RPDR All Stars 9: A showcase of talent.
Are you up to speed?
Need more Drag Race in your life? All Stars 9 is underway.
Let's get into it.
We are steadily knocking down these episodes as we work our way through the latest season of All Stars.
This week's mini-challenge was a quick-drag photo-bomb. Fine. Nina was declared the winner.
The main challenge this week was a sewing challenge, taking inspiration from RuPaul's music catalogue, obviously.
Love a sewing challenge - particularly when it's a cast who really knows how to put an outfit together. Just to lean into that, I wouldn't have liked a bit more of an in-depth look at the creative process - how are these queens coming up with their designs, what construction are they using, a bit more of a constructive discussion about design options with someone other than RuPaul. I could do with less of RuPaul's therapy-speak.
We got to see the results on the runway, and everyone looked cute.
Angeria's look was clearly underdone - she'd started over about three times and it showed. Shannel went fairly on-the-nose with her Christmas dress, and it seemed to be riding up, but it was fine.
The Top 2 were Roxxxy and Plastique. I would have had Gottmik in the top instead of Roxxxy - it just seemed a more thoughtful and creative response to the brief that was executed flawlessly. But from a narrative point of view, you can see the thought process (mainly because Gottmik was blocked from winning a badge this week).
The narrative sub-plot that keeps on giving is the denial of Shannel. Shannel is an incredibly talented drag queen but it's almost inevitable that the psychological torture of being the only one in the cast who has not "won" a "badge" will inevitably force her to crack - which will make good TV. That arc was continued this episode. The tension continues to build.
The lip-sync track was No One Gets The Prize by Diana Ross.
This is old-school drag - particularly good for a lip-sync battle.
Old-school drag is what Roxxxy Andrews does. It was a clear win to Roxxxy.
The Cast
Here's who is competing for the crown.
Angeria Paris VanMicheals
Originally making her appearance in Season 14 - where she made it to the finale - Angeria is a Drag Race super-fan and brings the pageant polish to everything she does.
Gottmik
Originally making her appearance in Season 13 - where she made it to the finale - Gottmik came into the competition as a look-queen but discovered that she also had a talent for comedy.
Jorgeous
When RuPaul pronounced that you were "born to do drag" you know that you're doing something right. We first met Jorgeous in Season 14 where she made a strong impact although didn't quite make it to the finale.
We're expecting to see a lot of lip-syncs from Jorgeous - not because she's going to flop at the challenges, just that everyone wants to watch her lip-sync.
Nina West
Comedy queen Nina West hit our screens in Season 11, coming in 6th place. She came into the franchise with a strong reputation and she's gone on to amplify that even further - a seasoned performer who is the face of wholesome, family-friendly drag.
Plastique Tiara
If you're only a casual viewer of the show, Plastique might seem a bit of a left-field inclusion in this All Stars cast. She debuted in Season 11, coming in 8th place. Solid. But it's Plastique's social media mastery that makes it a no-brainer for her to be in this line-up. We haven't done the maths but the consensus is that Plastique has the biggest social media audience of any of the Drag Race alum - ever, anywhere. She serves looks and she knows how to work a camera and engage with her fans.
Roxxxy Andrews
If ever there was a Drag Race alum who "needs no introduction", it's Roxxxy Andrews.
She debuted in Season 5 - possibly the best season ever - and she had another iconic run in All Stars 2.
Roxxxy is one of the queens who did the work to build the concept of Drag Race into what it is today.
Will she excel in this series? Obviously.
Shannel
Shannel is the OG Drag Race queen. She was the drama on Season 1, and she was back for more in All Stars 1.
Shannel is very good at Drag. Will she be a likeable character on this season? Probably not. Will she give us some iconic TV? Undoubtedly.
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo
When it comes to finding the silver lining in your elimination, Miss Vanjie sets the bar. Eliminated first in Season 10, Vanjie instantly found love and fame for her tragi-comic exit. She was back for more in Season 11, and has built a reputation as an entertaining queen - whatever she is doing.
Means Happy
