After strutting down the runway in her Freddie Mercury-inspired gender-bending ensemble last week, we envisioned a brighter future for Patty Pam-Pam on Drag Race Holland. Sadly, the Amsterdam-based entertainer left the judges uninspired with her performance in this week’s challenge, which saw the queens creating hilariously raunchy workout videos before serving – in the words of Jungle Kitty songstress Bebe Zahara Benet – “face, face, face” on the main stage.
To the beat of Katy Perry’s classic empowerment pop anthem Roar, Patty flipped and kicked for her place in the competition. Although she surprised viewers with her impressive lip-sync skills, it wasn’t enough to defeat her sister Madame Madness. We spoke with the Pam-Pam about her short-lived time on the inaugural season of Drag Race Holland, her elimination and who she wants to be crowned Netherlands’ First Drag Race Superstar.
Hi Patty Pam-Pam! How does it feel to have made it onto the Olympics of Drag?
It was alright. It was a challenge… an experience! But, I really liked it.
What was it like, filming Drag Race during a global pandemic?
It was in the summer, so it was also very hot. We also had to quarantine for two weeks to make sure no one had the coronavirus on set.
I assume all the girls passed the test?
[Laughs] Yes, of course!
So let’s talk about this week’s episode. You fell into the bottom two and lost the lip-sync against Madame Madness. Were you surprised at your critiques?
As I said in the episode, I wasn’t there to be in the bottom. I think I did a good job. I delivered in the costumes I made and I was really proud and happy with what I delivered. Well, I came in the bottom. Yeah it’s a game isn’t it, I went into the game with the mindset of, ‘Someone has to lose because without losing, there is no winner and it can be me any day.’
For me as a viewer, it felt like the judges didn’t factor in the maxi-challenge this week, just the runway. What are your thoughts?
No, I don’t think so. Because we did the challenge with the workout video, which wasn’t my strongest thing, and my runway. I don’t know, I think there were looks less good than mine. There was a lot happening in my look, I think which I don’t think the judges all understand. Also in my group in the workout challenge, I was the weak one, I have to be truthful with that one.
Why do you think you struggled with the workout video?
I don’t know, because I think I was the only one in preparation of the challenge. Envy [Peru] and Megan [Schoonbrood] were really struggling and they thought they weren’t funny enough, and I was like, ‘Oh come on girls, let’s do this! We can do this, we have a strong group, don’t think about it too much.’ Then after that, something happened. Something changed in Envy’s intro, which made me get into my head a lot. Everything was going so quickly. It might be funnier than they edited on video. Well at the end, I was also the weakest.
At least you delivered a great lip-sync! What was going through your head at the time?
I thought, ‘Let’s bring it on!’ because performing is what I do most, and I can lip-sync and I can do things like the cartwheel – no one knew I could do this, and in the long dress as well! I thought to myself, ‘Okay let’s do this, let’s make this thing happen,’ and I know Madame Madness is normally not that good at lip-syncing.
If you advanced further into the series, what could fans have expected from you?
I brought a lot of costumes, perfect costumes which I would really love to see and show to the world. That part of it, you prepare for the show for two months and create something beautiful and have limited episodes. That’s what I really regret. I regret that I’m leaving this early. It’s too bad I can’t show those skills.
I was excited to see who you would have picked for Snatch Game. Are you willing to reveal who it was?
Yes, I would have done Beatrix, the former queen of the Netherlands. She’s also an artist, she makes sculptures with clay. I brought all this to Snatch Game.
What do you think viewers will actually learn about Dutch culture through the show?
Well its all sort of stereotypical things, like clogs! There’s a lot of things to learn.
How would you describe Dutch drag queens?
I think it’s not that different from the UK or United States queens. On our season now, I think there is only one typical old-school drag and the rest are all modern, young and fashion. Yeah, I was the oldest one.
34 is not very old!
That’s not very old, no. It made me feel very old, emotionally!
What kind of impact do you think the series will have on the Dutch drag scene?
I already feel that, not only for us girls on the show, but all the queens, there is so much attention now for all the queens and luckily they’ll get booked again. With coronavirus, there wasn’t that much happening and now since last week, since it’s been on television, with it being in the mainstream, there will be respect for the queens.
Out of the remaining contestants on the series, who are you rooting for?
I can root for the one that I think will win based on personal advice, Ma’Ma Queen. She is one of my favourites. She is such an interesting person and she is a mom to all her drag children and she takes care of them. That really deserves a lot of respect.
Do you have any drag children?
No, and I don’t even have a drag mom! There is one drag queen who pretends she’s my mom, and so I call her my stepmom, Lady Galore. She’s also the mom of Miss Abby OMG, so Miss Abby OMG is my step-sister.
I wish we could’ve seen that dynamic on the series. Final question: if the show is renewed for season two, which Dutch queens should we be keeping an eye on?
Lady Galore!
The first two episodes of Drag Race Holland are now available to stream in the UK on WOW Presents Plus.
More
