From the fire and from the ash… Phoenix has shared her unfiltered thoughts on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 10, as well as her viral beef with ‘Think U The Shit (Fart)’ rapstress Ice Spice.
In May, the Atlanta queen was – iconic lyrics incoming – “ready in flight and ready to fight” as she made her long-awaited return to the franchise, where she competed in the first ‘bracket’ alongside Aja, Bosco, Deja Skye, Irene the Alien and Olivia Lux.
Although Phoenix impressed the judges and her fellow contestants with her bold reinvention, showcasing a striking new aesthetic and renewed confidence, she unfortunately didn’t earn enough points to advance to the semi-finals. In episode three, she was eliminated from the competition alongside DeJa and Olivia, while Aja, Bosco and Irene sashayed into the top nine.
Speaking with GAY TIMES after her elimination, Phoenix praised the new point system on All Stars 10, noting that each bracket allows the queens to “shine” and make their mark thanks to the smaller group of contestants.
“We all have such different personalities and different styles of drag. I think it’s a good way for the audience to figure out each person and relate to a certain queen,” said Phoenix, before segueing into her personal drawbacks of the format.
“I’m not a vocalist!” she laughed, referencing her episode one verse on the track ‘Winner Winner Chicken Dinner’, which has become beloved for its so-bad-it’s-Grammy-worthy charm (akin to Roxxxy Andrews’ iconic lyrics in Read U Wrote U and Xana’s delivery on ‘Not’). “I didn’t start drag to be a vocalist, so that kind of puts [queens who aren’t vocalists for these challenges] in a tricky situation.”
Phoenix continued: “I showcased the best I could, to the best of my ability. I hadn’t been on Drag Race for so many years, and trying to find your footing is difficult, especially when you’ve got girls who were on, like, yesterday. But, I got on, did the best I could – and I had a lot going on, even before Drag Race, so that was all sitting with me. I watched it back and there were moments where I wanted to strangle myself! But, for the most part, I am happy with what I did and I hope the world is, also.”
Correct: Phoenix may not have moved on to the semi-finals, but she made a huge impact on the series with her aforementioned ‘Winner Winner Chicken Dinner’ verse and – you know it’s coming – her shade towards All Stars 10 guest judge Ice Spice. In the premiere, Ice Spice was sadly unable to grasp the brilliance of Phoenix’s instantly iconic verse, bluntly telling the OG star: “I hear you’re a legendary icon, but tonight, I don’t think I would have been able to tell with how shy you were.”
Visibly shaken by her comment, Phoenix subsequently clapped back at the rapper on social media, fiercely stating that her “25 years of experience” and contributions to the drag and LGBTQIA+ communities is what makes her an icon, “not three minutes on a TV show”. “That being said, I’m perfectly fine not getting ‘icon’ validation from someone whose ‘fame’ has come from 1 song about shitting and farting,” she wrote, referencing the premiere lip-sync track ‘Think U The Shit (Fart)’.
After being shared by the X/Twitter account @PopBase, Phoenix’s comments went viral. The reaction was mixed: some viewers defended how Ice Spice fulfilled her role as a guest judge, while others revelled in the drama and messiness of the situation.
“For me, it wasn’t that crazy or a big of a deal,” Phoenix told GAY TIMES. “I mean, a drag queen clapping back or throwing shade? Shocking! I would think that Ice Spice has so much more going on in her life to even give two shits about what I said. It really was just some light shade, and I apologise to her if it interfered with her life at all.”
Phoenix went on to say that the wave of feedback from social media trolls was unexpected, as her wider career is usually met with “positivity and love” in response to what she’s given to her community: “And so, getting a lot of negativity and insane stuff thrown at me was a tricky thing to deal with. I am a nice person, but I can also clap back at you!
“One of my best friends in the world is Detox and she was like, ‘Sis, do not clap back at these people! Call me whenever you’re feeling some kind of way and we’ll laugh about it.’ That was tricky. But, once again, I apologise [to Ice Spice]. It was taken way out of context and it wasn’t that serious.”
“All is not lost,” according to RuPaul, as Phoenix may still have a chance to return to All Stars 10. After declaring Aja, Bosco, and Irene as the winners of the first bracket, RuPaul revealed that the bottom three will have an opportunity to re-enter the competition.
“Prior to the grand finale, each of our regular judges will choose one eliminated All Star to be entered into the wildcard lottery,” she explained. “Randomly, one All Star will be selected to compete in the final lip-sync smackdown for the crown and a chance to win $200,000.”
Next week’s episode of Drag Race All Stars 10 will shift to the second bracket, where six more queens – Jorgeous, Kerri Colby, Lydia B. Kollins, Mistress Isabelle Brooks, Nicole Paige Brooks, and Tina Burner – will battle it out for a spot in the semi-final.
You can follow Phoenix here on Instagram. ‘Winner Winner Chicken Dinner’, the future recipient of the Grammy Award for Record of the Year, is also available on all streaming services.
Catch a new episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 10 every Friday on WOW Presents Plus in the UK.
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