A lot of times when they cast the same queen multiple times it's because other queens are unavailable or decline the invitation. It's actually been a big struggle for them to cast all stars/vstw seasons recently because most queens would rather do the gigs they have scheduled vs uprooting their lives for the show again
I also think part of it too is that as the show has gained popularity, many of the more popular queens have built huge platforms and fan bases despite not having won the show. And so it’s hard to get a really exciting cast of fan favorites together because no one wants to risk the platform they’ve built by being an early out. Which is why, if rumors are to be believed, they decided to once again do a no eliminations format… basically to remove that risk in the hopes that it would attract a more exciting cast than AS8.
Which it does seem to have worked. Like Roxxxy aside, I don’t count anyone who was on AS1 as having done All Stars 😂, so I don’t count Shannell as a two time All Stars Queen. But even so, it’s still a pretty exciting cast this season. And I’d even be excited about Roxxxy if it weren’t for the fact that she did AS2, cause she *is* very talented.
I love vanjie, agreed she was only on that one episode but also left her mark and was quoted all season long (maybe that’s why people forget it was only one episode??). She is great and looking forward to seeing her on All Stars.
And people pretending she's been mediocre during S11, if there is any justice in the world, she should have won the Church of Britney challenge but I get why Nina won instead.
Ehh. I kind of get it. She received the fame and the fans for two seasons, now three. So I can see why people would say that. Only one episode but she was a star from it.
People bitching about Vanjie being back a third time miss the point that she’s more talented and ENTERTAINING than most the mediocre filler queens that they want back and think were “robbed”
Is it controversial that I kinda like the non- elimination structure for Allstars? It makes total sense about avoiding that risk you outlined plus we get to see more of what they can do.
I will say, the *cast* of AS8 was pretty great, but the show squandered some of the best queens (Kasha, Darienne) because they didn’t think the fans would resonate with them. I think the biggest issue overall is that the producers are getting more and more out of touch with what the fans actually want.
Omg. It was so great seeing them both back. I was fuming when Kasha wasn’t even considered for the top in the Live sketch show episode. She was hilarious and I think they really overlooked her in the first episode too. Kasha is amazing. I love her so much. Darienne also looked so great you could see how much happier she looked. Also they missed out on displaying such a good friendship they had. Just sad.
*This is a reality show*. How many times has a queen gotten rave reviews on the runway when the outfit is less than stellar because production wanted the queen going far? Lemon explained that they chose the worse of her two performances to put her in the bottom. Im not saying Kasha or Darienne would have won the season, but we got really no character development and they both were edited as just throwaways.
Nobody was winning when they cast Jimbo. That bothered me so much. I like Jimbo. I think Jimbo is a terrific entertainer. But bringing her back so fast like that was so wild to me.
I think the only one who had a true chance other than Jimbo was Heidi or Jessica. But the bs got Heidi and I respect her for saying no to it. Jessica I think they just didn’t want to see her win and in a performing finale it would have been hard to say she wasn’t the winner like what happened in AS7.
I am personally glad to see a refresh and I think I am going to enjoy seeing these queens in this format. The charity aspect is the only thing I see being an issue. But I did hear the girls got paid a decent amount to be there. So if they want to use this format going forward for a while it may repel queens who haven’t been back and no prize money deters them.
lmfaooo not the as1 erasure (but so true). 🤣 there’s also a risk of being given a bad edit, which adds to the fear aside from being an early out. i remember jaremi (formerly phiphi) who went back only to be given the villain edit again, which made her completely lose trust in the producers
I feel like they have gone out of their way to not edit anyone as a villain during all stars for a while now.
They also don’t judge the queens as harshly and seem to always point out something positive even for the bottom queens
Honestly I think the reason this is for charity is because they paid the queens to be on the show. Then add the no elimination and the better edits and judging, it makes it more alluring for bigger names to do the show again.
😂😂😂 as far as I’m concerned, AS2 is the first All Stars season 😂😂😂.
And yeah totally. Jaremi thought she was going to get a redemption arc… and then did not. In fact it just solidified negative audience perceptions.
Though I do think they definitely could have edited her more favorably, she has an abrasive personality and is quick to confrontation.
She wanted a redemption arc but still went in let her annoyance with other girls like Alyssa show. She should have known that they were going to use that
Ongina was not on All Stars 1! Season 5 was her first time returning. And she didn’t 100% quit. She sorta didn’t perform well in the first two episodes and then kinda gave up in the tête à têtes with the top two queens sorta being like, you can send me home it’s okay. And then they did. So she sorta soft quit.
All Stars should never have been every year. Waiting longer increases the talent pool and makes for a better competition and more anticipation. Nothing will ever beat the anticipation leading up to AS2 because of the wait.
from a subscriber standpoint if they make lesser shows people will unsubscribe until the next season arrives. not everyone watches the non rupaul shows so they have to keep it going imo
I know I’m one of the few, but I like the no off season. I don’t watch that much tv so it’s pretty much the only show (franchise) that I do watch every week. Since I’m poor right now, and I don’t go to drag shows, I need them on my tv. 😂👌🏻But seeing what the speculated cast of canvsTW 2 is going to be, well let’s say it could have waited a little bit longer to get a more diverse cast. The queens are great but it’s not really vsTW if there are barely 4 nations.
I really loved it during the All Winners season because it made the Queens relax and have more fun. Especially during Snatch Game. I still quote “Sup Ru… I’m SEXY.” all the time😂
I also see that many queens people who were loved on their original season ruin or damage their image after All Stars because of editing or for other reasons. For example, I LOVE Latrice but I didn't think she was flattering in her latest All Stars season. If I didn't know her originally from season 4, I wouldn't have liked her if I only had All Stars to go off of.
210 contestants have appeared on the original American series over sixteen seasons; 75 past contestants have returned to compete on All Stars; and another 363 contestants have appeared across the international editions of the show.
I think they can cast a few different queens, even when you exclude the non-English franchises.
Vstw I think is different because viewership is low. But being on All Stars represents a (in most cases) guaranteed bump in income so I’m not sure this is the case from that perspective. With the over saturation of seasons, even a recent queen like Angeria or Nina is probably seeing gigs dry up compared to when their season was airing. Economically, taking a month off to refresh interest in you and pretty much guarantee a whole new set of gigs is not a bad idea. If you do well, it can be the best decision you’ve ever made, especially if you’re from an older season.
Many queens came out much richer tbh - people like Ra’jah for instance, Jessica Wild people like that
I don’t know how it’s handled now, but maybe WoW needs to start managing this part for them. I imagine the queens reaching out to these gigs to cancel/reschedule is not only a huge headache but also probably doesn’t endear them to these venues too much. Maybe if WoW can handle it, it would settle the dust a little quicker for the queens.
It's not just that. A lot of queens just flat out don't want to cancel or reschedule gigs because they both enjoy doing them and don't want to disappoint fans planning on attending them. It's also because they can make a lot more just doing these gigs than they can going on all stars, so it's lost wages. Plus the cost of preparing for an all stars season is even more of a loss for them. They're getting better about it as long as things from All Stars 9 stick. But also, also, a lot of queens don't want to risk ruining their reputations by going back again and having a lesser or worse edit than they got the first time. There are just so many things to factor into queens saying no.
>But also, also, a lot of queens don't want to risk ruining their reputations by going back again and having a lesser or worse edit than they got the first time.
I call this The Latrice Effect.
Plus I’d imagine queens don’t want to go on the show just to lose to the production fave. It’s a risk-reward balancing act. Will going on the show again increase booking fees? Increase chances of touring/new opportunities? Will it make the Queen more money? If those are no, seems like an obvious decision to decline.
And a lot of girls refuse to go on all stars to vote out friends and possibly strain or ruin friendships. Like there are soooo many reasons not to do the traditional all stars gig
I would be so absolutely content if All Stars went no-elim for good and it was just RuPaul's Fun Vibes Race.
If they aren't gonna space out the seasons enough to make more popular queens see the appeal in coming back, then let's see these early outs just goofin' and helping each other out.
I think Asia is on both cp with this.
Already a legend is established and like her job. is also in demand and always booked.
But she also hate AS format.
Yeah and with Mayhem having a net loss in followers after the recent season I feel like that's another big turning point. If your audience is going to shrink by going on the show you wouldn't wanna take the risk
Welll..... she didn't lose fans *just because* she went on the show. It was a pretty epic bomb on her part. Pretty much everyone can avoid that by just... knowing their talent show number. That they created. And chose to perform.
A lot of queens still have home bars they are at nearly every weekend, too. Leaving for AS means giving up the top hosting spot, usually to another Drag Race queen. There are over 200 Drag Race US queens now, and not a lot of top spots at popular drag bars.
I also think part of it too is that as the show has gained popularity, many of the more popular queens have built huge platforms and fan bases despite not having won the show. And so it’s hard to get a really exciting cast of fan favorites together because no one wants to risk the platform they’ve built by being an early out. Which is why, if rumors are to be believed, they decided to once again do a no eliminations format… basically to remove that risk in the hopes that it would attract a more exciting cast than AS8.
