Drag Race star Peppermint was originally eliminated from season nine before the finale

Words: Emily Maskell; pictures: Instagram @/peppermint247

RuPaul’s Drag Race finalist Peppermint has pulled back the curtain on what really went down during season nine of the show.

Peppermint revealed that she was eliminated from the 2017 show ahead of the finale until producers changed their minds and brought her back.

 

 

 

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Drag Race is known for its intricate filming as the show records alternative endings so none of the featured contestants knows the outcome until the episode airs.

“The girls had preparation in a way that we didn’t. They all went in thinking there was going to be a top four. We went there thinking there’s gonna be a top three,” Peppermint told YouTuber Joseph Shephard.

She continued: “At that last episode, we were like, well: ‘One of us is going home, and I don’t know who it’s gonna be.”

Peppermint was the one to be initially eliminated, leaving Shea Coulée, Trinity the Tuck and Sasha Velour remaining in the competition ahead of the finale as a trio.

However, producers invited Peppermint back to film some alternative endings that saw all four of them progress into the finale.  

Months later, when the episode aired, Peppermint learnt that the re-filmed results were the real ones: she would indeed have a spot in the season’s finale – the first time four potential winners competed in the final. 

“I got a call: ‘You’re going to the final four, it’s gonna be crazy, we’ve never had a final four, so just get ready!'” she remembers.

Ultimately, Sasha Velour went on to take the crown for season nine and Peppermint finished in a very impressive second place.

Peppermint will be setting out on her one-of-a-kind R&B musical showcase tour ‘Letters Live’ through November in the US, you can grab tickets here.

Check out the full interview with Peppermint below: 

The Attitude September/October issue is out now.