“I was actually gagged that she sent me home” Snatch Game Sends Another Down Under Vs The World Queen Home

Nikita Iman On Her Drag Race Down Under Vs The World Exit: ‘I Was A Little Bit Gagged’

The Down Under star talks Art Simone’s elimination decision, the pressure of Snatch Game, the Kween Kong character that could have been and why Raven was her favourite part of the season.

Drag Race Down Under Vs The World darling Nikita Iman chatted with The Star Observer about her second time representing Drag Race Down Under and the shock elimination that brought her international run to an early end.

Snatch Game: Drag Race Down Under Vs The World Edition

After making it to the top five of Drag Race Down Under season four, Nikita entered the global competition more confident, more prepared and ready to show how far her drag had evolved.

“I definitely felt there had to be a level of elevation going into the season — not only with my runways, but also with how I present myself and my confidence,” Nikita told The Star Observer.

“I definitely felt a lot more confident going into this one. Obviously, doing it the first time, you’re aware of how it’s going to feel when you’re there. I remember, on my way to filming, I was on the plane reminding myself of the step-by-step of a day of the filming process to help prepare myself. Overall, I definitely felt very excited and confident going into this round compared to the first one.”

Snatch Game is a challenge that contestants globally both fear and love, and Drag Race Down Under Vs The World was no different, providing some of the game’s biggest hits and misses.

While the episode brought redemption for season one darling Art Simone, other contestants were not so lucky.

Flor, M1ss Jade So and Nikita Iman struggled, while Art, Vybe and Coco Jumbo rose to the top, leaving all five Down Under queens either celebrating a win or fighting to remain in the competition.

After Art Simone pulled out all the stops with her hilarious, campy lip sync, she was once again granted the power to send a fellow queen home, choosing to send Nikita Iman packing.

So how did Nikita feel about her time on the show?

With little time between filming season four and returning for Vs The World, Nikita said her first Drag Race experience was still fresh in her mind.

That helped settle some of the nerves, even if the demands of filming had left their mark.

“I think, especially when I got the call, I definitely didn’t feel as nervous as the first time around. I think that was mainly because it was only a year or so — a year and a bit — since I had filmed,” she said. “The feeling, or probably the trauma, of actually filming was still within me, so it didn’t really feel as if I had to reset myself to go back.”

However, confidence did not make the competition any less intimidating. Nikita entered the workroom alongside queens she had admired on their original seasons, quickly realising she had joined a formidable cast.

“Being with girls that I was such a big fan of on their seasons, and being able to compete with them, I definitely felt on the first day that it was going to be a tough competition for me,” she said.

“At the same time, as these girls were coming out, I was just so grateful to be in the season and to be alongside them, because it was such an iconic season. To have myself alongside these girls, I was so happy.”

Finding her voice among the big personalities

In a cast packed with enormous personalities, the gentle and softly spoken Nikita knew she would need to make herself heard without losing the qualities that made her who she was.

“I always kind of forget that I am a lot more soft-spoken. It’s not really until I’m in that kind of environment, because when I’m around my girls, I’m still the same, to be honest. I find that I choose moments where I contribute something,” she said. “You should have met me when I was really young. I was loud, I was the loudest in the room, I was the one to always call out shit, I was always the one to start shit. But as I got older, I realised that I didn’t need to always drive the bus. I was really content with just adding my contribution where I can.”

Nikita was comfortable being the quieter queen in the room, but the awareness that every moment could become part of the show created its own pressure.

“I didn’t find that I was drowning among them. Obviously, when we’re filming, a big personality helps. I did find myself struggling a little bit, trying to not necessarily get a word in, but contribute something that was valuable to filming,” she said.

“I found that I was speaking louder, which made me cringe a little bit. I was like, ‘What are you doing, babes? It’s fine. You don’t need to be yelling and screaming in front of these people.’”

Ultimately, Nikita decided the best strategy was to remain present, positive and unmistakably herself.

“I went in with the idea of: pick your moments, have your catchphrases, but always be happy and grateful and excited to be there,” she said.

“I was really happy watching every episode and seeing myself enjoying it, laughing and helping the girls out.”

