Start Your Engines! RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Three Shifts into Gear
January 19, 2018
Gentlemen, start your engines. RuPaul’s Drag Race is back again with its third installment of All Stars. This season RuPaul brings back ten of what he calls his “legendary children” to ccompete for the chance to win the title of America’s Next Drag superstar and a grand prize of $100,000. Last October, RuPaul returned to TV, in a Where Are They Now? style, showing the viewers nine of the ten contestants competing for the crown.
For the past few months many fans have been speculating about the cast, based on social media disappearances. Some super fans were thrown off the trail, considering some queens had friends run social media, or some disappearing for social media traction. After long speculation, the self-proclaimed “Reddit Nancy Drews” thought they would be able to rest. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Many fans speculate the tenth queen to be season one winner, Bebe Zahara Benet. After winning the crown through her bold fashion and beautiful makeup, many fans question why she may be coming back for the crown. Fans had many ideas for other fan favorites to come back, such as season one’s own, Ongina, another queen highly speculated to return this season.
While there is the obvious, and inevitable, fan dissension, there is also a lot of fan excitement. During the cast announcement, fan favorite Trixie Mattel was announced to return to workroom this January. After being eliminated fourth, brought back, then eliminated seventh, many fans are excited to see what she can bring. After the success of her hit YouTube series, Unhhh, she and her season seven alum Katya scored a show on Viceland, appropriately titled The Trixie and Katya Show. She’s had two shows all summer long, in Provincetown, based on her doll-like aesthetic, corrupt childhood, and love for folk music. Along with her success in performance, she became the first drag folk artist after releasing her freshmen album Two Birds. Many fans are excited to see Trixie return. “I’m excited to see her actually be funny this time around, since she never got to showcase her comedy on her original season,” said Frank Preolo (18’). “I’m excited to see what she can bring to the runway.” Fans are ready for Mattel to bring her unique Dolly Parton-meets-Barbie style back into the race, but will she be able to meet fan expectations?
Along with Mattel comes season nine’s Aja. After stirring much confusion, many question what caused her to return to the race so quickly. After receiving mass backlash during the season for her attack on fan favorite, and season nine Ms. Congeniality, Valentina, many were not happy to see her return. Fans wanted Valentina to return after her epic lip-sync debacle, but were left disappointed after her “arch-nemesis” returned. Many were excited to see Aja when the season nine cast announcement came, due to her massive Instagram following before the show. When her performance on the show didn’t meet expectations, she was left behind by fans. She did gain adoration after her speaking out about her acne, receiving messages and thanks from fans for speaking out on something many relate to. Aja is excited to return, after completely fixing her makeup, a constant critique from fans, fellow competitors, and even judge Michelle Visage. She’s ready to return and give the fans what she promised before.
Following more controversy, season two and three’s Shangela returns. Returning for her third try at the crown, Shangela is ready to bring her evolved makeup skills and newfound sewing ability to the workroom. After being eliminated first season two, Shangela returned the following season, creating her famous scene where she pops out of a box screaming her tagline “Haleloo!” After the cast announcement, many fans questioned the return of Shangela. While many do believe third time’s the charm, some ask why should she return if All Stars is supposed to be your second chance. While Shangela did steal the hearts of many during her long-lived appearance on season three, many fans hoped for someone who hasn’t received her second chance. “Shangela has already proven herself to be a fierce competitor in her previous seasons, and definitely has one of the most actively successful post-show careers out of every queen casted,” said David Wetstein (18’). “I personally feel that the decision to bring her back for an All Stars season could generate some controversy between fans, as a prominent question many seem to throw around is if she has already shown all of her potential and has nothing particularly new to show within the competition.” Shangela is ready to re-enter the race, with her spunky attitude and ability to cause drama that her fans know she can bring.
Fans are already gearing up for the January 25th premiere date on VH1, but all that’s really left to say is: Gentlemen, start your engines, and may the best woman win!
