Every Season Of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, Ranked

May 17, 2024, 10:30 p.m.

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Every Season Of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, Ranked

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Summary RPDR All Stars season 1 format hurt the season but season 2 redeemed the series.

Season 9 is unique as queens compete for charity funds, breaking Drag Race tradition.

Season 8 was lackluster with complaints and self-eliminations, making history with Jimbo.

There have been several seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, and some rank higher than others. The RuPaul’s Drag Race spin-off debuted its first season in 2012 and challenged queens to compete in pairs. RPDR All Stars season 1 sported a phenomenal cast of previous competitors from the franchise. However, the format harmed the season and halted its production until season 2 returned in 2016. Thankfully for the series, RPDR All Stars season 2 was a smash hit and is still known as one of the best seasons of Drag Race ever.

RuPaul Charles will crown its tenth winner of the spin-off with RPDR All Stars season 9. In a shocking turn of events, the queens of season 9 are competing for charity. It’s the first season where contestants are battling to win money for a good cause while being paid an appearance fee and stipend. Throughout the herstory of All Stars, queens have made history with the first double win, self-elimination, and winners returning to compete for a double crown. Hopefully, RPDR All Stars season 9 will live up to high expectations after a rough season 8.

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8 RPDR All Stars Season 8

Jimbo Was A Great Winner, But That Didn’t Make Up For A Lackluster Season

RPDR All Stars 8 is the worst season of the spin-off yet. There is another series that could have taken eighth place, but it wouldn’t have been right. The season had a blend of fan favorites and early-out queens. Previous contestants like Heidi N Closet, Alexis Michelle, and Kandy Muse were exciting casting decisions. RPDR All Stars season 8 made history as Jimbo became the first international queen to compete on the mainstay, United States-based show. She was a past contestant on Canada’s Drag Race season 1 and RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. the World season 1.

Jimbo had an extraordinary run on the season, but it was tainted by complaints from other contestants. Heidi infamously threatened to quit the show during an early episode of Untucked when she was frustrated with her placement in some of the challenges and ended up quitting the season. What’s more is that another queen, Kahanna Montrese, also threatened to step away from RPDR All Stars season 8. There were a few good moments throughout the season, but nothing groundbreaking that will go down in Drag Race herstory.

7 RPDR All Stars Season 1

A Stellar Cast Was Held Back By A Rotten Twist

Despite a terrible twist, RPDR All Stars season 1 is not the worst season of the show. Season 1 is often referred to as one of the most unfavorable seasons of RPDR. It was hard to watch so many iconic queens return and be forced to work in pairs. This diminished each competitor's performance in the challenges, restricting them to only being as good as their other half. The queens weren't aware they were competing with another contestant during the whole competition, which would have been good for them to know and prepare for.

There’s no denying that the pool of queens on RPDR All Stars season 1 is one of the finest casts of any season. It featured 12 queens from the first four seasons of RPDR who pioneered the franchise. Since it was the first season of All Stars, no one knew if the spin-off would continue. If the team had looked at how All Stars season 1 went, it probably would not have been renewed for season 2. If they competed solo, it could have been a legendary season.

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6 RPDR All Stars Season 5

There Were Great Performances, But The Outcome Was Far Too Predictable

RPDR All Stars season 5 shifted the trajectory of the show. Airing during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the first time there were heavy hitters featured on the cast, deeming it the first season joked as “some stars” instead of All Stars. A few of the queens in the season were random, like India Farrah and Blair St. Clair. Past favorites like Shea Couleé, Jujubee, and Miz Cracker were expected to dominate the season, and they did.

However, it was clear from the start that Shea would win All Stars season 5, and she deservedly did. The season was all too predictable. The production team introduced the Lipsync Assassin twist, which didn’t work out in their favor. Shea, Juju, and Cracker won all the challenges of the season, bringing no real uncertainty factor to the show. The Snatch Game was, hands down, the peak of the season. Other than that and the verse-writing challenge, there’s no real reason to go back and watch All Stars 5.

5 RPDR All Stars Season 6

The First Real Season Of Redemption

RPDR All Stars season 6 had a blended group of queens. Unlike All Stars season 5 or 8, the assortment of competitors worked. It was the first season where it was unclear who would snatch the crown and walk away as the winner. RPDR All Stars season 6 was all about giving past queens their redemption. Kylie Sonique Love won the season but placed 9th in RPDR season 2. Her win defined the essence of All Stars: that anyone can come back and win the show, despite how they performed in their first season.