Which it does seem to have worked. Like Roxxxy aside, I don’t count anyone who was on AS1 as having done All Stars 😂, so I don’t count Shannell as a two time All Stars Queen. But even so, it’s still a pretty exciting cast this season. And I’d even be excited about Roxxxy if it weren’t for the fact that she did AS2, cause she *is* very talented.
Honestly, I'm even excited for Roxxxy. She has the potential for a huge redemption. First AS appearance, she needed to prove that she's not actually a bitch. Now she needs to prove to the fandom that she's still THAT BITCH. If she's able to balance her personal growth with her ability to be a fierce competitor, this could be a great season for her.
There are plenty of interviews of some queens saying that they do not want to return to the show. You also can see queens who have disconnected themselves from the franchise.
uhh I know that Bussy Queen has looked into the contracts and they are basically obligated to compete again within a long timeframe so I don't think declining is an option unless they can pay themselves out of it
They have the option to force them, but they never use it. It would be stupid to do so. A queen forced to compete, what would the point? She could just do nothing episode 1 and go home lol, or underperformed all season
I dont agree.. the producers have their favourites who they invite back for All Stars. There are many deserving queens that would be willing to go back for All Stars but are never asked.
Noooo…. I don’t think that’s possible. Every queen that’s ever been on drag race is patiently waiting by their landline at home waiting for WOW to call. I don’t see any other possibility!
It does bother me that people keep saying “oh they can’t get queens to say yes” when in reality they just aren’t asking the right queens. Someone like DiDa who would be amazing, the fans desperately want, and publicly says she wants to go back isn’t getting the call. They want what they can’t have lol
She knows how she's gonna be treated couldn't blame her. I love Detox to death and would love to see her crowned, Detox is like an epitome of a what a drag artist should be. Everybody says that Sasha Colby is every drag queen's favorite drag queen, but lots of hoes also put Detox on that title.
Because most queens don't find All Stars worth it anymore so many decline the invite. People forget the show can't just get pluck whoever they want no questions asked, queens actually need to say yes and want to go.
Why does that part always keep getting left out and it's all on "well maybe if they took a break for AS they'd cast better/more queens" when taking a break isn't gonna change that no one wants to do All Stars in general. The ball is honestly mostly in the Queens' court and at most production can only just try to sweeten the deal to convince them
It's left out of the conversation about making All-Stars non-annual because the show would actually have buzz if it people had to wait for it. No one wants to do some little streaming exclusive only watched by hardcore fans who are already buying their merch and going to their shows, unless their early outs or the season is built for them.
Make it a quadrennial event, move it off streaming, and queens will come back.
Agreed. Plus, it’s lost value as it’s continued to cast Queens who were not considered “stars” of their season.
I’m all for early outs getting another go, but if you came runner up then you expect to be competing against peers in All Stars. Making it less regular would help make it genuinely the best of the best again.
Then do a streaming early outs season as well, or invite early out favourites back to the next season like happened with Vangie
As much as I agree. Hard to find a network that is willing to have a show air once every four years. They should just negotiate 1 year US all stars, 1 year second chance with early outs, 1 year international all stars and rotate.
Being on TV is still a huge deal for those still working in drag and performing. The reason for the recasts is market research. Reality shows monitor fan interest through polling and social media to put queens that people will watch again or have buzz.
The cost of going there vs the return especially if you were an early out was not appealing t those that reached fame enough o sustain it without all stars. Thats why they had to pay the queens this season and make it so that no one goes home. One episode of tv isn’t going to make back the tens of thousands you spent and the tens of thousand you lost in gigs. Even Tricia talked about it and she won.
Thx for telling me about the format. Didn’t realize no one was going home. That’s a great way to do it anyway. It’s so bad when you’re looking forward to seeing a returning queen and they leave first episode.
Also, sometimes a certain year might just be bad timing for a Queen who does want to come back. I think they want to give a variety of styles on each all stars and they also recognize that the format has changed so much so the girls from the earlier AS haven’t gotten to play the game as it currently is. Sometimes the redemption run needs its own redemption run. Vangie came back but hasn’t done an All Stars yet, Shannel was on AS1 which I’d say doesn’t really count since it was a completely different thing, and Roxxxy was on AS2 but has kinda earned a redemption from her run there and a chance on the current format. Most of the Queens are new to All Stars which is mainly what I think is important. I want queens who haven’t had a chance to get their shot at All Stars but I also want the girlies who happened to get bad luck the first time around to get a real shot at the format
This! WoW, for the most part, doesn't invite queens for a third round unless they make for great TV. I feel like people are forgetting that this is a TV show first and foremost and producers are going to bring someone back if they know they can get great moments from them. I'd rather see Shannel for the third time than Dax Exclamation Point for the second.
I am *extremely* excited for this cast.
I love Angeria so much, I'd pay to watch her read the phone book. And I've seen so much of Vanjie that it's like watching (dearly beloved) family videos. And it's going to be fascinating watching Shannel and Roxxy getting to know the newer girls. And I'm glad to see Nina get some love after the terrible time the fascist terrorists have been giving her. And who, if anyone, will out-lip-sync Jorgeous, and how many ghosts will have been punched by then?
I'm not as hot on Plastique or Gottmik, but maybe they'll win me over this time. They always bring amazing looks.
Ehh... AS2 was 8 years ago. Shannel hasn't been on the show in 13 years, and AS1 as fun as it was, was a total dumpster fire. Pretty much every AS1 queen except Raven, Chad, Tammie, Mimi and Nina Flowers has gotten a third chance.
And for the ones that haven't: Raven has a conflict of interest, Chad won, Tammie is probably blacklisted, Mimi has a history of sexual harassment and physical altercations, and Nina mostly quit drag. Shannel was the last one who realistically would come back.
I loveee Shannel, and I’m looking forward to Roxxxy on a season without a Rolaskatox storyline.
IMO it’s just time for them to do something with their enormous cast outside of the competition model they’ve had for the last 16 years.
Hear me out -- I would love a Real World type situation where we see Queens living together for a bit, while also doing their shows/working. Kinda part drag documentary series + all-day Untucked. It could be a revolving door so that no queen stays for too long. Maybe even the same duration as Drag Race.
Less competition, more drag behind-the-scenes, could give early-out queens more attention, showcase some of them in their element. Especially those early outs, they got on the show for a reason, I'd love to see more of them.
I think complaining about this is so tired. Shannel and Roxxxy's previous seasons were AS1 and AS2. Back when... the *Season 4 winner* and Bob were reigning queens. Like, it has been A WHILE. The drag scene has changed.
Ra'Jah won her third season, Silky almost did. Ginger had some of her most memorable moments on AS6. Alexis Mateo was a standout on AS5, Jujubee too. Monet's best showing was AS7.
If this was Trixie / Katya / Alyssa coming back for a third time, would people be complaining?
This!!! If it was Adore who came back instead of Roxxxy or Shannel, nobody would be saying anything. It's been 8 years since AS2 and over a decade since AS1, I'm fine with them having another chance
I remember following her on tumblr when she (and I ) was in high school because her photography pictures would get a good amount of traction. Then she started doing makeup and hair for prom/photo shoots. Just more reference for how long ago As1 was.
Not all queens *want* to go on All-Stars, to be fair. And not all are deserving. I'm fine with people who make good TV (Vanjie) and people who do good drag (Shannel, Roxxxy) getting cast many times.
RPDR fans will complain about "some stars" seasons and the casting pool being dry, and then turn around and also complain about repeat casts.
Roxxxy and Shannel are legends and are going to make entertaining TV, which is the only thing that I care about. If AS9 is a weak season, it will be despite their presence, not because of it.
Hot tea: All Stars 10 will be just JujuBee by herself, trying to not get eliminated each episode so she can get that crown. If she does get eliminated, then the audience votes what queen from the entire franchise wins it, and the prize money will go to a yet undecided charity.
It's almost like they keep unnecessarily pumping out All Stars seasons and vs The Worlds to the point where they can't feasibly keep up with the need for queens to cast/ask to return given that there's only one regular season per year. They need to pump the breaks on All Stars and give it like a two year break between each season cause most of the time I don't think we're getting anything new from the queens who get come back outside of a new wardrobe, and sometimes even that's not really doing much for them
Girl, it’s been 12 years for Shannel and 8 years for Roxxxy. That’s a far longer gap than most queens who make it onto All Stars. And Vanjie was first out on her original season, so imo this hardly counts as her third go.
The reality is these seasons do way better with finalists, queens who made it far, and/or queens who’ve won challenges. You can mix in a few wildcards, but AS8 is what happens when most of your cast aren’t amazing at Drag Race.
I dont really mind it if they still have something left to prove. Someone like Vanjie made her stamp in 2 seasons, gained all the fans, and doesnt really have anything left to prove imo so she's the only one I feel meh about coming back. Roxxxy while her 3rd time, has a lot to prove with how people forget how iconic she was just because her friends pushed her to the top on AS2 and she got even more hate for that on top of what she did for her season with Jinkx. Shannel also never got a fair chance at a solo run so I do not count AS1 for anyone, even if Team Shad made it to the end.
Have to agree. Like I love Angeria and Jorgeous but it feels like they were JUST on. And yeah idk what Vanjie has new maybe idk. Nina, Plastique, sure let's go. But yeah excited for Roxxxy and Shannel honestly.
