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Hey guys, welcome back to TV Reload. I want to thank you for clicking and downloading on today's episode with Nikita Iman, who was the sixth eliminated queen from RuPaul's Drag Race down Under season four. This week, it could have been really anyone that went home, and while I did feel confident that this week it would be ViBe's time to shine, I was surprised by a few things that took place, which we will unpack today. Sadly, I
did think it was time for Nikita to go home. However, I did think that she was a fabulous addition to the cast. Nikita will talk about the hardest challenge this season and how she seemed to overcome it. We will unpack all the queens left and what's their pros and cons. I find out if any of them did get on
each other's nerves behind the scenes. You will get everything from what that necklace Nikita wore meant to her, how being a New Zealand queen is different to being an Australian queen, and what she thinks of her lip sync partner that beat her. There is actually so much to talk about, with so many inside revelations, So guys sit back and relax as we unpacked the wonderful world of Rupel's drag Race down Under Season four, Oakatia, how are you?
I'm good? Thank you, my love?
How are you very well? I have to say that I've really been enjoying this series, and I don't know whether it's because the queens are so good or whether I just love Michelle Visage and so she's sort of carry So I don't know, what do you think, looking from being a participant, what do you think makes this season seem a little bit more leveled up from the other ones?
Like, I've absolutely loved watching the season. Every single episode has just been better than the one before. The energy from the girls is just so refreshing, and obviously being there and have had experienced everything, we knew.
That this was going to be such a special season.
And I don't know whether what they did with the cast thing, whether if they were just you know, really being picky with the girls that they were putting through, but it was just such a good mix of girls and being there, we all got along so well. I think we were all in such a spirit to uplift each and really celebrate each other, but then also not to be too scared about you know, we're ten drag queans in the room.
Of course things are going to be.
Said, feelings are going to be hurt and stuff like that. But I didn't think that we Yeah, we didn't shy away from our opinions, but we also didn't shy away from celebrating each other. That plus Michelle, I don't know, it's just really made the season so infectious and every single girl offers something different.
It's relatable, and.
I mean, me being on there's another reason why the seasons in it. But in the end at but yeah, I mean the runways have been fab, the lip SyncE have been fab, the challenges had been fab, and just yeah, if we're really giving an all well rounded seasonal.
Drag race, so you didn't clash with anyone the whole time? You were pretty good?
Yeah, I was fine, to be honest. I mean I don't really I'm not really come off. I come off as a really caddy queen, but I don't like get a big tension or kind of like badjoetoo and my work environment or home environment, and so I always just made an effort to be so welcoming to the girls and like just to really get along with everyone. And so I think because there was an openness and willingness
to get along, no one really clashed. I mean, there are moments where Vibes's voice was just too much in my ear. But if it wasn't for Vibes some days, you know, her loud personality and energy really got me through some days. So I think as family goes, we were on each other's nerves here and there after long there filming, but we all got along so well, which.
Was I think.
Yeah, you can definitely see that throughout the series, and I think that's what made has been making people so addicted to it.
Yeah, I mean I think as well, maybe it could be your New Zealand culture or you're from where you're from. I felt like for you, you brought something quite open. I wonder if that's something that comes from being a New Zealand queen.
I mean, like I'm in the Zeer right now and I walking around and looking around and computing thing. In this Australians, we're definitely a lot more laid back and a lot more have come and more relaxing, and so I think that definitely helped me throughout my journey on the season. I don't really I do well under pressure, but most times I kind of just shut down and keep to myself.
And so it was nice to be in the work room and.
Don't really have a lot of pressure on my own shoulders to allow me to just have fun and really enjoy the environment that I was in. And I feel like that's what really helps me kind of not really get in my head and not necessarily let out of what the girls were saying about me get to me.
But that comes from like ballroom dancing, Ryan, because I was like thinking about you going into this series. I know people that have done dance and that style of dance do have to be very concentrated on yourself. I don't know if that's the right way to say it.
I feel like when you're in bare room, you kind of have to commit to the fantasy that you've made and then give that fantasy with so much confidence and so and that's just what I've.
Learned over the years.
And then that mentality it really got me through drag Race was just being confident in what I bring and being confident and knowing that what I bring is different. It's refreshing, it's a different take, a different perspective on drag.
