'There was enough drama between us girls without the twist!'
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 5 has something old (a fan favorite from all the way back in season 1) and something new (that twisty new twist), something borrowed (Untucked, which we traditionally don't get for All Stars) and something blue (the current state of the world).
All Stars 5 brings 10 beloved queens back into the Werk Room to slug it out for a spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame -- if they can survive this season's mystery lip sync assassins, that is. ET's Brice Sander hopped on Zoom with our newly minted All Stars to get tea on everything to come.
Shea Couleé did not participate in the press day, as they have spent the week leading up to the premiere using their platform to spread the message of the Black Lives Matter movement. On Friday, they released a statement about All Stars 5 premiering amid the ongoing protests and how it can serve to showcase stories of black excellence.
"My name is Shea Couleé, and I didn't come to play I came to dismantle white supremacy, defund the police, return power and resources back to the people, uplift and amplify black voices, and get that crown," Shea tweeted. Read their full statement here.
Below, the returning queens tell ET how they reacted to the season's big twist, discuss All Stars glow ups and reveal what they're hoping to get Rudemption for this season.
Alexis Mateo
Her reaction to the lip sync assassin twist:
"We always know that RuPaul is gonna be shady somehow. That's just Drag Race 101 right there. So we probably knew going in that something was going to happen. The whole lip sync assassin thing is intimidating, but also that's what we do for a living. And hello, if we have to lip sync, we going to turn the party. That's for sure. And these girls in this cast are not chickenheads, honey. These girls are legends, honey. We were ready for a battle."
How drag daughter Vanessa 'Vanjie' Mateo prepared her for All Stars:
"I remember when I was in my house preparing him for the competition and I was doing the training, like, 'You're gonna do this, you're gonna walk like this, you're gonna act like this.' So, when he found out I was on the show, it was backward. It was, like, now the daughter trains the mother. But it was super fun with Vanessa. She knows it all and she was very blessed to be one of the favorite girls on Drag Race -- and still is. I'm so proud of her. But I always roll my eyes like, 'I'm just going to do whatever the hell I feel like.'"
Blair St. Clair
What she wants to Rudeem this season:
"I had a lot to prove from my original season. I think the Drag Race fandom inherently thinks that queens that are eliminated early on or to the middle of their season are maybe not as talented as the queens that get further in the season... When I was eliminated, I was like, 'I'm not this girl that people may think I am. I have so much more to give and to prove and to show.' So when I came back, I came back with a vengeance, saying, 'I'm going to get to the end. I'm going to be the crowned winner. I am going to show why I came back.'"
On going viral for her All Stars glow-up:
"I kind of went, 'Damn right, girl! I've earned this moment, let me soak it all in.' Honestly, I'm really grateful the fandom seems to be receptive to the fact that I really have changed a lot of my aesthetic. Because [it could have gone either way], like, 'I liked you before!' Or they could say, 'I love what she's doing now.' I just hope people can see my growth and evolution."
Derrick Barry
What she wants to Rudeem this season:
"I left with terrible eyebrows that were blocked way too high, and I needed to come back into this competition with the polished face I had at my finale. A lot of drag queens have had glow-ups during their season, well, now I've had four years to glow up. I feel like my Britney now is better than it's ever been. From 2003 on, I've never felt as good about my makeup and my skills as not just a drag but a celebrity female impersonator.
On entering the Werk Room as Britney Spears:
"I know a lot of people think, 'You wanted to get out of out your Britney box, and then you show up as Britney. What are you really saying?' I'm saying this is what I do. And I want to do other things, but I'm not going to leave behind my fanbase that's followed me for 15-plus years. I'm not going to leave Britney behind. My Britney is the best thing I do, so of course that's how I'm going to show up! It was my time to show my Britney, b**ch, 2.0."
India Ferrah
What she wants to Rudeem this season:
"Only being known for being picked up, that moment haunted me for years and years -- every show, every meet-and-greet, every fan just constantly reminded me of that moment. They never brought up the fact that I was a sickening drag queen or that I was entertaining or this or that. So being able to go back into the competition and be like, 'This is who India is now. She's not going to get picked up. She's not that girl. She's not shy anymore. She's here to make a statement and to prove that she deserves to be an All Star.'"
On whom she saw as her biggest competition:
"It was such a gag walking into the Werk Room and seeing Blair and Shea -- both of them had a story from their season that they had to come back to redeem themselves. They were there to put up a fight. And then Ongina walks in with this over-the-top costume and I remembered, 'Oh, b**ch, she did really good in her season! She is here to compete.'"
Jujubee
What she wants to Rudeem this season:
"What I honestly wanted to show people is that my drag -- even after competing two times [already] -- can still grow. I think with drag -- with anybody's art -- it's a constant growth. I just wanted to show people that I am capable of bringing some fashions. And I hope I did!"
On competing on Drag Race without Raven:
"I felt like I was a butterfly fluttering by myself. I, of course, have my sisters in the Werk Room -- we all help each other, we really do -- but this time I was like, 'Wow, you really do have to rely on yourself and you need to step it up.' Because All Stars season 1, it was all teams until it wasn't. And that was terrifying. This time around, it's... terrifying. It's terrifying! And scary, but it's good."
Mariah Paris Balenciaga
Her reaction to the lip sync assassin twist:
"It's like, dang it! Because before we went on, we studied the previous seasons. We're like, 'OK, maybe I can figure out the trajectory of where season 5 is going to go.' Nope. So it was like, 'Girl, I did all that homework for nothing!'"
What she wants to Rudeem this season:
"I want to send a b**ch home! I wasn't one of those girls that got to send anybody home. I wasn't a lip sync assassin on my season. My first time having to lip sync is when I got sent home, so I want to redeem myself and be able to battle."
Mayhem Miller
Her reaction to the lip sync assassin twist:
"I think you see mine in the trailer. I was like, 'Uhhhh, what?!'"
What she wants to Rudeem this season:
"Personally, I wanted to show a little bit more of myself. I felt on my season I wasn’t really featured. I don’t think that I got to shine as bright as I would’ve loved to. So my goal this time around was not only to get out of my head, but to just be in the moment and just enjoy it for what it is and just be present. Hopefully that does happen!"
Miz Cracker
Her reaction to the lip sync assassin twist:
"We got a twist, but we didn't necessarily need one. There was enough drama between us girls without the twist. The twist was the cherry on top, because we brought enough emotions and feelings and fighting, and all these girls came ready to fight for the crown, tooth and nail. The twist was the least of our problems!"
What she wants to Rudeem this season:
"It's all about that whole persona that I showed in season 10 -- of being a perfectionist, of being super strict with myself, being super tense -- I wanted to show people that I actually enjoy drag and I can bring some joy to it. I can bring joy to other people. I don't want people to see Miz Crumbs again, I want them to see who I was when I was transforming Miz Cookie."
Ongina
Her reaction to the lip sync assassin twist:
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, what's happening? Mariah, what's happening?!"
What she wants to Rudeem on All Stars:
"I mean, I was an All Star in my season of Drag Race because I was great. [Laughs] No, I think for me, my journey is that it's been forever. It is really about showing them who Ongina is, but really truly the genuine Ryan that you saw in season 1. I think everyone wants to see how I've evolved and changed, and I think I delivered that this season. And I'm excited for people to see that."
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars airs Fridays at 8 p.m. on VH1.
RELATED CONTENT:
