Kalorie Karbdashian Williams Sounds Off on Sisterhood, Snatch Game and the New Mexico Drag Scene
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Kalorie Karbdashian Williams not only has a whole lotta twerk-ability, but even more heart.
In her short but memorable tenure on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 10, Williams had the audience falling in love with her straight-from-New Mexico style of drag and her total adoration for her fellow sisters.
Hornet caught up with this Southwestern stunner to talk about both of her gag-worthy lip sync performances, why she might be one of the biggest thirst traps of Season 10 (you’ll want to Google her out of drag) and why sisterhood may mean more to Kalorie Karbdashian Williams than some of the other ladies.
Kalorie, I must say, while Kameron Michaels is being called the “thirst trap of Season 10” you have definitely made your own waves online!
Aww, thank you! I guess I can also be the trade of Season 10!
How are you feeling post-elimination? You showed a great deal of emotion, which I found to be admirable since many girls try to go out holding their head high without showing too much.
Well, I do tend to wear my heart on my sleeve. If anything that is one of my downfalls. I am feeling really good now, though. After waking up this morning and seeing all the love and emotion I was getting online, it made me feel more emotional. Even after just two episodes I touched so many people’s lives that they are reaching out to me to see if I am doing OK. It is truly humbling.
Every area of the country has a drag scene, but New Mexico is one not many of us are familiar with. So tell me, what is the drag scene like in New Mexico?
The style of drag in New Mexico is kind of a take on Texas drag but its own style, really. We pull from the Texas scene a lot, with heavy makeup and big hair, things like that. It’s not really high-fashion girls, but it’s definitely more camp mixed with Texas drag.
Speaking of New Mexico, it was very important for you to make your hometown happy and ensure your state was proud of you. Is it safe to say they’re proud of you now?
Oh yes, especially now. That was truly my biggest concern, really. You have all of these emotions, you’re not sleeping a lot, and I was really just beating myself up and thinking that New Mexico would think I was a failure. That was really just me, though, getting totally into my head and feeling super defeated.
So many queens come onto the show and are surprised at the hours they have to stand on the runway, or the huge cameras in front of them the minute they walk into the workroom. What about the whole experience really surprised you?
All of that! I like to compare it to when you order a Coke, and then they bring you a Diet Coke. You’re like “Hey, wait a minute, this is not what I ordered”! [Laughs] I think one thing that sticks out is when we speak to RuPaul — it’s actually RuPaul! We do get to actually interact with him!
There are so many challenges we unfortunately won’t get to see you compete in. What was your Snatch Game character going to be?
Well, it’s obviously a given. I was gong to give you a thick, plus-sized Kim Kardashian who’s only concerned with food.
You’re one of the girls who spoke deeply about sisterhood and how important it was to you during the journey. I would suspect that your feelings are partly due to the fact that you don’t have a strong sisterhood in New Mexico, as the drag scene and community is much smaller. How accurate is that?
I’m about to get emotional again … [Pauses] Back home our drag scene can be very “clique-ish,” and I don’t feel I have a strong family of drag sisters. It could be my fault; I don’t actively seek out these relationships — that could be some of it. It was amazing, though, coming into this experience with girls that were these powerhouses who were already so well-known and accepting me with open arms.
Conversely, girls back home who I have known for four or five years, it’s still difficult to bond with them. It was just really special to me. I am a person who loves having connections with people and I felt these girls were really willing to have connections with me.
The most important question of all, Kalorie Karbdashian Williams: What is your favorite carb?
My favorite carb is, of course, potatoes!
