‘Ru Paul’s Drag Race All-Stars 8×01’ Review
I have to admit that going into the opening episode of this season of Ru Paul’s Drag Race All-Stars I was quite surprised by the selection of queens asked to return to the werk-room. Don’t get me wrong every single one of the queens are extremely talented but some of these were not obvious choices or necessarily queens I would invite if I was in charge of casting. Unlike previous seasons there are not a lot of queens who have made it to the top four/three on their original seasons in fact there are quite a few queens in this iteration of all-stars who were eliminated first!
The first queen returning to our screens is the blessed and highly-favoured, gap-tooth icon Heidi N Closet from season twelve. This fan-favourite queen has been extremely busy recently with her podcast Hall and Closet (with co-star and season twelve winner Jaida Essence Hall), her own Wow Presents plus series Gap Chat and most recently touring with the shady Roast tour. In my opinion, it was only a matter of time until Heidi was invited back to Drag Race but I have to say that I wasn’t particularly a fan of her black and white entrance outfit. I enjoyed the gap tooth handbag she brought with her as this is now become part of her branding but to me, the rest of the outfit seemed simple. Next up was Mrs Kasha Davis from season seven who looked amazing in her sparkly black and red outfit with massive red hair to match. I really liked the outfit and in fact, it would be something that I personally would wear! Kasha is a queen who has been a strong advocate for drag queen storytime movements in America and has actually worked with one of my favourite pantomime dames in the UK, Mama G, to create an online storytime for kids!
The third queen to enter the werk-room was former Miss Continental Naysha Lopez! She entered her original season with the hype of winning one of the biggest drag competitions in the world and so everyone expected her to dominate the show (think that of our current reigning queen Sasha Colby) however her run fell extremely flat after being eliminated only to be brought back and eliminated again! As she has spent years honing her craft and gaining funds, I was excited to see if this season would be a complete polar opposite of her original run however we got off to a fairly rough start with her entrance look. The unusual jail outfit-inspired orange cropped top and trouser combo with handcuffs dangling from her body. My favourite part of the look was the incredible hair but the rest felt a bit out of place. My favourite entrance (not just this season but most probably ever) was that of the next queen to enter the werk-room Kahanna Montrese! She has clearly embraced her Vegas showgirl influence as she wore an incredible sparkly black and red outfit that was akin to a circus ringleader with massive showgirl-inspired feathers framing the look perfectly! The massive shoulder and hip sections worked flawlessly creating a near-perfect outfit! During her original performance on season eleven, she did not have the best run but if this look is anything to go by then she has experienced immense growth!
Similar to Heidi N Closet, it was only a matter of time for Kandy Muse to be back on our screens. I have said it before but I was not the biggest fan of Kandy during her original appearance on season thirteen however after seeing her in a performance in the Tramshed I am a reborn Kandy fan! I thought that she looked absolutely amazing in her orange outfit with her hair and make-up being a particular highlight! The next queen to return was none other than Darienne Lake who has had a massive body transformation and lost an incredible amount of weight. While her body looked amazing, I wasn’t a fan of her blue outfit and blonde hair combination as in my opinion it was fairly simple for a Drag Race entrance. In one of the more unpredictable additions to the season, we saw the return of season five’s Monica Beverly Hills who is representing the trans community. She used this opportunity to showcase a Girl Scout-inspired look which is not something we in the UK are particularly familiar with but she looked really nice regardless! Up next was none other than the YouTube sensation and wig styling genius Jaymes Mansfield who also didn’t have a particularly favourable run on her original run in season nine. I thought that she looked absolutely incredible in her pink and white outfit that was very on-brand for the Jaymes Mansfield character we have come to love!
