After making a strong showing on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs. the World Season 3, The Only Naomy left the competition with plenty of momentum, as well as a hope to see Drag Race Germany continue to grow and for more German queens to get international opportunities.
Throughout the season, Naomy proved herself to be one of the most consistent performers in the competition, often landing near the top even without securing a win. But for the queen, representing Germany on an international stage meant just as much as any badge.
On representing Drag Race Germany and hoping for more seasons
Naomy hopes her appearance on UK vs. the World continues the momentum that Tessa Testicle helped build after RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars.
“100%. And I do genuinely feel like you can take each and every one of the girls from Drag Race Germany,” she said. “Some won’t make it into international seasons because their English is not good enough. I just have to put that out. But you can take each and every one of them and they would do an amazing job.”
She hopes more queens from the German franchise will get the chance to compete internationally.
“So I hope first of all that just the girls from my cast, they get picked even more for more. Bring them back,” she said.
But the queen also acknowledged the uncertain future of the franchise in Germany.
“And then hopefully — I don’t think it’s realistic at the moment — we get a second season because there’s no TV station wanting to pick it up in Germany right now, which is so sad,” she said.
If you remember correctly, a trio of series, Drag Race Germany, Drag Race Mexico, Drag Race Brasil, were all produced by Paramount+ globally in their inaugural seasons. The latter two were taken over by World of Wonder for all rights and air on WOW Presents Plus globally, but Drag Race Germany hasn’t recieved the same treatment, which may indicate there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the franchise’s rights.
Still, Naomy already has a dream role in mind if the show returns.
“And then I want to be on as a permanent guest judge, please, please.”
She believes additional seasons could help elevate drag artists even further, explaining, “We need a second season because there’s so much more untapped talent. And I do feel like being on Drag Race sometimes elevates you even more, because you get a whole different perspective on a lot of things when you are in a serious competition that judges your drag and gives you feedback on it. I would love to just have more girls that have that feedback and that get that little quality bump from it.”
On the format change and narrowly missing out on a win
Like many contestants this season, Naomy had mixed feelings about the format change that replaced lipstick eliminations with lip syncs for survival.
“I was so mad about that. Let me tell you,” she said. “First of all, I wanted to do lipsticks. I was so here for lipsticks because I wanted to send someone home. I wanted to do it so bad.”
Despite consistently strong performances, Naomy never secured a challenge win — something she admits was frustrating.
“It is frustrating in a way, I’m not going to lie,” she said. “You do great each and every week and then you don’t get your flowers.”
“I feel like just having that moment of coming back, being an early out, doing consistently great and then winning just once would be very much like the ‘OK, I did it all. I can rest it.’ But I didn’t do it all.”
Because of that, she’s determined to return to the franchise someday.
“So I really, really, really want to go back to another franchise and get myself a win. Because I need a win before I die.”
The pressure of consistently performing well without a win also began to weigh on her confidence during filming.
“On set even, it’s very frustrating because you kind of get in your head,” she said.
“That’s, for example, why Mariah came for me so hard because I was sitting there being consistently good. But you don’t fully get that.”
Each runway started to feel like another attempt to reach that elusive top spot.
She said, “You step on that runway and you’re like, there is something — just that tiny little thing — that didn’t send it all the way. What do I have to do, God dammit, to send it all the way and to get it there and to get that slam dunk? It is frustrating, kind of breaking down confidence over time, I’m not going to lie. Because it is great to be in the top, but only one can win. And then you kind of get frustrated and ask for feedback. And you’re like, ‘So was I really not that great?’”
On RuPaul’s support and gagging her on the runway
Despite her frustrations, one of the highlights of Naomy’s run on UK vs. the World was her dynamic and rapport with RuPaul, something fans noticed throughout the season.
But in the moment, Naomy said she often assumed the opposite.
“In the moment, I’m such a self-conscious person that I fully believed at every second that RuPaul hates me,” she said. “I’m annoying the hell out of them, and they don’t want to ever talk to me again, but they do because it’s the show.”
It wasn’t until later that she realized just how positive RuPaul’s feedback had been.
“I realized after the first critiques, someone read me what RuPaul said in text, and I was like, ‘She really said that?’”
Standing on the main stage, she said it’s easy to miss the praise while bracing for criticism.
“In that moment, you stand up there, and you’re hearing the positive, waiting for something negative to be like, ‘OK, so that’s where I went wrong.’”
Looking back now, Naomy said having RuPaul enjoy her presence on the show is one of the biggest honors of her drag career.
“Having RuPaul enjoying you, I feel like, is the best thing you can do on Drag Race,” she said.
She also got one unforgettable moment: surprising RuPaul with her runway from the episode prior.
“And then even having the moment of genuinely gagging RuPaul during the RuVeal runway because he only saw that once in that moment,” she said.
“Getting to gag RuPaul is an honor, and I am so happy about that.”
The finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Vs. The World airs this Tuesday
The post The Only Naomy Says ‘Getting To Gag RuPaul Is An Honor’ And ‘Drag Race Germany’ Season 2 Not Realistic At Moment appeared first on Blavity.