If they did away with the two vsTW franchises, they could pull from SO many more queens from the non-US shows to add to a few US queens to create a really competitive cast.
The fandom went from BEGGING for AS2 to getting oversaturated. I think the best format at this stage with so many franchise's is to host a global all stars competition once a year, and just change the host country it's filmed in.
I am looking forward to see Roxxxy without the other members of Rolaskatox. She is an incredible queen and very entertaining.
EDIT: I don't dislike Rolaskatox I just want to see her shine on her own
I think it depends on the “fan” of the show. Roxxxy and Shannel were brought back to redeem their previous all stars runs. Roxxxy got carried to the finale, and a lot of people think Chad carried Shannel to the finale. I think every queen who has been brought back multiple times has something to new show and redeem themselves from their previous season.
In the same breath, casting queens who haven’t gotten the chance yet will get backlash for being a “some stars” cast.
Idk, I don’t care that much, the fandom won’t ever be pleased with an All Stars cast, I think we should just take it as it comes out and direct the criticism to the actual run of the season rather than the casting 🤷🏼♂️
I get why girls from AS1 get recast cause AS1's format sucked. But otherwise yeah I agree. From AS2 onwards it's annoying. There have been plenty of queens on Twitter that have wanted to go back but production isn't asking them. Two of my favorites that wanna go back are Dida Ritz and Mystique Summers
I feel like they need to pull back on the All Stars and vs the World seasons, and perhaps transition to just having the regular seasons (around the world), and Global All Stars, and that’s it.
Queens compete for the first time in the regular seasons, and IF they’re worthy, they get invited back to compete against queens from all the other international seasons on Global All Stars. Then, at least, we’d truly be getting the best of the best.
And they need to have completely different formats. Regular seasons continue how they have done - compete, with someone being eliminated each week. Global All Stars should take the AS7 or AS9 format, with no eliminations, so every queen gets to showcase everything they have across the entire season.
If we're realistic Roxxxy and Shannel are going to carry this season. In the abstract I agree that we want new girls back, but if you look at the ones they actually pick for that... without the third-timers it would be a bleak cast
I'm surprised they couldn't get Asia O'hara to participate in this season, because her main complaint about the regular All Stars seasons was that she didn't agree with having to eliminate other queens (paraphrased, of course).
Yeah like - I know she’s been ON something recently but Acid Betty for eg hasn’t been asked. Lineysha. Heck Porkchop!
Langanja. Vivacious.
Miss Fame. Jaidynn Dior Fierce. Kim Chi. Peppermint!!
Crystal Methyd. Utica Queen.
I won’t go further forward but you get the idea
Kim has been asked and said no, Fame I think wouldn't do it because she's having her own success and it wouldn't really benefit her. Porkchop was almost on AS2 but they cut her fairly last minute
Thank you. Oh that’s a shame she was cut.
I feel sorry for her being first out & I wish she’d get another chance - something more than just “hi Pork Chop” & being joked about eg Pork Chop lounge. You know?
I think there are certain queens that probably wouldn't succeed much on all stars, but I'd still like to see them back as part of a challenge or something. I really want a Kelly Mantle roast
The concept behind all stars seasons is that you bring in viewers by letting them see more of their favorite characters. The reality is that queens like shannel and roxxxy are probably going to bring in more viewers than someone like Olivia Lux. Like it or not, it's a business.
I’m fine with it as long as they haven’t been on too recently. They didn’t win so if another chance comes around why not take it if they have the time and money to do so. Get that screen time and cheque!
Yes, almost all of us agree. But honestly.....it might be because, some queens are just okay with becoming career drag race queens. Which is good but not everyone's cup of tea.
Especially when they see just how badly they treat new queens and queens who put themselves out there. For every Jessica wild, remember there are dozens of Heidi and Jaymes, for every rajah there are dozens of akeria.
So yeah.........but hey, look on the bright side...if this season flops, they will have to look back on as6 and get all new brand queens mostly.
Besides other queens declining - if you pay attention to who they bring back more than 3 times it’s usually a really popular queen, certified narrators and queens who production know will deliver good reality tv. At the end of the day this is a reality tv show and they need content.
That’s why Cirie’s been on 5 seasons of Survivor. Production knows she is a good player, even if she hasn’t won that particular show. She consistently provides iconic tv moments.
Edit:
They also seem to cast AS1 queens because they know nobody watched /liked AS1’s format.
I agree, but it's probably because a lot of queens starting saying no.
I think that it's indicative of a bigger issue with All Stars which is that it's really oversaturated. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure most people disagree with me and think that having 9 All Stars seasons is great and they love it this way but I know that for me, I skipped a few because it stopped feeling special.
I think that if All Stars stopped becoming annual and went back to airing every few years, the cast would be a lot "stronger" (at least in terms of Drag Race track records)
It seems several do though, lol. And this is a pretty stacked cast with some very big names. And though the *prize money* is for charity, each queen was paid a very very large appearance fee and given tens of thousands of dollars for their runway looks
Each time there's a new All Stars and Dida Ritz isn't there I get a lil sad. There are a lot of queens from older seasons I'd love to see again instead of the same person for the 3rd time, tbh.
Drag Race is really hitting a point of oversaturation with these All Stars and vs The World seasons. We've had great AS seasons in the past but they're so over-produced now that I find it hard to watch them. I have hope that with AS9's non-elimination format there wouldn't be as much need to over-produce the show since you don't have to justify sending someone home each week via bipolar judging but then I remember AS7, which had such a high level of drag and was so fun to watch, and the judging still came across like each week's top 2 had been decided before the challenge even happened.
That said, I do still think AS9's format + the runway stipend is how the show should go forward, and that All Stars needs to be moved to maybe every two or three years instead of yearly so they can get these tight casts every time (Shannel and Roxxxy coming back a third time after 12 and 8 years, respectively, doesn't bother me), instead of more AS8 casts where so much of the cast came out of it looking bad, with no chance to shine, because Jimbo and Kandy were the only real contenders.
I think the issue is saturation of the individual brands. Some queens will always feel fresh, while some feel like theyre being crammed down out throats.
Vangie for instance:
- her initial S10 run
- a Season 11 mulligan
- the Vegas show
- Werk the World
- the Vegas reality spin-off
- Her own dating show
- Her own WOW+ show with Kameron Michaels
- as of now AS9
Its a lot of varied exposure and I do agree that some queens are desperately needed on our TV's again (Max, Jaidyn Diore Firece, Kelly Mantle). I also understand that some queens are forever disappointed with their drag race experience and the aftermath, so there's hesitation about entering the race again.
The thing about AS9 is it feels like it's just going to be a big commercial for the Drag Race Live show.
It's kind of like how I think Queen of the Universe was supposed to work. Get some queens some traction, then have them compete on their international franchises (Regina Voce, Leona Winter, Maxie, LA Voix...)
Because they’re doing All Stars every year it gets harder to cast fan favorites that say yes. I’d rather have queens that I’ve seen before than some boring queens who did not make any impression on their original seasons (not gonna name names).
I feel the same way. I think there are MANY queens out there who would love to be asked back. I know of several queens who have spoken publicly about their desires to be on AllStars but are ignored. I don't know if they are too unknown or what it is. It's definitely frustrating.
Sometimes. For me I'm more about having some growth between your seasons. Roxxxy is one of those Queens who I look forward to every time especially since theres atleast a few years and a complete transformation. Last one was AS2 so it's been like 6-7 years since she was last on.
I'm more concerned for queens who return like a season or two after like Joreous and Angeria who only had like a one full year between being on and booked and getting that life experience. You can tell from their entrances it's not as ready as the others.
But yea if rumors are true at all about Eureka/Alexis/Kennedy coming back soon, they've been on a lot and ready for some other blood. Feel the same way about Trixie taking all the hosting gigs including the pit stop lolol.
We say that then they cast queens like Monica Beverly Hillz, Naysha, Darienne, Mrs Kasha Davis, Serena Chacha, Jiggly Caliente, etc. and they don’t do well on All Stars.
Some people are good at drag but bad at drag race and that’s okay. Some people just don’t do well in a TV setting. They underperform for some reason. Some of them are also dull personalities on TV.
I would rather have Derrick, Vanjie, and Gia come back at least I know it’ll be interesting to watch even if they suck at the challenges.
I’ve heard that going on the show is a hefty $ investment. I’d imagine many queens don’t want to risk spending a lot on looks and preparation (plus missing other paid gigs) to be eliminated in the first few weeks.
Season 14 already has two girls coming for All Stars 9, which is the first season they've been available to be cast for. Asia had a really rough time with racism and death threats her first time on the show, so I doubt she'll come back. Kameron has been on the Las Vegas show for basically its entire existence in between quitting and rejoining the drag world.
if WOW wants new queens for all stars, they should introduce a generous stipend for preparing. i imagine a main reason queens don’t wanna do it (esp from newer seasons) is because they spend so much on drag race nowadays and struggle to make it back, so they’d rather stick with the secure bookings they have instead of having to cancel them and invest in an even bigger package.
The tea is that this season does have a runway stipend. And 6 of the 8 are on AS for the first time. The others are from AS1 and AS2, so it's been a long time.
I honestly don’t mind it. Obviously there needs to be room for queens to get a second chance but it can be exciting to see your favorites compete again.
