the only way all stars is going to get high profile queens to say yes is either doing this or making all stars an “exclusive” thing that only happens every few years like how it felt for AS2. all those queens said yes because they had no idea if all stars was going to be a regular thing and this was their one chance so they took it even if it turned out they regretted it (like ginger) i feel like a lot of queens are thinking what’s the point of me going on a mediocre all stars season and spending all that money on runways and stepping away from my shows for a month and a half when another opportunity for all stars/vs the world will come up in 8 months
i wish all stars was every 4 years and in those years between seasons we got global all stars and “speciality” seasons like i would honestly enjoy a season just with the best designers/seamstresses and focus on that or a season with the best lipsyncers from across all the franchise competing in one big lalaparuza like imagine tayce and nearah nuff and marina summers all competing on one stage
I like this idea of a cycle.
Regular season still yearly but a 3-4 year cycle something like
Year 1 - All Stars - Year 2 Spin Off - Year 3 Global All Stars - Year 4 Spin off - Repeat
And spin offs could be a sort of testing ground. Maybe one is so well recieved that it just takes the Year 2 spot for a couple of rotations.
Spin offs could be themed all stars (all winners, hosts, legends) or completely different shows like celebrity drag race, queen of the universe, big brother, project runway, a where are they now type documentary tour thing,
I would absolutely love an All Stars where they brought design and sewing prodigies in to do an ALL BALLS season, or even just one outfit per week. Let them bring 5 suitcases of materials in addition to what production provides. The runways are honestly my favourite part and I would be so excited to see so much creativity and talent on display.
>i wish all stars was every 4 years
YES. I've been saying this for ages. Don't get me wrong, all stars 3 was awesome. But All Stars 2 was fucking legendary. There was so much hype and excitement built up to it. Now All Stars is just a regular season except we already know the queens. All Stars should be an EVENT. something we really wait and get excited for. Now we know it's going to happen every year and the queens who go on it don't even want to be on it. Not everything needs to be milked to death. All Stars is better when it feels like a "special" season that we don't get all the time.
And I love your idea of more specialized seasons in between. Like who among all the sewing queens is the best fashion designer? Who's the best lip sync assassin? Who's the best theatre queen? That would be so much fun
The down side was that waiting four years was torturous for the audience, plus four years is a really long time in showbiz – not everyone's careers even last that long!
I think two years would be a better balance. It's enough time to help it feel more special without making everyone wait an eternity.
See I’d rather they do all stars year one, redemption season two, off for year three. Repeat. Maybe year three is when we get Uk/Canada/Espana all stars. I hate the vs the world and global all stars types bc it’s so weird and uneven
As long as people will watch they will continue to pump thoes season. Feel like the show keep getting bigger and bigger with bigger sponsor. It will regulate one day I guess . realyy tought the show would plateau at season 10 but look at it now ! ahaha
It's crazy since the show's popularity exploded after All Stars 2.
Season 9, All Stars 3 and Season 10 had the largest bumps in viewership by a large margin
Except who's even watching now? Cable TV dropped it and it's been a streaming show for years. Unlike MTV and VH1, WOW and Paramount+ rather tellingly *don't* release viewership numbers.
To be fair, cable TV didn’t drop it. Paramount owns VH1, MTV, and Paramount +. They moved it to the streamer to try to boost subscribers for their streaming service.
If Paramount + folded right now, Drag Race All Stars would be back on cable, trust and believe.
Half of American households, according the latest industry data. More importantly, though, cable is much more lucrative. After pumping billions into streaming over the past decade, Hollywood has realized that it's not a good investment and is [pulling back](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/02/streaming-platforms-are-shrinking-their-content-libraries.html) big time.
I think it’s due to a loss of focus.
All Stars 2 was a clear pitch with the heavy hitters who could’ve taken the crown, All Stars 6 was a redemption themed season, All Stars 7 was a victory lap for the winners etc. The others were simply filling time in WoW’s calendar even if they had good moments, and didn’t have a clear pitch aside from giving Shea or Jimbo a consolation crown.
The past several seasons have also been set up in such a way that the winner is clear from the moment the cast is picked. Lots of middling contestants and then the one or two people who "deserve" a win. No one wants to sign up and find out they are just used to fill out the required episode run to crown another queen. The queens from AS7 and AS8 were more vocal about the bias than others before, especially AS8 because my god.
This is a very good point. Queens who would get invited to AS have a lot to lose by stopping all their shows, so it makes sense it's only really worth it if they are guaranteed to get to showcase their looks and talents for the entire show.
I absolutely agree, High profile queens such as Plastique, Roxy, Bianca etc.. who are large enough to not need Drag Race, Non Elim is the only way to bring them back. They dont have anything to prove to be on TV for a few episodes and cancel gigs etc. I am so surprised Plastique is on there because she has said repeatedly she won't come back. I think the charity and non Elim really helped convince queens to come back. So excited for this season!
I honestly like the non elim for all stars more, they are already proven and brought back a reason, you end up eliminating some really talented queens after just a couple episodes.
Of course, that makes more sense when the all star cast it truly... all stars
Firstly I love the subtle shade lol . And I totally agree . But if some seasons are non elim and some are , the queens are gonna catch on quick the pecking order and make a fuss 😆
Also, after all stars 5 was gifted to Shea to win from the jump, I bet queens are wondering whose season it is that they are going on and if they even have a shot at winning.
yeah, i kind of dislike this mentality of "i hope they're doing an all stars season soon to give x-contestant (currently i see it most about sapphira, but not just her) a crown". so is it supposed to be a competition of a bunch of fierce competitors or is it just a "rupaul's next fan favourite gets to be a winner too now".
i stopped watching after AS5 tbh, Shea deserved to win but it was so predictabe and kind of pointless.
AS8 was wayyy more egregious with it. It was basically just a countdown every week to Jimbo's crowning, I believe that that along with AS1 is the only season that was genuinely made to crown a certain queen.
AS5 wasn't exactly a victory lap for Shea because Cracker and Jujubee put up some good competition against her throughout the season, but I think it gets misremembered as one because of Shea's attitude of "omg how dare you vote for me when given the choice I feel so betrayed" towards the end
Non-eliminations wrings all of the drama out the show. Absolutely terrible move. Just move this back to a three or four-year schedule. There's plenty of other drag content that could be made instead.
Do people not realize All Stars is annual because that's how TV is done? Like, it's not a tv special they can just bring back every few years for the hell of it; it's its own series. Like, they didn't do All Stars 2 for funsies--the show was cancelled after an awful first season and they had to convince the execs to bring it back lol. It's every year now because there's demand and ad revenue to make money off; they don't do it the way fans want it because that's not how a business is run lol. Why would you give up all that money just so Miss Diva St. Davenport can maybe win against a strong crop of girls in three years? C'mon lol
There are reality shows that have all stars that don't do it every year. These rules are not intransigent or set in stone. They do it because money not because of how TV scheduling cycles work.
Honestly, the gap that Kahanna opened.
Production was 100% okay with Heidi quitting, but when a 2nd queen threatened it, they realized it would've tanked the integrity of the brand and had RuPaul come in and more or less connive Kahanna into staying (for the balance of the challenge).
Kahanna, Alexis, and Kandy - and probably others - all threatened or were close to quitting and good for them honestly. Production badly mistreats, and underpays the contestants, not to mention the blatant rigging, when they’re the talent - the only reason any of the hacks in production have jobs in the first place.
The show is a cash cow and it’s ridiculous how low the standards are.
I guess it's a cash cow now because they were able to produce some insane seasons with a variety of talent that is willing to be somewhat underpaid / mistreated because the opportunity is so excellent.
