RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars is an American reality competition spin off edition of the original RuPaul's Drag Race, which is produced by World of Wonder, for Logo TV and later VH1. The show premiered on October 22, 2012 on Logo TV, before relocating to VH1. However, it was announced on February 20, 2020 on the show's official Twitter account that the fifth season would premiere on June 5, 2020 on Showtime.[1] Following the cast announcement on May 8, 2020, producers announced that the show would remain airing on VH1 instead of Showtime due to the COVID-19 pandemic which caused "various scheduling and programming adjustments".[2]

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars
Genre	Reality competition
Directed by	Nick Murray
Judges	RuPaul Michelle Visage Santino Rice Carson Kressley Todrick Hall Ross Mathews
Theme music composer	RuPaul Lucian Piane
Opening theme	"RuPaul's Drag Race" theme (season 1–present)
Ending theme	"Responsitrannity" (season 1) "Throw Ya Hands Up" (season 2) "Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve & Talent" (season 3) "Born Naked (Stadium Remix)" (season 4) "American" (season 5)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	41 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Fenton Bailey Randy Barbato Tom Campbell RuPaul Steven Corfe Pamela Post Mandy Salangsang
Camera setup	Multiple
Running time	42–62 minutes
Production company	World of Wonder Productions
Distributor	Passion Distribution
Release
Original network	Logo (Seasons 1-2) VH1 (Seasons 3-present)
Picture format	HDTV 1080i
Original release	October 22, 2012 – present
Chronology
Related shows	RuPaul's Drag Race
External links
Website

The show documents RuPaul inviting past queens that proven themselves to have had the most successful careers once leaving the original show. Like the original show, RuPaul plays the role of host, mentor, and head judge for this series, as contestants are given different challenges each week. RuPaul's Drag Race employs a panel of judges, currently including RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley and Ross Matthews and a host of other guest judges, who critique contestants' progress throughout the competition. The winner of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars wins $100,000, a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics and the queen's compete for a spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame; with Chad Michaels, Alaska Thunderfuck, Trixie Mattel, Monét X Change, Trinity the Tuck and Shea Couleé being inducted into the Hall of Fame. The first season of All Stars featured a companion show, which aired directly after the show, RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked, and only returned for the fifth season.

The format of the seasons vary. For the first season, the queens had to compete in teams of two, pairing up with another fellow All Star. From the second season, the contestants would decide who to eliminate themselves.

Format

For the most part, the format of the All Star Drag-Race resembles that of the main series - with each episode consisting of a mini-challenge (the winner of which earning an advantage in the maxi challenge), the maxi challenge (which determines who is eligible for elimination), and a lip-sync (which determines who is eliminated).

However, the format for the competition is altered in that each cast is composed of former contestants from the main series and (from the second season) the power over eliminations rests with the contestants themselves (with contestants deciding between the worst-performing contestants as deemed by the judges), rather than solely by the judges.

Format Variation

The main difference in format to the main series are as follow:

• Season 1: The first All-Stars season was a pairs competition. Queens competed in teams of two, determined by the contestants themselves. Both members of the losing team would be eliminated each week. The bottom two teams chose one member to "lip-synch for their lives". The non-lip synching teammates had the option during the first minute of the performance to declare a "she-mergency", hit a panic button and "tag in" to complete the performance.
• Season 2–4: The second season was an individual format much like the main series and introduced the format of having the contestants eliminating each other. This season also introduced the lip-sync for the legacy, where the top two contestants in each main challenge would compete in the lip-sync. The victor is awarded a cash prize of $10,000 and the power to eliminate any of the worst performing queens from the main challenge.
• Season 5: The fifth season made a minor adjustment to the format from seasons 2–4. Only the main challenge winner can lip sync for her legacy against a Lip Sync Assassin (a notable contestant from a previous season), while the bottom 2/3 contestants are the only ones eligible for elimination. If the Assassin wins, the eliminated queen will be determined by a vote by the rest of the contestants. The $10,000 lip sync prize jackpot rolls over to further episodes until an All-Star queen wins a lip-sync. If the competing All-Star wins the lip sync, she will get the power to eliminate a fellow queen, as well as win a jackpotting cash prize.

