Kandy Muse is not turning a new leaf on season 2 of House of Villains.
The two-time RuPaul’s Drag Race runner-up is bringing her familiar infectious energy to the E! reality show alongside villainous competitors from Survivor, Big Brother, The Real Housewives and more shows — but the outspoken star is also making history as the show’s first drag queen.
“To be the first Drag Race queen on House of Villains and the first drag queen in general on House of Villains is incredible,” Kandy Muse, 29, tells PEOPLE during a recent group interview with 90 Day Fiancé star Larissa Lima and Bad Girls Club alum Camilla Poindexter.
Kandy Muse’s casting comes after fellow Drag Race alums have snagged spots or made appearances on other reality shows, such as Peppermint and Bob the Drag Queen on The Traitors, Alyssa Edwards on America’s Got Talent and Laganja Estranja on So You Think You Can Dance.
“It makes me so happy,” Kandy Muse says of seeing other Drag Race queens competing on popular shows. “It’s incredible. I think that although Drag Race is a huge show, this show has such a big platform, especially to the mainstream, straight media.”
“Queer media is big on its own, and yes, Drag Race has all these Emmys that I’ve won them, thank you very much,” she notes of Drag Race’s 29 overall Emmy wins, with her season 13 role helping the show earn the outstanding reality competition and outstanding casting honors in 2021.
“But now being on the show, it’s a completely different ballpark and just another door to open,” she explains of the impact of her competing on House of Villains. “Queer voices and queer stories need to be heard.”
Going into taping the season, Kandy Muse says it crossed her mind that she might “be a little uncomfortable” as the first drag queen on the show, but she emphasizes that this ended up not being the case.
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“I was very lucky to be in this cast where everyone was so accepting and just having such a great time,” she adds. “I don’t think anyone’s been around a drag queen the way they were in this house, and everyone was just so intrigued and so loving it, so it’s incredible.”
Poindexter agrees, saying to the drag star at the group interview, “You’re a very interesting person to be around. I love it. I love you.”
During the season 2 two-episode premiere on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10, Kandy Muse was put on the Hit List by rapper Safaree alongside Lima and The Bachelor’s Victoria Larson, but she pulled herself from elimination by winning a challenge against the two of them that required them to get signatures for breast cancer awareness on the streets of Los Angeles.
House of Villains airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on E!
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