When Zahirah Zapanta entered RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs. the World Season 3, she was not only returning from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6, but she was also returning as one of the show’s walking encyclopedias.
Looking to redeem her 10th-place performance from Season 6, she came in the competition ready and knew her competitors inside and out. From her expressive reaction shots in the background of tense moments to her unwavering composure when finally receiving critiques from RuPaul after being “Safe-Hirah,” it was a memorable season for her.
On being a Drag Race superfan and ‘Safe-Hirah’
In an exit interview with Blavity’s Shadow and Act, Zapanta admits she came into the competition with deep knowledge of the franchise, which is something viewers quickly noticed as she referenced other queens’ track records throughout the season.
“Look, I’m proud enough to say that I’m a product of Drag Race,” she said. “Season three with Mariah was the first season that I ever watched. I definitely consume a lot of Drag Race. It’s all over my feed. I cannot get away from it.”
Her fandom extends well beyond the main U.S. series. “I love the Philippines, and France, and Holland, and Thailand [series]. I love the show,” she said. “And I think what’s beautiful about UK vs. the World, specifically, is that it’s able to showcase so many different cultures and so many different types of drag.”
Watching the other queens prepare for the runway often left her in awe.
“I’m like, ‘How did you think of that?’ I look in the workroom when they’re getting ready for the runway. I’m like, ‘How did you think of that?’ But it’s so beautiful to see,” she said.
“I love, love Drag Race, but also I love consuming drag, period. Ballroom, pageantry. Yeah, I love consuming drag. Drag is fun.”
Despite her deep love for the show, Zapanta admitted that spending much of the competition safe became a storyline of its own.
“Being Safe-Hirah was definitely topical for me because I think that I did deserve a few top placements,” she said. “Y’all, the fans could say what they want and also a lot of fans have also rooted for me. So thank you to the fans who have rooted for me.”
When she finally received critiques, she made sure to keep her composure.
“When I did get critiques, and although sometimes negative, I had my Miss Continental pageant face on, and I had a smile on my face every time I did get critiqued,” she said.
Looking back at the episodes, she laughed about how carefully she managed her reactions.
“Look back at the critiques, and I’m always like this… and pose,” she said. “Don’t let them see you crack.”
Still, her facial expressions became a fan-favorite part of the season.
“I wear my heart on my sleeves and you can see the emotions on my face, from my ‘Safe’ face cracks to my shocked faces throughout the competition,” she said. “I definitely say what I feel and I show how I feel through my face.”
On the format change and the Chippy Tea twist
Zapanta also had strong opinions about the season’s format change, which replaced the traditional Vs. the World “lipstick” eliminations with lip syncs for survival.
“I think I have two different perspectives, as a competitor and as a viewer,” she said.
“As a competitor, I did not enjoy it because I thought that it meant that the track records would’ve been limited to the people winning and then people getting eliminated,” she explained.
“With a Top 2, there’s a lot more wins to be spread out throughout the competition. So you can really hone in on who’s excelling really, really massively and who RuPaul is really gravitating towards.”
The original format also offered a unique strategic opportunity.
“Being able to send somebody home is such a privilege. It would’ve been really fun,” she said.
Zapanta also revealed how she personally viewed the Chippy Tea twist strategically.
“The narrative is give the Chippy Tea to somebody to save,” she said. “However, how I saw it as a competitor was: who can I choose to be in the bottom two to potentially go home?”
“Who’s in my way from the crown? There’s a 50/50 chance of them going home or tarnishing their track record.”
But from a viewer’s perspective, she admitted the new format has its benefits.
“As a viewer, my thing is I enjoy Lip Sync for Your Lives so much better than Legacy,” she said.
“There’s so much more at stake.”
She also pointed out that lipstick eliminations can sometimes create awkward dynamics in the workroom.
“If you send somebody home with a lipstick as a competitor, it’s great because you don’t have to see them next week,” she said.
“But with the Chippy Tea, if you don’t save somebody from the Chippy Tea and put them in the bottom, then people can pipe up and be like, ‘Why didn’t you save me?’”
On planning that lip sync with Mariah
Zapanta’s elimination episode also included one of the season’s most memorable lip syncs — against fellow queen Mariah, someone she had grown extremely close to during the competition.
“Me and Mariah went from this super fan to senior drag queen relationship at the beginning of the competition,” she said.
“By the end of it, we formed such a huge friendship. Friendship is intangible and we love each other.”
When it became clear the two might have to lip sync against each other, they decided to turn the moment into something memorable.
“When the writings were on the wall that we were going to lip sync against each other, either way it would’ve been a heartbreak,” she said.
“Had I stayed and she went, it would’ve been heartbreaking for me, as it was for her to see me go when she turned her back to the stage at the end of the lip sync and she was saved.”
Before stepping onto the stage, the two queens made a plan.
“Prior to the lip sync, yeah, the writings were on the wall, and we said our ‘I love yous’ and we planned that lip sync out,” she said.
“She said to me, ‘Zahirah, when I get on the floor, you drag me.’ And I was like, ‘All right girl, let’s put on a show. We’ll dry hump each other.’”
“We just had so much fun on that stage.”
Zapanta said the chaotic energy of the season made moments like that even more memorable.
“This season is one of the most chaotic seasons of Drag Race, but in the most fun way,” she said. “It’s been such a joy to be a part of and watch.”
“Some of the lip sync choices, the challenges, the moments with the queens have been unhinged. It almost sometimes felt like a fever dream or a simulation.”
Still, she emphasized one important point about that lip sync performance.
“Yes, it was absolutely planned and me and Mariah love each other very dearly,” she said.
“Consent is very important.”