Ariana Grande makes iconic RuPaul's Drag Race entrance and a legendary queen returns in season 15 premiere
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Warning: This article contains spoilers for the RuPaul's Drag Race season 15 premiere.
They say God is a woman who enters the Werk Room with Ornacia on her head.
That's just what pop superstar Ariana Grande did on Friday's RuPaul's Drag Race season 15 premiere, when she entered the Werk Room cloaked in an outfit topped off with a made-up wig head similar to the one legendary queen Vivacious wore for her debut on the show back on season 6.
MTV/World of Wonder Ariana Grande makes stunning 'RuPaul's Drag Race' season 15 entrance alongside Ornacia.
Before the 29-year-old took her seat on the panel as a guest judge on the Emmy-winning series' two-episode debut on MTV, she surprised the queens when she unzipped the ensemble to reveal herself to the first eight queens in the Werk Room: Irene Dubois, Luxx Noir London, Aura Mayari, Marcia Marcia Marcia, Malaysia Babydoll Foxx, Anetra, Princess Poppy, and Sasha Colby.
"I think drag is the most infectious and joyous art form that there is. Thank you guys for bringing so much joy to the lives of the Drag Race fans and to everyone," Grande told the queens, to which Luxx responded: "And thank you for giving us [your song] 'Break Free.'"
Grande then reminisced on her first appearance as a guest judge on the show, which came during season 7 — just as she began her transition from popular Disney star to global singing sensation.
"The last time I was here I had just come from shooting the 'Bang Bang' video the night before, and I was so drained. It was just such an overwhelming time in my life and I felt like I wasn't really fully present for it. Remember to take care of yourself and be present, because it's such an amazing moment and all of your lives are changing for good, forever," she told the cast.
MTV/World of Wonder Ariana Grande can't wait to see how this turns out.
Later, RuPaul joined the ladies to kick off the season. Grande flexed her Drag Race superfan knowledge by praising the creator-host for "the doors you have opened" in a nod to All Stars 4 queen Gia Gunn's infamous tweet, and also quoted Mama Ru's fan-favorite opera glasses moment when she exclaimed, "I can't wait to see how this turns out."
Though Grande's surprise gagged the gals, Ru didn't stop there. For the second batch of queens entering the Werk Room (Amethyst, Salina EsTitties, Mistress Isabelle Brooks, Sugar, Spice, Robin Fierce, Loosey LaDuca, and Jax), the show welcomed the actual Vivacious and Ornacia back for more.
"Mother has arrived!" Vivacious shouted while clapping her fan before introducing RuPaul to the new group: "No, really, mother has arrived. Look over there!"
MTV/World of Wonder Vivacious enters the Werk Room on 'RuPaul's Drag Race' season 15.
Vivacious previously revealed Ornacia's origins in an interview with EW about the most iconic looks in Drag Race her-story. The New York City queen first purchased the wig stand over two decades ago, and named her after a lyric in RuPaul's 1993 song "Back to My Roots." She also sells limited edition Ornacias themed to different yearly events, such as Pride ("Pridenacia"), Valentine's Day ("Valentinacia"), and Halloween ("Hallonacia"). "She also has two sisters named Sheneeda and Shewanna," Vivacious told EW. "We're a part of an Ornation, honey!"
Elsewhere on the two-part premiere, RuPaul tasked the queens with paying tribute to photo challenges from seasons 1 and 2, as the new contestants posed for fashion editorials while getting sprayed in the face with hoses atop a car and going up against a giant wind machine while on a motorcycle.
Later, after the 16 queens united together for the first time, they competed in the largest talent show challenge the show has ever mounted, with Anetra ultimately winning for her duck-walking/karate-chopping/board-breaking performance of an original song, while Irene (who walked the judges through a tutorial on how to make a glass of ice water) and Amethyst (who performed a rendition of Lisa Stansfield's "All Around the World") landed in the bottom two.
After lip-syncing to Grande's "7 Rings," Irene was ultimately sent home as the first queen of the season to join the Porkchop Loading Dock.
RuPaul's Drag Race season 15 continues Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.
Subscribe to EW's BINGE podcast for full recaps of RuPaul's Drag Race, including reactions with the cast, special guests, and more.
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