The acclaimed reality television show RuPaul’s Drag Race is back for another season with the highly anticipated All Stars 3, which premiered on Jan. 25.
With the queens coming back armed with their season’s worth of experience and post-Drag Race exposure, All Stars is aptly named, featuring a cast comprised of fan favourites and queens whose aptitudes are acknowledged by Mama Ru herself – enough for another invite. Of course, they’re no strangers to the selection process, having gone through the arduous audition procedures.
The competition is elevated to new levels. Combining elements from the likes of another widely popular television series, America’s Next Top Model, with its own twist, RuPaul’s Drag Race pits queens against one another through a series of mini and main challenges, with varying requirements across episodes. The more challenges won, the bigger advantage gained towards the crown. Every episode also features an lip-syncing battle between the bottom two contenders. In these lipsync-for-your-life duels, queens find themselves twirling and whirling on stage before the judges. The cutthroat pressure has had queens desperate enough to snatch their own wigs and clothes off, as well as death dropping (the dance move, no one dies here, at least not literally) from new heights.
All Stars 3 welcomes back past contestants for another shot at a $100,000 cash prize, a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics, a much-coveted spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame, and of course, becoming America’s Next Drag Superstar.
Last year, the competing queens were officially announced in the Exclusive Queen Ruveal TV special. This season’s nine queens are Aja, BeBe Zahara Benet, BenDeLaCreme, Chi Chi DeVayne, Kennedy Davenport, Milk, Shangela, Trixie Mattel, Thorgy Thor, and Morgan McMichaels. In true RuPaul plot twist fashion, a mysterious 10th queen is announced in the All Stars 3 premiere.
As with every RuPaul’s Drag Race season, All Stars 3 is bound to be riveting as these queens fight to prove their charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent. Through all the laughter, the tears, the inspiration, and the shade, anything can happen. There’s only one thing to say going into this new season in the words of RuPaul herself and that is, “May the best woman win.
