Final Four X-factors, unsung heroes who can be key to national championship

Final Four Xfactors, unsung heroes who can be key to national championship Ehsan Kassim, USA TODAYWed, April 1, 2026 at 10:07 AM UTC 0 Final Four Xfactors, unsung heroes who can be key to national championship At this stage of the 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament, if you do not know who Yaxel Lendeborg is, you're either lying or haven't been paying attention. The same holds for the Michigan basketball star, is true for Arizona's Koa Peat, Illinois' Keaton Wagler and Connecticut's Terrian Reed.

Final Four X-factors, unsung heroes who can be key to national championship

Ehsan Kassim, USA TODAYWed, April 1, 2026 at 10:07 AM UTC

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Final Four X-factors, unsung heroes who can be key to national championship

At this stage of the 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament, if you do not know who Yaxel Lendeborg is, you're either lying or haven't been paying attention.

The same holds for the Michigan basketball star, is true for Arizona's Koa Peat, Illinois' Keaton Wagler and Connecticut's Terrian Reed. These four have been among the best players in March Madness, but have also proven themselves over the course of the season.

MORE: 2017 FBI probe sent coaches to prison, got others fired. This March Madness was a reunion

For either the Wolverines, Wildcats, Fighting Illini or the Huskies to win the 2026 national championship, they'll need their best players to shine in the biggest moments of the year when the quartet plays in the Final Four on Saturday, April 4, from Indianapolis.

However, just because a star has a big game, it does not mean these teams can easily be knocked off. Just ask Alabama and Labaron Philon. The Crimson Tide star matched a career-high of 35 points, but got little help from his supporting cast, causing Alabama to lose to Michigan in the Sweet 16.

All four stars will need help from a potential unsung hero for their team to win a national title. Here's a look at some potential candidates who could step up in that role:

1 / 0See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities

Iowa State Cyclones fans cheer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Enterprise Center on March 22, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri.

Trey McKenny, Michigan

Trey McKenny, the freshman from Flint, Michigan, is potentially finding his stroke at the right time. On the season, he is averaging 9.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game on 46.2% shooting from the field, incluidng 38% from 3-point range.

However, McKenny scored at least eight points in every NCAA Tournament game, including 17 points against Alabama and followed it up with a 12-point performance against Alabama. Against the Crimson Tide, he connected on three 3-pointers.

In addition to his hot outside shooting, McKenney has also gotten to the free throw line 11 times over the last two games, knocking down 10 of them. While Lendeborg is the present for the Wolverines, McKenney is likely the future, already declaring his intention to return next season.

Could he give a glimpse into why he was a top-20 recruit in the 2025 class to help Michigan win its first title since 1989?

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Motiejus Krivas, Arizona

Could the first-year starter and junior for Arizona, Motiejus Krivas, be a key for the Wildcats to win their first national title since 1997?

On a team full of scorers, Bradley is fourth on the team with his career-best 10.4 points per game, while averaging a best 8.2 rebounds per game. He shoots 56.9% from the field. He has started all 38 games for Arizona this season after making just one start in his first two seasons.

He is capable of a big scoring performance, as he did when he scored 25 points against Kansas State on Jan. 27, on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and making 11 of 12 free throws.

Kylan Boswell, Illinois

With Wagler's emergence, it could be easy to forget his fellow backcourt mate, Kylan Bowell, at times. However, Boswell is the model of consistency for Brad Underwood's Illinois team.

The 6-foot-2 senior guard from Champaign, Illinois, is averaging a career-high 12.5 points per game on 45% shooting from the field, to go along with 3.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.

Boswell had a 25-point performance against UConn earlier this season, while he also had 22-point performances against Texas Tech and Alabama. He also scored 20 points against Nebraska, proving he's capable of big games when called upon.

Silas Demary Jr., UConn

UConn's strength is having many players whom it can turn to for a shot with the game on the line. Case in point, freshman Braylon Mullins hitting the game-winning buzzer-beater against No. 1 seed Duke in the Sweet 16.

