- Hello, drag lovers.
It's your friend Michelle Visage.
Come on in.
It's another episode of "Whatcha Packin'".
(upbeat music)
Joining me today, all the way from Ramseur, North Carolina,
Heidi Aphrodite.
- Hi!
- Are we sticking with Aphrodite now?
- It's sticking more than some of the others have stuck,
but we'll see where it goes.
- It's a good one.
- I really like it.
I really do enjoy it.
- It's so much better than any of the other ones.
How are you?
- I'm doing great.
I'm living my best life.
Still blessed
and highly favored. - Highly favored.
Yes. - Of course.
I'm just having a great time.
- How has this been for you, this whole journey?
- This journey has been incredible.
It was just everything I expected it was
and 10 times more.
It was so many up and downs,
but in the end it was just an amazing journey.
- Let's talk about a moment you had in "Untucked."
- There was a few.
Which one in particular?
- Gay's Anatomy one.
- Oh no! (laughs)
Ew, okay.
- Let's talk about that.
- Well, you know, everybody did so well with that challenge
and I was feeling good with myself
and I knew after the critiques that mama was in trouble.
- Uh-huh. - You know?
The runway was my Achilles' heel with that round
and all the girls just kept ganging up on Aiden
for some reason unapparent reason.
I'm like, she's safe.
She's gonna be here next week
regardless of however we're feeling,
so why are you even wasting your time,
wasting your energy, wasting my good air?
- So you decided to speak up.
- [Heidi] Yeah, I told everyone just you, you, and you.
- Yeah, you did! - Just everybody.
I think that's the first time people were like
what just happened
'cause up until that point,
I was just me, normal, just happy-go-lucky,
and they like she might be a touch crazy at this point.
But I was like no I'm just being vocal about it
'cause there's really no point.
There's no reason at this point for y'all
to be bashing her like this.
Leave it alone.
- So you were standing up for Aiden.
- Yeah, 'cause she was one of the more quieter queens
this season. - Yes.
- So I was like well, if she's not gonna say somethin',
I'll say somethin' so we can stop talking about it.
- You were actually one that Ru would give tips to
or hints in the work room. - Yes, yes.
- And you took them. - Always.
- [Michelle] Including your name.
- Yes, every season she does it to some of the girls
and I'm just like, I watch every season,
and sometimes they take the nuggets of wisdom,
and usually when they don't,
they go packin' very shortly after,
and I'm like, I'm not gonna be that girl.
She's dropping me all this wisdom and knowledge,
I'm gon' take it.
Even if it's plagiarism
at some point. - Right, right.
- I would show that I'm listening
and I'm willing to grow
and change ideas and really just give y'all
what y'all really need
and want from me.
- Well, we actually saw you grow.
I know I've been riding you a little bit
for your make-up this season. - Mm-hm.
- Keep telling you go ask Jada,
go ask some of the other girls.
The last two or three episodes of your tenure here,
you could see the difference.
Could you see the difference?
- I could.
Especially on the last one.
I looked in the mirror
and I was like, I look gorgeous right now.
- Yes, you do!
- I'm loving my face right now.
With all those critiques from y'all, the panel,
as well as the other girls raggin' on me about my make-up
and also giving me tips in the end,
I could see the growth
and I'm so greatly appreciative of all of it.
It paid off and it's gonna keep goin'
and getting better.
- I believe that.
What was your favorite challenge?
- You know, it may have been the one I won
'cause she finally got her moment to shine.
- She did.
- [Heidi] It was the infomercial challenge.
Really, it was almost like a turning point for me
'cause I went in trying to give what I thought
y'all wanted from me
and Bob was like no, don't do that.
I went to go read my script
and I was just talkin' nonsense like I tend to do.
- [Michelle] As one southern queen
to another southern queen.
- Yes, but still to myself, apparently.
I was talkin' nonsense
and then he's like that right there.
What you're doing right now off-screen, put that on camera.
I was like that's what you want, that's what you gonna get.
- It really was silly
and that's what we fell in love with.
And a lot of the things you did were that.
But that's why you're such a joy to be around.
