Lydia B. Kollins has opened up about filming All Stars 10 shortly after her stint on Drag Race season 17.
On 14 April, World of Wonder officially announced the tenth season of the beloved spinoff series.
Described as the “Tournament of All Stars,” the new batch of episodes is set to feature a whopping 18 queens, making it the largest cast in All Stars herstory.
After subtly teasing the returning competitors in a brief teaser, WOW released the official cast list on April 23.
Naturally, the gargantuan lineup included an array of Drag Race fan favourites, with many returning for their second, third and fourth attempts for the crown.
However, the All Stars 10 competitor that has generated the most attention has been Lydia, who notably wrapped up her impressive run on season 17.
“So Lydia prepared looks for S17, filmed S17, prepped looks for AS10, filmed AS10 right after, then prepped and filmed S17 promos, then prepared looks for both S17 Lalaparuzas and finale and finishing filming AS10 and promos,” one fan wrote on X/Twitter following the cast announcement.
Another Drag Race enthusiast echoed similar sentiments: “I’m so serious when I say Lydia’s AS10 casting is probably the craziest & gaggiest AS casting they’ve ever done. More than BeBe on AS3, Latrilla on AS4, Jimbo on AS8, Pangina on UKVTW S1 & Icesis CVTW S1. I just can’t wrap my head around it, it’s kinda iconic.”
In a recent interview with The Playlist, Lydia opened up about the short turnaround between season 17 and All Stars 10 – including the number of days she had to prepare.
“I had gotten back from season 17 filming, and it was like three weeks later they called [with the All Stars 10 invite], she explained.
“And I had about five days to a week to sort of get it all prepared and ready, but it was chill. I think that if there’s anyone who could do it, it is LBK.”
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When asked if she had any hesitation about returning to the franchise so soon after her debut, Lydia revealed that she immediately jumped at the opportunity.
“It was an automatic yes. To go back, I feel like you can’t pass up on an opportunity to A, be on TV, and also B, get to share your art in front of RuPaul. So yeah, automatically, I was like, ‘F**k yeah, why not? What do I have to lose?'” she explained.
Lydia went on to tell the news outlet that she “felt very lucky to be stressed with doing double time,” describing her Drag Race journey so far as “a whirlwind.”
“I feel like I’m in two different timelines at the same time. So it’s been a lot… late-night breakdowns do be happening, but I think I’m handling it pretty well. I’m keeping my head above water,” she explained.
In addition to Lydia, All Stars 10 is set to feature the return of Acid Betty (season 8), Aja (season 9, All Stars 3), Alyssa Hunter (season 14), Bosco (season 14), Cynthia Lee Fontaine (season 8, 9), Daya Betty (season 14), Deja Skye (season 14), Denali (season 13) and Ginger Minj (season 7, All Stars 2, 6).
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More gag-worthy star power incoming: Irene Dubois (season 15), Jorgeous (season 14, All Stars 9), Kerri Colby (season 14), Mistress Isabelle Brooks (season 15), Nicole Paige Brooks (season 2), Olivia Lux (season 13), Phoenix (season 3) and Tina Burner (season 13).
As per a press release: “For the first time ever, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars will introduce a brand-new format across 12 episodes: the Tournament of All Stars.
“The queens will be divided into 3 groups of 6, each competing in their own bracket across 3 episodes. At the end of each bracket, the top three queens with the highest point totals will then advance to the semi-finals.
“There, they’ll go head-to-head with the top queens from the other groups in another round of fierce competition over 3 episodes. The tournament will culminate in an epic Lip Sync Smackdown for the Crown, where the finalists will battle it out for a place in the coveted Drag Race Hall of Fame.”
Check out the 18 fierce queens of All Stars 10 here or below.
Drag Race All Stars 10 is set to premiere on Paramount 9 May on Paramount Plus in the U.S. and WOW Presents Plus in the UK
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