For this exercise, Mullins is too well-known now. So another player to keep an eye on is junior Silas Demary Jr. The UConn junior is averaging 10.4 points, 5.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game on 45.5% shooting and 40.5% 3-point shooting.

The transfer from Georgia had 23 points and 15 assists on Jan. 7 against Providence, proving he is capable of a major game when it is needed.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Final Four players who can become March Madness unsung heroes

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Final Four X-factors, unsung heroes who can be key to national championship

Final Four Xfactors, unsung heroes who can be key to national championship Ehsan Kassim, USA TODAYWed, April 1, 2026 at ...

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Women's Final Four X-factors: Four players who can be key to national title

Women&x27;s Final Four Xfactors: Four players who can be key to national title Cydney Henderson, USA TODAYWed, April 1, 2026 at 10:07 AM UTC 0 The month of March might have come to a close, but the madness of the 2026 Women's NCAA Tournament is marching into April with the Final Four in Phoenix rapidly approaching. The remaining four teams — No. 1 UConn, No. 1 UCLA, No. 1 Texas and No. 1 South Carolina — have been powered to the Final Four by superstar talent. We're talking about UConn's Sarah Strong, UCLA's Lauren Betts, Texas' Madison Booker and South Carolina's Raven Johnson.

Women's Final Four X-factors: Four players who can be key to national title

Cydney Henderson, USA TODAYWed, April 1, 2026 at 10:07 AM UTC

0

The month of March might have come to a close, but the madness of the 2026 Women's NCAA Tournament is marching into April with the Final Four in Phoenix rapidly approaching.

The remaining four teams — No. 1 UConn, No. 1 UCLA, No. 1 Texas and No. 1 South Carolina — have been powered to the Final Four by superstar talent. We're talking about UConn's Sarah Strong, UCLA's Lauren Betts, Texas' Madison Booker and South Carolina's Raven Johnson.

But the national title might come down to an unsung hero that steps up when the lights are the brightest. Here's a look at a player from each team that must make an impact when it matters most for their team to hoist a trophy:

1 / 0See women's March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities

The Alabama bench celebrate after a big three-point shot by Alabama Crimson Tide guard Karly Weathers (22) in the fourth quarter against Louisville during the 2026 NCAA Women's March Madness Second Round basketball at the KFC Yum Center In Louisville, Ky. Weathers finished with 13 points. March 23, 2026.

Agot Makeer, South Carolina

South Carolina is back in the Final Four for the sixth consecutive year, but the key to defeating the reigning champion UConn Huskies might come down to an 18-year-old freshman coming off the bench. Agot Makeer, a 6-foot guard from Canada, was limited to 5.8 points across 26 games this season after dealing with various injuries. But Makeer has made an impact during March Madness and quickly became "a vital piece to our success," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said.

Makeer scored double-digit points off the bench in four consecutive tournament games, including a career-high 18 points in No. 1 South Carolina's Elite 8 rout of No. 3 TCU. She's averaging 14.8 points in the tournament, nearly tripling her scoring average, while shooting an efficient 55.6% from the field. "I'm in a flow right now," said Makeer, who only had three double-digit games all season heading into the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

It's more than just her offense. Makeer uses her length and size to be a disruptive defender and is averaging nearly three steals in March Madness.

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South Carolina guard Agot Makeer.Blanca Quiñonez, UConn

UConn's depth has been its strength all season long, with Sarah Strong confidently stating, "No other team has a bench like us." Freshman Blanca Quiñonez has been the biggest X-factor coming off the bench. Quiñonez scored 20 points in UConn's Elite 8 win over No. 6 Notre Dame, where she knocked down a career-high four 3-pointers in the win. The 6-foot-2 guard from Ecuador has reached double-digit scoring in four consecutive March Madness games and is shooting 9-of-19 (47.4%) from deep.

