Interview: RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars – Tatianna (Second Elimination)
3 min read
With the big surprise twist finally coming to fruition in the previous episode, Tatianna and Alyssa Edwards find themselves back in the competition as the remaining queen count rises from five to six! As RuPaul continues with her surprises and brings two queens back simultaneously for the first time in Drag Race herstory, things return to as normal a state as they ever get on Drag Race: If you’re kicked from the competition, you’re out for good!
For this week’s challenge, the queens had to create their own branded merchandise and create advertisements for them, with the winner receiving a chance to get to sell their product at the next RuPaul’s Drag Con. Alaska’s Fashion Tape and Katya’s Krisis Kontrol body spray catapulted them to the top, while Roxxxy’s instructional hair flipping DVD and Tatianna’s Tea With Tati tea set had them fall to the bottom. In one of the season’s biggest surprises, Alaska chose to eliminate Tatianna from the competition once again after winning the lip sync, and she found herself unfortunately out of the competition once again. Following on from her first elimination and her iconic return, we spoke to Tatianna about how All Stars has changed her career and how it felt to return to the competition again.
Michael Smith: We finally discovered the truth behind the Ruvenge RuPaul had been teasing throughout the season in last week’s episode. How did it feel to know you were getting another shot at the competition?
Tatianna: I was really excited when I heard there was another chance for me to potentially re-join the competition.
MS: On top of that, Alyssa also got to return to the competition with you. Did you expect this double return at all?
T: No, I had no idea there would be a double return.
MS: While you were gone, you missed the HERstory of the World challenge. Do you know who you would have been given if you had been there for it?
T: I would have been Joan of Arc if I were there.
MS: Which of the Drag Shequels would you have wanted to perform in? Who would you have chosen as your partner?
T: I would’ve wanted to do the showgirls one! And I would have chosen to work with Katya, because she is a fun person to play off of.
MS: What made you decide to go with a tea set for this week’s commercial challenge? Were there any other products you had considered for your commercial instead of the tea set?
T: I chose the tea set because I did Tea with Tati for an Untucked situation in an earlier season, so I was like “Aw, that would be really cool”. I didn’t consider any other products, I just went with my first gut instinct.
MS: How had the atmosphere of the competition changed since your return, both before and after the big twist at the end of last week’s episode?
T: I think the atmosphere changed when we came back for the revenge. There was a little bit more hostility. Lots of drama with Phi Phi and Alyssa, a little bit of Ginger vs. Alyssa, so yeah.
MS: Even though you’ve missed a few episodes, you’ve been in some of the season’s most iconic moments so far, which has created a lot of buzz surrounding you. What kind of an effect has All Stars 2 had on your career and the way your fans interact with you?
T: I certainly have noticed a large influx in my social media following. As of now it’s only been a month since the show premiered, so I’ve been traveling a lot. Before I had a weekly gig in DC, and now I haven’t really been home since a week before the show started. I have many more traveling opportunities now, and it’s great because I get to interact with a lot more people.
Tune into RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars this Thursday at 8/7c on Logo and VH1!
