Jonbers Blonde has become the third queen to sashay away from RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World after the Irish-born star failed to impress when creating an immersive 'drag experience'.
The performer ended up in the bottom two against Dutch powerhouse Keta Minaj, and she exclusively admitted to HELLO! that she had an inkling about her upcoming elimination given the "target on her back" as the only former finalist in the bottom two out of the remaining UK queens.
Jonbers confessed: "It's hard when you're so early in the game and haven't really got much track record, unless you're Le Grande Dame or Marina, but it's the name of the game and we all knew what we were signing up for."
However, the star did reveal that the queens were curious as to whether there would be a format change, as they filmed the season following the broadcast of All Stars 7, an all-winners season that featured no eliminations. "We thought, 'Is it going to be that? Are we going to all stay and do all the challenges, or will there be eliminations?'"
© Guy LevyThe star also revealed that she couldn't count on fellow UK queen Tia Kofi, who competed against US-based star Scarlet Envy for the eventual win, to save her, despite there previously having been rumbles about a UK alliance.
Jonbers confirmed the idea had been quickly shot down, although without her knowledge, saying that some of her fellow UK queens were "tricksters" over the idea. "That was very easily icksnayed on episode 2 without my knowledge," she laughed. "We had some tricksters amongst us trying to get us thinking that an alliance had formed. If I ever went back, I wouldn't be so gullible next time."
© Guy LevyDespite getting negative critiques on the runway, Jonbers was still holding out hope for getting a safe placement giving Le Grande Dame's time management issues that cost her group a lot of shooting time, with the Irish performer highlighting how part of the challenge was "about time management".
Lifting the lid on what she might have achieved without the obstacle, Jonbers explained: "There were loads more scenes that I didn't get to, to show, there was this funny moment of the Holy Spirit, and they were going to hand out vodka shots."
Jonbers added: "I enjoy being silly, I'm certainly not one to shy away from being from being stupid. I also wouldn't have been as stressed. I went into the challenge very excited and confident and thinking: 'I can convey something stupid and silly and fun that people would want to come to.' I interpreted the challenge to be, creating something like Disney World and figuring out what was Jonbers Land?"
© Guy LevyThere was a particularly poignant moment during the episode as the queens opened up about being queer in their home countries, with Marina Summers highlighting issues in the Philippines and La Grande Dame speaking about the commonness of gay bashing in France, with police not even investigating when she filed a report.
Despite having live in London for a decade, Jonbers reflected on the issues faced by the queer community in Ireland as she explained: "Being queer in Ireland is a very tough game. There's so much more work to be done about being queer in Ireland. But you have amazing queens, like Veda who is so open and honest about her HIV diagnosis and has a new series discussing her diagnosis and removing the stigma around it.
"It's not as bad as it was when I was a kid, we need to remove the complete stigma. It's not as simple to say: 'It's okay to be gay', we need to take that stigma away and being allow people to be who they are."
© Guy LevyAlongside a Snatch Game that would have seen the performer take on the role of Mrs. Claus or Jackie Stallone, the performer also revealed that fans would be missing out on several more iconic outfits and her new and improved makeup skills.
But thankfully, fans might not miss out forever, as Jonbers confirmed she would return to the franchise in a "heartbeat". She enthused: "I love the production company, I love Wow, I love being on the runway I love doing the challenges. It's such a fun show to film and getting to meet other queens and getting to know each other, it really is the funnest TV show in the entire world."
© Guy LevyIt's not just as a competitor that might see Jonbers return to the franchise. Drag Race has spread across the globe with 14 other editions, alongside the original US series, but one place the show hasn't yet landed is Ireland.
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On the possibility of hosting a Drag Race Ireland if it ever manifested, Jonbers revealed: "Ru said to me she was like 'I wish you would have in your video pretended to be the host of Drag Race Ireland', and I was like: 'Do you want me to be the host of Drag Race Ireland?'. I've done a lot of TV and film work. I've worked with the best photographers in the world, I might be one of the only queens ever to be shot by the likes of Nick Knight, Willy Vandeperre, Ellen von Unwerth and David Bailey. I know a thing or two about working on a TV show, I've got the transferable skills."
She added: "This is no shade of Blu [Hydrangea – a UK vs the World champion from Northern Ireland], but I have an Irish passport, Blu does not. I'm actually Irish, so I would be the rightful queen to host that." She then joked: "It'd also be quite iconic to have never won a badge but be the host of Drag Race Ireland."
© Sarah MorrisBlu is currently competing on the ongoing series of Dancing with the Stars Ireland, and while Jonbers was full of support for her fellow queen, she also revealed her own hopes to appear on a reality show like Strictly or I'm a Celebrity.
"I absolutely love doing TV, I love being on a TV set," she enthused. "If I got my hands on it honey, I would snap it up. If any producer wants to put me on these shows, please get in touch because I would love to do it!"