Quiñonez also grabbed a career-high eight rebounds, highlighting her ability to impact the game in many different ways. UConn has won 54 games in a row and will be pivotal to extend the win streak as defenses zero in on Sarah Stong and Azzi Fudd.

UConn's Blanca Quiñonez (4) looks to pass the ball against Iowa during a game at Barclays Center on Dec. 20, 2025.Angela Dugalić, UCLA

Angela Dugalić opted to come off the bench and the decision has paid dividends for both the Bruins and the Big Ten Women's Basketball Sixth Player of the Year. Dugalić is a 6-foot-4 forward, but has the skillset of a guard. She creates instant mismatches, spreads the floor and brings a different level of intensity that "our team was really feeding off of," head coach Cori Close said after UCLA's Elite 8 comeback win over No. 3 Duke. Dugalić finished with 15 points and six rebounds in the win, making her third double-digit game in March Madness. She's also posted two double-doubles in the Round of 64 and Sweet 16. UCLA is one win away from its first national championship appearance in program history.

UCLA's Angela Dugalić shoots a jumper against UC Santa Barbara during an 87- 50 Bruins win in a season home-opening game at Pauley Pavilion on Nov. 6, 2025.Kyla Oldacre, Texas

"You win with guard play, but you win championships with guard play and size," Texas head coach Vic Schaefer. That statement is especially true heading into the Final Four. Schaefer will deploy Kyla Oldacre to contain UCLA's 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts in the paint. Oldacre has come off the bench for Texas, but has averaged over twenty minutes through the tournament. The 6-foot-6 center is coming off a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double in Texas' Elite 8 blowout of No. 2 Michigan, her sixth double-double of the season.

Texas' Kyla Oldacre chases after a loose ball against Michigan in the Elite Eight on March, 30, 2026.

Reach USA TODAY National Women's Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Women's Final Four X-factors: Who will be key to national title?

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Women's Final Four X-factors: Four players who can be key to national title

Women&x27;s Final Four Xfactors: Four players who can be key to national title Cydney Henderson, USA TODAYWed, April...

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BenDeLaCreme and Kennedy Davenport recall chaos after RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 3 self-elimina...

EW's BINGE podcast welcomes AS3 legends to spill on the most shocking moment in All Stars herstory, Shangela's hilarious method acting, a neverbeforeseen 10minute cut of Davenport's Bitchelor performance, and what went down in that final jury deliberation. BenDeLaCreme and Kennedy Davenport recall chaos after RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 3 selfelimination EW's BINGE podcast welcomes AS3 legends to spill on the most shocking moment in All Stars herstory, Shangela's hilarious method acting, a neverbeforeseen 10minute cut of Davenport's Bitchelor performance, and what went down in that final jury...

EW's BINGE podcast welcomes AS3 legends to spill on the most shocking moment in All Stars herstory, Shangela's hilarious method acting, a never-before-seen 10-minute cut of Davenport's Bitchelor performance, and what went down in that final jury deliberation.

BenDeLaCreme and Kennedy Davenport recall chaos after RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 3 self-elimination

EW's BINGE podcast welcomes AS3 legends to spill on the most shocking moment in All Stars herstory, Shangela's hilarious method acting, a never-before-seen 10-minute cut of Davenport's Bitchelor performance, and what went down in that final jury deliberation.

Joey Nolfi

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul's Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

EW's editorial guidelines

July 14, 2021 2:57 p.m. ET

BenDeLaCreme eliminated herself from* RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 3* because that's what? The gag of the season. Bedtime BD herself joins the latest episode of *EW's BINGE* podcast alongside fellow *AS3* legend Kennedy Davenport to discuss the aftermath of the most shocking exit in the show's herstory.

