Five dwindled down to four on this week’s episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK as the semi-finalists – Black Peppa, Cheddar Gorgeous, Danny Beard, Jonbers Blonde and Pixie Polite – flexed their comedic and stand-up chops in the ‘General Erection’. Although she broke a three-season curse that saw previous champions of the reading challenge sashay away in the same episode, Pixie Polite’s set was unable to live up to the expectations set by her sisters (and RuPaul). The lip-sync didn’t go in her favour either; as she battled Peppa to the beat of Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust, Pixie “bloody stacked it, fell over” and “did a Victoria Scone” as she “twisted” her knee – ending her time on the series in the process.
Speaking with GAY TIMES the morning after her elimination with a glass of bubbly in hand (it’s lemonade), Pixie admits that she was – surprisingly – “excited” to watch her exit. “Sounds very strange, but I remember it being a very lovely and poignant and perfect moment for me, anyway,” she says. “Obviously, it would’ve been more perfect to be in the top four! But as far as being eliminated goes, the one before the finale, surrounded by all these new friends, having done myself and Brighton proud, I was full of joy and pride.”
To coincide with her elimination, Pixie is vying for pop superstardom with the release of her Meghan Trainor-inspired debut single, Give It To Ya, a body-positive anthem drawing from her experiences in the world of LGBTQ+ dating. We spoke with Pixie about the track, her time on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and why it was important for her to “reclaim” her status as the so-called “villain” of season four.
Pixie, how are you doing?
‘Ello dear! Yes, I’m fabulous. I’ve got a glass of bubbly on the go.
What kind of bubbly?
Well, it’s very early in the morning so it’s just lemonade. She was out last night celebrating, so it’s very Holly [Willoughby] and Phil [Schofield] the next morning after the awards where they turned up in their glad rags. That’s me today. But, I’m feeling good.
I’m a bit disappointed that it’s not a glass of wine?
I mean, if any brands are watching, I’ll accept free wine!
How was last night, watching the episode back and seeing the elimination unfold?
To be honest, I was very happy with how the episode panned out. Watching it back, I don’t know if any of you have noticed during the series but I am a bit of a cry baby! I’m a very emotional young woman, but last night I didn’t cry once. I was just really happy and proud of myself. I didn’t have the best roast in the world, but I didn’t think it was the worst either. Watching it back, I was really excited to watch myself sashay away? Sounds very strange, but I remember it being a very lovely and poignant and perfect moment for me, anyway. Obviously, it would’ve been more perfect to be in the top four! But as far as being eliminated goes, the one before the finale surrounded by all these new friends, having done myself and Brighton proud, I was full of joy and pride. It’s a sin-pride, but last night I felt it. I was a sinner!
Not many people can say they made the top five of RuPaul’s Drag Race. You also sashayed away so graciously. Did it take you long to come to terms with your elimination?
By this point in the competition, we’d be there for so long and we worked so hard… In a way, I had a bit of a rush of adrenaline when I was told I was leaving because it’s such an emotionally and physically tiring experience. All I could think was, ‘I’m gonna get to sleep and eat a Wagamama’s in my room!’ At that point I was just, ‘Dya know what? I’ve had a great time and I’m happy.’ It was a great moment for me. I got to tell Ru and the judges how much I appreciated them and all their kind words throughout the series and then toddle off and spread my pixie dust.
On IMDB, it will say you were in 9/10 episodes!
I managed to wear basically all my outfits and they cost a lot of money, so I’m very proud to have shown them off! Going into the competition, I definitely… Don’t get me wrong, I am quite an insecure young lady and going in I was sort of like, ‘If I can beat the Brighton curse, then I know I can do a bit of everything well enough to at least get me halfway.’ By the time episode four and five came around and I was in the top, I thought, ‘I’m gonna believe in myself a bit and try and push through until the end,’ and I did. Not right to the end, but I’m very proud of myself. Being top five, I’m in good company with Blu Hydrangea, A’Whora and Scarlett Harlett and I technically got an episode further than they did. I’m feeling in good company and very thankful to be where I was.
As well as the Brighton curse, you became the first queen to not go home after winning the reading challenge…
Exactly. Just call me a curse breaker. I’m the Lara Croft of drag, if only my arse looked as good as hers.
In the stand-up challenge, all of the queens including RuPaul expected you to do quite well. But this is Drag Race and comedy queens end up in the bottom on comedy challenges and fashion queens end up in the bottom on fashion challenges. The unexpected happens. What went wrong for you this week?
I think there was a combination of things this week that sort of did me wrong. Going into the challenge, everyone was telling me, ‘Oh Pixie, you’re gonna smash this, Pixie’s gonna be really strong at this’ and I don’t consider myself a comedy queen. I consider myself to be funny, but I’m not a comedy queen. I don’t do stand up. I don’t do that sort of thing. But after the reading challenge, there was a lot of expectation that I would do really well at this. It got into my brain and I was like, ‘Okay, maybe I will do well at this,’ and I just didn’t, at all. It got into my head and I was feeling a bit of pressure. Also, by this point in the competition, as I said, I was so exhausted I felt like I was on autopilot, in a way. I really prepared and practiced off-camera when we we writing it and all that, but when it came time to actually do it, I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience. I wasn’t present in the moment. I had just watched everyone else do their roasts and I was having a lovely time, then they called my name and I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve actually got to do this now!’ I was a bit dazed and confused, but I am proud of how I did. I’ve got a lot of other jokes that I think are very funny, which I might share on social media. Much like Snatch Game, I expected myself to do okay and just… didn’t.
