This week’s episode of Drag Race Holland? We were not ready. For their sixth maxi-challenge of the series, the five remaining competitors – Envy Peru, ChelseaBoy, Janey Jacké, Ma’Ma Queen and Miss Abby OMG – provided drag makeovers to their loved ones, leaving fans and the judging panel in tears. (If you didn’t sob, do you even have a soul?) Although she conquered the runway each week with her gender-bending aesthetic and her bonkers impersonation of Tiger King star Joe Exotic, the Amsterdam-based performer lost her place in the competition – making it the second consecutive “shock” elimination of the series following Sederginne’s departure last week.
“I’m not a bad loser!” laughs ChelseaBoy. “I’m not someone who gets upset for not winning at all. Of course, it’s a competition, but at the same time we want everybody to do well and to show the best sides of themselves. The judges are looking at it with their own vision and their own glasses. That’s the decision they made, and I can respect that.” Here, we speak with ChelseaBoy about her triumphant time on Drag Race Holland and why it was important for her to show fans that drag isn’t just a female illusion.
ChelseaBoy, I did not expect to be speaking with you so soon.
…I know.
As a big fan of Mars Attacks, I loved your look. My jaw? Dropped.
Oh, wow. Thank you. I really loved wearing that look. I wanted to show something campy on this episode, and I was really happy with my concept. But yeah, you know, different judges look at it. And you know, it’s art and art is subjective. So, either you get it or you don’t.
Well, I absolutely loved it. What was it like being reunited with your best friend on Drag Race?
Yeah, really insane. As you may know, we were on a lockdown before the show aired. So really, I hadn’t seen anybody other than the other queens and the people from production so nobody to touch base with in my personal friend group. It was really nice to have him come on the show and and do this with him.
It’s not normal for anyone to be thrust into the spotlight on the biggest drag show in the world during a global pandemic, so how have you been navigating this journey?
It’s been a little bit overwhelming. But at the same time, I have a great team of people around me that that help me and support me with a lot of things, and that takes a lot of work off of my hands. It’s been a rollercoaster really, where every day, I have my agenda. But then every day, I just tried to look at, ‘Okay, what’s going on today?’ and try to get as focused and as calm as I can, taking time to myself in between all the madness!
How have you found the reception from fans so far?
Oh, wow. It’s insane. I never expected this amount of people personally reaching out to me and making the effort, the amount to send me a message and tweet about me. Yeah, it’s been so great to see that a lot of people can see themselves in me or they can relate in some kind of way. Or, they just see the show overall as a space where they can just relax and have a drink with friends or many different forms. It’s so nice to have that role.
You served androgyny all season with your runways. Was it important for you to show Drag Race fans that drag isn’t just a female illusion?
I think that was my biggest struggle going into the competition. How do I balance me coming from the club kid scene and doing crazy alien looks? How do I balance that expectation that the judges and the producers have of me within the format? For me, balancing out those two things was the most challenging. I wanted, on one side, a little bit of what they want, show that I can be versatile. I can do that hyper-feminine look, but at the same time, be true to what I love to do and where my drag comes from, also represent the community that I’m from.
Your “half man/half queen” look on last week’s episode stunned fans, but it wasn’t met with the same reaction from the judges. Did that surprise you?
Yeah, but I must tell you that I’m not a bad loser! I’m not someone who gets upset for not winning at all, because I love it. Of course, it’s a competition, but at the same time we want everybody to do well and to show the best sides of themselves. But that week, I thought it was going to be my moment. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Like I said, the judges are looking at it with their own vision and their own glasses, basically. That’s the decision they made, and I can respect that. But yeah, of course, I was a little bit upset because I did really well last week.
During your lip-sync against Janey, you suffered a bit of a wardrobe malfunction. Do you think you’d still be in the competition if your outfit was more suitable?
I’m a performance queen really, and I’m not a person who wears a lot of dresses, so showing this versatility also has a downside. I have a dance background, so that definitely was a little bit of an obstacle for me, but you have to work with what you have. So I did what I could, but unfortunately, the wig wasn’t glued on as properly as I thought it was. There was a little break in music at the beginning, and it kind of threw me off a little bit, but I lost fair and square and had an amazing journey.
Although you left sooner than we anticipated, you gagged fans with one of the best Snatch Game performances in history. How did it feel to go viral online?
Oh, it was really good, especially because I was the only international character that people recognise!
How do you think Joe Exotic will react?
Oh my god, that’s a great question. I have no idea. I think, knowing the narcissist that he is, he will probably love the attention. I think he’s having a ball in prison! Throughout the season, I was trying to let go of… I’m someone who thinks a lot about what I say before I say it, and I’m a little bit reserved. This was really, for me, a challenge to completely let go of that and to just spill out anything that comes to mind without any reservations. I think I managed to do that really well, so that was a victory for me.
Was there anything that didn’t make the final edit that you wish viewers could have seen, perhaps something from Snatch Game?
No, I think they got the best parts of that. Oh yeah, there was this little part in the beginning where I gave a very long answer. Fred asked me, ‘Joe, I didn’t quite expect to see you here. Last time I checked, you’re in prison?’ My answer there was, ‘Yeah and I gotta tell you I fucking loved it, because I get free fresh fucking meat every fucking day unlike that expired haggis from Walmart.’ There you go, that was a Joe Exotic impersonation for free!
This is why Snatch Game needs to be at least 30 minutes.
True! I think so as well. I think there was a lot of elements in this episode, so they have to choose the best moments from everything. But yeah, there were a lot of unaired jokes.
I hope we see your Joe Exotic again in the future?
Maybe we can ask WOW Presents? Hello? Are you listening? I’m sure they’ll get in touch.
Who would you like to take home the title of Netherlands’ First Drag Race Superstar?
I’m gonna say two names, I’m gonna be a bitch. I think with me going home and for the gender-bending queers, it would be Ma’Ma Queen. I want her to go as far as she can. On the opposite side, there’s Envy Peru, who is such a great queen and she doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but she perfects it. Her stuff is so brilliant and stunning. So yeah, those are my two favourites. Honestly, Janey is a brilliant performer as well, and I love that she is opening up more and more.
If you were to return for All Stars in the future, which queens from the franchise would you like to compete against?
I love Pearl a lot and also… fuck. Miss Fame, I’m a big fan of, but then also queens like Kennedy Davenport. She is fierce competition. Trinity K. Bonet is also fierce competition. Basically, a lot of queens who are very versatile and can do many different things. I would love to beat anyone in every talent!
What can we expect next from ChelseaBoy?
You can expect many crazy looks, many collaborations on different disciplines such as makeup, fashion, and maybe music!
Drag Race Holland continues weekly on Thursdays at 11pm on WOW Presents Plus, for more information visit WOW Presents Plus.
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