In her GAY TIMES exit interview, Tayris Mongardi spills on her “mercy kill” exit, representing her Jamaican and Black identity, and her relationship with on-screen lover Catrin.
SPECIAL THANKS TO NIALL HAY AND ELOISE LONGDEN AT THE BBC
“It’s gutting to be eliminated so close to the final,” says Tayris Mongardi. “But did I think I was going to win the season the next week? Probably not.”
On this week’s episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, the final five took the stage for a roast of their fellow contestants, fallen queens and the judging panel. Tayris delivered some of the sharpest burns of the night, calling her on-screen lover Catrin Feelings “incapable of beauty” and dubbing Paige Three “Beige Three.” Fans widely praised her set — but despite the applause, Tayris landed in the lip-sync smackdown against Catrin, who ultimately sent her packin’.
“It’s Mama Ru’s decision, and just like the lip-sync song ‘Mama Knows Best,’ she told me it was my time to go back to the house,” Tayris tells Gay Times. “I take it with love and respect, and I’m sure she’ll ring the phone and take me to All Stars one day.”
Though Tayris left the competition without a RuPeter Badge or a spot in the top four, she accomplished something far more meaningful: representing her culture and heritage as a Jamaican and Black queen. Here, she opens up about her “volatile reaction” to her elimination, the “emotional nuances” of being a Black queen on Drag Race UK and – this part is juicy! – the current status of her relationship with Catrin.
Honestly, it’s been really nice. Watching the episode, you kind of have to imagine the worst-case scenario of how it’s all going to play out. Obviously I knew I went home, so I was like, ‘Okay, well this edit’s going to be rough. I’m going to look awful.’ But watching it back, I was like, ‘I’m actually kind of fine.’ It probably helped a little bit, in my opinion, there wasn’t a huge margin between the best of the roast and the worst of the roast, so it wasn’t like I got dog walked – I say dressed as a dalmatian! Honestly, it’s been really lovely and the reception online has been kind. Yeah, I’m very happy.
As they should! Rally the troops.
