Chad Michaels explains ‘manic’ Hunger Games obsession – and reveals unaired tribute to film
Chad Michaels has explained her Hunger Games obsession during the filming of All Stars 1 (World of Wonder/ Lionsgate Entertainment)
All Stars 1 winner Chad Michaels has spoken about her obsession with The Hunger Games films, and revealed a reference to the franchise that viewers never got to hear.
Drag Race season four runner-up Chad returned to triumph in the first version of All Stars in 2012, and succesfully nabbed the first spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame – despite the season’s thankfully-never-repeated-pairs twist.
One of the most enduring (and seemingly random) aspects of Chad’s victory run to the crown was her obsession with the Jennifer Lawrence-starring Hunger Games franchise, based on the novels of the same name by Suzanne Collins.
With repeated references to the movies during her Werk Room entrance, press tour for the season and Untucked speeches, Chad was Drag Race’s answer to the girl on fire.
Speaking to PinkNews with BetUs twelve years later, Chad has, for the first time, explained why Katniss Everdeen caught her attention so fiercely during All Stars – and revealed that one cut reference to the film caused RuPaul, cast and crew to “fall out” laughing.
Laughing at the question, Chad terms her obsession “absolutely manic”, before going on to explain: “I was travelling a lot, flying all over, doing gigs and reading the books. Then the movie came out [the same year his winning season aired]. I just saw so many parallels with All Stars.
“I thought it would be funny to use The Hunger Games as a metaphor throughout the show.
The All Stars victor goes on to add that even though fans clearly picked up on her penchant for Panem’s ongoings, there’s another reference that fans still “haven’t got”, years later.
“I’m no longer obsessed,” she clarifies, “and don’t even know if I ever really was, but it was a clever metaphor. What I don’t think that people even realise is that my last outfit on All Stars was Katniss’s bodysuit from the movie.”
Chad then reveals that a reference to one of the film’s most famous moments was uttered – by her – on the main stage, but that it was cut from the final edit.
“I’ll tell you what everyone really missed,” she reveals. “My shining moment in the first episode of All Stars was when Shannel and I had to lip-sync [and choose who we wanted to represent Team Shad], and they cut this out of the show.
“They said: ‘Shad, who will lip-sync for your team?’ I turned to Shannel, and said: ‘I got this’, then I turned to RuPaul and said: ‘I volunteer as tribute’.”
It’s the famous phrase that Katniss says right at the start of the first film to save her sister from certain death – but the All Stars 1 gang clearly saw the humorous side.
“The whole f**king studio fell out. RuPaul sh*t his pants, Michelle’s glasses fell off, all the crew were laughing, the girls started laughing. I sat there with a stone cold face, trying to pull it off… and they cut it. They cut it!”
All Stars is available to watch on WOW Presents Plus.
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