In the episode (listen above), DeLa reveals that the "meandering path" to the decision she made to eliminate herself from the competition wasn't something she'd planned from the beginning of the competition, but rather a seemingly cosmic alignment of queen energy. For starters, she got the Wite-Out she used to write her name on one of the lipsticks from her *AS3* cast mate Thorgy Thor, and the concept to write someone else's name over an existing stick sprung from a running joke she started with eventual season winner Trixie Mattel that would've involved writing "RuPaul" or "Michelle Visage" on the tube as a prank.

"There was this moment where I was like, ok, I've really established myself, people do see me as a frontrunner, I've broken some records, if I decide I'm not going to play by these rules, no one is going to be able to say that she gave up because she couldn't do it," DeLa remembers, while Davenport confirms that other moments organically "just led up" to the big, unplanned reveal. "It was kind of this perfect thing where, in this moment, I kind of was fed up with the conflict generating with that moment with Morgan [McMichaels], I saw that I'd actually already done what I needed to do, and these little moments clicked into place.... it felt like fate."

She says she was shocked that production didn't stop her from making the choice, and she's thankful they allowed it to play out as she wished. Still, she's unsure if she would've pulled the stunt the next time she won a lip-sync if she'd lost the duel against BeBe Zahara Benet.

"Who knows? Probably not. It was a thing that was relevant to the moment. Maybe I would've, but I don't dwell on pasts that don't exist," she finishes.

Davenport insists it was a "real moment" for her, too: "I was boo-hoo crying over there, honey," she says. "You know when it's your time to go home and that was really my time to go home. Had she not went home, I do believe I probably would've gone home that episode!"

Kennedy Davenport and BenDeLaCreme discuss shocking moments in EW's BINGE podcast 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 3' recap. World of Wonder/ Paramount +

Other topics covered on this episode include:

- Shangela's hilarious method acting to get into character as Mariah Carey for the musical challenge

- Davenport's mini oral history on her iconic RuDemption chicken look that she insists is not a chicken (and which RuGirl purchased the piece after her original season)

- A call to "Release *The Bitchelor* Cut," as BenDeLaCreme and Davenport say there are 10-minute versions of their hilarious performances in the challenge (plus: they reveal what they did in those extra moments, too)

- Davenport pays tribute to her late friend and *RuPaul's Drag Race* icon Chi Chi DeVayne

- The circumstances surrounding the infamous Thorgy Thor note Trixie Mattel had in her station

- BenDeLaCreme discusses coming back to the show after self-eliminating for the finale deliberation (and shares tea on how the group might've felt voting for Davenport and Mattel versus Shangela)

- Davenport reveals that, after a period of tension, she and Mattel have had lovely conversations about repairing their relationship after an intense season

Tune in again next week as EW's BINGE welcomes Naomi Smalls, Monique Heart, and Manila Luzon for a full *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 4* recap. Listen to BenDeLaCreme and Kennedy Davenport discuss *All Stars 3* above.

***Subscribe to* EW's BINGE* podcast for full recaps of *RuPaul's Drag Race*, including our new season diving into all five *All Stars *seasons, featuring exclusive interviews with Jujubee, Alexis Mateo, Shea Couleé, Alaska, Detox, BenDeLaCreme, Kennedy Davenport, and more*. *And be sure to catch up on our *BINGE* recaps of *RuPaul's Drag Race* seasons 1-13 with Symone, Jaida Essence Hall, Trixie Mattel, Katya, Peppermint, Bianca Del Rio, Bob the Drag Queen, Sasha Velour, and more******!***

**Related content: **

- Alaska and Detox spill *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 2* tea on the moment that almost saved Alyssa Edwards

- Jujubee and Alexis Mateo reveal who else almost quit *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 1*

- Yara Sofia was breast in show on *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 6* — and we love it

- RuPaul's Drag Race Fandom

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Published: April 1, 2026 at 12:19PM on Source: RED MAG

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BenDeLaCreme and Kennedy Davenport recall chaos after RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 3 self-elimina...

EW's BINGE podcast welcomes AS3 legends to spill on the most shocking moment in All Stars herstory, Shangela's hilari...

