In a 2016 interview with Georgia Voice, Evah Destruction said it was her five-year goal to be on TV. Only three years later, her moment came in the form of Season Three of The Boulet Brothers Dragula. Dragula is unlike any other show on television. The competition features alternative drag artists—queens, kings, and everyone in between—who embody horror, filth, and glamour as they compete for the title of America’s Next Drag Super Monster. Every week, those whose drag doesn’t meet the mark are up for “extermination” — and it’s just as bad as it sounds. To avoid extermination, competitors must take part in disturbing, painful, and frightening challenges, from skydiving and tattoos to enduring electric shocks and eating cow intestines.
While she’s since taken her talents to the great state of Texas, Destruction is a name well known in the Atlanta scene, winning her a handful of Georgia Voice’s Best Drag Queen in Atlanta awards. We sat down with the self-proclaimed Glamour Sasquatch to discuss the show, how things have changed since the premiere a year ago, and what she hopes for Season Four. Warning: light spoilers ahead!
Quotes have been edited for clarity.
Dragula is not for the faint of heart. How were you feeling when you learned you were going to be on the show?
[Dragula] is a complete roller coaster of emotions. It’s more psychologically intense [than Drag Race]. It taps into your fears, and when I got cast there was a lot of excitement, but I definitely had a lot of those anxiety spells where I was just like, “What have I gotten myself into?” That’s when I binge watched seasons one and two; I studied the show in and out because I needed to frame my mind into expecting pain, disgusting and horrific events to take place.
Luckily, you only had to do two extermination challenges: the roach tube race and stapling dollar bills to your body. What were those experiences like?
It’s actually funny because I think the roach tube was more terrifying to me than the stapling not because it was a roach but because of the fact that it was literally a 50/50 chance. Had Hollow [Eve] blown the roach to my side, it would’ve been curtains for me. I think that part would’ve been more devastating to me than conquering my fear of puncturing my skin and completely owning and rocking that extermination challenge (I still think I was robbed, but that’s another story!). The roach instilled more fear into me; I could’ve been sent home because of something so miniscule.
Of the extermination challenges you didn’t have to partake in, which are you glad you didn’t have to do?
My mind first went to skydiving, but I think I would’ve wanted to do that just to say that I finally did it in life. But I think honestly, I’m glad I didn’t have to do the haunted house at the very end of the season. Hearing that, I was actually relieved I was eliminated because I’m such a little bitch when it comes to scary movies and haunted houses. Having people touch me in pitch black darkness, I don’t think I would’ve been able to move. A close second would be the cow guts. I probably would’ve vomited.
What is your favorite memory from the show?
I think the Dungeons and Drag Queens episode was my favorite. The outfit was pieced together, most of it created by me. I’m such a big nerd at heart, so winning a challenge like that was very validating for me. Mostly, though, I think the friendships I made [is my favorite part]. Compared to season two, we’re definitely the family season. We had our downs, but we also had a lot of strong ups. I’m doing live shows now with Maddelynn [Hatter] and Louisianna [Purchase] and [Dragula] is the root of that friendship. Some of us have straight up PTSD from that show—it’s not easy—but it definitely brought the group together
You did extremely well in the competition, securing two wins before your extermination in episode seven, but you ultimately didn’t win the crown. If you were to do it all over again now, one year later, is there anything you would’ve done differently?
There’s a lot fans don’t get to see. There’s a lot that happened behind the scenes that affected some costumes and my performance—not on stage. As Evah, I’m able to commit to that character 100%, no falter. As Alex, though, there was a lot of stuff during the competition that psychologically shook me to my core that I wasn’t prepared to deal with on TV. I think I should’ve just pushed myself to have more fun and relax, because being who I am with the following I have, people had really high expectations of me. I think that pressure got to my head. I didn’t want to fuck up or say something wrong, and I didn’t want to present myself in a way that wasn’t how I’ve always carried myself. Living with ADD, there’s a perfectionist complex that I force myself into.
At the same time, it’s a bit of a double-edged sword: yeah, I want to have fun but I’m also competing for $25,000 and the crown to be America’s Next Drag Super Monster. I definitely have some regrets, but if there were ever a time for me to come back and do it again, I think you would see a much different monster.
When it comes to you and your drag, what did you learn from Dragula and how did it allow you and your drag to grow over the last year?
Drag always taught me that body hair was not it. For the longest time, I either shaved from the chest up or I catered my closet to the hair with high necks. It was always uncomfortable hiding something that was a part of me. Episode five, Trash Queen, was my moment when I realized I don’t care if [my body hair] is out. That’s when I started listening to my brain and said, “You’re going to do what you think is fun.”
I’ve literally changed Evah like night and day: one minute she was wearing rhinestones and sparkle and clean-cut shapes, and the next she’s this grungy, gritty, werewolf rocker bitch. The biggest reward from Dragula was the confidence to make that change and finally take my drag into my own hands and do it for me.
Obviously, being on reality TV is a gamechanger. How has your life and career changed since Dragula?
I pushed myself to travel more after Dragula because that’s the moment when people who are on these types of platforms need to utilize them for everything they’re worth. I wanted to take as many opportunities, as many out-of-town bookings, as I possibly could.
I’ve been able to make more money, go on a solo tour, and go on a European tour with my Dragula family–which I’ve always wanted to do. I also finally have money to buy adult stuff, I was no longer living gig to gig just to cover my rent. Now, I’ve got new glasses, I have my own cell phone on my own plan, and I’m able to go to the doctor comfortably, go to the dentist to get my wisdom teeth removed, and update my technology.
What would you like to see on Dragula season four?
Something I heard on the Boulet Brothers’ podcast that I thought was a good point: I would love to see a pageant queen go on there, an ice cold bitch who knows she’s the shit. They’re definitely looking for alternative drag, but there are a lot of creative pageant queens that do go against the norms in the pageant scene that I would love to see on the show.
I have very high expectations for Season Four. I want to see some real fighters that will be able to take an extermination challenge without a problem. I want people to gross me out, I want to be freaked out, I want to see some frightening shit.
As far as exterminations go, I want the Boulets to kick their asses, too! I want them to suffer!”
You can stream Dragula Season Three on Netflix and watch Evah Destruction perform live every Tuesday night at 10pm at twitch.tv/theonlymadd.