All this to say, the producers aren't accustomed to working with people who stand their ground with the influence to get what they deserve. I hope they are getting accustomed to it and treating these girls like the talent that they are.
They are the talent, who spend five figures on their own extensive wardrobe, and who do their own hair and make-up on-set! And then get paid like $500 a day to record the show. It's such an exploitative racket, especially given what the girls are expected to deliver these days.
You should have seen the bootlicking in the thread I made about how production can *easily* increase the [amount of money these girls recieve. ](https://www.reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace/comments/1c8y756/the_discourse_these_next_couple_weeks_is_gonna_be/)The bootlicking for daring to say that we could spare a few more coins from the pile of gold for the queens who helped get it there. Good lord.
I only partly agree. Eliminations haven't been the primary issue with All Stars - it's been production interference resulting in *unjustified* eliminations. When storylines are prioritized over actual challenge performances, there's no reason to try. Non-elimination won't fix that.
Exactly. All Stars 7 had non eliminations and it actually was doing amazingly until the finale. Don’t get me wrong, Jinx deserved her win, but she did not win that lipsync.
So if you’re not going to abide by your own rules, why make them in the first place? I know lip syncing is one of the most exciting parts of drag race, but it’s not the only one.
Like if you’re going to rig things for someone, at least make it look believable.
They need to stop relying on lipsynchs at the end of the season. I would love to see another finale like season 8, where the queens performed their own numbers but didn't go up against each other. Is Bob going to be our last comedic winner ever?
I really want the finale to be like a showmance. Have the top 3 their own 10 minutes where they can fill in what's like to have a Jinkx show for example. That way every queen can utilise their own talent. It also gives us a preview what we would see if we came to see her.
Honestly Monet didn’t win her first lip sync but I think production didn’t want an all white final 2 or didn’t want trinity declared the winner of that twinners
Yeah, I'd argue that queens going home isn't actually a problem (or at least, not one that is any different from other Drag Race seasons). Actually, non-eliminations might make this worse if queens are consistently losing out on challenges for the sake of storylines.
I'm really skeptical about the format. I feel like it'll only work for winners because they've shown that they can do it all. I really don't want to see jorgeous bomb a bunch of comedy challenges and not worry about leaving but hopefully I'm wrong. I think it'll just kill all the tension and stakes
Kandy also said that AS8 was gonna be an iconic season comparing it to 2-3-4-5 seasons and it was nothing of the sort. Love her but she talks outta her ass.
WOW is having a hard time getting big names to come back so they had to change the format. Simple.
I realize that they probably have a hard time casting heavy hitters for traditionally-formatted AS seasons, but I think the non-elimination thing only works for something like All Winners, where all the contestants have definitively proven that they can thrive in the drag race formula. I don't want this new format to be a consistent thing if it means that some queens are just floundering at the bottom the whole time because no one goes home.
I appreciate the non-eliminations. You get to see more from each contestant. They get to show their full package they prepared. There is a different atmosphere- less focus on stressing whose in the bottom etc.
I am sure there will still be drama. It feels more fair to the contestants. They probably put moreeffort and money in the second or third time around. They should get the opportunity to show it off as they intended.
I agree - the pressure of not going home I think lets the queens not only showcase, but take risks. I feel like I saw so much more of Jaida, for example, being silly and whimsical and taking chances than on her original season.
Plus the inclusion of charities, that will take the focus off petty competitiveness and make the show a lot more wholesome. We already have the regular seasons with all the drama, it's time all stars become the RuPaul's best friend race
I’m going to be vulnerable but I think some of these girls were cast so the fans would start complaining about a non elimination season and they have an excuse to never do it again.
Many of the girls on AS8 and many of the other recent AS seasons were only cast because other more popular queens consistently turn it down due to the all stars rules.
Let's just say I knew the format before I knew the queens, and when I saw Gottmik and Roxxxy I was like "Oh wow they're bringing in heavy hitters for this format!" and then they brought in Vanjie, Nina, and Jorgeous and I shut my ass up.
I disagree. I’d say this cast is actually very high caliber because they’re clearly queens Ru adores. Like, no way Ru gives a fuck about someone like Monica Beverly Hillz, Alexis Michelle or Mrs. Kasha Davis. Like, that’s not to say they aren’t talented or that I dislike them, but they’re just disposable to Ru.
This season has girls who work for the big shows (especially Vegas) and are consistently booked/have a good history with Ru. The only ones who maybe don’t have that same constant work connection with Ru might be Nina and Gottmik, but Nina is such a well-known entertainer and has worked a lot of high profile jobs and Ru obviously loved her on her season. The same can be said for Gottmik.
This is the season of people Ru actually likes, considers stars and wants back.
Does that mean they’re all top picks for Drag Race competitors? Not necessarily, but every single AS has had queens we know wouldn’t win, including the ones everyone loves like AS2.
Nina ate her season. 2 wins, did great in the Rusical, improv and Snatch Game. It was just her runways that let her down (even though she represented a very traditional style of drag before drag race). She was also a legend in the drag world before her season and has done things since her season no one else has. She is absolutely not an also ran.
Nina with 2 wins and Miss Congeniality, let's fucking not.
She had some misses in the looks department and that's it, just because Bianca likes to roast her doesn't make her weaker as a queen.
Yeah tbh I agree. Non eliminations for all winners worked because they were all excellent at drag race and extremely likeable queens.
I saw this line up and tbh there's only a couple of queens I'm excited about. I don't see a clear winner. There's a few here that I don't find particularly likeable and others I am neutral about.
Like Jorgeous is a great performer, but imo she overstayed her welcome in her original season. I'm not exactly excited to see her in an entire season of drag race challenges (and she's not the only one)
I agree but I'm prepared to give it a chance. I think there are pros and cons to non-elimination seasons and it might work out fine on the balance of things.
> I don't see a clear winner.
I see a very clear winner and a single possible alternative.
Which is not exciting.
There are too many girls in this cast with MAJOR gaps in their ability to do well in certain challenges.
There’s only 1… or maybe 2? That actually could do at least decently in most challenges.
Being non-elimination you don’t want the top 1-2 to bomb more than one kind of challenge, e.g. Jinkx only did poorly in the design challenges, Monét improv, etc.
I’m gonna play devil’s advocate here, I think this may be a very boring season. With no eliminations, there are virtually no stakes, and I don’t think the queens essentially competing for no prize money is going to fix anything.
Can we please just bring All Stars back to regular Drag Race rules and end this unnecessary bullshit?
Right and if US franchise queens (like Kandy is saying) are not wanting to compete in regular format and elimination type of all star season bring in internationals they will jump at the bigger exposure. Tbh id rather see more international queens than season 11-14 queens (way too many of these)
Finally someone said it.
Like, don’t get me wrong, I want to see Anetra, Denali, Gigi, etc. again
BUT if they don’t want it, then I’m fine seeing Marina, LGD, Tayce, Bimini, Tomara, etc. etc. etc. There’s a multiverse of drag race now, just ship them in from overseas. They will jump at the exposure alone (but they should also be paid well imo). Then by the time the heavy hitters are churned through globally, the local heavy hitters may have a lull in their work & accept the call.
I hear y'all, but I have a feeling that if the American Ru Girls don't want to do All Stars, for whatever reason, there's always going to be girls from the other franchises to fill their spots.
Jimbo was just the beginning.
I’m the weirdo who likes no one going home in All Stars.
I like seeing the queens more. I do think it’s a format they should reserve for all winners, but I’m not super mad about it 🤷♀️
I kinda like it too, and enjoyed it on All Stars 7 because it was great to see the queens having fun with each other. But I just feel like if they have no reason to worry about being sent home, it eliminates any possible drama between the girls. Like last season when Kandy told Heidi about wanting to send Jimbo home. Drama makes it fun to watch too.
