‘Drag Race’ Star Reveals She had Just ‘4 or 5 Days’ to Prepare for ‘All Stars 10’

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 17 contestant Lydia B Kollins revealed that she only had “four or five days” to prepare for her run on the forthcoming “All Stars 10” season during a cast interview with Entertainment Weekly. The interview comes ahead of the season’s scheduled debut on Paramount+ on Friday, May 9. 

Kollins Opens Up About Her Record-Breaking Return to ‘Drag Race’

Kollins made her “Drag Race” debut on Season 17 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in January 2025, where she placed 7th. Just days after the season aired its finale on April 18, Kollins was announced as a contestant for “All Stars 10,” marking the quickest return of any contestant in the show’s history. 

During an group cast interview with Entertainment Weekly’s Joey Nolfi, Kollins revealed exactly how much time she had to prepare for “All Stars 10” after finishing filming for Season 17, surprising fans and competitors alike when she revealed that she had “like four to five days…to prepare for the first bit of the competition.”

Speaking on her speedy return, Kollins told Nolfi, “They were like, ‘You know what, let’s throw in Lydia, why not?’” She continued, “And I was game for it. I thought it would be, above all, funny to come back, more than anything, so early. But, you know, I just wanted to see what would happen.”

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Prior to the cast announcement, Kollins spoke with The Playlist about returning to the series, saying that the decision was an automatic “yes.”

“I feel like one of the luckiest girls in the cast,” said Kollins. “I feel very lucky to be stressed with doing double time. It’s a whirlwind. I feel like I’m in two different timelines at the same time. So it’s been a lot. It’s been very hectic, and it’s been a lot for my brain to sort of process. I haven’t had time to even emotionally or physically process any of this. So, late-night breakdowns do be happening, but I think I’m handling it pretty well. I’m keeping my head above water,” the queen added. 

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Speaking further on her growth from Season 17 to “All Stars 10” Kollins explained, “For all of the finalized steps of Season 17, I guess I wanted to show exactly what I was doing [that] entire season. I wanted to show Lydia. I made my looks. I made my LaLaPaRuza look. I wanted to just do Lydia to the fullest extent and sort of send her off on her Season 17 journey, where she is at that point now. For the next part, for part two, the Rumix, I went balls to the wall, and it was something that I am doing things that I would’ve never previously thought of doing. So, I’m very excited to let that out.”

The Cast of ‘All Stars 10’ React to Kollins’ Shock Casting

Due to the rapid switch from one season to the next, many of Kollins’ cast mates hadn’t even seen her original season when Lydia entered the Werk Room for “All Stars 10.” Contestants like Tina Burner, Nicole Paige Brooks, and Mistress Isabelle Brooks shared their thoughts on Kollins’ shock casting during the cast interview with Entertainment Weekly. 

“I think seeing her come in right off the bat, you worried if its a threat because she’s, you know, just been on the show so you’re like, well, why are they bringing her back right away,” said “All Stars 10” contestant Tina Burner. “Because a lot of us, you know, waited a long time. So, is she a threat?”

Nicole Paige Brooks, who has waited the longest since her original appearance on Season 2 to join an “All Stars” cast, similarly commented on Kollins’ casting, saying, “I just felt like it was, you know, another one of Ru’s favorites for some reason, and you can see on Season 17 why she is.”

Only Season 15 finalist Mistress Isabelle Brooks had met Kollins ahead of filming “All Stars 10” after the queen appeared on the ‘Villains Roast’ episode of Season 17, which Kollins won. “When Lydia walked in, I knew her from doing the roast on Season 17,” Brooks said, adding that she warned the other All Stars that Kollins was “one to watch out for” in the competition. 

Check out the full Entertainment Weekly interview with the cast of “RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars 10” below.