"Comedy is not my forte" RuPaul’s Drag Race star Arrietty breaks down journey through elimination

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RuPaul's Drag Race | Image Source: Instagram /@rupaulsdragrace

Although Seattle-based "look queen" Arrietty was eliminated from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 due to her poor performance in the Villains Roast task, she was a notable contender due to her unique laugh and runway skills. The fashion virtuoso and cosmetics artist openly discussed her humorous flaws, which finally resulted in her dismissal.

"Comedy is not my forte and is not something that I do on the regular. It is not something I even watch," she admitted in a recent interview following her departure.

Arrietty's career was marked by her incredible runway performances and exceptional design skills, but it also had some dramatic moments, like as "JokeGate," in which she admitted to copying jokes from rival Jewels Sparkles. Despite these challenges, Arrietty's unique appearance and personality made her a fan and cemented her place as one of the season's breakout stars.

Arrietty’s journey from shy contestant to RuPaul’s Drag Race fan favorite

Many spectators were taken aback by Arrietty's development during the competition. She was seen as reticent at first, but as she progressively showed more of herself, her fan base grew. Even Arrietty was surprised by this change.

"It feels so strange. It feels, I don't know. It's so wild," she said about her newfound popularity.

Elaborating:

"On my day-to-day life, I feel like I'm such an enigma. A lot of people just don't understand me... I have a small group of friends that actually understand me, but everyone else, they're like, 'Oh, I don't get you.'"

This disconnect between her everyday experience and the warm reception from viewers provided an unexpected source of comfort. She said:

"It's just so wild to me that a lot of people can feel that and connect with it... But also so comforting. And I'm like, 'Oh my god, there are people out there.'"

While comedy challenges proved difficult, Arrietty shone brightest in design tasks. Her natural eye for aesthetics and artistic background translated into memorable runway looks throughout the season.

"I've always been in tune with esthetics and like creating art," she explained.

Elaborating:

"For me, it's so easy to look good. It just comes so naturally. Like it's before anything, I couldn't already put an outfit or like a whole look together in my mind, and I'm like, 'Oh, that's good. Let's do it.'"

Of the three design challenges she conquered, Arrietty pointed to her first creation as her favorite:

"I mean, the first one. I feel like that one was so fun, so pretty, so opulent."

Arrietty's makeup artistry gained a lot of attention during this RuPaul’s Drag Race season, especially after judge Michelle Visage criticized her. Rather than taking the criticism personally, she saw it as an opportunity to keep her own flair while making improvements to her appearance.

Being a talented makeup artist, she adjusted effortlessly, making minor changes, such as perfecting her contouring methods, without feeling the need to sacrifice her creative personality. Her approach was practical rather than emotional, proving her ability to evolve while maintaining the bold, unapologetic style that set her apart.

The JokeGate incident and the future

Arrietty’s RuPaul’s Drag Race journey was filled with bold choices and unexpected turns, but few moments were as dramatic as her approach to the Villains Roast challenge. She took matters into her own hands after feeling deliberately disadvantaged in the performance order. She borrowed jokes from Jewels Sparkles, another contender, as a retribution. Arrietty's goal was to play the game according to her own rules, not only to make jokes.

She felt betrayed, which was the source of her complaints. She felt that Jewels put her in a difficult situation by placing her behind one of the funniest queens and gaining a better placement for herself after she told Jewels about her nervousness before the challenge. Arrietty chose to fight fire with fire in response to what she perceived as a premeditated move.

Beyond the RuPaul’s Drag Race competition, one of the most unexpected outcomes for Arrietty was a genuine friendship with Acacia Forgot, a queen she had clashed with during filming. Reflecting on their time on the show, she admitted regret over not giving Acacia a fair chance, but their bond post-show has become one of her biggest takeaways from the experience.

With RuPaul’s Drag Race now behind her, Arrietty has no plans to slow down. Her goals are to build a YouTube channel, start her own collection, and become well-known in other reality TV franchises.

She loves the drama, strategy, and excitement of the game and is excited to put her skills to the test in high-stakes competition, whether it be on Big Brother or The Challenge. Her career in showbiz is only getting started, even though her time on RuPaul’s Drag Race may have ended.


Watch RuPaul’s Drag Race Fridays at 8/7c on MTV and stream the next day on Paramount+.

Edited by Zainab Shaikh
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