Yahoo News Salina EsTitties reveals her Drag Race stand-up story actually happened with trade at Raven-Symoné's birthday party
Before she had RuPaul's Drag Race fans praying at the altar of the Horny Virgin Mary at the Church of EsTitties — conveniently located on the corner of San Vicente and EsTitties Boulevard — drag saint Salina EsTitties was worshipping god-tier trade at Raven-Symoné's birthday party.
The latest eliminated queen from Drag Race season 15 tells EW in a candid exit interview that the story she told alongside set partner Mistress Isabelle Brooks during the episode 11 stand-up comedy challenge — involving high heels, pregnant Christmas characters, and attempted sex in full drag — all actually took place in real life, and was inspired by a wild night at the That's So Raven actress' 2015 birthday party.
Below, Salina reveals all about the infamous moment she used for inspiration to tell the tale alongside her "Pinga Pal" during the comedy challenge, how she really felt about Loosey LaDuca and Anetra saying her name when RuPaul asked the dreaded, "Who should go home, and why?" question on the Main Stage, and her thoughts on who might take the Miss Congeniality crown on season 15. Read on for the full exit interview, and tune in to the next new episode of RuPaul's Drag Race Friday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.
Paramount+/World of Wonder; Salina is MTV/World of Wonder Raven-Symoné and Salina EsTitties on 'RuPaul's Drag Race.'
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: The Rusical is always a fan-favorite episode, the role selection appeared to be less fun, with Luxx and Loosey clashing over the role of Heaven. You immediately said, "I'll take Christian, so ya'll can fight it out." Was that strategy to let them go at it and cause chaos?
SALINA ESTITTIES: 1,000 percent. My track record wasn't good, I had a good feeling at any point, it felt obvious that Sasha, Mistress, and Luxx were at the top, so the last spot for top four was me, Loosey, and Anetra, and Anetra has been creeping back up in the competition at this point, so I had a feeling that it was between me and Loosey. Last episode, I feel like I would've gone home had I not stolen Mistress from Marcia. That was a little thing for me to do to make sure I stayed an extra week. The week before, I was in the bottom when Mistress should've been in the bottom, so I was like, okay, they're saving Mistress, let me go with Mistress, who they're not going to put in the bottom. Boom, I'm here another week.
What made you think Mistress wasn't going to be in the bottom on the interview challenge?
The interview challenge, she should've been…. I was like, okay, I'm probably safe. I didn't do bad in the interview challenge. It should've been Mistress and Malaysia, and I think they were setting it up for them to have that battle, but they ended up saving Mistress for whatever reason. So, I was like, if they're saving Mistress, she's the queen bee this whole season, I'm going to align myself with the girl they're not putting in the bottom.
It doesn't seem like people are going home because they're performing poorly.
Every episode, even back to Spice on the design challenge, I don't think both of us did horrible, we didn't glue bags to a corset! No shade!
I'm glad you brought up Lala Ri, season 13's Miss Congeniality. Who do you think could be in the running this year?
I would love Miss Congeniality. I would like to win something this season, that would be really nice. But, I feel like it's probably between myself, Malaysia Babydoll Foxx, and Robin Fierce. That's the consensus among the group right now.
Not Mistress?
She kept saying, "Congenial Era," but I don't know if she ever got there! [Laughs]
How did you feel about Mistress and Luxx suggesting that Loosey wasn't being genuine for the reasons she wanted the role? In recent weeks, it seems like there's been pointed tension with Loosey.
From my experience with Loosey, I didn't feel that she was that delusional, crazy, or inauthentic. She just wanted to win, and I got that, because I wanted to win. With the track record laid out for me, I knew it wasn't in the cards, but to hear Loosey fight for it, I related to her. Mistress and Luxx, going into the show, watching how they work and play the game, was very inspiring. Those girls know what they're doing when it comes to reality TV. I work in Hollywood, I work in L.A., I've been on reality TV shows in the past, but nothing like this, where your personal art is also getting picked and prodded. I wasn't prepared for that, so it took me out of the reality TV aspect, which Mistress and Luxx are amazing at. They're a masterclass at how to make good TV. With this kind of show, you make good TV, the longer you stay, is how I feel. They were amazing and I applaud them for that. With that said, they knew what they were doing when they were picking on Loosey. It made good TV.
During the choreography segment, you seemed shocked that your character had Western-inspired moves. Did it not say Western in the character description?
