DRAG RACE DEBRIEF: Rhys Nicholson 💃

Is It Just Me?

Podcast by a couple of mitches don't suck it up? Yes, Hello, Welcome to the finale week of Drag Race Dbrief. The winner of down Under Season two has been crowned, and today we're going to be hearing.

From Reece Nicholson, one of the judges.

Of course, normally at this time every week we'd be debriefing with the queens after they've left the show. But funnily enough, would you believe, after a big weekend of celebrating, none of the top three were available for media on a Monday. Now, we weren't specifically told that they were too hungover for any commitments, but I'm sure we can all read between the lines there and fair enough.

Good on.

Then we'll catch up with them later in the week instead talking all about the season finale and season two as a whole, which really that means lucky you more than one Drag Race Debrief.

Bonus episode this week.

You're just gonna have to make sure you've got notifications turned on so you don't miss that episode when it drops. But for now, Mitch and I caught up with Reez Nicholson right after he finished filming for season two.

It's ree Hello a.

Oh thank god you've got a fancy mike. I hate it when people sound shit on zoom.

Well, I'm this has been the thing about this whole pandemic, and this is all I've taken from it, is that how many people do not know in this business how to use a computer or just have thing like for people that work in media, there's.

Some real morons around.

Hi. I'm so happy to be here, Reees.

This is so exciting. Welcome to the show. How are you? Thanks for being here.

I'm good. How are you guys?

It's a pleasure. I'm still in my own home, so I couldn't give a shit.

Where are you guys? Where are you?

We're in the studio, we're in iHeartRadio HQ. I saw that you were in New Zealand, though, I mean were You're filming the new season of Drag Race down Under? Is that wrapped?

Yeah? Yeah, yeah we filmed it in New Zealand.

No one knows why, but we do it, no one, I think, just it was floated early on and just no one questioned it.

No.

Yeah, I was just in New Zealand doing that, and yeah, now I'm back. I had a great time.

How was it?

Was it like really really fun this time?

Yeah, well, well you say that like the first time wasn't.

No, Well, I kind of like it was very fun, but I also wasn't dead behind the eyes terrified about the fact that I was sitting next to Raupaul and.

Oh yeah, I was actually saying just before, I was like, I wonder how Reithe feels about that being his identify now, Like, oh, wreaths from drag Race, even though you were working your guts off for years in stand up comedy, that's kind of become Oh he's from drag Race.

Oh look, if some of those drag Race people by tickets to my shows, I don't.

Care how I don't care.

You don't even have to turn up the But I think I think generally as well, like just I don't I don't mind it. I see you know I could be known for worse shows. Well, yeah, I think I like this year. I think was different as well because I feel like the girls as well, without giving anything away, but the contestants as well didn't have to feel like they were on the first season of drag Race down Under, so there was like a little bit of I think they were a little bit kind of freer as well.

Oh well, looking forward. We were at the premiere when it happened to like because it was kind of in that weird pocket where COVID was around. But then it stopped and then we were all sort of free and we had the premiere. It was great. Now the Queen's came and the excitement for the season was crazy. So yeah, I'm really pumped for I'm really pumped.

For the NICs.

That creepy video from Canada that looked right, you couldn't be there, that's right.

I interviewed Michelle Vassage like last week for my radio show, and she is ali, Oh my god, because I was like you, I mean, I'm not to the same extent you're sitting next to her on the show and hosting with her, but interviewing her, I was, I was intimidated because the amount of weight that she has in a young gay man's mind, Like I watched, I watch every

Absolutely, Like and I you know, same with both of them.

You kind of go in thinking and you kind of have in the back of your head you're a little bit prepared that, oh, these people could.

Be monsters, yes, Like yeah not, but just because I don't think.

I think it's really tough to be that famous, wealthy for that long and not.

Become a bit of a monster.

And both of them are just the loveliest, most real, Like I've never met a more interested person than Rue, Like, like he just wants to know everything about like how your day was, and he wants to know about your family.