Right behind Jaymes was her season nine sister Alexis Michelle who is probably most well known for her iconic celebrity impressions of Kris Jenner and Liza! I was so excited to see this Broadway icon back on our screen but I was left a little disappointed with her fairly basic black outfit with vibrant ginger hair! While she looked great this look was again fairly muted compared to the other queens. Next up was Jessica Wilde who has waited almost thirteen years since appearing on season two! She decided to showcase a wonderful golden sheer and floral outfit which fitted the over-the-top personality we have come to expect from Jessica. I don’t think they made a big enough deal about the first-ever Canadian queen to compete on Ru Paul’s Drag Race All-Stars and if it had to be anyone then it had to be Jimbo! After being ‘robbed’ during her appearance on Drag Race UK vs The World, she has come back with an intense drive to snatch the crown. She walked into the werk-room in what was essentially a sparkly two-piece bikini with the biggest breasts we have ever seen on drag race! Completing the lineup for this season of all-stars was Lala Ri who is probably most well known for her infamous bag look made during a design challenge in season thirteen.
After all the returning queens were introduced, it was announced that the first mini-challenge this season is a fashion ball inspired by fame. The queens were tasked with showcasing two separate looks the first of which would be a homage to a historic look under the category of famous then and the second being a tribute to modern fashion in a famous now runway category. First up was Alexis Michelle who did an incredible crystal outfit inspired by the iconic Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard complete with a sparkly turban! As a musical fan, I obviously love any nod to musicals but I also thought Alexis looked absolutely amazing in her look! Those who follow Drag Race will know that Kandy was not known for her fashion looks on her original season and for her first runway she took a massive gamble paying homage to head judge Ru Paul and their iconic supermodel look. She recreated every detail of the look complete with orange and pink feathers and uniquely circled hair but it was only when I sat down and thought about it this could have been taken as an insult. The entire category is celebrating historic looks and so in theory this is Kandy telling Ru they are old! I also really enjoyed Monica’s Egyptian-inspired bodysuit with an incredible headpiece that looked absolutely amazing on her! However, my favourite look in this category would have to be Jimbo who did the iconic Marlyn Monroe lifted skirt moment but the entire outfit was sculpted in a way to appear as it was being lifted but in fact, there was no wind involved. This wonderfully camp and over-the-top outfit looked absolutely amazing and were unlike anything I have ever seen before!
The second runways category was famous now which was a tribute to modern fashion. While I totally understand that the all-blacked-out look worn by Alexis Michelle was inspired by Kim Kardashian, I didn’t get the look as it was completely black (or in certain lights purple) and after researching the original look, I still don’t understand why this was done. One of my favourite looks for this theme was Kahana who paid homage to Lil Nas X and their camp pick cowboy look. I thought that this complete look was absolutely stunning and was referencing something I know and understand which gets bonus points from me! While I understood that Darienne was doing a Billie Elish-inspired outfit with the green and black combo that the pop singer has become synonymous with, I thought that it was yet again fairly subdued when compared with what some of the other queens had worn. There were two queens who wanted to use this theme to highlight the issues of social media with both of them falling flat. Jimbo created an incredible conceptual look that revolved around the idea of constantly chasing likes and follows with the highlight being a thumbs-up styled wig! Lala Ri did an only fans-inspired look with unusual and cheap-looking letters spread across her body saying “Ru-ly fans” which wasn’t a particularly clever or funny pun and so that also fell flat!
