The final of RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World is just one week away, and sadly, American queen Scarlet Envy just missed out on the final after being eliminated by Hannah Conda.
However, the queen, who dubbed herself "the drama" didn't feel too bitter about the elimination, reflecting: "I came there to make good TV, and stir some things up and be the drama." This week, it was revealed that Hannah had chosen to eliminate Scarlet the preceding episode, something the drag entertainer admitted was "surprising" to hear.
"It was explained to me that it was personal which came as a surprise to me," she admitted to HELLO! "I don't really like to live there and try to think about what people were thinking or why people did certain things. I was very surprised and when you're processing that, especially on camera, in that environment, you take it in first and then go from there."
Scarlet was more at peace with Hannah's choice this time around, saying: "I could see how it happened, especially being in the bottom twice in a row, whether I deserved to be in the bottom either of those times, I'm not really sure. I stand by and I take it, everything happens for a reason."
Scarlet certainly seemed to be bringing the drama early on in the season when she admitted that she would eliminate strong competitors if given the chance, however, when she did get the chance in the third episode, the performer ended up "playing it fair".
Explaining what motivated her change of mind, she revealed: "It was important to show the girls that I was going to play fair, quote unquote. Actions speak louder than words and that's what I did. A track record rule is unspoken, but that doesn't mean that everyone has to vote that way."
The franchise has seen controversial eliminations over the years with front-runners like Manila Luzon and Pangina Heals being eliminated after one time in the bottom after previously being front-runners, but Scarlet didn't think this would be the case when current front-runner Marina Summers was in the bottom this week.
"We all would have had that thought that like, 'Oh, here's my opportunity to play the game that has been set up in front of me," she told us. "Do I think anyone would have actually ever done that? No, I don't think it would have been a good choice."
But with a small smile, Scarlet then joked: "It was definitely a choice that I wanted to remind Tia that she had; be a little bit of a devil on her shoulder and be like, 'Hey, girl, what about this?'"
UK vs the World was Scarlet's third foray into the Drag Race franchise and reflecting on her journey, the American-based star shared: "A lot of what I did this season, I would not have been able to do in season 11. I've worked really hard for years to try to figure out how to tackle the things I had issues with in the past and how to be better a better drag queen. I'm really happy with the live vocals, the ball was really fun. I won a challenge that was exciting."
Scarlet also finally got to take on the show's iconic Snatch Game challenge, playing a version of the Statue of Liberty. When asked if she would have had the confidence to take on such a role in her original seasons, the star joked: "I did have the confidence on season 11, maybe to a fault, I might have had too much confidence. I think ignorantly I definitely had the competence to do it. But I'm glad that I didn't."
With just one week left in the competition, Scarlet proudly revealed that was backing Filipino queen Marina Summers to take home the crown after initially being unfamiliar with her work.
And when revealing what else she had up her sleeve, the performer revealed that she was preparing to publish her first anthology of poems.
She explained: "It's a collection of poems I've been writing for about ten years now and they're fun, silly, sexy, stupid and some of them are embarrassing. It's about drag and, my life as a drag queen and the cities I've lived in, mistakes that I've made and things like my first bookings and the West Village. I have been writing for about 10 years and it's been fun to format them into this this book. It's basically the idea of a curtain that you can peek behind.
"There's also a lot of really amazing photos, polaroids that I've taken or polaroids from the new season. It's all dedicated to those who are dedicated to drag, the queerdos, the kings and queens and appreciators of them. It's exciting to see drag weekends, all these different facets and this is a new way to show my work as a drag queen and leave a little lipstick smudge on the literary landscape."
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