When asked to describe Bracket 2 of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 11 in just one word, the competing queens painted a vivid picture of their three-episode run.
“Telenovela,” says April Carrión, while Crystal Methyd chimes in with “curveball.” Salina EsTitties shouts out “sneaky,” and Vivacious says, “mixed bag of nuts,” even though that’s technically four words.
“Volcanic,” adds Aura Mayari. “Because it bubbles up, and then at the end, it explodes.”
If the queens are to be trusted, it sounds like viewers will be in for a treat when Bracket 2, which begins on May 22 and comes to a close on June 5. Two of its six competitors will join Bracket 1 champions Dawn and A’keria C. Davenport in the semifinals.
Aura MayariSantiago Felipe/Getty Images
In All Stars 11, only two queens per bracket progress vs. three queens last year, a twist that Vivacious didn’t appreciate.
“It was very gaggy, and I was very pissed,” she said while speaking to Gold Derby at Lawn Club in New York ahead of the season’s premiere. “I don’t like when they flip the script on a bitch. It sent everybody into a full mental frenzy.”
At 52 years old, Vivacious is the oldest queen ever to compete on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. An OG club kid from New York, she became an instant meme when she entered the Season 6 Werk Room with “Ornacia,” a named mannequin head, attached to the top of her costume.
“I don’t complain about Ornacia following me around,” Vivacious says about the memes. “She pays the rent. I am just her chauffeur.”
When Vivacious and Ornacia originally competed, however, the set up for Drag Race was much different. “On my original season, I was given only eight days to prepare,” she says. “This time around I was given more time. It allowed me to create and build what I needed to match the requirements. Being a club kid, I will always be opposite of the other girls. One thing I hate doing in life is walking into a space and something that I present looks like somebody else. The ability to stand out against them is always my motivation.”
VivaciousSantiago Felipe/Getty Images
Like Drag Race, Vivacious is always evolving. “I’m one of the first queens that’s giving you 3D-printed stuff in drag,” she teases, wearing a 3D-printed headpiece. “In the future, I expect to see more 3D-printed queens bringing their madness to the stage, but please stone it.”
As with Bracket 1, the second also contains several returning pairs, the first of which is Vivacious and April Carrión, who sent her home a decade ago on Season 6.
“When I saw Vivacious, I’m like, ‘Oh, cool. What? How random this is,’” the Puerto Rican queen says about reuniting with her sister. “So many years, and then we’re here together.”
April is also thankful to have had more time to prep for this season. “When I first did it, we only had a week to prepare for the whole season,” she says. But despite having weeks to pull together just three runway looks, April adds, “It consumed me even more. I was just so detail-oriented, because I wanted the world to see my growth. I waited for this opportunity such a long time, so I wanted to be perfect.”
While April may be fond of her own runway ensembles, she’s got notes for the other queens in her bracket.
“The girls said I was shady,” she says slyly. “I don’t think I’m shady. I’m just stating how they look.”
Silky Nutmeg GanacheSantiago Felipe/Getty Images
This comment came just seconds after she shaded Silky Nutmeg Ganache, arguably the most famous queen in her bracket. “I was a little surprised to see Silk, for like the fourth time,” April says drolly.
After making it to the finals of Season 11 (with Bracket 1 winner A’keria C. Davenport), Silky returned for both All Stars 6 (also with A’keria) and Canada vs. the World Season 1, but while April may view that as overexposure, Silky takes the frequent invites as RuPaul Charles’ sign of approval.
“I’m just happy Mama Ru believes in me,” Silky says, “I’ve been back several times, and that just goes to show that when you do good to other people, when you do right by yourself, when you continue your artistry, and when you continue to evolve, the dreams have not ended. The people see your hard work and dedication and bring you back.”
Since her last season, Silky has also lost over 100 pounds, something that she’s extremely proud of, but that did present her with a new problem. “I couldn’t fit anything. I can’t fit any of my old drag, so I was getting brand new everything from runways to everyday clothes in the Werk Room.”
The thing that most thrills Silky about Bracket 2, however, is that it’s made up entirely of queens of color. “It made me so excited to share this experience with girls that know what I’ve been through as a girl of color on this show,” she says. “I didn’t have to explain things. They just get it, and I was like, ‘The runways are all gonna be cultural.’ This is what Drag Race needed: a culture lesson.”
Salina EsTittiesSantiago Felipe/Getty Images
That culture lesson will come in part thanks to Bracket 2’s pair of Season 15 queens, Aura Mayari and Salina EsTitties.
When asked what she’s most excited to show on her return, Aura immediately shouts out, “Incorporating my culture, my Filipino-ness, into my runways, and being more my authentic self.”
Since Season 15, Aura has also upped her performance abilities, appearing in the Los Angeles production of the Broadway hit Here Lies Love. While she got her drag start playing Angel in Rent, she hadn’t returned to theater in a decade.
“I’d been getting requests to audition, and I always declined them,” she says, “But then I was like, ‘F–k it.’ Here Lies Love is a Filipino show, and my drag is all about Filipino culture. The best way to celebrate that was to join the show. I did it for three months, eight times a week. You guys should see my toes. A lot of calluses.”
April CarriónSantiago Felipe/Getty Images
While Aura was brushing up for the Rusical, Salina was polishing her runways, especially after she received the Golden Boot Award for the worst runway of the season, during the Season 15 reunion. The trophy makes a brief appearance during Salina’s entrance, but she promises her fashion will be better on All Stars 11. “I had actual fittings this time. That was the key,” she laughs.
While Salina is a Honduran Angelino, something she showcased on Season 15, she’s also ready to utilize another side of her culture in All Stars 11, namely her long history as a Survivor aficionado.
“I’m a big Survivor fan, so I love the social deduction and alliances,” she says. “If you’re a fan of Survivor, you’re gonna see that I utilize a lot of Survivor gameplay in Untucked.”
As with Bracket 1, the four losing queens each week have points they can strategically give away, something that directly resulted in Morgan McMichaels not winning her bracket. Salina (who would compete on actual Survivor if invited), is working hard to earn a different fate.
Perhaps a bit less strategic is Season 12’s runner-up Crystal Methyd, who was so busy taking in her return to the main stage that she missed RuPaul’s announcement about the rules change.
“I was really trying to see everything. I wanted to make eye contact with every person and feel the energy of the room,” Crystal says. “But when they were explaining the new rules, I definitely missed the part where Ru said only two queens were making it. I have ADHD, so I was not even listening to RuPaul.”
Crystal MethydSantiago Felipe/Getty Images
Crystal, who is quick to point out that she’s doubled her experience as a drag queen since her first outing, did sign up for All Stars 11 specifically because of the shortened format.
“When you’re only doing three episodes, it seems a bit more manageable than being away from your phone for six weeks on a normal season,” she laughs. “I would never do that again. I don’t think I could.”
While Crystal and Co. are a bit nervous to watch their three episodes when they air, due largely to not knowing what shady confessionals will make the final edit, she’s getting out ahead of any conflicts.
“I’ve already formally apologized for any shady things I’ve said, so we’re ready,” she says. But can anyone really be ready for a volcano?