Really sort of doss a about us all.

But Michelle is like, Michelle's like my buddy now, like I feel like this second year as well, kind of like we have lunches together and we go for walks and so she's just she's also the most probably the most professional person I've ever fucking met, Like she just like and you would have seen it in the interview as well. She's just a media trained, incredibly funny like she just don't I don't know.

I've been impressed with.

Her before, and she knows what she's doing in an interview, and she knows to give you what you need, and she knows how to tease people and how to push the line.

Yeah, I don't know, I just really love it.

Yeah.

I don't know if you know this meet, but she was in a girl group when she was like sixteen. Then she did right, yes, seduction. Her and Rude did a radio show in New York City a lot, Yeah, a radio show, and then they she.

Used to do like a morning zoo show for years and years.

She has been working in the industry for so long.

So those two go way back.

And then reads did you feel like a bit of a third wheel coming into that equation?

Yeah?

Best friend and they they I think almost made an effort to make sure that they didn't feel that way. Like when we were last year, when we were in quarantine, she called. We were both in quarantine, separate hotels, and she called me and was like such a number and was like lit's and like she was putting on makeup.

I don't know if this is a boring story.

We both love seafood and we're in Auckland always looking for like a place that we could go and eat some seafood.

Yeah, And I was like.

Oh, I think I found a place, and she was like, oh, great, maybe I'll invite a couple of the producers. And then when I turned up, there the entire like world of Wonder Crew and rouh my God, like Raven and all these people like sitting at the time, and I was like, oh hi, and oh yes, right, ride sat down. He went so why did we come here? And Michelle went, oh, Reese picked it. And I was like, shut up, the person that picked this. And it was all fine, But I don't know it was the.

Shoot was the food ship because nothing worse, like you said when you recommend something that it's terrible, and it's all it was.

It was good, but it was that thing that anytime someone said, oh that's not how I expected it, or anytime like a drink was a bit turned yeah, and also like, I don't know, this isn't like it's very la as well. None of the none of the American people really kind of drink. And I'm not making a statement about that. It's like they're all very healthy, very good people. Yeah, and I'm different to that, and so I'd always just have to be like down the end of the table, like and I.

Can to get four more white wine, thank you very much.

Just leave the box seafood you need, you need something to wash it all day?

Absolutely so that they don't, but no, it is.

It is a little kind of family, and it is like a weird sometimes I just have I'll be sitting on the panel and I'm sure the queens must have this on a minute by minute basis, but you're seeing there going like, what a weird job this is? Yeah, Like it is really you know, look at these look at all these people dressed up as women, and I'm going to tell them whether they're good at that or not, and that will depend on whether they lip sync, and then they might go home like that's it, what a wild job?

Yeah?

Do you feel like I feel like when people get jobs as judges, they kind of make jokes like, oh, I'm getting paid to be judgmental. This is fantastic. But do you sometimes feel like, oh god, I don't want to be mean, Like I would actually hate being a judge totally.

Well, I'm definitely the polar abdul of the group.

I put myself as the kind of like, yeah, I think I'm the in that I don't know where I am a lot of time, and I think I probably have a history with.

Pills, but the allegedly allegedly.

But no, I mean I kind of because I'm really passionate about drag, but I don't do drag. Yeah, Like, and so I would never I'm never going to tell one of those girls like that eye isn't right and

You like it?

Yeah, is there a smokers room. Is there a back alley? I can just have a cigarette with one of these?

Did you have many fond memories of trash Alley at Arc as well? Because that place is near and dear to my heart and now it's closed.

I know, and I you know what, I probably have some memories, but I do not have access to them anymow.

Yeah right, yeah, they're foggy as fun when.

I was there.

Right, Well, that's exciting. We're looking forward to drag race down under our season two. That'll be fun. And congratulations because that is such a good get and you're right, it's that role that you're feeling is like the Carson Crasley, the Ross Matthews. It's like you're just there to entertain

No, no, it's all there.

No?

And that that was quite a shock to me. Last year, I thought there would be.

