今日吃瓜

Episode five of Drag Race Down Under saw the queens go head to head in the very popular makeover challenge, with each queen tasked with making over a local librarian into their drag family.

In what was another incredibly tight competition for this seasons queens, the judging came down to the wire as all the queens served something impressive, unique and different.

Unfortunately after another epic lip sync against the incredible Max Drag Queen, it was Brenda Bressed who found herself being told to Sashay away.

Brenda sat down to chat with Michael James about her time on the show and explains why she was glad to go home this episode.

Brenda, welcome! It was an interesting episode. It always is with the makeover challenge, isn鈥檛 it? The criteria always seem to be different for everyone. What were your thoughts when you were tackling it, balancing the family resemblance with driving the narrative?

Yeah, look, it鈥檚 always an interesting challenge, the makeover. You never really know which way it鈥檚 gonna go. Sometimes, after watching the show for so many years, you think you know: “OK, they want family resemblance, but not twins,” because they鈥檝e said, 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 ask for you to be identical.鈥� Then sometimes, they鈥檒l say, 鈥淥h, you look identical. We love it. It鈥檚 beautiful.鈥� Or sometimes, they look nothing alike, and they鈥檒l say, 鈥淎h, you look so alike.鈥� And it鈥檚 like, what鈥檚 going on?

So, I had no idea going into the challenge. We were all just looking around going, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 happening? What鈥檚 happening here?鈥�

It was a bit like that as a viewer as well. Everyone was good. I keep saying this about every episode, but this season sucks because it鈥檚 so good!

Right? I know! That鈥檚 what makes it so hard in the competition. Some of us went into it thinking, 鈥淥hh, I鈥檓 gonna blitz this. It鈥檚 going to be a clean sweep.鈥� But then we slowly realised when we were there, we were like, 鈥淥hh. This is hard because everyone is so good. It鈥檚 not fair!

People like to say sometimes, 鈥淥h, there are filler queens here.鈥� But you didn鈥檛 have a filler queen this season.

We honestly didn鈥檛. We really didn鈥檛. That鈥檚 what made it so tricky this time.

Again, the trickiness of the judging for this one is that everybody nailed criteria that would鈥檝e won it for them in any other random season. Did you come out feeling proud of what you did?

Oh, absolutely. I was really proud of what I did. I honestly loved what I brought to that challenge, and I loved the story we were able to bring. It was stupid, but it was fun, you know? That鈥檚 my drag. It鈥檚 stupid. It鈥檚 ridiculous. I don鈥檛 take myself seriously at all, and I just have fun.

I had a great time doing the challenge with my partner. We honestly just laughed the whole time. As sad as it was going home, I was glad I went home on a challenge that I still had fun doing. If it had been the week before that, I think it would鈥檝e been a whole other story. I would鈥檝e been really upset, and it would鈥檝e ruined the whole experience of Drag Race for me. But ending and going home on a challenge where I really had fun made it all OK. I was content with what I brought and what I was able to show.

Speaking of your best, the lip sync was interesting! It raised this discussion about the different styles of drag. You and Max served completely different styles: Max is a quintessential Drag Race queen, flipping and stunting, while you served Aussie camp, fun, taking-the-piss style. How did you feel about what you served?

Yeah. From the moment we walked into the workroom and I saw Max was there, I thought, 鈥淥K, she鈥檚 the one bitch I don鈥檛 want to be in the bottom with because that鈥檚 going to be hard.鈥� I know what she鈥檚 capable of.

So, going into the lip sync, finding myself up against Max, I thought, 鈥淭here鈥檚 no way I鈥檓 going to outdo Max if I try to do what she does.鈥� Like you said, that鈥檚 the beauty of drag鈥攅veryone does it in their own way. I needed to serve something completely different so they wouldn鈥檛 compare us directly.

I just wanted to have fun with it as well. I actually said to Max before the lip sync, 鈥淟et鈥檚 just give them a good show. Let鈥檚 have fun.鈥�

When we finished, I got that euphoric feeling I get after a good performance. I thought, 鈥淭hat was fun. I had a really good time.鈥� I left everything on the stage, and I thought, 鈥淚f I go home now, I can leave with my head held high because I gave everything I could.鈥�

Absolutely. It was iconic. I hated the result, but I鈥檇 have hated seeing Max go home as well.

I know! It鈥檚 that thing where you鈥檝e got favourites in the bottom, and you don鈥檛 want either of them to leave.

And it鈥檚 only gonna get worse from here. Now, let鈥檚 go to a high point: Congratulations鈥攜ou won the Snatch game!

Thank you!

I鈥檝e been saying for years that shows like Kath & Kim and Absolutely Fabulous deserve more drag representation on Snatch Game!

Oh, thank you.

Was that character just your bread and butter? You didn鈥檛 seem like someone who needed to rehearse; you seemed like someone who had it in the bag.

