After delivering two electrifying lip syncs, Elektra Fence was the latest queen to get eliminated from the ongoing third season of RuPaul's Drag Race UK. This time, Elektra faced off another dancing diva, Vanity Milan, in a lip sync to the tune of "Moving On Up" by M People. In the end, Mama Ru asked Vanity to shantay.
In an interview with Out, Elektra Fence dished all that happened during her journey on Drag Race UK.
Out: First of all, how's your day so far?
Elektra Fence: It's good, I've been in press all day. Helicopters are flying around my house because they want pictures. I can't leave the house, I can't go shopping. Everyone wants a piece of me.
Oh my god, that must be exciting and awful.
Oh, it's amazing. I just want a loaf of bread to be honest with you.
I saw your latest post on Instagram talking about how happy you are with your Drag Race journey. How would you describe your experience?
I had so much fun on the show. It was just a great time and, obviously, I wish I could have stayed longer. I wish I stayed till the end, obviously, like everybody else does. But it is what it is. Maybe it wasn't my time. But there's always All Stars.
So let's get into this episode. In the mini challenge, Krystal Versace gave you the "BOGOF" (next eliminated) badge. How did it feel to receive this badge while you were trying to shake off what happened last week?
I'm quite a strong person, so it didn't really affect me. I was just like...it was predictable, wasn't it? She was obviously going to give it to me, I was the easiest target. So I was like, 'Okay, of course.' But I wanted to prove her wrong and that didn't work, did it?
Later in the episode, you talked about bleaching your freckles. Do you have any advice for kids who might be going through similar experiences? Can you talk about what you went through?
Yeah, so I didn't actually bleach my freckles. I thought about it, I wanted to. [But] I never did it, that wouldn't be advisable. I don't think anyone should do that. But the advice I'd give to people who are getting bullied is don't listen to them. If those bitches don't pay your bills, pay those bitches no mind. And just don't worry about it now because when you get older, it will be in the past, and you will grow and you'll learn. 'You can't change the past, but you can change the future' is what I always say. So don't listen to the bullies, they're not worth it, they're not worth your time.
I want to talk about your runway. You wore a hooded outfit and what you described as "Auntie Julie hair." What were some of your references for this runway look?
Gandalf the Grey. No, it was...choices. 'Choices,' as Tatiana says. Yeah, I'm just looking at the dress now, it's currently on the floor. [Elektra grabs the dress from the floor] So much material now of this dress, I could make it into a gorgeous backdrop. Yeah. Decisions were made. And that is that.
Got it. So let's talk about this actual challenge on Drag Race UK. You're a trained dancer, so you felt like this was your challenge to win. How confident did you feel going into it?
Oh, I was confident going into it, yeah. I thought I did well in the rehearsals and everything else. And then I think adrenaline, as Michelle [Visage] said, adrenaline took over me. But they showed what they showed...and yeah, I just think I could have done better. I think if we did it one more time, I think it would've been better. But it is what it is. And yeah, I thought it was my challenge, but not this time. But you live and you learn.
How was it to work with Oti Mabuse from Strictly Come Dancing?
Oh my God, that is my dream to do that show. I want to do that so bad. And I've been a fan of Oti's for years, she's such a star and such a lovely human being. And she's absolutely stunning. I wanted to hug her, but we weren't allowed because of social distancing at the time. So, that was a shame. But other than that, it was amazing. Oti was so complimentary and just such a lovely energy to be around.
In the deliberations, the judges pointed out that you were slightly ahead of the group in the choreography. Did you notice that during the performance or was it something you only realized while watching the episode back?
I realized it during the performance, I was like, 'Oh God, I've gone a bit too fast here.' It's because I think I went ahead of the click track. So, that happened. It happened, it happened, and I can't do anything about it. But yeah, I think if I had my time again, I think I would've held back a bit and just controlled it and just done what was necessary.
Watching the episode, it also seemed to me that you were only ahead at the very beginning of the choreography. Can you correct me if I'm wrong?
Yeah, it was only the beginning that I was ahead. And then everything else was everything else.
So, it was announced that Krystal won the maxi challenge. I was a little surprised. Were you surprised by her win?
I thought Vanity was going to win. But the judges see what the judges see and they said Krystal deserved to win, so Krystal deserved to win. But Krystal, I will give Krystal this: in rehearsals, Krystal wasn't the best, but when it came to the actual live performance, she was incredible. And they didn't show enough of her on the TV. I thought she was incredible. I was so proud of her. Krystal was incredible, I thought, but Vanity for me was the winner.
After hearing the critiques and knowing who's in the bottom three and in the top three, did you think someone else in the top three was going to win?
I thought Kitty [Scott-Claus] could have won as well. Kitty was really good. Yeah, Kitty could've won as well.
Like you, some queens were shocked that Vanity was in the bottom with you. Did you think you were going to lip sync against someone else?
I thought I was going to lip sync against Charity [Kase] to be honest with you. Charity or Scarlet [Harlett]. But yeah, it was what it was. They wanted a great lip sync, they got a good lip sync.
Regardless of any outcome, I want to commend you for fighting so hard both times that you had to lip sync for your life on Drag Race UK. What was going through your head when you landed in the bottom the first week?
I wanted to show the judges what I was made of. I wanted to show everyone else what I can do, and I wanted to perform. I missed performing. We hadn't done any live performances in ages. I just wanted to go hell for leather and just show everyone what I can do.
And are you a Little Mix fan? Because it seemed like you had that song in your bones.
I'm such a huge fan. I love everything about Little Mix. I love all of the songs. I'm excited because Jessie has just released on Instagram that she's going to release something at 6:00pm, and I've got a feeling it's the new track with Nicki Minaj. I'm so excited!
Going into this week, how did you feel about landing in the bottom two again?
Krystal cursed me. She knew it. She planned it. [laughs] I was gutted, but as I said, it is what it is. And I think if I had chosen a different runway number, maybe I wouldn't have been in the bottom. Maybe I just would've been safe. But yeah, the judges' decisions are the right decisions, so that's what happened.
When you realized that you were at least in the bottom three, did you feel like the writing was on the wall and this was probably going to be your week to go home? Or did you feel like there was a real chance that you could just stay?
I felt like there could have been a chance. In my head, I thought there might be a Double Shantay. I think maybe it was written on the wall, but I didn't check out, I never checked out. I was going to give them a show and I gave them a good show.
And that dive off the stage! What was going through your head? Was that something that occurred to you in the moment or was it something you planned?
I don't think people actually know what really happened. What really happened when the cameras cut, Vanity actually pushed me. [laughs] I'm joking, I'm joking, don't print that! No, what was going through my head was like, 'I'm going to run and I'm just going to run and dive off that stage and leave on a big bang.' And I did, I just ran for it. And that was quite a low stage to be honest, I was expecting a higher stage.
Well, it looks very high on TV.
It is high, it's quite high actually.
'Is she going to jump from there?' You jumped.
When I was asked that question at a show of mine, 'Is she going to jump from there?' She's going to jump.
What's next for Elektra Fence?
There's a lot coming, keep your eyes peeled! I can't say some things that are coming because I will get shot or taken off or fined. But there are a lot of things coming. Just follow me on all my socials, @elektrafence on Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Cameo. There are quite a lot of things coming up that you'll need to keep your eyes peeled for.
New episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race UK will premiere every Thursday at 11am PT/2pm ET in the US and in select territories exclusively on WOW Presents Plus, day-and-date with its local airing on BBC3 in the UK!
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