Drag Race Down Under had a pivotal season this year for Season 4, with a brand new host (the stunning Michelle Visage) and a raucous and wonderfully talented group of queens. This year saw the queens battle it out fiercely all season, with Freya Armani, Mandy Moobs and Vybe all being finalists (Lazy Susan ultimately took the crown). I got to sit down with three of the finalists to catch up on their experiences during the season, what they loved about each other, and the sage advice they shared for other queens.
Michael Cook: How did it feel to have been the finalists on Season 4 of Drag Race Down Under?
Vybe! So good! We worked so hard to get on the show so being on the other end of it, being in the grand final with these gorgeous women was incredible.
Mandy Moobs: Going on the show is such a huge burst of energy and financial expense, the opportunity to show everything that you’ve got and just leave it all out there on the floor is just incredible.
Freya Armani: It’s a huge milestone moment for any drag queen to reach. It has just been incredible.
MC: Vybe you recently hit the slopes at Poof Doof for Ski Club. What was that experience like?
V: Yes! I went over to Queenstown with Poof Doof last year celebrating all things gay and on the snow. I have done skiing out of drag, but this was the first year skiing in drag! When I was doing it I had two snapped tendons in my ankle, so I was being sensible!
MC: Freya, you are originally from Philadelphia, PA in the United States is that correct?
FA: Yes! I was originally born in Philadelphia and raised in a small little town in Pennsylvania called Phoenixville near King of Prussia.
MC: Have you returned to the City of Brotherly Love to come back to do drag yet?
FA: Not yet. I have been bursting at the seams to get the opportunity to do so. Right now I probably can realistically, so I am on the edge of my seat waiting to come back and able to do drag there now.
MC: We are going to go down the line and I would love for each of you to tell me what you learned from your Drag Race finalist sisters…
Freya Armani: I definitely learned from Vybe that as put together as she always is and comes across, drag and life are not that serious. During that one episode, we noticed that she was so quiet and it was literally because she lit up the room every single day and it was a culture shock when she didn’t
Mandy Moobs: It is just okay to laugh at yourself, especially with Australian drag. We do take ourselves seriously, but also not so seriously. We all know what were doing, we’re just dressing up (laughs)!
Vybe: I will also say, Mandy told us a lot of gay history through the show. There were some bits that were shown but there were also a lot of conversations that weren’t. I think Mandy sort of speaking on the importance of gay history from everywhere is something that I thought was great.
MM: It’s being sex positive I was very grateful. I loved chatting with the girls about it and I hope they learned something from it (laughs)!
MC: You each had a distinct and individual experience on Drag Race Down Under. What advice do you give the girls of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 who just started their own experience?:
Vybe: I would absolutely say trust your instincts. I think a lot of the decisions that we make from looks to challenge choices to everything is normally the first thing that comes to mind. The longer that you leave something to stew and second guess, the worse it will come off. Just do what comes first and stick with it.
FA: I would say, don’t let anyone take your shine. Believe in yourself, even if no one else is rooting for you. Do it for yourself and listen to yourself.
MM: I would say that you experience on the show is very personal and for you. Watching it back, it may not reflect the memory that you have. Just stay focused on the idea of what the show was for you. Don’t listen to anyone else; if you had fun filming it, that is the memory that you should take from it.
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