the chop shop

Robin Fierce on Best Buy realness, Anetra’s secret talent, and why 007 is her “original drag mom”

Image Credit: MTV

As dubbed by Mama Ru, The Robin Fierce was quite a formidable queen on Drag Race Season 15, serving up face with some impeccable looks—and the dance moves to back it all up.

Unfortunately, the competition proved stiff, and her granny group—the Ol’ Dirty B*tches—came up short, with Robin receiving critiques for playing it too safe. Even after a rousing lip sync to “In Your Room,” she was sadly sent packing.

But this Connecticut queen has a lot to be proud of. After all, how many girls can say they took their drag from the sales floor at Best Buy all the way to the main stage of RuPaul’s Drag Race?

After her sashay, we cut it up with Robin Fierce in the latest installment of The Chop Shop, touching on everything from her storied drag family to her longtime love of James Bond. As always, Miss Fierce was a total sweetheart—and even took the time to shout out her old Best Buy manager!

Our two cents: You did your name justice in the Maxi Challenge performance this week—that was fierce. Did it feel to you like on of those weeks where everybody did well, and the judges had to nitpick?

Yeah, I’ve been saying it, but this is the Game Of Thrones of drag. And it was amazing to get to perform with all of these amazing queens. At least while I was there, no one did bad! There were just people who did better—or something that the judges connected to a little bit more. So everybody should be proud of themselves!

I wanted to take it back to your drag origins a little bit, because—as we all know—you were one of four queens from Connecticut this season! Connecticut Vs. The World! How would you describe the drag scene there?

Oh, it was very welcoming. People are shocked that there even is drag in Connecticut, but drag scenes are very similar all over the place. Even if it’s a place where there’s more alternative drag here, or more pageant drag here, or a place where there’s literally everything—at the end of the day, we’re all very similar. Of course there are differences, but there’s a few things that do connect us.

When you and your season 15 sisters were announced, Mo Heart posted that you—alongside Luxx Noir London—were her drag daughter. When did you first meet? What can you tell me about the Haus of Heart?

Mo has children all over the world! So we all have not met each other. But, Lux and I, we had each other on social media, and we maybe were in the same room two or three times before the show. So, yes, we knew of each other we had some kind of relationship. But it wasn’t a big thing for us like, “Oh my gosh, hey, Haus Of Heart come through!”

We have pride in Haus Of Heart, but also, on the show, we were still getting to know each other. Now I can definitely say like Luxx is one of my favorite people—and she is hilarious. But, during the show, it wasn’t like Haus Of Heart Vs. The World. [Laughs.]

So, Mo aside, who is a previous season RuGirl you think is underrated and why?

Kennedy Davenport. She is an amazing performer. I also just worked with her, but even before working with her, I’ve always had a fondness for Kennedy. And she’s just hilarious as well. So I feel like she needs a WOW Presents show or something. Also, I was rooting for her during her All Stars and thought—no shade to anybody—but I did think that she should’ve won.

So, at the beginning of the season, you shared that you used to work at Best Buy, and everyone was gagged by the reveal that you occasionally worked there while in drag! But are there transferable skills there? Like, did Best Buy prepare you for drag in any way? Even in terms of dealing with people?

Oh, I learned nothing at Best Buy. [Laughs.]

For me, I am a working girl, and I was part-time at Best Buy but also part-time drag. Most of those shows were at nighttime, and a lot of times I would get get closing shifts—or be scheduled at a time where I didn’t have enough time to get ready, to get in drag if I would’ve went home.

So, I asked my supervisor, who was also queer, and they were 100% for it. I actually went to this Best Buy last week to pick up a new case for my AirPods and [this manager previously] had transferred to another store, but I didn’t know they transferred back! So I got to reunite with with them and have a little moment. I’m very thankful to them for allowing me to be my little gay self in the middle of a West Hartford Best Buy.

Speaking of jobs, in an alternate universe where you didn’t pursue drag, are there other career paths you could have imagined for yourself? Like, was there something different you wanted to “be” when you were younger?

I never really knew what I wanted to do! I wanted to just do something that I loved and be creative; I’ve always been an artistic person. And I’ve been singing my whole life, so my go-to was to be a singer—which I can still do that through drag. But I just wanted to do something where I could express myself and make art, whatever that form happened to be. And drag is literally all the art forms that I do in one little bubble.

Although, also, when I was a little, little, kid, I wanted to be a spy.

Wait, a spy? Me too! I was obsessed with James Bond.

Oh, I live for 007. 007 was my original drag mom.

It’s so funny, there are so many queer people out there who feel that way. And it’s like, well he’s not necessarily “gay,” so what is it? Why do we all like Jame Bond so much?

I think it’s just the dramatics of it all—the gays love the dramatic. And to walk into a room, last name first? Bond, James Bond. How dramatic is that? That’s a soap opera within itself!

And, also, he was kind of a whore, so… things to connect to! [Laughs.]

As a final fun question, we always love to ask: What’s a fun fact you can share about one of your season 15 sisters that might surprise the fans?

Oh, I was shocked to find out that Anetra is a theater gay! I didn’t realize that she did theater at one point in her life—which explains a lot because I feel like there’s just a boldness and fun-ness that comes through being a theater gay. I don’t think she’s still a theater gay, but getting to have that experience as an actor, doing whatever, it allows you to be more fully yourself and just have fun. But I did learn that recently and I was like, “Wow, I would have never guessed that!”

Well, Robin, thank you for sharing some time with us, and for sharing your impeccable drag with the world.

Aw, thank you so much, my love.

Thank you! I’m just happy to hear there’s another queer James Bond fan out there!

Yes! Stan 007.

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