HEADER BY YOSEF PHELAN
SPECIAL THANKS TO JASMINE ALOMA AT THE BBC

After the season five premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK failed to initiate a new recruit into Gothy Kendoll, Joe Black, Anubis and Just May’s “Royal Family” of first-outs, a queen has now been sent packin’. The dreaded design challenge popped in for this week’s episode, with the cast creating an outfit from pet store items (camp!).

Banksie emerged supreme, while Naomi Carter’s “rotten” ensemble and Alexis Saint Pete’s tribute to her dead fish, Jonny, landed them in the bottom two. A fierce lip-sync smackdown to Tiesto and Charli XCX’s cunty dance banger ‘Hot In It’ resulted in the season’s first “sashay away” for Alexis. In a video call from Poland, the choreo queen tells GAY TIMES her theory behind her exit: “It had nothing to do with what I was presenting [on the runway], it was the energy that I brought with me.”

As the series’ first Polish queen, Alexis says she had “such a big responsibility” representing her country, particularly due to their barbaric ‘LGBT-free’ zones. As The House of Hidden Meanings author RuPaul would say, Alexis’ “inner saboteur” got the better of her. Read ahead for our interview with Alexis Saint-Pete, where she reflects on her Drag Race UK experience, why she fumbled in the lip-sync and which famous maxi-challenge she wants to “eliminate” from the series.

Alexis! How are you?

I’m good! I think I’m better than what I thought I’d be. I’m still buzzing. 

Are you back in Poland now? 

Yesterday we watched episode two and went straight to the airport to catch flight to Poland, and I just did an interview for Good Morning Poland. 

Oh, so I’m your second interview of the day? I see how it is…

But listen, you’re special to me. So, we have something that nobody else has. 

We really do, which is why I’m sad to see you go. How did you feel at the time of your elimination? Take me back to when RuPaul told you to sashay away…

Honestly, I feel like since day one of my entry, I got into my head. So, I got a little bit stressed out. I just had such a big responsibility, representing [Poland]. Everything I was doing, I was going by the rulebook. Like, what I needed to say and represent, make sure that people from my country don’t hate me and that the UK loves me. There was a lot going on in my head. On the day of elimination, I was getting to the confident part. I enjoyed my look and I thought Jonny the Fish was camp. I was like, ‘I’m not expecting to be a winner, but at least safe.’ Listen, it’s what it is.