Lala Ri initially wanted to eliminate Alexis Michelle over Kahanna Montrese on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8
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Paging U.S. National Security Advisor Shari Coleman! A crime was been committed on the set of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8.
Though fellow AS8 queen Alexis Michelle seemingly promised to save her in the future if she spared the season 9 alum from elimination last week, Alexis pulled one of the most shocking stunts of the season so far by eliminating season 13 Miss Congeniality winner Lala Ri after the week's design challenge.
Above, Lala tells EW's Quick Drag podcast about the jaw-dropping decision, reveals where she stands with Alexis now, and talks the future of her instantly iconic improv character. Listen to Lala's full interview above, and read on for a breakdown of the full Q&A. Tune in to the next new episode of Drag Race All Stars 8 Friday on Paramount+.
Paramount+ Lala Ri and Alexis Michelle on 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8'
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Congrats on everything this season. You have so much to be proud of.
LALA RI: I'm actually under my bed right now, eating ice cream and Oreos in the wig that I got sent home in. I'm having the best time of my life. I'm in a great place, I enjoyed my entire time on Drag Race All Stars 8, so I have nothing to complain about other than the fact that I will never trust a drag queen, like I stated in the beginning of the season.
Before we get into that, are we getting more Shari Coleman content?
Yes! I worked with my team to figure out the logistics and get a script together. I'm planning on releasing more Shari Coleman. I didn't realize Shari Coleman was that funny, honey. Or "Sharisha" — the "sha" is silent. I was in the moment, having fun. I didn't know what I was talking about.
You also pulled the Asia O'Hara's Drag Race DVD from your bootleg look. Did you tell anyone you were going to do that?
That was a surprise on the runway. I think RuPaul kind of gagged. But, it is Asia O'Hara's Drag Race.
Did you hear from Asia about that?
I have not yet. I'm waiting to see what she has to say about it.
Let's move on to this week, it was a design challenge again, your final look was clean and pretty, we can agree that no one did poorly this challenge, but it made me think of the past design challenge this season. There were so many bags on the set. Did you consider doing a bag look for the first one?
No! I was trying to get away from the bag looks. I told myself, I don't want to have nothing to do with bags this season. That's such an iconic look, you don't want to mess up history, okay? So I left the bag look where it's at. I let it be. I wanted to create something more fashionable.
Oh, now she's trying to get away from the bags!?
Yes, she is trying to get away from the bags, darling!
You were confident that Alexis would save you this week because you saved her last week. Were you initially going to vote for Alexis to leave last week, before that conversation?
Yeah. Initially, I was going to of course keep my sister Kahanna, because I love Kahanna, me and Kahanna had a strong bond. Even though she'd been in the bottom four times, I was also thinking, if she continues to be in the bottom, I can work my way to the top, I can use my sister to work my way to a win. I knew the fair thing is, I'm a competitive person, I want to beat the best of the best, so I ended up going with Alexis because I'm like, okay, if I can beat out all these good girls, child, that says a lot about who I am. However, her continuing to tell me over and over and over that she's going to remember that and she's going to save me, and for her to do what she did, it was just like, eh, this is why I said, if it walk like a duck, quack like a duck, it must be a pit bull.
Alexis said she wouldn't forget that you saved her, but the wording felt deliberate. I don't know if we heard her say that she wouldn't vote for you, just that she wouldn't forget that you saved her. Did she explicitly tell you she wouldn't vote for you?
I think in ways, she was trying to make me read between the lines. She was trying to say it without necessarily saying it, because she probably already had her plan concocted in her head. I don't remember a lot, but I was going based off what the conversation was. In the Werk Room I was like, "You've got me?" and she said yes. I knew I was going to be in the bottom. I knew that Alexis was a seamstress and Jimbo was a seamstress, and I knew that Jessica was good at hot [glue] gun, so that left me and Kandy Muse in the bottom. It wasn't a shocker. I remember saying to [Alexis], "You've got me," and she said yes.
She meant she got you in a different way.
Right, exactly! Child, I should've been more specific about that.
How did you feel when it was revealed that she did vote for you, and what was the first conversation like with her afterward? Are you okay now?
Oh, she texted me the other day. I haven't replied yet. [Laughs] No, we're all good. It's a competition. In that moment, I didn't want to go home, I had a mission to win $200,000, but at the end of the day it is a competition. You have to say what you have to say and do what you have to do to get to the top. This is the top five, it's getting down to the nitty-gritty, so let's get these girls up outta here. I love my sisters, I had so much fun, I still feel like a winner. I enjoyed my entire time up until I packed my bags and left. No bad blood — I still love her.
If you knew then what you know now, would you still have voted Kahanna out last week?
No, I would send Alexis home. No, no. [Laughs] I probably would've still kept Alexis. I'm a competitive person and I want to beat the best of the best, okay?
Alexis said she had a crush on you all season. Did anything come of that?
Clearly not! Maybe I should've acted on the crush and shown her a little lovey-dovey. I still would've been around.
She said she was going to cook you dinner. Did she do that after the show?
No. And she said roasted chicken. Roasted chicken? Yeah, send me home…. Take me to Popeye's. I don't want a roasted chicken. I don't eat roasted chicken.
In Untucked, it was revealed that Alexis asked Kandy to be in alliance in a handwritten note. Did you know about that?
Absolutely not. These girls had so many secret alliances. I can't keep up. I did not know anything about that. I don't think Kandy knew about it.
When I spoke to Kahanna last week, I asked about alliances, and she basically named the entire cast, which means there's no alliance?
Right, exactly, there were no alliances. People are just throwing that word around because it's a fancy word for All Stars. I feel like everybody was for themselves this season.
Heidi approached you for a side alliance early in the season after establishing one with Kandy and Jimbo. Did you know about the other one?
No, I did not. Not at all. ... I said, "Oh, girl, she was using me!" This is why I say never trust a drag queen! She's doing what she has to do, like everybody else. There's a lot of money on the line, so the girls are going to do what they need to do to get to that point.
Did you actually steal things from the lipstick room when voting? Did you keep them?
I wish! Production didn't let me get very far with those items, honey. I put them back. They were like, "Um, yes, Lala Ri, turn around and empty your pockets." I almost had a warrant out for my arrest by the third time.
What can you tease about the Fame Games coming up and why people should vote for you?
The runways coming up, it's going to be glamour, darling. I feel like I've given great TV and entertainment the entire time I was there, past the runways. I've given my heart and my all to make sure I entertain the fans each week. I feel like I've been the light of the season amongst the drama and craziness, so, keep that in the back of your mind, fans, and vote for your doll.
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