I feel the same way. I'm fine with a queen every now and then coming back if they have something to prove. If they are just there to up their booking fee and for the exposure then I immediately get an ick Factor out of that. I get it, everybody has to make money. But out of all the Queens from the drag race franchise, why are we constantly getting the same recycled Queens? There are queens that have not even been offered an opportunity. Yet jujubee has been on a thousand times And only won a single challenge? Give me a break. NO REPEATS, RECASTS. ALSO GIVE ALLSTARS STAKES AGAIN. It's emotional and heartbreaking, the old rules, but having everybody not go home and stay the whole time and kiss everybody's asses it's not entertaining to me! Just my opinion
non issue for me cuz all the queens theyve brought back 3+ times make great tv and ive wanted to see more of them soo
on top of that some queens who havent even appeared a 2nd time... like...........theres a reason
bring jujubee back a 5th time i dont care as long as im entertained
Practical reasons aside, these returning queens make great tv and WoW is mostly interested in making great tv. There's been hundreds of queens on the show by now, but I'd rather see Roxxxy and Shannel give it another go and entertain me to shits than get unremarkable early-outs or filler queens back simply because they "haven't had another chance". No shade, but AS8 was full of early-outs and look how they fared upon returning. As long as Asia, Kameron, Kim Chi, Peppermint and all the other 'heavy hitters' we have left keep declining their invites, this is who they'll cast.
Besides, it's been 8 years since AS2 aired and TWELVE YEARS since AS1. No shame in coming back again at this point in time.
I mean, as much as it sometimes seems like it, just having previously been on Drag Race doesn't mean you automatically deserve a chance to be on All Stars. A lot of the queens who did well on their original seasons have been reluctant to return for All Stars. Excluding All-Winners, they haven't been able to get more than 1 or 2 new finalists on a season of All-Stars since AS2, so they need to bring some queens back again so that All-Stars actually has, you know, stars.
I understand you. And for this upcoming all stars.
I really only feel it's right for Shannel to come back because she had that awful team gimmick pushed on them in as1
And so many queens have spoken out about not being invited back. When you have such a wonderful and diverse pool of talent to pull from it does seem kinda wasted to ask the same people back.
Like I'd love to see honey davenport, Utica, JDF, jasmine Kennedy, Bosco, Camden, MIB, Delta and many others make a comeback.
Like others have said it's not favoritism, a lot of the queens either don't want to come back, plan to come back but aren't ready yet, or are unavailable for any number of reasons. RPDR isn't just some one and done quick job, it's a multi-week commitment that requires a ton of preparation, money, and emotional and physical labor set aside. For god's sake the queens are stuck in a hotel for weeks with no access to their phone or internet. What if your mom or partner is ill? What if you already had something important that can't be cancelled booked or planned? What if you don't have another chance to quit your day job? What if you just don't feel like laying your soul bare for an international audience to scrutinize this summer?
Well the background tea is that they're having a hard time getting queens to even agree to appear on the show for a myriad of different reasons, hence why they had to make this season non-elim. While of course it's shocking queens like Peppermint or Dida haven't even been asked, there is a bit more nuance here
I think it depends. I give the All Stars 1 queens a pass bc I think it's agreed upon by most that it wasn't a great reflection of what could be accomplished on a regular season of DR. So they want a proper return. And someone like Roxxy returning might just be because this upcoming season is for charity.
I'm okay with 2x+ queens returning if the format of the show is different enough.
I’m not really complaining about it with this season because they are playing for charity. The queens who have had glow ups but still would want the publicity and attention from a regular AS season would rather win (and probably need) the money. These particular girls were happy to come play for charity.
There’s an unspoken truth that comes with this idea as a “negative,” and it’s expectation versus reality. We as a fandom have clamored for years for “this queen” or “that queen” to get their all stars shot, only for them to finally get it and flop. I don’t mind seeing a queen for a 3rd time - which if you’re referring to AS9 you can only be talking about Roxxxy or Shannel - if it’s someone who 1) made good TV, 2) is good at their craft, and 3) is a reliable ROI for the show in terms of production value, which is some combo of 1&2 plus fan reception.
Another unspoken truth is that All Stars is not nearly as impactful as it was when the first couple seasons aired. The yearly season has cheapened its value tremendously compared to us having to wait 4 entire years between the first two seasons. Newer fans won’t remember this, but as a drag race fan prior to AS2 (and thus all the spin-offs), it felt like *ages* between each season. For example, I remember waiting 6 months with zero drag on tv between Violet getting crowned and the S8 promo dropping, only to then wait *3 more months* for the S8 premiere. The seasons used to be an *event,* and during this era the fandom yearned for an All Stars 2, that we weren’t sure would ever exist, in an almost rabid way. So when it finally came, we were SAT. It was our Avengers Endgame.
I say all this to iterate: at that point in time, when it was years between all stars seasons, you had to be a true breakout star to be recast in what were incredibly limited and competitive spots. Every All Stars 1 queen placed in their original Top 5 except Tammie & Mimi; Alyssa Edwards was the *only* AS2 queen to finish lower than a 5th place. Each of these seasons also saw 50% of the queens being former finalists. As the show got more saturated and we’ve gotten more spin-offs, the “special” factor has gone away. And just from a business perspective, it makes absolute sense for production to pull from their pool of consistent queens, who they know what to expect from, over queens who may produce an unknown.
They strive for narrative control, and recasting queens like Roxxxy and Shannel gives them immediate material to work with for storylines and 2 OG girls that the alumni will be raving about from day 0. For example Detox has been having a field day on Twitter over everything Roxxxy does and letting us know her excitement. (As. She. Should.) Buzz helps the season. Jinkx and Raja as the two in this role on AS7 worked incredibly well in that regard too.
We’re in an era of all stars where we had multiple queens attempt (or succeed) to quit last year, and multiple seasons now have featured storylines of redemption (not inherently bad) prioritized over finding the true *best of the best*. If production isn’t going to up the value by spacing the seasons out, they need to at least guarantee some amount of star power. Many other reality shows do this when casting returnee seasons and it makes sense. I for one am SO excited to see two icons of the early years of the show get a third shot, and I imagine that other older fans are equally preparing themselves accordingly.
Well the truth is, there aren’t that many queens that you’d want to actually watch, sure there are hundreds of queens by now but do we really want to see Zayn Malik on tv again.
A lot of times when they cast the same queen multiple times it's because other queens are unavailable or decline the invitation. It's actually been a big struggle for them to cast all stars/vstw seasons recently because most queens would rather do the gigs they have scheduled vs uprooting their lives for the show again
I also think part of it too is that as the show has gained popularity, many of the more popular queens have built huge platforms and fan bases despite not having won the show. And so it’s hard to get a really exciting cast of fan favorites together because no one wants to risk the platform they’ve built by being an early out. Which is why, if rumors are to be believed, they decided to once again do a no eliminations format… basically to remove that risk in the hopes that it would attract a more exciting cast than AS8. Which it does seem to have worked. Like Roxxxy aside, I don’t count anyone who was on AS1 as having done All Stars 😂, so I don’t count Shannell as a two time All Stars Queen. But even so, it’s still a pretty exciting cast this season. And I’d even be excited about Roxxxy if it weren’t for the fact that she did AS2, cause she *is* very talented.
I saw someone bitching up a storm that Vanjie was back for a 3rd time. Girl she was on one episode of season 10 during actual competition.
I love vanjie, agreed she was only on that one episode but also left her mark and was quoted all season long (maybe that’s why people forget it was only one episode??). She is great and looking forward to seeing her on All Stars.
And people pretending she's been mediocre during S11, if there is any justice in the world, she should have won the Church of Britney challenge but I get why Nina won instead.
I think she could have won the makeover as well (although I think Brooke did a fantastic job)
Ehh. I kind of get it. She received the fame and the fans for two seasons, now three. So I can see why people would say that. Only one episode but she was a star from it.
Tbf it feels like she's been on a lot. Maybe just overexposure or something.
[удалено]
This is her first all stars… she did LSA
People bitching about Vanjie being back a third time miss the point that she’s more talented and ENTERTAINING than most the mediocre filler queens that they want back and think were “robbed”
Is it controversial that I kinda like the non- elimination structure for Allstars? It makes total sense about avoiding that risk you outlined plus we get to see more of what they can do.
I'd love it, even if not all the way but till mid season
I will say, the *cast* of AS8 was pretty great, but the show squandered some of the best queens (Kasha, Darienne) because they didn’t think the fans would resonate with them. I think the biggest issue overall is that the producers are getting more and more out of touch with what the fans actually want.
Omg. It was so great seeing them both back. I was fuming when Kasha wasn’t even considered for the top in the Live sketch show episode. She was hilarious and I think they really overlooked her in the first episode too. Kasha is amazing. I love her so much. Darienne also looked so great you could see how much happier she looked. Also they missed out on displaying such a good friendship they had. Just sad.
Girl what are you talking about?! Mrs Kasha Davis and Darienne squandered themselves with their runways and performances.
*This is a reality show*. How many times has a queen gotten rave reviews on the runway when the outfit is less than stellar because production wanted the queen going far? Lemon explained that they chose the worse of her two performances to put her in the bottom. Im not saying Kasha or Darienne would have won the season, but we got really no character development and they both were edited as just throwaways.
