Tournament: ATRL's Drag Race - A New Superstar! (Pg. 393) - Page 389

DripDrip

With every Queen has to come the qualities of one, and no queen did that better then our first finalist. She came into this competition with one thing on her mind, and she soaked it all up. Professional, is one word to describe our first finalist, let's all welcome Scarlett LaPierre!

Hello, darling. Poise, professional, and punctual. The three P's. You were seen as a "Chad" of this season, where does this come from? Have you always been this way?

Hey, Drip dearest, how are you? There are a lot of ways to answer this. To answer the first question, I’m a perfectionist about my interests and passions ~~but not much else~~. If I love something, I go hardcore and give it my all. Drag surprisingly turned into that for me, and I got invested in working on and fine-tuning my entries. It was massively time-consuming and exhausting, but it was fun!

Though I'm normally more creatively inclined, I tend to assess challenges and problems very analytically. This is especially true in games and competitions. I identify the challenge and objective and try to figure out the route that can best be used to address it. This can remove some heart from the process which I think is one of the reasons for the “robotic” critiques of some of my entries.

I’m really not this way in life about most things!

I’m as punctual as I can be, of course, but I feel that I’m more silly and less serious in real life. I think it has to do with the nature of forum interaction; I type and retype posts whereas I’m less filtered in texts and offline interaction. I don’t put this much effort into things I’m not passionate about, but I think that can be said of anyone.

Looking at the chart run its obvious you have earned your spot here. Constantly high and always at the top. I imagine you couldn't be more proud of yourself. But, is there anything you would have done differently?

Well, yes and no. If I could do it over, I would change how I approached some of the challenges. I would make my Snatch Game funny. I would have chosen Ivy Winters' butterfly for Color Me Pride. I would have made my Mystery Ball villain better. Putting hours and hours of work into your entries and then being told you're the worst feels so defeating. Knowing it could have been fixed relatively easily feels even worse.

However, as I said in my speech, though, those mistakes did help me grow. If I hadn't made those mistakes, I wouldn't have pushed so hard afterwards to prove myself. If I messed up, I got called out on it. You won't be able to please everyone, but there's always room for improvement, which my negative weeks helped me realize. So, for that reason, no, I wouldn't have done anything differently.

You were like a phoenix, rising from the ashes of being in the bottom to doing well the next week. This prosperity has to come from somewhere, where do you get your drive?

I think it has to do with my competitive nature and desire to succeed.

I love games and competing, and I grew to love drag. I don’t like to fail, especially in things I love; I will fight tooth and nail to better myself and succeed.

You will run into discouraging moments in life. You will have times when you question the point of whatever you’re doing, and it helps to have a solid goal in mind. You can’t let mistakes or small setbacks trip you up too much. There were times that I grew exhausted in the game, especially when I fell in the bottom, and I have to thank Chanel for helping me through some of those times. However, I loved the game, I loved drag and I loved the people participating. I didn’t want to leave, so I fought to stay.

I was actually surprised to hear you knew nothing about graphic design before because you did it so well. This natural talent for design is amazing, have you always been this way?

I'm gay; designing is in my DNA. Jokes aside, I’ve never tried design before, but I’ve always wanted to. I’ve been artistically inclined for most of my life, though more with words than visual art. Maybe that mindset helped?

In your final runway speech you mentioned how much you learned and how much you prospered here. Did you learn anything from Scarlett that you wouldn't have realized?

Yes! I’ve conceived characters and avatars before, but Scarlett is the first female persona I’ve fully assumed. Honestly, it was difficult at first since I’ve never viewed myself through a female perspective before, but Scarlett made me think more about gender. I identify as male and I’m attracted to males, but I've had no problem in assuming the role of Scarlett. It’s made me think about gender roles and how much unnecessary emphasis society puts on them. I think I’ve come to identify closer to genderqueer or gender fluid than just male. The more you know!

What does being a drag superstar mean to you, Scarlett, and what does winning the title mean?

