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Mrs. Kasha Davis reacts to devastating RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8 elimination: 'It hurt my feelings'

"I've learned in the theater world and the house I grew up in, I always take more out of the criticisms from people and the suggestions than I do from the compliments," Kasha tells EW.

By

Joey Nolfi

Published on May 22, 2023 11:00AM EDT

There's always time for kindness, even in the face of brutally honest critiques on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8.

No one knows that better than Mrs. Kasha Davis, the Drag Race season 7 alum and returning AS8 contestant who, despite harsh derision for her fashion during Friday night's Supermarket Ball, tells EW's she's only going to build on the experience as she forges ahead with a smile.

The third queen to sashay away from the AS8 competition, Kasha tells EW in her exit interview ahead that she's already keeping the temporary stumble in her rearview, as she explains why she threw away her birthday cake runway look, how she avoided Werk Room strategizing, and spills the full tea on the moment she made out with fellow competitor Darienne Lake over 20 years ago. Read on for the full Q&A, and tune in to the next new episode of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8 Friday on Paramount+.

Mrs. Kasha Davis on Drag Race — Mrs. Kasha Davis on 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8'. Paramount+

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: This was a chaotic episode, as the balls usually are. At the beginning, you and Kahanna Montrese talked about last week's vote, and she told you there was no "bad blood" after you voted for her. Did you feel that, from that moment on?

MRS. KASHA DAVIS: I don't necessarily hone in on bad blood stuff. I thought we had the conversation and I felt like it was good. Ultimately, what happens with me is that I don't recognize alliances being formed. I think, Oh, everybody's doing a great job and we're here to do our best. If I watch the episode and I see that happening, I think, Where was I when that was happening? I noticed that some of the gals would go off into separate conversations and I thought they must be talking about the hem of their dress or how best to utilize this superglue to make this fabulous handkerchief dress or whatever.

We saw Heidi N Closet strategizing with Lala Riri, and they said they tried to keep it secret, but we see you working over Heidi's shoulder. Could you hear what they said?

I don't know if you noticed, but I might've been a little — what's the word — obsessive about how much I could glue to a corset. A roach could've walked by, and I would've been like, add it! It's going to be fabulous! I zeroed in on that.

For the Net Gala, Heidi tweeted that she changed her look to avoid Butterflygate like season 8's Kimonogate, after you and Jessica Wild had butterfly net dresses, too. Was that a decision she made after discussing with you?

Yes, we were in the process of getting prepped, talking to each other, and she was like, "Oh, I also have this other one that was netting-like," and it was too many butterflies…. It seems like butterfly dresses just don't make it on RuPaul's Drag Race. Or butterflies. They just fall dead, as it were. I think it was probably a strong choice. Hers looked very much in her brand.

You made a big reveal on this episode: You once made out with Darienne! Please tell me that story.

It was alcohol-induced, back in the day. When you're out at the clubs, there might've been a couple of bottles of booze in you. We'd been chatting on Gay.com [talking] back and forth, joking, it wasn't very sexual. We were at the club one night…. I know I was on booze, we just made out. I thought, Hmm, okay, and that was that…. You know when you're in that late-night part of the night, and you're just like, "Well, you'll do!" It happened. I don't know that I put two and two together that she was Darienne Lake the drag queen performer, she was the cutie patootie there in the bar, and I was not doing drag yet, so I was like, This fella will do.

This was a while ago?

Oh gosh, this probably would've been like 2000…. Now, we're sisters, we're family, we fight like family and we love like family. We're there for each other no matter what, but there's no making out anymore!

I thought your second look was incredible, but the third look, we saw shots of Kandy Muse and Kahanna reading it in the Werk Room. It seemed to be when you weren't around. Did anyone say anything to you?

No one said anything that I remember. Darienne said to me at one point, because my drag mother, her former boss, Naomi Kane, she was saying, "Remember what Naomi says…. less is more." I like organized clutter, I like patterns, all of my drag has that. I had this thing going on in my head, and I went wild.

Did you keep that dress?

I threw that away. We were in the midst of making our way to the Main Stage and I was like, ugh. I don't know that anybody needs to see it again. If we do, maybe I can work with a designer and say, "This is the concept, this is what I was heading towards."

Would you be proud to get the Golden Boot?

I would love [it]. I spent my career being the underdog. I don't know if you remember me from the opening credits of season 7, I've built a career of this type of thing. I'm never ashamed of my mistakes, they help me learn. I know going in that what I could do well would be a skit, to sing and dance and perform, I don't create costumes. Every time I've ever tried, they always look very similar. It's not my forte. I've made the attempt to learn to sew, and I thought, Why on Earth would I wear this? It looks like arts & crafts…. why not just pay the experts?

That's the standard.

Yeah, I mean, so many people [do it]. I can't imagine what RuPaul would make.

That's a good point. I'd love to see RuPaul do a design challenge.

She has no reason to. She's got all the support in the world, and she's absolutely incredible. There's no shade there. We're at a point where we're all stars, we're not crafting. I get the challenge, it's fun, and it's fun to see people scramble and put stuff together, but it's not my strength, and it was obvious.

Ts Madison had a strong reaction to it. How did those critiques feel in the moment?

I mean, it hurt my feelings — like it's supposed to. To spew such hate for something that was created out of excitement and passion and trying my best is no reflection on Ts Madison. I love her, and I love everything she does, and I'm a huge fan and follower. I've learned in the theater world and the house I grew up in, I always take more out of the criticisms from people and the suggestions than I do from the compliments. I appreciate the compliments and I learn to say, "Thank you" when someone says something looks great or that I've done a great job, but I really love to hear what I can improve upon and how it maybe even fell short or suggestions somebody might have to make it better. It's tough standing there. My skirt was falling off because it was just so heavy, the tie was undoing. At that point, maybe I should've just let it fall to the floor, like, "There you have it! Is it better now?"

Heidi was displeased that she wasn't in the top. She told Kandy that she wanted to quit the competition. Was that made public to the group?

We began to see a lot of the emotions happening. I know she was struggling with her look, and that she wanted it to look a certain way. I was assisting, Kahanna was assisting, the frustration levels started to build. It'll be interesting to see what happens. It was an emotional moment where we're trying to put our best foot forward, and we start to think, in the unfortunate way…. Oh my gosh, everybody is out to get me.

You said, "If I go home, I can accept that." Was that you throwing your hands up?

I don't want anybody to think I was throwing my hands up. If it was a matter of me going home, it's not going to end my world, it's not going to ruin me. I'm sober now, going on eight years. I have a stronger sense of who I am, and that didn't and will not ruin me. As a matter of fact, I'll build from it…. I thought too much that the gals had my back instead of really fighting for myself…. certainly, looking back, I wish those were the words that came out versus, "I will be okay," because of course I'll be okay. I have a strong family unit and home life, and I've been working on myself. Looking back, it would've been nice for me to really fight.

I loved the moment that everyone put on Kandy's blush. Did they all wear that back to the Main Stage?

For the most part, they made their best effort to blend it and went out there like that. I was like, "You look like a bunch of idiots!" It works well for Kandy, she has her own style, and it works, but, back in the day when I came home from season 7 and tried to put on my eyelashes like Trixie [Mattel], Darienne said to me, "What the hell are you doing?" And I was like, "Great question." I tried the blush, and it just looked like I fell into a bucket of blush.

For the Fame Games title, what can you say about your runways coming up?

I can't wait for you to see some of the things within the Mrs. Kasha Davis brand and how I've stretched as a performer and artist. There are some things you've never seen before!

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