The maxi challenge this week saw the queens split into two groups to write, record and perform an original verse to contrasting versions of “Money, Success, Fame and Glamour.” The queens were also tasked with choreographing their own routines which led to a hilarious moment where Kandy challenges Heidi’s suggestions and so the later threw herself onto the floor until the rest of the queens declared they wanted her to continue leading. In the other team, Jessica and Lala were in charge of the dancing which is an intense job considering that almost half their team (namely Jimbo, Jaymes and Kasha) are not known to be dancers! The first group of queens to grace the stage were the fame tarts who were made up of Alexis, Darienne, Heidi, Kahanna, Kandy and Naysha who were given glam rock-infused tracks. I thought that while she was clearly a very talented performer, Alexis’ verse was so extremely Broadway inspired which did clash slightly with the glam rock song. She did manage to squeeze in a reference to her green look from her original season (which is brought up multiple times in this episode.) The highlight of this group would have the be Kahana who showcased her incredible body while dancing across the stage and also contained the incredible lyric “the biggest glow up was within” which is such a powerful message. The other group of queens were the glitter chicks made up of Jaymes, Jessica, Jimbo, LaLa, Monica, and Kasha who were given a disco-infused version of the song. It is clear that Jaymes made a conscious effort to redeem her performing credibility after struggling during season nine. She is clearly so much more confident being on stage as she delivered an unexpected rapid spoken word verse. The headliner of this group would have to be Lala Ri who is clearly a very talented and experienced performer as she also delivered an incredible rap verse. I also really enjoyed Kasha Davis’s performance as she served over the top camp with the lyrics “Everyone loves this old ass queen, Kill them with kindness that’s my scene” However it appeared as if her actual lip-sync was off at times!
After having showcased two separate looks and doing an original performance, the queens were also tasked with doing an official runway with the theme “famous forever” which essentially a signature drag prompt. I am absolutely in love with the peach outfit that Alexis wore to walk the runway as she looked so classically beautiful with the ginger hair working perfectly with the look! This is probably one of the best looks I have ever seen from Alexis and I can’t wait to see what else she pulls out this season! I also thought that Heidi looked the best I have ever seen as she wore an incredible black and white outfit complete with a fabulous purple lining that contrasted the external design perfectly! The structured collar added a wonderful amount of drama to the outfit. However, the best look in this category would have to be that worn by Kahana with her phoenix princess-inspired look. Sticking with her Vegas heritage this outfit was absolutely massive with amazing feathers while also showcasing her incredible body flawlessly! This would have to be one of the greatest looks I have seen in a very long time! Jimbo decided to use this category to wear an extremely unique, vibrant alien bodysuit with a crazy face brazen across her body. I thought the inclusion of a headpiece that looked like a brain was popping out the top of her wig was fantastic!
As with the previous seasons of Ru Paul’s Drag Race All-Stars, the top queen each week will be selected to battle against a mystery lip-sync assassin and if the All-Stars queen wins then they solely decide who would go home out of the bottom queens but if the assassin wins the group vote will be used to decide. While I love this idea usually, I thought that this first episode should have had a top two (namely Kahana and Lala) from each of the groups but instead, it was announced that Kahana would be the sole winner of the episode. It was revealed that the lip-sync assassin this week would be none other than the ballroom icon and voguing expert Aja! This is particularly interesting considering that her estranged drag daughter Kandy is also on this season! Aja and Kahana worked together to give an absolutely amazing battle with the assassin just pipping the all-star to the win. Towards the end of the episode, Ru Paul announces that for the first time in Drag Race her-story there would be two ways to win a cash prize this season. The first way is the regular way of “outlasting everyone in the competition” and the second way is via a fan vote for the eliminated queens. Each week the show would showcase the looks of the eliminated queens that they would have worn if they hadn’t gone home and the fans would vote for who they thought had the best look. While I think this means every queen can showcase the looks they have spent an immense amount of money on, I do think leaving this to the traditionally toxic fandom maybe be a terrible decision but we will have to wait and see! Aja reveals that the group had decided that out of the bottom queens (Darien and Monica) that Monica would be going home.
Overall, this was a fantastic start to the new season of Ru Paul’s Drag Race All-Stars that demanded an immense amount from the queens showcasing three looks in total and creating/performing an original verse which must have been incredibly overwhelming for the queens. The lip-sync was an absolute spectacle but I also secretly wanted a Kandy versus Aja moment purely for the storyline and drama. The fame game twist is fantastic inclusion for recognition of the eliminated queens but relying on the fickle audience may prove to be a terrible mistake!
****½ 4.5/5