The elimination twist changed the game

For Nikita, the season’s voting format was one challenge she had not prepared for. The power no longer rested solely with Michelle Visage and the judging panel; her fate could be decided by the queens standing beside her.

“That was something I completely did not mentally prepare for — having to vote, and then also having to plead to stay,” she said.

“That definitely threw me a little bit, because your chances of staying are in your sisters’ hands. Obviously, they judge based on how they feel and their criteria for why someone would stay.”

The Down Under queens had spoken about protecting each other, but Snatch Game placed all five of them in the top and bottom. With Vybe and Art winning the challenge, Nikita knew one outcome offered her a better chance of survival than the other.

“I knew that Vybe and I obviously have a really good connection, so I had a feeling that she was going to save me and keep me in the competition,” she said.

“Art and I really enjoy each other, but I don’t know her as well. I think at that point we were starting to really connect. To be honest, I was actually kind of gagged that she sent me home.”

When the decision came down to Nikita and Flor, Nikita believed her track record could be enough to keep her in the competition.

“It was myself and Flor, and in my head I was like, ‘Well, Flor was in the bottom in the first week, and then she was in the top, whereas I was kind of just safer.’ So, yeah, I was very surprised,” she said.“I was a little bit gagged when Art saved Flor.”

However, Nikita has since developed a theory about the small, and very noisy, detail that may have helped Art make her choice.

“When we were doing our deliberation, a few of the beads on my outfit kept falling down because I was moving. I think that really annoyed Art,” she said.

“We were standing there, I was right next to her, and all she could hear was drop, drop, drop. I think she really wanted a queen who had everything ready for the show as well. I think that’s why she picked Flor.”

Despite the disappointment, Nikita is looking forward to seeing what her fellow Down Under queen does next.

“I’m excited to see the rest of Flor’s package. Flor has kind of been carrying the season, to be honest. I’m really glad that we get to see more of Flor.”

Snatch Game was filmed in one gruelling day

Snatch Game arrived with even more pressure than viewers saw on screen. According to Nikita, contestants discovered the challenge that morning and filmed the game, runway and elimination before the day was over.

“We obviously film an episode over two days, but this Snatch Game was shot in one day,” she said.

“We got there in the morning, got told it was Snatch Game, did Snatch Game, then did the runway, and then did elimination, all in one day.”

Nikita believes the regular filming schedule would have given her a crucial opportunity to refine her character of Mary Jane before facing the judges.

“I definitely think that if we’d kept our regular two-day schedule and I was able to go back to my hotel and workshop my character a little bit more in preparation for the next day, I would have been able to be more present and have a better run,” she said.

“Just getting in and then them saying, ‘Okay, we’ve got Snatch Game and we’re filming it in a few hours, so get it together,’ I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, okay.’”

The Snatch Game character that could have been

After portraying Mother Nature on season four and Mary Jane on Drag Race Down Under Vs The World, Nikita acknowledged a pattern in her choice of fictional Snatch Game characters.

Finding a celebrity who suited her performance style had proved difficult for Nikita again.

“My friends and I were really struggling to find who was funny enough for me to do with my lack of acting and comedy skills, and we just couldn’t think of anyone,” she said. “Even now, besides Mr Bean, I don’t really know who I would be able to do. Mr Bean, Bretman Rock — but then I’m not really as quick as Bretman, I find.”

But when we suggested season two star Kween Kong, a very different character immediately emerged: a gorilla-suited “Kween Kong”.

“To be honest, we were thinking of that as well, whether to do Kween, but then I wasn’t really too sure whether people would appreciate having queens who do queens,” Nikita said. “But I could have literally walked in with a gorilla suit and a wig and just said, ‘I’m Kween Kong.’”

The more she considered it, the more Nikita realised it might have been the answer she was searching for. “Now that I’m actually sitting down and thinking about it, I’m like, ‘That would have actually been so funny.’”

Nikita also arrived with another fictional backup: a gold-tooth fairy inspired by the popularity of gold teeth in Pacific Island cultures.

“We were going to do the gold-tooth fairy, because gold teeth are very common in Island culture,” she said. “We were like, ‘Okay, well, let’s just make her really obsessive and horny over teeth.’”

However, not knowing Snatch Game was coming meant her preparation notes were back at the hotel.

