'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars': Here are the queens we want for season 3
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 2 is all but over and done with, with only the reunion remaining in the season. So, what better time to dream-cast the nearly inevitable All Stars season three?
While there was a long gap between seasons one and two of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, that largely seems to be thanks to the poor reception of the first year. Since All Stars 2 has been nothing short of a smash success, it's fair to assume RuPaul and Logo will want to repeat the feat as quickly as possible. Luckily, with 100 queens having competed (and only 22 having competed in All Stars so far), there are plenty of choices.
Who should it be? Below, we've assembled a cast of 10 from the first eight seasons — each hungry, each worthy of another shot at the crown. (Note that we're leaving Laganja Estranja and BenDeLaCreme, both season six queens, off this list, despite both being very worthy. Laganja's time would've been All Stars 2, while Ben has been vocal about not wanting to be on.)
Ongina
If Tatianna proved anything during All Stars 2, it's that queens from the earliest seasons of the series still have a ton to show off. Ongina is one of those queens. Back in the very first season of the show, she was controversially eliminated at top five, despite performing no less than top three every week before that. She even won a couple of challenges.
Ongina doesn't have the reputation of some queens who have come later. But her mix of stunning looks, fun and funky personality and inspiring story (so memorably coming out as HIV-positive in the first season) make her a Drag Race all star for sure. Bringing her back for the third season would give her the modern reputation she deserves.
Jessica Wild
In season two, Puerto Rican queen Jessica Wild gave everything of herself to every performance. Whether she was a bizarrely wrong caricature of RuPaul in the Snatch Game, or rocking her heart out to Ru's song "Ladyboy," or getting drunk while trying to sell an Absolut cocktail, she was committed every time. Unfortunately, thanks to a full-out-but-fully-wrong lip sync against All Stars 2 queen Tatianna, Jessica got sent home just as she was peaking. All Stars 3 would be much more fun with her on board.
Additionally, Drag Race has become remarkably unkind toward Puerto Rican queens in recent seasons. Season six's April Carrion placed 11th; season seven's Kandy Ho got 10th; and season eight's Cynthia Lee Fontaine and Naysha Lopez both went out before top seven. This is a far cry from the show's early years, when Nina Flowers almost won season one, or Alexis Mateo and Yara Sofia made it to top four in season three. Bringing back one of the original Puerto Rican queens could give the country a great chance of redemption.
Shangela
Is the third time the charm? Yes, Shangela competed on both seasons two and three, but that's no reason why she shouldn't return. The comedienne and hostess with the mostest has been jaw-droppingly successful post-Drag Race. She even has a Las Vegas residency!
Said success is a testament to how much Shangela has grown since season three. She's added great polish to her already near-infinite charm. Plus, it'd be great if a member of the Haus of Edwards could finally take home the crown.
Trinity K. Bonet
Season six featured two growth arcs happening basically simultaneously: Adore Delano's, where she quickly polished her drag into a treasure, and Trinity K. Bonet's, where she overcame her self-doubts and became a star. Unfortunately, during the top seven episode, they both fell into the bottom two. Faced with the choice between her growing children, RuPaul chose Adore.
To see Trinity come back and finally fulfill the promise she had in season six would be a thrill. With her lip-syncing skills, she could dominate the lip-sync for your legacy format.
Joslyn Fox
Here's the thing about All Stars: Yes, you need the powerhouses who will dominate the field. You need the villains who will provide drama. But you also need the sweethearts who can inject some charm into the proceedings. Thats Joslyn.
Not only does Joslyn remain sweet and funny, she's also polished her drag since she was on season six. It's hard to imagine Joslyn winning, but it's easy to imagine her being the highlight every week she's on.
Kennedy Davenport
If All Stars 2 taught us anything, it's that a shady queen with tons of talent and heart makes for the best possible story arc. That's why Kennedy has to come back for the third season of All Stars.
The season seven queen, the dancing diva of Texas, is a legendary performer. She has the built-in growth arc of a queen who was disliked in her season, coming back to make good by stunning on the main stage every week and showing newfound maturity. Most importantly, she very much wants to return.
Trixie Mattel
Trixie really didn't serve pure Trixie in her season. She softened both her makeup and humor while on the show, leading to an early ouster and underwhelming even after winning her way back in during the Conjoined Queens challenge.
Now, fans have seen her at her peak in her web series Unhhhh (co-hosted by All Stars 2 runner-up Katya). If she comes back giving everything she has, she'd be a real threat to take it all.
Mrs. Kasha Davis
It's kind of surprising to have three queens from the infamously weak season seven on this list. But more than anything, that's a statement about the production and challenge design of that competition, not the queens themselves.
For example, Kasha didn't get much screen time, and was sent home because of a bad lip sync. But in her short time there, she showed a ton of talent as an old-school queen with the humor to compete with the younger gals. It'd be fun to see a more old-fashioned style like hers rub up against so many more modern queens — they might even learn a thing or two from her.
Chi Chi DeVayne
Chi Chi is the only queen on this list who could possibly match Kennedy dance step for dance step. Their performance together at RuPaul's Drag Con 2016 was the stuff you tell future generations about in hopes that they could ever achieve similar brilliance.
Chi Chi's lip syncs on Drag Race were similarly powerful. With her significantly leveled-up fashion after appearing on the show, she'd be nearly unstoppable. The promise of watching Kennedy and Chi Chi lip-sync for their legacy against each other is almost too thrilling to even consider.
Acid Betty
Acid Betty is a look queen with talent to spare who got sent home in a rush during season eight's Snatch Game. She deserves more time to show what she's got — and, for story editors eager for drama, she comes with a built-in rivalry with another girl on this list.
During her season, Acid talked a lot of shit about Trixie Mattel, to the consternation of their mutual friend Kim Chi. Then, at the reunion, Trixie (jokingly) confronted her about it, and Acid (not jokingly) didn't back down. It was very awkward and very unresolved. To paraphrase Acid herself, this is a mess we can't wait to see.
