Charlie Hides talks cracked ribs and that disastrous 'Drag Race' lip sync

Charlie Hides is a celebrity impersonator and the oldest contestant to appear on 'RuPaul's Drag Race.' Charlie Hides is a celebrity impersonator and the oldest contestant to appear on 'RuPaul's Drag Race.' Photo: Logo Photo: Logo Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close Charlie Hides talks cracked ribs and that disastrous 'Drag Race' lip sync 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

Charlie Hides knows that his lip sync on "RuPaul's Drag Race" could go down as the worst in the show's history. In fact, he's relishing the thought.

"I just thought, 'This is gonna be epically bad. Let's have this be the worst one ever so there can be memes about this,'" he says.

Hides entered the "Drag Race" workroom as the most experienced queen and with an international following. His YouTube channel has clocked more than 20 million views thanks to a bevy of impressions, from Madonna and Lady Gaga to Lana Del Rey and Katy Perry.

He talked about that disastrous lip sync, a "Drag Race" injury and who was just there "to excel at reality TV." The library is open.

TRANSFORMATION: Houston queen channels Pennywise from Stephen King's 'It'

We have to discuss the lip sync. What was your thinking there?

I thought, 'I'm gonna give them authentic Britney 2007. Dress like a slut, be dead behind the eyes and lip sync terribly.'

You said in the voice over that lip syncing wasn't what you did and most London queens sing live. But did you consider that it might be something you'd have to do at some point?

To tell you the truth, no I don't lip sync. I only sing live. Most of the songs that were potential songs, I knew, like 'Holding Out for a Hero,' The B-52s 'Love Shack.' I bought that on vinyl, so I knew every single word inside and out. Unfortunately, I'd never heard the Britney song and I had a cracked rib. I couldn't move. I knew I was going home. I'd only heard the song twice. It was never played here in England. It was never on the radio. I just didn't know it.

A cracked rib! Did that happen on the show?

Yeah, on the cheerleading episode. So the rest of the competition I was duct-taping my ribs up and taking lots of painkillers. I was definitely hampered. It was about a month sleeping on one side.

EARLY EXIT: Kimora Blac on her brief 'Drag Race' journey

Were you surprised, despite the lip sync, to land in the bottom?

From what I had heard from the other team, Valentina and Aja hadn't done very well. But Ru decided that the entire other team was safe. When Ru asked who should go home, Peppermint hadn't done very well in the challenge. The judges didn't like her negligee. I really thought it was gonna be Peppermint and Trinity against each other. And Trinity actually thought it was gonna be Trinity and Peppermint. And quite frankly, I would have preferred to have watched that.

Did the talk show segment feel like a struggle when it was happening?

At the best of times, I'm not a morning person. I go to bed at four in the morning, and the only time I see sunrise is at the other end of the day. The idea of doing a morning talk show is quite frankly my idea of hell. I was sleep deprived and jetlagged. I think I've had to accept that at 52, I'm probably not gonna be a cheerleader, I'm not gonna be an Olympic figure skater, and I'm not gonna be a morning talk show host.

Why was 'Drag Race' the right choice for your career right now?

I wanted people to see me as more than just a celebrity impersonator. The best you can hope for as a celebrity impersonator is to be a second-rate somebody else. In my live show, I'm a standup comic that sings. But I was known around the world on my YouTube channel as a celebrity impersonator. Now people are interested in my music. They're interested in coming to see my standup comedy shows. I'm doing a comedy tour with Bianca Del Rio, Lady Bunny, Ben Delacreme, Alyssa Edwards. I achieved what I set out to do. And I slayed the runway every single time.

What was the biggest challenge on the show?

I arrived jetlagged because I flew in from London. I had an eight hour time difference. They said, A car will pick you up tomorrow at seven. Be in full drag' I thought, 'Great, I'll get up at noon and have something to eat, go for a swim in the pool, start getting ready around five.' They said, 'Seven in the morning.' I was regularly operating on just a couple of hours sleep. Once I cracked my rib, I had pain to add to the not sleeping. That was a real struggle. The drag part of 'Drag Race' I did perfectly. My runway looks were fabulous. The 'Race' bit -- getting things done in 45 minutes and competing against people half my age in terms of the physical stamina -- that was a challenge.

DYNAMIC DUO: Sharon Needles and Alaska reunite in Houston

What did we not see on TV that you would have liked to get across to viewers?

My sense of humor. I was constantly cracking people up in the workroom and in the confessionals, but none of that was shown. Also, my sewing skills. I helped Farrah (Moan), Alexis (Michelle), Nina Bo'Nina (Brown) to sew and none of that was shown. I made that Princess Climactica gown. It's a couture gown with bones, sweetheart bodice. I made it in the same amount of time that Valentina made that basic little ice-skating costume. Yes, the library is open. It was basic. I should have won that challenge.

A lot of fans were anticipating your Snatch Game. Who were you planning to do?

I brought with me Joan Rivers and Lana Del Rey. I had options. I would have loved to have done Joan Rivers. I definitely would have won that challenge, hands down, no doubt about it.

Who did you find yourself becoming fast friends with?

Alexis (Michelle) instantly. We have a similar sensibility. We come from a similar place, a similar appreciation for Broadway and showtunes. And surprise, Cynthia (Lee Fontaine). We're both Carlos. We're both Charlies. We got along famously, and we were constantly making each other laugh. I absolutely adore her.

Was there a challenging personality for you among the girls?

There were some people that were very quiet when the cameras weren't on, but the second the cameras were on, they would elbow you in the ribs to get in front of the camera, and they would shout really, really loud. There were some people that just had the real fight in them to excel at reality TV. I just didn't have as much fight as Trinity (Taylor) or Shea (Coulee). And I wasn't as hungry for it as Eureka. But then again, nobody's as hungry as Eureka.