Kandy Muse Snuck Away During Filming 'House of Villains' to Party in WeHo (Exclusive)

Next episode marks the season finale of House of Villains Season 2 and things are getting even more ruthless than usual in the lair as our reality TV baddies fight their way into the final three. Case in point: this week’s banishment and betrayal of Kandy Muse by her ally and Supervillain of the Week Jessie Godderz, despite the latter repeatedly reassuring the RuPaul’s Drag Race alum that he had her back. But even though Kandy was told to sashay away from the competition, she and her fellow eliminated villains like Teresa Giudice (The Real Housewives of New Jersey) and Victoria Larson (The Bachelor) made a surprise return to the villains’ lair to add an extra dose of drama and pressure for our five remaining competitors. As if there wasn’t already enough tension in the house!

In case you missed it, E! Network’s House of Villains brought together 10 of reality television’s most infamous and polarizing personalities (including Muse) in one Los Angeles mansion so that they could betray, backstab and banish their way to a $200,000 cash prize and the title of “America’s Ultimate Supervillain.” And with iconic reality antiheroes like Survivor’s Richard Hatch, The Flavor of Love‘s Tiffany “New York” Pollard and The Challenge’s Wes Bergmann in the mix, Kandy Muse had those acrylic nails sharpened and was ready for the fight. 

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Following her banishment, Kandy talked to Parade exclusively about that brutal blowout between Jessie and Wes, how she snuck out to West Hollywood the night of her elimination, and which competition is tougher, House of Villains or Drag Race.

House of Villains Season 2 is here! Every week, Parade.com’s Christina Izzo will bring you interviews with the villain most recently banished from the lair. 

Interview with Kandy Muse from House of Villains Season 2

Christina Izzo: Talk about a dramatic episode! Ahead of your banishment, Jessie and Wes were worried about what a big threat you were. Jessie said you’d be impossible to beat because everyone in the house loved you. Do you agree? Do you think if you made it to the finals, you were 100-percent the one to beat?

Kandy Muse: Oh absolutely, I think everybody knew I was the person to beat. I took it as a compliment that they wanted to get rid of me. I can’t be mad about it. It’s a game. Everybody wants to win, and they knew going up against me, they were not going to win in the finale. 

Also, I was keeping up with the [other players] as they were getting eliminated. Wes caught that, so he knew that if they were to come back and vote as a jury, they would’ve voted for me, and I would have won.

Before your banishment, you said that you would resort to anything to win, that you would pull out tears if you needed to. You ended up giving a Meryl Streep-worthy performance to try and convince your castmates not to banish you. How much of that was sincere or how much was for show?

I was genuinely upset because I was betrayed by Jessie. Me and Jessie were really good friends. When I’m upset, I can make myself cry really easy. I said, ‘Okay, I can sit here and give you the utmost Oscar-worthy performance and just cry and see what happens.’ It was one of those things where you have to try to the very last moment because you never know—they might feel bad and vote for you to stay. 

But I had a feeling they were not going to care. I had just put Larsa [Pippen] up on the Hit List a week prior, Wes wanted me gone, and Safaree [Samuels] was not voting against New York, so I knew I had all odds against me. I tried my best and it didn’t work. But nonetheless, I gave an amazing performance. It was great TV. 

Related: ‘Real Housewives’ Star Larsa Pippen Breaks Down Her Shocking Mid-Season Entrance on ‘House of Villains’ (Exclusive)

When did you find out that you and the rest of the banished villains were coming back? What were your feelings about returning to the lair?

I got eliminated on a Friday, I went out to WeHo that night with my friends because I was like, ‘I am not going to be stuck in a hotel crying about being eliminated,’ so I snuck out. I remember when I got back to the hotel, all of the eliminated villains were texting each other. We were like, ‘Oh, we’re all here.’ We were kind of like, ‘We’re gonna get them, we’re gonna be assholes to them, they eliminated us.’ 