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There was one particular Damon moment that backfired on the writers. Vampire Diaries creators talk season 1's Katherine twist, the fan response that left them 'aghast' There was one particular Damon moment that backfired on the writers. By Samantha Highfill :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/SamanthaHighfillauthorphoto0917254112e875604542d49744a27de908d183.jpg) Samantha Highfill Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at , where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television. EW's editorial guidelines August 4, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET Every story needs a good villain.

There was one particular Damon moment that backfired on the writers.

Vampire Diaries creators talk season 1's Katherine twist, the fan response that left them 'aghast'

There was one particular Damon moment that backfired on the writers.

By Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at **, where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television.

EW's editorial guidelines

August 4, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET

Every story needs a good villain. And for the beginning of *The Vampire Diaries*, Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) was that villain, the big bad brother who followed Stefan (Paul Wesley) home to Mystic Falls to make his life — or eternity — miserable. (And then there was Damon's whole plan to free the series' next villain from a tomb that she wasn't actually in, but we'll get to that.)

In the early days of the series, *Vampire Diaries* co-creators Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec worked to discover Damon's voice, finding inspiration from within. "It's just that inner voice that is so snarky, all the things you wanna say out loud but you can't," Williamson says during episode 1 of *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries*.

The result was an arrogant (and glib) Salvatore who delivered a handful of enigmatic one-liners in season 1, including Plec's personal favorite: Standing on a roof, Damon refuses to tell Stefan his evil master plan. When asked what he's up to, he responds, "That's for me to know and you to dot dot dot." And it turns out, that line was Plec and Williamson's way of answering a network note... or 10.

"For the first three or four episodes, any time anyone read a script at the network they were like, 'Yes, but what's Damon's drive? What does Damon want?' And we were like, 'Oh my God, he just wants to be an a--hole,'" Plec says with a laugh.

So, the writers worked it into the script, with Stefan serving as the voice of the network, constantly asking the same question: What does Damon want? Until, finally, Damon tells him that it's "for me to know and you to dot dot dot." (Get it?)

But as season 1 continued, fans started to fall for Damon's evil ways a bit too much, so much so that Williamson and Plec felt the need to reset some things at the start of season 2. "We can't have a lovable villain," says Williamson. "That's great and that's a fan-favorite character, but that doesn't bring you real storytelling and real stakes."

Plec adds, "We had this magnificent villain who could do no wrong in the eyes of the audience and we thought, 'Let's give him something really wrong that is unforgivable so we can buy ourselves another year of Damon as the villain and Stefan as the hero.'" With that in mind, they had Damon snap Jeremy's (Steven R. McQueen) neck at the end of the season 2 premiere. But the fan response was not what Plec and Williamson had intended.

"They [were like], 'Poor Damon, poor Damon, he's so misunderstood! He just loves Elena so much,'" Plec recalls. "We were aghast. We were like, 'What have we wrought? We have basically accidentally created the poster couple for toxic masculinity.' The women loved him and we couldn't understand it at all. That was a moment."

Thankfully, Damon wasn't the show's only villain by that point. As Williamson puts it, "Every time one of the villains turned nice, we brought in a new one." And that's just what happened at the end of season 1, when, in one of the series' biggest twists, Katherine Pierce (Nina Dobrev) shows up, kisses Damon, and then waltzes into Elena's house and removes Uncle John's (David Anders) fingers.

Nina Dobrev as Katherine Pierce on 'The Vampire Diaries.'. The CW

"That set the standard for *Vampire Diaries*," Plec says of the season 1 finale twist. "That finale set the standard of: We always have to fight to get to as close to this amazing awesome twist and cliffhanger ending as we possibly can. We can never let our audience down with a finale. We put so much pressure on ourselves for eight years to make sure that we never failed a finale. There were some that were better than others, but we took our finales seriously."