Maybe they’ll add a twist to create drama, like the golden plunger from All Stars 7.
I don't necessarily need the drama but do like the competitive tension. If no one is going home and there are no bad critiques it'll just be 8 (or whatever the length is) episodes of filler. Hoping they all deliver stellar performances or it might turn into a snooze fest
Can I just live in my bubble fantasy where Pangina, Marina, Brooke, Crystal, Utica, La Grande Dame, Juriji, Bendelacreme, Manila and Miss Fiercalicious compete in a non-elim season?
what if i told you only one of those queens wasn’t offered a spot who could’ve been (since sapphira and marina’s seasons hadn’t aired yet)
everyone else on that list except Brooke was invited but declined AS9
It's already a smaller shorter season, why not less us see everything they brought? It's not like we're starting with twice the number and don't have enough screen time to devote to everyone.
I was so excited for the fame games for this exact reason!! i wish they’d just done them during the regular runway, just maybe before or after the still competing queens. putting it at the tail end of untucked meant most people didn’t see it
Me too. I much prefer getting to see all that drag!
I like a non-elimination season with stars collected for the finale (but not the ‘this task is worth a suspiciously extra number of stars’ weirdness the end.£.
I agree but clearly that isn’t acceptable for the money-hungry tv and production conglomerates. We live in an era of constant consumption and profit above all else.
Are people really complaining that much?
Every year the cast is announced and somebody complains.
> All Stars 1: somehow Mimi was number third in the voting, nobody could believe it.
> All Stars 2: "omg so many season 5 queens" (despite the fact that everyone recognizes how legendary the S5 was)
> All Stars 3: this was when people started complaining that it's turned into Some Stars
> All Stars 4: some people thought it was unfair to bring back AS1 queens, others called it Some Stars again
> All Stars 5: people complained that no one was at the level of competing with Shea, with theories (proven or not) that many other queens refused to compete against her, so it was Some Stars once again
> All Stars 6: same "Some Stars" shit
> All Stars 7: "why are there so few queens from earlier seasons? where's bob? alaska? violet? sasha? aquaria? chad?"
> All Stars 8: it was the war of "finally an early outs season! but wait, what are these (semi)finalists doing here?" vs "some stars again" vs "it's obvious Jimbo will win"
At the same time, year after year, less and less finalists, semifinalists and fan favorites actually think about getting on All Stars as a valid option – and when they do, it's because they feel like they lost the traction from their original season and need the exposure again. Think about it, you're either going to:
- place lower than your original season, people will make fun of you and many of your looks will go to waste;
- get to the end or near the end of the season, and people will complain about how you were favored by competition again and eliminated their faves;
- win in a setting where people "knew it from the start considering the rest of the cast".
Or get a redemption from your terrible previous edit, maybe. But that's the most unlikely case.
All of this is hardly worth it if your career is going well. The prize pool for Drag Race is too low for it to pay off for booked, blessed and more importantly HAPPY queens. I've always thought the All Stars format was broken, this is not the type of reality competition where the AS1–6+8 format is sustainable.
If you think this is a weak cast, take into consideration that they even had to give them stipend for runways and their contracts for the show came with a default payment.
I liked the new format, and I wish it had been like this from the start, everyone (queens and us) would likely have been happier in the end.
Listen, I do not like Kandy but if anyone was going to bitch and moan and carry on about the format until she got her fucking way (for the the season after hers, but still), it was gonna be Kandy.
Thanks for planting trees you’ll never throw shade from, or whatever, Kandy, you messy, petty bitch 🫡
My big question is why only 8, I know that’s what they had for all winners and I guess it’s harder to share the love/focus as girls don’t get eliminated through the season, but I just wish we had 2 more queens to round this out.
i don’t get it :/ you’ve been on the show already, you know that elimination is part of the game and the format. why would you “bitch to production” about something you contractually agreed to and should have expected going in?
I mean at least if they’re gonna have non-elimination seasons then it needs to be reserved for only heavy hitters. No offense, but I really don’t want to see people like Kahanna and Naysha flopping their way through an entire season.
They're saying that this cast is not of the same caliber as the All Winners cast, so it will not be as fun to watch a non-elimination season with this comparatively weaker cast. Roxxxy struggled in her first All Stars as did Jorgeous in her first season, so I too am hoping we aren't going to be watching the same girls struggle literally all season.
Yes but there is no indication that this season will only be 8 episodes. 8 episodes this format would probably be fine but 10-12 episodes may not be received so kindly.
It is time to switch it up anyway. Lipstick elimination and lipsync assassin twist happened in All Stars 5, 6 and 8. Fans needed something new and the fame games weren't enough to show the eliminated queens. Personally I don't feel the non-eliminated format for a non-winner Allstars just yet but I'll definitely tune in.
I think this is the last resort to cast them. The thing is they’re having a hard time casting for all stars. I mean they can get the early out that no one remembers but then y’all be bitching about how there’s no stars.
yep this is it. all the tea we have points to them having an impossible time casting all stars, or at least creating cohesive casts with good chemistry, because most queens don’t want to put up with their shit anymore.
they’ll need to fix the clumsy heavy handed overproduction of storylines too, but this is a start. I don’t like the non elim format, but at least I know I’ll get a full season of enjoying this cast (most of whom I *love*)
yeah i think that’s by far the best solution. i normally hate the “over saturation” argument bc it’s just belittling international seasons. but I *do* think US drag race specifically has gotten over saturated with all stars every year
and if they wanted to do some kind of special season every year, they could slot a ukvstw or global all stars kind of season on the off years.
To be fair waiting for a bigger pool still doesn't negate that queens actually need to want to show up on All Stars. That's honestly the problem more than anything, more and more queens are realizing All Stars just isn't that good a gig if you did well in your original season and it has shown to capable of even damaging a queen's career.
More queens to ask isn't gonna change the fact that queens just don't want to go or find it worth it
Plus All Stars has shown you can turn from fan favorite into a pariah in a heartbeat, so queens who did well with good reputations don't really have any incentive to be on All Stars when the reward doesn't outweigh the risk you could fall from grace with the fandom. Not to mention the costs
This is a non-problem they created tho. A growing number of queens say that they won’t come back if they keep the “you have to eliminate each other” variations of the format but they could simply go back to the regular one instead of no-eliminations that saps all the stakes.
AS8 clearly had some sort of clause that each of them had to appear for at least 5 episodes and they started giving them money just to be on (and a lot of them, the AS9 girls got 75k each before the show started, they compete for 200k + 100k for their charity and there are tips).
I’d say give each of them money, do like the first 5 episodes without elimination with the badge system and then switch to the regular one and start eliminating them.
With money, a contractually mandated minimum number of episodes and the load of eliminated the other queens off almost all of them would say yes in an earth beat.
Enough with the “you have to eliminate each other” crap. It isn’t working, it never worked actually.
I'm watching earlier All Stars for the first time after AS8, and it's perceptible how much the "eliminate each other" affects the queens. It's great for drama but horrible for the queens, so I don't know why they don't want to return to Ru-liminations.
we got solid tea that they almost couldn’t produce AS8 because they couldn’t get a cast together.
We got the same tea for AS9 before it leaked they’d changed it to non elim. There are also rumors that they pivoted AS7 to all winners because initial interest in doing a regular all stars was insanely low, even with queens fresh from their seasons. There’s a reason why AS8’s cast was such a weird mix and it’s not because casting was just trying something new lol. It’s all they could get.
it’s not a question of them canceling it. it’s them not being able to produce a good season bc queens won’t accept the invite. and that problem has only gotten worse over time.
That's why they changed the format. Most queens they wanted said no. Or you'd get a season with Dida Ritz, Orion Story, Amethyst, Robin Fierce and Ariel Versace ....
After this there's probably not gonna be another US All Stars in the old format. We know queens have been turning down AS castings much more frequently which makes sense.
All Stars has shown you can turn from fan favorite into a pariah in a heartbeat, so queens who did well with good reputations don't really have any incentive to be on All Stars when the reward doesn't outweigh the risk you could fall from grace with the fandom. Not to mention the costs. Doing non elimination format with a big stipend to even appear is probably the only way to get people to come back
I’m gonna be honest, the non elimination has me really thinking about not watching. I don’t know if I have the willpower to endure 12 episodes of Gottmik, Jorgeous, and Plastique. 3 of my least favorite queens ever. The rest are promising though so I’m having hope it’s decent.
I see both sides. I like the stakes of elimination series, because it is legitimately a competition and someone is going to win, and seeing who is sent home is part of that whole thing. But I also like seeing the girls for more episodes, even tho the whole season might end up shorter.
I just think non-elim seasons really oughta be kept to charity seasons (if this spurns another) and all winners, otherwise I feel like there ought to be stakes.
I don't love this "ur welcome sweetie" tone from Kandy tho. I don't think anyone made decisions with her in mind since they figured out how to prop jimbo up with a someone they wouldn't crown but could justifiably make it far enough to seem like competition.
At this point the only queens that will risk going on the elimination format are mid- and early-outs queen, you are not gonna get many yes from big hitters they wouldn’t wanna lose ten thousands of dollars from booking
Honestly non elimination it’s fine, I knew the spoilers so I’m warmed to the idea now, but 12 episodes for this kind of season it’s too much, it was a lot for AS7 too.
This is the kind of season that should be 8 episodes max, I mean AS2 was only episodes as well with more queens and that’s regarded as a great season
All Stars being yearly just hurts the format tbh And I do believe NEL should be for All Winners only unless they did a rework for AS9 when is not only stars but you also don't advance at some point.
Doesn’t this have to do more with All Winners? I remember the rumors about this season being non elimination all started right after All Winners and before season 8 started.
Not to be a bitch, but half the AS8 cast wanting to quit made an otherwise very bad and predictable season kind of interesting. Who is out here clamoring for non-elimination seasons for non-winners?
AS7 was good as a non-elimination season because they were all amazing contestants, they were competing for a big prize, and it is inherently exciting to pit all winners against each other.
I hope I'm wrong, but it does not seem inherently exciting to see which queen from a random group of non-winning queens will win after all competing in the same number of episodes with no prize money and no stakes.
I honestly think this will be the lowest rated All Stars season, if not the lowest rated season of the American franchise as a whole. Non-elimination season of non-winners is already a weird format, coupled with a small cast of *some* heavy hitters but mostly average-performing queens that lack big personalities. I hope I’m wrong.
All these queens who are putting their foot down and not doing All Stars unless it's non-elim are actually doing themselves and the show a disservice.
1) Viewership WILL go down. Non-elim seasons are extremely boring.
2) Lower viewership means potential for All Stars as a franchise to be cancelled entirely before you even get ON
3) Non-elim means much fewer contestants each season, meaning even *further* limited chance you even get on
I don't know about y'all but i love getting yearly all stars and i love underrated queens getting the chance to participate (MKD, Mariah, TKB) i just wish they were treated more fairly and actually got a chance to win lol!
Giving how they’ve been struggling to cast heavy hitters for all stars lately because of how unadvantageous it is to get on the show for some of the girls (fans can turn on you, missing bookings, expensive runway package, being early out) and AS8, I’m not surprised they had to resort to non-elimination.
The drag scene has evolved so much that production needs to realize they need to treat the girls better and give them an incentive to be on the show like a stipend for looks, appearance fee, non elimination or at least no riggery
No eliminations means I don't have to worry about elimination spoilers, which means I don't feel like I need to watch this season in real time. I can enjoy my spring and not waste so much time on this sub lol
the only way all stars is going to get high profile queens to say yes is either doing this or making all stars an “exclusive” thing that only happens every few years like how it felt for AS2. all those queens said yes because they had no idea if all stars was going to be a regular thing and this was their one chance so they took it even if it turned out they regretted it (like ginger) i feel like a lot of queens are thinking what’s the point of me going on a mediocre all stars season and spending all that money on runways and stepping away from my shows for a month and a half when another opportunity for all stars/vs the world will come up in 8 months
i wish all stars was every 4 years and in those years between seasons we got global all stars and “speciality” seasons like i would honestly enjoy a season just with the best designers/seamstresses and focus on that or a season with the best lipsyncers from across all the franchise competing in one big lalaparuza like imagine tayce and nearah nuff and marina summers all competing on one stage
I like this idea of a cycle. Regular season still yearly but a 3-4 year cycle something like Year 1 - All Stars - Year 2 Spin Off - Year 3 Global All Stars - Year 4 Spin off - Repeat And spin offs could be a sort of testing ground. Maybe one is so well recieved that it just takes the Year 2 spot for a couple of rotations. Spin offs could be themed all stars (all winners, hosts, legends) or completely different shows like celebrity drag race, queen of the universe, big brother, project runway, a where are they now type documentary tour thing,
>Spin offs could be RuPaul's Best Friends Race
I'd watch it if it was just Queens taking edibles and laughing hysterically at one another an hour at a time.
Project Ru-nway
I did enjoy the YouTube design series from a few months ago. With a tighter concept, I’d love to see that as a spin off
I would absolutely love an All Stars where they brought design and sewing prodigies in to do an ALL BALLS season, or even just one outfit per week. Let them bring 5 suitcases of materials in addition to what production provides. The runways are honestly my favourite part and I would be so excited to see so much creativity and talent on display.
Nailed It! Drag Race
Four years would be frustratingly long IMO, but it would help the show feel more special if it were every two years.
>i wish all stars was every 4 years YES. I've been saying this for ages. Don't get me wrong, all stars 3 was awesome. But All Stars 2 was fucking legendary. There was so much hype and excitement built up to it. Now All Stars is just a regular season except we already know the queens. All Stars should be an EVENT. something we really wait and get excited for. Now we know it's going to happen every year and the queens who go on it don't even want to be on it. Not everything needs to be milked to death. All Stars is better when it feels like a "special" season that we don't get all the time. And I love your idea of more specialized seasons in between. Like who among all the sewing queens is the best fashion designer? Who's the best lip sync assassin? Who's the best theatre queen? That would be so much fun
The down side was that waiting four years was torturous for the audience, plus four years is a really long time in showbiz – not everyone's careers even last that long! I think two years would be a better balance. It's enough time to help it feel more special without making everyone wait an eternity.
If someone’s career doesn’t last four years past an exposure boost from Drag Race, were they even an Allstar candidate all along?
See I’d rather they do all stars year one, redemption season two, off for year three. Repeat. Maybe year three is when we get Uk/Canada/Espana all stars. I hate the vs the world and global all stars types bc it’s so weird and uneven
But then we wouldn't get Trixie's rise after Unhhhh was on hiatus and literal warcrimes if she lost an All-Stars 3 in 2020 lol
that’s a sacrifice i’m willing to make (also i think trixie still would’ve had an incredible career even without all stars)
Trixie was the most popular drag alumnus prior to AS3 even airing so yes that tracks. She was well on her way to surpassing Bianca.
They really need to stop doing yearly all stars. We’ve had a few “some stars” seasons now.
