On Thursday night, RuPaul’s Drag Race returned with a third installment of All Stars, and it was full of shady shade and death drops, just the way it should be.
With the Lip Sync for Your Legacy rules in effect, BenDeLeCreme and Aja faced off to Nicki Minaj‘s braggadocious banger “Anaconda.” The winner, Ben, chose season 2 star Morgan McMichaels to get the chop, allowing Chi Chi Devayne to stay in the competition despite having a tougher critique.
Morgan McMichaels talked to Billboard about the return of season 1 winner BeBe Zahara Benet, her new radio show with fellow Drag Race alum Ongina and Mariah, and more.
Hi, Morgan! I’m so sad to be talking to you.
I know. I’m not so sad, though; I got an amazing episode.
You did! I loved your entrance line [“I look pretty good for a dead bitch”]. That was a reference to a theory that I’m not sure all of the Drag Race fandom is aware of. Can you explain that?
Well, on my birthday, Tyra [Sanchez] posted that I had passed away and so I threw myself a funeral. It was packed. Everyone was boozing, everyone was there. And, yeah, I’ve been dead since.
Who did you see as your biggest competitor on the season?
Well myself, honestly, because I know they’re all really badass bitches. But I felt like coming back this time, I really had to prove to myself more than anybody else that I could do it, and get out of my head and not be one of those people that let the competition get the best of them.
What was your reaction when BeBe came in?
Oh, I adore BeBe. I just was like, “Wow, a crowned winner.” That is really ballsy to compete again, and then on two levels — since it has changed so much from when she won her crown, and it shows that she’s not afraid to compete — and that speaks a lot to her character. Because I feel like people that do well sometimes are like, “I don’t need to do it again, why would I do that again?” But she’s putting her pride and ego aside and saying, “I want to show Ru that I am America’s next drag superstar for a reason.”
You were very vocal about your strategy. Looking back on it, do you wish you had kind of kept that to yourself, at least for a bit?
No. I believe, like I said, the truth will set you free, and it sent me home. But I’m happy that I can hold my head up high and say, “I said what I said.” And I told the girls, “We’re sisters, we’re friends, but I’m letting you know straight off the bat so there’s no confusion.” They may not like it, but they have to respect what I said. You know? I’m not into playing games like that.
So your strategy was to eliminate the strongest girl. Who do you think the strongest performer was during the variety show?
Well, no. I would’ve eliminated the strongest girl who landed in the bottom. So I would’ve sent myself home because I was stronger than Chi Chi. She had more critiques than I did, but the way I was playing the game, the competition, was send the girl that is the stronger of the two home.
You recorded the track you performed during the talent show. Do you plan on releasing it?
Yes, actually. I’m actually trying to get it on iTunes right now, and I don’t know how to do it.
I posted on my social media today. I said, “Would you like to see this for sale?” And the majority of the Morgasms have said yes, so I’m kind of excited about that. I did a poll on Instagram, and 72 percent said yes, 28 percent said no.
Those shady bitches.
It’s OK to take the good with the bad. The kids are allowed to have their opinion. I mean, I’m not gonna listen to it, but they still have the right to theirs.
Do you plan on working on any other music?
I am! I think I’ve been bitten by the bug. I never understood it until now. Watching Alaska, and Sharon, and Manila, and Delta Work with their tracks. I was like, “Why don’t you just lip-sync? I don’t understand. I don’t get it.” I get it now. I get it now.
It just kinda opens a different element to your entertainment. And I’ll always lip-sync, I’ll always be that bitch, but now that the little jingle came out, and I wrote it myself, it’s a labor of love, it’s my little preemie.
So I’m asking everyone this during their exit interview, because I do think it’s really important that Drag Race fans support local queens as well. Who is one queen that has not been on Drag Race that fans should go discover right now?
Well, Mayhem Miller, my sister. She changed my whole outlook on life. She’s been my best friend for 17 years and just a heart of gold. She’s done nothing but support and promote all of her sisters that have gotten on Drag Race, even though she’s tried out every year and never got on. She still supports, and she still hosts, and she’s still there to hook it up and help out. And I think she’s one of the most beautiful queens ever. I just adore her, that’s my best friend, and of course I’m pushing my bestie, OK?
Mariah actually brought her up during our drag queen roundtable last June! I’ll have to see her next time I’m in L.A. Last question: What’s next for you?
I’m gonna really hit the ground running and strike while the iron is hot. Season 2, I didn’t have a plan because my dad got very sick. And there’s just a lot of personal things that had to be dealt with. This time, there’s nothing stopping me.
I just started a brand-new radio show. It’s with Mariah and Ongina. It’s called What About That With Mom. The M-O-M stands for Mariah, Ongina and Morgan. And we just talk about pop culture-y things, and we’ll have guests, so that’s fun.
I’m just going to do whatever I need to do to keep my head above the water and my name on everyone’s lips during the season. I may have been eliminated, but I’ll be the bitch that everyone’s talking about during it.
