'Canada's Drag Race': Melinda Verga opens up about partner's health, being financially ready for the show

Canada's Drag Race Season 4 got emotional this week, with the remaining five queens getting a visit from their friends and family, but Melinda Verga's makeover of partner Scott left the judges wanting more, leading to her elimination.

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Interestingly, the Edmonton-based queen didn't think Scott was going to be the person showing up for the challenge.

"I actually was fully expecting that it would be my sister," Verga told Yahoo Canada. "We were asked for several people who we might want to bring on the show on a challenge like that, it wasn't specified that that's going to happen, ... but just in case it does happen."

"The first one on my list was my sister, I felt that she and I could really compete and she could help me sew. Plus with Scott's state when I left him, I wasn't sure if travelling would be feasible, let alone compete on a TV show with all that pressure."

'I needed to be able to do it for myself'

As we found out during Thursday's episode of Drag Race, when Verga left Edmonton, Scott was still recovering from a mini stoke.

"All last year, when I had some medical issues, he was there for me and it's made me stronger," Scott said on the show.

In fact, Verga almost didn't participate in Drag Race, because of her partner's health.

"This was my only plan, I had no plans B, C, D, and E. It was either I make it this year, which is my third try, or I just move on to other things in my life," Verga explained. "Until my partner had his incident, which was the first big kick in the a—, and it kind of made me doubt for a moment if I should go."

"But my family insisted that I needed this, we needed this, and apparently they are correct. They got him, they took care of him. This is something that we needed, that I needed to be able to do it for myself, for my family."

Verga shared that Scott's health is in a good place right now.

"The most important change that I've seen this past, almost actually a year now, is just a change in his competence and self worth," Verga said. "He's pretty much his old self, feeling that he can accomplish things again, and be of value, because that was the first thing that went."

"It didn't just happen overnight, this started to devolve over time, and we didn't know what was going on. Part of that also diminished his self-confidence. So for me to now see it back again, I'm just so happy and grateful to see that turnaround."

Mentally, physically and financial prepared

Being in the bottom two meant Verga had to lip sync against Nearah Nuff, from Calgary, Alta., to the song "I Didn’t Just Come Here to Dance" by Carly Rae Jepsen.

"My initial thought actually was, ... I'm already happy," Verga said. "I've already won in my own right."

"That whole episode, that was the most relaxed I was the whole season. ... I'm like, I'm not going to go out without a bang. That is just not my style. So I'm like, we're going to put on a show. So for me to see how I actually did last night, because of course that's the first time I've seen it. I actually put on a really good fight and did quite well."

Looking back at Season 4 of Drag Race, Verga said one thing she would have wanted to know before being on the show is just how much work is involved.

"A lot of it really tests not just your desire to be there, but your mental and physical preparedness to be there, and to compete and to excel," Verga said. "So those are the layers upon layers upon layers of preparedness that one needs to have, in order for them to not just be there, survive, and excel."

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As the first queen from Edmonton to be on Canada's Drag Race, for anyone who wants hopefully be on the show at the future, Verga's first piece of advice is to "prepare yourself financially."

"That's significant. I might laugh about it right now, but having that financial preparedness will definitely put you at ease," Verga stressed. "Knowing that, yes, I can definitely turn out the looks, I can definitely afford wigs."

"The fact that you're going to be away for a while, bills will still need to be paid. Those are real things that will need to be able to be dealt with before, during and after the competition. ... Set yourselves up for success financially, because that will take a real toll on you. Aside from the physical, emotional and mental toll that it does take."

'If I'm just doing this for myself, who cares?'

As we've seen from previous Drag Race stars, in Canada and beyond, even being eliminated from the show can be a huge stepping stone to really elevate a queen's future. That's very much how Verga is taking this post-Drag Race phase, with a focus on being able to inspire and support others.

"This is not the end all, be all of your career, this is a huge platform, a stepping stone to the next part of your life that you're going to pursue," Verga said. "For me, I want to learn more about myself as a person, and really solidify and fortify how much I love this art of drag, and how much I want to get out there and inspire and touch as many people as I can, emotionally and mentally."

"That might sound like a cliché, but really and truly, if I'm just doing this for myself, who cares? I'm 45 years old, I'm already at that point in my in my life, I've lived my life for myself. Now, what's next? And what's next is not just for myself, it's also living my life for other people. That's how I found my worth, my value at this point in my life."