Hey, hunties! Can you believe another season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars has come to a close? I am very sad to see it go. Wow, what a season we had. Tonight the top four had to participate in the most intense finale challenge in herstory!
The girls walked into the workroom post-Morgan McMichael’s elimination. She left a sweet message on the mirror and clearly realized Shangela made the most strategic move. It’s only fair that the girl who was returning to the competition got the chop. Back on the infamous couch, Trixie Mattel was asked to reveal who she would have sent home. Quoting Bebe Zahara Benet from last week’s episode, she said, “out of respect to Morgan, I will not reveal my lipstick”. Everyone laughed, including Bebe herself. She revealed that she also chose Morgan based on the same reasons Shangela had.
RuPaul gave us the final “hello, hello, hello”, announcing the maxi-challenge. The girls will have to write, sing, and dance in a full-on production number. They had to compose and perform a solo to Ru’s song “Kitty Girl”. With help from Todrick Hall, they also had to come up with their own choreography. Oh yeah, one more thing, the eliminated queens were coming BACK! AGAIN! The final four were obviously annoyed by this twist and started trying to put the whole thing together. Trixie was the first to mention the idea of a vote, an ode to Big Brother if you would, working as a jury. She also let us all know someone pulled a muscle pulling the padge. Bebe thought the girls were just going to be backup dancers.
Time for the queens to work with Todrick! They were greeted by backup dancers, disproving Bebe’s idea of where the eliminated queens would fall into the finale process. Each queen was given their own backup dancer. Trixie didn’t want the hot guy so of course she was paired with him. Can we talk about that introduction? “I’m a nice person with a lot to offer”. I’m sure that was my tinder bio at some point. Bebe was afraid of heights with the dance. The height? A simple jump up into the arms of the dancer. Kennedy Davenport’s confessional laugh about her “fear” was my big mood. The choreography was intense and the girls really struggled. Then Todrick dropped another bomb on the girls, the dance will be a live, one-take performance mostly behind the scenes. Trixie and Shangela thought the concept was sickening, Bebe who struggled with the choreography did not.
Back in the workroom and we saw far too many takes of Trixie white boy dancing. The queens discussed how they thought the eliminated (and self-eliminated) queens would feel on arrival. Everyone thinks they may bring a bit of resentment into the scenario. Trixie discussed how she thought at times she wouldn’t make it to the top four. Kennedy mentioned how it wasn’t always about how hard she worked in the challenges but also how she put effort into her friendships to get to this point. Bebe further explained why she thought she deserved a second crown, and Shangela practiced singing Kelly Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This” in her head for her crowning.
(Check out the video here! Thanks for not letting us embed it Vh1!)
On the mainstage RuPaul and… wait… no guest judges? Okay, werk. Oh, nevermind, they were apart of this whole production number! That production number though?! It went off without a hitch! It was so fun to watch and each queen SLAYED the choreography. The lip syncs looked a bit off at times, but I truly could not blame them. Wow, that was sickening.
Time for the runway! The category is best drag eleganza extravaganza! In front of the eliminated queens!! Here are the queen’s critiques!
Bebe: Bebe came out in a leopard ensemble. It was a very cool look, but I’m not sure if it was fitting to wear as her final runway look. The judges were very proud of her ability to conquer her struggles with choreography. They were also fans of her runway look, commenting on how she mixed glamour and camp just like she had all season in her performances. Ross mentioned how coming on the show was the biggest risk for her. What if she failed and her win back in season one was questioned? Good news is no mistakes were made.
Kennedy: Kennedy chose to wear this amazing rainbow dress because rocking rainbow on the mainstage is liberating for her. I love her reasoning behind the look. RuPaul’s Drag Race is synonymous with pride to her. Michelle said she came in with a different attitude this time and fixed her wrongs from season 7. The judges thought her look was a lot, but overall liked it. She was able to showcase her talents all season, and even show us how she can do comedy.
Shangela: Shangela gave us old Hollywood glam. Thorgy saying, “oh, work bitch” from her seat was exactly how I felt watching at home. Carson commented on how much he’s loved watching her fashion on the runway this season. Shangela’s looks have been the highlight of every runway because she thinks outside the box (sorry, I had to). The judges loved how she stole scenes throughout the season.
