From making history as the first queen to ever be invited to compete by RuPaul in person to being the first queen of the season to earn immunity from the Badonka Dunk Tank, Hormona Lisa’s impact on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 has been huge. The Bubblegum Babe, hailing from Chattanooga, Tennessee, brought her signature love for the color pink and that sweet Southern charm into the Werk Room. But, she wasn’t everybody’s cup of iced tea. Kori King, we’re still trying to figure out why!
With the Bandadonk Dunk Tank officially finished for the season, Hormona became the season’s casualty from the Let’s Get Sea Sickening Ball. Despite presenting three consistent looks, Hormona’s runway package was simply not what the judges were looking for. “I like what I like. And I’m not going to apologize or make excuses for it, because if I was still around, I would probably wear a gown next week, too,” she said. Hormona may not have been the most outspoken queen in the Werk Room, but she certainly was unafraid to spill that sweet tea.
It All Started With the Book Tour
It all started with a book tour. It’s the Bubblegum Babe. Chattanooga’s Pastel Princess, Hormona Lisa. How are you?
HORMONA LISA: I’m good. How are you?
I’m good. Let’s start easy. If you could describe your Drag Race Season 17 journey in three words, what would they be?
HORMONA: Let’s say easy, of course. I coasted through. Eye-opening. And chaotic.
Aright. Okay. So listen. This all started with a book tour. Talk to me about the moment of being invited to compete on the spot by RuPaul.
HORMONA: It’s pretty iconic, if I do say so myself. And I think the most iconic part about it is I feel like people have this vision of a drag queen at a book tour trying to make sort of a spectacle. Or take this spotlight away from RuPaul, but that’s not how it went. As the saying is, I was very demure, very mindful. And I think just knowing that I didn’t make a spectacle of myself is what makes it feel more iconic for me because then that feels like what was meant to happen and not something that was forced, if that makes sense.
Absolutely. Now, have you read “House of Hidden Meanings” yet?
HORMONA: Of course, I have! Girl, I read it before I even got home that day.
I love that. Alright, Hormona, are you shady, or is it just your southern charm?
HORMONA: It can be both, you know. I’m a dual person.
Now, you are as sweet as pie, but there was just something about you that just irked Kori King. Why do you think she had it out for you?
HORMONA: I have no idea. I’m still asking myself to this day. I mean, because it was from the moment I stepped into the room. I didn’t even open my mouth yet. Maybe she doesn’t like the color. Well, she wears pink. I was going to say she must hate pink, but she also wears pink.
It’s true.
HORMONA: I don’t know. You’ll have to, you know, ask her.
I’ll ask her. Let’s discuss this Badonka Dunk Tank. You were the first one to pull the correct lever. What was your reaction when you got the second chance?
HORMONA: Oh, girl, it was crazy. I mean, because like the way that Drag Race works, as we know, when you’re filming, you don’t have any look into the outside. So that feels like your world, and the only thing that matters in your whole life is how it felt. So, to potentially be the one going home first, I was like, “Oh my God, my life is over.” Because that is what your life is at that moment. So, to get a second chance, I honestly felt like I got a second chance at life. Like I’m a cat with the nine lives or whatever they have. I’m back. I came back from the dead.
Did it give you a new fire in the competition?
HORMONA: I don’t necessarily know if it did, because that was from the very beginning. That’s from the talent show. There was really no fire that was gone, I guess, if that makes sense. Because in order to have a fire lit, yours had to go out. But it was so early in the competition, I was so in it, and knew that I had more that I do that I could be successful at. So I think having that opportunity, I guess, could light a metaphorical fire, or could just make my fire burn a little more, I guess is what we should say.
Let’s talk about what you are successful at, and that is performing and acting. I need to give you high praise for your “RDR Live” performance. As a die hard SNL fan, I love the Schweddy Balls parody. How much fun did you have talking about Beaver?
HORMONA: After I figured out what it meant, it was so fun. I had never heard that. And that’s what’s been crazy too, is like, people are so gagged that I had never heard of that. I didn’t grow up with anyone that like talks like that, so. Just the way I was raised is kind of crazy because all this terminology. Especially going to Drag Race, I had never heard of most of it. And that’s why I’m just always laughing, because I don’t know what they’re talking about. I’m like, “You’re just speaking in riddles,” is how it feels like a lot of the time. But now I’m so educated. I know all the words.
Hormona Spills the Tea on RhinestoneGate
There were so many gates this season. Let’s start with RhinestoneGate. Now, as someone who has worked with rhinestones and e6000 before, watching you pluck them off broke my soul. How peeved were you that you had to sit there and take them off your beautiful garment?
HORMONA: Really majorly. Just thinking about it now, I’m like, what the heck is going on? Just because, I mean, from the beginning and now looking back at it, I know this wasn’t necessarily the case, but I felt like I was being set up by Miss [Lexi] Love, is what I felt like in the moment. Just because we have limited materials from the beginning, and once my dress was almost done, she saw that I have these appliques, and she’s like, “Why don’t you give those to Lucky because she doesn’t have a lot going on and your thing is good on its own?” So I gave Lucky what I had, what I was going to embellish mine with, really on the direction of Lexi. And then I’m like, “Oh, I can take some of my larger earrings apart and put some of those stones on my gown.” Which is what I did for the most part. And then that was when was she kind of brought it up. She also said that she let me have it. I don’t recall her letting me have it. I guess I’m just good at blocking out, you know, noise. I just know she brought it up. And I had the little flower detail on the one shoulder, was the only thing that I had loose rhinestones on. And when she brought it up, I had planned on just taking that off because that was the main point of contention, and it had probably like close to a thousand stones on it.