What does being a drag superstar mean to me? Hm. I think a drag superstar embodies fierceness. I think a drag superstar is creative and has an otherworldly aura. I think a drag superstar makes you think about drag in ways you haven’t thought of it before. I think a drag superstar is able to expose drag to a wider audience. I think a drag superstar sticks to her guns, but evolves and is willing to change.

For me, I think the title would mark the beginning of drag as a hobby. It would mark my start as an avid drag enthusiast if nothing else, but hopefully a full queen one day. It would mark the memories I’ve made here and give me the assurance and support of my drag peers going forward.

No matter what happens do you feel like you walked away from the competition with something you can say impacted you?

Oh, definitely! For starters, I’ll walk away with an appreciation of drag that I didn’t have before. I love the art, the performance, the concepts and the creativity of so many queens. I love the drag community and the history of drag. I love the cheaply produced music. It’s just a lot of fun.

Regardless of whether I win, the best part of this competition for me has been the social connections I’ve made. I’ve developed genuine friendships with Chanel and Citrus. I’ve had the pleasure to get to know the judges and other contestants. I’ve been exposed to the Games section and ATRLers I never would have known otherwise. Hell, it even made me start songwriting, which I've always wanted to do.

I’m so thankful to have been a part of this game. I would have been fine without it, sure, but it’s really impacted me for the better.

You did an incredible Lip Sync for your life, do you think we will see Scarlett in full Drag ready to come through to the club scene?

You very well may, but I don’t think I’ll use the name Scarlett LaPierre. I'll assume a different name if I become a full-fledged drag queen, but it’s one you’re all already familiar with.

I am very excited to see where your career will go and hope you do prosper if you ever decide to enter the world of drag!

Subomie

need more alcohol for this

keshaspearsxo

I don't see my name. Was I mentioned? Why wasn't I mentioned.

keshaspearsxo

Quote:

Originally posted by Subomie

need more alcohol for this

*skims page for my name*

*doesnt find name*

Ok back to masturbating

Subomie

Quote:

Originally posted by keshaspearsxo

*skims page for my name*

*doesnt find name*

Ok back to masturbating

thats basically a novel and its 2am, no maam pam

Citrus

These are all fun to read

feelslikeadream

Yay Scarlett!

You were such a great person to have in the competition!

Quote:

I'll assume a different name if I become a full-fledged drag queen, but it’s one you’re all already familiar with.

I'll have you know I trademarked Carrie Messiah. I'll see you in court.

DripDrip

Our next finalist is as seasoned and mature as they come. She brought sophistication with herself when she entered the work room, and a sense of passion and a bit of shade too. She's Carrie Messiah, an old time queen who showed us everything we wanted.

Who is here for you tonight Carrie? Is your roommate here? Your students?

Well, my students couldn’t make it tonight, BUT my teacher could. That’s right, my drag mother Holly Dae Billy is here with us! She’s over 100, so I’m so happy she could make it here tonight. She’s there’s in the back, you see, with the dusty wig and her eyes closed and… Oh. She must be sleeping….. Or dead. Anyway, she’s here, my drag daughter Granday Adriana is here (#DontBuyFocusOniTunes), and my roommate is here of course. And he’s straight, so don’t even try it Drip.

Straight guys are my favorite challenge Fefe, give him my name and number.

Now you're a very intelligent person; you came here with a confidence that overshadowed the girls as well. Were these your biggest strengths during the competition?

I don’t know if I can say one specific thing was my greatest strength, but I do think confidence really matters in a competition like this. There were challenges that didn’t exactly play to my strengths, but I knew that if I tackled the challenge like I knew I’d win, then I could make it to the next round, where perhaps I’d get to show off my skills again.

You have a sense of maturity about you that your other two finalists don't have. Being obviously older, you have life lessons that your other two finalists don't have yet. Do you think this was able to help you out in the long run and prosper where they didn't?

I don’t know if I can say one specific thing helped me prosper, but I think my ‘maturity’ matters more when you consider Carrie’s full persona than in any specific challenges. For example, an old bitch like me knows that there’s very little advantage to picking fights and no point in dwelling on negativity. Of course I want the judges to think of Carrie as a queen worthy of the title because of my creativity and talent, but I also think it’s incredibly important to see me as a professional, as someone who can work with others and carry the title with dignity. (And gurl, I need to use this exposure to book me some gigs, so I don’t have the luxury of being messy.)