Trixie: Trixie’s 25th-anniversary classic look was STUNNING. It truly showcased how much she has grown since season 7. Michelle applauded her for bouncing back after struggling throughout the first half of the season. They loved her live performance because it was different than what we are used to seeing her do musically.
Oh, and the eliminated queens? Yeah, they met with the girls in the workroom and cast the final vote for who would be in the top two. This is an amazing twist, but like Trixie stated, it’s a bit of a rocky concept. Some girls will pick a winner based on who they are friends with, while others will base their decision solely on the queen’s performance. Is this a fair process? Probably not. Did it make for entertaining television? Absolutely.
Back in the workroom, each queen had to take the hot seat and plead her case to the eliminated queens. Bebe was first up and knew each girl was already judging her based on the fact that she won her season. Aja (who looked absolutely amazing by the way), asked how she would pave the way for the community differently than Chad and Alaska before her have. I really loved her answer. She mentioned how powerful it would be to have an All-Star who is an immigrant in this political climate. I couldn’t agree with her more. Thorgy Thor asked Bebe who she would have eliminated and brought back if she had one that past lip sync. She refused to answer even then. The eliminated queens were put off by her speech.
Next up was Kennedy. Aja asked how she planned to educate the younger generation on the history of drag while also allowing her own drag to evolve with the times. She had a great answer about how she already is doing it that I respected. Kennedy and Chi Chi Devayne had the most adorable heartfelt moment. She mentioned how the rest of the top four already have strong careers. Kennedy was certainly given the short end of the stick when it came to post-Drag Race careers. Had she not been up against Katya during the lip sync that sent her home, I think her career would look a lot different. It’s not fair to her and I totally understand what she was trying to explain. Regardless of how they finish, the other three already have a strong fan base and career. Kennedy could greatly benefit from placing in the top two. The other girls loved how real she was.
Then came Shangela. She got one last Game of Thrones reference in. Shangela sent three of the six home, while the other three may have thought they should be in her place. Morgan asked why she thinks All-Stars 3 was the right time for her to take the crown after appearing on both seasons two and three of RuPaul’s Drag Race. She gave the best answer. After season 3, she went to drag school. She worked hard and found her craft. Regardless if she becomes valedictorian, she is getting her drag diploma. I love Shangela’s attitude. She worked incredibly hard in the competition.
Trixie walked in and Thorgy booed her, which is exactly how I would have greeted my friend too. Milk asked how she was able to turn the season around. After she fell in the bottom two the first time, she got inside her own head. She finally broke and got past all the anxiety that allowed her to blossom in the competition. Thorgy asked a great question, who would Trixie feel proud to lip sync against in the top two. She thought Shangela was an All-Star long before All-Stars even rolled around. She worked hard both on and off her seasons. Aja had a more devilish question (great pun, sis), asking who she thought shouldn’t be top two. Trixie said Kennedy and Bebe both haven’t grown as much as the others have.
https://thinwhitesalty.tumblr.com/post/171917848922/eliminated-queens-from-all-stars-3-choose-their
The eliminated queens each got to pick two lipsticks. Instantly you noticed who was going to pick their friends and who was going to think more strategically. Was anyone else on the edge of their seat?
Back on the main stage, each queen made an outfit change to prepare for the lip sync. It was time for Morgan to tell the queens who the jury selected to lip sync for their legacy. The top two selected by the jury were Kennedy Davenport and Trixie Mattel. They were both as shocked as we were I think, confused as to HOW Shangela didn’t make it. Shangela had the best attitude about it. We are all proud of Shangela, she is truly an All-Star. As for Bebe, she is so inspiring. A hard-working immigrant who got a chance to expose the younger fans who may have missed season one to her drag. Our first crowned queen!
Kennedy and Trixie performed a lip sync to Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball”. This was the perfect song for the occasion. Both queens gave it their all, and it was such a fun lip-sync to watch. The song choice seemed to be more in Trixie’s wheelhouse, but Kennedy’s dance background was great as well! It was a close one for sure.
RuPaul has made her decision, Trixie Mattel is heading to the Hall of Fame! What did you all think of the finale of All-Stars? Be sure to spill all the tea in the comments below! Thank you for reading along with me every week. Don’t miss me too much, you haven’t seen the last of me winks.