Damn.
HORMONA: I stayed up all night stoning that and hand-sewing the skirt on my gown, too. Yeah, so it was pretty heartbreaking. I honestly felt like it was my child, and I was ripping my child apart. And that seems problematic. I’m like ripping my baby apart because I love this gown.
Well, karma came back Because Spray Paint Gate. Who ruined Lexi’s outfit?! How tense was it in the Werk Room between Lexi and Onya?
HORMONA: It was pretty tense, honestly. I think that, of course, it was a misunderstanding. But also, if you’re working with a tarp, don’t lay it outside next to the larger tarp that people are putting stuff on to spray paint.
Exactly.
HORMONA: I’m not saying that Lexi deserved it, because she certainly did not, because she was very heartbroken. But, you also have to take a little bit of responsibility for doing that. That just seems like a poor decision in my mind. But yeah, it was pretty tense. And I’m normally like someone that’s like, “Let’s just like talk and everything.” But I don’t even know what to say because it was a tense moment because they’re like screaming when she walked in the door.
There is one shot of Sam [Star] just, mouth open as they are getting into it. I was like this is camp. This is why we love Drag Race so much. But I can understand how frustrated she must have been.
HORMONA: Mm hmm. Yeah for sure. Also, I think Onya, it really threw her off too because Onya, during filming was like honestly, probably the only person that saw me as someone that had any kind of talent in the competition, is really how I felt. And so I know the heart that she has, and I know how that had to really discourage her on, not her outfit, but even being perceived as someone that had maliciously ruined someone’s outfit. I knew Lexi would figure it out because she’s a trooper, but my sweet little Onya, I was more worried, honestly, about her just like feeling extra responsible for it.
This week was the Let’s Get Sea Sickening ball. With your presentation, why do you think the judges were not a fan of your safe looks?
HORMONA: Of My safe looks?
Yeah. Of using looks that were safer than being more ambitious with your silhouettes.
HORMONA: I don’t know, honestly. And I think the thing is for me, number one, I don’t consider them safe silhouettes. Thank you very much, Mr. Interviewer. I like what I like, you know. I’ve lost weight since then, but as a bigger girl, gowns are normally what we do, and what we’re told looks the best on us. So that is kind of what in my head, I’m like, “I’m going to do the gowns.” But also, as we know, there’s a lot of other runways, and I had an Excel sheet, okay? And a third of my runways were gowns, a third were other silhouettes, and a third were other silhouettes. So I did not just have the same across the board. But, also, I like what I like. And I’m not going to apologize or make excuses for it, because if I was still around, I would probably wear a gown next week, too.
Hey, no, it’s fair. I don’t think they were safe. It’s what the judges said during their deliberation.
HORMONA: Well, thank you for clarifying because I was not going to send you a Christmas card this year.
Thank you.
Hormona Lisa Discusses Hunter Schafer and the Trans Experience
I want to talk about your amazing guest judge this week. What was it like having Hunter Schafer backstage during Untucked?
HORMONA: Oh, my goodness. That was the most surreal because I also didn’t realize that she had an accent that could be a little similar to mine. So I felt extra seen. And I think Lexi did as well because she’s also Southern. She doesn’t have as much of an accent as I do, but she does have a little bit of one. But I think that was also really cool because not only is that a trans person that both Lexi and I look up to, but it’s also someone that we both have accents. That is so cool. That’s how she would wear my little swimsuit. So that’s really all I needed.
I love that. I want to discuss something you posted on social media about being included with other trans contestants of the past in some of the fan posts. Why do you think there is this unfortunate particular erasure of you from the fandom?
HORMONA: So in the post, just for clarification, I also did speak to what the intention I feel like was. I don’t think the intention was to exclude me or other people with my similar to my body type. However, I think impact over intention is important. And it’s not really like, and I’ll explain this in the post too, it didn’t necessarily affect me. I was like whatever, and then moved on. But when I thought about it, I’m like there’s young trans people that are going to see this, and they’re going to think, if I’m not a model body type, and you know, hot, blah, blah, blah, then I’m not valid as a trans person. I know my value and I know my value as a trans person, but these younger trans people, they’re still struggling with that. And I think they’ve just been more considerate of that fact and the audience that are seeing that. And not only the people that are creating those things, but the people that are sharing too. And there’s a way, like I said in the post, I love all these people, they’re great representation, whatever. You can also say that and still point out that there needs to be more representation there. And that’s with anything across the fandom.
Absolutely. Well, I’m so happy that you spoke on it, and I am so excited to meet you in person. I remember from our pre-season interview, you said you would give me a t-shirt at DragCon, so I will be finding you!
HORMONA: Oh my gosh, yeah! Come claim your shirt.
Amazing. Well, congratulations on an amazing run on Drag Race.