Angeria says 'more intense' “Drag Race” drama is coming on “All Stars 9”: 'A bomb has gone off'

Angeria Paris VanMicheals tells EW the latest episode lays the foundation for major scheming ahead.

Though some of her All Stars 9 sisters have teased the "first season of RuPaul's Best Friends Race," returning contestant Angeria Paris VanMicheals has likened new drama on Drag Race to that of a literal explosion.

While no queens will be eliminated this season, Angeria tells Entertainment Weekly that, after Gottmik won maxi challenges two weeks in a row — and subsequently had to "block" two queens from receiving Benefactress Badges as a result — tensions are running high in the Werk Room. Thanks in no small part, she says, by "some scheming going on" behind the scenes.

Ahead, read why Angeria feels like episode 3, featuring the fan-favorite Snatch Game celebrity impersonation challenge (a vast improvement from the season 14 disaster), laid the foundation for "more intense" plotting and gaggery as the season progresses — and who she feels is the real game master pulling the strings.

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 9 continues Fridays on Paramount+.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Before we get to the challenge, I want to talk about the start of this episode, when you came back to the Werk Room and pretended to be mad at Gottmik for blocking you. Were you actually kind of mad?

ANGERIA PARIS VANMICHEALS: I wasn’t mad. If anything, I knew [everyone wanted] to block me, but I genuinely hoped they wouldn’t. Obviously something funny has to be coming. Jorgeous was like, ‘I would’ve blocked you, Nina,’ which she told her twice, I knew the rest of us were thinking that, too. I’m like, maybe there’s a chance they’ll skip over me and block Nina, and [Gottmik] still blocked me. It sucked in the moment, but I wasn’t upset.

Let’s say you won episode 2. Who would you have blocked?

Going into episode 3, I would’ve blocked Nina West for sure. I completely agree with Jorgeous. Honey, I see the strategy and logic. I know why. We did design and performance. Drag Race is all about comedy and acting, so something has to be coming soon. I wouldn’t have taken that chance.

Let’s talk about Snatch Game. Your Marla Gibbs was so funny, but as we talked about earlier this year, Snatch Game isn’t the best season 14 moment. We know RuPaul thought it was bad, so what was his energy like in the room watching this one versus what it was like back then?

Related: RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 9 cast teases show's congenial era: 'First season of RuPaul’s Best Friends Race'

I did this Snatch Game because of her, because on season 14 she told me I should’ve done Marla Gibbs, and I said if I get back on All Stars, I’m going to do it. The energy was so much different, also because I’d already done Snatch Game. We’re going to listen to Mama. I kid you not, I pulled out the wig, and she immediately said, "Angeria, that’s a Marla Gibbs wig!" I wanted that reaction from her, and I felt that while I was doing it.

You also had that damn giant purse. It made me laugh every time I saw it. What did you have in that purse besides the leftovers?

That’s all that was in the purse. You saw how big the thing with the leftovers was! I needed some kind of plate or prop. That’s what I was able to get my hands on, and it happened to be that big. That was just a big tote bag. That’s all that was in that bag, was my leftovers.

What were the leftovers?

It was neck bones, collard greens, mac and cheese, a little bit of cornbread. Now, you know nothing was in there [Laughs] I catered the staff that day for lunch!

Were there any other Snatch Game characters you considered doing before landing on Marla?

I didn’t bring a backup this time. Had Ru not liked it or that I shouldn’t have done it, it would’ve crushed me. I only brought her because I was so sure of where I was going with it and that Ru would like it because she suggested it.

Nina and Shannel came in with the same character. Who was the better Liberace?

In my opinion, I agreed with the judges that Nina was the better Liberace. That comes with the fact that it was also Shannel’s first actual Snatch Game.

I thought for sure one of them would back down.

Yeah, because Nina had backups! I think one of them was Ethel Merman, and then she had another one, I just can’t think of her name. I think it was another lady. I think she was just so set, you could tell that Liberace was her first choice…. I imagine it would feel weird to switch to your backup. I had a backup on season 14, it was Erykah Badu, and RuPaul literally looked at me like, no.

Speaking of Nina and Shannel, they each said they’d give a badge to the other if they won. Later, Roxxxy Andrews pulled Plastique Tiara aside and said she felt that Nina and Shannel were in an alliance. Plastique also said she felt like Nina played the game in a sneaky way. Is there more to the story?

I didn’t think that. I was so unaware of the conspiracy theories floating around the Werk Room. Me and Jorgeous were out of the loop for a little bit. You’ll see how it unfolds. Just know, a bomb has gone off. Me and Jorgeous, in this moment, everybody has conspiracy theories of who is what and who’s strategizing or who has alliances. I’m just focusing on trying not to be on the cutting block. It’s for charity, but there is definitely some scheming going on.

Between Roxxxy pulling Plastique aside and saying she felt Nina was scheming, Roxxxy also gave Gottmik the idea to give a badge to someone who already had a star, like you, to ensure they get blocked again. Is Roxxxy the secret game master?

Oh honey, three times in the game? You can obviously tell that Roxxxy knows how to play the game called Drag Race. She pays attention to every single thing.

We’re only on episode 3 and it’s already getting tense over blocking. Is this just the beginning?

Yes. It is getting tense, but it’s going to get more intense, because we’re going to start feeling the actual pressure of these blocks. When you eliminate someone, guess what? They’re gone. They don’t get a chance to come back to the Werk Room to say they’re so mad you eliminated them. Until the reunion, that’s not going to happen. The thing about blocking is, you block them, they re-emerge, and come back in the Werk Room!

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.