A lot more production.

Yeah, evolved.

I thought there might be some riders, No, none of that, And that's the wild thing as well. And I feel like I'm just sucking up to my bosses now, but like ruined Michelle, leave me in the dust with that shit. Like so like the system and I feel like I

Once you're on the desk, you're stuck there for a bit. You're staying how much of.

What you say actually makes the final cut? Because I if I was on a show like that, I'd be watching it back going ah, they bloody edged out that funny thing I said.

See luckily for me, very little of what I said. There are so many things that you just blurt out that you're like, oh oh yeah, that's not and also just bad part like just silly.

I mean, but the ones that did.

The one that sticks out to me from SO one my first episode last year, I was so nervous and like there was just no not prep but like you're just kind of thrown in and you would be yeah, yeah, And there's a line that I just blurted out that was like, well I do like balls slapping on my arm.

I remember, Yeah, that one definitely made the caunt And it's like.

I don't even remember saying that, and like, but it was there. It was there. I think it's just so.

Like you just say what you're thinking and then they just cut around. I don't know, I feel like that was really boring answer, but it is. I'm glad that they don't put in a lot of the stuff.

Well, you're in the what is it called the Rue Cinematic Universe, the RuPaul Child Year, you know, I'm just calling it that now, you're the can't wait for the respin Off.

Yeah. If ever, like VH one makes some like poorly produced documentary in like twenty years about it can be like one of the most available people to do a talking bit.

Yeah, well he hasn't spoken to me in ten years.

But let me tell you a story about a fish and chip restaurant. You've told us many times.

You guys kind of have a similar origin story rates because you now work at the radio station on air, but you started as a street teamer. Yeah, and didn't you start working in the box office race?

Is that right?

Yes? I did look at you doing your researches.

I used to work at the n More Theater in the box office for years and that it got to the point where people would come in to buy tickets to my show No, and that got to be embarrassing, so I quick my job there. But it is tell you what, if you've ever worked in ticketing, there's no quicker way to find out that most people in the world are idiots ticketing. The amount of calls that we will get every day that were just the most dumb questions of people, like you know what a ticket It

It takes a certain type of person to really hone in on the fine print of a ticket, like I'm just like what Dora am I at? As I arrive, I don't read the BF.

People are so dumb.

People are so dumb and like and I and I hated that jet like I did it for long. I thought I was a people person. It turns out I am not.

Circle though, race Like for your first performance where they're still staff there that were working your show, ashes or something.

Yeah, Gary, Gary, this out.

The lighting guy was still there, and so it was it was this kind of weird he like gave me a RG. It was this weird like like yeah, comes through moment and yeah, and I'm getting married there next.

Year at the n More Theater. Yes, we're selling tickets. No we're not.

How how the hell does that work out? Where's the aisle? Is someone walking down the aisle? Tell us the production? What's happening?

This is?

This is a confusing thing. I don't know what I mean.

We've had gay marriage for a while now, but no one has explained to me what the system is yeah, like who is it tops and bottoms thing? Yeah, it's verse like who who walks down the aisle?

If you're at the end more theater, you can do whatever your damn please. You could enter on like a trapeze.

Yeah, and they've got holes in the stage for that ship so they can pop you out if you really want to put the rings on a convey about like go full flight.

I could come. I could come down like on a sitting on a big crescent moon.

Oh, that'd be so can I do like that?

Get a full orchestra and like send in the clowns or something.

In the pit. That'd be great, speaking of moon. Actually, very quickly, I think I interviewed you on the first season of Drag Graceries. I don't know if I brought this up. He can't recall I was there now. He's like, no, I've met you before. I was there when you did your set at Conan, and it was so cool to have an Aussie there, and it was just like I just loved it, and like the connected you Conan. He clearly adores you, and you look just like him and

Was wait were you? Were you at the Sydney Show or at the lay Show Lay Show.

I was at the taping of Cone WHOA, Yes, how we I know kind of you know what?

I did not know that.

