Drag Race UK Versus the World Cheryl

Cheryl Hole breaks silence on if her Drag Race UK Versus the World elimination was fair

‘I felt like Janey Jacké had already made her mind up on who she was sending home before I even opened my gob’


Not our Chez! She told us she was back this time to make sure she wouldn’t be giving us another week of her doing mediocre – but thanks to a less than stellar Werk Room made dress and some decisions that were out of her hands, Cheryl Hole became the second casualty of Drag Race UK Versus the World. Our queen of Essex has gone home, and perhaps before her time. We never got to see her come back and smash the girl group challenge like she was born to do!

We jumped on a zoom with Cheryl Hole to see how she’s feeling after her Drag Race UK Versus the World elimination.

‘You’re back with a vengeance, you want to do your best, but I fell at this hurdle’

Hey Cheryl! So good to speak to you but sad that it’s so soon. How are you feeling after your elimination?

Do you know what, we’ve had a very long time to sit on this. I’ve had some ups and I’ve had some real downs. You hype yourself up, you’re back with a vengeance, and unfortunately I fell at this hurdle. It was my biggest Achilles heel, but you can never say I don’t give it my all and try my hardest. I fought to the end and I’m leaving on a high. I’ll always stick to my guns and leave on a good note.

Did you feel like it was fair?

Right, I’ll keep it 100 with you, Harrison, baby. My dress was the worst. But I did it in an hour and a half. I did the best with the cards I was dealt. I thought it was fair that I deserved to be in the bottom two, but in all honesty I wish that I was given that one chance to stumble and it be fine because I’ve got so much to prove. But if Jujubee can come back four times, I’m sure there’s a future for Chez!

How do you feel about the alliance game that some queens seem to be starting to play and form?

All I can think is of Thorgy Thor saying “I’m open to alliances in All Stars 3!” Look, when I came into this competition I said I would judge it fairly. But you don’t know how everyone else is going to play it. When Jimbo asked if I’d have an alliance, I just said it’s not about that. You’ve been in the top two for the first two weeks, how could I send you home if I was in the top next week when you’ve been performing well?

When you were waiting to hear the result, did you think that Janey would have your lipstick? And whose lipstick do you think Jimbo had?

So, sitting down in the deliberation chats, I felt like Janey had already made her mind up before I even opened my gob. I just tried to plead my case and work a bit of Essex charm to try and flip the script. I genuinely think Jimbo was going to save me.

What were you most looking forward to showing that we didn’t get to see?

I was just so ready to come back and destroy a girl group challenge or Rusical. Could you imagine Chezzy’s win that week? It would have been a gag!

Cheryl Hole talks to The Tab

‘I got told I was eliminated and then I got told that my nan had passed away immediately the day after’

When I spoke with Lemon last week, she said it took her a while to come to terms with her elimination. Obviously, Cheryl, you all filmed Drag Race UK Versus the World a while ago now, but back then did it take you some time to make peace with it?

I will level with you 100 per cent, I had a very unfortunate circumstance. I got eliminated and then got told that my nan had passed away literally the day after. I had to deal with the trauma of leaving early after coming back with so much hype to prove myself, and then I had to deal with grieving my nan. There were a lot of emotions during that time, so it took me a little bit longer than I thought it would. I have an amazing support system, husband and family. Blu and Baga have been great, too.

So sorry for your loss, that’s awful. It’s great that you’re so close to your season one sisters, and it was nice seeing you and Blu and Juju have that special conversation last night about gender identity – how was that for you?

So, Blu is my ride or die. She is my best friend out of this show. Even last night at 1am we were on the phone talking, I would do anything for that diva, she’s my absolute world. Like she said, she’d only had that chat with her boyfriend and we tell each other everything, I was just like why have you been holding this in?! We’re here to lift you up no matter what. It’s a journey, you haver to take little steps each time. But there’s no expiration on a journey like this. I will support that diva til the end of time!

I found that conversation so moving, especially when you said about how people love you so much when you’re in drag that it can be hard to make yourself feel as special out of it. Cheryl, if you were choosing the tops and bottoms from the Drag Race UK Versus the World Ball this week, who would you have chosen?

Jimbo deserved to be there, through and through. I’m never going to discredit Janey because that outfit fit her like a glove. But in all honestly, I think Blu deserved some more recognition because that Butch Queen look was phenomenal. We don’t have much time to turn around the different looks and she did three different faces, got the tattoos all on her arm and then all of them off in that time. Give the girl a badge!

‘We had so much love for each other in that room… Except for Divina and The Vivienne!’

So, was the Werk Room more or less shady than it was when you were on season one?

We were a lot more honest this time round! Season one, a lot of people were finding their feet. On the whole, we had so much love for each other in that room – except for Divina and Vivienne. I genuinely love all the queens on this season so much. There was less shade in episode two because we were all so stressed about the Ball. Even Blu didn’t, and she’s the shadiest bitch of them all.

Okay, all tea… If it wasn’t All Stars rules and the bottom two queens were lip syncing for their life, would you still be in the competition?

Well, let’s look at episode one. Lemon would still be there, because she turns the party. And Lemon said herself, if it was a lip sync for your life that everybody would be scared to be against us two. And I would have made it to the end!

Who did you have prepped for Snatch Game?

I was going to do Sharon Osbourne. [Cheryl then bursts into a note perfect Sharon Osbourne impression that I can confirm we as a world have missed out on]. I was so excited and prepared for what any Snatch Game twist they could throw at us.

How did you feel, Cheryl, about being asked to be part of this first season of Drag Race UK Versus the World?

From the bottom of my heart, I’m just so honoured. I was so proud to be part of season one of Drag Race UK, and now again with UK Versus the World. It’s just mind blowing. Little old me from Essex getting to have TWO opportunities, I was just so honoured to be on a platform with such amazing queens. Everyone said about All Stars 5 that it was just filler queens there to pad the cast out, but this cast was stacked with talent. It’s going to be devastating week after week with who goes home. Unfortunately, me and Lemon did what we had to do and went back to the hotel. I will tell you this, though – we had the BEST time in the hotel!

I wish we got the footage of all the queens in your hotel. We need a spin off of you all living in there.

The real show was honestly in the hotel rooms!

Commission it please!

HELLO? BBC? ARE YOU LISTENING?!?!

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Versus The World airs every Tuesday at 9pm on BBC Three on TV, or catch up on episode two featuring Cheryl on BBC iPlayerFor all the latest Drag Race memes and Netflix news, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.

Featured image courtesy of BBC.

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