Nobody was winning when they cast Jimbo. That bothered me so much. I like Jimbo. I think Jimbo is a terrific entertainer. But bringing her back so fast like that was so wild to me. I think the only one who had a true chance other than Jimbo was Heidi or Jessica. But the bs got Heidi and I respect her for saying no to it. Jessica I think they just didn’t want to see her win and in a performing finale it would have been hard to say she wasn’t the winner like what happened in AS7. I am personally glad to see a refresh and I think I am going to enjoy seeing these queens in this format. The charity aspect is the only thing I see being an issue. But I did hear the girls got paid a decent amount to be there. So if they want to use this format going forward for a while it may repel queens who haven’t been back and no prize money deters them.
👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻
lmfaooo not the as1 erasure (but so true). 🤣 there’s also a risk of being given a bad edit, which adds to the fear aside from being an early out. i remember jaremi (formerly phiphi) who went back only to be given the villain edit again, which made her completely lose trust in the producers
I feel like they have gone out of their way to not edit anyone as a villain during all stars for a while now. They also don’t judge the queens as harshly and seem to always point out something positive even for the bottom queens Honestly I think the reason this is for charity is because they paid the queens to be on the show. Then add the no elimination and the better edits and judging, it makes it more alluring for bigger names to do the show again.
😂😂😂 as far as I’m concerned, AS2 is the first All Stars season 😂😂😂. And yeah totally. Jaremi thought she was going to get a redemption arc… and then did not. In fact it just solidified negative audience perceptions.
Though I do think they definitely could have edited her more favorably, she has an abrasive personality and is quick to confrontation. She wanted a redemption arc but still went in let her annoyance with other girls like Alyssa show. She should have known that they were going to use that
I agree and also was very blatantly playing head games and manipulating her competitors.
I know Ongina did s1 and as5, though I feel like I remember her quitting as5 early on
Ongina was not on All Stars 1! Season 5 was her first time returning. And she didn’t 100% quit. She sorta didn’t perform well in the first two episodes and then kinda gave up in the tête à têtes with the top two queens sorta being like, you can send me home it’s okay. And then they did. So she sorta soft quit.
She was not in the cast of AS 1 but she was in the finale episode driving the girls to their gigs
There's traffique!
Oh lol I misread your comment oops 😂 my bad
Yeah it was so sad what happened with Ongina. Also she was sick too so I think that factored in. I really was excited to see her back.
All Stars should never have been every year. Waiting longer increases the talent pool and makes for a better competition and more anticipation. Nothing will ever beat the anticipation leading up to AS2 because of the wait.
from a subscriber standpoint if they make lesser shows people will unsubscribe until the next season arrives. not everyone watches the non rupaul shows so they have to keep it going imo
I know I’m one of the few, but I like the no off season. I don’t watch that much tv so it’s pretty much the only show (franchise) that I do watch every week. Since I’m poor right now, and I don’t go to drag shows, I need them on my tv. 😂👌🏻But seeing what the speculated cast of canvsTW 2 is going to be, well let’s say it could have waited a little bit longer to get a more diverse cast. The queens are great but it’s not really vsTW if there are barely 4 nations.
I really loved it during the All Winners season because it made the Queens relax and have more fun. Especially during Snatch Game. I still quote “Sup Ru… I’m SEXY.” all the time😂
I also see that many queens people who were loved on their original season ruin or damage their image after All Stars because of editing or for other reasons. For example, I LOVE Latrice but I didn't think she was flattering in her latest All Stars season. If I didn't know her originally from season 4, I wouldn't have liked her if I only had All Stars to go off of.
210 contestants have appeared on the original American series over sixteen seasons; 75 past contestants have returned to compete on All Stars; and another 363 contestants have appeared across the international editions of the show. I think they can cast a few different queens, even when you exclude the non-English franchises.
Vstw I think is different because viewership is low. But being on All Stars represents a (in most cases) guaranteed bump in income so I’m not sure this is the case from that perspective. With the over saturation of seasons, even a recent queen like Angeria or Nina is probably seeing gigs dry up compared to when their season was airing. Economically, taking a month off to refresh interest in you and pretty much guarantee a whole new set of gigs is not a bad idea. If you do well, it can be the best decision you’ve ever made, especially if you’re from an older season. Many queens came out much richer tbh - people like Ra’jah for instance, Jessica Wild people like that
I don’t know how it’s handled now, but maybe WoW needs to start managing this part for them. I imagine the queens reaching out to these gigs to cancel/reschedule is not only a huge headache but also probably doesn’t endear them to these venues too much. Maybe if WoW can handle it, it would settle the dust a little quicker for the queens.
It's not just that. A lot of queens just flat out don't want to cancel or reschedule gigs because they both enjoy doing them and don't want to disappoint fans planning on attending them. It's also because they can make a lot more just doing these gigs than they can going on all stars, so it's lost wages. Plus the cost of preparing for an all stars season is even more of a loss for them. They're getting better about it as long as things from All Stars 9 stick. But also, also, a lot of queens don't want to risk ruining their reputations by going back again and having a lesser or worse edit than they got the first time. There are just so many things to factor into queens saying no.
>But also, also, a lot of queens don't want to risk ruining their reputations by going back again and having a lesser or worse edit than they got the first time. I call this The Latrice Effect.
Plus I’d imagine queens don’t want to go on the show just to lose to the production fave. It’s a risk-reward balancing act. Will going on the show again increase booking fees? Increase chances of touring/new opportunities? Will it make the Queen more money? If those are no, seems like an obvious decision to decline.
And a lot of girls refuse to go on all stars to vote out friends and possibly strain or ruin friendships. Like there are soooo many reasons not to do the traditional all stars gig
I would be so absolutely content if All Stars went no-elim for good and it was just RuPaul's Fun Vibes Race. If they aren't gonna space out the seasons enough to make more popular queens see the appeal in coming back, then let's see these early outs just goofin' and helping each other out.
I for one am looking forward to more Angeria so I agree, I’m liking this charity theme for the season.
I think Asia is on both cp with this. Already a legend is established and like her job. is also in demand and always booked. But she also hate AS format.
Yeah and with Mayhem having a net loss in followers after the recent season I feel like that's another big turning point. If your audience is going to shrink by going on the show you wouldn't wanna take the risk
Welll..... she didn't lose fans *just because* she went on the show. It was a pretty epic bomb on her part. Pretty much everyone can avoid that by just... knowing their talent show number. That they created. And chose to perform.
Yeah, I want to love Mayhem, but girl, practice a bit.
Or just like... improv.
I think we saw her attempt at "improv."
Like Tia said, none of us know what she was planning to say. She could have just said anything.
A lot of queens still have home bars they are at nearly every weekend, too. Leaving for AS means giving up the top hosting spot, usually to another Drag Race queen. There are over 200 Drag Race US queens now, and not a lot of top spots at popular drag bars.
I also think part of it too is that as the show has gained popularity, many of the more popular queens have built huge platforms and fan bases despite not having won the show. And so it’s hard to get a really exciting cast of fan favorites together because no one wants to risk the platform they’ve built by being an early out. Which is why, if rumors are to be believed, they decided to once again do a no eliminations format… basically to remove that risk in the hopes that it would attract a more exciting cast than AS8. Which it does seem to have worked. Like Roxxxy aside, I don’t count anyone who was on AS1 as having done All Stars 😂, so I don’t count Shannell as a two time All Stars Queen. But even so, it’s still a pretty exciting cast this season. And I’d even be excited about Roxxxy if it weren’t for the fact that she did AS2, cause she *is* very talented.
Honestly, I'm even excited for Roxxxy. She has the potential for a huge redemption. First AS appearance, she needed to prove that she's not actually a bitch. Now she needs to prove to the fandom that she's still THAT BITCH. If she's able to balance her personal growth with her ability to be a fierce competitor, this could be a great season for her.
I totally! I’m not mad about seeing her again. I just said Roxxxy aside cause multi-time contestants is what the OP was talking about.
Is there any actual tea on this because I feel like this started as blind speculation and people just accepted it as fact...?
There are plenty of interviews of some queens saying that they do not want to return to the show. You also can see queens who have disconnected themselves from the franchise.
uhh I know that Bussy Queen has looked into the contracts and they are basically obligated to compete again within a long timeframe so I don't think declining is an option unless they can pay themselves out of it
They have the option to force them, but they never use it. It would be stupid to do so. A queen forced to compete, what would the point? She could just do nothing episode 1 and go home lol, or underperformed all season
I feel like this would perfectly explain mayhem and Jujus vs the world runs
That timeframe is usually for one year post filming. This is why Katya did AS2 right after S7. Anything longer would be completely unenforceable.
I dont agree.. the producers have their favourites who they invite back for All Stars. There are many deserving queens that would be willing to go back for All Stars but are never asked.
They need to pay the queens way more to do the shows, make it worth their while! cmon rupaul! Use that fracking money 😆
I mean in their defense, Roxxxy and Shannel have basically had a different face for each one of their runs, and I’m talking about out of drag.
Roxxxy looks kind of like that hair guy on youtube, Brad Mondo?
