It might be weird to read this, but Drag Race is back! Yes, of course, All Stars 3 just ended last week, but it looks like the powers-that-be at VH1 are ready to serve up a whole new round of drama for viewers, with fourteen new queens emerging to compete for the crown in a season filled entirely with ninety-minute episodes, and “Untucked” bonus episodes that will immediately follow the main competition. Is this overkill? Fear not: the landmark 10th season of Drag Race is off to a strong start.
While All Stars 3 was fun (at times), the competition got exhausting, with too much drama between queens, including the shady moves that cost frontrunner Shangela the crown during the final round. As it turns out turns out, another season of Drag Race is just what the doctor ordered to wipe the ho-hum taste out All Stars out of our mouths. For the most part, the new queens were stylish, energetic, and a complete joy to watch. And while the 90-minute runtime could have proven daunting, this episode was paced perfectly, leaving the audience wanting more from the fresh batch of talent they’ll be stanning for (and rooting against) over the next few weeks.
This week, to commemorate the series’ tenth season, Ru had the queens introduce themselves on the runway, surrounded by former contestants. This was a fun way to help the audience learn the personalities of each queen, while also providing welcome cameos from iconic alums. But the excitement really picked up when Ru introduced the main challenge, which was a call-back to their first ever challenge on the show: Drag on a Dime. The queens were tasked with constructing full outfits using only materials that would typically be found in a dollar store, meaning that this challenge would require the queens to display their “creativity, uniqueness, nerve, and talent” to make it past the first round.
One great thing about this season premiere was that it allowed some key queens to instantly stand out from the pack – for better or worst. While almost all the queens delivered solid looks throughout the night, it was Blair St Clair and Mayhem Miller that made the best impressions in the night, with styles and personalities that will make them easy to root for. But off the runway, Kameron Michaels – a “muscle queen” who is an incredibly attractive buff man while out of drag – provided some great comedic moments, as the other queens ogled him from across the workroom.
Additionally, a few potential villains emerged, with The Vixen practically begging to be seen as the season’s antagonist by instigating fights during Untucked. We even had a feud introduced between two queens, with Aquaria and Miz Cracker awkward tossing shade at one another due to a rivalry that dates back to the start of their careers, back in New York. And, of course, fan-favorite Eureka made a welcome “return from the ashes,” after famously bowing out of last season due to a health emergency. While she’s not this critic’s favorite, it’s nice to see her, and she’s certainly stepped her drag game up in the time off.
The decision to air Untucked immediately following the episode was also a smart choice by the producers, as it allowed a small burst of drama to punctuate the episode, which was more focused on the legitimate, talent portion of the series. As much as Drag Race is a competition series, it’s undeniably fun to watch the queens fight it out – in small doses. But, as we saw with Season 9, there are also some charming, and genuinely moving moments in which we see the queens put down their swords and support one another. This week, Eureka dicussed her own health issues, as well as her mom’s recent cancer diagnosis, resulting in a particularly touching tribute led by the other queens. Additionally, the contestant who was ultimately eliminated at the end of the first round opened up a bit about how she was feeling, which made the episode sadder, and provided some dimension to a competitor who would have otherwise been forgotten about by next week. The highlight of the half hour, however, was when the week’s celebrity judge, Christina Aguilera, made an appearance backstage and was interviewed by the queens. While she didn’t exactly share any new information, the questions were fun and she was clearly happy to be there.
After a roller coaster ride that was All Stars, the real Drag Race is back, with a focus on talent above all else. There is a fierce roster of queens on display, ready to duke it out for the crown, and the producers seem ready to deliver a stellar season that will, hopefully, match the iconic ninth season that brought this established reality competition to new heights both critically and commercially. The pressure is on but, for the first time in what feels like a long time, it looks like Ru and his crew are prepared to deliver.
Overall rating: 10, 10, 10, 10s across the board! (10 out of 10).
