‘If I’m not winning, no one should’: Sminty Drop on her shock early exit from Drag Race UK

Jaws remain on the ground, because nobody has recovered from early frontrunner and firm fan favourite Sminty Drop sashaying away from Drag Race UK last night.

After falling short in the Catty Man improv challenge, Sminty Drop continued runway domination on the main stage – but still found herself in the bottom two against last week’s winner Baby. It was a lose / lose situation, but Sminty Drop sashayed away and gave us the most iconic exit moment since Vanjie. The sobbing twerks will live on forever, and I got straight onto a Zoom call with the Manchester Mannequin to discuss her time on the show.

I’ll be speaking to every queen this season after they’ve been eliminated, so make sure you check The Tab on Friday afternoons to read up on our kiki!

‘They had to get rid of me to give somebody else some airtime’

Sminty, we NEED to talk about that iconic exit first of all!!!

It was honestly so crazy. When I got to the back of the stage I was in such a tizz that I couldn’t even form a sentence and I just felt my body go into this weird position and I was just like, “Well, now we’re twerking. Now we’re going, and I can’t stop, and everyone’s laughing, we’re going with it!”

But yeah, to have such a sad moment but also kinda happy be so well received on social media has really put it up there as an amazing experience. I’m in good spirits about it.

It was such a shock exit, I think I speak for everyone when I say we all saw you up in that final. How has all the fan reaction been?

Everyone’s been super nice. Knowing where I placed and seeing me in everyone’s top threes and fours and wanting me to win I was like, I’m gonna let you down! I feel like they had to get rid of me to give somebody else some airtime! I was such a camera hog. But I had such a good run – I was there for a short time, but I was there for a bloody good time!

I made an impact on everyone. No one forgot me, no one’s gonna forget me. I’m excited to see them go back into the Werk Room and see how much the dynamic’s changes. That’s so up my own arse, but it’s true!

Do you think your look should have saved you?

I don’t know. Is the look 50 per cent of the mark? If you think back to season two with Tia, she was penalised for looks not being up to par. They’re in the bottom for that, the look is taken into consideration. But if you do bad in the challenge and you’ve got the best look of the three? Keep the same energy.

‘I had to quickly change my entire character’

If I’m completely honest with you Sminty, I normally hate a Drag Race UK acting or improv challenge, but this one was genuinely so funny. Did you feel a lot of pressure up against such funny queens and bouncing off Alan Carr, who’s obviously hilarious?

I was psyching myself out big time. I was really confident when we were preparing. I had a deep, raspy voice planned and then I heard Dakota do it before me so I had to quickly change my entire character. I was just completely frozen. I crumbled under the pressure.

I did the same with the girl group challenge. I was getting under everyone’s skin with the lyrics I knew them that well, because I thought it was the most iconic verse anyone’d ever said. I thought I was gonna be at Billboard Music Awards with that verse. I just froze!

The thing is, it’s so annoying because it literally WAS the most iconic verse!

The Manchester Mannequin verse is the pretty bitch track of the season!

Everyone’s been saying how close this cast is, have you felt it too?

We do have a really, really strong bond. It’s so cliche, but I’m so glad to have formed this sisterhood. But when you’re in your little bubble and community and that’s all you know, stepping outside and meeting people in a whirlwind situation together it was so inspiring. We were each other’s ride or dies.

I needed to see other people from around the UK and see what their drag is and just to be, like, inspired. I’m a creative person and could not have been surrounded by more inspiring people.

What was the hardest thing about Drag Race UK for you Sminty, when you got there?

The hardest thing was managing my emotions. I went into it thinking, I’m a really well rounded person. I’ve got this. I could potentially win this. I was so focussed on getting my drag together that I completely pushed to one side how I was gonna mentally cope with my panic attacks.

I should have gone in with some coping mechanisms or a CBD vape! I need to channel my emotions better for sure.

Right – who were you doing for Snatch Game? I need to know!

Oh my god… I was going to do Diana Vickers! I was gonna have bare feet, dirty, grimy, living in the woods, tree bark in the hair Diana Vickers. If I didn’t do her, I was gonna do Chloe Ferry. Me and Chloe Ferry have a lot of similarities! We both sound like seagulls. We sound like pigeons.

‘If I’m not winning, then no one should win’

Was there anything from the show that we never got to see that you wish was aired?

Me and Baby were inseparable. We formed such a close bond – that is my girl. We formed it on and off camera, and people didn’t get to see that. I was upset that they didn’t see us develop together, and the friendships that were formed. That was a bit gutting. When we were in the lip sync we couldn’t even look at each other, cause we’d just cry.

In my head at that moment, I thought they’d put us in the bottom together because they wanted a best friend-off, but watching it and seeing none of our best friendness made the cut it was like, it wasn’t a best friend-off we were just rubbish.

Watching it back, do you agree with the critiques you got?

Hmm. Yeah, I’d say there were fair. I don’t think there was anything I thought was out of pocket. Oh, the only one where I was like EXCUSE ME was when they said the silhouettes were the same because I was like, girl, these are two completely different looks. But of course when they’re saying I’m the most gorgeous queen in the entire Drag Race franchise obviously I agree with that.

And finally Sminty, who’s your pick for the Drag Race UK win?

I was so focussed on myself I literally forgot anyone else was even there. If I’m not winning, then no one should win! Period! None of you are allowed to win. You’re all grounded, go to your room. Cut it! Stop the show!

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season four continues on BBC Three and iPlayer Thursdays at 9pm.Watch the full Meet the Queens here.

Special thanks to Jasmine Aloma at the BBC.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Just May on what it’s like to be the first Drag Race UK season four queen to sashay away

• Starlet was the second queen to sashay away last night, here’s what she has to say about it

• Pixie Polite from Drag Race UK was in a relationship with season two queen Tia Kofi