Another queen exits RuPaul’s Drag Race UK series 7: ‘Watching it back, ‘fading’ where?’ (EXCLUSIVE)
"I’m not going to change who I am to fit Drag Race, no one should," says the eliminated queen in her exit interview with Attitude – SPOILERS AHEAD
By Aaron Sugg
The fourth queen to sashay away from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Series 7 has been revealed. She brought congeniality, polish, and refused to change herself for the sake of the competition.
Chai T Grande, the first contestant on Drag Race UK to be of Thai descent, left the BBC programme last night (23 October) after dressing up as a dumpling for the talent show maxi challenge and losing to Bones in an all-nails-out lip sync.
She spoke exclusively to Attitude about the pressures of the cameras, competing for the limelight, and why she believes she didn’t deserve to be in the bottom three during the girl group challenge. “I’ll die on that hill that I was not meant to be in that bottom three,” she said.
Tell me, how does it feel to be off the show?
It’s bittersweet, right? Like, on the one hand, I’ve been cut from the show. But there is also this massive sense of catharsis and release because, we all kind of, well, I can’t speak on behalf of the girls, but for me, leading up to each episode, I’m like, “Ooh, what’s gonna happen today? What’s gonna show?” You know, it’s all these very different scenarios that you play in your head. So, to no longer have that element of things, I think, will probably let me get a much better night’s sleep this week.
Did the whole experience live up to your expectations?
I had no expectations for Drag Race because it’s unlike anything I’ve ever done. You know, there are only around 100 girls in the UK that have done it. So I genuinely had no expectations. What I will say is that it was much harder than I imagined, and much more of a gruelling process, we’re really put to work! It’s early mornings, late nights, and you have to be 100% camera ready all the time. So yeah, I think we all need a holiday.
What would you say was the biggest challenge?
For me, it’s being disconnected from my support network. I definitely rely a lot on my confidants and close friends, just to bounce any kind of small decision off them. So not having that, and then, most conversations we have are on camera, right? There’s that element in the back of your mind that what you’re saying is being filmed. So sometimes it’s like, do you ever really feel your guard fully come down? And to have those conversations you’d normally just have by picking up the phone, that you can’t have when you’re on Drag Race.
Would you say you found a different support network in the girls you competed with?
yeah. Especially – I love all the girls, and I think that’s something really unique about our season: we genuinely do get along as people, as friends, as drag queens. But there are definitely a few people that I immediately clasped onto and didn’t let go of for dear life – one of which was Pasty. So when Pasty went in episode two, it was so heartbreaking. Likewise with Catrin and Elle – so really, I think I owe a debt of gratitude because they helped me come out of my shell more.
Why did you find it so hard to come out of your shell?
I would never describe myself as quiet outside, in the real world. I’m not the loudest person in the room, but I don’t think you have to be. We’re filming a TV show, right? So you have to be giving entertainment, and you have to be the loudest voice. Sometimes I’d go to say things in the workroom, but everyone’s kind of fighting for their turn. That was new to me – just getting my head around the process of filming and making sure you’re being heard and seen.
Pasty said in her interview that you were Miss Congeniality!
[Laughs] Okay, okay, did she now?! I just don’t play into the kind of bitchy sort of vernacular of drag, which is wonderful, and I love it, and I love being present in those conversations. And I definitely do it every now and then, but it’s just not something that comes naturally to me. I’d rather celebrate people than come after them, even if it’s in a funny way.
What were you most proud of from your time on the show?
It’s a weird one, because until I watched the girl group episode, that was the one I was most fearful of; I genuinely thought I’d embarrassed myself. It really threw me off that I was told I faded into the background when I thought I’d delivered a good performance. Watching it back, fading where? I’ll die on that hill that I was not meant to be in that bottom three.
What do you wish you got to show the judges that you didn’t?
I think I just wish I had more time with them… Confidence is an ongoing battle for me… Could I be more showboaty? Sure. But not every drag queen has to be like that. I’m quietly confident, and that’s still confidence. I’m not going to change who I am to fit Drag Race, no one should.
Bones may or may not have scratched you slightly in your lip-sync. Do you think she tried to sabotage you?
Absolutely not! You don’t see it very well on camera, but we both kind of bumped into each other. I was like, “Sorry, babe,” and she said, “Sorry, babe.”
Who would you have played for Snatch Game?
I had two options. I was either going to be Gok Wan: “Hello, I’m Gok Wan and I’ll be giving you ten lessons on how to look good naked,” just because I love Gok. Or I was going to be one of Queen Elizabeth’s corgis!
La Voix made an appearance on your final episode, what was that like?
First of all, she looked expensive. Immaculate vibes. She’s such a consummate professional and clearly worked hard for her success. What I admire most about her is that she knows who she is and delivers that every time. That was her advice to us: “Find how you would approach a challenge through your lens.”
One last question – who do you think is going to win?
The judges have been sleeping on TayRis [Mongardi] – for me, she’s been slaying the whole time. Even in episode one, she was really entertaining, even though she was in the bottom. Her conversation with Plane Jane was just [chef’s kiss]… And her talent show! I went to bed singing, “Watermelon, watermelon, watermelon, watermelon.”
You can catch all previous episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, including Season 7, now on BBC iPlayer.