She might have snagged the crown on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17, but now she’s stepping behind the microphone for the WOW Presents Plus show Hello Hello Hello!
Following their eliminations, the cast of Drag Race Season 18 sits down with Onya Nurve to discuss her experience on Drag Race, their casting process, and tons of more behind the scenes tea! I sat down with Nurve to dish on the year since Drag Race, what it’s like doing the interviewing as a change, and she chooses four other Season 17 alumni to sit down with her at The View table!
Your new show on WOW Presents Plus Hello Hello Hello is amazing and you are in your element interviewing the eliminated queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18! I think it’s safe to say you are officially the Sherri Shepard of the Drag Race universe!
I love that, I love Sherri Shepherd!
What made you want to take the leap to behind the mic on Hello Hello Hello?
I think when I did mine with Kyran Thrax (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 6 winner) I really enjoyed talking about my audition tape and I really enjoyed talking to Kyran. So when they asked me to do it, I wanted to be on the other side. I also felt like it would have been, putting myself in the girls shoes, nice to talk to someone that had just won a crown. So of course, I was like, “sign me up”!
The girls walk in for their Hello Hello Hello interview and they immediately are aware that they’re in the presence of royalty, but you are remaining as humble as ever. Were moments like that surreal to you?
It was wild. There are small moments that are like, “Wow I really did win the crown” and that had to be one of those moments.
A year plus later, do you ever go back and watch your crowning and is it surreal to know, even now, that you won RuPaul’s Drag Race?
Yes, it does. I’m still shocked about it. I knew that it was possible, but I think to know that they saw what I saw in my self. I can rewatch it over and over, but sometimes it is still unreal to me.
What has your year been like since Drag Race Season 17 wrapped?
Werq The World was amazing for the time that I was not that tour. I will be doing Drag Race Live! in Vegas soon. I left Kinky Boots five days before we opened, but even though I wasn’t able to do that show with them, learning the role of Lola was one of the hardest and most amazing things that I have ever done. Hopefully I get chance to do that role if it ever comes back to Broadway or if there is ever another national tour. That was a really wonderful experience as well. Honestly, for me, what my like looks like such a marathon and a journey, I am not really in a rush, I am waiting and whatever is meant for me will come. i am just so excited for the future because I know it’s gonna be great.
Kinky Boots is arguably one of my own personal favorite soundtracks. What is one song that you had the absolute best time performing in rehearsals?
Probably “Not My Father’s Son”. For me, let me tell you; as an actor, it put me “there”, right where I needed to be every single time. It became hard for me to sing the song without crying, which was good task to be be able to tackle for me. It is such important and poignant words, and as a queen person to be able to sing that every night, I’m like “You can’t cry” so you really have to get through it. It’s just beautiful. “Sex is in The Heel” is a monster, to get to sing and dance that at the same time was just amazing!
What is one thing about interviewing people on Hello Hello Hello did you find you truly loved the most?
I think it was asking them where they were when they got their first call. Going over the reads as well. I feel like all of us can agree that doing the reads in the audition tape is the most daunting awkward part. You’re kind of laughing at yourself and you’re reading queens that you really don’t even really know; it’s just kind of uncomfortable. I really enjoy doing that part with the queens because its nice to see who really likes their reads or who’s super embarrassed (laughs).
As the officially anointed Sherri Shepherd of RuPaul’s Drag Race, what four girls from Season 17 would you choose to do a brand-new version of The View with?
It would be Lana Ja’Rae, Hormona Lisa, it would be Joella, and I would have to say Kori King!
Hello Hello Hello is is currently streaming on WOW Presents Plus
Follow Onya Nurve on Instagram @onyanurve