All Stars season 6 had one of the best lip-syncs in Drag Race herstory between Trinity K Bonet and Laganja Estranja. Sporting the Lipsync Assassin twist, Laganja was brought in to compete against challenge winner Trinity to reveal what queen had been voted off the show. They lipsynced to “Physical” by Dua Lipa, and the performance was iconic. Laganja performed many demanding stunts and dance moves, shocking RuPaul and the rest of the judges in the process. There was no doubt she won the lipsync, and it was one of the top moments from All Stars season 6.

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4 RPDR All Stars Season 3

There Were Too Many Twists, But So Much Herstory Was Made

Coming off after one of the premier seasons of the show, RPDR All Stars season 3 had a lot to live up to, and it did just that. The season should have been called "RuPaul’s Fan Favorite Race" because all the contestants were loved by the fans. Previous contestants like the late Chi Chi DeVayne, Milk, and Thorgy Thor were treasured ahead of their returns to the competition. However, Trixie Mattel was the biggest star in the cast, making quite a name for herself outside the franchise.

All Stars season 3 produced a lot of firsts for the show as well. Shangela became the first contestant to compete on three seasons of RPDR, and season 1 champion Bebe Zahara Benet was the first winner to return for another season. Notably, BenDeLaCreme made the flabbergasting decision to self-eliminate herself after winning one of the final challenges of the season. She was the frontrunner and had won all but one episode she competed in until she quit the show.

3 RPDR All Stars Season 4

A Season Of Legendary Challenge Performances & The First Twinners

RPDR All Stars season 4 was known for its drama but remembered for its plot twist ending. Latrice Royale and Manila Luzon broke barriers as the first queens from All Stars season 1 to circle back and compete in the spin-off for the second time. This was shellshocking, and none of the other competitors were expecting it. With All Stars 4 airing in 2018, Latrice and Manila were the only early-season queens to be featured on the show. Most of the competitors were from seasons 6-10, so their casting added a layer of excitement to the season.

Many integral moments of Drag Race herstory came out of All Stars season 4. Gia Gunn was reality TV gold throughout All Stars 4, acting as one of the franchise’s most infamous villains. Naomi Smalls decided to ax the frontrunner, Manila after she fell to the bottom during a challenge. Up until that point, the queens typically eliminated the queen with the worst track record. However, the biggest twist of all was that RuPaul crowned not one but two queens the winners of All Stars 4. Monét X Change and Trinity Truck became the franchise’s first and only “twinners.”

2 RPDR All Stars Season 7

The Season No One Thought Would Happen: A Cast Of All Winners

RPDR All Stars season 7 was the cast that no one saw coming — that of all the winners. Tapping into the success of Survivor: Winners at War, the show brought back eight previous champions to battle it out for the title of “Queen of all Queens.” The winners of varying seasons, including the U.K.-based spin-off, competed in what fans consider a fantasy season of RPDR. All Stars 7 sported a non-elimination format for the first time, meaning that all eight queens competed in every challenge and showed all the looks they brought to the show.

There will never be another season like All Stars season 7. The caliber of drag is unmatched and will serve as a cultural cornerstone of Drag Race for years to come. It was exhilarating watching older season queens like Raja and Jinkx Monsoon return to TV screens for the first time in years. On the contrary, newer winners like Jaida Essence Hall and Yvie Oddly had the chance to show their evolution since competing only years prior. All Stars season 7 was never supposed to happen, but thankfully it did.

1 RPDR All Stars Season 2

Lighting In A Bottle

There is no question about what season of RPDR All Stars is the best. All Stars season 2 is undoubtedly the leading season of the spin-off, maybe even the greatest ever in the Drag Race franchise. It was a brilliant idea to wait four years between All Stars season 1 and create the next season as it allowed a new slate of queens to be ushered into the Drag Race universe. Every queen that was cast served a purpose in the season, and there were no filler queens.

Part of what made the season so great was that half of its cast was full of competitors from RPDR season 5, another one of the most entertaining seasons of the show. Alaska, Roxxxy Andrews, Detox, Alyssa Edwards, and Coco Montrese created Drag Race herstory individually in season 5, and they did that once more for All Stars season 2. They allowed the first four eliminated queens a second chance to return to the competition during the “Revenge of the Queens” episode, which was a cinematic masterpiece.

There have been almost ten seasons of RPDR All Stars, but season 2 still serves as the best yet. The spin-off has reintroduced many queens into the Drag Race zeitgeist, inflating the careers of many drag queens. With All Stars season 9 airing during the summer of 2024, it will be interesting to see where the new series falls among the ranks.

RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season 9 streams new episodes on Fridays on Paramount+.