"Rug was pulled out under me": RuPaul's Drag Race season 16 star Mirage reflects on elimination

RuPaul's Drag Race season 16 episode 4 was released on Friday, January 26, and sent Queen Mirage packing this week. The contestants participated in an RDR Live challenge, a drag race take on the beloved weekend show, Saturday Night Live. The new task tested their ability to perform live sketch comedy in a single take.

Unfortunately, Mirage became the second queen to be eliminated from RuPaul's Drag Race season 16, leaving fans shocked. The LA native broke down on stage after the result announcement, thereby bringing every cast member to tears. After exiting the show, Mirage sat down for an interview with Michelle Visage on Whatcha Packin’ to recall her memorable moments from the show.

When asked if she had fun during the Drag Race journey, Mirage noted:

“I did. Honestly, that’s part of the reason why I was so gagged because I was having a great time. It was really fun and then it felt like a rug was pulled out under me.”

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RuPaul's Drag Race star Mirage opens up about elimination

In episode 4, drama arose while assigning roles about who gets what part. Meanwhile, in the runway segment, the queens recreated Cher's looks. Without ‘Rate-a-queen,' the judges announced Plasma as the winner this week.

Considering the challenge and runway, the queens who landed in the bottom two spots were Geneva and Mirage, leading them to compete for survival in a lip-sync battle. The queens performed on Cher’s Dark Lady.

Notably, during the monologue, Mirage, who took on the role of a host, stumbled over her words and appeared hesitant. Later, in the lip-sync performance, it was evident she didn’t know the lyrics of the song.

Recalling her mistake during the interaction, Mirage said:

“I know the lip sync, I know that was my fault for sure but I wasn’t expecting to be in there in the first place that was the gag for me.”

Michelle Visage also asked the eliminated contestant about what prompted the dramatic meltdown on stage. Mirage explained:

“There were a lot of emotions I was ignoring I feel. Just trying to get prepared I didn’t deal with any of the emotions, like the stress, and that (meltdown) was just the release. It just hit me all at once. I was just ignoring it for such a long time I never cry.”

The LA queen, who has six years of experience in drag, did not believe she’d ever get drunk on TV and then cry and embarrass herself in front of everyone.

While reflecting on how the queen prepared for the season, she revealed:

“I kind of took it on alone initially because I really take it personally. I wanted it to look like it came from me. It’s like my art, trying to be creative.”

However, after the show, when she began taking on more projects, including The Mirage Show, she called in “some backup” for help.

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Where to watch RuPaul's Drag Race season 16 episode 4?

The Emmy-winning reality competition is televised on MTV. Episode 4 of RuPaul's Drag Race will also be accessible on streaming platforms such as DirecTV Stream, Philo, and Sling TV. Additionally, MTV is also available on Hulu+ Live TV and Fubo TV.

RuPaul's Drag Race season 16 episode 5 will be released on Friday, February 1 at 8 pm ET on MTV.