Fun is just beginning for Chi Chi DeVayne
Chi Chi DeVayne told “RuPaul’s Drag Race” viewers she doesn’t get ready, she stays ready. And now, the Shreveport, La., queen is ready to take on the world.
The show “changed everything in my life. Everything has turned in a different direction,” she says. “Before, I was just like, ‘What’s a good job that I could get here in town, working in a factory?’ It’s crazy.
“Bank account-wise, everything has changed, too.”
DeVayne was eliminated just shy of the Season 8 finale, which crowned New York’s Bob the Drag Queen its new leader earlier this month.
Fans quickly warmed to DeVayne’s down-home charm, Southern drawl and identified with her journey to self-acceptance. She performs Saturday in Houston, where she spent lots of summers “just hanging out at Deerbrook Mall in Humble and having fun.”
Q: You handled your elimination very gracefully. What was running through your mind?
A: There was a feeling of disappointment that I didn’t make it. Everybody wants to win. But there was a feeling of relief. All the hard work was done. I think I did a damn good job of doing the best that I could personally do. I didn’t win, but there’s no shame there.
Q: Who did you click with the quickest on the show?
A: In the beginning, believe it or not, me and Acid Betty were good friends. From the beginning, she would always make little side comments like, “Girl, you’re gonna win this. You’re gonna take it home.” I never really understand what she meant when she said the world’s gonna fall in love with me. We kinda bonded in the beginning. Q: On the flip side, who was the most difficult to deal with?
A: Everybody was cool, but there were certain people that I would definitely steer clear of, and that was (Britney Spears impersonator) Derrick Barry. You don’t wanna get on her bad side. She becomes vicious, Regina George from “Mean Girls,” and she would not stop until you are destroyed. She’s very intense.
Q: What was your biggest personal challenge on the show?
A: Basically, everything. I came into the competition with pieces of costumes, and every challenge we had to create something. I was doing it on the fly. “I so happen to have this dress that’s gray, so I’m gonna put it with this and this and this and create my black-and-white look.” The whole thing was a challenge.
Q: Proudest moment on the show?
A: The Book Ball and getting a chance to portray my mom onstage. I was used to working with paper. I’ve done paper outfits in the past. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to prove to people that I can make great costumes. You just have to give me a little nudge in that direction, and I’ll turn it out for you.
Q: When did you realize performance and drag was truly what you wanted to do?
A: Making it onto “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” I was doing drag as just a hobby on the weekends to let my hair down. I never thought drag was going to be my career and what I would be doing for the rest of my life. Once I made it onto “Drag Race,” I’m like, “Oh, OK — this is my calling. This is what I’m supposed to be doing.”
Q: What are your post “Drag Race” goals?
A: I’ve always wanted to do Broadway. I sing. I wanna release music. Now, I have the time to pursue other dreams that I’ve always wanted to do.