Drag Race star Bianca Del Rio: How to survive a stint as a reality show contestant

DRAG Race has turned from low budget cult favourite into one of the best shows on TV. We spoke to breakout star Bianca Del Rio ahead of her Australian tour.

IT’S been nine long years since RuPaul’s Drag Race debuted on screens. That’s a lifetime in the fickle world of reality TV — and yet the annual quest to find America’s next drag superstar is now bigger than ever.

Few could’ve predicted that the low budget, occasionally slapdash feel of those early seasons would steadily grow into one of the most assured reality shows on television.

Flash forward nine seasons (and two ‘All Stars’), and Drag Race is an industry unto itself, churning out well over 100 drag queens to date and turning drag culture into a mainstream proposition, as SNL so hilariously riffed on earlier this year. The showis nominated for an impressive seven awards at this year’s Emmys, cementing its status among the Survivors and Amazing Races of reality television.

Season six winner Bianca Del Rio surely stands atop the mountain of performers afforded a global fanbase by the show. While many of her fellow ex-Drag Racers play the club circuit, lip syncing for their lives to hardcore fans of the show, the hilarious, straight-talking Del Rio will this November visit Australia for a large-scale theatre tour, performing her stand up act to thousands each night.

We spoke to Bianca — aka 42-year-old Roy Haylock — ahead of her Australian tour to find out how exactly one avoids ending up as reality TV roadkill, and what it means to be an insult comic in this age of perpetual outrage.

It’s been nine years since RuPaul’s Drag Race started. Are you surprised by just how big drag is in pop culture now?

I’m quite surprised. I’ve been doing this 21 years, and I was going to hang it up at 40 and say, you know what, I had a good run. Then Drag Race came along. It’s fascinating how many people love the show. At first I assumed it was just people in New York and Los Angeles who love the show, but I’ve travelled the world.

I know Ru has said drag will never be mainstream, but I tend to disagree with that. One great thing about the show is it makes drag queens a little less threatening. It’s taken off that rough edge of what most people might assume drag is.

It’s also rare to see a group of gay men on television interacting with one another.

Totally. I mean, 80% of the show we’re out of drag, so they get to see us as ‘people’ and hear our stories.

Roy outside of drag.

How did you manage to breeze through your season without the usual breakdowns and crises we see among reality TV contestants?

Well, that’s why I thought I wasn’t going to win! I didn’t have a crisis, I wasn’t left at a bus stop, I wasn’t mentally insane, so I assumed I wasn’t going to win because I didn’t have that sort of storyline.

When you’re filming, it’s all a blur — everything’s thrown at you in the moment — and I do well under pressure like that. I took every compliment and every critique with a grain of salt: ‘That’s what they think? Fine. Move on.’ I chose not to fight with the judges. If they told me they didn’t like something I’d say ‘Sure, fine, whatever.’ If you break down then, then they’ve got you. They know what your trigger point is. And besides, what did I care what they thought of me? As long as I made it to the next challenge.

Bianca being crowned Drag Race winner by RuPaul herself.

What did you think of the latest season of the show?

I did not watch it religiously yet, although I’ve met all the girls. Nobody was an asshole — yet.

It seems like there’s been a change among the contestants, even since you were on the show in season six. The queens are all on their best behaviour nowadays — nobody wants to be painted as the villain.

I think people think they’ve got it figured out, which is insane. You really don’t have control over what is going to happen. Aside from it being a competition, it’s also television — they’re also trying to create a juicy show here. Tensions run really high, and I was always the person to say what’s on my mind. I didn’t give a s**t. I knew If I said it, I’d have to own it. I think a lot of these people are afraid to do it.

Bianca Del Rio: ‘I knew if I said it, I’d have to own it.’

But were you nervous about getting a negative reaction?

A lot of people, particularly with social media nowadays, only want to hear good feedback — whereas I don’t give a s**t, you can say whatever the f**k you want and it does not bother me. I always say: 99% of the s**t people write, they would never say to your face. And they’re going to die, eventually they’re going to die. Then you’ve won!

What’s life like for an insult comic in 2017? Do you feel like you’re always a hair’s breadth away from a big public ‘backlash’?

I think funny is funny. I’ve dealt with plenty of people who don’t like my sense of humour, but I’m in a wig, I’ve already crossed the line. But everyone is a little too PC lately. Look at the situation with Kathy Griffin — I mean, that wasn’t funny. It was stupid on her part, she just wanted to stir up some s**t. If it had’ve been funny, I would’ve said ‘alright’. She’s that type of ‘comedian’ — and I use that term loosely, because I don’t find her funny. But I think when you do something like that, you better have the balls to back it up. Never apologise — you said it, so OWN IT.

Bianca Del Rio and Joan Rivers, a couple of bitches.

Joan Rivers always seemed to be getting in trouble in the last few years of her life, with people expecting her to offer grand apologies for her off-colour jokes.

She shouldn’t have to. She’s Joan f**king Rivers, for Christ’s sakes! You don’t like it? Don’t watch it. I’ve never understood that philosophy with people. I personally think the Kardashians are the biggest pile of s**t in the world, but I’m not blowing up their page telling them that, I just don’t entertain it. I don’t buy their magazines or their lipsticks, that’s how I deal with it.

Aussies can be ... lively audiences. Do you welcome hecklers?

I’ve had people who have done it and regretted it. But like I said, funny is funny, and if they come for me and it’s funny, I love it. Shockingly, most people are scared of me. But if they’ve got something to say, say it. They paid for a ticket, so I couldn’t give a s**t. But just be prepared of what’s to come!

Heckle all you want, but beware: Bianca bites.

Info: Bianca Del Rio tours Australia this November, presale tickets available from July 27:

SYDNEY — Thursday 9 November, Enmore Theatre.

BRISBANE — Friday 10 November, QPAC Concert Hall.

MELBOURNE — Saturday 11 November, Comedy Theatre.

CANBERRA — Monday 13 November, Canberra Theatre Centre.

ADELAIDE — Tuesday 14 November, Thebarton Theatre.

PERTH — Wednesday 15 November, Astor Theatre.

RuPaul’s Drag Race is available to stream on Stan.

Originally published as Drag Race star Bianca Del Rio: How to survive a stint as a reality show contestant