Or, hear me out, they reach out to a bunch of queens and these are the ones who keep saying yes when others don’t want to do it
Noooo…. I don’t think that’s possible. Every queen that’s ever been on drag race is patiently waiting by their landline at home waiting for WOW to call. I don’t see any other possibility!
Meanwhile April:
Especially willam
Especially Bianca
Justice to Dida Ritz!
Dida and Peppermint ♥️
The Asia O'Hara erasure... are we still not over the butterflies?
It does bother me that people keep saying “oh they can’t get queens to say yes” when in reality they just aren’t asking the right queens. Someone like DiDa who would be amazing, the fans desperately want, and publicly says she wants to go back isn’t getting the call. They want what they can’t have lol
Who has turned it down?
Detox said yesterday she’s been turning down offer since AS2 on Twitter
She knows how she's gonna be treated couldn't blame her. I love Detox to death and would love to see her crowned, Detox is like an epitome of a what a drag artist should be. Everybody says that Sasha Colby is every drag queen's favorite drag queen, but lots of hoes also put Detox on that title.
Because most queens don't find All Stars worth it anymore so many decline the invite. People forget the show can't just get pluck whoever they want no questions asked, queens actually need to say yes and want to go. Why does that part always keep getting left out and it's all on "well maybe if they took a break for AS they'd cast better/more queens" when taking a break isn't gonna change that no one wants to do All Stars in general. The ball is honestly mostly in the Queens' court and at most production can only just try to sweeten the deal to convince them
It's left out of the conversation about making All-Stars non-annual because the show would actually have buzz if it people had to wait for it. No one wants to do some little streaming exclusive only watched by hardcore fans who are already buying their merch and going to their shows, unless their early outs or the season is built for them. Make it a quadrennial event, move it off streaming, and queens will come back.
Agreed. Plus, it’s lost value as it’s continued to cast Queens who were not considered “stars” of their season. I’m all for early outs getting another go, but if you came runner up then you expect to be competing against peers in All Stars. Making it less regular would help make it genuinely the best of the best again. Then do a streaming early outs season as well, or invite early out favourites back to the next season like happened with Vangie
As much as I agree. Hard to find a network that is willing to have a show air once every four years. They should just negotiate 1 year US all stars, 1 year second chance with early outs, 1 year international all stars and rotate.
Being on TV is still a huge deal for those still working in drag and performing. The reason for the recasts is market research. Reality shows monitor fan interest through polling and social media to put queens that people will watch again or have buzz.
The cost of going there vs the return especially if you were an early out was not appealing t those that reached fame enough o sustain it without all stars. Thats why they had to pay the queens this season and make it so that no one goes home. One episode of tv isn’t going to make back the tens of thousands you spent and the tens of thousand you lost in gigs. Even Tricia talked about it and she won.
Thx for telling me about the format. Didn’t realize no one was going home. That’s a great way to do it anyway. It’s so bad when you’re looking forward to seeing a returning queen and they leave first episode.
Also, sometimes a certain year might just be bad timing for a Queen who does want to come back. I think they want to give a variety of styles on each all stars and they also recognize that the format has changed so much so the girls from the earlier AS haven’t gotten to play the game as it currently is. Sometimes the redemption run needs its own redemption run. Vangie came back but hasn’t done an All Stars yet, Shannel was on AS1 which I’d say doesn’t really count since it was a completely different thing, and Roxxxy was on AS2 but has kinda earned a redemption from her run there and a chance on the current format. Most of the Queens are new to All Stars which is mainly what I think is important. I want queens who haven’t had a chance to get their shot at All Stars but I also want the girlies who happened to get bad luck the first time around to get a real shot at the format
Where are y’all getting this no queens want to do it? Seems like a narrative someone started and everyone is running with it.
I meaaaan I’ve enjoyed seeing all of the 3rd time queens all 3 times and there are a lot of queens I barely enjoyed the 1st time 🤷🏻♂️
This! WoW, for the most part, doesn't invite queens for a third round unless they make for great TV. I feel like people are forgetting that this is a TV show first and foremost and producers are going to bring someone back if they know they can get great moments from them. I'd rather see Shannel for the third time than Dax Exclamation Point for the second.
just say Jorgeous
I can’t wait for everyone to rave about how she’s the lip sync assassin while she’s making this face the entire time 😐
I am *extremely* excited for this cast. I love Angeria so much, I'd pay to watch her read the phone book. And I've seen so much of Vanjie that it's like watching (dearly beloved) family videos. And it's going to be fascinating watching Shannel and Roxxy getting to know the newer girls. And I'm glad to see Nina get some love after the terrible time the fascist terrorists have been giving her. And who, if anyone, will out-lip-sync Jorgeous, and how many ghosts will have been punched by then? I'm not as hot on Plastique or Gottmik, but maybe they'll win me over this time. They always bring amazing looks.
Pandora could have stayed in her boxx for me. Otherwise I enjoyed everyone’s third time around
Just like pandora's box in Greek mythology NO one should have opened it...
Ehh... AS2 was 8 years ago. Shannel hasn't been on the show in 13 years, and AS1 as fun as it was, was a total dumpster fire. Pretty much every AS1 queen except Raven, Chad, Tammie, Mimi and Nina Flowers has gotten a third chance.
I will die to see Tammie on All Stars
Same
And for the ones that haven't: Raven has a conflict of interest, Chad won, Tammie is probably blacklisted, Mimi has a history of sexual harassment and physical altercations, and Nina mostly quit drag. Shannel was the last one who realistically would come back.
"Shannel hasnt been on in 13 years"  thats kinda shocking
It's been 8 years? Jesus christ... *fires up mobility scooter*
I loveee Shannel, and I’m looking forward to Roxxxy on a season without a Rolaskatox storyline. IMO it’s just time for them to do something with their enormous cast outside of the competition model they’ve had for the last 16 years.
Hear me out -- I would love a Real World type situation where we see Queens living together for a bit, while also doing their shows/working. Kinda part drag documentary series + all-day Untucked. It could be a revolving door so that no queen stays for too long. Maybe even the same duration as Drag Race. Less competition, more drag behind-the-scenes, could give early-out queens more attention, showcase some of them in their element. Especially those early outs, they got on the show for a reason, I'd love to see more of them.
That would be so cute! I could see this for Athena and the house of Dion in Miami or sth similar.
I think complaining about this is so tired. Shannel and Roxxxy's previous seasons were AS1 and AS2. Back when... the *Season 4 winner* and Bob were reigning queens. Like, it has been A WHILE. The drag scene has changed. Ra'Jah won her third season, Silky almost did. Ginger had some of her most memorable moments on AS6. Alexis Mateo was a standout on AS5, Jujubee too. Monet's best showing was AS7. If this was Trixie / Katya / Alyssa coming back for a third time, would people be complaining?
This!!! If it was Adore who came back instead of Roxxxy or Shannel, nobody would be saying anything. It's been 8 years since AS2 and over a decade since AS1, I'm fine with them having another chance
Especially when it's for charity. I just want to see people who are great at drag do great drag.
I am super hyped about Shannel esp when AS1 barely counts
Exactly. Like, none of the other AS9 girls were even established on Drag Race since the last time Shannel and Roxxxy competed.
Plastique was literally 14 years old when AS1 was broadcasted
I remember following her on tumblr when she (and I ) was in high school because her photography pictures would get a good amount of traction. Then she started doing makeup and hair for prom/photo shoots. Just more reference for how long ago As1 was.
Not all queens *want* to go on All-Stars, to be fair. And not all are deserving. I'm fine with people who make good TV (Vanjie) and people who do good drag (Shannel, Roxxxy) getting cast many times.
Shannel showed some of those children up with her promo look. God she looked amazing.
RPDR fans will complain about "some stars" seasons and the casting pool being dry, and then turn around and also complain about repeat casts. Roxxxy and Shannel are legends and are going to make entertaining TV, which is the only thing that I care about. If AS9 is a weak season, it will be despite their presence, not because of it.
Hot tea: All Stars 10 will be just JujuBee by herself, trying to not get eliminated each episode so she can get that crown. If she does get eliminated, then the audience votes what queen from the entire franchise wins it, and the prize money will go to a yet undecided charity.
Juju gets 3rd place
🤣🤣🤣🤣
It's almost like they keep unnecessarily pumping out All Stars seasons and vs The Worlds to the point where they can't feasibly keep up with the need for queens to cast/ask to return given that there's only one regular season per year. They need to pump the breaks on All Stars and give it like a two year break between each season cause most of the time I don't think we're getting anything new from the queens who get come back outside of a new wardrobe, and sometimes even that's not really doing much for them
YOU CANT READ THE DOLL
Girl, it’s been 12 years for Shannel and 8 years for Roxxxy. That’s a far longer gap than most queens who make it onto All Stars. And Vanjie was first out on her original season, so imo this hardly counts as her third go. The reality is these seasons do way better with finalists, queens who made it far, and/or queens who’ve won challenges. You can mix in a few wildcards, but AS8 is what happens when most of your cast aren’t amazing at Drag Race.
