The Future of 'Drag Race: All Stars'
Including my pie in the sky wishlist for Season 10.
There’s plenty to feast eyes on and sink teeth into on the current, ninth installment of RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars, or the “greatest stage in the world for you to present your act on,” as Ru told the girlies last season. Shannel back on our television screens, Nina West’s runways and RuPaul strutting with the Teletubbies are just three of the reasons this show remains deeply watchable despite its oversaturation in the market. But one big complaint about this season is the stakes, or lack thereof.
One staple of the All Stars format that sets it apart from the flagship series is the queens’ ability to eliminate one another, as opposed to Ru having that power. In making the show vote-driven, the show took on a more Survivor-esque feel in bringing components like strategy and gameplay into the fore. The result: some of the best reality television ever produced. As with many long-running shows of its stature, Drag Race has tried, over time, to tweak its format.
This season has two big twists, one of which has been deployed before and one that is entirely new. The former: No queen gets eliminated. Used only once so far (All Stars 7), this format change allows the queens the opportunity to showcase the full breadth of their drag and avoids a queen being knocked out of the competition during a week where the challenge does not favor her innate talents. The second twist sees the queens not vying for a $200K cash prize, but rather playing to donate that prize money to a charity of their choosing. But there’s also some snafus, both in format and in the rollout. “The stakes are too low and we're devoid of any real drama,” Vulture wrote in a recent recap.
With the tenth All Stars season no doubt around the corner and an anniversary season that could ascend to Heroes vs. Villains status if done right, I thought it high time we dig into the show’s past and conjecture on how to ensure its future.