After emerging as a Top 4 contender during Season 14 of "RuPaul’s Drag Race," Angeria Paris VanMicheals returned to "All Stars" 9 with a recent season in the rearview mirror, but definitely with some things to prove as a newly minted All Star.
With a stunning Snatch Game performance (Marla Gibbs!) and fashion forward runway looks, VanMicheals is proving herself as a true competitor (blocks by fellow competitors notwithstanding). I caught up with Angeria to dish about her fellow competitors, returning to the competition for charity (and without eliminations) and what it was like lip-syncing to a song directly out of her wheelhouse in the premiere episode!
Right off the bat, the theme for the "RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars" 9 promo was very superhero-esque, so that begs the question; who is your favorite superhero of all time?
My favorite superhero is, right off the top of my head, Superman for sure. The OG! First time I’d ever heard of a superhero, it was him!
What was it like returning for "All Stars" and finding out that not only was there no eliminations this season, but it would actually be for charity? It’s truly an example of “best case scenario!”
I was at a gig and I got the call and the producer literally said, “Hey, we want you on 'All Stars' 9. One it will be for charity and two it will be non-elimination, are you interested?” I immediately started screaming and said yes! Charity is one thing that is amazing, fighting for great causes that are bigger than us, that is awesome. But more than that, the TV time! Oh my God, you don’t have to worry!
The first time you’re scared and you just don’t want to go home first or second, you want to make it at least halfway through, it’s so much. This time, to go through the same competition this time and being able to feel more comfortable because you are going to be able to show everything, especially with all of the money spent. Let me tell you, it feels so much better to know that you spent a lot of money on things that a lot of people are going to get to see.
Tell me a bit about your charity and why it is so important to you.
I chose that National Black Justice Coalition. I chose them because they are a civil rights organization that fights for the rights of black and queer people. I don’t think that I see enough of organizations that are mainly focused on black and queer rights. I see a lot of queer rights and black rights organizations, but I don’t see them together. I’ve always, for the past few years, had my eye on this organization.
I remember LaLa Ri was playing for them back during Season 13 when she did the lip sync against Denali, so I’ve always watched them. To be able to help out a charity that I am personally connected to as a black and queer person … Our rights are human rights and they are just as important as anyone else’s. To have someone that is focusing on people like me, that just feels amazing; that is why I wanted to be a part of it.
During your season, you were a stellar competitor and you were consistent with everything you showed on the runway and in challenges. Kicking off "All Stars" 9 with that Whitney Houston “Million Dollar Bill” (Freemasons Radio Mix) lip sync though; we have now gotten a look at Angeria 2.0! What was that like?
It felt amazing especially because in the moment, I wasn’t sure who was going be in the top. You know in the first week, it is so tough to tell especially when everyone is being celebrated, they’re happy to see us back and were all talking about charity, but we still don’t know who is going to be in the top. It felt amazing to even be part of the first lip sync and even more amazing to do it with Jorgeous who is easily the closest person to me coming in the door. What really made it special for me is that I finally got to perform a style off music that is in my wheelhouse, a song that is in my repertoire. A song that I have performed before like an artist that I do all the time, Whitney Houston is one of my go to’s and I performed her like I would on a Friday night at the club.
That is not something that I got to showcase on Season 14, all of the songs were very upbeat and dancey which normally catered to the other girl a little more. I always wished they could give me a ballad or something that I could emote and be old school and all that, and they did! When I tell you that we knew that the lip sync song was “Million Dollar Bill,” I was just hoping … like with the trick with the rag. That was fully something that I went over with myself in the hotel room. I said, “I am going to do this. I don’t know if I am going to be in the top, but if it happens, I am going to do it.” After I got my critiques, I really believed that could be in the Top 2 and I was like, “Put that rag in your breasts right now!”
I hope you popped into housekeeping at the hotel and asked for a rag so it could be part of "Drag Race" herstory!
(Laughs) I actually just brought it to set with me from the hotel!
Whenever there is an "All Stars" season, it is so great seeing fellow competitors be true and actual fans of their fellow "All Stars" competitors. That is definitely the case of you with Roxxxy Andrews, although your drag mother, as you revealed, was a bit of a bigger fan than you. What was it like revealing that to Roxxxy and did you regret it?
It’s so crazy because at the moment I didn’t mean it that way. I honestly didn’t even process it like a read of something shady when it came out of my mouth. It wasn’t until later that I was hoping that it didn’t. It is true, me and my drag mother we laugh now, I remind her all the time, “Remember when you cursed me out about Roxxxy Andrews?” It’s true!
The thing is, I have always been a big fan of Roxxxy Andrews on the pageant side more than anything. I have pictures of me and Roxxxy back in the day around that time, me going up and telling her that I am a big fan of hers. I was a really big Jinkx [Monsoon] fan, as well as hers. That argument between me and my drag mother will always be a significant moment in our friendship because she got so passionate. It was more than Jinkx and Roxxxy, it was like “This is the type of girl that I feel like I am,” and I was over there liking Jinkx, and she felt Roxxy represented everything that she did.
Everyone returns to "All Stars" and gets great exposure all over again, a second chance of sort. What is something that you didn’t get to do on your last "Drag Race" run that you got to do this time around?
I knew absolutely for sure, for certain, that I was going to be determined to have a better Snatch Game. I did not like being part of the worst Snatch Games in history, I didn’t like that being the title! Every time Snatch Game is mentioned people say, “Oh yeah, you’re from the bad one right?” In my opinion I didn’t think so, but that is exactly what was filed into herstory so it was like, “Well, okay.” I knew going back there were no eliminations and I would get to do it again and I said, “You have got to do it right this time.”
This time I knew I would be more comfortable and that was the one thing I was determined to do. I felt comfortable with other things that I learned because of “Drag Race;” acting, comedy, my first season got me so comfortable for this time for sure. I think Snatch Game is the one thing that I think I dropped the ball in as far as the critiques were concerned so I didn’t want to drop it again!
Follow Angeria Paris Van Micheals on Instagram @angeriavm.