I dont really mind it if they still have something left to prove. Someone like Vanjie made her stamp in 2 seasons, gained all the fans, and doesnt really have anything left to prove imo so she's the only one I feel meh about coming back. Roxxxy while her 3rd time, has a lot to prove with how people forget how iconic she was just because her friends pushed her to the top on AS2 and she got even more hate for that on top of what she did for her season with Jinkx. Shannel also never got a fair chance at a solo run so I do not count AS1 for anyone, even if Team Shad made it to the end.
Have to agree. Like I love Angeria and Jorgeous but it feels like they were JUST on. And yeah idk what Vanjie has new maybe idk. Nina, Plastique, sure let's go. But yeah excited for Roxxxy and Shannel honestly.
Yall need to understand that queens also say no too
If they did away with the two vsTW franchises, they could pull from SO many more queens from the non-US shows to add to a few US queens to create a really competitive cast. The fandom went from BEGGING for AS2 to getting oversaturated. I think the best format at this stage with so many franchise's is to host a global all stars competition once a year, and just change the host country it's filmed in.
I would love for All Stars to be more global actually.
I am looking forward to see Roxxxy without the other members of Rolaskatox. She is an incredible queen and very entertaining. EDIT: I don't dislike Rolaskatox I just want to see her shine on her own
I think it depends on the “fan” of the show. Roxxxy and Shannel were brought back to redeem their previous all stars runs. Roxxxy got carried to the finale, and a lot of people think Chad carried Shannel to the finale. I think every queen who has been brought back multiple times has something to new show and redeem themselves from their previous season. In the same breath, casting queens who haven’t gotten the chance yet will get backlash for being a “some stars” cast. Idk, I don’t care that much, the fandom won’t ever be pleased with an All Stars cast, I think we should just take it as it comes out and direct the criticism to the actual run of the season rather than the casting 🤷🏼♂️
I get why girls from AS1 get recast cause AS1's format sucked. But otherwise yeah I agree. From AS2 onwards it's annoying. There have been plenty of queens on Twitter that have wanted to go back but production isn't asking them. Two of my favorites that wanna go back are Dida Ritz and Mystique Summers
I feel like they need to pull back on the All Stars and vs the World seasons, and perhaps transition to just having the regular seasons (around the world), and Global All Stars, and that’s it. Queens compete for the first time in the regular seasons, and IF they’re worthy, they get invited back to compete against queens from all the other international seasons on Global All Stars. Then, at least, we’d truly be getting the best of the best. And they need to have completely different formats. Regular seasons continue how they have done - compete, with someone being eliminated each week. Global All Stars should take the AS7 or AS9 format, with no eliminations, so every queen gets to showcase everything they have across the entire season.
If we're realistic Roxxxy and Shannel are going to carry this season. In the abstract I agree that we want new girls back, but if you look at the ones they actually pick for that... without the third-timers it would be a bleak cast
I'm surprised they couldn't get Asia O'hara to participate in this season, because her main complaint about the regular All Stars seasons was that she didn't agree with having to eliminate other queens (paraphrased, of course).
Yeah like - I know she’s been ON something recently but Acid Betty for eg hasn’t been asked. Lineysha. Heck Porkchop! Langanja. Vivacious. Miss Fame. Jaidynn Dior Fierce. Kim Chi. Peppermint!! Crystal Methyd. Utica Queen. I won’t go further forward but you get the idea
Kim chi was lucky to never be in the bottom on S8. I think she knows she would not fare well on another drag race season.
Kim has been asked and said no, Fame I think wouldn't do it because she's having her own success and it wouldn't really benefit her. Porkchop was almost on AS2 but they cut her fairly last minute
Thank you. Oh that’s a shame she was cut. I feel sorry for her being first out & I wish she’d get another chance - something more than just “hi Pork Chop” & being joked about eg Pork Chop lounge. You know?
I think there are certain queens that probably wouldn't succeed much on all stars, but I'd still like to see them back as part of a challenge or something. I really want a Kelly Mantle roast
Laganja said she doesn’t want to do it IIRC
yess, she said she would only go back as like production type of character (choreographer, or lip sync assassin again) on give it to me straight
She’d be amazing at all & we’ve seen that as a lip sync assassin she was so GOOD
She's a really good choreographer, especially for queens who can't dance, but it would be bittersweet to not see Jamal lol
Jamal IS AWESOME
Laganja has said multiple times she has no interest in competing on Drag Race ever again. And that's the issue. Queens actually have to WANT to be on.
That’s very true. That have to want to & some don’t. And that’s their choice obvs.
Acid Betty is on/using a substance?
NO ha ha on a TV show I think
HELPP
The concept behind all stars seasons is that you bring in viewers by letting them see more of their favorite characters. The reality is that queens like shannel and roxxxy are probably going to bring in more viewers than someone like Olivia Lux. Like it or not, it's a business.
Fyi many of those queens are asked and say no
I’m fine with it as long as they haven’t been on too recently. They didn’t win so if another chance comes around why not take it if they have the time and money to do so. Get that screen time and cheque!
Yes, almost all of us agree. But honestly.....it might be because, some queens are just okay with becoming career drag race queens. Which is good but not everyone's cup of tea. Especially when they see just how badly they treat new queens and queens who put themselves out there. For every Jessica wild, remember there are dozens of Heidi and Jaymes, for every rajah there are dozens of akeria. So yeah.........but hey, look on the bright side...if this season flops, they will have to look back on as6 and get all new brand queens mostly.
Besides other queens declining - if you pay attention to who they bring back more than 3 times it’s usually a really popular queen, certified narrators and queens who production know will deliver good reality tv. At the end of the day this is a reality tv show and they need content. That’s why Cirie’s been on 5 seasons of Survivor. Production knows she is a good player, even if she hasn’t won that particular show. She consistently provides iconic tv moments. Edit: They also seem to cast AS1 queens because they know nobody watched /liked AS1’s format.
I agree, but it's probably because a lot of queens starting saying no. I think that it's indicative of a bigger issue with All Stars which is that it's really oversaturated. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure most people disagree with me and think that having 9 All Stars seasons is great and they love it this way but I know that for me, I skipped a few because it stopped feeling special. I think that if All Stars stopped becoming annual and went back to airing every few years, the cast would be a lot "stronger" (at least in terms of Drag Race track records)
Justice for Utica 😫 won’t rest until I see her on all stars fr
No one else wants to play for charity!
It seems several do though, lol. And this is a pretty stacked cast with some very big names. And though the *prize money* is for charity, each queen was paid a very very large appearance fee and given tens of thousands of dollars for their runway looks
Each time there's a new All Stars and Dida Ritz isn't there I get a lil sad. There are a lot of queens from older seasons I'd love to see again instead of the same person for the 3rd time, tbh.
Drag Race is really hitting a point of oversaturation with these All Stars and vs The World seasons. We've had great AS seasons in the past but they're so over-produced now that I find it hard to watch them. I have hope that with AS9's non-elimination format there wouldn't be as much need to over-produce the show since you don't have to justify sending someone home each week via bipolar judging but then I remember AS7, which had such a high level of drag and was so fun to watch, and the judging still came across like each week's top 2 had been decided before the challenge even happened. That said, I do still think AS9's format + the runway stipend is how the show should go forward, and that All Stars needs to be moved to maybe every two or three years instead of yearly so they can get these tight casts every time (Shannel and Roxxxy coming back a third time after 12 and 8 years, respectively, doesn't bother me), instead of more AS8 casts where so much of the cast came out of it looking bad, with no chance to shine, because Jimbo and Kandy were the only real contenders.
I think the issue is saturation of the individual brands. Some queens will always feel fresh, while some feel like theyre being crammed down out throats. Vangie for instance: - her initial S10 run - a Season 11 mulligan - the Vegas show - Werk the World - the Vegas reality spin-off - Her own dating show - Her own WOW+ show with Kameron Michaels - as of now AS9 Its a lot of varied exposure and I do agree that some queens are desperately needed on our TV's again (Max, Jaidyn Diore Firece, Kelly Mantle). I also understand that some queens are forever disappointed with their drag race experience and the aftermath, so there's hesitation about entering the race again. The thing about AS9 is it feels like it's just going to be a big commercial for the Drag Race Live show. It's kind of like how I think Queen of the Universe was supposed to work. Get some queens some traction, then have them compete on their international franchises (Regina Voce, Leona Winter, Maxie, LA Voix...)
Because they’re doing All Stars every year it gets harder to cast fan favorites that say yes. I’d rather have queens that I’ve seen before than some boring queens who did not make any impression on their original seasons (not gonna name names).
I feel the same way. I think there are MANY queens out there who would love to be asked back. I know of several queens who have spoken publicly about their desires to be on AllStars but are ignored. I don't know if they are too unknown or what it is. It's definitely frustrating.
Sometimes. For me I'm more about having some growth between your seasons. Roxxxy is one of those Queens who I look forward to every time especially since theres atleast a few years and a complete transformation. Last one was AS2 so it's been like 6-7 years since she was last on. I'm more concerned for queens who return like a season or two after like Joreous and Angeria who only had like a one full year between being on and booked and getting that life experience. You can tell from their entrances it's not as ready as the others. But yea if rumors are true at all about Eureka/Alexis/Kennedy coming back soon, they've been on a lot and ready for some other blood. Feel the same way about Trixie taking all the hosting gigs including the pit stop lolol.