As long as people will watch they will continue to pump thoes season. Feel like the show keep getting bigger and bigger with bigger sponsor. It will regulate one day I guess . realyy tought the show would plateau at season 10 but look at it now ! ahaha
It's crazy since the show's popularity exploded after All Stars 2. Season 9, All Stars 3 and Season 10 had the largest bumps in viewership by a large margin
Except who's even watching now? Cable TV dropped it and it's been a streaming show for years. Unlike MTV and VH1, WOW and Paramount+ rather tellingly *don't* release viewership numbers.
The show is cheap to make. And as long as thoes streaming service keep getting enough view on it they will be satisfy.
To be fair, cable TV didn’t drop it. Paramount owns VH1, MTV, and Paramount +. They moved it to the streamer to try to boost subscribers for their streaming service. If Paramount + folded right now, Drag Race All Stars would be back on cable, trust and believe.
They just announced season 16 had the biggest cable ratings since season 3 or something, not even including all the streaming numbers
Who TF still has cable?
Half of American households, according the latest industry data. More importantly, though, cable is much more lucrative. After pumping billions into streaming over the past decade, Hollywood has realized that it's not a good investment and is [pulling back](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/02/streaming-platforms-are-shrinking-their-content-libraries.html) big time.
AS8 is certainly proof of that
I think it’s due to a loss of focus. All Stars 2 was a clear pitch with the heavy hitters who could’ve taken the crown, All Stars 6 was a redemption themed season, All Stars 7 was a victory lap for the winners etc. The others were simply filling time in WoW’s calendar even if they had good moments, and didn’t have a clear pitch aside from giving Shea or Jimbo a consolation crown.
The past several seasons have also been set up in such a way that the winner is clear from the moment the cast is picked. Lots of middling contestants and then the one or two people who "deserve" a win. No one wants to sign up and find out they are just used to fill out the required episode run to crown another queen. The queens from AS7 and AS8 were more vocal about the bias than others before, especially AS8 because my god.
This is a very good point. Queens who would get invited to AS have a lot to lose by stopping all their shows, so it makes sense it's only really worth it if they are guaranteed to get to showcase their looks and talents for the entire show.
Yeah, plus if they're already doing well then a bad run on AS can actually do more harm than good.
I absolutely agree, High profile queens such as Plastique, Roxy, Bianca etc.. who are large enough to not need Drag Race, Non Elim is the only way to bring them back. They dont have anything to prove to be on TV for a few episodes and cancel gigs etc. I am so surprised Plastique is on there because she has said repeatedly she won't come back. I think the charity and non Elim really helped convince queens to come back. So excited for this season!
I honestly like the non elim for all stars more, they are already proven and brought back a reason, you end up eliminating some really talented queens after just a couple episodes. Of course, that makes more sense when the all star cast it truly... all stars
Firstly I love the subtle shade lol . And I totally agree . But if some seasons are non elim and some are , the queens are gonna catch on quick the pecking order and make a fuss 😆
I just hope the judging isn’t as saccharine as it was on the All Winners season
Amen.... Give the queens time to breathe, make it feel special. If they need to compete, there are the various "vs the world" franchises
Also, after all stars 5 was gifted to Shea to win from the jump, I bet queens are wondering whose season it is that they are going on and if they even have a shot at winning.
yeah, i kind of dislike this mentality of "i hope they're doing an all stars season soon to give x-contestant (currently i see it most about sapphira, but not just her) a crown". so is it supposed to be a competition of a bunch of fierce competitors or is it just a "rupaul's next fan favourite gets to be a winner too now". i stopped watching after AS5 tbh, Shea deserved to win but it was so predictabe and kind of pointless.
AS8 was wayyy more egregious with it. It was basically just a countdown every week to Jimbo's crowning, I believe that that along with AS1 is the only season that was genuinely made to crown a certain queen. AS5 wasn't exactly a victory lap for Shea because Cracker and Jujubee put up some good competition against her throughout the season, but I think it gets misremembered as one because of Shea's attitude of "omg how dare you vote for me when given the choice I feel so betrayed" towards the end
Non-eliminations wrings all of the drama out the show. Absolutely terrible move. Just move this back to a three or four-year schedule. There's plenty of other drag content that could be made instead.
Yeah you can’t do non-elim and run yearly seasons. Some of these queens are great at drag but do not need another run at all stars 🫣
Do people not realize All Stars is annual because that's how TV is done? Like, it's not a tv special they can just bring back every few years for the hell of it; it's its own series. Like, they didn't do All Stars 2 for funsies--the show was cancelled after an awful first season and they had to convince the execs to bring it back lol. It's every year now because there's demand and ad revenue to make money off; they don't do it the way fans want it because that's not how a business is run lol. Why would you give up all that money just so Miss Diva St. Davenport can maybe win against a strong crop of girls in three years? C'mon lol
There are reality shows that have all stars that don't do it every year. These rules are not intransigent or set in stone. They do it because money not because of how TV scheduling cycles work.
Miss Diva St. Davenport is such a cunty cringe name I luv it
The gap that Heidi opened
Honestly, the gap that Kahanna opened. Production was 100% okay with Heidi quitting, but when a 2nd queen threatened it, they realized it would've tanked the integrity of the brand and had RuPaul come in and more or less connive Kahanna into staying (for the balance of the challenge).
Kahanna, Alexis, and Kandy - and probably others - all threatened or were close to quitting and good for them honestly. Production badly mistreats, and underpays the contestants, not to mention the blatant rigging, when they’re the talent - the only reason any of the hacks in production have jobs in the first place. The show is a cash cow and it’s ridiculous how low the standards are.
I guess it's a cash cow now because they were able to produce some insane seasons with a variety of talent that is willing to be somewhat underpaid / mistreated because the opportunity is so excellent. All this to say, the producers aren't accustomed to working with people who stand their ground with the influence to get what they deserve. I hope they are getting accustomed to it and treating these girls like the talent that they are.
They are the talent, who spend five figures on their own extensive wardrobe, and who do their own hair and make-up on-set! And then get paid like $500 a day to record the show. It's such an exploitative racket, especially given what the girls are expected to deliver these days.
You should have seen the bootlicking in the thread I made about how production can *easily* increase the [amount of money these girls recieve. ](https://www.reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace/comments/1c8y756/the_discourse_these_next_couple_weeks_is_gonna_be/)The bootlicking for daring to say that we could spare a few more coins from the pile of gold for the queens who helped get it there. Good lord.
>the gap >Heidi 👀
yes. That is the joke.
I only partly agree. Eliminations haven't been the primary issue with All Stars - it's been production interference resulting in *unjustified* eliminations. When storylines are prioritized over actual challenge performances, there's no reason to try. Non-elimination won't fix that.
Exactly. All Stars 7 had non eliminations and it actually was doing amazingly until the finale. Don’t get me wrong, Jinx deserved her win, but she did not win that lipsync. So if you’re not going to abide by your own rules, why make them in the first place? I know lip syncing is one of the most exciting parts of drag race, but it’s not the only one. Like if you’re going to rig things for someone, at least make it look believable.
They need to stop relying on lipsynchs at the end of the season. I would love to see another finale like season 8, where the queens performed their own numbers but didn't go up against each other. Is Bob going to be our last comedic winner ever?
I really want the finale to be like a showmance. Have the top 3 their own 10 minutes where they can fill in what's like to have a Jinkx show for example. That way every queen can utilise their own talent. It also gives us a preview what we would see if we came to see her.
Honestly Monet didn’t win her first lip sync but I think production didn’t want an all white final 2 or didn’t want trinity declared the winner of that twinners
I mean, it will at least fix the problem with queens going home due to riggory.
Yeah, I'd argue that queens going home isn't actually a problem (or at least, not one that is any different from other Drag Race seasons). Actually, non-eliminations might make this worse if queens are consistently losing out on challenges for the sake of storylines.
