{"id":224104,"date":"2026-05-08T00:52:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T00:52:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/224104\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T00:52:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T00:52:10","slug":"rupauls-drag-race-all-stars-season-11-bracket-1-cast-interviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/224104\/","title":{"rendered":"RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 11, Bracket 1 cast interviews"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Mystique Summers walked onto the set of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 11 last summer, it had been 16 years since she filmed her original season, the longest gap of any returning queen on the show ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause so much has changed since then, pretty much it\u2019s like starting over,\u201d she tells Gold Derby. \u201cNow, [while filming, you can ask for supplies], and people will go get it for you. [On Season 2], they would just say, \u2018Tough.\u2019 \u2018Can I go to the bathroom?\u2019 ‘You gotta wait.\u2019 \u2018I\u2019m hungry.\u2019 \u2018You gotta wait.\u2019 They tried to kick some of us off because we were complaining about [the set] being too hot. They were tough back then. Now they’re nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AMERICAN<\/a> \"'Survivor<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"MystiqueMystique SummersSantiago Felipe\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Mystique Summers, or Mystique Summers Madison as she was known in 2009 when she originally competed, is one of 18 drag queens returning to the (now friendlier) Werk Room for All Stars 11, which will premiere on Friday, May 8. Before the premiere, Gold Derby had the chance to chat with all 18 queens at Lawn Club in New York, where the cast played cornhole and lawn pong in stilettos and full glam.<\/p>\n

As they did in All Stars 10, however, these queens will be competing in three separate preliminary brackets, each made up of six queens. Mystique, along with A\u2019keria C. Davenport, Dawn, Lucky Starzzz, Morgan McMichaels, and Morphine Love Dion will duke it out in Bracket 1, with the first two of their three episodes airing as the premiere.<\/p>\n

Longtime fans of Drag Race will, of course, remember Mystique\u2019s iconic fight with Morgan McMichaels<\/a> (who also competed on Season 2 before returning for All Stars 3) during the very first episode of Untucked. Mystique, wearing a dress made of curtains, shouts the oft-quoted line, \u201cBitch, I am from Chicago,\u201d at Morgan (who is also wearing curtains).<\/p>\n

\"MorganMorgan McMichaelsSantiago Felipe\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

While their placement in the same bracket is an obvious callback to the fight, Morgan is quick to point out that the beef was squashed long ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cMystique and I have had a really long relationship,\u201d Morgan says. \u201cWe\u2019ve been together for 16 years. She comes to L.A. all the time to do my birthday parties. Every time I\u2019m in Dallas, I see her ass. We\u2019re friendly. Strong personalities just clash sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s in her 40s. I’m in my 40s. We’re grown. We\u2019ve got bills,\u201d echoes Mystique. \u201cWe are almost at the age of AARP.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mystique also had more important things to consider while filming than an ancient feud with Morgan. In the months before shooting All Stars 11, Mystique moved her mother from Georgia to Texas to care for her during her final months of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom passed a month before I left for the show,\u201d she says. \u201cSo when I was preparing for All Stars, I was going through that. Whenever you lose a parent, it\u2019s different. The day after, you\u2019re a totally different person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mystique admits that she still hasn\u2019t allowed herself to fully process her mom\u2019s death, as she decided to push through and compete on the season. She also didn\u2019t tell the other queens in her bracket about losing her mother, afraid it would impact the competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the first episode, they asked why I was in my head. No one knew what was going on, but I couldn\u2019t find the necklace I was wearing. It was the necklace of my mom\u2019s ashes. One of the PAs found it and brought it to me,\u201d she remembers. \u201cWhen you\u2019re a person of color, if you bring that up, people will say I\u2019m using it as a crutch, or I\u2019m using it just to stay on.”<\/p>\n

While she may not have felt comfortable discussing her mother\u2019s passing with the other queens, that didn\u2019t stop her from honoring her mother on the show. \u201cEverything I wore was in dedication to my mom,\u201d she says. \u201cEverything I wore in drag that’s rhinestoned \u2014 she did all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike Mystique, Morgan has returned to Drag Race once before, but the legendary staple of the LA drag scene is trying out a new strategy her third time around. \u201cThis time, I\u2019m excited to show everyone the Morgan that has made me the icon I am,\u201d she says. \u201cIn my previous seasons, I always tried to take risks and push myself. This time I\u2019m coming in tried and true, doing what I do, no excuses, no questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of the tried-and-true Morgan is her biting sense of humor, something she\u2019s not trying to downplay despite the social strategy elements that come into play on All Stars. \u201cI think there are a lot of people in Bracket 1 who have a lot to say in the confessionals, but not to our faces,\u201d she says. \u201cI don’t dim my light for anybody else. I\u2019ll tell you how I feel to your face. I\u2019m never afraid. I\u2019m a tough love gal, brash. I\u2019m Scottish. We don\u2019t suffer fools gladly.\u201d<\/p>\n

