TV

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World fans left seriously gagged after ‘dark’ elimination

RuPaul in a pink dress and light blonde wig looking shocked

RuPaul. (BBC)

Once again, yet another queen sashayed away from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World – and it’s left viewers with a mix of emotions, to say the least.

Tuesday’s (22 February) episode saw the internationally renowned queens take one the fabled Snatch Game, where they’re tasked with impersonating a celebrity or public figure of their choice.

Because this is the business of Ru, this wasn’t an ordinary Snatch Game. The newly rebranded Snatch Game: Family Edition saw the queens playing a Family Fortunes-style quiz game with judge Michelle Visage and special guest Katie Price.

Snatch Games always have so many of the highs and lows of the Drag Race series, but the tension was notched even higher when front-runner Pangina Heals, of Drag Race Thailand, was asked to sashay away after her Mariah Carey impression didn’t quite land.

Her exit came to Drag Race UK‘s Blu Hydrangea, who won a heated lip-sync to “Let It Go” by Alexandra Burke against Baga Chipz, meaning that, under All-Stars rules, Hydrangea was tasked with deciding who to oust,

And even RuPaul was left in disbelief at her choice – letting out a “wow” when Hydrangea revealed Heals’ lipstick – considering Heals had won two of the three previous challenges and left the panel floored at her elaborate fruit machine runway look.

Even Visage, who you think would have had her tear ducts removed, shed a tear alongside the guest judges at the decision.

And Heals was shocked too. “I want to say sorry sorry to all the Thai people that I did not go all the way,” she said after leaving the main stage, often heard crying away from the camera. “I feel really devastated. I am heartbroken.

“This is a shock to me that Blu decided to choose me to go home. Maybe because I’m a threat. But this is the show it is. This is the game. I love you, Thailand.”

To viewers, Heals in no way deserved to get the chop. Others felt unsettled that the producers decided to leave in her minutes-long crying in the background as the episode wrapped up.

Many of the queens have spoken out against callous Drag Race fans trolling them online, prompting some to quit social media entirely just to escape the endless vitriol.

So when the controversial elimination aired, fans, queens and even the Drag Race UK vs The World Twitter account urged fans not to send any hate to the contestants.

“Everyone, please DO NOT direct any hates towards [Blu Hydrangea],” tweeted Heals. “If you feel some kind of way, just tip me. This is a competition and ppl go home.

“It is normal and I feel like a winner getting eight [new] friends, showcasing myself and my culture and being on the best show in the world.”

Heals added that as much as she was “heartbroken” at Hydrangea’s decision, she was “never angry” at her.

“So be the best version of yourself,” she added, “and do not send hate to [Blu Hydrangea]. I won’t have ANY of it.

“Just because I did not get first place does not mean I do not feel like a winner. Because I do. No regrets. Also, I am such an ugly crier.”

“The winner of our heats,” Hydrangea replied, before sarcastically revealing that her “social engagement is so great right now”.

Amid the hate, Heals sought to clarify that she and Hydrangea are friends and that “no hate” should be flung her way.

“Even if they don’t get that we’re friends,” Hydrangea continued, “we know we are and that’s the most important thing. I love you.”

In an exclusive interview with PinkNews, Pangina Heals spilled the tea on her Drag Race UK elimination, including how she really feels about Blu now.

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