This article contains spoilers on who was eliminated from season six of Canada’s Drag Race, episode eight.
This week’s episode of Canada’s Drag Race saw the remaining five queens competing in the semi-finals. Brooke announced that this week, the queens would be running a Canada’s Drag Race marathon through four separate challenges that would test their Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and of course, Talent.
Each round would crown a winner, earning them a spot in the finale, and excusing them from the following challenges. The Charisma challenge saw all five queens lip syncing to a rap verse about each season of the show, filled with memorable moments from seasons one through five. PM, took the win, and the first finale spot. Round two (Uniqueness) gave the remaining four another design challenge, where they had to transform the same black mini dress into something uniquely them. Unsurprisingly, Van Goth took the win on that one and became the undisputed design challenge champ of the season.
The Nerve challenge was a performance of a dramatic monologue in matching satin dresses. Eboni La’Belle blew the judges away with her raw and emotional performance, securing her a spot in the finale. This left Sami Landri and Karamilk as the bottom two, and their Talent challenge was a good ol’ fashioned lip sync to “Fix You” by Vita Chambers. After a very tight performance, Sami took the last finale spot, sending Karamilk home.
Each week 29Secrets will be interviewing the eliminated queen. In an interview with Karamilk, the Toronto queen talks about speaking up in the werk room, how she surprised herself the most during the competition, and choosing kindness in drag.
You got emotional around the table in the workroom at the beginning of this week’s episode. Looking back, do you still resonate with those feelings or do you see your journey on the show through a different perspective?
No, I definitely resonate with those feelings. I think being there, especially this season, everyone was so, so competitive and I think there were moments where we also forgot that, yes, it’s a competition, but, there’s humans here. We’re people, we have feelings. I think I did feel a little discounted and I felt like I wasn’t really seen as competition.
I think there’s also stuff that you don’t get to see on tv, so there was stuff that happened that led up to that moment behind the scenes. But yes, I think I do stand by with what I said and I’m kind of happy that I spoke up. I think after that moment, especially me and Eboni, we really connected, so I think it allowed the girls to know how I was feeling and let them in, and then allow myself to have that support, which is what you really need through the competition.
Speaking of which, you had a really candid and important conversation with Eboni when you were designing your dresses about tokenism in the drag community, and sometimes the intricacies of sisterhood in such a competitive environment. Why was it important for you to have those conversations with Eboni on camera?
It was so funny, because I think that conversation was one of the times where I felt like there were no cameras, and it was a moment that kind of took us outside of the competition. And I think you’re there for so long that to be there and to be seen by somebody who looks like you, who acts like you, and can actually connect with you.
Eboni was the only person who I felt like I could see myself in, so to be able to connect with her, and to have that conversation just took my brain away from the competition and allowed me to just breathe, but then also allowed me to be like, “there are people here that see me. There are people here that relate to me.” It was so important. I will always remember that moment. I think when we left the competition we were like “Girl, that was such a great conversation. Let’s have more of those.”
This episode put the queens through it! You competed in a marathon of four challenges. Which one made you most nervous going into it?
Honestly, none of them [laughs]. I mean, maybe the design, but I feel like—no, I don’t. I wasn’t nervous ’cause I felt like I did well on the last challenge. So, I was like, “oh, I know what to do”. If anything, I think the only thing that made me nervous was the lip sync because I felt like I lip synced a lot already on the show. So, I was like, “what can I do that’s gonna be different and stand out to the judges for them to keep me?” If anything, that was the only thing that I was kind of like, “oh no, like, I’m a little nervous”. But all the other challenges I felt really proud of.
You have a background in acting, and musical theatre. Obviously, there’s an overlap with the performance aspect of both theatre and drag, but I want to know what skills from other parts of your life have you been able to incorporate into your drag?
Wow! I mean, I grew up with a competitive dancing background, so that’s something that really comes into drag. But also, my tools of leadership, like I was in leadership growing up, and then when I moved to Ottawa, I worked for Capital Pride, which is Ottawa Pride and then worked for Toronto Pride.
And I think I just learned a lot of tools and things about leadership, but also about the drag scene, and what drag performers want, and the etiquette in a drag room. But also, from the side of booking a drag performer, to being the drag performer. I think having the mindset of that dual perspective has benefited me in the drag scene.
What surprised you the most about yourself throughout the competition?
That I can design, or sew, or hot glue [laughs]. That I could make an outfit!
If you could give pre-Canada’s Drag Race Karamilk one piece of advice before stepping into the werk room, what would you tell her?
Speak your mind girl! I think there were a lot of moments where I held back a little bit, but that’s also the type of person I am. I’m like, “if it’s not my time to speak, or if I don’t have anything to say, or if it doesn’t involve me, it’s none of my business”. But I think in this competition, the way to integrate yourself, you kind of have to speak up, and speak up more. So, I think that’s one thing I would be like, “speak your mind. Speak what you’re feeling. Just say how you’re feeling and don’t leave anything on the table.”
As a viewer, your constant effort to uplift your sisters and competitors did not go unnoticed. In an industry or environment where being shady or negative is often the norm, or even rewarded, why is it important for you to be kind?
Because I think there has to be that kind person. I mean, I’ve been in the back rooms, I’ve heard all the talk. I’ve heard people be like, “Oh, your lace line” or “your lashes”, or like, make comments about somebody’s outfit. And it’s like, at the end of the day, like, what’s the point?
You know what I mean? What is the benefit of that? And also, yes, you can be laughing now, but how does that person actually feel opposed to you being like, “you did so great tonight”, or offering words of affirmation. I think those are things that people should be saying and should be doing because that’s what’s gonna make them a better performer.
I mean, you can give constructive criticism, but I think there’s a way to do it. I just love seeing people be happy and living their most authentic self. So, I think for them to do that, you have to give them those words of affirmation. Make them feel like they’re comfortable and in a safe space.
One last question, Where do you want to see Karamilk in a year’s time?
A year’s time? I would say more money for sure. But a dream of mine would just be to be on tour. I would love to do Drag Race Vegas. That would be so, so fun! I think just to be performing more on a larger scale and in different countries, which would be a dream. I really wanna go to Australia, but I just wanna perform more, lip sync, not on your screens, but in person.
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- Follow all of our weekly Canada’s Drag Race interviews for season six right here.
