It wouldn’t be a season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars without a little twist now, would it? This season, there’s – in the words of RuPaul – a “game within a game”. How ominous! At the end of each episode, the Emmy Award-winning host stops the eliminated contestant in her tracks and confirms that she’ll return to the competition, but only if they’re willing to embrace their inner gamer for a, as he told Dr Reverend Silky Nutmeg Ganache, “riddle fantasy”. So far, eight competitors have been chopped from the competition, so if it follows in the footsteps of past instalments, we can expect the twist to be ruvealed within the next two (?) weeks (hopefully). Here, we look back at past seasons of All Stars and share our top five theories on what the twist could be…
Lip-Sync LaLaPaRUza? The Shequel?
This is our best bet. In All Stars 4, all of the eliminated queens – Jasmine Masters, Farrah Moan, Gia Gunn and Latrice Royale – had a chance to ruturn to the competition by defeating a competing All Star in a mid-season lip-sync smackdown. It was one of the most iconic moments from the season thanks to some killer confrontations, particularly Naomi Smalls vs Gia to Adrenaline (that back bend!) and Monique Heart vs Latrice to Sissy That Walk (the flips!). With eight chopped queens so far from All Stars 6, and no indication as to when RuPaul will stop popping up at the end of the episode to announce the “game within a game” twist, we reckon the producers will do a variation on LaLaPaRUza by making the eliminated queens lip-sync against each other. Not all at once, because that would be pandemonium, but maybe in an arena-styled tournament when the winner of one smackdown then competes against another and so forth. It’s never been done before and it would be a gag.
Another jury vote?
We apologise for bringing up one of the most agonising moments in Drag Race herstory, but what if they… bring it back? Would they even dare? In All Stars 3, RuPaul shocked the fandom when he recruited the eliminated contestants – Thorgy Thor, Milk, Chi Chi DeVayne, Aja, BenDeLaCreme and Morgan McMichaels – to vote on who should be the top two All Stars of the season. Bebe Zahara Benet and Shangela, who boasted two of the best track records, were chopped while Kennedy Davenport and Trixie Mattel, whose track records were… unspectacular, advanced to the final lip-sync with the latter succeeding Chad Michaels and Alaska Thunderfuck in the Hall of Fame. Yes, the format was met with scathing reviews but what if the producers have come up with a different variation? After all, RuPaul has never stated that the contestants will make a comeback as actual competitors. All he’s done is embrace his inner Jigsaw and asked them if they want to play a game (see receipts below). Thoughts?
“Serena Cha Cha! Don’t leave. You are not gonna believe this honey. It ain’t over yet… mama. This season, there’s a game within a game. You wanna play?”
“Jiggly! What is a riddle, that is not a riddle, but is a game within a game? Do you want to play?”
“Dr Reverend Silky Nutmeg Ganache! Do not leave. It’s not over. This season, there’s a game within a game. Are you ready for your riddle fantasy, my dear?”
“Yara Sofia! Do not echa pa’lante just yet. It’s not over. This season, there’s a game within a game. You wanna play?”
“Oh Scarlet! There’s a Scarlet Letter waiting or you. Girl, you won’t believe this. This season, there’s a game within a game. You wanna play?”
“A’Keria, I have something to tell you. Don’t leave. It’s not over. This season, there’s a game within a game. Wanna play?”
“Hey Jan! Do not leave. It’s not over. This season, there’s a game within a game. You wanna play?”
Girl group showdown?
This would be major. Just replicate the challenge entirely and give it to us. At the halfway point in All Stars 3, the five eliminated queens returned and competed against the five current All Stars in opposing girl groups with infectious pop anthems Drag Up Your Life and Sitting on a Secret. The former bop provided us with the verse of the century when Bebe Zahara Benet embraced her inner Jungle Kitty (STREAM NOW OR DIE) and sang (?): “Rrrrra-ka-ta-tussy-ta-ta, yeah, I’m pussy bitch. Ooh-la-la-la-la-la-la, c’est bon, c’est bon. Do-go-choco-la-ta-la, you can take my snatch. Drag it up, will it up, give me more, bring it to the ball!” (Fun fact: Bebe did not win or even receive a Grammy Award nomination for these groundbreaking lyrics. Shame!) The challenge was top tier Drag Race, in our opinion, and saw even more success on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season two with the UK top 30-peaking hit UK Hun. All the producers need is writers and producers Leland + Freddy Scott + two separate teams of contestants flipping, kicking and flipping and voila, viral success.
Revenge of the Queens: The Ru-Up?
We’re a bit hesitant with this theory, as the numbers don’t entirely add up. In All Stars 2, the eliminated queens paired with one of the remaining All Stars to deliver a stand-up comedy routine. Under those All Star rules, two teams won and the eliminated contestants in those pairs, Alyssa Edwards and Tatianna, lip-synced for their place in the competition. So far, eight contestants out of 13 have sashayed away from All Stars 6, so this kind of smackdown would need to happen, like, now-ish. Although it’s an uneven number, unlike All Stars 2, it’s entirely possible. Adore Delano didn’t return for the aforementioned challenge after making herstory as the first queen to voluntarily leaving the series, resulting in an uneven number of queens battling it out on the stage. Roxxxy Andrews even competed solo. So, it could happen? Not convinced, but we’re not ruling it out entirely.
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Big Brother?
When we spoke to Divina De Campo for Snatched! – our original podcast series where we chat all-things Drag Race – the UK runner-up suggested a Big Brother-esque twist where the eliminated contestants “decide on challenges” and are segregated in a “separate house”. It would be sickening, yes, but how would it work? A flashback episode, perhaps? It makes sense in regards to the “game within a game” remark RuPaul keeps throwing about, because if there’s any reality series out there that knows how to fuck up the contestants with a “game within a game”, it’s Big Brother.
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