RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 10 features the franchise’s biggest cast yet. This time around, 18 queens assemble into three groups of six to twirl and whirl their way to the finale. Before they even get the shot, though, the top three queens of each bracket must compete in the semi-finals to earn a spot in the big lip sync smackdown. With a point-based system back in play, that means alliances, drama, and plenty of shade. We discuss it all here in our breakdown of episodes 1 and 2 of All Stars 10.
Note: This breakdown includes spoilers for episodes 1 and 2 of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 10.
1. Who are you most excited to see return in Bracket 1 of All Stars Season 10?
Jeanette: Bosco! I’m usually a sucker for campy comedy queens, but Bosco just does it for me. She’s got the fashion. She’s got the jokes, and she’s not afraid to be vulnerable (even though that’s so scary for so many of us). Her coming out in that Elvira outfit in episode 2 just cemented that I NEED more of her.
Shana: I think, for me, it has to be DeJa Skye. There’s something about her energy and personality, even just in her confessionals, that I liked during her season. Add that to frequently catching her lip syncing in the background during eliminations and her being the only person who wasn’t abysmal in that Season 14 Snatch Game, and I am ready to be entertained.
Lyra: I’m going to be controversial and say… I wasn’t excited to see any of the Bracket 1 queens. But before you throw the tomatoes, listen. I never clicked with these queens during their respective seasons. And if anything, I only remember DeJa Skye and Aja from their respective seasons. But this is an opportunity to see these queens in a different light and I’m really here for DeJa’s growth and Bosco saying she’s going to win this and *gasp* actually winning challenges and making Ru laugh.
2. We need to talk about Aja’s MANY alliances. Good strategy? Bad strategy? Too much drama?
Jeanette: Aja’s got one, two, THREE alliances by the end of episode 2. MiMu. The Melanation Station. Whatever unnamed thing she’s got going on with Irene (and what a twist that was after their little spat in episode 1). Is it a good strategy? I’d argue no. One, none of these alliance names have quite the same ring as Rolaskatox. Two, Aja’s making too many promises she likely won’t be able to fulfil.
Poor Olivia Lux (the other half of MiMu) is already lagging behind points-wise. The same can be said about DeJa (the other half of Melanation Station), which might mean Aja will forsake them both and put all her cards on Irene–her most recent alliance. I have to admit that I hate alliances. Yes, they make for juicy TV, but they usually just turn messy, and Aja seems to be in the midst of one hell of a mess.
Shana: I mean…mathematically? There are ways to game this system and always wind up with that extra point if you completely remove human behavior and all the backstabbing “playing the game” entails. The more alliances you add, especially with only six queens in the bracket to begin with, the more you increase your likelihood of not upholding your end of the deal at least once. Once that happens, you’re just asking for a fight.
So, gonna go with probably not the best strategy, unless you’re absolutely certain you’re going to be at the top all three weeks and/or have all of your besties give you that point when you’re a bottom — even if/when it means you won’t actually be doing the same for them.
Lyra: I honestly can’t decide if Aja’s alliances are a good thing. On one hand, she’s working on increasing her chances of getting points. On another hand though… people talk. And all it takes is one queen saying, “Yeah, I have an alliance with Aja.” and someone else who has an alliance with her actually hearing it. Either way, it’s entertaining.
3. Irene is shaping up to be the dark horse of Bracket 1. Do you think she’ll make it all the way?
Jeanette: Speaking of Irene… what a delightful surprise she’s turning out to be, although part of me isn’t surprised. So many times, the first-eliminated queens fade to distant memories, but Irene stuck with me–and it’s not just because she was just on season 15. I love her cosplay-esque aesthetic. I love the name rebranding to Irene the Alien, and I absolutely adored her runways in episodes 1 and 2. After watching her kill it in both challenges, I might flip a table if she doesn’t make it to the semi-finals!
Shana: I don’t know. RuPaul’s always got a twist. I trust nothing.
Lyra: I’m not sure if Irene will make it to the end. But she will make sure she makes it past the first Bracket. Like Jeanette said, it’s always hard to be the first eliminated queen. It probably hits your ego and makes you feel like you couldn’t match up with everyone else on stage. At the same time, maybe the challenge that day just wasn’t for Irene during her seasons. And now she’s had time to regroup and show how much of a talented queen she is.
4. Okay, that episode 2 mini-challenge needs to be talked about. Did you love it? Hate it? Get raging second-hand embarrassment?
Jeanette: Honestly, I was hoping we’d get a reading challenge. Maybe we still will, but the queens sliding balls up the pit crew’s body using only their mouths had me cringing and laughing. It didn’t quite feel like a challenge worthy of All Stars. Hopefully, episode 3 gives us something a little more classic.
Shana: I feel like I mostly tuned that out. Not sure that means I even cared enough to hate it, honestly.
Lyra: I’m with Shana on this. It was giving “drunk frat bros party to kiss the girls.” Give me a reading challenge, or multiple. What about dolls like Lil’ Miss Poundcake. Sometimes!