That Saturday morning, we were going back to the house. We were going to have a little barbecue moment and kind of just be assholes to them and that’s exactly what happened. I don’t think that the villains expected us to be there, but it was so good because there was no pressure. We were already eliminated. There was nothing to lose. 

In the final Hit List nomination, you ended up being a big part of that fight between Jessie and Wes, with Jessie saying that cutting you was the hardest thing he had to do in the whole game. What was your reaction to that blowout between the allies?

We hadn’t seen the guys fight with each other the entire season. The girls had been fighting the entire season, but the guys had been very quiet. So seeing Jessie and Wes go at it, especially because they were close friends and allies, it was kind of intense, and it went on for a very long time. 

I knew Jessie felt like an asshole for putting me up because he let Wes get in his ear, but at that point, you did what you did. When I got eliminated, he had sent me a message the night of my elimination, he said, ‘Hey, I’m checking up on you, I’m so sorry.’ And I was kind of like, ‘Listen, it’s a game. I get to walk out of House of Villains knowing that I was House of Villains, there would be no show without me.’ Being somewhat part of that fight was kind of cool because like, once again here I am, I’m involved someway somehow, which just shows that I was the competition. If the boys wanted me gone, if the man who had won The Challenge three times—or however many times Wes won—wants me gone, it’s because I must be big competition.

Related: ‘Big Brother’ Star Jessie Godderz Shares the Reality TV Show He Is ‘Embarrassed, Ashamed and Disappointed’ He Wasn’t Cast On (Exclusive)

You’re now on the jury. What is your strategy for voting for America’s Ultimate Supervillain? Are you voting for a friend, for who you think played the best game, for who seemingly needs the money most?

I’m out for revenge; I’m gonna get revenge. There are no sorries or apologies that can make up for me being banished. It’s House of Villains.

At this point in the game, who would you say is the most villainous person in the house?

It would have to be Wes. Let’s not forget, Wes swore on his daughter even though he was lying. He did that. He’ll do anything to win.

You made House of Villains history as the first drag queen to compete on the franchise. You said in this episode that you were nervous at first about joining the show? Were you worried about how the house was going to react to you?

I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to deal with the cast or the crew in the house. I wasn’t sure how alone I was going to feel. But honestly, the cast and the crew all made me feel very loved and very special. They were very accommodating. And fun fact—there was actually a cameraman who worked on both my seasons of Drag Race and House of Villains. So anytime I would be feeling overwhelmed, I just looked at him because he has already seen me twice on a TV show. That was nice. 

And it’s funny, Camilla [Poindexter] actually called me earlier. She was telling me, ‘You’re so fun to be around, and I’m so happy I got to meet you and you taught me so much about queer culture and queer life and I just wanted to give you your flowers.’ Honestly it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.

Related: ‘Survivor’ Winner Richard Hatch Says Host Jeff Probst ‘Has Lost Sight’ But ‘House of Villains’ Emcee Joel McHale Is ‘Perfect’ (Exclusive)

You’re famously from the RuPaul’s Drag Race universe, which is full of ruthless queens. Which of your fellow Drag Race stars do you think would do well on House of Villains? 

I always say this, but Gia Gunn would be a really great add to House of Villains. If you watch Gia Gunn on [RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 4], you know she was insane. She just likes to make good TV, she doesn’t care, which I think for the campiness of House of Villains and the dramatics of it all, I think she would be great for it. Or just bring me back for House of Villains Season 3!

Which competition is more cutthroat: RuPaul’s Drag Race or House of Villains?

Oh, God! Drag Race is hard for a lot of reasons, but House of Villains is hard because you never know who is being truthful or not, so you have to be on at all times. 

Which one is harder to pack for?

Oh, Drag Race. Although I packed a lot for House of Villains.

You served looks on House of Villains.

I’m going to look real good in the finale, so get ready!

This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.

E!’s “House of Villains” airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on E! and episodes are available to stream on Peacock.

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