Miami Beach drag is known to have its own cast of dynamic performers, and Palace Bar superstars Tiffany T. Fantasia and Fantasia Gaga Royale are counted as two of them.
They’re also featured on the Out TV show "Miami Dolls," which showcase both performers alongside other Miami Beach performers, revealing sides of them we rarely see. I sat down to chat with both performers about their "Miami Dolls" experience, the possibility for a Season 2, and what our community can do now to combat the politically charged rhetoric coming towards the drag community.
Michael Cook: Miami Beach Pride was last weekend and it looked absolutely epic and in today’s culture, more needed than ever! How are you both recovering?
Fantasia Gaga Royale: I’m getting ready to go on a mini-vacation to compress from all of the festivities that have been going on! I had an amazing time at Pride seeing everyone that I don’t get to see regularly from other states and it was amazing being the queen and being able to do all of the festivities! That is something I’ve always wanted to do.
Tiffany T. Fantasia: Miami Beach Pride was crazy, but it was a lot of fun and hot as hell! We just had a good time like we always do!
MC: Miami Dolls is a fantastic showcase of some of Florida’s best performers, both on and off the stage. How did you both end up with this opportunity?
FGR: For me, I started working with Daddy TV on the queer reality show Hot Haus. I won that show and then they came up with the idea of Miami Dolls. We pitched a video and they picked it up and that is how it came about. I needed people who knew how to make great television and of course, Tiffany is one of them!
TTF: I had a great time, yeah. The process is long and they were able to work around my schedule, I had stuff going on during that time, but we made it work!
MC: Reality television can portray people a certain way with editing and storylines, so how did that team behind Miami Dolls make you both feel at ease?
TTF: For me, when we had our initial conversation I told them straight up-if you have an angle for me, let me know. At least let me be in on it. I have done several shows where there was an angle and I was not privy to it. As long as you let me know, I can play that role, just let me in on it. Don’t try to paint me as something that I’m not and I’m sitting here being myself and you have an angle for me and I’m not privy to it. That’s when I start to show my ass (laughs). In this case, I knew what I was getting into so I was cool with it.
FGR: For me, when they gave me the “story” I kind of breezed through it but once we got to filming, is when I realized “okay, I think I’m gonna be the villain” (laughs)! For me though, it’s reality television; you’ve got to make good tv. As long as you’re not harming anyone or anything, let’s do it! I’m down for it all.
MC: Tiffany, in the great spirit of Bethenny Frankel and Kandi Burruss, you seem to be the “Greek chorus” of the show; you are saying what the audience very well may be thinking. Do you think that’s a fair assessment?
TTF: You know, its funny that you say that. As a kid, I always thought that I was Geoffrey from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He’s the one who says what the audience was thinking in the situation or being a smart ass out of nowhere. I always thought of myself as that, and in the show I definitely see that.
MC: Fantasia, you definitely have no problem having conflict on camera and being very direct with your fellow performers. Do you think that you eased into your role seamlessly?
FGR: I would say so. They picked the right “characters” for the roles because it needed to be delivered, and we did just that!
MC: From the fans and tourists who come into Palace to fellow performers in Miami Beach, there has been a great deal of reaction from people I am sure. What have some of the reactions been that you have gotten?
FGR: A lot of people think that the show is about Palace and it’s not about Palace. Palace is where a lot of the filming goes on. People are wondering “where are the other Palace girls”?I have to explain that it’s not about The Palace, we’re just filming there.
MC: Do you think either of you would participate in a second season?
FGR: Depending on the story and what we’re going to do maybe. It just depends for me on what it is going to be about. I am trying to think, what else could we do to make a Season 2, what other project are we doing to do? I must say, that Topher and Artie at Daddy TV, they are some geniuses! I am sure that they would come up with something good!
TTF: For me, it is always about timing; I’m a busy girl and so is Fantasia. It’s all about the timing for me, I am down. We’ve always had a “what if” and it would go into some of the other characters behind the scenes lives a little deeper, so there is always possibility. I had a good time, I might come up with another one-liner other than “I am the foundation”!
MC: Is there anyone you think that the two of you could agree on that you would want to bring on to join the cast for a Second season?
TTF: There is a server, his name is Hasai. And he is such a freaking character! They would eat him up! As far as other drag queens, I’m not sure. There are a lot of characters and a lot of people in our cast, so it would depend on how they would fit into the season.
MC: You both are traveling currently, so what do you both have planned for the summer?
FGR: Right now, I have a lot of different gigs coming up in a lot of different places. Also, I am going to be having some other projects come out throughout the year that I am excited to share with everyone. I am just going to be working, traveling and working.
TTF: I have some out of town gigs already set up. Outside of that, I’ll just be home working!
MC: We have seen the rhetoric facing our community and specifically, the LGBTQ citizens in the state of Florida. How do you both think we can directly address the hate being directed at our community?
FGR: Well for one thing, we need more people to get out there and vote, that is number one, so we can get these bad politicians out of there. Honestly, it’s time for all of us as a community to fight for each other. More than anything, for our drag queens and our trans women. Because more than anything, that is who they are trying to target. We need to stand behind them and stand behind us one hundred percent and all fight together.
TTF: We need to get together and focus on what our goals are and fight the powers that be. Unfortunately, this will be a a never ending story with the religious right wanting to be the only way that we should go about society and with politicians looking for a reason to get attention. We will always be a target. We have to stand firm, organize, and vote. We have to let them know that you can try as you may, but baby we are still going to be here and we’re going to get rid of you all and these laws will be abolished.
Follow Tiffany T. Fantasia on Instagram @tiffanyfantasia
Follow Fantasia Gaga Royale on Instagram @fantasiaroyalegaga
