As fans count down to the premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 3 on January 25, FANDOM takes a closer look at the nine queens competing for the coveted crown.

Name: Aja
Real Name: Jay Rivera
Age: 24
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Season: 9
Finished: 9th place

Best Drag Race Moments:

Untucked Rant About Valentina

Aja’s most buzzworthy moment from Season 9 didn’t come from a challenge or the runway, but rather her meltdown over the judges’ love for Valentina during an episode of the backstage show Untucked. Her speech was full of so many instant-classic quotes — “You’re perfect, you’re beautiful, you look like Linda Evangelista, you’re a model!” — that it was actually turned into a song by DJ Adam Josephs. 

Aja’s Lip Syncs

Although Aja may have found herself in the bottom two sooner than she would have liked, it provided her with the perfect opportunity to showcase her fierce lip-syncing skills. Although it was her face off against Nina Bo’Nina Brown that ultimately kicked her off the show, it still proved the Brooklyn queen is one of the best performers in the game.

Reunion Reactions

Season 9 was known for being light on drama … until one of the most explosive reunions in Drag Race history, that is. The claws were out, and Aja led the charge. When she wasn’t calling BS on Valentina being crowned Miss Congeniality — or is it Fan Favorite? — she was serving reactionary faces, like in the video below, that made her a meme queen for months.

What She’s Been Up To Since Her Season Ended:

Aja’s spent the least amount of post-Drag Race time in the real world out of all the All Stars queens, heading back to the workroom only a month after the Season 9 finale. But her fiery spirit and outspoken personality at the reunion won her new fans and left us “gagged and gooped” for more. As the first queen revealed from the All Stars 3 cast, Aja declared in her interview with Michelle Visage that she’s learned a lot since her first elimination and is ready for her second chance at the crown.

Check out FANDOM’s coverage of the other All Stars 3 queens below.

BendelaCreme
Chi Chi DeVayne
Kennedy Davenport
Milk
Shangela
Thorgy Thor
Morgan McMichaels
Trixie Mattel