Five seasons later, many queens have returned to the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise by being cast to compete on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. Admittedly, some contestants have been better than others - succeeding in getting a redemption arc that they craved since being eliminated from their original Drag Race season.
At its best, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars is about queens who ‘grew up’ since their first time on TV and can now show their fully-realized version to the judges and the fans. Thankfully, fans have been able to fall back in love with several All Stars queens who turned out to be great casting decisions.
Katya - All Stars 2
When RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 2 was filmed, Katya had just finished filming Drag Race season 7. Given the distaste that fans have for season 7 and the love that fans have for Katya, All Stars 2 became a chance for the queen to really lean in on her sense of humor and drag aesthetic.
Furthermore, unlike her time on Drag Race season 7, Katya has admitted that she was actually having fun on All Stars 2 - which is something that translated to the screen and undoubtedly propelled her overall performance in the challenges.
Shea Coulee - All Stars 5
Shea Coulee was the frontrunner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 9, but was stripped away from the crown after a history-making lip sync from Sasha Velour. Despite the rumors that Shea would be cast on All Stars 4, the queen decided to wait a bit longer and compete on All Stars 5, which now feels like the right decision for themselves and the show.
Even before All Stars 5 premiered, there was already a sense that Shea Coulee would emerge as the frontrunner of the season. Thus far, the queen has lived up to all of the expectations from the fans, making the All Stars 5 cast that much stronger.
Monique Heart - All Stars 4
Fans are always skeptical when queens go from their original Drag Race season straight into All Stars. With Monique Heart, however, there was very little debate in the fandom.
Monique Heart is always great TV, which is why the producers chose her for All Stars 4 and also brought her on as a mentor on RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race. Additionally, it is very impressive that Monique grew as much as she did in just one year between Drag Race season 10 and All Stars 4.
BenDeLaCreme - All Stars 3
It wasn’t far-fetched to think that the RuPaul’s Drag Race season 6 Miss Congeniality winner would be a great addition to All Stars 3. However, no one could’ve predicted that BenDeLaCreme would become one of the strongest competitors in the history of the series.
It is unclear whether the Drag Race producers had a lot of foresight or a lot of luck when they decided to cast BenDeLaCreme. Nonetheless, given that Ben won virtually every maxi challenge that she competed on, her appearance on All Stars has certainly entered the history books.
Tatianna - All Stars 2
Tatianna went from being a young and inexperienced queen on Drag Race season 2 to being the biggest veteran of the series on the All Stars 2 cast. While some fans wondered if Tatianna would be able to keep up with the new standards and expectations of competing with newer queens, All Stars 2 was solid proof that the producers made the right choice to bring her back to the series.
As an All Stars contestant, Tatianna a multitude of new fans who hadn’t watched RuPaul’s Drag Race season 2. Additionally, Tatianna’s “Shut Up And Drive” lip sync against Alyssa Edwards on All Stars 2 is still lauded as the best lip sync in the history of the franchise.
Monet X Change - All Stars 4
RuPaul’s Drag Race season 10 Miss Congeniality winner Monet X Change was sent home too early on the season after a weak performance in the makeover challenge, prompting fans to want to see more.
The producers were proved right to cast Monet X Change on All Stars 4, as the queen ended up winning the season. While it’s true that Trinity The Tuck, who also won All Stars 4, was a fantastic addition to the cast, Trinity had already been a finalist on Drag Race season 9. As such, Monet’s casting and subsequent great performance on All Stars felt more exciting.
BeBe Zahara Benet - All Stars 3
In the history of the franchise, there hasn’t been a riskier casting choice than having RuPaul’s Drag Race season 1 winner BeBe Zahara Benet compete on All Stars 3. If BeBe did not do well on All Stars, it could’ve prompted fans to discredit her hard work and well-deserved victory on season 1.
Thankfully, BeBe Zahara Benet honored her performance on Drag Race season 1 by making it all the way to the finale of All Stars 3, proving that the producers were right to bring her back.
Jujubee - All Stars 5
Jujubee was a finalist on both seasons that she competed on: RuPaul’s Drag Race season 2 and All Stars 1. Nonetheless, fans were nothing but excited when the All Stars 5 cast revealed that Juju was back to compete.
As one of the hosts of TLC’s Dragnificent, Jujubee has built quite a career for herself outside of Drag Race. With that said, the queen is still a very important part of the franchise, and her performance on All Stars 5 is proof that casting Juju always makes for great TV.
Shangela - All Stars 3
The running joke among Drag Race fans had been that Shangela had competed too many times on the show. The truth of the matter, however, is that Shangie was in one episode on season 2 and placed 6th on season 3, which means that the queen hadn’t actually competed on the series as much as it seemed.
There’s no debate that Shangela was one of the most important cast members of All Stars 3. Shangie not only proved how great of a queen she’s become, but she also gave fans new classic Shangela moments on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Alaska - All Stars 2
Alaska has said that she didn’t expect to win Drag Race season 5, given that RuPaul had just crowned Sharon Needles - Alaska’s then-boyfriend - on season 4. On All Stars 2, however, Alaska came in with the clear mission to take the crown.
There was no doubt that Alaska would be a great competitor on any season she was cast. However, in hindsight, Alaska was one of the most valuable cast members to contribute to the success of All Stars 2 - thus transforming this spin-off into a major TV show that happens every year.