Jaida Essence Hall actually (accidentally) slapped Raja in RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7 rehearsal

Look over there ... for on-set medical staff, because Jaida Essence Hall's palm is coming for you.

Following RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7's explosive premiere Friday, the returning season 12 champion tells EW the highly anticipated all-winners edition of the Emmy-winning series began with a bang ... atop Raja's face. Yes, the Milwaukee native actually (accidentally) slapped the season 3 victor while they rehearsed what was supposed to be a mimed smack during a performance of RuPaul's new song "Legends," and Raja reportedly took it well.

"I prayed it did not, but I am a method actress," Jaida explains. "When I get in the moment I have to be there fully and present at the moment, so if she had to endure a little slap during that, I apologize, Raja, but I do love you!"

Before AS7 continues Friday on Paramount+, read on for Jaida's full breakdown of the show's two-episode launch, including her original plan for Snatch Game that involved a Mary J. Blige wig and a committed dance (and how she ultimately approached playing Prince for the celebrity impersonation challenge), the gaggery of Monét X Change and Trinity The Tuck's budding alliance amid a set of remixed All Stars rules, and the moment her hand mistakenly grazed Raja's face while they prepared to take the Main Stage for the "Legends" set.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How are you feeling now that it's out in the world and everyone is loving your Snatch Game performance as Prince?

JAIDA ESSENCE HALLL: I feel like I can breathe now. It's good to see it all over again and realize that it actually happened.

Were these two characters your choices from the beginning?

I also brought a Mary J. Blige wig. Usually I bring three options, so I brought those two and Mary J. Blige. Thankfully I knew that I could give those two characters better than Mary J. Blige, because all I really had [for her] was a dance and we were sitting behind a table, so that wouldn't do anything.

Wait, you were just going to do a Mary J. Blige dance?

That's what the plan was, just dance like Mary J. Blige and something will happen. Something good. I had the wig, so…

Your approach was so different than what we saw you do on season 12. Did you do anything specific between season 12 and All Stars 7 to better prepare for Snatch Game?

I was going to study and get ready. I didn't know that it would happen literally almost a year after I won, so I didn't really think about coaching or having something else figured out. I just had a good time. I'm glad that ended up being the approach because I wanted to relax and put myself into it instead of being super analytical about how to approach the character.

Michelle noted that your Prince performance just leaned into the impression not working and improvising those little facial movements. Did you go in with a plan to do something more fleshed out, but it changed in the moment because the impression didn't work?

The one thing I love about Snatch Game but also the thing I hate about Snatch Game, no matter how much work you do, the questions could be anything. You could be at home studying a million questions to get into character, and if they hit you with a curve ball, you're shooting in the dark. I didn't have too much of a plan, so I just watched a lot of videos of Prince talking, so I was like, let's just go be sexy and yellow.

Let's talk about the gag of the season: no eliminations or lipstick pulling. You're all adults there to compete, but was it hard to not take any of this blocking business personally?

In my mind, the girls were going to go after the girls they feel like were threats, and hopefully, nobody thinks I'm a threat so I can weasel by. I was very much like a vulture about the whole situation, like, slide in and see what's happening. Maybe nobody will block me because I did win during a pandemic, and if they do block me, they're just terrible people. I didn't know what everybody's mindset would be, but I knew on a winner's season, no matter which way we did it or how everything fell, you'd have to be the best that you've ever been. If you stay in the top two, you don't have to worry about blocking. It all came down to knowing that you will end up having to be the person who's blocked and work as hard as you can and have as much fun as you can in the challenges, because if that keeps you at the top, you don't have to worry about being blocked, but also that could put you at the top and then everybody wants to block you.

As soon as the format was revealed, did you vocalize your strategy? Because we don't really see you talking about what your strategy on camera.

I had a strategy called survival. As soon as Ru was like, "nobody's leaving," I was like, ok, good, now you don't have to worry about fighting tooth-and-nail, you just fight and work really hard, and you don't have to do anything too crazy. I didn't want to make any alliances necessarily. I wanted to be like Switzerland, very neutral, stay up out of it, work hard, and see what happens. A couple of girls, we felt each other and the vibe. Those are my sisters, and I felt like maybe they wouldn't block me, but maybe I'll be sorely disappointed this season. You'll have to tune in to see.

Let's go back to our cover story interview, because when the group talked about strategy, you specifically hinted that Monét and Trinity back-stabbed with an alliance. Can you now elaborate on what you meant?

At this point, the cat is out the bag. Maybe that's just gullible, stupid me. I'm like, nobody is making alliances! We're all here to have fun and win along the way, but, apparently not [Laughs]. Seeing them make that alliance, it's a smart strategy to come in and have someone you know make it to the top. Maybe if I knew for a fact that there was at least one person I could do that with, maybe I would've made an alliance from the jump, but maybe that just shows how Monét and Trinity want to get their own title and win, so, together they feel like they can do more damage and they want their own titles for themselves. If an alliance will help them get there…

Jinkx almost caught them talking about it in the Werk Room on episode 1. Did you all know about this from the start or suspect it from that moment on?

I had no idea about this alliance until much later in the competition, and when I did, I was like, you shady bitches, but it makes a lot of sense. I kind of caught it but if two bitches were to collaborate in this conspicuous situation, it would be the people we'd least expect.

So, there is plenty of drama related to that alliance in store beyond what we saw on the premiere?

I would love to tell you that, but let me tell you this: I do think the alliance is going to come into play later in the season, so just make sure you tune in. It's going to be really good.

I also want to ask you about the "Legends" choreography, especially the moment where you slapped Raja. We didn't see it in the rehearsal, but you slapped her in the face on stage. Was that something you'd rehearsed a few times, because usually when things like that go down on Drag Race, there are some comical mishaps. Did your hand ever actually connect with her at all during rehearsal?

She's the legend of this business, she knows how it goes.

So it did happen? You did accidentally slap her?

Absolutely [Laughs]. It was like a tiny, little slap, but we only rehearsed that part maybe three times, so the first time I did it I turned around, reached back and slapped, but it kind of grazed her chin a little bit. She's a really good sport about stuff like that. It wasn't a crazy reaction. I'm glad that, during that part, the girls were super supportive, because that choreography was probably a little chaotic when we all decided what we wanted to do, but the end product, that was one of the best moments: Everybody coming together to make it.

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