It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload the podcast last week.
They're right.
Hey, guys, welcome back to TV Reload. I want to thank you for clicking and downloading on today's episode with Olivia Dreams, who was the first eliminated queen from RuPaul's drag race down under a quick apology that this chat is a week late. I was traveling from the Gold Coast to Melbourne and let me tell you, my life has been.
A little bit chaotic.
But we're here, we have Olivia Dreams and it's a really fun chat.
Guys.
I also haven't a chance to talk to you about what you think of RuPaul not being the host and Michelle Visage stepping in, and from my point of view, I actually haven't noticed it that much, which maybe says something about my fandom to Michelle Visage. Olivia will talk about though the absence of RuPaul and what the reaction was amongst the cast. We will unpack the dynamics of the group performance, and if you.
Need to be a team player, I.
Will discuss the choreography and what Queen Kong was like behind the scenes, especially after whatever I'm saying.
Since you competed.
In the global edition, you will get everything from what Olivia dreams, is Bank looks like now after competing, their favorite moment, and if they sought any help from some previous queens. There's actually so much to unpack, as per usuals lots of revelations, So sit back and relax as we unpack the wonderful world of RuPaul's Drag Race down Under. Congratulations my friend on doing so well getting onto this show.
And also, I feel like I normally can predict who's going home, and I did not see that coming.
You and me both. I did not expect to go home either, so I was just as shocked as you were.
I think the first two girls in week one, you know, they were both safe, and I wondered, how does that make you feel to process that you did better than them in the first week and that you're the person you're the first eliminated person to go home.
How has that all sat with you?
I honestly think in the beginning it was a little bit better. It was a little bit better because I was thinking that from an analytical point of view, you know, like track record rive, I didn't do that bad, but taking the time process it taking the time to really reflect on it. You know, I think there's no point in harboring el feelings about it anymore. The dice foil where they foul. I'm just happy that I got to
experience the show. I'm happy that I got to be on the show, and I'm happy that I got to show the world a little bit of who Olivia Dreams is. I've got Olivia Dreams exactly, experience the magic of Olivia Dreams. So I'm glad. Yeah, the world's gotten to see a little bit of Olivia Dreams. Really wish I got to show more, but you know, sometimes you need to give everybody a little bit of a taster before you give them the full meal.
This is true. This is a very competitive group of people. I think that the talent and the quality and everything seems to be leveling up.
Absolutely. I think, you know, a lot of these queens have been applying every season, and you know, they're hungry for it. They were hungry for it. They're hungry to show who they are, and they're hungry to be on the stage. And I think we all brought all brought our best because we wanted drag Race down Under to be good, not saying that it's not being good, but you know, we really wanted to elevate it, to take
it to the next level. And yeah, we just absolutely brought everything that we could to the show, and there's it's just such a stacked cast of performers.
I've really felt that when you get casts on a show like this, do you go back and watch those seasons and start taking notes or do you worry that that will infiltrate your drag?
Like what did you do to prepare?
So even before I got the call back, I did exactly that. I went back and started watching all the seasons of Drag Race downe Under, just to see how the judges were critiquing my fellow you know, Australasian sisters and getting or trying to gauge what works well, what doesn't work well, what's worked well for some queens, what hasn't worked well. So I did a little bit of research, but I didn't let it filter into my drag per se.
I sort of wanted to keep Olivia Dreams at the forefront of what I wanted to present, and I really feel like I did. I really am glad with what I presented. All my time on the show.
Did you go and get any advice?
I mean, this is what I was curious about, as to whether or not you'd sort of slide into some dms of some queens that you connected with or liked previously. Did you try and get any advice from people that have done the show before.
No, I am part of the French but I absolutely raw dog the experience of Drag Race down Under. I really just thought it's better if I put myself in this bubble and just focus completely on getting ready for the show.
