HEADER BY OLIVIA LAWRENCE

In the words of Jaida Essence Hall, “Everybody and they mama’s and they grandmama’s mama’s, they ancestors done came up from the ground and said, ‘We need an all-winners season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.’” Following years of rumours and anticipation as to which former champion would conquer over them all, Quarter Quell-style, the first ever winners’ season in RuPaul’s Emmy Award-winning empire premiered this week and reintroduced eight of the fiercest entertainers in the franchise’s herstory: Jaida (season 12), Jinkx Monsoon (season five), Monét X Change (season 10, All Stars 4), Raja (season three), Shea Couleé (season nine, All Stars 5), The Vivienne (UK season one), Trinity the Tuck (season nine, All Stars 4) and Yvie Oddly (season 11).

The first two episodes, which saw the queens record a verse for RuPaul’s new single Legendary and compete in two Snatch Games, were met with unanimous praise from viewers for, of course, the sheer amount of charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent and – because this is Drag Race – the brand Ru twist. For the first time in herstory, no queen will have to hear the dreaded “sashay away” from the Blame It On The Edit star. To quote Jaida, again, “Gay gasp!” Instead, the top two All Stars of the week will be awarded a Legendary Legend Star and the winner of the lip-sync for your legacy will, as per, earn a $10,000 tip and the power to “block” one of the six safe queens with the Platinum Plunger; meaning she’ll be prevented from winning a star the following week – even if she wins the challenge. [Insert another “Gay gasp!” here.] 

The season will culminate with the four queens who have collected the most Legendary Legend Stars lip-syncing for the crown, the title of “Queen of Queens” and the series’ highest cash prize ever at $200,000. Admittedly, there have been some twists and turns in Drag Race’s ever-expanding herstory that were… questionable (jury vote, ahem), but Ru’s decision to not send any of his champions home is undoubtedly the best, ever. Here’s why:

No one goes home! 

We’ve already mentioned it, but it bears repeating: no one gets chopped! Imagine a cruel, cruel world in which Raja, one of the most beloved eye-icons of all time, sashays back into the werkroom after 11 goddamn years and is sent packin’ in the first episode? Pain. We would all feel pure pain. Each winner has garnered millions of supporters since their reign, meaning one fanbase in particular was always going to be shafted in the first episode under former All Star rules. This way, fans are able to root for their favourites without fear of them being unceremoniously sent home ala Shangela, Manila Luzon and Pangina Heals. For the next 10 weeks, we can breathe.  

The runways! 

This is the first ever winners’ season of Drag Race. The first ever! All of these champs have, assumingly, spent thousands upon thousands on their ensembles and recruited some of the most talented designers in the industry. While we do enjoy seeing the eliminated contestants share their planned runways on social media, nothing beats the first time you witness a sickening ensemble shantay down the stage to a collective gasp from the panel. With no exits (until the finale, or semi-final?), there are more opportunities for the winners to impress the judges with their aesthetic and remind viewers as to why they snatched the crown in the first place.