On All Stars 11, the social strategy element will certainly be important, as only two queens in each sextet will be advancing as opposed to three last season, a change Morgan described as \u201ca face crack.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MorphineMorphine Love DionSantiago Felipe\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

If Mystique and Morgan represent an old school duo, they\u2019re balanced by Morphine Love Dion and Dawn, who placed fifth and sixth, respectively, on Season 16, with the former sending the latter home in a humiliating lip sync to \u201cBody\u201d by Megan Thee Stallion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were close on our season,\u201d Morphine says, despite the pairing getting off to a rocky start. \u201cI didn\u2019t like her for one episode. I hated that bitch. She had an evil aura, but later on, we became really good friends. This season just solidified our friendship even more. We\u2019re besties now. That\u2019s my girl. I love her, but I will send her home again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dawn,DawnSantiago Felipe\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Dawn agrees with the sentiment, calling out her plans to strategize with her \u201ckiki sister\u201d to scoop up whatever points can be earned through a social game. \u201cI definitely wanted to work with Morphine. There was no doubt in my mind that she\u2019d be getting any points I had to give away, and I expected the same from her. how evil me and Morphine are when we get in a room together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dawn, known for her ethereal elfin looks, is wearing a head-to-toe turquoise lace look during our interview, one that includes giant ears, a full face covering, and a tail. \u201cGod, it was so much easier,\u201d she says of creating her runway looks for All Stars. \u201cThe first season, I didn\u2019t have any connections designer-wise. This time, you can DM someone, and they\u2019ll actually respond.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morphine, known as a lip-sync assassin, is excited to show new sides of herself. \u201cThe challenges really call for different aspects of talent this time around,\u201d she says. \u201cI have many talents, so I\u2019m excited for them all to be showcased.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LuckyLucky StarzzzSantiago Felipe\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Morphine and Dawn aren\u2019t the only new school girls in Bracket 1, however, as the first boot (or \u201cPorkchop\u201d) of Season 17, Lucky Starzzz is also returning. The avant-garde queen, known for handcrafting extravagant, dream-like costumes, was an early fan favorite before being sent home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very surprised,\u201d she says about getting the call to return so soon. \u201cBut it felt like RuPaul was giving me my flowers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even on press day, Lucky is wearing an elaborate costume, one that includes a gigantic jellyfish headpiece that covers most of her face, and necessitates Morgan holding the recorder underneath a series of jeweled streamers to answer questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to show the world my art and my creations,\u201d she says from underneath her costume. \u201cI\u2019m excited to show more of my brain, where all of that creativity comes from, and what my story is. The universe definitely has more for me to show.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A'keriaA’keria C. DavenportSantiago Felipe\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The final queen from Bracket 1, and one situated evenly between the old school and new school blocks, is A\u2019keria C. Davenport, who made it to the finale of Season 11 before a disappointing run on All Stars 6, where she chose not to compete for a chance to re-enter the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, for me, it\u2019s for redemption,\u201d she says about returning for a third time. \u201cI allowed myself to get my mental health together and fall back in love with drag. This is an evolution of my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

While she admits that returning to the Werk Room was \u201ctriggering\u201d at first, she felt mentally prepared. \u201cIt\u2019s OK to take a break sometimes. It\u2019s OK to not be OK. I was so used to being the strong one for everyone and putting on a strong face, but now I\u2019m badder, and I\u2019m better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coming in between two obvious sides, A\u2019keria says she didn\u2019t know what to expect. \u201cYou have the girls who haven\u2019t been here in a while, so they have something to prove,\u201d she says. \u201cBut then you have the newer girls, fresh off their season. They really want to show the world what they can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

To put her initial assessment of Bracket 1 a bit more bluntly, Dawn says, \u201cI was shitting bricks a little bit. My bracket is really stacked.\u201d<\/p>\n

While plenty of strategy is sure to come into play, A\u2019keria, at least, isn\u2019t buying into the old school vs. new school alliances. \u201cI don\u2019t really look at the competition,\u201d she says. \u201cI focus on myself to be my best self, so I can knock out any competition. Whatever you girls brought, I brought better.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Mystique Summers walked onto the set of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 11 last summer, it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":224105,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,3005,122,124,123,3296,44401],"class_list":["post-224104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-paramount","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-reality-tv","tag-rupauls-drag-race-all-stars"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224104\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}