EDGE Interview: It's Eureka! Versus the World!

After a somewhat difficult transitioning journey, Eureka is finally comfortable in her own skin and it took a lot of work, including sobriety and self-reflection. That's probably everyone's goal in life, but what is unique about Eureka's story is that she put it out there for everyone to see, every step of the way.

The 33-year-old drag performer first competed in "RuPaul's Drag Race" Season 9 but due to an injury wasn't allowed to advance after the second episode. She returned for Season 10 where she was a runner-up. In 2021 she was cast for the sixth season on "Drag Race All Stars," was eliminated in fifth place but returned after winning the lip-sync challenge to become one of the season's runners up.

Eureka is a force to be reckoned with. She's a bit intimidating to compete with but that's only because she's so talented. That, and she's not afraid to speak her mind. That isn't a bad thing especially when she is motivating men and women struggling with their identities in the Emmy-winning HBO reality series "We're Here" in which she appeared for three seasons.

Then the world came calling. "Canada vs. the World" that is. The Drag Race spin-off collects past contestants from the original show to represent their respective countries in an attempt to crown themselves "Queen of the Mothertucking World."

She was at her L.A. home when she got the call to compete in the show. At the time she was writing and developing future projects.

"I got the call and honestly, I had just did a gig in Canada literally the week before," she told EDGE. "I had such a lovely time, I was just treated so beautifully. When I was walking back to my hotel, I was walking across this crosswalk that was painted in the trans colors. I just was like emotional about walking across this trans crosswalk and feeling so celebrated there and then I literally got [the] call a week later. So it just felt serendipitous and it just felt, like, timely."

Eureka's trans journey hasn't been easy. She lived as a trans woman then detransitioned and then transitioned again. For some this may seem hard to understand, but it's not something they necessarily would understand if they aren't dealing with gender dysphoria themselves.

During her time on "We're Here" Eureka entered rehab to cope with her addictions. Having lived through some severe losses in her life, she passed her grief with substance abuse. However, like most of the challenges in her life, the drag star carried on and came out the other side with a newfound confidence and tenacity. But the recovery process has no deadline, and when approached about "Canada vs the World," she was reminded of how much work doing a reality show like this requires.

"It was very taxing emotionally and financially and so it got a little more intimidating the closer I got to going," she says, adding that the team was amazing and kind. Still, there was some trepidation. "I think once I got there though, I realized like, oh, competing is not really where I'm at in my life. So it was weird. Once I got there, I realized, wow, these girls really want it more than I do. I don't know, it was just...it was a different kind of experience for me this time."

Eureka was eliminated on episode four of "Canada vs. the World." Given her thoughts about competing at this point in her life, one wonders if she gave it her all.

"Yeah, I did," she says admitting that her energy dropped about halfway through the show. That's because Eureka the person had changed and maybe her character did too. "Even the judges had mentioned, where's the Eureka they know – the high energy? I just found such a calmness in my trans and maybe like less of an energy to have to prove myself, which changes the dynamic of how I react and respond to situations. Maybe, I don't know, I feel like of course I gave it my best shot. I always put my best in everything, but at the same time, I just didn't have the drive I've had in the past I don't think."

She didn't. Drag personas are characters, not carbon copies of the humans they embody. However, they can become collateral damage if their creator is struggling. Perhaps Eureka's sobriety affected her drag character subconsciously.

"That's interesting," she says of the notion, pausing to think about it further. "Um, I think that, you know, when you're not using, and you're used to using to kind of push you into an energetic place, I guess the right maybe. But, I think through recovery, I've learned a lot about not being so desperate for the things that I was addicted to before, like attention, pushing passed to be in the spotlight because that's something to prove. When you're an addict you're constantly proving something to yourself and the rest of the world."

Working through some of these epiphanies also comes with conflicts, and the "Drag Race" reality franchise is notorious for its pithy squabbles. In "Canada vs the World," there were a few, especially coming from fellow competitor Miss Fiercalicious who in one episode called Eureka out for being a longtime show veteran but still landing in the bottom. While it's not uncommon to use intimidation tactics to rattle a fellow contestant, the remark might have been especially salient given Eureka's current state of mind.

The casual diss didn't seem to upset Eureka.

"I think that she knows what she's doing in a sense that, like, she knows how to make great TV, and she knows what gets her the attention for her brand. I mean, at the end of the day, like we all love, you know – maybe not all of us – but there is a taste for that drag queen and she plays it very well," she says. "The more I've gotten to know her personally, she has the hugest heart in the entire world. She's such a good person, you know. I think she's also just funny and it's weirdly her humor."

Eureka may have not been crowned on the show but she is still taking on the world.

"I'm actually in Vegas," she says. "I'm doing a scripted show at the Linq [Hotel] called 'The Disco Show.' I really want to move on to the next phase of my career. I went to college for radio, TV and film. So I'm really pushing that way."

"The Disco Show" premieres on September 7.

You can watch "Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. The World" every Friday on WOW Presents Plus in the U.S. and select territories internationally.