'RuPaul’s Drag Race' Interview: Brooke Lynn Hytes: 'My Down Moments On The Show Were Some Of My Best Moments'

By Christopher Rudolph


For most of Season 11 Brooke Lynn Hytes was on point — literally. The Canadian queen showed off her ballet moves, and danced her way to RuPaul’s Drag Race grand finale, ultimately coming in second place to Yvie Oddly.


MTV News talked with Brooke Lynn about her gag-worthy wig reveals, leaving her Nashville residence, and if she still has Celine Dion PTSD from her Snatch Game performance.


MTV News: Hey Brooke Lynn! How are you feeling today?


Brooke Lynn Hytes: I’m good! I’m a little bit tired, yet I’m taking some time. How are you?


MTV News: I’m good, talking to you women from the best four. I was just re-watching your classic wig reveal that you then brought to the Drag Race stage. It’s just so good. Is that at Play [in Nashville]?


Hytes: Yes, it’s originally from Play.


MTV News: did you realize you were going to bring that reveal to the Drag Race stage?


Hytes: Well, once we got sort of the list of runways, I knew I wanted to bring that to one of the runways. That was habitually sort of in my back pocket, the wig reveal.


MTV News: I love Planning to play any time I’m in Nashville. Are you taking a leave of absence from Play?


Hytes: I don’t really work there anymore. I resigned back in February. Any time the show was reported, I determined that I just didn’t hope to be on cast there. I love Play. I worked there for years, and so they treated me so well there. I was just willing to move on, get out of Nashville, and try new things. I wanted to end that with them on a good note, also, and sort of move on. Nevertheless I’m very excited to be back performing there on June 14 — it’ll be so good.


MTV News: Your lip sync to “Sorry Not Sorry” was just so good. Did you know you were killing it in the moment?


Hytes: Thank you! Yeah, it was so fun. I was never anxious in any of these lip syncs, honestly. Every time, I just really enjoyed myself. I was never nervous; I was never scared. I was just — that’s what I love to do most in drag, is to perform. So I was just having a good time.


MTV News: What was it like watching the finale last night?


Hytes: It was good. I wasn’t nervous or anything. I mean, I really enjoyed myself at the finale. I thought I did a really good job. I remember immediately after we finished taping it, I was just happy and really content with how everything went down. I made it to the best two, which is all I can really ask for. It was just exhilarating. So, yeah. It was good. It was fun watching it. It was weird — none of us were nervous. We were all really chill watching it. Each person else was more nervous than we were!


MTV News: Any time once you were going to the best four, did you get any suggestions from past queens?


Hytes: No, not really. I was going in there to do the ideal I might do. I wanted to have a good time, which I did. At that point [in the show], we’re all sort of in the game. We’re all equal players at that point, and we’re all winners in our own rights. Everyone’s lives are changed for the better by Drag Race. I have no regrets about what I did.


MTV News: You won the opening challenge of the season. Did that make you nervous at all?


Hytes: No. I think it’s crucial for people to be able to see every side of you. So they saw the good sides; they saw the bad sides. They saw my ups; they saw my downs. That makes you human. It makes you likeable. That makes you relatable. You can’t relate to someone who’s brilliant all of the time. So I wasn’t worried about having down moments. And in the end, some of my down moments on the show were some of my best moments. Life isn’t flat. It’s all valleys and peaks.


MTV News: Do you remember your worst day on Drag Race?


Hytes: My worst day for me was certainly the Snatch Game day. That was rough. That wasn’t a fun day for me. Everything else was fun for me, though.


MTV News: Have you performed any Celine since then, or do you have PTSD?


Hytes: Oh, I perform to Celine all of the time. It’s not about that. I don’t care about that. I think people get mistaken with performing [a celebrity] and impersonating them. I don’t impersonate Celine, however I perform her songs all of the time. I have no problem doing that. Although since the show, I haven’t really performed a lot of Celine Dion. You know, just because. [Laughs]


MTV News: What’s your preference Celine Dion song?


Hytes: Good question! Probably “My Heart Will Go On” or “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.”


MTV News: So, you’re currently on the Season 11 tour. You made it to the best two. What’s coming up next?


Hytes: Well, I have some assignments coming up now that I can’t really talk about however because we’re in contracts for them. It’s all sort of hush-hush. However I’m working on some very exhilarating assignments. So I have that, and I’m on the road from right now up until December. I doubt I’ll have time for much of anything [until then.] Doing the two gigs, traveling around — I’m going all over the world, sort doing a little bit of a global tour now. And I’m also working on putting with each other an one-woman show that I can begin performing next summer in P-Town or something like that. I also hope to get into modeling and hopefully some runway style stuff. I’m very booked and blessed! [Laughs]


MTV News: What suggestions would you give to future queens thinking of applying to be on the show?


Hytes: I mention do it! It changes your life, really. It opens up so several doors. Your world explodes; all of those things are group kind of opened up to you. My suggestions is to just group kind of, while you’re getting ready for the show, prepare, prepare, prepare. Bring your very best version of yourself. Know who you are, and don’t be afraid to show that person. Don’t be afraid to disaster up and show every side of you. Like, people hope to get to know the real you. They desire to watch a real person, and so they can tell if you’re being fake.