Judging

Judges on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars

Judge	Season
	1	2	3	4	5
RuPaul	Main
Michelle Visage	Main
Santino Rice	Main
Carson Kressley		Main
Todrick Hall		Main	Guest
Ross Mathews	Guest		Main

Untucked

Just like RuPaul's Drag Race, episodes of the first season of All Stars were followed by an Untucked episode each week, giving the viewers a glimpse into the backstage drama and discussions between the returning contestants. For the second, third, and fourth seasons, the contestants deliberated among themselves in the work room on who each of the top 2 would eliminate if they won the Lip Sync for Your Legacy. This served as a mini-Untucked as there were no separately filmed Untucked companion episodes for those seasons. On June 5, 2020, it was announced that the aftershow series would return for the fifth season.[3]

Series overview

Season	Premiere Date	Finale Date	Winner(s)	Runner(s)-up	Winner's Prizes
1	October 22, 2012	November 26, 2012	Chad Michaels	Raven	$100,000 A coveted spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame A supply of MAC Cosmetics A vacation trip courtesy of ALandCHUCK.travel
2	August 25, 2016	October 27, 2016	Alaska	Detox Katya	$100,000 A coveted spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame A one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics
3	January 25, 2018	March 15, 2018	Trixie Mattel	Kennedy Davenport
4	December 14, 2018	February 15, 2019	Monét X Change Trinity the Tuck	N/A
5	June 5, 2020	July 24, 2020	Shea Couleé	Jujubee Miz Cracker

Season 1 (2012)

The winner of the first season of All Stars, Chad Michaels

RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars[4] is the first All-Star season of RuPaul's Drag Race and premiered on the Logo network on October 22, 2012. Cast members were announced on August 6, 2012.[5] The queens that were invited back to compete were: Alexis Mateo, Chad Michaels, Jujubee, Latrice Royale, Manila Luzon, Mimi Imfurst, Nina Flowers, Pandora Boxx, Raven, Shannel, Tammie Brown and Yara Sofia. The season featured these twelve returning contestants from seasons one to four, for a chance to be inducted into the "Drag Race Hall of Fame". It is the only season of All Stars to have the contestants compete in teams of two. This series consists of six episodes, each aired in a 60-minute time-slot.[6] Contestants were judged on their "charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent" and, since they competed in teams of two, also "synergy". The winner received a supply of MAC cosmetics, a "one of a kind trip" and $100,000.[7]

Each episode, the judges provide their critiques on the contestants' performances in the main challenge and on the runway before RuPaul announces which team is the winner and which teams had the weakest performances. The teams deemed as being the bottom two must "lip sync for their lives" and choose a queen to represent their team in the lip sync in a final attempt to impress RuPaul. After the lip sync, RuPaul decides who stays and who leaves. RuPaul describes the qualities the contestants must have to be crowned the winner of the show as "Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent... These are people who have taken adversity and turned it into something that is beautiful and something powerful."[8] The phrase "charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent" is used repeatedly on the show, the acronym of which is CUNT. On the All Stars season, "synergy" was added to provide an explanation behind the contestants being sorted into teams (expanding the acronym into CUNTS). The winner was Chad Michaels, while Raven placed as the runner-up, again.