And this is again probably maybe a boring thing to say, is it that no one told me that when I would start my set on the show that Conan would be sitting about two meters away at the desk and just sitting on a seat, like just looking so like I'd go He'd say, like letting Joe resnikles and then he just sat down on a chair and just looked at me, And all you can see on the clip is like me just occasionally looking off camera and being like is he gonna move?

He had an audible laughs. Though you were great? You killed it?

Do you know what?

One of the I'm not just saying this to like suck ass, but I one of the best comedy things I've ever been to was that night that you and Jog Crazy did a few years ago.

It was around Games Night. I was trying to remember the name of it.

It was around Marti Gras and it was those two Joel and Reese and they brought out different people like Lucy Durak.

And George Love, a bunch of different.

People and it was just the most chaotic thing ever and I it was so funny.

We had not planned that, so like we had booked a spot and because this is this is the thing about both Joel and I as well, we're like we're like best friends and we both loved doing things together and like having like big ideas. But then also both of us are not good at following through with those ideas. We're really good if we're produced, yes, but we decided to produce it ourselves, and we booked a show at the Seymour Center.

It sold out, and then we had to go be like, oh, we've got to like do this.

Within like two days, we like booked, He booked all the guests, and I like put and it was like a games night. But and then we were like and at the start, we'll just do twenty minutes to stand up together and we just but yeah, it was like pure chaos, and I could.

Tell that it was like more improv and that's what I adored about her, because like nothing fell flat. It was just hit after It was amazing and the best part of Mitch. I don't even know if I've told you this story, but without any pre promotion or heads up, they were just like, anyway, here's Concheta Verse from Eurovision comes out and sings that rise like a phoenix song? Is it?

And then I was like, what the hell is this show?

It was amazing?

Do you want to do? You want me to break your heart?

That was a that was a person that was their friend Max pretending to be Compittaverse.

Oh, hang on our third wheel. Jenna is here?

Did you know that?

What are you joking?

Because they were there together?

No?

No, sorry, Jenna step into the frame. Is that why you haven't been talking this whole time? Because Jenna is here as well. She's the rees where the Michelle and Rue.

That was gonna be my question. I was going to say, how the hell did you look and Conchete up? But it looked just like Cheta.

Yeah, and Mitch has told me this story before and has just gone on about how good Conchetta was.

I did think Conchetao let us off go a bit, but it was fine.

It was so it's our friend Max, who is who is a radio producer.

Maxstoh, we know I know him but I didn't know that was Max.

I know him, and I had no idea that was him.

I can see it now in drag he would skew. He would he would just like a bit of.

A We worried, so we we thought it was so obviously not him right backstage that we didn't like correct it.

And You're not alone.

Everyone in that audience thought that that was con Cheetah, and we didn't know what to do, so we just didn't correct.

Just left it all. I did all the only thing I thought was okay.

Clearly the hair makeup budget at the scene, what's there isn't the same as Eurovision, But I still believe that it was Compeater of Earth and.

Out of a long.

List everyone everyone.

Same, out of a long list of things. I have never felt dumber.

That's this moment. Funny, what a legacy you left on this show. You go on drag Race, You're hilarious, Hold you, and then you ruined me and it's.

We're done here. I'm going to be messaging Max and being like you fucking piece of shit?

And can I book you?

Confused? Will you be if he denies it?

Yeah, I feel like you've all made a part.

What if this is the prank? What if this is the lie.

Being gasolate into a fake share? That's hilarious.

I'm too tired for this, Honestly, I have to ask our important.

Question before we goes.

Of course, go for it.

So every time we have a guest on the podcast, we like to ask them like a little thing in life that they appreciate, just like, you know, the fresh sheets in the bed, or like the crunch of a good outpull, you know, a little thing like that, because we just want to remind our young listeners that there's more to life than partying and boys, which is why we call it our list of things better than drugs

Now, imagine if I was like cash, it is pretty good.

The gratification of others. Angel the Bishop from Studio ten, what did she say? Said her waterbed, which was yeah again, I know I.

