EXCLUSIVE: 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 2' Queens Disappointed by Phi Phi O'Hara's Reunion Absence
When the queens of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season two reunite on Thursday, one contestant will be notably absent: Phi Phi O'Hara.
A runner-up on season four, Phi Phi was largely remembered for her difficult attitude and being dubbed a "tired-ass showgirl" by winner Sharon Needles. Hoping for some "Rudemption," Phi Phi returned to show off her cosplay-influenced drag evolution and a more positive attitude. However, by the time she was eliminated in week five, Phi Phi had gone toe-to-toe with fellow contestant Alyssa Edwards and seemingly returned to her villainous ways of competing.
The drama then spilled off the screen, when Phi Phi spoke out against the show, tweeting that it had "broken" her. Soon after, RuPaul unfollowed her and Phi Phi took to the press. "We're just game pieces for [RuPaul's] show and she didn't care enough to know who we were," she told Vulture, adding: "I've completely lost all my respect for RuPaul."
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At the beginning of the reunion, RuPaul pulls out his Emmy award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program, telling the audience to "talk to her" before addressing Phi Phi's absence. "Choices," he says, quoting Tatianna.
"It's disappointing," Alaska says backstage of the reunion, where ET was the only outlet onset for the cast's triumphant return. Despite a slight meltdown late in the season, Alaska walked away with season two's crown and secured her place among drag race royalty. "There were 10 of us. Seriously, some of these queens didn't get the best shake. Coco Montrese went home first and, darling, she's here today, looking stunning, fulfilling her obligations and being lovely about it. So, I think that's really classy and really professional." (Even Adore Delano, who quit the competition amid complaints about the harsh critiques, rejoined the queens.)
"He has so much talent and potential," Alyssa says, adding: "I think he's struggling with something internally."
During season two, things quickly soured between Alyssa and Phi Phi. The two found themselves in a "she said, she said" argument about who threw the other under the bus. With the dispute left unresolved before Phi Phi was sent home, it's easy to wonder if the hatchet was ever buried between the two.
"I think it's one-sided. I don't have a hatchet toward him," says Alyssa, who was eventually sent home during week seven. "I said what I needed to say on the show. We've worked together since the show. I didn't think there was an issue, but it looks like he's having issues with several of the queens."
While Phi Phi remains unsatisfied with her portrayal on the show, the other queens tell ET they all got "Rudemption" this time around. "I came in wanting to prove I could play the game just as a competitor and not as somebody who was going to play mind games to overstep the other people," says Roxxxy Andrews, who was perceived as the season five villain. "So, I felt like I did that and it came off that way."
"I definitely accomplished what I came to accomplish," says Tatianna, who's also known for her fiery confrontations with her fellow contestants on season two. As for Phi Phi, Tatianna just says: "She made a decision and she stuck with it."
Watch the queens spill all the tea when RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars reunion airs Thursday, Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. ET on Logo and VH1.
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