People Do Love A Bit Of Shade, Says Drag Race Down Under Queen Coco Jumbo
Now into its third week, RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under feels like it’s finally found its groove, but sadly this week it was time for the fabulous Coco Jumbo to sashay away.
Although this queen might have shined in the mini challenge, the maxi challenge proved too much for this performer, proving also that even if your tuck is tight, it’s one thing to sing in the shower and a whole other thing to record a brand spanking new single.
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Reflecting on her elimination, Jumbo tells us that she is “feeling relieved, because I don’t have to lie anymore. But I did have a really good time, I loved getting to meet my new New Zealander sisters, I loved it all and had so much fun with it.”
‘I Loved Kicking Art Simone Off’
“I loved walking into werk room for the first time and seeing the space, I loved seeing RuPaul walk in for the first time, and, well, kicking Art Simone off,” Jumbo adds with a rueful chuckle.
Jumbo says her career as a drag queen gives her “the power and ability to put a smile on people’s faces, and entertain people, and set an example you should act and treat other people… All though Drag Race wasn’t really a good representation of that, but yeah it is television and people do love a bit of shade.”
So, is what we see in the final edit a true and accurate representation of these queens time in the competition? According to Jumbo, very much so….
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“I was being extra shady in the interviews but when we are in the werk room, we are all sister and we all do get along with each other, but yeah the stuff we said in the interview rooms stayed in the interview rooms until we saw it on TV.”
The Maxi Challenge Was Nerve-Racking
Our interview next turns to the topic of this week’s maxi challenge, and while the other members Outback Fake Hoes might have bought all of their charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent, sadly Jumbo just couldn’t bring her own to the party.
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“It was very nerve-racking, and I think it showed in my vocals… Seeing and recording in front of Michelle Visage, it was like ‘holly shit, this is actually happening’. This was my first time writing or attempting to write lyrics, it was both a stressful and fun situation to be in.
“Look, I’m a good time girl, I’ll give anything a red hot go, I tried my hardest but unfortunately it just wasn’t it.”
We finish our interview up by discussing the phenomenon that is RuPaul’s Drag Race and the effects that the RuPaul franchise has had on the art of drag, and on the queer community more broadly.
“Drag race brings to us exposure, and slowly but surely it is becoming more mainstream. Everybody knows of Drag now and that’s mostly thanks to RuPaul,” said Jumbo.
“But the advice I can give to any queens is to not take all shade as just shade, there is also some truth in it…. Though if someone is saying your wig looks dry and you need a gallon or a litre of water…take that feedback on. There is always that fine line, if they are being mean give it back to them, but if they are being funny just listen to them and take it on board.”
So what will next week’s episode bring, and whose turn will it to be lip sync for their lives? Find out by tuning into Stan at 4pm next Saturday when episode four of RuPaul’s Drag Race Downunder drops….
Read our exit interviews with the queens who sashayed away!
- Jojo Zaho
- Art Simone
- Coco Jumbo
