The heart of season 12 also tells Out that being from a small town is a double-edged sword.
Mikelle Street*This post contains spoilers from the latest episode of RuPaul's Drag Race season 12.
The writing was on the wall. It truly was.
After a heartwarming turn on season 12 of RuPaul's Drag Race, small town queen Heidi N. Closet-Ho-Hydrates-Afrodite has finally been sent home. The move comes after the performer awed viewers not only with her performance ability, but also her comedy and personality, quickly becoming the heart of the season— the combination seemingly makes her a shoe-in for the season's Miss Congeniality.
Heidi's trajectory on Drag Race was one of marked improvement. Though her dance ability was known by all via her debut, her aesthetics — which she initially struggled with — gradually upped as well. On her final runway, the competitor wore one of her strongest gowns of the season, leading Michelle Visage, who is notably the harshest critic, to give Heidi her due. Still, four times in the bottom is usually a nonstarter — especially when you're going against a star performer like Jaida Essence Hall.
Here, we talk to Heidi about what it was like to have the world fall in love with her, what she was able to bring to the show, and whether or not she's changing her name like RuPaul pushed her to.
What has the response been like so far? Everyone seems to really be in love with you.
The response has been something that I never would have expected and has been overwhelmingly positive. I am happy to receive so much love and I’m hoping I can give it all back. I’m enjoying every last second of it.
Do you feel like you showed what you hoped to show in the competition?
Yes! Everything I came to show, I did. I showed I can dance, that I have talent and I wanted to show the world who I was as a person and I feel like I did that in spades.
Do you think that coming from a small-town had you at a disadvantage?
It had its ups and downs. From a small town you don’t have the same resources, but you also don't have to go in with the pressure of feeling like you have to make a city proud so it is definitely a double-edged sword.
Are you going to change your name? And what was that like to have Ru constantly insist that you do?
The season is not over, so you may just need to keep tuning in to find out if the name has changed. Ru may have not liked the original name, but at least he knew my name and I knew I wasn’t going to be forgotten.
You spoke about the fact that you only made $9,000 last year — what was it like making over half of that in one night? Can you talk about how Drag Race changed your life in terms of finances?
It was incredible. It was definitely a life changing experience and opened my eyes to so many things that I am capable of. It gave me a platform to reach so many people and to be a spokesperson for people like me.
What’s the must-see or must-do in Ramseur, North Carolina?
Oh honey! The gas station I worked at is pretty nice I guess!
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