Drag Race's Briar Blush Sets The Record Straight On Faint-Gate, Shares An Update On Her Health

A dramatic moment quickly escalated into a medical emergency on the January 23 episode of "RuPaul's Drag Race" when contestant Briar Blush fainted on the runway, mere seconds before hearing Ru's final judgment on her challenge look.

But even as the judges shouted for medics, and Juicy Love Dion held Briar nervously in her arms, some of the queens weren't buying it. "That better be real," Mia Starr whispered from the other side of the stage, to which Vita VonTesse Starr quickly replied, "It's not. It's a show." 

During a confessional interview, Vita called it "convenient timing," as guest judge Law Roach had just compared Briar's runway look to something you'd see on a WWE wrestler. She even gave us a dramatic reenactment of the faint for good measure.

After being examined by a doctor, Briar was given permission to return to the competition. Unfortunately, she found herself in the bottom two, ultimately losing a lip sync battle against Kenya Pleaser and sashaying away.

In an interview conducted prior to this episode's airing, TVLine spoke with Briar about her dramatic final episode, the queens who questioned her, and the overall experience of competing in Season 18. In addition to standing by her faint, Briar also opens up about the difficult health journey she went on after leaving the show. Read our full Q&A below:

TVLINE | I'm a little surprised to speaking with you. I feel like that lip sync could have gone either way.
Did they edit it to make me look sickening?

TVLINE | No, you're just a good lip syncer.
That's not true. I did a little boo-boo against Mandy.

TVLINE | I did speak with Mandy Mango after her elimination, and when I asked if she felt like she deserved to lose, she wasn't sure. How do you feel about that lip sync?
Well, I was drunk as f**k, if I'm honest. I was so beyond gone that when I won, I was like, "Yup, yup," and then watching back, I was like, "Oh no!" I was so delusional. I had both my "Untucked" drinks, one of Juicy's drinks, a drink I found laying around, and then half of another drink. Girl, we're lucky I was upright. I mean, well, I wasn't in the future, but I was upright at the time.

TVLINE | You brought it up, so let's talk about faint-gate. Just to set the record straight, because there was some doubt amongst the queens — you really did faint, right?
Well, you saw the footage, and they were all the way on the other side of the stage. They were jealous of my natural fainting abilities.

TVLINE | Maybe "cruel" is too strong a word, but it's pretty messed up that Vita was questioning your faint before she even knew that you were OK.
Yes, I remember Vita and Mia saying something to me after filming, that they didn't believe it at the time. But sufficed to say, they now believe me.

TVLINE | OK, so you have had a conversation about that. On set?
No, it was after filming. When I left the stage, that was my last time talking to the girls, so none of us had a conversation after that. They saw me faint, they saw my lipstick, and they saw me go home.

TVLINE | Had you ever fainted before?
No, never.

TVLINE | What do you think ultimately caused this faint? I mean, you were in that skin-tight body suit, the piece on your shoulders was probably pretty heavy — you had a lot going on. What do you attribute it to?
Well, actually, I spoke with a doctor when I came home and was diagnosed with pneumonia. So, yeah, I had pneumonia during filming for a couple of weeks, and then the pneumonia developed into sepsis, and I got much sicker after filming. So whatever I did, I'm so proud that I did it with pneumonia. Mandy Mango, I beat you while having pneumonia, so yes.

TVLINE | I'm so sorry to hear that. How are you feeling now?
I'm OK. I'm in a much better place with my health. However, because I was sick for so long, my left lung is permanently damaged from being so sick, and it does not function the same as it used to.

TVLINE | Even though you were only in a handful of episodes this season, you left a big impression. How do you look back at your time on the show?
I'm proud that I stood by myself organically. What you saw, that's really the baby. I was not trying to make any TV. I was just being myself and I didn't want to force anything. I could have made more strategic choices, but I'm ultimately happy that I decided to be real with myself and just act how I felt was right in the moment.

TVLINE | And no one wants to be the girl crying on reality TV, but I appreciated that you let yourself get vulnerable on camera.
Oh, did they include me crying on the floor with Juicy?

TVLINE | They sure did.
Well, I was really trying my best to keep it in, but I am a vulnerable person. I don't shy away from how I really feel. People think I'm hard-shelled, but it's not because I'm not willing to share how I feel — it's more because I'm very brave, and in that moment I wasn't feeling brave, and I felt comfort in my friend. I almost want to cry now thinking about that moment with her, but I am glad I was able to be like that with her because we are still friends to this day. She has also trauma about that faint, so I'm really glad that I was like that with her.

TVLINE | I'm asking all of the queens this: We're watching all of you on "RuPaul's Drag Race." What are you watching on TV? What's your go-to show when you just need to chill?
I'm actually more of a movie person.

TVLINE | OK, attention span.
[Laughs] Yes, I have an attention span. I am an artist and you are the public. ... No, I'm just kidding, that's a Lady Gaga quote. But if I do watch TV, I love "Sex and the City," and I'll rewatch it all the time. "Parks and Rec" is also a comfort show. And I just started "I Love L.A." What a great show that is. I feel spiritually connected to Odessa Azion. I feel like I resonate with her.

OK, let's talk: Did you also think Briar Blush's faint was more of a feignt, or did you believe her all along? Do you think it was her time to go home? And what will you remember from her time in the competition? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.