5. What was your favorite moment between the queens, good, bad, or otherwise?
Jeanette: Phoenix did some solid mothering in episode 2. DeJa’s story of her botched weight loss surgery already had me tearing up in episode 1. To hear her say she thought she bombed the improv challenge after being one of the funniest queens there absolutely broke me. Thankfully, Phoenix jumped in to give her a little pep talk: “You’re here for a reason, but you have to believe you’re great at what you do.” Phoenix herself struggled with her self-worth in episode 1, so it was heartwarming to see her recognize that in DeJa, especially since she’s one of the longest-performing queens there.
Shana: I binged all the US (including All Stars), UK, and (now) most of Canada episodes. One of the things that started to get very old for me was how it almost seemed like it was obligatory for the queens to fight when roles were handed out for the bigger acting challenges, especially Rusicals. So, I loved how Aja and Bosco made a total joke out of that in episode 2, with everyone else quickly following. I would like a gif of Olivia clearing that table, actually.
Lyra: I feel like I’m becoming a DeJa fan through and through thanks to that moment where she was talking to the other girls about how she did during the comedy skit. Her inner saboteur was so strong she didn’t see how she was doing. And I love that she talked about it and chipped away a little at a part of herself that is holding her back.
6. Which runway look deserved more heaping piles of praise?
Jeanette: Bosco’s zipper-look in episode 1 destroyed me in the best way. From the zippers on her body to the zipper detailing in her hair, everything just worked. It was Bride of Frankenstein meets biker with a spectacular dash of Frankenhooker. The judges rightly loved it, too, but all the “boob talk” took away from bigger and better critiques. Like, why isn’t everyone falling on their knees in front of her?
Shana: Two words: Cinched. Coffin.
Lyra: I’m with Jeanette and Shana. The Bride of Frankenstein with a dash of Lydia Deetz that really stopped me in my tracks. And that coffin?! The cinched portion was such a small but unique detail that showed how much work Bosco puts into her concepts.
7. Let’s talk about the guest judges. What did you love, and who do you wish would get promoted to full-time panel member?
Jeanette: Ice Spice didn’t quite give me what I was looking for in critiques, BUT watching Aja and Irene lip synce to “Think U The Sh*t (Fart)” was just as fun as seeing Ru break into giggles saying it. When it comes to Colman Domingo, I wouldn’t be upset if he decided to quit acting to become a full-time judge. He clearly took the job seriously. His critiques were spot-on, and he managed to deliver them with a special kind of warmth.
Shana: I’m going to cheat and say I always love getting that tiny bit of feedback from Jamal Sims whenever he’s here to do choreography. The nod back to that time he compared Olivia Lux to Michelle Obama was fun, too.
Lyra: If Shana is going to cheat, then so am I. Because I don’t think Ice Spice or Colman Domingo gave us a lot to work with. They came in, did their job, and it was great. But if there’s someone who I need to see more of this season of All Stars it’s going to be TS Madison. Do I really need to explain why? Just bring her on as a permanent member of the judging panel.
8. Do you agree with RuPaul’s top two All Star selections in episodes 1 and 2?
Jeanette: RuPaul usually doesn’t miss, and that trend pretty much continues here. Irene unquestionably delivered in episode 1 and 2’s challenges and runway, with her improv performance being my favorite of the lot. Aja undoubtedly reminded us all that she is one fierce performer (her lip sync win was very well deserved). That said, I wouldn’t have been mad if Bosco secured one of the top spots in episode 1 instead. That outfit. That ‘80s-inspired bodysuit in the rock anthem. Yes, please. See my answers to questions 1 and 6 to know I’m a Bosco stan.
Shana: I think you could make a very, very strong case to bump Bosco ahead of Irene in episode 1. In episode 2, though, that top 2 was very clear. Nobody else really seemed to bring it at the same level. DeJa was significantly better in that challenge than I think she seemed to think she was, but there’s plenty of evidence from her season that she could’ve done so much more.
Lyra: DeJa Sky. I think she did THE BEST when it came to that comedy challenge. Yes, better than Bosco and Irene. She was funny. And the lashes stuck to her cheek, why is no one talking about that?! She’s got the material to go there. Can’t wait to see more of her.
9. Any predictions on who is making it to the semi-finals from Bracket 1?
Jeanette: At this point, Irene and Bosco, both well-rounded competitors, seem like sure bets. Irene, especially, would have to “f*** it up” pretty badly, considering she has two wins. Aja has also shown she can steal the show. Although I’d love to see a comedy queen like DeJa pull through, Irene, Bosco, and Aja are feeling like the most likely suspects for the semi-finals. However, as Ru says, it’s still anybody’s game.
Shana: Yeah, I don’t know. It depends a lot on what episode 2’s bottoms do with their MVQ points. Irene and Bosco look pretty solid, but if one of them bombs and then doesn’t get any of the bonus points, good luck (and don’t F it up). There’s also what I mentioned above about not trusting anything. Ru has been known to shake the points up at the last second before, and that promo at least hints at something like that happening.
Lyra: Aja and DeJa. They have vastly differently skills to make it past bracket number 1. Plus, they’re just so entertaining to watch on screen. You don’t get rid of talent like that. And I can’t wait to see what they bring us next.
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 10 airs new episodes every Friday on Paramount+.