In the lip-sync, you had a bit of a wobbly. Although you recovered well, do you think the end result would’ve been different if you didn’t fall?
I’m not gonna lie, Black Peppa is the lip-sync assassin of the season. Going into that lip-sync, I kind of knew it was curtains. I thought, ‘I’m gonna try my absolute best not to embarrass myself in my last moment.’ Watching it back, I actually think I held my own pretty well. The fall is unfortunate. It’s not been mentioned on the show, but I was struggling medically throughout the whole situation with my ankles and my feet. About four months before filming, I broke both of my ankles falling off a stage, pissed. My first time back in heels was episode one. Every week, I was struggling with pain and just walking in heels. I was in a heel for the punk runway and the moment I was in the bottom I was like, ‘Well… I’m gonna have to try my best in these massive shoes and just hope it’s fine.’ In the end, I bloody stacked it, fell over, did a Victoria Scone and twisted my knee. But in that moment, you’ve got the adrenaline. I was just like, ‘I’ve fallen, but I’m gonna go back into the song.’ I’m a performer and at the end of the day, the show must go on. I’m not gonna sit there and be like, ‘Ooh I fell over, I hurt myself.’
How are you now? Are you recovered or on your way to recovery?
I am on a journey of recovery. Unfortunately, my ankle issues are still ongoing but I am a lot better overall. I’ve been going to physiotherapy, which is very boring, actually, to talk about. But yes, I am back in the heels and tottering about, being a camp cow, singing the hits and being… funny? Being a comedy queen, I guess?
As you left the series, you said that we’re going to see a different Pixie from now on. Can you talk to me a little bit about that?
Doing Drag Race for me was about proving something to myself. I’m not the most confident person. I’m not the most outgoing person. I’ve always struggled to believe in myself. Going onto the show, I wanted to prove to other people, but mostly to myself that I could do it. I knew in myself that I had all the skills necessary, all the ingredients to bake a gorgeous cake. Now, I’m a cake, obviously.
Top five! 9/10 episodes on IMDB! You’ve done it.
Absolutely. Doing the show gave me a new sense of belief in my skills and me as a person. I definitely think I’m more outgoing now. There are skills that I showcased on the show that I didn’t necessarily know I had. Before the show, I didn’t know that I would enjoy walking a runway and showing off my body because that’s not something I’ve ever done in my drag career and not something I’ve ever felt comfortable with. The idea of being a model and walking on a runway and loving it and loving my outfits was something very new to me. It’s given me a lot, this experience, and I really appreciate it.
How are you navigating life as a RuGirl? Particularly on social media, because you had a bit of hate thrown your way from so-called ‘fans’ a few weeks ago?
At the beginning of the series, I found it a little bit more difficult adjusting to the constant criticism and thoughts on myself and the show. I was receiving fatphobia earlier on in the season. It did die down a bit as time got on, but by the makeover episode and I was in the bottom with Dakota and Dakota went home, that week ramped up to a whole new level. I did have to come off social media because it was no longer abstract comments online. It was in my DM’s, it was in my messages, it was in my comments, it was in my replies on Twitter. It was a lot to deal with. I try to not let it get me down. In the end, I came off social media because I thought, ‘In a few days, it will die down. There’ll be a new episode and something else for them to be mad at.’ It’s very important for the fans to realise it’s not that serious. It is just a TV show. We are actually real human beings. I have people telling me to kill myself because Dakota went home and Dakota’s the fan-favourite and Dakota’s the darling child of season four; which I do agree with, she’s my darling. People were very displeased that Dakota went home and apparently that was my fault. I was awful and mean and a bully and the villain of the season. It took on life of its own. My opinion is: you have to laugh at it and own it. The week after all of this kicked off on socials I was like, ‘Do you know what? If you want a villain…’ I went dressed as the devil to an event. You have to reclaim the negativity and that’s what I tried to do. The haters aren’t going to get me down! Stop sending hate on socials, it’s very mean. It’s not very polite, dear.
I’m glad you have an upbeat attitude. Stop sending hate and stream Give It To Ya, the debut single from Pixie Polite! I know we’ve already discussed this off-camera, but can you tell me a little bit about the song and the inspiration behind it?
My debut single, Give It To Ya, is now available on Spotify, Apple Music and all streaming platforms with the music video premiering today exclusively with GAY TIMES. The song is about self-empowerment, basically. It’s drawing from my own experiences in the LGBTQ+ dating world, navigating all of those peculiarities that we deal with in terms of body image and confidence. It’s basically an anthem about owning your own sexuality and being sexy and flirtatious; not giving a crap what anyone thinks.
The latest episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season 4 is now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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