And to think, it wasn't always the plan for Dobrev to play both characters. "It didn't occur to us originally that Nina should play Elena and Katherine," Plec says of what would become the Petrova doppelgangers. "In the books, they called it a striking resemblance. I remember Italia Ricci, who had tested for Elena early on, comes up to us at Comic-Con after the show gets picked up she's like, 'I am putting myself in front of you to say I would like to play Katherine Pierce.'"

But by that point, Dobrev's photo had already been used for the 1864 snapshot of the curly-haired doppelganger, and a few episodes later, she'd take on both roles and nothing in Mystic Falls would ever be the same.

Listen to the full podcast episode below and stream all eight seasons of *The Vampire Diaries *on Netflix.

**To listen, subscribe to *EW's Binge: The Vampire Diaries* feed via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe to EW's YouTube page to catch all the video interviews, and stay tuned to EW.com.**

**Related content:**

- We drank three rounds with *Vampire Diaries *stars Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder

- Today will be different: An oral history of* The Vampire Diaries* pilot

- Best. of the Decade: *The Vampire Diaries* delivered a perfect love triangle in its third season

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Published: April 1, 2026 at 12:19PM on Source: RED MAG

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Vampire Diaries creators talk season 1's Katherine twist, the fan response that left them 'aghast'

There was one particular Damon moment that backfired on the writers. Vampire Diaries creators talk season 1's Kather...

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Naomi Smalls and Monique Heart dish on THAT shocking RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 4 thrilla for M...

EW's BINGE podcast hosts an AS4 reunion with Naomi Smalls, Monique Heart, and Manila Luzon for tea on the latter's gaggy elimination that will have your wig in the rafters. Naomi Smalls and Monique Heart dish on THAT shocking RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 4 thrilla for Manila EW's BINGE podcast hosts an AS4 reunion with Naomi Smalls, Monique Heart, and Manila Luzon for tea on the latter's gaggy elimination that will have your wig in the rafters. :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/JoeyNolfiBiophotof93a23298bdd47ba9c13f53815fc469b.jpg) Joey Nolfi Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at .

EW's BINGE podcast hosts an AS4 reunion with Naomi Smalls, Monique Heart, and Manila Luzon for tea on the latter's gaggy elimination that will have your wig in the rafters.

Naomi Smalls and Monique Heart dish on THAT shocking* RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 4* thrilla for Manila

EW's BINGE podcast hosts an AS4 reunion with Naomi Smalls, Monique Heart, and Manila Luzon for tea on the latter's gaggy elimination that will have your wig in the rafters.

Joey Nolfi

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul's Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

EW's editorial guidelines

July 21, 2021 1:08 p.m. ET

Monique Heart, Naomi Smalls, and Manila Luzon were so excellent and deliciously chaotic on *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 4* that they burned the house down — almost literally, as the queens reveal in an exclusive interview on EW's BINGE podcast.

Fans will recall the season opening with an epic lip-sync between challenge winners Heart and Trinity The Tuck, which ended as the former threw her wig into the air — though it never returned to earth, as it got stuck in the rafters of the studio. It's a move "which almost set the building on fire, ya'll forget that fact!" Heart recalls with a laugh, adding that she decided to pull the accidental stunt when she felt her "lace slipping" during the high-energy performance. "They said, 'Get it! It's synthetic!'"

The show then briefly cut to a stage hand reaching a giant stick toward the ceiling to get the hairpiece down: "Baby, it was like a giant rod that they unscrewed and got up on a ladder," Heart remembers. "He [tried] two or three times and couldn't get it. He got it and everybody cheered!"

Another moment that had a less joyous impact on the fandom, however, was the moment Smalls — after her first challenge win — decided to eliminate Luzon, a front-running contender, from the competition. Smalls still receives vicious comments from the fans to this day, but, like the icon she is, she stands by her decision.