I'd never have picked Tuck if I knew he was a country person. I had country in the girl group situation, and in Daytona Wind, she was a country character. I kept being in these country roles…. We didn't know any choreography. Heaven had the most choreography of anyone, and, had I known that, I would've fought for Heaven. We had no idea what roles were heavily choreographed or what styles people were getting.
How did you feel about your performance in Wigloose, and did it surprise you that you were in the bottom?
Everyone got good critiques. My experience being there, me and Sasha, choreography girls, were killing it. We're dancers. Mistress struggled a lot [in rehearsal] but she ended up bringing it back around [for the performance]. Surprisingly, Anetra was struggling with choreography, and Luxx was stumbling everywhere as well…. At the end of the day, everyone did amazing. What it came down to, of course, was our runways. And, who gets picked on for their runways every time? EsTitties! Everything led to this moment. I had a feeling. I said it at the top of last week's episode for the interview challenge that the first two bottoms were design challenges, so it was design challenges that I was "bad at," but when I was in the bottom for the interview challenge, I had a feeling, okay, I'm not going to win anything, and it set me up so that when Ru asks who should go home and why, my track record will be an obvious pick. When we went into this and they read me for my outfit, I was like, okay, they need the girls to say my name so I can go home next. To my surprise, I was gagged when Mistress, Luxx, and Sasha didn't say my name, and Anetra didn't say my name at first…. She [cried] and then Anetra ended up saying my name because Loosey said my name. I fought with Loosey in Untucked, because I said, "Loosey, there are definitely girls here you don't like, why didn't you say their names instead?" because if she said Mistress or Luxx, who she's been fighting with all season, maybe Anetra wouldn't have said my name and things would've been different. I only had two points on me.
RuPaul has done that in the past, when girls are emotional and don't want to say a name. But, I think your runway was ahead of the time with the big red gloves because those red puffy boots have come out.
Yes! I was trying to buy those when they dropped but I couldn't get it…. I thought my look was fun and campy and different from what I presented so far, but also a little banjee.
Almost everyone's name was said for various reasons. You and Loosey had an emotional moment earlier this episode where she confided in you, so did you clear things up with her and Anetra, eventually?
When everyone got home, yeah. I wrote a letter to Loosey as I left saying, "I'm sorry I doubled down on you, of course I know you're talented," me and Luxx dug in on her really mean…. I was angry, so, this is the last moment I'm going to go in on her…. We're cool. Every time Loosey is in L.A., I have lunch with her because she's having a hard time this season, but, we're all good, I love Anetra, she's one of the first people I went to see after we got back from the show. I love them both, I just wish they fought with me in Untucked so I could go out with a nice fight.
In the lip-sync, we could hear Mistress saying, "Come on, Salina, eat her up, bitch." Could you hear Mistress cheering you on?
No. But, I can see her saying that. Me and Mistress were close friends off-camera. We were always in the van together, always ki-ki-ing on the side, she's like my stupid, annoying little sister. I love her so much. After the comedy challenge we proclaimed ourselves as the Pinga Pals. Of course she wasn't going to root for Loosey. She hasn't rooted for Loosey all season.
Is that a true story, the one you told in the comedy challenge?
1,000 percent true. It was Raven-Symoné's birthday party at the Roosevelt hotel in 2015.
Did you just reveal that in the challenge?
No, I didn't want names in there just in case…. I'll find the picture and send it to you.
What did Raven have to say about this?
I don't know Raven personally, I was invited through a friend. I was with Shangela and Frankie Grande, they were invited to Raven's party. I went as pregnant Mrs. Claus. There was this guy hanging out with Raven-Symoné all night, he ended up texting me, I was in drag, I looked gorgeous, and I really couldn't reach. He was so tall. I ran upstairs to grab a pair of high heels because literally was in my chanclas, I ran back downstairs, and he was gone!
This is an abrupt shift, but, before we go, last week's Untucked had a poignant moment, we got to see a beautiful video from your mother. We just lost her and I'm so sorry. How do you feel having that moment preserved with her on video?
Up to this point, throughout the season you haven't gotten much of my story at all…. I was very nervous that they weren't going to show my video because it wasn't about me this season in that way. I'm a confessional narrator, sure, but getting to fall in love with me for my story, it didn't show up on the season…. When they did, it was nice to hear her and see her one more time, especially looking like that, because, as she was passing away, the cancer took a toll on her, and she didn't look like herself. It was a beautiful gift not only to me, but to my brother, my sister, and my dad, to get to see her again.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
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