Season 2 (2016)

Season 2 winner Alaska

A second season of All Stars was announced in 2015 and started shooting immediately after season 8. The show was to begin airing on August 25, 2016. Along with the season premiere's announcement, the cast of All Stars 2 were revealed. The cast consisted of 10 returning contestants, Adore Delano, Alaska, Alyssa Edwards, Coco Montrese, Detox, Ginger Minj, Katya, Phi Phi O'Hara, Roxxxy Andrews, and Tatianna.[9] A new twist was revealed for this season changing the format of the show. In previous seasons, the two lowest performing queens had to "Lip Sync for their Life" to avoid elimination. This season has the two best performing queens of the challenge "Lip Sync for their Legacy", with the winner of the lip sync earning $10,000 and choosing which one of the bottom queens to eliminate. However, on their exit, RuPaul advised the first four eliminated queens that they will have the opportunity to come back for their "revenge", with the winner gaining entry back into the competition.

This season featured a lip-sync to the Rihanna song 'Shut Up and Drive' by Alyssa Edwards and Tatianna that has frequently been rated the number one best Drag Race lip-sync performance.[10][11] The winner was Alaska, while Detox and Katya placed as the runners-up.

Season 3 (2018)

Season 3 winner Trixie Mattel

On August 21, 2017, VH1 announced it would air a third season of the series in early 2018. [12][13][14] On October 13, 2017, VH1 announced that a one-hour special, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Exclusive Queen RuVeal, would air on October 20, 2017, announcing the season's returning contestants.[15][16] The nine out of the ten contestants that competed on the third season of All Stars consisted of Aja, BenDeLaCreme, Chi Chi DeVayne, Kennedy Davenport, Milk, Morgan McMichaels, Shangela, Thorgy Thor, and Trixie Mattel. Season one winner BeBe Zahara Benet was announced as the surprise tenth contestant.[17] On December 14, 2017, it was announced that the third season would premiere on January 25, 2018.[18] A new twist on how the top queens of the season were chosen was revealed in the season's final episode. The previously eliminated queens returned in the finale and voted for the top two out of the remaining top four finalists; from there on, the two queens with the most votes advanced while the others were eliminated. The winner was Trixie Mattel, while Kennedy Davenport placed as the runner-up.

Season 4 (2018–2019)

Season 4 winners Monét X Change (right) and Trinity the Tuck (left)

In August 2018, during an episode of his podcast, Whats the Tee?, RuPaul confirmed he was currently filming the fourth season of All Stars.[19] On August 22, 2018, VH1 officially announced a fourth season of All Stars, with the cast still yet to be revealed.[20] On November 9, season 3 winner Trixie Mattel hosted a live stream with season 2 finalists Katya and Detox to announce the cast.[21] The ten contestants competing on the fourth season of All Stars were Farrah Moan, Gia Gunn, Jasmine Masters, Latrice Royale, Manila Luzon, Monét X Change, Monique Heart, Naomi Smalls, Trinity the Tuck, and Valentina.[22] Gia Gunn is the first transgender contestant to compete on a season of All Stars, while Latrice Royale and Manila Luzon were the first contestants to return after competing in a previous season of All Stars.[22] The fourth season premiered on December 14, 2018, on VH1.[22] The winners were Trinity the Tuck and Monét X Change; this marked the first and only double crowning to date in the Drag Race franchise.

Season 5 (2020)

Season 5 winner Shea Couleé

On August 19, 2019, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a fifth season.[23] It was announced on February 20, 2020, on the show's official Twitter account, that the season would premiere on June 5, 2020, on Showtime.[1] The cast was revealed on May 8, 2020. Following the cast announcement, producers announced that the show will air on VH1 instead of Showtime due to the COVID-19 pandemic which caused "various scheduling and programming adjustments."[2] The ten contestants that competed this season consisted of Alexis Mateo, Blair St. Clair, Derrick Barry, India Ferrah, Jujubee, Mariah Paris Balenciaga, Mayhem Miller, Miz Cracker, Ongina, and Shea Couleé. The winner was Shea Couleé, leaving Jujubee and Miz Cracker as the runner-ups.