"We worked together on *Jersey Justice*, Manila and I, and we had a really good time doing it.... I thought we both kind of killed it. We talked about it off-camera, all that jazz, and she was like, 'I think you're going to win,' [but] when we went to the judges [they said], 'Manila ate you,' and she was like, 'Yeah, I did kind of eat you.' If we're not going to have a trustworthy back-and-forth, we're clearly not friends," Smalls says. "Maybe that was also a factor of going into making the decision for myself and not really looking at track record."

Later, Luzon joins the podcast for a solo interview to discuss the big moment.

"Miss Naomi Smalls, I knew she would send me home. I knew if I was ever in the bottom, they'd send me home. I'm not stupid!" Luzon says, stressing that she felt a "huge target" on her back after she slayed both the* Snatch Game* *of Love* challenge and the Lady Bunny roast — a move that put her on "a different level" than the other queens. "I kind of threw away the singing challenge even though everyone knows I have 10 years' worth of music. I kind of kept it simple, tried to play it a little bit cool, and when it was time for me to go, I went."

She goes on to say that there are no hard feelings against Smalls, whom has since starred in Luzon's "Go Fish" music video that was released on the day of the shocking elimination back in 2019.

"I thought that people had figured out that this was just a game, but people did take it seriously and they sent her a lot of hate, and I felt really bad. I felt a little grossed out. This is not what the show is about," she says, adding that she'd happily perform with Smalls on tour if given the opportunity. "Ultimately, we all put ourselves out there when we go on the show, and we all know what can happen if you do something crazy on the show. It will stick with you forever! That's probably one of the reasons why I didn't send home Valentina, because I don't need to get hate from Valentina fans!"

EW's BINGE podcast reunites 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 4' queens Manila Luzon, Naomi Smalls, and Monique Heart for a full recap. Paramount+

Other highlights from our AS4 recap episode include:

- The chaos of Jasmine Masters preparing for her stand-up comedy routine

- A hilarious moment where Valentina was late to the set and milked it for all it was worth

- Heart stepping in to break up that iconic fight between Gia Gunn and Farrah Moan on episode 2

- Smalls and Heart watching the other teams do the* Snatch Game of Love* — and Smalls' preparation work with Bob the Drag Queen (including a reveal of the props she would've used if the challenge had been conducted in its traditional format)

- Smalls' thoughts on how her shocking vote to eliminate Luzon changed the *All Stars *game forever

- Heart and Smalls painfully watching the final lip-sync between Monét X Change and Trinity The Tuck after they'd been eliminated

- How the pair feels about *AS4* ending in a tie

- Luzon recalling the time the show reunited her with Latrice Royale backstage before they made their joint re-entry into the competition

- Luzon's real thoughts on Monét's lip-sync skills (spoiler: It gets shady)

- Luzon gives an exclusive preview of her new Filipino drag competition series *Drag Den*

Listen to the full *AS4* recap episode with Naomi Smalls, Monique Heart, and Manila Luzon above, and tune in next week for a special recap of *All Stars 5* featuring Jujubee, Blair St. Clair, and Shea Couleé!

***Subscribe to* EW's BINGE* podcast for full recaps of *RuPaul's Drag Race*, including our new season diving into all five *All Stars *seasons, featuring exclusive interviews with Jujubee, Alexis Mateo, Shea Couleé, Alaska, Detox, BenDeLaCreme, Kennedy Davenport, and more*. *And be sure to catch up on our *BINGE* recaps of *RuPaul's Drag Race* seasons 1-13 with Symone, Jaida Essence Hall, Trixie Mattel, Katya, Peppermint, Bianca Del Rio, Bob the Drag Queen, Sasha Velour, and more******!***

**Related content: **

- BenDeLaCreme and Kennedy Davenport recall chaos after *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 3* self-elimination

- Alaska and Detox spill *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 2* tea on the moment that almost saved Alyssa Edwards

- Jujubee and Alexis Mateo reveal who else almost quit *RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 1*

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Original Article on Source

Source: "EW RuPaul"

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Source: RuPaul

Published: April 1, 2026 at 12:19PM on Source: RED MAG

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle

byRed Roads Media

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