Vanjie says RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 9 queens 'ain't desperate' for drama like some past casts

Vanessa Vanjie Mateo is perhaps the most seasoned Pork Chop queen RuPaul's Drag Race has ever seen — but she's not letting any drama simmer too long on her upcoming return for All Stars 9.

The fan-favorite first-eliminated queen of season 10 tells Entertainment Weekly in the video interview above she declined multiple invites to return for All Stars in the past, but "wanted to wait" for the right group. "Other than the winners, this is a cast of all stars," she teases, later adding that, while there might be some moments of contention, there's no "desperate" ploys for drama like we've seen in the past.

In addition to returning as a regular contestant on season 11, Vanjie also hit the Main Stage as a lip-sync assassin on All Stars 5. There, she lip-synced against eventual winner Shea Couleé at the tail end of an episode that also saw India Ferrah accuse Vanjie's drag mother, Alexis Mateo, of starting an anti-Shea voting campaign that ultimately led to India's elimination.

"I knew something was up," Vanjie recalls of the moment noticing Alexis looking like she "was going to cry" while watching her drag daughter's lip-sync.

"I was trying to get the tea," Vanjie recalls, laughing. "I felt like the girls felt like they couldn't trust Alexis fully, even though they found out that India was lying or all that bulls---. It would've turned into a Zeus Network or a Tubi production with me, because I would've had to pop the bitch or something."

When EW asks if there's any drama on All Stars 9 that approaches the level of controversy fans saw on All Stars 5, Vanjie suggests that such turmoil is beneath the current cast: "This group of girls, we ain't desperate like that."

The cast alone was incentive enough for Vanjie to return, but she also has unfinished business on Drag Race. Despite having one of the most visible episodes in the show's history on her single-installment season 10 stint — followed by a top-five finish on season 11 — she's yet to win a maxi challenge on the Main Stage.

"I feel like I should’ve won one too,” Vanjie says, singling out the season 11 makeover challenge as an example, but she also admits she got distracted by her on-set romance with Brooke Lynn Hytes. "That’s why I came back. I need to win some. The first time I was trying to be all cute and find some dick and you know, have fun. This time I said I’m not going to get no dick, I’ll get the dick later."

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 9 premieres May 17 on Paramount+. Watch Vanjie's full EW interview above, and check out all of the cast interviews before the debut.

Subscribe to EW's Quick Drag podcast for recaps of RuPaul's Drag Race, including reactions from the cast, special guests, and more.

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