Season 6 (2021)

On August 20, 2020, VH1 renewed the series for its sixth season.[24]

Contestants

DVD releases

Season	Release date	Special features	Discs
1	January 22, 2013[25]	Bonus scenes Episodes of Untucked Meet the Queens interviews	2

Starting in September 2019, seasons one and two became available to stream on Hulu.[26] Seasons 1-3 became available to stream on CBS All Access on July 30, 2020.[27]

Reception

Critical response

Season
		Rotten Tomatoes
	1	80% (5 reviews)[28]
	2	100% (8 reviews)[29]
	3	14% (7 reviews)[30]
	4	86% (7 reviews)[31]
	5	65% (18 Ratings)

References

1. "RuPaul's Drag Race on Twitter". Retrieved 2020-02-20.
2. Vary, Adam (May 8, 2020). "'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Moves Back to VH1 From Showtime, Reveals Cast". Variety.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
3. "VH1 Brings Back "Untucked" Aftershow for New Season of "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars"". The Futon Critic. June 5, 2020.
4. "RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race". Retrieved September 27, 2016.
5. RuPaul’s All Stars Drag Race: Meet the Queens from www.newnownext.com 6 August 2012
6. Logo launching all-stars edition of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' -- EXCLUSIVE from Entertainment Weekly 12 March 2012
7. "RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race Premiere: Never Too Early to Throw Shade".
8. RuPaul's Drag Race Insider Clip (October 8, 2008). "WOW TV". Wow.wowtv.tv. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
9. "eet the Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars Season 2". Retrieved September 27, 2016.
10. Daw, Stephen (2015-03-15). "The 15 Best Lip Syncs in 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Herstory". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
11. Hatchett, Keisha (2019-03-01). "The 13 Best RuPaul's Drag Race Lip Syncs Of All Time". TV Guide. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
12. Bellino, Damian (August 21, 2017). "VH1 Greenlights RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season Three and Brings Untucked After Show Back to TV". VH1. United States: Viacom Media Networks. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
13. Turchiano, Danielle (August 21, 2017). "VH1 Orders RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 3 and More Untucked (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. United States. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
14. Petski, Denise (August 21, 2017). "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars & Untucked Renewed By VH1". Deadline Hollywood. United States. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
15. Bellino, Damian (October 13, 2017). "RuPaul Will Unveil the Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars in an Exclusive Queen Reveal on October 20th!". Retrieved October 13, 2017.
16. Rudolph, Christopher (October 13, 2017). ""All Stars" Season 3 Queens Will Be Ruvealed In "RuPaul's Drag Race" Special Next Week". Retrieved October 13, 2017.
17. "'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' season 3 queens announced: See an exclusive cast photo".
18. Nolfi, Joey (December 14, 2017). "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 3 premiere date announced in stiletto-snapping trailer". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
19. Grant, David (August 9, 2018). "RuPaul loses it during filming of 'Drag Race All Stars 4', terrifies cast". www.queerty.com.
20. Yang, Rachel (August 22, 2018). "VH1 Renews 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' for Season 4 (EXCLUSIVE)".
21. "Trixie's Playhouse 💒💕💅 @trixiemattel @theonlydetox @katya_zamo #DragRace #AllStars4 🌟🌟🌟🌟". Instagram. November 7, 2018.
22. Nolfi, Joey (2018-11-09). "Exclusive: Meet the 'RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars 4' cast". EW.com. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
23. Swift, Andy (August 19, 2019). "RuPaul's Drag Race Renewed for Season 12; All Stars 5 Also Ordered". TVLine. United States. Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
24. Swift, Andy (August 20, 2020). "RuPaul's Drag Race Renewed for Season 13; All Stars 6 Also Ordered". TVLine. United States: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
25. "RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars". LogoTV Shop. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
26. "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars". Hulu.com. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
27. "Rupaul's Drag Race All Stars". CBS All Access. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
28. "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
29. "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Season 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
30. "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Season 3". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
31. "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Season 4". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 16, 2020.