Do you go the first queen I'm talking to? So I'm curious what about the reaction of Rupon not hosting and Michelle coming in. I have to tell you, I could be the biggest Michelle Visage fan, I would say in the world. So for me, I haven't noticed Ruth's absence, Like, what was the reaction for you? What was the reaction amongst the cast.
I think we were a little bit a little bit bummed, to be honest, that Rue wasn't going to be joining us this season. But I think, honestly, I think it's a good decision because Michelle just understands Drag down Under. She really gets the references. She really gets the humor. And like you said, like we didn't really notice Ruth's absence on the show. I think Michelle's doing such a great job. It's done such a great job to step up into that main host platform and then bringing on
the previous alum queens. It really you really didn't know Rue's absence. We just really enjoyed ourselves with Michelle. She's so down to earth. She laughs at our jove like she just really understands us, and she gives such good She just commands the room as well, that's the saying. That's one thing that always stars with me is when she first woke into that web room on episode one, she just commanded the room with her presence and she
hadn't even spoken yet. We were just all enamored with Michelle.
The looks look amazing, Like I think it was this episode, or but maybe it was the week before where she walked out and everyone's like, you look amazing, and that's exactly what the audience is thinking.
She's looking. Yeah, her aesthetic is so good.
She's looking absolutely amazing, like she's just so studying in person and everything is meticulously detailed about her. Speechless That's what I am speechless about. Michelle Visage.
What is it like working with these challenges, these team challenges, because like, for me, you really have to be I sometimes think I'm really good in team environments, and then sometimes if there's one person the group that can throw me, then I get quite distracted.
How did you go working with all the other girls?
Group performances aren't new to me, so I've done a few here in New Zealand, So I was really excited to work with these girls and get to know them and get to know, you know, their strengths and the weaknesses and whatnot. I think a part of part of the challenge set through me was being paired with the like like Max and Karna and Brenda. Like Brenda can sing, Brenda was on the Voice Australia right, So this is not only just like a girl group challenge is not
just dancing, it's singing, dancing an act. So being put in a team with such strong, you know, singers, such song dancers, it was like, oh, I really need to like step myself up and really push myself outside of my comfort zone to make sure that I stand out.
And Queen Kong, who better to come in and teach some choreography. I have met Quen Kong a number of times, just so amazing. What was what was it like to be able to work alongside Queen Kong? What did you take out of that experience?
Really amazing. It was such an experience to be able to be mentor and to be supported by somebody who's such a big deal. You know, she's such a performer, she's such a powerhouse and Australasian reaction. She's just competed on Global All Stars. Like to have her there with us as another indigenous queen, like it meant the world to me. And she's just so mutherly, she's so muzzling
and she wants to see the best in everybody. And I think it was really good to get the critiques that I did get from Queen because she's been through the process, she's been through the show. She knows how we're feeling, she knows how it all runs down. So to have that person with experience to support us and to support me, it was just It's what I needed in the moment.
They really came for you. When they talked about the wrapping, is it dangerous at this point of the competition to do something that will make you stand out like this.
Yeah, especially after episode one where I was in the bottom, I really wanted to push myself and do something risky to show the judges and the other girls why I deserve to be in the competition. So it was like an active choice on my behalf to push myself outside of my comfort zone and not to try to aim for safe, but to aim to win essentially. And I wanted to rap because all the other girls were singing.
I actually had written like a verse where I was singing the song, but I saw, well everybody else is singing. How am I going to be different? Why don't I try rapping? Never raped before, probably will never rap again. But in that moment, I thought, this is probably a safe way for me to not fade into obscurity per se.
The judges talked about your imposter syndrome, and I was curious to know what was your relationship with that. Did you agree? Did you feel like there was a bit of imposter syndrome? Oh?
