This week’s episode of Drag Race featured one of the most shocking turns in the show’s herstory when Arrietty and Jewels Sparkles instantly transformed from besties to rivals in the lead-up to the roast.
From day one, these two Latina queens have been thick as thieves, getting ready side by side, throwing shade and just being the tightest of season 17 sisters. So it came as a huge shock when it all fell apart over the queens’ order in the roast challenge.
Jewels, fresh off her win in front of the Betsey Johnson challenge, earned the privilege of choosing the roast order. While some of her choices were controversial and rubbed the queens the wrong way (Lexi Love was pressed over being put behind Suzie Toot, despite getting her desired last place slot), it was her choice to place herself behind Arrietty that caused the most controversy. For Arrietty, that choice signified that Jewels believed Arrietty would fail at the challenge and, on top of that, Jewels would ride that failure to greater success.
It was a betrayal that Arrietty then returned in kind by stealing two of Jewel’s jokes, leaving the queen stumbling and eventually falling into the bottom where the two faced off in a bittersweet, if epic, lip sync for your life.
Ultimately, Jewels triumphed and Arrietty sashayed away, but not before throwing a bit more shad and mustache-twirling villainy on her way out the door.
Honestly, it was pretty iconic. While many queens might consider engaging in a little sabotage, few would actually go through with it. It was shocking, but, if we’re honest, pretty stellar TV.
PRIDE sat down with Arrietty to discuss this moment, and if the passage of time and watching it all play out has changed her perspective (it didn’t) or softened her stance (it hasn’t). We also discuss some of her best looks, getting the dreaded “switch it up” critique from Michelle Visage, and where things stand with Jewels today.
PRIDE: When you look back on your time on Drag Race, How do you feel about it?
ARRIETTY: I feel great. Yeah, I do, honestly. It’s been a learning experience, and I’ve taken so much out of what I did horrible on and am trying to better myself.
When you say it was a learning experience, what is the biggest lesson you came away from it with?
I need to get my comedic timing down. I need some comedy chops because I obviously do not have them.
Not everybody’s a comedian and that’s okay! Especially because you have such amazing talent. What was the look that when you look back you’re most proud of?
It’s either the first design challenge or the lionfish because I feel like I just felt so regal and like so gorg… It’s hard to choose because each one is like a different version of myself. So honestly, I love them all.
You also have such an original and stamped mug, but you got the dreaded Michelle Visage critique of needing to “switch it up.” What do you think of that criticism more generally and did you ultimately find it helpful?
I knew that comment was gonna come at any given time. That’s why I switched it up for the first design challenge, because I [hoped] if I showed versatility, then maybe it just wouldn’t come later on. But that didn’t happen, which is fine.
I’m a makeup artist, so I know how to change it up. It’s one of my favorite things to do so it’s not like it was difficult for me. I do get ‘showing versatility,’ but I was gonna change my makeup either way, for every look, that’s just what I do for the majority of my looks, not one is the same as the next. That comment could have been saved for maybe like Jewels [Sparkle] or someone else, someone that doesn’t switch their makeup.
That critique doesn’t really come up with queens who do a more traditional style of beauty makeup.
Right. I’m like, what happened to, like, Kori [King’s] blue eye that she does every runway. Why don’t you say anything about that?
Okay, so let’s talk about this episode. It was very dramatic. We watched you and Jewels, who have really been like sisters from the minute you walked into the Werk Room, struggling in your relationship. I’m curious how you feel watching it back.
It puts everything into perspective with friends in a competition setting, of course. I understand what she did, and I retaliated because of that. I love Jewels. I do. That’s my girl. But yeah, It’s a lot.
Did seeing both sides change your perspective about what happened with the placements in the roast?
Oh no, I still feel the same. Oh no, no, no, no, trust and believe. No, I told her how I felt before she even chose the placement. So [Jewels] decided to put me before her, it just felt sly. So then I was like, you know what? If you’re gonna play the game, I’m gonna play the game. Let’s have fun.
One thing I did learn this episode is that you do not cross Arrietty. I think a lot of people would think about taking the jokes, but few people would actually follow through. Was there ever a moment that you considered not doing it? And when you saw her start to struggle, how did you feel?
Oh, it felt great. No, because if you’re gonna do that to me and not feel any kind of remorse or whatever, especially to like someone that’s your friend in the competition, then at that point it’s... what’s the saying? [All is fair in love and war]. So no, it was amazing.
The funny thing is, when I took the joke, I said it to her face. Of course, it’s not gonna be on camera, but I said, ‘Hey, I’m taking that joke from you.’ Straight to her face. And I live, I live. So, she knew I was taking it, but she, like, laughed it off. She didn’t actually think I was gonna take it. But I told her, I said, hey, I’m taking that joke. And I did.
Seeing her get all like, riled up and...stumbling on her words, because I took two of her jokes, it was amazing, because I was like, you know what? This is the game, and I’m playing it. We’re having fun.
Oh, my goodness. Well, you know what, we do love a queen who stands on business.
Oh, and if there’s one thing, I will stand on business.
We did get to see that you two did makeup in Untucked. Where does that relationship stand now?
We’re good. We are perfectly okay, we are sisters at the end of the day. We knew what we signed up for. So there’s no hard feelings.
Oh, that’s great. But are you ready for the rest of the world to have a lot of opinions about what happened?
I’ve had the rest of the world have opinions about me even before the show. [Since] the reveal. [But] I am perfectly okay in my skin. I know who I am, and I’m okay. If they don’t understand, I don’t give a fuck. I don’t give a fuck — and I never have. That’s something that I am always gonna ride and die with. That’s the hill I’m gonna die on. I’m an individual too. I’m a person. I have my own feelings. I have my own everything. And so do you. I’m gonna live in my world, and you can live in yours.