The third season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars premiered on January 25, 2018. The season was announced in August 2017, with 9/10 of the cast revealed during a VH1 "Exclusive Queen Ruveal" special, airing on October 20, 2017.[1][2][3] This season of All Stars featured ten "all-star" (or “champion”) contestants, selected from the show's first season through to its then-current ninth season, competing again to be inducted into the "Drag Race Hall of Fame".
As was the case in the previous All Stars season, rather than the two lowest-scoring queens for each episode engaging in the usual “Lip-Sync for Your Life” battle for their right to remain in the competition, the two highest-scoring queens on each episode competed in a “Lip-Sync for Your Legacy” performance, the winner of which earned the right to choose which bottom queen gets eliminated (in addition to receiving a $10,000 “tip”). A new twist on how the top queens of the season were chosen was revealed in the previous season's last episode, in which the previously eliminated queens would return during the finale and vote for the top two contestants of the remaining top four; from there-on, the two queens with the most votes advanced while the other two were subsequently eliminated. The prizes for the winner of the competition were a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics and a cash prize of $100,000, and a bejeweled scepter and crown.
The winner of the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars was ultimately Trixie Mattel, with Kennedy Davenport being the runner-up.
In the finale, the eliminated queens were invited back as jurors. They were given two votes each to decide which of the remaining contestants would make the final two, with their first vote worth two points and the second one point. The finalists were given the chance to plead their case prior to the vote.[13]
Legend:
The vote was worth two points being the first choice of the juror.
The vote was worth one point being the second choice of the juror.
The contestant received the most votes and made it to the final lip sync.
The contestant received the second most votes and made it to the final lip sync.
The contestant did not collect enough points to make it to the final lip sync.
Summary of the jury vote, including number of points awarded
Jurors
BeBe
Kennedy
Shangela
Trixie
Aja
2
1
BenDeLa
2
1
Chi Chi
2
1
Milk
1
2
Morgan
2
1
Thorgy
1
2
Votes
1
5
1
5
Results
2
8
1
7
Lip syncs
Legend:
The contestant was eliminated after their first time in the bottom.
The contestant was eliminated after their second time in the bottom.
The contestant was eliminated after their third time in the bottom.
BenDeLaCreme voted to eliminate herself by writing her name using whiteout on another contestant's lipstick.
The contestant won the Lip Sync for the Crown and was declared the winner of the season.
^On episode 6, the two Top All Stars were asked to choose an eliminated queen to return to the competition in addition to the one to eliminate.
^BeBe Zahara Benet chose not to show both whom she selected to return and to eliminate. On May 3, 2020, on Trinity the Tuck's podcast, Aja asserted that Bebe wanted to eliminate Trixie Mattel and to save Morgan McMichaels.
Ten all-stars enter the workroom. For the first mini-challenge, the queens will read each other to filth. BenDeLaCreme wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens will perform a talent show in front of the judges and a live audience.
Aja - Lip-syncing and dancing
BeBe Zahara Benet - Lip-syncing and African Tribal dancing
BenDeLaCreme - Burlesque
Chi Chi DeVayne - Majorette
Kennedy Davenport - Dancing
Milk - Singing and velcro
Morgan McMichaels - Lip-syncing
Shangela - Lip-syncing
Thorgy Thor - Violin
Trixie Mattel - Autoharp and singing
On the runway, Aja, BenDeLaCreme, Shangela and Thorgy Thor receive positive critiques, with Aja and BenDeLaCreme being announced as the top two. Chi Chi DeVayne and Morgan McMichaels receive negative critiques, and are announced as the bottom two. Aja and BenDeLaCreme lip-sync to "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj. BenDeLaCreme wins the lip-sync and decides to eliminate Morgan McMichaels from the competition.
At the beginning of the episode, Aja reveals that she would have sent home Chi Chi DeVayne from the competition, had she won the lip-sync. For the main challenge, the queens will perform in a lip-syncing dance number inspired by VH1 Divas.
On the runway, category is RuDemption Runway. BeBe Zahara Benet, BenDeLaCreme and Shangela receive positive critiques, with BenDeLaCreme and Shangela being announced as the top two. Chi Chi DeVayne, Kennedy Davenport and Thorgy Thor receive negative critiques, with Kennedy Davenport and Thorgy Thor being announced as the bottom two. BenDeLaCreme and Shangela lip-sync to "Jump (For My Love)" by The Pointer Sisters. Shangela wins the lip-sync and decides to eliminate Thorgy Thor from the competition.
At the beginning of the episode, BenDeLaCreme reveals that she would have sent home Thorgy Thor from the competition, had she won the lip-sync. For this week's main challenge, the queens will pair up and improvise in an unscripted dating show inspired by The Bachelor called "The Bitchelor".
Aja and Kennedy Davenport
BeBe Zahara Benet and BenDeLaCreme
Chi Chi DeVayne and Shangela
Milk and Trixie Mattel
On the runway, category is Wigs on Wigs on Wigs. BenDeLaCreme, Kennedy Davenport and Trixie Mattel receive positive critiques, with BenDeLaCreme and Kennedy Davenport being announced as the top two. Aja, Chi Chi DeVayne and Milk receive negative critiques, and are announced as the bottom three. BenDeLaCreme and Kennedy Davenport lip-sync to "Green Light" by Lorde. Kennedy Davenport wins the lip-sync and decides to eliminate Milk from the competition.
At the beginning of the episode, BenDeLaCreme reveals that she would have sent home Chi Chi DeVayne from the competition, had she won the lip-sync. For the main challenge, the queens will play the Snatch Game. Carson Kressley and Michelle Visage star as the celebrity contestants. The cast consisted of:
On the runway, category is Flower Power. Aja, BenDeLaCreme and Shangela receive positive critiques, with BenDeLaCreme and Shangela being announced as the top two. Chi Chi DeVayne, Kennedy Davenport and Trixie Mattel receive negative critiques, and are announced as the bottom three. BenDeLaCreme and Shangela lip-sync to "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry. BenDeLaCreme and Shangela win the lip-sync and both decide to eliminate Chi Chi DeVayne from the competition.
