Drag Race is throwing it back — and the queens are gagged. In a franchise first, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 10 is tossing the rulebook and handing out nostalgia with a high-heeled slap. Gone are the MVQ points, lipsync assassins, and lipstick drama — it’s back to basics, baby.
As revealed in a deliciously shady mustache moment by Mama (or should we say, Papa?) Ru herself, the upcoming semi-final episodes (10 and 11) will adopt the original elimination format straight from the flagship series. That means one top queen each week will snatch a win and some serious coin — $10K worth of coin — while the bottom two will lipsync for their lives. One stays. One sashays. No games, no partners, no assassins lurking in the wings.
“For the next two weeks, semi-final rules are in full effect,” Ru declared. “We are wiping the points you earned in the preliminary round, so everyone starts the semi-finals on a level playing field.”
Nine Queens, One Crown, Zero Mercy
Still in the race are bracket baddies from all three corners: Aja, Bosco, and Irene the Alien representing Orange; Jorgeous, Lydia B. Kollins, and Mistress Isabelle Brooks from the Pink side; and Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Daya Betty, and Ginger Minj from the Purple crew. And with Mistress back in the Werk Room, expect shade to fall like confetti.
Ginger Minj, always one to eye the cash tip with glittering determination, seems poised for a classic Drag Race comeback — but don’t count out Irene’s alien ambition or Jorgeous’s lethal high kicks. With the Snatch Game just around the corner, all bets are off, and impressions could kill — literally.
Why This Matters for Queer TV
This move isn’t just about shaking the format — it’s a nod to the queer roots of the show, a return to high-stakes camp without overengineering. For a fanbase that’s been increasingly vocal about Drag Race’s complexity tipping into chaos, this feels like a lipsticked olive branch.
For the LGBTQ community, especially younger fans who grew up watching Drag Race evolve, the return to the original format is a powerful reminder: sometimes, classic queer excellence speaks louder than any twist. It’s about charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent — not algorithms.
With All Stars 10 embracing the raw drama of two queens fighting for their legacy one lipsync at a time, we’re seeing Drag Race return to what made it a queer phenomenon in the first place: fierce talent, messy emotions, and fabulous stakes.
Catch RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 10 every Friday, and remember — in this new-old game, nobody’s safe, not even your fave.