And I mean there were times where I did have a little bit of imposter syndrome, you know, with such a big personalities that lazy Susan brenda on, you know, on the season, and kind of comparing myself to what they do, but also understanding that my drug is just such a I pull from different inspirations, my type of drag. I'm surrounded by so many different queens people, and so
that's where I pulled my drag from. And I think when I accepted that, I was you can definitely tell that throughout the season that once I kind of realized that what I'm bringing is special and everybody's you know, there's going to be so many people who relate to what I bring, I was just Yeah, I was unstoppable.
I was just having so much fun.
Well, I was looking at something in this this week's episode. You're wearing a necklace the which had dependent on it, and I was wondering if that was a part of the New Zealand culture. Was actually super some sentenedness, because that's all.
Yeah, yeah, so it's got a tunga and it's a maldi. It's not something that you can buy, so it's something that has to be gifted to you by someone special.
So that was gifted to me by my brother and I was just I didn't even realize that I wore that so much in the show, and I'm so glad that I did, because there's so many people that messaged me about, you know, having the Mauldi tongua on Showcase, and then I think especially being away from New Zealand and being away from people that I see that, I know, it was just nice to be able to represent something that a lot of my Kiwi friends here and Sydney can relate to.
And I was just, yeah, I was just really nice to see that on TV.
When you were wearing it, I noticed that you were more confident for some reason. I don't know if that's me just sort of looking into that, but I just noticed. I mean it also could have been that often when you were wearing that, you're out of drag and you're a very attractive looking so maybe that's where I was
getting that. But moments where you were, you know, working on what the challenge was coming up and you were wearing it, and I thought that you seemed more calm and more confident and more what the word is for that, like appealing? I don't know.
I do find that every time that I do were something that is representative of my culture or kind of my background, I do find that I do lift my head up a little bit higher. I do walk around with a little bit more pride and kind of gratitude as well.
And I think that's really important.
That really helped me throughout the show was just kind of being grateful for being there, and then also just really being grateful for the experience of opportunity, and then just showcasing what my style.
Do you know? What's really funny to me is that I always think about we know how to make ourselves look the most appealing, but we forget to do that all the time, do you know. Yeah, It'll be the smallest thing that will throw us off and we'll forget to lift our chin.
Absolutely, And I think that there's like a lot of the girls on the season, you know, when they were getting bad critiques and kind of in bad placements, I did see in person like how you're in a step of talking get to you, and so I was like, wow, you know, like you see this on.
The show and now you're actually watching it.
You know, people kind of going into the heads, are kind of spiraling, And I've been in those moments previously
before in my life and I've overcome them. So I knew that when I went into the show, I knew that, you know, there might be moments where I would get into my head, but I've ever come so many other things in my life that like being on the show and being and drag is not really that serious for me enough to really get down on myself, and so I just knew that I had to be kind kind to myself in those moments of.
Me being low.
And I think because I had that mentality, I was never really upset or angry or anxious about my performance.
I knew my highes, I knew.
What I was really really good at, and then I knew that the things that I wasn't so good at as a work in progress. So when I did lend in those placements, I was like, period, but I still did it, and I'm still here, so let's go do this.
Make it all the way to this point of the competition.
No, I look at they top five top five?
Can you believe it? The part of the Spice Girls. But I want to know, because you've been in the competition for most of it, you have competed in challenge after challenge, which challenge was the hardest for you?
I would probably say last week's challenged. The acting challenge, I think was I think the one that I was most unsure off when doing it and then also anxious for it to come out. And that was just mainly because I've never really been in a situation where i had to do any you know, anything character, coming up with the character, learning.
The lines, and then doing it all in one day.
And so when I kind of knew that that was the situation, I just knew that I just had to do what I can do. I came up with the character that I thought that I came up with, you know that I had confidence in doing I learnt my lines, and so when I went out there with Reese, I think it was just me knowing. I mean, it was
very similar to my snatchhaing with Mother Nature. Was that I just don't want to be quiet or shy or too nervous to do something that I've never done, and so that was my mentality, especially when tackling those challenges that I've never done before, was well, you know, if I'm going to go and let me go full and let me just be a full or do something silly or do something stupid, at least it's something memorable instead of, you know, getting the critiques off you're just a pretty
girl who is too afraid to be ugly or to be loud and stuff. And so I feel like that was a tech but definitely I think could definitely need a little bit more work it give your workshop.
A little bit of that.