You're fun, you're loving, you're sweet.
You're compassionate, you're passionate.
All of those things makes a better human
and on top of that a better queen.
And that's why we love you.
- Yay! (claps)
- Yay! - Yay!
- Let's talk about your fashions, Heidi.
- Okay, let's talk about 'em.
- So this one was the makeover challenge.
- [Heidi] It was, it was.
- [Michelle] Heidi, now let me tell you what had happened.
- [Heidi] (laughs) Go ahead, I'll try so,
I went through it.
Go ahead, go ahead.
- [Michelle] Your girl was great
and she looked lovely.
Her hair.
- [Heidi] Not my specialty.
- [Michelle] But let me tell you something.
You painted her face better than you painted your own face.
- [Heidi] I noticed that by the time I got done.
I was like I'm mad right now.
You look better than me!
- [Michelle] She looked real good.
- I was like ah! - She looked real good.
- 'Cause that was my biggest worry going into it.
I was like oh god, it's hard getting my face together.
Now I gotta get her face together, too.
So I really took time
and painted her slowly.
Made sure it was all right in the right places
and everything.
I was like she's going to be gorgeous
even if I have to rush for 10 minutes to do my face.
- And I was nervous when I was like uh-oh,
makeover challenge, Heidi's gonna struggle.
And she came out and she looked beautiful.
- [Heidi] Oh, that was a great moment of seeing.
'Cause when she turned around into the mirror
and said, "(gasps) I love it!"
I was like thank god you love it, thank god.
- Let's talk about this gorgeous one in the middle.
- This one? - Is that finale?
- [Heidi] This was my finale look, yes.
This was actually made by my drag sister.
It was actually before she became a drag sister,
before I was adopted into the family.
And this is what I learned to stone on
'cause I stoned outfits back at home for myself
and some of the girls
back in North Carolina. - Oh, nice!
- [Heidi] This is the garment I learned on
and it became my first competition gown for pageants
and stuff and whatnot. - Right.
- And I love it. - That's funny,
'cause I didn't peg you for a pageant queen.
- No, you wouldn't.
(laughs) Not many people do.
It's funny, outside North Carolina I don't get pegged
as the pageant queen,
but back at home I do all the pageants.
- Look at that!
- It's somethin' that
you didn't really see that comin' from me,
did you? - No.
- No.
I try to be a chameleon at times.
I try to give a little bit of this, a little bit of that.
But yeah, that's my go-to pageant gown.
She's won five times, she's undefeated thus far.
- It's beautiful, beautiful colors for your skin, too.
What about the hooker outfit behind me?
- Oh. - Oh?
- Oh. - Oh.
- You talkin' about? - Uh-huh.
- (gasps) That was my entrance look.
I love that look.
It's just well-tailored and made.
I love the little hat.
It just makes me feel like I'm a boss ass ho.
- [Michelle] Well, you are.
- Feel my fantasy, you know.
I'm out here
and I'm runnin' this business.
I'm runnin' this business.
I'm in charge of the girls.
- I feel like now with Heidi Aphrodite being your name,
if we choose to continue with that,
or even Heidi Almighty, it's a powerful name.
- It is.
- So when you now style yourself,
you have to think of that power.
- Yes, yes.
- [Michelle] Because you possess it now.
- Mm-hm, exactly.
- [Michelle] You're no longer Heidi In Closet.
- No more.
- Thank you so much, sweetheart.
I am so very proud of you. - Thank you.
- You have been such a joy
and it's been such an honor to critique you.
Thank you for listening. - Of course!
- Thank you for doing your best
and thank you, most importantly, for being you.
- Thank y'all so much for the love y'all showed,
for all the advice y'all gave.
Thank you for just making this
a really magical journey for me.
It's changed my life and my world,
in and out of drag.
- Get ready, baby.
- Oh, baby, I'm so ready. - Get ready, baby.
Good. - Oh, I can't wait.
- I'll see you out there on the road.
- I will see you, too.
- Thank you!
- Muah! - Muah!
- Thank you guys for joining me
for another "Whatcha Packin'".
See ya next time.
Bye!
(upbeat music)