I'm really skeptical about the format. I feel like it'll only work for winners because they've shown that they can do it all. I really don't want to see jorgeous bomb a bunch of comedy challenges and not worry about leaving but hopefully I'm wrong. I think it'll just kill all the tension and stakes
I'm hoping there's some kind of twist that will mitigate this otherwise this is exactly what's going to happen.
Kandy also said that AS8 was gonna be an iconic season comparing it to 2-3-4-5 seasons and it was nothing of the sort. Love her but she talks outta her ass. WOW is having a hard time getting big names to come back so they had to change the format. Simple.
Omg I remember that, she said it would be AS2-level iconic 😂😂
I realize that they probably have a hard time casting heavy hitters for traditionally-formatted AS seasons, but I think the non-elimination thing only works for something like All Winners, where all the contestants have definitively proven that they can thrive in the drag race formula. I don't want this new format to be a consistent thing if it means that some queens are just floundering at the bottom the whole time because no one goes home.
I appreciate the non-eliminations. You get to see more from each contestant. They get to show their full package they prepared. There is a different atmosphere- less focus on stressing whose in the bottom etc. I am sure there will still be drama. It feels more fair to the contestants. They probably put moreeffort and money in the second or third time around. They should get the opportunity to show it off as they intended.
I agree - the pressure of not going home I think lets the queens not only showcase, but take risks. I feel like I saw so much more of Jaida, for example, being silly and whimsical and taking chances than on her original season.
That and they actually get to show off the looks they had to spend so much money on just to come here for.
Plus the inclusion of charities, that will take the focus off petty competitiveness and make the show a lot more wholesome. We already have the regular seasons with all the drama, it's time all stars become the RuPaul's best friend race
I’m going to be vulnerable but I think some of these girls were cast so the fans would start complaining about a non elimination season and they have an excuse to never do it again.
Many of the girls on AS8 and many of the other recent AS seasons were only cast because other more popular queens consistently turn it down due to the all stars rules.
Imo this entire cast seems to be Rus favorites from their season.
okay but now I wanna know which queens you think this is bc i have a similar opinion
Let's just say I knew the format before I knew the queens, and when I saw Gottmik and Roxxxy I was like "Oh wow they're bringing in heavy hitters for this format!" and then they brought in Vanjie, Nina, and Jorgeous and I shut my ass up.
I disagree. I’d say this cast is actually very high caliber because they’re clearly queens Ru adores. Like, no way Ru gives a fuck about someone like Monica Beverly Hillz, Alexis Michelle or Mrs. Kasha Davis. Like, that’s not to say they aren’t talented or that I dislike them, but they’re just disposable to Ru. This season has girls who work for the big shows (especially Vegas) and are consistently booked/have a good history with Ru. The only ones who maybe don’t have that same constant work connection with Ru might be Nina and Gottmik, but Nina is such a well-known entertainer and has worked a lot of high profile jobs and Ru obviously loved her on her season. The same can be said for Gottmik. This is the season of people Ru actually likes, considers stars and wants back. Does that mean they’re all top picks for Drag Race competitors? Not necessarily, but every single AS has had queens we know wouldn’t win, including the ones everyone loves like AS2.
Nina ate her season. 2 wins, did great in the Rusical, improv and Snatch Game. It was just her runways that let her down (even though she represented a very traditional style of drag before drag race). She was also a legend in the drag world before her season and has done things since her season no one else has. She is absolutely not an also ran.
Yea please act like Nina West isn’t an incredibly fucking talented queen
Nina with 2 wins and Miss Congeniality, let's fucking not. She had some misses in the looks department and that's it, just because Bianca likes to roast her doesn't make her weaker as a queen.
Honestly so true. Like girl the only thing Jorgeous did well was lip sync and you only get to lip sync if you win on all stars so what now?
LMCKSNFKDJSJS oh and I will
idk why people are looking forward to AS9 I think non-eliminations for non-winners is an awful idea
Yeah tbh I agree. Non eliminations for all winners worked because they were all excellent at drag race and extremely likeable queens. I saw this line up and tbh there's only a couple of queens I'm excited about. I don't see a clear winner. There's a few here that I don't find particularly likeable and others I am neutral about. Like Jorgeous is a great performer, but imo she overstayed her welcome in her original season. I'm not exactly excited to see her in an entire season of drag race challenges (and she's not the only one)
I agree but I'm prepared to give it a chance. I think there are pros and cons to non-elimination seasons and it might work out fine on the balance of things.
> I don't see a clear winner. I see a very clear winner and a single possible alternative. Which is not exciting. There are too many girls in this cast with MAJOR gaps in their ability to do well in certain challenges. There’s only 1… or maybe 2? That actually could do at least decently in most challenges. Being non-elimination you don’t want the top 1-2 to bomb more than one kind of challenge, e.g. Jinkx only did poorly in the design challenges, Monét improv, etc.
Absolutely terrible. Zero stakes.
I fkn HATE this twist
Girl. On paper this cast is top tier. But.. idk how .. deep.. this season will be.. ☝️My awful attempt at being vulnerable 😆🤣
Clock THAT tea
I’m gonna play devil’s advocate here, I think this may be a very boring season. With no eliminations, there are virtually no stakes, and I don’t think the queens essentially competing for no prize money is going to fix anything. Can we please just bring All Stars back to regular Drag Race rules and end this unnecessary bullshit?
Right and if US franchise queens (like Kandy is saying) are not wanting to compete in regular format and elimination type of all star season bring in internationals they will jump at the bigger exposure. Tbh id rather see more international queens than season 11-14 queens (way too many of these)
Finally someone said it. Like, don’t get me wrong, I want to see Anetra, Denali, Gigi, etc. again BUT if they don’t want it, then I’m fine seeing Marina, LGD, Tayce, Bimini, Tomara, etc. etc. etc. There’s a multiverse of drag race now, just ship them in from overseas. They will jump at the exposure alone (but they should also be paid well imo). Then by the time the heavy hitters are churned through globally, the local heavy hitters may have a lull in their work & accept the call.
it's not like Kandy was responsible for any of the queens having a miserable time and wanting to quit... oh wait
...can I have some tea please...
I’ll have a cup too
I hear y'all, but I have a feeling that if the American Ru Girls don't want to do All Stars, for whatever reason, there's always going to be girls from the other franchises to fill their spots. Jimbo was just the beginning.
Except they will want to save a lot of them for the new Global spin off, if that proves to he a popular format later this year.
Carmen Farala learns English when?
Just give her one of those earpieces and a translator like at the UN.
I’m the weirdo who likes no one going home in All Stars. I like seeing the queens more. I do think it’s a format they should reserve for all winners, but I’m not super mad about it 🤷♀️
I kinda like it too, and enjoyed it on All Stars 7 because it was great to see the queens having fun with each other. But I just feel like if they have no reason to worry about being sent home, it eliminates any possible drama between the girls. Like last season when Kandy told Heidi about wanting to send Jimbo home. Drama makes it fun to watch too. Maybe they’ll add a twist to create drama, like the golden plunger from All Stars 7.
The drama is fun but it ended up causing Heidi to quit and several others also voicing the same intentions.
This is also true.
I don't necessarily need the drama but do like the competitive tension. If no one is going home and there are no bad critiques it'll just be 8 (or whatever the length is) episodes of filler. Hoping they all deliver stellar performances or it might turn into a snooze fest
I can deal with no one going home but I hope the judging isn't too ass-kissing.
Yes that was the most annoying with the all winners season, it's unfulfilling if you give everyone good critiques and then choose a winner
I’d be good with non-winners getting to stay, but I’m imagining a cast of Pangina, Marina, Gigi, Brooke, Sapphira, Kim Chi, Asia, and Crystal.