I don't think that I know when I know actual professional actors, and I don't think I know any actors that feel like that they've ever achieved total success. Most of the actors that I know and that I do really well and are recognizable, they often say that they don't think that they've ever got it right, you know what I mean. Yeah, I think comedy can be the same as well. Like watching people do comedy is a really hard challenge as well, because comedy is incredibly difficult.
You know, it's immediate if it's live and you're in front of an audience and you're not watching them laugh. It's pretty hard not to go into your head over it, like, oh fun it is, and now what you know?
Yeah, exactly, especially when I've seen that and writing jokes and lines and also a layout, like it's not just running down jokes and saying the jokes that to lay out. You know, there's a formula too when you do a roast, and I'm just not really experienced with that formula.
But like I wrote some jokes, I had some laughs, which I'm really proud of. It's something that I can say that I've done, as you know, I'm so proud of.
I think it's about finding Elaine as well. I don't think absolutely yeah name dropping him right now, will I pick it up? But even he said to me one day that comedy for him was about finding where he fitted in the comedy sphere. And so his comedy is telling stories. It's not a punchline, you know, eating that way. It's the silliness in the story and the and the
ability to tell that. And when you're being put up on a challenge like in Rue Paul's and you've got to sort of it's got to be fast paced, it's got to be one, one, two, three punch and if you aren't doing it like that, it looks like you're not landing. But yeah, in fact, some of the best comedians in the world couldn't do that.
Absolutely.
I did find that myself are more of a storyteller when it comes to telling jokes. But I think it's just again workshopping those storytelling and kind of the formula of storytelling. Because when I was doing my run through and kind of like telling my jokes to the girls, they were saying the rosis like a compliment, sandwich or something.
Where's that compliment? Joke? Compliment? And I was just insulting.
Well, I mean, good on you. I think you know, good on you for getting up there and giving it a shot. I'm terrified. That is my ultimate fear. People to me throughout my very famous comedian approached me and said you would be a really good stand up comedian, and I was like no, And they were like telling me about how they could teach me how to do it, and I just I almost sort of believed them for a second, and then I thought, hang on a second, there's absolutely no way I could stand in front of
a live audience like that. Yeah, anyway, you know what, because you've just you're in the top five, We've got four people left. I don't know how easily we can do this, but can we do the pros and cons on who's left?
As Oh, okay fair?
So like, I just feel like we need to unpack this at this point. So Lazy's what do you reckon?
Okay, Lazy's pros her mind, her can, her face, vibes, pro her personality, I mean, vibe is such an invitious personality. And then her con would be, I mean her I would say her drag dyle isn't in.
Meant her I shouldn't say that, is it really mean?
It's very polished traditional drag, and I mean she does the outside of the box sometimes, but I feel like she pulls a lot from her traditional roots and drag, and I feel like it could be a little bit more. Means herve Mandy Mandy's I love Mandy Mannet I got so close with during filming. Mendy's pros is obviously her sewing ability, such an amazing scene stress, and then her con would be she just didn't know how.
To cover her beard on the show. It was five o'clock all day.
I want to talk about Mandy just really quickly before we moved onto frame. There's something about Mandy, because I know lots of people that know Mandy and Brisbane and absolutely talk so highly. So there's been something throughout the series where I look, she looks a little uncomfortable, Like she looks like she's talking through her teeth. Is that just part of who she is? Or did you I want to know whether or not you think the Mandy edit the West Seeing is what you know as Mandy.
That's what I want to know.
Oh, I mean I was quite I mean, I wasn't really surprised.
It was very nice to see many on the show, especially after you know, like doing all the filming and everything with her.
The Mandy coming through is very was very much her.
I feel like maybe after the past couple of weeks, especially with her performance last week, she was very kind of like and her head about the choices that she made think a baby, So I don't know whether if that really translated through this episode. And also I knew how uncomfortable she was worth the challenge this week, so I feel like maybe she was just kind of like waiting for it to kind of finish and waiting for this challenge to kind of move on to the ni Excer.
But I mean, I feel like Mandy's been very true to who she was.
I mean, I didn't realize that she was such a burcher and fucking confessionals, but I guess we all were.
Yeah, I think you're right in the sense that, yeah, she has been a bit savage in the confessionals, but you know, quite good in the confessionals as well as I want to slipe her around a bit because I actually feel like there is a missing part of confidence with Mandy Moves. That's what I think. There's a missing part. And because of that insecurity that's there, sometimes she comes off a little bit harsh or a little bit great, and I don't think that's who that person is.
