All Stars 3? I don’t know her.
To say that RuPaul’s Drag Race has been killing it in its tenth season feels like an understatement. With new, two hour installments (a 90 minute episode + Untucked), Drag Race is certainly bigger than before, but has consistently brought creative challenges and entertaining drama to the runway. And while it’s hard to top the lightning rod pop culture phenomenon that was Season 9, Season 10 is looking to be blockbuster entertainment in its own right.
First, a quick recap of what’s worked in the previous two weeks: with a funny musical challenge in Week 2, and a surprisingly hilarious sketch-comedy theme in Week 3, Drag Race’s challenges have all managed to be compelling, and give different queens the chance to shine in the spotlight. Of course, your overall enjoyment of the competition will depend on your willingness to indulge bad puns and campy double entendres. But, for those who can stomach the silliness, these two episodes have been extremely entertaining and well paced. The 90-minute runtimes do wonders for the show, helping each challenge to feel thoroughly executed, and giving each of the queen’s arcs in the competition. They each have a moment in the spotlight.
In this week’s episode, the Queens were challenged to create three distinct looks for an End of the World Ball. This time, the 90 minute runtime really came in handy as it not only allowed each of the queens some time in the spotlight, but it also allowed the judges (and the audience) to truly process all three of the outfits the competitors prepared. If Season 10 – and, really, all of Drag Race – has one major fault, it’s that the runway portion can sometimes feel brief, with little time to process the looks that ultimately make up a big part of the results. But not this week – all of the looks were properly evaluated and analyzed.
The reasoning behind this End of the World Ball also ties into the other major reason that Drag Race feels like a return to form after All Stars 3. The challenge’s theme was (loosely) inspired by the fact that climate change will, eventually, bring about the “end of the world,” leading to a comical but still political discussion of global warming. Ru and the guest judges satirized the right wing’s refusal to act on the evidence of climate change and, while one can debate if cheesy humor is the way to discuss hot-button topics, it felt good to see the show to tie its runway theme into a political movement.
In fact, this season has felt politically charged on multiple occaisons, all of which have consistently elevated the material. Dusty Ray Bottoms, for example, discussed his experiences in conversion therapy, and how watching Drag Race in secret helped him become confident in his sexuality. It was an incredibly powerful, tear jerking admission from the queen. Elsewhere, The Vixen (this critic’s favorite of the bunch) led a nuanced conversation during one installment of Untucked in which she discussed the racial stereotypes that frequently plague black competitors on reality television. It’s these moments that make Drag Race different from any other reality show, and they were certainly missing from All Stars 3.
All in all, there are so many moments to praise from Season 10 so far. The lip sync to “Celebrity Skin.” Eureka’s deadpan delivery of “girl we know” that helped her dominate in week three. The instantly iconic spider that invaded the work room. This is television at its finest and if you’re not watching, you’re missing out.
Overall rating: 10 out of 10