You write with incredible wit and humor and you always seem to have more cards in your hand than you think. Do you feel like these were your biggest strengths in the competition?

I don’t know if I can say one specific thing was my greatest strength, but I’m glad you used the card metaphor. This was more about CitRu than me, but I think the array of challenges really allowed me to show off many of my talents. I feel very fortunate that the 2nd challenge was a song-writing challenge, the 4th was a roast, the 7th allowed me to do some creative writing, etc. The variation in challenges allowed me to showcase various skills. I don’t really know if the others girls were playing with a full deck, if you know what I mean.

Let's talk about your weaknesses. Do you think you had any in this competition considering you were the only one to not be in the bottom two at all?

No. OK, judging from the final comments, maybe TOO was right and I shouldn’t have drawn my final runway look. I would have done a collage or whatever, but my Microsoft Paint kept freezing!

You mentioned in your speech how all your challenges and highs were for the ones that really counted, the ones that required you to fully realize your entire drag persona. Do think this is your biggest ace of spades compared to your other two finalists?

I don’t know if I can say one specific thing was my greatest ace, but when it comes to ‘checking the receipts,’ yeah, I think I have an advantage if you look at which challenges I won or ranked high in. TOO noted in the final panel that I wasn’t the strongest player according to the numbers, but that’s what I was talking about in my final words: while I don’t have the highest individual score, I think I have the more impressive wins. #MusicNotTheBling #BuyMeIAmMariahTheElusiveChanteuseOniTunes

How has being in Drag Race affected your life? Did you learn anything about yourself you wouldn't have learned elsewhere?

First, I’ve gotten much better at balancing my school and personal life. Last year was my first year of grad school and I really spent about 80% of my time doing homework. This year, I wanted to spend more free time doing things outside of school, and this game helped me there: I set aside a few hours at a time to work on my entries, and that helped provide a fun diversion from school and recognize the importance of this balance.

Now, I know that isn’t some deep answer, there's a larger lesson there that speaks to me: enjoying the moment and creating a space for fun and creativity in your life. Drag is all about creation and self-expression. As I’ve carved out time for the game, it reminded me to always make time for the things that bring me joy, like watching old Mariah videos on YouTube, watching the bros at the gym work out, and playing bingo at the local community center with my contemporaries.

You told me once that you don't really sympathize with sob stories, and its something I can mostly relate to, but in your Color Me Love you really opened up to us, and you showed some vulnerability, which is something you seemed to not have. Where do you pull this strong sense of pride and confidence from?

Well that’s definitely true. After years and years of watching American Idol, I’m wary of stories that seem to be told primarily to garner sympathy, but I think that all comes down to my general rule of focusing on positives.

My favorite quote in literature comes from Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, and it perfectly sums up my attitude towards life: “It was awful, he cried, awful, awful! Still, the sun was hot. Still, one got over things. Still, life had a way of adding day to day.” I had a very colorful childhood. I have a very small, close family, but these family members struggled with drug addiction, mental health issues, homelessness, congenital diseases, etc. etc. I was sent to live with strangers as a child. Then I lived with my dad and that didn’t work out. Then I lived with my mom and that was waaay crazier. But through all the craziness, one thing has remained the same: I got over it. Life added day to day.

Some people see a checkered past as an impediment. My past gave me the assurance that most problems have solutions, that what seems terrible today might seem trivial years later, and that although it can be hard to see other people for who they are, I will always know myself and my own values. That attitude led me to be the first person in my family to go to college, to grad school, and to the finale of ATRL’s Drag Race. A rocky road led me to where I am today; there were a few flat tires along the way, I drove through a few storms with busted windshield wipers, and sometimes I felt like I was running on fumes. But now I see it all as a blessing in disguise, since it’s given me my sense of confidence.

You obviously accomplished so much in this competition already but what does winning mean to you?

