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‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Alum BenDeLaCreme Is Ready to Snatch the Crown on ‘All Stars’ Season 3
She’s back! Drag queen extraordinaire BenDeLaCreme is one of the 10 contestants competing on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 3. And, obvi, we couldn’t be more thrilled to see the Seattle, WA, native light up our small screens again with her bright, whimsical ensembles and even more vibrant personality. Here, Life & Style rounds up everything you need to know about beautiful BenDeLa (as the one and only Michelle Visage calls her).
BenDeLa is gorgeous AF — and she knows it.
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When the cast lineup of All Stars Season 3 was announced, BenDeLa (who placed fifth on Season 6 of RPDR in 2014) shared what she believes sets her apart from the other queens. “I think that I’m best known for my sense of camp, my exceptional good looks, and I’ll go with that twice because it’s really important,” the outspoken entertainer, 36, said with a laugh. “I’m exceptionally beautiful.”
BenDeLa was Season 6’s Miss Congeniality.
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The even-tempered BenDeLa was recognized for her friendly demeanor and willingness to help her fellow queens on Season 6. But, now that she’s already won Miss Congeniality, the brunette stunner is more concerned with snatching the crown than making friends. “I had the honor of winning Miss Congeniality on Season 6, which means that since I already have the sash,” she jokingly said, “I don’t have to be nice anymore!”
Drag helped BenDeLa cope with depression.
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BenDeLa — whose real name is Benjamin Putnam — has battled depression on and off for years, but his symptoms worsened after his mother died of cancer when he was just 13. Benjamin previously opened up about how adopting the persona of BenDeLa helped him cope.
“I don’t know if it was the intent going into it — I’ve just kind of always loved drag queens who had really clear characters,” he said. “That wound up kind of being a side effect, and the more I realized that having that positivity in this character helped me, the more positive that character became.”
BenDeLa is taking a page out of Adore Delano’s book this time around.
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Despite their drastically different personalities, BenDaLa and Adore Delano became besties during Season 6 of Drag Race. This time, BenDeLa is hoping to channel Adore and her unapologetically fierce attitude: “I think that since Season 6, I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable — which is a nice way of saying that Adore thing, which is, ‘I have zero f–ks to give!’”
BenDeLa hasn’t seen that many seasons of Drag Race.
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“I think that this time around, the competition is going to be fiercer, the stakes are going to be higher, and I’m going to be better,” BenDeLa assured fans of her upcoming stint on All Stars, before admitting, “This is an incredible group of girls from a bunch if different seasons that I didn’t watch!”
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 3 will premiere this winter on VH1.