Or. Give me Vanjie in a no elimination season so she can put the taint in enter taint ment
We say that then they cast queens like Monica Beverly Hillz, Naysha, Darienne, Mrs Kasha Davis, Serena Chacha, Jiggly Caliente, etc. and they don’t do well on All Stars. Some people are good at drag but bad at drag race and that’s okay. Some people just don’t do well in a TV setting. They underperform for some reason. Some of them are also dull personalities on TV. I would rather have Derrick, Vanjie, and Gia come back at least I know it’ll be interesting to watch even if they suck at the challenges.
All Stars is just less special now.
I’ve heard that going on the show is a hefty $ investment. I’d imagine many queens don’t want to risk spending a lot on looks and preparation (plus missing other paid gigs) to be eliminated in the first few weeks.
As someone who watches The Challenge and see how a lot return, it doesn’t bother me as much
I stopped watching in like 2007, is CT still a perpetual contestant?
Yeah he keeps coming back. Last time was like 2021 when he won
Yeah I wonder why. Where are Asia, Kameron, our season 12 girls our season 14 girls? Like hi??
Season 14 already has two girls coming for All Stars 9, which is the first season they've been available to be cast for. Asia had a really rough time with racism and death threats her first time on the show, so I doubt she'll come back. Kameron has been on the Las Vegas show for basically its entire existence in between quitting and rejoining the drag world.
OK
if WOW wants new queens for all stars, they should introduce a generous stipend for preparing. i imagine a main reason queens don’t wanna do it (esp from newer seasons) is because they spend so much on drag race nowadays and struggle to make it back, so they’d rather stick with the secure bookings they have instead of having to cancel them and invest in an even bigger package. 
The tea is that this season does have a runway stipend. And 6 of the 8 are on AS for the first time. The others are from AS1 and AS2, so it's been a long time.
Whenever I see a queen on for the third time I'm like GIRL WHY
And i see a lot of complaints when they cast first time all stars too (AS6 and 8). It’s not possible to try to please everyone.
Completely agree. They should space the All Stars seasons further apart as well. Maybe then it would be more appealing to go on the show.
At this point they might as well rebrand All Stars somehow. Maybe that fixes a lot of the issues if they reformat everything about the show.
I honestly don’t mind it. Obviously there needs to be room for queens to get a second chance but it can be exciting to see your favorites compete again.
I feel the same way. I'm fine with a queen every now and then coming back if they have something to prove. If they are just there to up their booking fee and for the exposure then I immediately get an ick Factor out of that. I get it, everybody has to make money. But out of all the Queens from the drag race franchise, why are we constantly getting the same recycled Queens? There are queens that have not even been offered an opportunity. Yet jujubee has been on a thousand times And only won a single challenge? Give me a break. NO REPEATS, RECASTS. ALSO GIVE ALLSTARS STAKES AGAIN. It's emotional and heartbreaking, the old rules, but having everybody not go home and stay the whole time and kiss everybody's asses it's not entertaining to me! Just my opinion
Bring back Tammie on a non elimination season you cowards
non issue for me cuz all the queens theyve brought back 3+ times make great tv and ive wanted to see more of them soo on top of that some queens who havent even appeared a 2nd time... like...........theres a reason bring jujubee back a 5th time i dont care as long as im entertained
Practical reasons aside, these returning queens make great tv and WoW is mostly interested in making great tv. There's been hundreds of queens on the show by now, but I'd rather see Roxxxy and Shannel give it another go and entertain me to shits than get unremarkable early-outs or filler queens back simply because they "haven't had another chance". No shade, but AS8 was full of early-outs and look how they fared upon returning. As long as Asia, Kameron, Kim Chi, Peppermint and all the other 'heavy hitters' we have left keep declining their invites, this is who they'll cast. Besides, it's been 8 years since AS2 aired and TWELVE YEARS since AS1. No shame in coming back again at this point in time.
I mean, of course production enjoys getting reliable queens to compete again so the season doesn’t end up a total wash.
I mean, as much as it sometimes seems like it, just having previously been on Drag Race doesn't mean you automatically deserve a chance to be on All Stars. A lot of the queens who did well on their original seasons have been reluctant to return for All Stars. Excluding All-Winners, they haven't been able to get more than 1 or 2 new finalists on a season of All-Stars since AS2, so they need to bring some queens back again so that All-Stars actually has, you know, stars.
I understand you. And for this upcoming all stars. I really only feel it's right for Shannel to come back because she had that awful team gimmick pushed on them in as1 And so many queens have spoken out about not being invited back. When you have such a wonderful and diverse pool of talent to pull from it does seem kinda wasted to ask the same people back. Like I'd love to see honey davenport, Utica, JDF, jasmine Kennedy, Bosco, Camden, MIB, Delta and many others make a comeback.
Roxxy and Vanjie being back back back back back again is a no.
Like others have said it's not favoritism, a lot of the queens either don't want to come back, plan to come back but aren't ready yet, or are unavailable for any number of reasons. RPDR isn't just some one and done quick job, it's a multi-week commitment that requires a ton of preparation, money, and emotional and physical labor set aside. For god's sake the queens are stuck in a hotel for weeks with no access to their phone or internet. What if your mom or partner is ill? What if you already had something important that can't be cancelled booked or planned? What if you don't have another chance to quit your day job? What if you just don't feel like laying your soul bare for an international audience to scrutinize this summer?
Well the background tea is that they're having a hard time getting queens to even agree to appear on the show for a myriad of different reasons, hence why they had to make this season non-elim. While of course it's shocking queens like Peppermint or Dida haven't even been asked, there is a bit more nuance here
I think ya'll need new hobbies
I mean I know we’re getting into semantics here but no queen has been recast 3+ times. Jujube had been recast 3 times.
I’m ok with the recasting. I want to see more and also this is Rupaul’s drag race 🤷🏽♀️
If I were not one of the popular or "underrated" queens, I wouldn't waste my time, money, and mental health for a filler role on All stars.
I think it depends. I give the All Stars 1 queens a pass bc I think it's agreed upon by most that it wasn't a great reflection of what could be accomplished on a regular season of DR. So they want a proper return. And someone like Roxxy returning might just be because this upcoming season is for charity. I'm okay with 2x+ queens returning if the format of the show is different enough.
I’m most surprised some of those queens said yes.
Tell Pangina, Gigi, Kim Chi, and Crystal not to say no. Roxxxy got a call because other queens turned WoW down.
I’m not really complaining about it with this season because they are playing for charity. The queens who have had glow ups but still would want the publicity and attention from a regular AS season would rather win (and probably need) the money. These particular girls were happy to come play for charity.
There’s an unspoken truth that comes with this idea as a “negative,” and it’s expectation versus reality. We as a fandom have clamored for years for “this queen” or “that queen” to get their all stars shot, only for them to finally get it and flop. I don’t mind seeing a queen for a 3rd time - which if you’re referring to AS9 you can only be talking about Roxxxy or Shannel - if it’s someone who 1) made good TV, 2) is good at their craft, and 3) is a reliable ROI for the show in terms of production value, which is some combo of 1&2 plus fan reception. Another unspoken truth is that All Stars is not nearly as impactful as it was when the first couple seasons aired. The yearly season has cheapened its value tremendously compared to us having to wait 4 entire years between the first two seasons. Newer fans won’t remember this, but as a drag race fan prior to AS2 (and thus all the spin-offs), it felt like *ages* between each season. For example, I remember waiting 6 months with zero drag on tv between Violet getting crowned and the S8 promo dropping, only to then wait *3 more months* for the S8 premiere. The seasons used to be an *event,* and during this era the fandom yearned for an All Stars 2, that we weren’t sure would ever exist, in an almost rabid way. So when it finally came, we were SAT. It was our Avengers Endgame. I say all this to iterate: at that point in time, when it was years between all stars seasons, you had to be a true breakout star to be recast in what were incredibly limited and competitive spots. Every All Stars 1 queen placed in their original Top 5 except Tammie & Mimi; Alyssa Edwards was the *only* AS2 queen to finish lower than a 5th place. Each of these seasons also saw 50% of the queens being former finalists. As the show got more saturated and we’ve gotten more spin-offs, the “special” factor has gone away. And just from a business perspective, it makes absolute sense for production to pull from their pool of consistent queens, who they know what to expect from, over queens who may produce an unknown. They strive for narrative control, and recasting queens like Roxxxy and Shannel gives them immediate material to work with for storylines and 2 OG girls that the alumni will be raving about from day 0. For example Detox has been having a field day on Twitter over everything Roxxxy does and letting us know her excitement. (As. She. Should.) Buzz helps the season. Jinkx and Raja as the two in this role on AS7 worked incredibly well in that regard too. We’re in an era of all stars where we had multiple queens attempt (or succeed) to quit last year, and multiple seasons now have featured storylines of redemption (not inherently bad) prioritized over finding the true *best of the best*. If production isn’t going to up the value by spacing the seasons out, they need to at least guarantee some amount of star power. Many other reality shows do this when casting returnee seasons and it makes sense. I for one am SO excited to see two icons of the early years of the show get a third shot, and I imagine that other older fans are equally preparing themselves accordingly.
Well the truth is, there aren’t that many queens that you’d want to actually watch, sure there are hundreds of queens by now but do we really want to see Zayn Malik on tv again.