RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars

Mini challenges

In the mini challenge, each contestant is asked to perform a different task with varying requirements and time limitations. The winner of a mini challenge is sometimes rewarded with some kind of advantage in the main challenge.

Main challenges

The requirements of the main challenge vary across each episode, and can be individual or group challenges. The winner of the main challenge also receives a "special" prize for their win. In the past, challenge winners have been rewarded with prizes including custom designer clothing, vacations, cruises, and quality cosmetic items.

The goal of each main challenge involves a new theme and outcome. Challenges focus on the returning contestants' ability to once again present themselves on camera, perform with music, or perform humorously. Season 1 saw the focus on the groups ability to perform well together, while season 2 and 3 are based on more individual challenges where the returning contestant relied on themselves and performance solely. Along with the "special" prizes awarded by winning the main challenge, the top two queens must now lip-sync for the legacy, with the victor being awarded a cash prize of $10,000 and the choice of elimination out of the bottom three queens.

Judging

Untucked

Just like RuPaul's Drag Race, episodes of the first season of All Stars were followed by an Untucked episode each week, giving the viewers a glimpse into the backstage drama and discussions' between the returning contestants. For the second and third seasons, the contestants deliberated themselves backstage on who they would choose to eliminate, serving as a mini-Untucked as there were no separately filmed Untucked companion show for that season.

Prizes

Each season, the winner of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars receives a selection of prizes. The prizes won for each season were:

Season 1:

• $100,000 cash prize
• A coveted spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame
• A supply of MAC Cosmetics
• A vacation trip courtesy of ALandCHUCK.travel

Season 2 and 3:

• $100,000 cash prize
• A coveted spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame
• A one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics

In each season there are also smaller prizes awarded for challenges within the episodes, ranging from "cash tips" to vacations, gift cards, etc.

Season 1 (2012)

RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars^[1] is the first All-Star season of RuPaul's Drag Race and premiered on the Logo network on October 22, 2012. Cast members were announced on August 6.^[2]

This season features twelve returning contestants representing all four seasons for a chance to be inducted into the "Drag Race Hall of Fame". This series aired six episodes, each an hour in length.^[3] Contestants were judged on their "charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent" and, since they competed in teams of two, also "synergy". The winner received a supply of MAC cosmetics, a "one of a kind trip" and $100,000.^[4] The theme song playing during the runway every episode is "Sexy Drag Queen" (dootdoot 'doot-swift' remix) and the song playing during the credits is "Responsitrannity" (Matt Pop's edit), the latter of which is originally from RuPaul's album Glamazon.

The judges each provide their opinion on the contestants' performances in the main challenge and on the runway before RuPaul announces which queen is the episode's winner and which two had the weakest performances. The day before judging, the contestants are all provided with a song by a female artist to which they must learn the lyrics. The contestants deemed as being the bottom two must "lip sync for their lives" to the song in a final attempt to impress RuPaul. After the lip sync, RuPaul alone decides who stays and who leaves. RuPaul describes the qualities the contestants must have to be crowned the winner of the show as "Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent... These are people who have taken adversity and turned it into something that is beautiful and something powerful."^[5] The phrase "charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent" is used repeatedly on the show, the acronym of which is CUNT. On the All Stars season, "synergy" was added to provide an explanation behind the contestants being sorted into teams (expanding the acronym into CUNTS).

The winner of the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars was Chad Michaels.

Season 2 (2016)

A second season of All Stars was announced in 2015 and started shooting immediately after Season 8. The show was to begin airing on August 25, 2016. Along with the season premiere's announcement, the cast of All Stars 2 were revealed. The show's cast consisted of 10 returning contestants, including Adore Delano, Alaska, Alyssa Edwards, Coco Montrese, Detox, Ginger Minj, Katya, Phi Phi O'Hara, Roxxxy Andrews and Tatianna.^[6]

A new twist was revealed for this season changing the format of the show. In previous seasons, the two lowest performing queens had to "Lip-sync for their Life" to avoid elimination. This season has the two best performing queens of the challenge "Lip-sync for their Legacy", with the winner of the lip-sync earning $10,000 and choosing which one of the bottom queens gets eliminated. However, on their exit, RuPaul advised the first four eliminated queens that they will have the opportunity to come back for their "revenge".

The winner of the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars was Alaska.

Season 3 (2018)

On August 21, 2017, VH1 announced it would air a third season of the series in early 2018. ^[7][8][9]

On October 13, 2017, VH1 announced that a one-hour special, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Exclusive Queen RuVeal, would air on October 20, 2017, announcing the season’s returning contestants.^[10][11] The ten contestants that competed on the third season of All Stars consisted of Aja, BenDeLaCreme, Chi Chi DeVayne, Kennedy Davenport, Milk, Morgan McMichaels, Shangela, Thorgy Thor, Trixie Mattel, and season one winner BeBe Zahara Benet.^[12] On December 14, 2017, it was announced that the third season would premiere on January 25, 2018.^[13]

A new twist on how the top queens of the season were chosen was revealed in the season's final episode. The previously eliminated queens returned in the finale and voted for the top two out of the remaining top four finalists; from there on, the two queens with the most votes advanced while the others were eliminated.

The winner of the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars was Trixie Mattel.

Season 4

In August 2018, during an episode of his podcast, Whats the Tee?, RuPaul confirmed he was currently filming the fourth season of All Stars.^[14] On August 22, 2018, VH1 officially announced a fourth season of All Stars, with the cast still yet to be revealed.^[15]