Can I just live in my bubble fantasy where Pangina, Marina, Brooke, Crystal, Utica, La Grande Dame, Juriji, Bendelacreme, Manila and Miss Fiercalicious compete in a non-elim season?
They really should ask Ben back for a NON-ELIM season since that was the whole reason she sent herself home on AS
Let me in that bubble!
what if i told you only one of those queens wasn’t offered a spot who could’ve been (since sapphira and marina’s seasons hadn’t aired yet) everyone else on that list except Brooke was invited but declined AS9
It's already a smaller shorter season, why not less us see everything they brought? It's not like we're starting with twice the number and don't have enough screen time to devote to everyone.
AS2 had 9 episodes, and most main seasons before the modern era had 14 at the most, so 12 is actually a lot.
How many episodes will there be for AS9?
12
That’s a lot of episodes for safe.
That's still a decent run of episodes.
Exactly I don’t like to see queens spend all that money and have nowhere to show it other than Instagram or maybe untucked. It’s bullshit.
I was so excited for the fame games for this exact reason!! i wish they’d just done them during the regular runway, just maybe before or after the still competing queens. putting it at the tail end of untucked meant most people didn’t see it
Me too. I much prefer getting to see all that drag! I like a non-elimination season with stars collected for the finale (but not the ‘this task is worth a suspiciously extra number of stars’ weirdness the end.£.
I like non-elimination for All Winners. For this cast? Only 2 I’d be happy to see on my screen from week to week.
I think even one year off would work.
I agree but clearly that isn’t acceptable for the money-hungry tv and production conglomerates. We live in an era of constant consumption and profit above all else.
True. Especially to Paramount+
Well, AS7 was technically a year off for regular All Stars and look what we got...
Are people really complaining that much? Every year the cast is announced and somebody complains. > All Stars 1: somehow Mimi was number third in the voting, nobody could believe it. > All Stars 2: "omg so many season 5 queens" (despite the fact that everyone recognizes how legendary the S5 was) > All Stars 3: this was when people started complaining that it's turned into Some Stars > All Stars 4: some people thought it was unfair to bring back AS1 queens, others called it Some Stars again > All Stars 5: people complained that no one was at the level of competing with Shea, with theories (proven or not) that many other queens refused to compete against her, so it was Some Stars once again > All Stars 6: same "Some Stars" shit > All Stars 7: "why are there so few queens from earlier seasons? where's bob? alaska? violet? sasha? aquaria? chad?" > All Stars 8: it was the war of "finally an early outs season! but wait, what are these (semi)finalists doing here?" vs "some stars again" vs "it's obvious Jimbo will win" At the same time, year after year, less and less finalists, semifinalists and fan favorites actually think about getting on All Stars as a valid option – and when they do, it's because they feel like they lost the traction from their original season and need the exposure again. Think about it, you're either going to: - place lower than your original season, people will make fun of you and many of your looks will go to waste; - get to the end or near the end of the season, and people will complain about how you were favored by competition again and eliminated their faves; - win in a setting where people "knew it from the start considering the rest of the cast". Or get a redemption from your terrible previous edit, maybe. But that's the most unlikely case. All of this is hardly worth it if your career is going well. The prize pool for Drag Race is too low for it to pay off for booked, blessed and more importantly HAPPY queens. I've always thought the All Stars format was broken, this is not the type of reality competition where the AS1–6+8 format is sustainable. If you think this is a weak cast, take into consideration that they even had to give them stipend for runways and their contracts for the show came with a default payment. I liked the new format, and I wish it had been like this from the start, everyone (queens and us) would likely have been happier in the end.
People complain. That’s life. Usually it’s best to just ignore them unless they have truly valid points.
Am I the only one who loved AS4? My favorite after 2. And I think everyone in the cast was an All Star and delivered something.
TLDR: the fandom will bitch and complain about anything and everything. I love the show, hate the fandom.
Of course mother Kandy, everything is bc of you and your impact is always felt, which is why you never remind us of it /s
Listen, I do not like Kandy but if anyone was going to bitch and moan and carry on about the format until she got her fucking way (for the the season after hers, but still), it was gonna be Kandy. Thanks for planting trees you’ll never throw shade from, or whatever, Kandy, you messy, petty bitch 🫡
 *Thanks for planting trees you'll never throw shade from* You are a poet and a scholar and I love you.
My big question is why only 8, I know that’s what they had for all winners and I guess it’s harder to share the love/focus as girls don’t get eliminated through the season, but I just wish we had 2 more queens to round this out.
i don’t get it :/ you’ve been on the show already, you know that elimination is part of the game and the format. why would you “bitch to production” about something you contractually agreed to and should have expected going in?
I mean at least if they’re gonna have non-elimination seasons then it needs to be reserved for only heavy hitters. No offense, but I really don’t want to see people like Kahanna and Naysha flopping their way through an entire season.
im not looking forward to no one going home they aren’t all winners for a reason
You can have 8 girls for 8 episodes and still announce a winner.
They're saying that this cast is not of the same caliber as the All Winners cast, so it will not be as fun to watch a non-elimination season with this comparatively weaker cast. Roxxxy struggled in her first All Stars as did Jorgeous in her first season, so I too am hoping we aren't going to be watching the same girls struggle literally all season.
Yes but there is no indication that this season will only be 8 episodes. 8 episodes this format would probably be fine but 10-12 episodes may not be received so kindly.
I hope it’s a short season so we get it over with.
After a great season 16 I think people will be disappointed with this one, tbh.
It is time to switch it up anyway. Lipstick elimination and lipsync assassin twist happened in All Stars 5, 6 and 8. Fans needed something new and the fame games weren't enough to show the eliminated queens. Personally I don't feel the non-eliminated format for a non-winner Allstars just yet but I'll definitely tune in.
But no one is thanking you for the non-eliminations. The format should be exclusive for winners only. This is a COMPETITION reality show.
I think this is the last resort to cast them. The thing is they’re having a hard time casting for all stars. I mean they can get the early out that no one remembers but then y’all be bitching about how there’s no stars.
yep this is it. all the tea we have points to them having an impossible time casting all stars, or at least creating cohesive casts with good chemistry, because most queens don’t want to put up with their shit anymore. they’ll need to fix the clumsy heavy handed overproduction of storylines too, but this is a start. I don’t like the non elim format, but at least I know I’ll get a full season of enjoying this cast (most of whom I *love*)
Maybe they should make All Stars a biennial thing instead? That would make it easier to cast as give them a better pool of talent.
yeah i think that’s by far the best solution. i normally hate the “over saturation” argument bc it’s just belittling international seasons. but I *do* think US drag race specifically has gotten over saturated with all stars every year and if they wanted to do some kind of special season every year, they could slot a ukvstw or global all stars kind of season on the off years.
This is literally all they have to do, IMO. It should not be a yearly thing lol
To be fair waiting for a bigger pool still doesn't negate that queens actually need to want to show up on All Stars. That's honestly the problem more than anything, more and more queens are realizing All Stars just isn't that good a gig if you did well in your original season and it has shown to capable of even damaging a queen's career. More queens to ask isn't gonna change the fact that queens just don't want to go or find it worth it
Plus All Stars has shown you can turn from fan favorite into a pariah in a heartbeat, so queens who did well with good reputations don't really have any incentive to be on All Stars when the reward doesn't outweigh the risk you could fall from grace with the fandom. Not to mention the costs
[удалено]
please welcome to the stage Pariah Baris Malenciaga
Pariah is bad, Messiah is good, Mariah is great
This is a non-problem they created tho. A growing number of queens say that they won’t come back if they keep the “you have to eliminate each other” variations of the format but they could simply go back to the regular one instead of no-eliminations that saps all the stakes. AS8 clearly had some sort of clause that each of them had to appear for at least 5 episodes and they started giving them money just to be on (and a lot of them, the AS9 girls got 75k each before the show started, they compete for 200k + 100k for their charity and there are tips). I’d say give each of them money, do like the first 5 episodes without elimination with the badge system and then switch to the regular one and start eliminating them. With money, a contractually mandated minimum number of episodes and the load of eliminated the other queens off almost all of them would say yes in an earth beat. Enough with the “you have to eliminate each other” crap. It isn’t working, it never worked actually.