Saw that clip.

I did a bit of recent my own. By the way, I'm obsessed with that like that. She was talking about how it heats up and cools down. Imagine having a bed that you can cool down I know.

I know that was nearly the selling point for me, because I'm always just a little bit overheated.

Yeah I'm yeah, I run.

I'm one of those people that but I still need the dinner on me and I need like one leg out.

Yeah yeah, psychos, Yes, I in.

A similar vein. I was thinking, Oh, I have a weighted blanket that I really like. That's like a very feel like a very grown up thing. But that also makes me sound like a psycho.

No, I do rate those.

Yeah, you gave it to me because he saw that I was a bit uptime.

He was an age. We had a couple of bad shows in a row. So I'm like, oh, here's a weight blanket.

It's good with anxiety, and it's your erratic behavior.

Don't google what it helps with? All right, what's yours?

So good?

It's so good, like I But I think I think the thing I'm gonna pick is, and this is really boring, is like skin care. That sounds so dumb. I'm in my thirties and it's something I have really like. You know, when I was in my twenties, it was all really

So anyways, it sounds old. I mean, I've put on paper on paper.

It sounds awful, but I think it's like it's better than putting poison your face. And also the I think it's just I guess what I'm saying is like.

Self care, but like tell me, yeah, getting more.

Into as I grow up a little bit is like I don't need to be drunk every single night, and I can like buy good moisturizers that isn't going to make me look like a foot.

I got carded? Do I get a dog?

I know I keep getting card It's like I'm thirty one and I'm buying a bottle of forty dollars like chiraz on a Wednesday seventeen.

And so with it age thirty one, that you decided that that was tragic because I've got a few that must leave. If that's the case, I'll keep buying Charon's on Wednesdays.

Yeah, I mean, I guess thirty one was.

Oh the worst was doing one of the one of the first lockdowns. I kept going to the same bottle shop and I had to start like shaking it up because they're saying I go in every day and buy the same bottle of wine. And I got to work with a guy was like, do you want me to buy you a case?

Man? I was like, I need to leave.

No. I had the same scenario.

I kept going back to the one bottle and every time they would I'd leave and eventually they'd say see you soon.

Every time.

Oh well, but yeah, I know what you mean about the skincare thing, because I used to be really slack with it. I'd be like, whatever, just some moisturizer or whatever. But now I swear to god, it's a twenty minute regime. These things I've got different and Underreye shit and.

Yeah, doctor Dennis gross, Oh it's this whole thing.

I love it.

So that's not even me saying that for sponsored reasons. Wow, I bought one of those light masks.

I'll send you that audio. You can send it to the doctor.

Yeah.

Yeah, makes a really weird face and that's how you know he's a good demotology.

Oh you're so right. It's real shiny and like slick. Is it slick? Yeah?

Yeah, yeah you could like you could lay on that like Angela Bishop sleeps on his foot.

Good sign. All right, Race, thank you for coming on. We love you. Good to chat to you, and you're amazing. We love you.

I've got to say though, some people might be confused listening to this because everyone thinks I sound like wreath, like I'm talking to myself.

I all say that because you've got got the gay lisp down packs.

Yeah.

Well, and I've just started doing in visil line and it's given me a new lisp. I took it out for this interview, but like I have like a double lisp.

Now does that actually happen because I'm doing in Visa line as well soon? Did they give me more of a lisp?

No, so it goes.

I'm only two weeks in and it's it like trickles away.

Okay, okay, good to know. But the first two.

Days, yeah, ship, there's words that a real struggle for you. Like in VISI line was a big one that was hard.

But also how unfair, the fact that Reith Nicholson is so easy with a lisp.

Oh, it's not good.

And when I was growing up, my favorite band was the Scissor Sisters.

They came to Newcastle. That was supported by Sneaky Sound Systems. One of that up.

We will developed it feel your Pain all right, bye Race, all right, thank you so much, thank you.

Is it just me?

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