‘Canada’s Drag Race’: Jimbo spills the tea on Judge Jeffrey, Untucked and coming to the UK

Words: Markus Bidaux

Category is… SPOILER ALERT! Please note this interview reveals the result of Canada’s Drag Race episode nine.

As soon as Jimbo walked into the workroom dressed like a vaudeville version of Mickey Mouse we thought she was top three material. But Drag Race is always a tricky game.

Right from the start, Jimbo was showing off her WAP

She gave us some of the most polished looks from her zombie cheerleader to her hair-raising leather dominatrix. And she had us cackling at her filthy humour and brought the drama and sass that fans devour.

Attitude caught up with Jimbo via Zoom to discuss her run on the show…

I was not expecting to be talking to until next week.

I know, once I won the whole shebang.

Attitude did a Twitter poll asking, which of the top four queens do you want to see snatch that crown? And you topped the list, so the UK had your back.

That doesn’t surprise me, I really did think I was going to snatch the crown too.

Real talk: Which #CanadasDragRace queen do you want to see snatch that crown? 🤔

— Attitude (@AttitudeMag) August 27, 2020

 

That final lip-sync looked hard with the huge ice crown on your head.

Oh, big time, yeah. As you could see my character throughout the show I really love to be free, I love to have fun, I love to go crazy. I have envisioned what that [lip-syncing] would look like if that were to ever happen and I never thought that I would be in a giant crown digging into my head and that I couldn’t move because my dress would be too long. It was kind of like being in a straight jacket in the time we were supposed to be swimming. But I didn’t want my crown to fall off, I didn’t want to be that girl whose hair falls off and looks a mess and falls apart. I was so grateful for the opportunity to be on the show and to compete against such incredible people and so, in the end, I’m happy anyway.

And your final runway exit line was iconic!

Thank you.

It always good to go out with a big bang.

Yeah, exactly. I wanted to really take advantage of all my moments there and that that final moment was really funny and also kind of a lifelong dream to have a reason to do that.

Give a cheer (or brains) for J-I-M-B-O

And you won Snatch Game so no one can take that away from you.

Thank you. Yes, that impersonation and sort of living and breathing within a character is one of my favourite parts about drag I love seeing what comes out of a character when you’re encountering with questions or you kind of have to think on the spot about what that person or character would say and yeah so Snatch Game was a really fun dream come true.

Jimbo doing justice to comedy legend Joan Rivers

We have to discuss Judge Jeffrey who has been bullied off Twitter. On episode seven it looked like you had a falling out with him, so how are you feeling about the whole situation now?

There was no real falling outs on the show, it’s all just a TV show. And so, at the end of the day, it’s all sort of tongue-in-cheek, we’re all actors on a reality show and so what happens on the show lives and dies on the show and that doesn’t carry into our real-world relationships which, you know, me and the judges and all of the girls, we love each other. Although our relationship with the judges is very distant and professional, we’re not personal friends by any means, but they cared for us and sent messages of support and love. Everyone just really loves each other and so when you see those moments of tension it’s really just about how much we want to win, how important it is to us and less about a conflict with another person, it’s really just your own frustrations and excitement and fear coming to the surface.

Judges Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Michelle Visage, Brooke Lynn Hytes and Stacey McKenzie

Why do you think he gets more abuse than other historically critical judges like Michelle Visage?

I think with a new franchise and show, there’s always going to be a starting point and people sort of look at Michelle Visage, as someone that is very seasoned in critiquing, she’s toured with drag queens, she has been on the show for, so she has a depth and breadth to her knowledge that is undeniable. In Jeffrey’s case, he’s a fan of the show and a fan of drag, but he is a young judge, it’s his first time I think judging something like this. And so, it’s also unique that we are in the middle of a pandemic and in the middle of the Black Lives Matter movement and in the middle of all these movements that are all about love, celebration, joy. And so, in this time everyone’s really sensitive about how people are received, how people are loved and celebrated, and so it’s hard for people to see people that they love in this time being critiqued and judged.

Was it hard to watch back your argument with Rita Baga?

Yeah, of course. I love Untucked, I love the drama between the drag queens on the show, you know, it’s always a really funny part is just seeing the people break in those moments where you’re trying to be glamorous, you’re trying to be sophisticated and professional, and we’re all people, we’re all human at the end of the day. Sometimes you crack and you just had it. And in those moments, it’s hard to watch and it’s sad but you have to laugh. So watching back, of course, I wish that I had handled that differently but in the end, I’m drag queen on Drag Race and if you don’t fight on Untucked, well then what are you doing on Untucked?

Jimbo and Rita Baga

As part of the final four you were shown photos of your younger selves. You really struggled to hold back the tears while giving advice to your younger self. Did humour help you throughout your childhood?

Big time you I grew up in a very dysfunctional home with a lot of alcoholism and a lot of fighting and very unsure about what was going to happen next. So it was important for my brother and I and my sister to laugh, it was important for me to defuse situations where I felt maybe scared or just not safe. My sense of humour sort of built there and then later in high school when I didn’t have any friends, I ended up eventually making jokes and being funny and that was my key to having friends and fitting in and celebrating myself through my humour.

The final four

Is that what lead you into Vaudeville and clown school?

Yeah, that’s exactly it. It’s just sort of a curiosity around performance and connection through art. Here, in Victoria where I live, there’s an incredible theatre scene, there’s incredible drag scene, there is an incredible audience base and so it really makes for a unique place to try things out and to really hone your craft and just up your game.

Are your live shows more theatrical then you could display on Canada’s Drag Race?

I like to interact with the audience so that I can establish that relationship that I see them, I’m happy to be there and you know give them a little sense of who I am that night, because each characters are has a different vibe. There is usually an element of some stand up where I address the audience and once I’ve built that connection I go into whatever performance I’m doing, which varies every time depending on the characters, sometimes I’m spitting blood, sometimes I’m throwing hotdogs and sometimes I’m just spinning around, who knows.

Jimbo ready for a day out with the girls

We’re so excited to have you cross the pond and perform in the UK.

I leave for the UK on 5 September! I’m touring with Klub Kids and I’m going to 12 cities all around the UK. London and the other ones besides London that I don’t really know yet, I’m not a geography person. But I’m excited! I don’t know where I’m going, but I can’t wait to get there.

You can book tickets for Jimbo’s Klub Kids UK tour here.

Canada’s Drag Race is available to watch now on BBC Three on the BBC iPlayer.