I signed up for this game solely because of my love for Drag Race. I didn’t know any of the judges other than you, only knew a couple of the contestants, etc. And because so many Games seem to be popularity contests more than anything else, I actually thought I might be knocked out early! But as the game went on and I got to embody Carrie Messiah more, I got more excited with every challenge. This is only my 3rd game on ATRL (and likely one of my last), but I’m so proud of my “portfolio” here; of course I’m proud of my songs from Platinum Hit, but I love how this game allowed me to write a couple songs, draw a couple outfits, roast my fellow competitors, work on my Photoshop skills, drag up another ATRL member, etc. This ‘body of work’ is my most personal and my most cherished, and capping it off with a win would mean so much to me. I’m not really the kind of person to wear my heart on my sleeve—just ask my ex—so I think sometimes it’s not clear how much this means to me. But after this game has slowly become something so important to me, I’ve been re-reading the judge’s comments, cursing Chanel’s popularity, sweating, crying, and really hoping CitRu and the judges find me worthy of the crown.

After being done with this, do you think you and Carrie will continue to be friends and Miss. Messiah will become alive one day?

Like her namesake, Carrie Messiah will forever live on. I already talk about Carrie to my IRL friends, perform as her when I’m in the shower, and embody her when I see an opportunity for her brash humor when I’m hanging with friends. Carrie will always be a part of me; I am part of her indefinitely. (Not to mention that she’ll live on forever in my custom title.)

Now I wanna give you this time to say anything to the judges or ask them any questions.

Judges, first, I want to thank you for your tough criticism each week. None of y’all were “the Paula” of the panel, and I actually really appreciate that. Sub, I feel like you were one of the most critical—and most insightful—judges of the group, and I always wanted to impress you the most. Your hints made my heart race at times, but your critiques were always fair. Pears, I never had any idea what you were talking about. TOO, you joined our group late, but you brought with you high expectations and an expertise that many of us couldn’t help but respect. I’m glad Drip got banned and it brought you to us. Drip, I hardly paid attention to your reviews because I knew I could bribe you with n00dz. And of course, CitRu: all T, all shade, you were the best host of any game I’ve played in on ATRL. You were professional but caring, witty but earnest, and your puns had me shrieking. I think we had a great group assembled here, of both judges and contestants. But judges, I wanna know: which judge shouldn’t be invited back for season 2?

I don't know if I can say one specific part of this interview was my favorite but I love you and my inbox is still waiting for my. Bribe.

Subomie

keshaspearsxo

A mention from Carrie

C/H/A/N/E/L

Quote:

cursing Chanel’s popularity

I'm sorry.

Subomie

To answer your question, I think we shouldn't bring Citru back.

Forget CitRuPaul, this is Merle Subsburg's drag race.

feelslikeadream

Quote:

Originally posted by Subomie

You better read the nice things I had to say about you heifer.

DripDrip

Queens with fire and passion are not hard to come by, but the ones that do it right and have what it takes are. Our final, finalist is just that. A creative queen from somewhere in the US came and took this competition by storm. Winning the first challenge and stamping her name on this game. Let's welcome, Chanel DiAngelo!

I don't think anyone wanted this more then you, and it obviously shows with how well you did in the game, Chanel, lets talk, how do you feel about this entire journey?

I think I can argue that alone-- I think everyone wanted it as much as me. I know Koko wanted it, I know Carrie wanted it, I know Scarlett wanted it, and I know Carmen wanted it, on top of literally everyone else. But I still feel this journey has been very bittersweet. Coming here has meant a lot to me, personally, but I know some things I've done weren't the best, and I know here, at the end, I know I'm going to win or I'm not, and either way, I'll be happy and sad.

You came in here letting everybody know you were the top bitch to beat. A combination of Raja and Violet if I do say so myself. You have confidence in yourself and it shows, yet you're often left vulnerable. Is this what makes Chanel, Chanel?