Yeah, absolutely. Like all the critiques that I got across both episodes, I agreed was I don't think they were mean, I don't think they were harsh, I think they were just the truth of the matter. Like I felt imposter syndrome at times because it was such a stacked cast of queens that I did wonder like, what am I doing here? Why am I here? I was the queen was the least amount of experience doing drag and you know, been putted against people who've been doing drags even eight nine,
ten plus years. So like the critics may come across as harsh, or they may come across as critical, but in all honesty, they were true and reflecting on a process in it happened. There's no point in looking back on it, only look forward from here on out.
My partner always says to me, puts his hand on my leg because of my leg starts tapping. I get in, I get restless leg. And it's only when I'm in situations where I start to feel a little bit uncomfortable, and it's so bizarre. There was a scene very quickly where it was a wide shot and I could see you with the restless leg going and I was like, that is me. I'm so connecting to this right now. That's kind of how I am. Do you have restless leg in uncomfortable situation? Like me.
Honestly, yes, I do like riftless legs, or I'll fit it with my hands a lot, and I'll just sit there like rubbing my fingers across each other, or my legal start bouncing. So yeah, I actually hadn't clopped that. I actually hadn't clocked that I had ristless leg.
Go back and watch it.
There's a spot where it's a wide shot and you can see you sitting there and you're watching what's going on.
It's not a piece of dialogue that you're a part of.
And you've got your foot on the stool and your both of your feet are going like and it's funny.
I'm not a very good flyer.
But I sat next to my partner on a plane two days ago and I had headphones in, so I didn't realize I was doing it. And he said, stop rocking your legs back and forward. You're driving everyone around here nuts. It's making a tappening sound. Maybe I was more conscious of you doing it because of that.
Because Kindred Spirits. Kindred Spirits been with Kindred Spirits.
What was interesting was the look that you chose to go with for the runway. How did you go in the moment thinking that was the that's what you wanted to put forward. Was there any other options or is that just what you thought was the best thing to do?
Honestly? Around casting, there was a lack of designers here in New Zealand, so I was actually struggling to find people to make the outfits for the runway packet. And I'm actually really happy with what we were able to produce. Like, yeah, it probably wasn't you know, there were critiques it should have been longer, things like that, wasn't that share? But
I'm actually really happy. Was the point of difference because I thought everybody would go along the same lines of share and I wanted to, I guess take my interpretation on share and share. Like, I think it's a beautiful outfit. I think it doesn't translate well onto camera, but it's actually made out of a very fine lace, which almost because they share appearance. I'm happy with it. I'm really happy with it. I think I look absolutely gorgeous in
it when I were it again. Absolutely, would I get it reconstructed a little bit, sure, yeah, absolutely, But at the end of the day, I'm happy with what I was able to produce with the resources and the time that we were given.
I thought you look like Dawn French at the LOGI, so I didn't think it was that bad.
Like you know, that's a compliment. I'm taking that other compliment.
Just before I let you go.
There's sort of two questions that I'm asking everybody, and that is how much money did you spend on getting your outfits ready?
Can you tell me what damage you did to your bank balance? Just checking? Are you there now?
I did a severe amount of bank damage, the damage to my make account.
Yeah, I'm going to wrap this up. But the last question I ask everyone who joins the pot is what is something from behind the scenes, something that we would like to know?
Now?
I know that there is so much that we can't talk about when it comes to RuPaul and the mysteries behind this show, but I thought, maybe are behind the scenes secret is something that you will remember? What's when you look back at this experience? Is there a take home that you will always look back on and remember as an important part of your RuPaul's journey.
There were so many amazing moments as part of as part of the experience. I think one of my favorite moments was was Nikita and long filming days. But she just killed up next to me one day on the seat and just fell asleep on me. Didn't even ask her anything, but yeah, she just killed out one day between shooting and just fell asleep on me. And I was like, Okay, well this is happening now. But I think that was really sweet and one of my most memories from the show.
Yeah.
Well, I think that if you're anything like my animals at home, they will always go to sleep on the person they trust the most. So I think that the fact that's that happened is because you're a very trusting person. Thank you so much for being so generous with your time and look after yourself and enjoy chatting to the media.