“Because we didn’t know that it was Snatch Game, I left all my notebooks at home in the hotel, so I was basing everything off memory,” she said.

“I was like, ‘Well, I have a little bit more memory on Mary Jane, so let me try and do that.’ It was crazy, because it wasn’t until I had finished filming and was on the flight back home that my characterisation and perspective came to me. I was like, ‘That’s what I should have done in terms of how I should have portrayed myself.’ I was like, ‘Damn it.’”

Raven was the highlight of Nikita’s season

While her time in the competition was cut short, Nikita had no hesitation when naming her favourite part of the experience.

“Raven was hands down my favourite part of the season,” she said.

“As soon as she walked in, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. Okay, well, whenever Raven is on camera, Nikita is next to Raven.’ As soon as we unpacked and she put her stuff down at her makeup station, I was like, ‘Do I want to go sit next to her? Maybe it might be a bit too annoying.’ Then I was like, ‘No, do it. Go and sit next to her.’”

Sitting beside the legendary queen did not immediately deliver the makeup masterclass Nikita had imagined.

“I really enjoyed getting ready with her. Watching her stress was so funny on the first day, on her first runway, because I don’t think she’s had an hour as her time limit to get ready in a while,” she said.

“I was really hoping to get some makeup tips from her. I’m doing my makeup, I turn around and I’m like, ‘Oh, what do you think about this?’ And she’s just like, ‘Don’t talk to me, Nikita. I’ve got half an hour and I’ve got no eyebrows.’ And I’m just like, ‘Get it together, girl.’”

While other queens suspected Raven’s contestant status was part of a twist, Nikita was completely taken in.

“The idea of her not competing wasn’t even a thought in my mind. All the other girls were ready for her to make the flip, but I was like, ‘Yay, Raven’s here!’”

Keeping the Raven secret

The cast kept Raven’s true role under wraps through filming, promotion and the season launch, despite constant questions about her return.

Nikita said the queens understood how special the reveal would be for viewers and were determined to protect it.

“We knew that Raven being on the season was so exciting, so we knew that we had to keep that as a secret until it happened,” she said.

“If I was a viewer and I saw Raven cast, I would be so excited to watch and tune in.”

Nikita did come dangerously close to giving the game away.

“I did slip up once in an interview, mentioning it a little bit, but I saved myself, so obviously they didn’t say anything,” she said.

“We were all very secretive because we were excited for everyone to watch it and get the feeling of her competing and actually being part of the show. She stayed throughout the whole filming process as well, because she was doing little exit interviews. She was always around, which was really nice.”

The package viewers did not get to see

Like Nicole Paige Brooks before her, Nikita left the competition disappointed that viewers would not see the runway package she had prepared.

“I’m very disappointed that I wasn’t able to showcase the rest of my package, but I’m excited to still share it online,” she said.

“I’ve learned so much over the past couple of years since my first time filming. It was the first look that gives a little indication of where my drag aesthetic has gone.”

For Nikita, the package was an opportunity to retain the cultural storytelling seen in her original season while expanding the audience’s understanding of her drag.

“In my first season, I was very heavily Samoan culture and really putting that forward,” she said.

“For this one, I really wanted to not necessarily step away from that, but also show that Nikita Iman does more than just Polynesian and cultural drag. So, yeah, I’m really, really happy.”

What comes next for Nikita Iman?

After a demanding stretch of filming, promotion and performances, Nikita plans to take a well-earned break before turning her attention to international touring and honing her skills.

“I would love to make it to the UK, to do a little tour in the UK and in the States,” she said.

“We’re trying to organise a little tour with Australia as well, and then a little stopover in Atlanta, Georgia.”

She also intends to use the judges’ critiques as motivation for the next stage of her career.

“To me, whenever you go and compete, you come back with feedback and criticism, and that’s the whole point of going and competing: you get feedback, and it’s just picking what you put forward,” she said.

“I’ll do workshops on hosting and dancing and choreography and stuff like that. I’m really, really excited for the rest of the year. I’m excited for the rest of the season.”

Drag Race Down Under Vs The World is streaming on Stan in Australia with new episodes dropping every Friday at 5pm.