Peppermint quickly became a fan favorite on RuPaul's Drag Race, standing out as a remarkable talent during season nine. Recently, she let slip a clever little trick she used on set that didn't exactly win her points with production.
Peppermint: a fan-favorite queen
It's tough imagining anyone not liking Peppermint. She's known not just as a trailblazer, being one-of-a-kind as an openly trans woman in that iconic Werk Room, but also adored enough by viewers that she seemed a shoo-in contender that season's Miss Congeniality. Her warmth and sass just won everyone over.
While chatting on Shannon Beveridge's podcast, Exes and O's, Peppermint opened up about what went down behind those dazzling scenes when they filmed in late 2016, just before airing in 2017. She never outright named names, but c'mon, it was crystal clear which reality show she was referring.
“They took away our phones and watches, trying their best so we wouldn't know what time it was,” Peppermint recalled. “In that studio, without windows and with their tricky lighting, we had no clue how long we'd been there."
The art Of outsmarting production
On Drag Race, time management can make or break you. They give you a few hours on a clock, but with no personal gadgets, it's a guessing game.
Clever as she was, Peppermint found a workaround. She hinted at using a tool production had unwittingly provided. While she played coy about details, it seems pretty clear she meant those iPods they handed out so queens could practice lip-syncs. Using 'em smartly let Peppermint keep a better eye on time than they'd hoped.
“When they'd call out, ‘You have three hours left,' and tried cutting us short, I'd step in,” she explained. “I said, ‘Nope, it hasn't been three hours yet. We've still got time!'”
She was all about fairness—something that didn't exactly endear her. “Oh, they didn't love that,” Peppermint laughed. “They really hated it!”
Peppermint's ever-expanding career
Despite what might've been a shaky bond with Drag Race's production, Peppermint's career hasn't slowed a bit. Though she hasn't popped up on All Stars like some season nine top queens, her schedule's been anything but empty.
She broke ground as U.S. television's first trans woman on The Traitors. But reality TV's just a fraction. She's stretched her wings with political activism and even snagged a spot on Netflix's Survival Of The Thickest.
With RuPaul's Drag Race still dazzling audiences every Friday on MTV and globally on WOWPresents Plus, Peppermint's sly, unforgettable time on screen sticks with us all.
What do you think about Peppermint's savvy shortcuts and continued presence in reality TV? Share your thoughts below—just be sure we keep it kind and considerate!
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