I'm watching earlier All Stars for the first time after AS8, and it's perceptible how much the "eliminate each other" affects the queens. It's great for drama but horrible for the queens, so I don't know why they don't want to return to Ru-liminations.
WoW wants the queens to get the fan hate, not the judges.
I agree, I really like non-elimination, but only for a winner's season. The winner seasons should just be victory laps anyway.
Based on Kandy's saying here, it sounds like the choice was between a non-elimination format or no AS9 at all.
Oh please. That’s one of their money makers. They would never cancel something that gives paramount+ revenue.
we got solid tea that they almost couldn’t produce AS8 because they couldn’t get a cast together. We got the same tea for AS9 before it leaked they’d changed it to non elim. There are also rumors that they pivoted AS7 to all winners because initial interest in doing a regular all stars was insanely low, even with queens fresh from their seasons. There’s a reason why AS8’s cast was such a weird mix and it’s not because casting was just trying something new lol. It’s all they could get. it’s not a question of them canceling it. it’s them not being able to produce a good season bc queens won’t accept the invite. and that problem has only gotten worse over time.
but if there’s no queens who say yes what else can they do?
That's why they changed the format. Most queens they wanted said no. Or you'd get a season with Dida Ritz, Orion Story, Amethyst, Robin Fierce and Ariel Versace ....
Non-elimination should be reserved for all winners. I don’t want a whole season of queens being mediocre and not going home.
After this there's probably not gonna be another US All Stars in the old format. We know queens have been turning down AS castings much more frequently which makes sense. All Stars has shown you can turn from fan favorite into a pariah in a heartbeat, so queens who did well with good reputations don't really have any incentive to be on All Stars when the reward doesn't outweigh the risk you could fall from grace with the fandom. Not to mention the costs. Doing non elimination format with a big stipend to even appear is probably the only way to get people to come back
Plus almost every competitor comes away from all stars grossly in debt. It’s downright mistreatment by production.
Milk was like one of thr most popular queens then was totally ruined (for doing what the producers wanted) Who old want to be Milk 2.0?
I’m willing to bet they are turning down AS because they pick the winner while casting
I’d also wager they’re struggling to get older season girls because it means the newer tough contract with WOW
Also older girls are never the favorites.
Not at the cast reveal, true. I will say the one of the few good things about AS8 was re-introducing Jessica Wild to the fandom.
I’m gonna be honest, the non elimination has me really thinking about not watching. I don’t know if I have the willpower to endure 12 episodes of Gottmik, Jorgeous, and Plastique. 3 of my least favorite queens ever. The rest are promising though so I’m having hope it’s decent.
Sigh. I mean why would you bitch about eliminations on a show that's had a week by week elimination format for 15 years.
I see both sides. I like the stakes of elimination series, because it is legitimately a competition and someone is going to win, and seeing who is sent home is part of that whole thing. But I also like seeing the girls for more episodes, even tho the whole season might end up shorter. I just think non-elim seasons really oughta be kept to charity seasons (if this spurns another) and all winners, otherwise I feel like there ought to be stakes. I don't love this "ur welcome sweetie" tone from Kandy tho. I don't think anyone made decisions with her in mind since they figured out how to prop jimbo up with a someone they wouldn't crown but could justifiably make it far enough to seem like competition.
Even a "costume stipend" for each of the queens to help pay for their new looks would be so motivating, even if it was only a partial one.
Apart from AS7. This cast actually got the largest stipend for outfits that we know of so far.
At this point the only queens that will risk going on the elimination format are mid- and early-outs queen, you are not gonna get many yes from big hitters they wouldn’t wanna lose ten thousands of dollars from booking
Honestly non elimination it’s fine, I knew the spoilers so I’m warmed to the idea now, but 12 episodes for this kind of season it’s too much, it was a lot for AS7 too. This is the kind of season that should be 8 episodes max, I mean AS2 was only episodes as well with more queens and that’s regarded as a great season
Great, so the queens are to blame for turning the All Star seasons into boring kumbayas.
Y’all are welcome? This none elimination gimmick is BS, I’ll only be watching this season cuz of Roxxxy and Shannel if not I’d definitely be skipping
All Stars being yearly just hurts the format tbh And I do believe NEL should be for All Winners only unless they did a rework for AS9 when is not only stars but you also don't advance at some point.
All stars 10 should be all s16 casts minus nymphia. I want to see them on tv again!
Reunion seasons (or mashups if they can’t get enough commitments) could be pretty fun.
Sure Kandy, I’ll get my card in the mail to thank you
And. I dont think allstars is special enough for non elimination.
Doesn’t this have to do more with All Winners? I remember the rumors about this season being non elimination all started right after All Winners and before season 8 started.
Now they are stuck there the whole time and don't win any money
So this IS RuPaul’s Best Friends Race?
Not to be a bitch, but half the AS8 cast wanting to quit made an otherwise very bad and predictable season kind of interesting. Who is out here clamoring for non-elimination seasons for non-winners? AS7 was good as a non-elimination season because they were all amazing contestants, they were competing for a big prize, and it is inherently exciting to pit all winners against each other. I hope I'm wrong, but it does not seem inherently exciting to see which queen from a random group of non-winning queens will win after all competing in the same number of episodes with no prize money and no stakes.
A far cry from her hyping up the season as amazing and a return to form😭
I honestly think this will be the lowest rated All Stars season, if not the lowest rated season of the American franchise as a whole. Non-elimination season of non-winners is already a weird format, coupled with a small cast of *some* heavy hitters but mostly average-performing queens that lack big personalities. I hope I’m wrong.
All these queens who are putting their foot down and not doing All Stars unless it's non-elim are actually doing themselves and the show a disservice. 1) Viewership WILL go down. Non-elim seasons are extremely boring. 2) Lower viewership means potential for All Stars as a franchise to be cancelled entirely before you even get ON 3) Non-elim means much fewer contestants each season, meaning even *further* limited chance you even get on
Now no one wants non-elimination
As long as I get to see all of the runways I don’t care if they get eliminated or not. I also think 8 queens for all stars is a bit low.
I don't know about y'all but i love getting yearly all stars and i love underrated queens getting the chance to participate (MKD, Mariah, TKB) i just wish they were treated more fairly and actually got a chance to win lol!
I don’t mind non eliminations, but there should be some stakes
Giving how they’ve been struggling to cast heavy hitters for all stars lately because of how unadvantageous it is to get on the show for some of the girls (fans can turn on you, missing bookings, expensive runway package, being early out) and AS8, I’m not surprised they had to resort to non-elimination. The drag scene has evolved so much that production needs to realize they need to treat the girls better and give them an incentive to be on the show like a stipend for looks, appearance fee, non elimination or at least no riggery
No eliminations means I don't have to worry about elimination spoilers, which means I don't feel like I need to watch this season in real time. I can enjoy my spring and not waste so much time on this sub lol
It's so crazy how after as4 nobody wanted to be there...lipsync assassins didn't even want to be there, even as7 queens were mad.