Rainbow Crew is an ongoing interview series that celebrates the best LGBTQ+ representation on screen. Each instalment showcases talent working on both sides of the camera, including queer creatives and allies to the community.
Next up, we're talking to Blu Hydrangea about her triumphant time on Drag Race UK vs the World. Spoilers follow.
Blu Hydrangea has absolutely blossomed this season, perhaps more than any other queen on Drag Race UK vs the World. Now that's not to say this cheeky Irish lass performed badly in her first season, not by any means. But this time round, it's clear that Blu has grown into her potential, both as a drag artist and as a person out of drag too.
Ahead of the finale, Digital Spy caught up with winner Blu Hydrangea to discuss Snatch Game, lipstick controversy, and the growing conversations around their gender identity.
We love everything you've been doing on UK Vs the World.
Thank you so much. So you're not Team Pangina, then?
We're Team Both! Which made that episode very hard for us, we're not going to lie.
[laughs] I know. That's what some people were saying. They were smiling when I won, and crying when she went home.
We were literally that meme. So jumping in now, do you feel like you had a home advantage coming from the UK, or did you feel more pressure representing the host country?
The team that run Drag Race are super-incredible in the UK, especially. Well, that's all I know. All my little buddies were there that looked after us, and they were so good. But being in front of Ru for the first time, I imagine, has its advantages too, because you're fresh to it. Like, Jamie and Pangina, had never been in front of Ru. Jimbo, I don't think had either, or Lemon.
They were able to then be fresh on Ru's eyes, whereas Ru had already seen all this "much-better" stuff, you know? [laughs] We had to almost then do more to impress her, you know?
You're very honest and up-front on the show, especially in the Werk Room, like when you reminded Mo that you'd had an awkward meeting before Drag Race. Where does that come from?
I think it's a very Northern Irish thing. You just have to be honest. I did say to myself before I went in that I was not going to be the same wallflower that I was in the first season – although I was all like, "Despunk my balls" and all that.
I felt like I watched the episodes back, and I was barely present in the room. Whereas this time, I was ready to just go in and say how I was feeling. Because the reality of Drag Race is, you only get this opportunity – well, for Jujubee, like five times. For me or a normal person, it’s maybe twice.
I just wanted to not have any regrets for things I didn't say, because I think anything can be a learning moment. If you speak about things, other people can kind of see themselves in those moments, you know?
Speaking of growth, it was wonderful to see you win Snatch Game. Did you expect to do as well as you did this time around?
Well, I put a lot of preparation into this Snatch Game. Me and my partner, we got the call, and we were just rhine-stoning things, and we were like, "What movie should we put on? Austin Powers? Great." And then we were like, "Eureka, that's it!"
I feel like it was very stressful. The UK has a lot to live up to, for Snatch Game, because the UK's season 1 killed it with Snatch Game, with Viv and Baga – that was potentially one of the best ever Snatch Game moments.
I don’t consider myself the funniest queen. I’m definitely not like a stand-up comedian or anything. But Snatch Game is strategic. You have to direct RuPaul, and have all these conversational moments. But you have to be in control of all of it because it's your jokes that you have to then put into these moments.
So I think the first time, I got to grips with Snatch Game a little bit. But this time, I kind of understood: "This is what I need to do."
It's such a tough challenge.
It's the worst challenge in Drag Race, absolutely. I imagine even the biggest contenders will tell you that it's the scariest – apart from Baga, who just loves it. But lots of things go in one ear with Baga, and out the other. Snatch Game, though, she gets it.
In the Werk Room, you opened up about your gender identity in a really beautiful way. Thank you for doing that. A year on, do you feel more liberated now that this conversation has aired on telly?
Absolutely, yeah. I've actually had members of my family message me, and be like, "I didn't know that this is how you felt" and stuff like that. Maybe this is just a thing in Ireland or something. But my family are usually like: we don't talk about problems, and stuff like that, and with the way we're feeling all the time.
It's more of a jokey thing. We joke with each other. So it was really nice to be able to– without me having to go around every single person, saying, "This is how I'm feeling." It was just aired to the world.
But, yeah, it was really liberating. I feel like I'm still learning a lot about myself. I did a lot for Blu up until that moment – getting into the final and stuff. I felt like I could be like, "Right, this is what I've achieved for Blu. It's time to take some time for Josh."
I was able to do that – since the show. I've lost weight. I've got a nice haircut. I've tried new clothes. I feel like I'm in such a better place, and that's what's important. I love that this conversation that I had was able to touch people, which is the main reason why I had the conversation.
I wouldn't normally put myself in vulnerable positions like that, but that's an important thing to do when you're on a show like Drag Race. It's a platform. We need to use it.
There's a lot of controversy around the lipsticks these days. What are your thoughts on this All-Stars format and the drama it brings?
I think it's good TV. It adds something. Like, if you're going to be a great Drag Queen, win your original season, you know? All-Stars is like: "We need to up the ante. We need to add in a few obstacles." I think that that's just what it is. You need to be strategic. You need to be nice to the people around you. You need to be good at drag.
People are like, "This is not the top four that deserve the crown." That's what they're saying about us right now. But the reality is, we survived this crazy-ass season. We deserve a crown, OK? We had to monkey-bar across all these crocodiles coming up from beneath us, and we made it to the end, and that's the most important thing, you know?
100%. It’s really unfair to discredit anyone who's come this far.
Absolutely. I mean, apart from Juju – no, just kidding [laughs].
What would it mean for you to win UK vs The World?
It would mean so much to me. Drag Race is my favourite TV show. I literally remember watching Drag Race on one-percent volume on E4 on a Thursday at 2am in the morning on a school night, and just being so obsessed with these beautiful creatures.
I think for me to go all the way from that — Oh my God. It's just going to be life-changing. And to be Northern Irish – Irish. The whole of the island of Ireland represented on a global scale, would be incredible. Because if I were to win this, I feel like this would be above All-Stars, because on All-Stars they compete against people from the same country as them.
So this is global. If you win this, you're the queen of the mother-tucking world.
You've won everything. There's nothing else left to win.
That's it! It would just be epic, and I would be so thankful. And I'd just love to represent for the queerdos like me.
Drag Race: The UK vs The World is available on BBC Three in the UK and WOW Presents Plus internationally.