Exactly. I know Kath & Kim back to front, upside down, I鈥檝e watched it countless times. I knew doing a character from Kath & Kim meant I could make anything work because I know any reference they could throw at me.

Me and my drag sister, Delicatessen, even do a Kath & Kim event where we play Kath and Kim trivia, then perform as Prue and Trude. I was super comfortable going into it. I didn鈥檛 want to do the obvious choice, Kim, because I wanted something quintessentially Australian but not predictable.

It was wise. Mandy slayed, but the difference was your deep repertoire of lines and references. You elevated it to the next level.

Thank you. One thing Lazy Susan said to me was she hadn鈥檛 seen Kath & Kim as much as I had, but she couldn鈥檛 tell if the lines I used were directly from the show because they fit so well with the questions. That was a compliment!

As Rhys said, you saved Snatch game!

Exactly. Finally, we鈥檝e broken the curse. I mean, Snatch Game is so iconic, and we all go into it with this mix of excitement and terror. You know, it鈥檚 like, 鈥淲ill this be my crowning moment or my death sentence?鈥� I was thrilled to be able to pull it off.

Yes, although we did almost break the fucking reading challenge again with some of them.

Oh I know!

But we were saved by the likes of Vybe, who fucking nailed that reading challenge. Might I say, Mandy only got one in her edit was that because the rest of hers were so bad they didn鈥檛 get shown?

Ah, Mandy had my favourite read of all time, which I鈥檓 sure didn鈥檛 make it. There was a conspiracy while we were away, because we weren鈥檛 allowed our phones. But during that time, there was this theory that Nikita had a phone with her. I know, because there鈥檇 be times we鈥檇 take things back to the hotel to work on, and she鈥檇 come back with things just slightly different. We were all like, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 going on?鈥� She even had a slip-up on the main stage where she said, 鈥淵eah, I was talking to my boyfriend last night, I mean, pretending to talk to him in the shower鈥� and we were like, ‘Nikita, what’s going on?’ So there was a bit of a conspiracy there, but my favourite read that I’m sure was Mandy’s that didn’t make it.

She said “Nikita Iman, you remind me of ET because of those long spindly fingers, and the ability to phone home!”

It was so great. So听I’m sure that didn’t make it, but that was that was my favourite read of the whole day and that was from Mandy.

Now this was a season of big highs for you. Did you have a low point where you felt you鈥檇 really messed it up, or were you feeling good the whole time?

I definitely felt like I messed it up at the design challenge. The night before, we鈥檇 been sewing for so long, we鈥檇 already been filming for a day and a half, so we were exhausted. Add that to missing my family and my husband, and then getting bad critiques. It all just came crashing down. I was like, 鈥淲hat am I doing? I can鈥檛 take much more of this.鈥�

If I鈥檇 gone home or been in the bottom that episode, it might have ruined my whole memory of the show. But I鈥檓 glad things happened the way they did. I left the competition with a good taste in my mouth.

Next week鈥檚 acting challenge felt like a missed opportunity for you. Do you think you鈥檇 have been on the up and up for that?

I was waiting for that fucking acting challenge, and of course, it happened the week after I left. I鈥檓 not going to lie, I would have aced that. It鈥檚 a robbery, it鈥檚 a crime. Justice for Brenda!

Speaking of surprises, Michelle Visage stepping in as host was a big change. How was the shock of that for you?

Honestly, I was excited. Michelle was exactly what the show needed. I love RuPaul, but I think Michelle understands Down Under drag more. She brought the freshness we needed and showed everyone that we鈥檝e got something to offer.

She was a dream, so lovely and encouraging. She felt like a mother figure. We鈥檙e proud to be the very first cast of 鈥淢itches Bitches”, no longer RuGirls. We are Mitches Bitches!

What鈥檚 next for Brenda Bressed now that Drag Race Down Under is over?

I鈥檝e got lots in the works, Christmas shows at Memo Piano Bar, theatre opportunities next year, and music! I know, a Drag Race queen doing music, shocking! I鈥檓 also focusing on my YouTube channel, Brenda Bressed TV. This may be the end of my Drag Race journey, but it鈥檚 just the start of everything else.

And you鈥檒l be hitting the road for the official tour?

Yes! From March 26th to 30th, the Drag Race Down Under Season 4 tour is going to be Absolutely Fabulous. We鈥檙e bringing something different to a drag race tour that you might not have seen before. Stay tuned, it鈥檚 going to be really good.

Brenda Bressed leaves Drag Race Down Under with a legacy of laughter, creativity, and an iconic Snatch Game win that will ensure she is not forgotten.

Drag Race Down Under continues every week on Stan Australia as the final six queens battle it out to see who will take out the crown for Season four.

Watch the full interview with Brenda Bressed below.