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. After discussing All Stars 10’s episode 3 last week, we’re back for more with out All Stars 10 episode 4 breakdown.
Note: This breakdown includes spoilers for episode 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 10.
1. New bracket, new Queens. Who are you most excited to see in Bracket 2?
Jeanette: I’m an absolute simp for a comedy queen, so Tina Burner has my heart in Bracket 2. Coming in with a strong reputation isn’t easy. People have expectations, and if the whiny Reddit discussions are anything to go by, Tina underwhelmed a lot of people back in season 13. But just because a queen doesn’t perform well on a reality TV series with back-breaking pressure and various challenges doesn’t mean she isn’t talented. I’m glad she got a second chance, and I’m really excited to see more of her.
Lyra: To be honest honest, I was excited to see Lydia Butthole Collins back. Yes, we just saw her in the previous season of Drag Race. But she was one of my unexpected favorites by the end of the season. And I knew that she was going to be in a really challenging position because of how Drag Race and All Stars were filmed. These Queens don’t know her. And that’s a bigger challenge.
Shana: Anytime I have the opportunity to maybe, possibly, see Jorgeous do a lip sync and punch that ghost, I’m a happy camper. She can move. Actually, come to think of it: I want to see an entire All Stars that’s just lip sync assassins. Picture this: Jorgeous vs. Marina Summers, over and over and over again…
2. Not to be shady, BUT we’ve got a couple of controversial Queens in Bracket 2. Is there anyone who makes you go, “Them? Really?”
Jeanette: I hate to say it, but I’m going to say it anyway. Jorgeous, again? Really? No Queen in herstory has received a back-to-back invite to All Stars. I’m starting to wonder if RuPaul has a secret Jorgeous shrine shoved deep in the back of his closet like Helga in Hey Arnold. That’s not to diminish Jorgeous’ growth last season, but it was just…uh… last season. Give her time to cook!
Lyra: Honestly… Imma say something controversial about someone Jeanette mentioned she loved in the previous question. Tina Burner. As soon as I saw her in promo I was like, “Why. Are. You. Back?!” She felt like a one-trick pony during her season. And I felt like there was no evolution her season. Color me surprised that this All Stars she brought itttt. There was an obvious evolution of her style while still remaining who she is. And I really admire that. She’s found a balance and grown as a Queen.
Shana: Sorry to everyone who likes just getting to call her Butthole, but Lydia B. Kollins is back too soon. I’ve heard all the talk about them needing to fill the spot and so forth, but like, OMG girl, I just saw you on the season that ended two minutes before this started. And it was far from my favorite season as it was!
3. What did you think about all that Mistress drama? Are Tina and Mistress giving us the feud of the season?
Jeanette: “I’d be lying if I said I’m glad to see Mistress.” Same. Tina. Same.
Man, I could fill an entire notebook with my thoughts about Mistress, but part of me thinks she would like that too much. Listen, I know Mistress has her fans. I agree she’s talented (her runways…yes, please!), but can we also agree that she’s drama incarnate? The manipulation. The gaslighting. It just sits wrong with me. From the moment I saw her name in the casting announcement, I knew she’d shake things up–and shake things up she has.
Lydia wanting to be her drag daughter took me off guard, but I guess I get it? Keep your enemies close. Make them your family. Take their last name and hope they don’t screw you over later. As someone completely ignorant of the infamous rainbow wig tweet, Tina and Mistress’ little spat left me craving more details. Mistress slid into Tina’s DMs? Um…hi! I want the receipts! Please give them to me. Thanks.
Lyra: As much as I like drama there’s a difference between being shady for fun and just purposefully being mean. Mistress Isabel Brooks leans into being mean because she can. That distinction really rubs me the wrong way when it comes to Mistress. And I look at everything that she does with an extra edge because it feels like she’s looking to hurt. So that fight between her and Tina Burner was really uncomfortable because I was having a really hard time reading the room.
Shana: I just…y’all. The drama with Tina over the DMs and the clown wig, trying to egg Jorgeous on to start a fight when Nicole was throwing some light shade her way…I can’t even keep up with everything Mistress did here. My head hurts.There’s drama, and then there’s toxicity. This crosses the line. No. Wait. It’s so far over the line that you can’t even see the line. The line is a dot to her. And it’s all such a waste because Mistress would be more than capable of making for some great TV moments without all of it. She’s also got to be the most delusional person in that room, thinking the problem is Tina being obsessed with her.
