Queerty attended the RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 7 Finale and Queen Coronation in New York on June 1, where the top 8 [top 7, Pearl’s flight landed late] mingled with a thousand or two of their most adoring fans. After appearances on the step-and-repeat photo line, they shared a few of their thoughts:
Katya
On Caitlyn Jenner: “She looks amazing. She looks like if Jessica Lange were an Olympian. Flawless. But it’s all well and good if you look like a beautiful woman. It’s like ‘You go girl — as long as you look good.’ The reality is, Caitlyn Jenner just happens to have Annie Leibowitz at her disposal. What about Bob Regular, who is turning into Barbara Regular? Those are the people who are going to their jobs at the office, or they’re teachers or mail carriers, and for them it’s hard. But don’t you think it was the cuntest move that it was Caitlyn with a C?”
Mrs. Kasha Davis
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On the widespread criticism of Season 7: “The mistake they made this season was changing ‘Untucked’ and putting it online. Campy challenges are cute and fun, but to me, ‘Untucked’ is the show. Because you really get to see how people are feeling. I realize they are trying to build their online presence, but ‘Untucked’ is how you get to know the characters.”
Kennedy Davenport
On her 4th Place finish: “I think I should have been in the Top 3 based on my performance, but it is more than just performance. It has to be politics or something. Personality has nothing to do with it. Because if that would be the case, Violet wouldn’t have been in the Top 3. I’m just sayin’.”
Ginger Minj
On her online critics: “I read everything. I’m a glutton for punishment. We’ve all got haters — if we didn’t have haters, we wouldn’t be doing something right. But I care what people think. I don’t change my behavior, but I like to know what people’s perception of me is, so I can have a one-on-one interaction with them, and help them understand where I’m coming from. I try to respond to everybody, and I do it with love. I’m not one of those people on the internet who tries to get into a pissing match with a skunk. You’re gonna lose.”
On the elimination formula for each episode: “I think RuPaul definitely has an idea for what she wants to win before the Final 3. About halfway through, they know who they want to be in the end. The lip sync is somewhat moot a lot of the time. You can tell who they are keeping before the lip sync starts. I think some people were kept out of the bottom 2 because they wouldn’t have survived a lip sync, and some people were thrown into the bottom 2 because they would stay no matter what. It happens both ways. But this is part competition, part reality show. If it were just a competition, it wouldn’t be interesting to watch.”
Miss Fame
On being a role model: “I know what it’s like coming from a hill in the middle of nowhere and not having any role models, and being afraid of what gay was. The goal is to leave a beauty mark on the hearts of all those who relate to me, and it gives me the chance to be the face for someone relating to that. The struggle is real for a lot of kids out there. There are so many social media outlets now, and people think ‘It’s easier now for me, so it should be easier for you.’ But even with all the visibility out there, it is still challenging for a kid who is living in a conservative household, who has to carry this secret until he feels safe. A lot of people aren’t safe, so they have to stay quiet until they are free.”
Violet Chachki
On looking back at her TV image: “I went on the show to be an artist, but I quickly learned there is more to being on TV than just being a fabulous artist. There’s a backstory, there’s a plot, there’s a lot of factors that come into play. My main focus for the show was ‘Be the best drag queen you can be,’ not ‘Be the best reality star you can be.’ I wasn’t focusing on my reality-TV character. I was focusing on the drag. But I have no regrets at all. I am proud of every single thing I did, every single thing I said, and I’ll say it again. I was honest, and I was real, certainly a lot more real than a lot of the other girls on the show. I kept it about what we were here to do, which is drag.”
On Caitlyn Jenner: “Caitlyn is beautiful, and [the Vanity Fair cover] was so well done. It gives us so much visibility. I am so happy, and proud, to be part of the queer community at this day and age. It is a groundbreaking time. I identify as genderqueer, my gender identity is super-fluid and changes daily. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable as Violet, sometimes I feel uncomfortable as Jason. So I definitely relate to Caitlyn’s story. I want to hang out with Caitlyn, and just talk with her about everything, about how brave she is and how much I admire her for having the courage to say ‘Fuck this, I need to live my life for me.’ It must have taken so much courage for her to realize who she is and be at peace with it.”
Check out more photos from the pictures in the GayCities Gallery.
photos by Jeffery James Keyes
ramonromano
Why does Kennedy always seem so bitter?
BigG
Love katya and ginger, they made the season. Untucked Really sucked this year as did ru pauls decisions and new judges. Lost a lot of older fans respect. Kennedy should have been top 3 I’m sorry for Pearl should have went home a long time ago she’s pretty has great fashion but that’s about it. ginger was robbed and Katya and kennedy should have been top 3. there really is no point to lip syncing for your life when she knows already who’s she’s going to pick. The show is becoming irrelevant why lip sync if it’s not going to matter?
Arcamenel
Pearl made it as far as she did because outside of drag many find her ‘hot’. She was a weak performer though.
orcanyc
Sorry,I have to say it, Ginger was robbed! She was the most talented and a great performer.
Desert Boy
Sorry, Queerty but the Drag Race finale, season 7, took place at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles — not New York. Maybe you attended another drag show?
BFIrrera
@Desert Boy:
What they are referring to is not the TV show that we watched last night (which was pre-taped a couple of weeks ago. To preserve the mystique of who won, they taped three different endings for the audience in attendance.), but the show in NYC last night where the contestants WATCHED the pre-taped show. It’s not until the episode airs that the winner finally knows she won (when her name is uttered on screen via editing).
Desert Boy
@BFIrrera: It would’ve been nice if Queerty had been more clear and not so obtuse. Three different endings? So Ginger Minj had a chance after all?
JessPH
@Desert Boy: the lip sync starts.
Yes, they always do three different endings since the show started with these Grand Finales.
JessPH
> You can tell who they are keeping before the lip sync starts.
Trixie is right with this one. The lip sync battles are totally pointless. The show should just remove them.
Anyway, Ginger Minj should have clearly won. I don’t watch Untucked but some have pointed out how b*tchy she was during these segments. That is probably why many attacked her on social media and do not want her to win. But this is not a personality contest. It’s a talent/fashion competition and Ginger Minj is the most talented (also very well-dressed) of all the contestants.
Cam
Kennedy actually was kept longer than she should have been, she had zero personality, and frankly was unpleasant. She seems to think that being older means she automatically gets moved up. Sorry Kennedy, we just weren’t that in to you.
Katya’s comment of “But don’t you think it was the cun-test move that it was Caitlyn with a C?”
Awesome, love how she mocked all the Kardashian K names.
Lastly, Kasha Davis’s comment about Untucked was right on the money, a huge reason I didn’t care as much this season was because I didn’t see the behind the scenes interaction. The reason we hated Laganja and loved Bianca Del Rio was because of untucked. Same with all the others.
He BGB
I keep reading what Trixie said above, saying they know who is winning, they don’t put someone in the bottom 2 who might not survive the lip sync, etc. I don’t think this is a bitter queen speaking either. Thanks for speaking out girl. We all felt it on the other side of the screen, too. But glad Violet won and Katya won, too. I predicted it, but now wondering if it was not a stretch but a sure bet. Like shooting fish in a barrel.