This article contains spoilers on who was eliminated from season six of Canada’s Drag Race, episode two.
By Bianca Guzzo
Last week, Canada was introduced to a new group of queens who will be competing to see who will be crowned Canada’s Next Drag Superstar in January. The season was off to a fiery start with a diverse group of queens taking to the werk room to show off their charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent.
Keeping with the grand tradition of Drag Race, nobody was eliminated during the first episode, meaning the pressure was officially on for the second challenge. Episode two saw our gorgeous queens splitting into groups to write, and star in commercials for cruise lines.
While every queen brought their best to the sound stage, there was tension within some of the groups and underdogs rose up and surprised the judges Brooke Lynn Hytes, Traci Melchor, Carson Kressley, and this week’s guest, internet makeup expert Glamzilla.
After an “In The Shadows” themed runway presentation, Saltina Shaker was crowned the week’s winner, giving her the power of the golden beaver to save one of the three bottom queens from lip syncing. With Hazel being handed the beaver, Sami Landry and Paolo Perfección were left to lip sync for their lives, eventually leading to Paolo being asked to sashay away and becoming the first elimination of the season.
Each week 29Secrets will be interviewing the eliminated queen. In an interview with Paolo, she admitted that though her time in the competition was short, it has given her so much, including true sisterhood.
Even though you were the first queen out, you still managed to make a splash. I am still thinking about your runway from last week. What was your favorite memory of your time on the show?
My favourite memory of the show? Honestly, I think the moment when I stopped stressing about the girls and I opened up. I feel like that allowed me to make amazing friends. Actually, that truly changed my life. You don’t understand. Making new connections, and it’s all girls that I know will always have my back, will always have unconditional love for me and vice versa. It’s just such a powerful experience.
In your exit interview at the end of the episode, you mentioned that you had found the sisterhood that you came in looking for. What else did you find out about yourself through the experience?
Oh my God. Let me tell you, diva. I think I went in there thinking, “Oh, it’s gonna be like Drag Race, whatever”. When I left, I told everyone I was going on a spiritual retreat, and in hindsight, that’s literally what I was doing because it taught me a lot about myself. I think there’s something about not being with your friends, not with anyone (who knows you). And you’re so in the moment, you have nothing else but to think about what’s going on in the present, which was very refreshing actually. I think it taught me that I still had a lot of the fears that I thought by getting on, I had already overcome, but I let creep back in. And I feel like it was a lot about healing in a way. It restored my faith in people. I don’t think I’ve ever been this loved in my life before. The outpour of love you get going on this show is insane. Like top 10, best loving experience of my life.
During that last challenge, you were given critique about making sure that you could be understood when you were saying your lines. Was there a point in the challenge or throughout that whole week where you thought you may end up on the chopping block?
No, actually! I thought I was gonna make it to the top, like everyone was laughing during my set, they were loving it. So, I was like, “Oh my God, I’m so killing it! I’m taking the Crown.” Plus, I was like, “I’m wearing a trash bag. They’re gonna live for me this week Mama!”
Season 6 is filled with such an amazing group of queens. This season honestly had one of the best premieres I’ve watched in a while. What was the one thing you thought you uniquely brought to the group?
I think I brought a different perspective. Like I said, like I don’t have a background in actual drag culture. Like I wasn’t performing at gay clubs and doing all of that. So, I feel like whatever my aesthetic was, especially at that time, was truly influenced by whatever has influenced me in the past. Whereas I think you can all see where they’re from, who they’re hanging out with by the way they dress. They all have their niche, but not reinventing the wheel. But also, I feel like none of them would be wearing a trash bag…just saying.
So, who or what was inspiring you while you were preparing for the show?
I don’t know. I feel like inspiration just comes in the spur of the moment, right? Like you just need to catch the vibe.
Being kicked out first makes you iconic in your own way, but it also means that you miss out on a lot of the iconic Drag Race challenges. So, was there a challenge that you were most looking forward to that you didn’t get to compete in?
Ugh, babe… a sewing challenge. I can’t talk about it right now. That would’ve changed everything for me, actually. Baby, I would’ve chewed them up!
What do you hope that viewers and fans take from your time on the show?
I hope they realize that I was only in two episodes that were literally about me (laughs). It’s not about the amount of time you’re there, it’s about the time you’ve had. I think that I’m really grateful for all the positivity, and all the edits I’m getting. I’ve had such a good adventure and good reactions coming from it. So maybe you win some you lose some, and I think at the end of the day there’s such a cool It Girl factor of leaving early.
Oh 100%. I’m big into manifesting, so I want to know, in a year’s time, where do you hope to see yourself? What do you want to put out into the universe so that it comes back to Paolo Perfección?
I love that diva. I’m such a manifester. Right now, I’m working on some music, modelling, runaways, anything! I feel like, whatever I feel like doing that day, let’s put it out there!
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- Follow all of our weekly Canada’s Drag Race interviews for season six right here.
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