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Chai T Grande, the sweetest and spiciest of the Drag Race UK season seven queens, has been ordered to go. In this week’s episode, episode five, the nine remaining queens were tasked with taking on the SS Tickety-Boo Talent Show, with the contestants delivering magic, booby burlesque, and original anthems (plus, in Elle Vosque’s case, an original anthem about original anthems). Chai T Grande delivered a takeout. Dressed as a dumpling, the London-via-Bangkok performer put on a wonderfully oddball comedy burlesque show, pulling the edible innards out of her costume, and scuttling about the stage in nipple tassels. Sadly, the judges weren’t eating her up, and after a pretty impressive lip-sync against fellow London queen Bones to Florence and the Machine’s “Spectrum”, Chai T Grande was sent packing. “It’s obviously very bittersweet, right? Nobody goes into Drag Race not wanting to get to the very end,” the performer tells PinkNews. But, after spending the previous two weeks edging towards a bottom two position, she could see the writing on the wall. “I’m super disappointed, but I definitely felt like it was my time to go this week,” she says. “I’m at peace with it.” Chai T Grande talks to PinkNews about the origins of her talent show performance, whether she was unfairly judged, and fan calls for her to return for Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale. PinkNews: Hi Chai! You’ve said you were disappointed to leave Drag Race UK, but also felt like it was time to leave the competition. Talk to me about that. Chai T Grande: When Ru said “sashay away”, there was definitely an element of *exhale* and catharsis because it was however many weeks at that point of just long nights, long days, fatigue, being pushed to talk about difficult things, pushing yourself to be physical. I described it as mental gymnastics and I think that phrase really sticks. I’m feeling all the very different feelings. Seeing the fan reception has been so touching. It’s bittersweet, that’s the really short answer to that. Reflecting on your talent show, how do you feel it went, and how did you feel about the judges’ response? I’m definitely still proud of it. Do I think there’s room for development? Absolutely. I made that number thinking [the talent show] was week one. A number that I would have planned for week one versus week five probably would have looked quite different. I can see what the judges saw. I can see that there’s definitely room for improvement. I should have gotten out of the dumpling outfit to make it fully burlesque. I should have given it that nice mix of being stupid and silly and camp with a bit of sexy as well. We make these decisions in such a high pressure run up to the show and time is not on our side either. We have to make these numbers sometimes in like a day. I think it was a really fun take on burlesque that I don’t think has been shown before. I wanted to show a silly camp fun side. In my head, that was my week one package along with my hometown runway. To me that felt like quite a nice mixture of being fierce and powerful with silly and camp. So that was my process going into it. I could feel it in my heart of hearts even before we filmed the talent show that I think it was probably my week to either be in the bottom two or to go home. Your runways got so much love though. You wrote on Instagram that RuPaul was pretty much enamoured with what you wore this week. To hear that glowing feedback from the queen of drag? It’s worth its weight in gold. Leading up to the show [was] really testing and really taxing. We’re all working day jobs still so we’re doing day jobs plus trying to get these runways together. You’ve got to practice you Snatch Game. You’re literally eating, breathing, sleeping drag for the weeks leading up to it. To know that all the hard work and effort and money that went into the runways was worth it and to have all that great feedback from Ru, the judges and also everybody else on social media, it means that I can really hold my head high knowing that my package was was not one to be played with. A lot of fans on social media have also voiced their thoughts on your track record in the contest, and you have also shared thoughts online. How do you feel about how you were judged this season? I can only really speak to my experience. That is obviously subjective and it isn’t fact but I think of my track record, there were two weeks where I think I was maybe unfairly lower than what I should have been. I’m not claiming that I should have been the winner in either of these because I wouldn’t take away from any other girl’s achievements, but I think I should have been at least maybe in in the top for sewing. All the girls were living and that was some stuff that wasn’t shown. Everyone was talking about how I was the one to watch that week. Sally [TM] should have 1000 per cent taken it because that was just pure artistry – chef’s kiss. I think I was at least worthy of being critiqued. Then girl groups: I will die on the hill and say that it was wild that I was bottom three because nowhere did I fade into the background anywhere. They wanted confidence from me. I’m giving it to you now: no [way] will I believe that I faded into the background during that challenge. The judges’ critiques have at least left fans wanting more. There are some calls for you to appear on a hypothetical second season of Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale. Are you down? First of all, I’m insanely honoured because I’ve watched Slaysian Royale and it’s a season where they do not play. Those girls do not come to go half-hearted. They go balls to the wall. For people to think that I could be there and hold my own? It’s a really lovely confidence boost. I’m a yes person. Chai phonetically means “Yes” in Thai and it’s a mantra that I live by, where I try to say yes to any opportunity that comes my way. So would I be open to it? Of course, how could I not be? Chai for season two of Slaysian Royale. Let’s do it! Perhaps after a little break first, I imagine? Oh yeah. I do need to sleep for a little bit. The stuff that I touched on in the episode [her break-up with a partner], that is some work that I have to do mentally to get my confidence up to where people think it should be and where I want it to be. Which of your season seven sisters were most caring towards you during your low moments on this season? In general, Pasty was really there for me for the first two weeks. We knew each other before. I think we really formed an unbreakable bond and we call each other every day, multiple times. [She’s] just one of those people that now [is] part of my daily routine and I’m so thankful for that. Paige [Three] was really there for me emotionally, and Elle as well. Elle and I were actually room neighbours in the place we were staying and we could have our secret knocking codes and speak out the window to try talk to each other, which wasn’t technically allowed but sometimes if you need to bounce your thoughts of someone, knowing that I had people there to do that was really lovely. So you got closer with the Soho girls, Paige and Bones? I’ve never really considered myself one of the ‘Soho Queens’, like [one of] the girls because I’m not really part of that scene in the same extent that I’m performing with them. Bones and Paige, I am fans of theirs first before I ever did drag. So honestly both of them are really huge reasons why I’m even here in drag in the first place because I used to go to their shows before I even thought about doing this for myself. I was spellbound by what they brought to the stage. Knowing that not only I’ve done the hard work to be on a stage with them but to be competing with them… I’m immensely proud of myself. To know that they’re now sisters of mine is also really crazy and lovely. You were a fan of Bones until she whacked you in the face during that lip-sync… She’ll be hearing from my lawyer for sure! It didn’t feel like her hitting me in the face. It just felt like we both bumped into each other. We both did that really typically British thing of being like, ‘Oops, sorry!’ Drag Race UK continues on Thursdays on BBC iPlayer in the UK and WOW Presents Plus internationally. This interview has been edited for length. Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
