RuPaul’s Drag Race icon Plane Jane’s time on House of Villains Season 3 came to an end after landing on the hit list and facing elimination alongside Tiffany “New York” Pollard. Looking back on her run, she spoke about Kandy Muse’s advice, the alliances she wishes she handled differently and why she believes her elimination came down to trust.
On Kandy Muse’s advice and playing without a plan
Before entering the house, Plane Jane got advice from fellow Drag Race alum Kandy Muse — though she says she didn’t take much from her gameplay beyond confidence.
“Kandy, I feel like where Kandy was successful is, first of all, when she was put up on the chopping block, she did what I couldn’t, which was got herself the f**k off, which I wish that I could have played that dumb little face game better, but whatever. But other than that, I feel like she avoided, just got herself off early, and then ripped the bandaid off of being on that chopping block, and then didn’t really present herself as too big of a threat, didn’t really make too big of a splash in the competition until her elimination.”
She continued, “Kandy did give me some advice before I left. She looked at me. She said, ‘Just be that b***h, girl. Just be that b***h, go in there, and be confident.’ Really, that’s the only thing that I gleaned from her. I didn’t really think that strategically she played the best game. I really thought they played her for kind of a fool, especially how the boys tricked her into not putting them up on the chopping block when she won Supervillain. I just really just went in there with no expectations, and no plan other than to just be confident, stand my ground, and hold my own no matter who I saw in that house.”
On betrayal, bad strategy and not trusting anyone
Looking back, Plane Jane said trusting others — especially Johnny Middlebrooks and Paul Abrahamian— ultimately hurt her game.
“No, of course, I couldn’t have trusted Johnny,” she said. “When he won Supervillain, you saw me try to convince him not to put me up, which I do think worked for time, before, I guess, Tom maybe got in his head. As far as trusting anybody, I should have known better, not been so trusting of, really, anybody, and instead focused on making more so practical strategic alliances as opposed to relying on people’s friendship.”
That realization hit hardest when she saw Paul’s role in her nomination.
“The way that I saw it, I saw it as Johnny may be Supervillain, but Paul, none of those decisions are getting approved without Paul’s yes, without Paul’s thumbs up,” she explained. “The fact that I was up there, and in my eyes, Paul was partially responsible. It was like a knife in the heart.”
She also strongly disagreed with how the game was being played overall, adding, “I think it’s idiotic logic. I think it’s brain-dead logic. Every move that you make should be a big move. Because you might not be able to make said move, you don’t know what’s going to happen clearly from one moment to the next. I just think it’s not good gameplay. I think that Johnny’s a little bit of, not a little bit, he’s a meathead. There’s not much going on in that head. Trusting Johnny to make a strategic move, a strategic big move as a Supervillain is like, ‘Yeah, it just wasn’t going to happen. The fact that you’re not willing to make big moves, but instead put the people who are there to make entertaining television in the bottom, it’s just not a smart decision.”
“I tried to convince myself that there was still room for me to fight”
By the time she was up against New York, Plane Jane knew it would be difficult to stay.
She said, “Kate winning that challenge was yet another ding, another mark off. Because being against New York in the bottom, I was like, ‘Ooh, I know it’s not over till it’s over, but this is going to be tough. This is going to be tough.’”
Still, she campaigned to stay.
“But ultimately, I think that an animal off to slaughter honey, I tried to convince myself that there was still room for me to fight,” she added. “It wasn’t over. I made sure to have a conversation with every person in that house in order to try to plead my case.”
Despite her exit, she said one of the biggest highlights was sharing the experience with Tiffany “New York” Pollard.
“It’s everything,” she said. “I’ve said this in interviews before. New York, she’s definitely a masterclass in reality TV. Of course, she’s about it when the cameras are rolling… she’s quick. She is the New York that we’ve come to know and love. But behind the scenes, she’s just super, super down to earth, super sweet. She had some really great words of wisdom for me and for my career going forward. It was just everything getting to work with New York. I know that not a lot of girls from where I come from, from Drag Race, will have an opportunity to work with such iconic legends and stars.”
House of Villains airs weekly on Peacock.