see it.
Speaker 3: I would maybe throw any any franchise with rue so
Speaker 3: I'd be then like UK versus the world.
Speaker 2: Then I'd be down under it at the end. I
Speaker 2: think that's fair.
Speaker 1: I think that's the right order. And then all the
Speaker 1: other ones that sort of spin off that, and.
Speaker 3: Then all of you, like all of your foreign language ones,
Speaker 3: they're in another tier. And I would I would say
Speaker 3: that because drag Race has a massive, the biggest fan
Speaker 3: bases in the US. I do believe that the US
Speaker 3: fans are really fricking harsh on every other franchise that's
Speaker 3: not from the States apart from the UK, and it
Speaker 3: does become a hierarchical thing in the fandom will very
Speaker 3: much let you know, and it's it's a bit brutal,
Speaker 3: and I think it's unfair, you know, because you know,
Speaker 3: they go why is down and distill going why is
Speaker 3: that happening? But it's like this is this is baross
Speaker 3: for Australian New Zealand people to see their queen shine,
Speaker 3: like the same is said about the US is for
Speaker 3: the people from the States to see it.
Speaker 2: Shane, we just happened to enjoy it.
Speaker 1: I think it's a bit rough the way that we
Speaker 1: do it here, but that's also very Australian, so I'm
Speaker 1: fine with that.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, but it is like it's without down Under,
Speaker 3: I wouldn't be where I am and I wouldn't be
Speaker 3: able to get into that. But it invited me into
Speaker 3: the franchise and it you know, so I look at
Speaker 3: it like that. You know, it's an important step and
Speaker 3: it's an important thing to have here to showcase what
Speaker 3: we do down Under as best as they can as
Speaker 3: a show. And it is for us, it's for Australian audiences,
Speaker 3: for New Zealand audiences, and then we're very lucky if
Speaker 3: the audiences in the rest of the world tune into it,
Speaker 3: which you know, I'm hoping they tune in more because
Speaker 3: I think we've got some incredible talent here and I
Speaker 3: think I think the US sometimes sleeps on us.
Speaker 1: I think they're filming another one now on't they Aren't
Speaker 1: they in the middle? I think, yeah, I mean, I
Speaker 1: don't know. I always say to people that's somewhere in
Speaker 1: the world. RuPaul's Drag Race is being filmed right now.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, there's yeah, Rue Paul's Drag Race, the leak
Speaker 3: season ninety seven is being filmed right now.
Speaker 1: But yeah, But I just want to say to you,
Speaker 1: that's really quite funny. The Americans often say, oh, you know,
Speaker 1: the Australian one's been unpolished, and I'm like, do you
Speaker 1: want me to take you back to series one, two
Speaker 1: and three of your version? Do you want me to
Speaker 1: tell you how rough.
Speaker 3: Yes, And I think it was kind of and I
Speaker 3: think because it's got so uber polished, I think that
Speaker 3: actually worked. It's a bit to its detriment because you know,
Speaker 3: it doesn't allow people to shine because of their personalities,
Speaker 3: and which is what we loved about the show.
Speaker 2: It feels like they always have to.
Speaker 3: Have, like spend the most amount of money on all
Speaker 3: these polish looks. But what we fell in love with
Speaker 3: in the early seasons was the personalities. Was it was
Speaker 3: the way that the cast would interact with each other,
Speaker 3: you know what I mean, like and sometimes gets a
Speaker 3: little bit too conflated, and I wish that they would
Speaker 3: allow themselves to go, oh the drag doesn't have to
Speaker 3: be crazy ridiculous, but break the bank, never make all
Speaker 3: that money back. It can be an element of that,
Speaker 3: but doesn't have to be all of it, and you
Speaker 3: can allow your personality to shine.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but I think season two proved that, I mean,
Speaker 1: you know, season two of down Under proof that you
Speaker 1: don't need all the whiz bang. I mean, if you've
Speaker 1: got fantastick talent, we're there for it. I mean, I
Speaker 1: kind of like it's so strange to me, you know,
Speaker 1: there's so many episodes around the world that I'll rewatch.
Speaker 1: But that whole season of the second series of down
Speaker 1: Under just is such television.
Speaker 3: I just like, I think it opens back to the
Speaker 3: early days of what the show was.
Speaker 1: Of course, anyway, well, we've completely the run out of time,
Speaker 1: so I have to ask you the last question, which
Speaker 1: ask everyone on the podcast. Read something from behind the scenes,
Speaker 1: something you won't get sued for that you can reveal
Speaker 1: about what it's like to be a part of UK
Speaker 1: versus the world.
Speaker 2: Oh, I can two about this. So this is one
Speaker 2: of my favorite days.
Speaker 3: So we're in the workroom getting ready doing our makeup,
Speaker 3: and we could smell like a burning smell and we're like,
Speaker 3: what's that and it's mean we're like getting ready and
Speaker 3: I smell this burning sem Anyway, We're like, what the
Speaker 3: fuck is going on? And they we forgot that. Like,
Speaker 3: so you know in the UK thing, all the walls
Speaker 3: are like lights. Those lights are so hot, like are
Speaker 3: so hot, like, so you have to make sure that
Speaker 3: your wigs don't knock down and like wrestling, because it will.
Speaker 2: Melt your hair, like and so a couple of coins
Speaker 2: that they had.
Speaker 3: Their wigs like melted see to make sure that your
Speaker 3: wigs were not up so they wouldn't go.
Speaker 2: But anyway, because still this burning, I was like, this
Speaker 2: is going on? What is going on? Anyway?
Speaker 3: Next minute we just see a bit of billowing smoke,
Speaker 3: bloody tea.
Speaker 2: She had like a prop lit up.
Speaker 3: Against the thing and it had like gone in and
Speaker 3: like melted over the top of all the lights and
Speaker 3: so the so you ended up they like her prop
Speaker 3: was like fused to the wall and she had to
Speaker 3: get They had to get and pull out the light.
Speaker 3: So when they put it out, they had like two
Speaker 3: light globes stuck in her prop and the whole thing
Speaker 3: had just melted. There was that hot and it was Yeah,
Speaker 3: a prop just set on fire.
Speaker 1: So that was can I thought you were going to
Speaker 1: say it was the smell of burning was a rancher,
Speaker 1: you know, trying to think or use her brain. I
Speaker 1: am going to hell. Can you just enjoy this to
Speaker 1: the max? That's all I want from you. I am
Speaker 1: so proud of you. I think you're doing so well.
Speaker 1: I couldn't have thought of a better person to go
Speaker 1: over and do this, And just chatting with you today
Speaker 1: just makes me feel so happy that we have that
Speaker 1: kind of representation over there.
Speaker 3: So thank you, Beg, and thank you for having me again.
Speaker 3: Third Times of Charm, Well you're a bloody dream.
Speaker 2: Thanks for having us. Yeah, I hope I keep doing you.
Speaker 1: Proud but amazing.
Speaker 2: I adore you, I adore you.