4. What was your favorite moment between the queens in All Stars 10 episode 4?
Jeanette: Is it bad to say Mistress and Tina’s drama made for good TV?
In all seriousness, I really enjoyed Kerri’s conversation with Ru during the design challenge. I can already see so much growth in her, and it seems like she’s actually having fun this time around. The introspection she had when discussing how she felt watching herself in season 14 felt so relatable. How often do we wish we could go back and counsel our younger, less developed selves? Unfortunately, we can’t. But what we can do is learn from it, grow from it, and try to change for the better. I’m so happy Kerri gets another shot to shine. Also, I will be quoting, “Not my forte, not my ministry” next time the occasion calls.
Lyra: Anything that came out of the mouth of Nicole Page Brooks. I think she comes from a different generation of drag and everything that the girls are bringing when it comes to shade, isn’t really phasing Nicole. I also think that she really unnerves Mistress because no one gets to Nicole. She already knows who she is and doesn’t need to be adopted into a new Brooks family. And that makes Nicole Page Brooks an iconic Queen.
Shana: RuPaul’s walkthroughs with Nicole and Jorgeous. For one thing, Jorgeous getting Ru wheeze-laughing and running away was fun. Not quite up to last week’s basketball shenanigans, yet still fun just the same. Then, we had Nicole calling Raven out — just not by name — for starting the rumor about her acrylics and finding the camera to be all, “shady b**ch…” Love Raven and agree she’s shady AF. (But, uh, so’s Nicole.)
5. Runway thoughts: What did you love? What did you dislike?
Jeanette: Nobody slayed as hard as Tina in the design challenge. Period. The pants and shirt look like they should be hanging in some high-end store. And that jacket! I’d buy that off her right now if she’d let me. This might be the only time Tina gets to wear some hue of red, yellow, and orange without sparking an inferno of hatred in Michelle. That said, I also really dug Kerri’s look. I’m unsure if it all worked together, but that braided bra top was stunning.
Then, there’s Mistress. When Mistress first walked out, I thought, “Oh, she’s going to win!” But then, Mistress explained where she used her eight design elements, and she lost me. Three of them went into creating her purse, and that tulle just half-heartedly shoved inside felt like a last-ditch effort to meet the challenge requirements. The silhouette complaints didn’t bother me. Who cares? She looks good in that silhouette. Let people have their thing. But that tulle was unforgivable.
Lyra: I think it’s this runway look above that’s one of the big reasons why I changed my mind about Tina Burner. You can obviously see her personality within the outfit. But she’s elevated it into a way that is unexpected but her. Also it’s seamless, from the coat to the pants. That’s craftsmanship. And I would want a pair in every color.
I also really enjoyed Lydia’s outfit. The proportions shouldn’t work but they do. And the pairing of the neon colors with the big wig, iconic. It looked so good that a part of me wanted her to do the lipsync in the outfit just to see how it moved. But at least we got the wig. That thing did not come off and I think she was trying to show Ru that. If Ru not being able to take her eyes off of Lydia is any indication, she succeeded. Looks like Jorgeous has competition for the favorite child this season.
Shana: Kerri’s look didn’t do it for me at all. That little skirt part didn’t look finished at all and felt more like an uneven scrap wrapped around her waist than a skirt she made, and there wasn’t much of a garment for having eight whole items to begin with. I wasn’t exactly a fan of Nicole’s look either. That’s just not an All Stars design for me. I’m not even sure I’d like it in a main season, but I will say the fit was good so there was some obvious care in putting it together. Tina was the obvious winner there. The jacket alone!
6. Do you agree with RuPaul’s top two All Star selections in episode 4?
Jeanette: Yes! Tina’s position in the top is undisputable. To echo the wise words of Detox, “If you disagree, that’s on you.” Lydia also delivered something very fun and very camp. It worked so well that even Michelle admitted to liking the neon green. So, yeah… I’m not mad. In fact, I’m quite pleased.
Lyra: As someone who routinely disagrees with Ru on the winners or losers that end up in the lipsync, I think these picks were on point. I could have used less of the obvious red, yellow, and orange that Tina brought out on stage. But she’s elevated herself. If she wants to wear that ugly outfit, who am I to judge?
Shana: No. Tina should’ve been 1st and 2nd place. One place for the jacket, another for the rest of that suit. My God.
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 10 airs new episodes every Friday on Paramount+.