That's what I No, No, I don't think so either.
I mean I had moments where I was kind of like being a little but lift out to where I was just saying stuff like dumb things to say dumb things, And I feel like with Mandy, I don't know whether if she you know, like she had her high with the Sewing Challenge and then like she was just like Okay, well now I'm just here to you know, make it to the end, But how can I do that when
her highlight has kind of finished in a way. And so I did find that she was kind of fading, you know, to the background a little bit after the Sewing Challenge, and so I do feel like she was she could have been a little bit unsure in her place in the competition, but you know, every single week she kind of did a really good job and you know, either being safe, you know, after the Sewing Challenge and staff.
And I do feel like maybe because since the Sewing Challenge she hasn't really had a high that she was feeling a little bit unsure in herself and kind of unsure and her placement in the finals as well.
Perhaps sometimes I think, you know, I don't know if you've ever done any knitting, but when you are knitting and you've made a mistake and you've got to go back and fix it, there's a face that people pulled. Okay, Yeah, that's how I feel like some of the time that Mandy's come across, I don't know that's yeah, no.
I know what face you talking about. It's like, yeah, I know which face, Yeah, I know which one you're talking about.
I'm going to go back five space. I can untuck all of this stuff. I don't I know, Freyer, what have we got left? We've got that's right.
Such a beautiful queen, Such a beautiful queen.
I do feel like she, you know, hasn't really had the moment where she really is a main highlight throughout the throughout the season. And I feel like maybe with the finale, you know, with hoving in the finals, would really push her to just really excel in what she's really good at, because you know, we were all really kind of expecting her to take the Girl Group Challenge, which.
She ended up being in the bottom. But yeah, no, I love her. She's such a beautiful queen.
I was so so annoyed when all the pretty girls walked in and as I really thought I was going to be the pretty one.
That often happens. Well, just before you go, I want to know, what are you going to do with your new status? Is there's a TV reality queen?
Yes, obviously it's going to be a very busy beginning of the year with Mardi Gras and everything, but I would love to bring the Nikita Ball near you, Dracon and then Mardi Gras and then I'd love to just do some shows in Brisbane, malvin and Perfect Adelaide and just really do my community engagement with the locals, the local pubs that the local b news and the local girls and just yeah, that's my favorite part of drag
is getting to know that you know the community. And I'm just excited now that I get to travel with the send meet the girls and kind of make the connection and just introduce them to me, because I mean, it's one thing to watch, you know, Nikkida on the show every single Friday for the past two months, but now I want to be able to go and actually meet everyone and show them the Nikida experience and show them more about Borom and more about who I am.
I may I always say, get off the stage and go and talk to the people, and I think them after a show like this, I have to ask my last question, which is what is something from behind the scenes. And I've just been asking people for how much money they spend on their drag. Yes, tell me how much money did you spend on your drag? Do I need to send you some cash through PayPal?
I'll never say no the cash one, but I think I spent two and a half k on everything.
That's amazing. Someone said over ten grand, so you're.
Too and I know, I think, yeah, I think lazy was one that spent the most, but I made most of my outfits, so I was very grateful that I was able to just sew my stuff. I mean I had I had a bigger budget, but when I finished worker on my way to drag Race, I just partied. Had I spent most of my budget on just going out and parttying and celebrating, finishing work and going to the show, and so I had to be a little bit crafty with what was left over, but I had
no regrets. I mean, when you're given, when you're under pressure, you know, not a lot of time you work magic. And I'm just really proud of the package that I put forward.
Well, like anyone that's watching the show, I should say, no Australia, but like the world, I think God in your audience and ready to celebrate you as you come off the back of this competition. But also just a reminder, top five pretty good. I mean, that's that's the dread absolutely.
I mean I would have loved to mad it all the way to the end, but to be top five, especially for such an amazing season and so many talented girls. I walked out of there with my head held hide and just so overwhelmed with everything that I put forward. I had amazing, amazing highlighted moments, and I had amazing low moments, but overall an amazing representation of just a queen who's up and coming, still so much to learn
and so much to give. So over all very blessed and grateful for my representation on the show, and just the fan base has been overwhelmed, obsessed.
I have to let you go because I know you've got a lot of people to speak to you today. Enjoy chatting to the media.
This is your mot well, thank you, thank you for your time.
Oh amazing, and thank you for your generosity. It's amazing.
Happy Holidays.