I suppose that is the makings of Chanel. But Chanel's responsible for that confidence. Chanel is the cold, shallow bitch that takes her inspiration from the DiAngelo sisters. But I think I-- Robbie-- got just as involved as Chanel did in the competition, and that's where the meltdowns and fights came from. I know that was kind of inevitable, but, oh, well. I hope to gain that confidence from Chanel more often so I'm not left with these issues in my wake.

You have the most wins, besides the number of times, what do you feel this says about you as a Queen?

I think it shows my drive, but I don't think you really need to see my chart run to see that; my essays should've been enough. I don't have much to say on this (surprise!); I think that speaks for itself.

You started amazing, then stumbled, and then once again you rose up to the top. You had a shift in the competition at one point where it seemed like you shut down. You ended up rising from your own ashes and slayed. What brought out this fire in you?

I think I explained a bit of this in my lunch questions. I started out well, and I felt somewhat confident at that point even though I knew that there was a lot left to go through. And I felt like I was stuck in a slump after my flop at the Roast; I could never get out of being safe and seen as mediocre, so I was driven for the rest of the competition to prove myself again. Being HIGH for the Color Me Love round was satisfying, but it wasn't until the third win in Butch Queen that I felt I'd redeemed myself.

As Citrus asked you were in a lot of skits and truffles or whatever Stone age word he heard Cher say, is there anything you'd like to apologize for or own up to or even clear the air at this point?

I'm honestly not sure if there's anyplace to go with any of the beef I've had this season. I talked to Wilhelmina around the time she quit and I feel things were settled; Koko and I eventually worked things out; I'll fight with jax. again in the next season of Create a Label; and there was one other, deeper issue that only affected one person that we've worked out. I think enough time has occurred between any other issues I had to the point where I've moved on from anything, but if those people want to talk to me to work anything out, I'd be willing to do it, because I genuinely am sorry for any other issues I've caused.

You opened up to us about your BPD, and for that I applaud you. While the internet and its anon sense is great, it can also be scary. So I can imagine that had to have been really hard for you. So talk to me, tell me was it easy to open up about this?

Well-- thank you. I'd say to an extent, it was, and to another extent, it wasn't. I'm not ashamed of it, and I while I don't want to parade it around, I don't really want to hide it. I think part of what makes it difficult to open up about is the backstory behind how I got to be diagnosed with it, because many of those wounds, while I try to move on from them, I find are still sort of fresh whenever I start to think about that time again. But the people here were willing to listen, something I was especially thankful for after some of the bad impressions I've made with some of my more negative traits, and that made it a lot easier to talk about.

You mentioned how you're trying to get things in your life that you've been missing, and being in this competition has done a lot of that for you. Do you think Chanel will continue to be an anchor in your life that you look up to to get strength from?

I definitely think so. Chanel and the DiAngelo sisters will continue to mean a lot to me. The DiAngelo's already meant plenty to me, but I've grown to love Chanel as she's grown in this competition and I hope to let her be a part of me moving on from this, whether that means how I live my life on a day-to-day basis, or how I behave around the forum, or how my possible career as a drag queen would go if I ever chose to buck up and dedicate to it. That's one of the most important things I've gotten from this competition, and I'm extremely thankful for it.

Even if you don't win, can you say you will walk out of this competition with your head held high knowing you achieved something really great?

I definitely can. On one level, I achieved a lot as a competitor-- I made top three and I won four challenges. But on a completely different level, I achieved things I didn't enter this competition hoping to achieve, and that makes them all the more important. At the end of the day, this competition has brought me so many things that I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for the friendships that I've made. I'm thankful for the growth I think I've made. I'm thankful for learning more about the people around me that I'd seen before but never got to know more. And I'm thankful that this game allowed me to learn more about myself, things I don't think I would've learned in the way that I did here. And sure, I'd love to win and I think that'd be a perfect ending (or new beginning) to this story, I think these other things are what made this competition for me.

It's always a pleasure to have you around Chanel, and as always I wish you the best on what ever journey you take and see great things in your future!

keshaspearsxo

From one fruit to another, Pears will carry the torch to Season 2.

Subomie

keshaspearsxo

Quote:

Originally posted by DripDrip