For this week's mini-challenge, the queens will do a pop art-style portrait photoshoot. Aja wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens will create two looks for The Pop Art Ball: a wearable soup can inspired by Andy Warhol and a Studio 54 disco look.
On the runway, BeBe Zahara Benet and Trixie Mattel receive positive critiques, and are announced as the top two. Aja and Shangela receive negative critiques, and are announced as the bottom two. BeBe Zahara Benet and Trixie Mattel lip-sync to "The Boss" by Diana Ross. BeBe Zahara Benet wins the lip-sync and decides to eliminate Aja from the competition.
At the beginning of the episode, the previously eliminated queens all return to the workroom. Trixie Mattel reveals that she would have sent home Aja from the competition, had she won the lip-sync. For the main challenge, the eliminated queens and the remaining queens will write, record, and perform their own verses to two different songs.
Team Drag Up Your Life - BeBe Zahara Benet, BenDeLaCreme, Kennedy Davenport, Shangela and Trixie Mattel
Team Sitting on a Secret - Aja, Chi Chi DeVayne, Milk, Morgan McMichaels and Thorgy Thor
On the runway, BeBe Zahara Benet and BenDeLaCreme receive positive critiques, and are announced as the top two. Kennedy Davenport, Shangela and Trixie Mattel receive negative critiques, and are announced as the bottom three. RuPaul reveals that whoever wins the lip-sync, will choose one eliminated queen to return to the competition, and one of the competing queens to eliminate from the competition. BeBe Zahara Benet and BenDeLaCreme lip-sync to "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here (Hex Hector Dance Mix)" by Deborah Cox. BenDeLaCreme wins the lip-sync. She chooses Morgan McMichaels to return to the competition and then chooses to eliminate herself from the competition.
Bottom Three: Kennedy Davenport, Shangela, and Trixie Mattel
Returned: Morgan McMichaels
Quit: BenDeLaCreme
Farewell Message: "Dear new top 5, thank you so much for this incredible journey. Stay fierce. You all deserve a crown. Your friendship and respect is the best win I can imagine. XO BDLC"
22
7
"My Best Squirrelfriend's Dragsmaids Wedding Trip[18]"
At the beginning of the episode, BeBe Zahara Benet does not reveal who she would have chosen to return or to eliminate from the competition, had she won the lip-sync. For this week's main challenge, the queens will star in a raunchy girl comedy blockbuster.
BeBe Zahara Benet plays The Queen
Kennedy Davenport plays La La
Morgan McMichaels plays Beige Swan
Shangela plays Actavia
Trixie Mattel plays Sharon Frockovich
On the runway, category is Red for Filth. Shangela and Trixie Mattel receive positive critiques, and are announced as the top two. BeBe Zahara Benet, Kennedy Davenport and Morgan McMichaels receive negative critiques, and are announced as the bottom three. Shangela and Trixie Mattel lip-sync to "Freaky Money" by RuPaul ft. Big Freedia. Shangela wins the lip-sync and decides to eliminate Morgan McMichaels from the competition.
At the beginning of the episode, Trixie Mattel reveals that she would have sent home Morgan McMichaels from the competition, had she won the lip-sync. For the final challenge of the season, the queens will write, record, and perform their own verses to RuPaul's song "Kitty Girl".
On the runway, category is Best Drag Eleganza Extravaganza. RuPaul then reveals that the eliminated queens will be voting for who they want to see in the top two. BeBe Zahara Benet and Shangela receive the fewest votes, and are subsequently eliminated, leaving Kennedy Davenport and Trixie Mattel as the top two queens of the season. They lip-sync to "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus. It is revealed that Trixie Mattel is the winner, leaving Kennedy Davenport as the runner-up.
Main Challenge: Write, record, and perform their own verses to RuPaul's song "Kitty Girl"
Winner of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season Three: Trixie Mattel
Leak
On February 15, 2018, the series production company World of Wonder filed a lawsuit against an anonymous leaker using the alias RealityTVLeaks.[19] According to the lawsuit, RealityTVLeaks posted several visuals from the season on various social media websites such as Reddit, Twitter, and Instagram before each episode's airing—including runway themes, challenges, episode titles, and eliminated queens.[19] Additionally, a producer from the show stated that the leaker removed "information identifying [World of Wonder] as the copyright owner and author" before adding "misleading copyright management information falsely identifying [the defendants] as the copyright owners and authors."[19] World of Wonder launched the suit because of the defendant's "unlawful theft and public dissemination of episodes of the popular and critically-acclaimed reality television show," and the production company confirmed it is seeking damages of $300,000, including $150,000 for each infringed episode and $25,000 per violation of "actual damages" and defendants' profits.[19]
Ratings
Viewership and ratings per episode of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 3
Although a ratings success, the season was panned by the critics, following the high bar set by All Stars 2. Vulture, in writing a summation review, described the season as "truly one of the roughest seasons of the show ever. After a stellar, jaw-unhingingly good All Stars 2, this season felt more like an embarrassing cousin you brought to gay happy hour who wears double polos".[28]The A.V. Club similarly described the season as disappointing; in their final review of the season, they wrote, "I should be celebrating the crowning of a new queen in the Drag Race hall of fame, but Drag Race All Stars season three has left me feeling totally underwhelmed and wondering, What’s the point?"[29]
Vulture did however make the point that although the season did not live up to expectations, "even at its worst, it’s still one of the best, if not the best goddamn reality competition show on television".[28]
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