RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars: 5 Best Talent Show Performances (& 5 Worst)
For four seasons now, it has become a RuPaul’s Drag Race tradition to feature a talent show maxi challenge on the first episode of a new All Stars season. This is always a chance for the queens to show the judges and the fans what they do best – may that be singing, dancing, lip-syncing, doing comedy, or whatever else.
Fans have watched some incredible performances during these All Stars talent shows. However, not all performances succeeded in showcasing a queen’s talent at its very best. With the RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 5 variety show now behind us, let’s look back at some of the best – and worst – talent show performances in the series.
10 BEST: BenDeLaCreme (AS3)
In the first episode of Drag Race All Stars 3, the queens unanimously reacted with shock that BenDeLaCreme had been cast. That is because Ben had been mostly working in Seattle, where he rarely interacted with other queens that were touring across the country and around the world.
On the All Stars 3 variety show, BenDeLaCreme performed an impressive and hilarious burlesque number that not only proved why she was there but also jumpstarted Ben’s nearly-unstoppable winning streak week after week. What’s more, the burlesque performance perfectly conveyed the mixture of glamour and camp that makes Ben such a unique entertainer.
9 WORST: Coco Montrese (AS2)
Coco Montrese is a fierce lip-sync assassin who went on to outlast her then-rival Alyssa Edwards on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 5. Thankfully, by the time that these two queens were brought onto All Stars 2, their feud had been squashed.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned for Coco Montrese’s variety show performance on All Stars. Instead, Coco’s dancing number came off as very underwhelming, almost as if she hadn’t rehearsed it enough times or didn’t plan for the number to go on for that long.
8 BEST: India Ferrah (AS5)
Drag Race season 3 contestant India Ferrah had a huge point to prove upon being cast on All Stars 5. Given her low placement on her original season, queens and fans were quite unsure about this particular casting choice and wondered whether the show had purposely cast her as a so-called ‘filler queen.’
After all was said and done, India Ferrah brought her A-game to the All Stars 5 talent show, not only displaying her talents in dancing and lip-syncing but also referencing RuPaul’s iconic “drag is not a contact sport” quote that made India famous on Drag Race season 3.
7 WORST: Phi Phi O’Hara (AS2)
Phi Phi O’Hara is a talented singer who has released several songs after appearing on Drag Race. However, there was something about Phi Phi’s performance in the All Stars 2 talent show that simply did not work.
Other All Stars 2 contestants have pointed out that Phi Phi O’Hara made a mistake by choosing to sing acapella, and that the performance could have been saved if only she had a track to accompany her voice. With that said, the finished product that aired on TV was a lackluster performance from Phi Phi.
6 BEST: Gia Gunn (AS4)
For some reason, Gia Gunn did not land in the Top 2 for her kabuki performance on the All Stars 4 talent show. Nonetheless, there was something extremely special about watching a trans woman on Drag Race providing such a beautiful demonstration of her Japanese culture and dancing proficiency.
In hindsight, Gia Gunn’s kabuki number on All Stars 4 is one of the most culturally-enriching and exciting performances to ever be featured on the series’ talent show. While it is unfortunate that Gia didn’t place higher that week, she gets props for celebrating her Japanese heritage and showcasing a talent that she had quite literally spent her entire life perfecting.
5 WORST: Derrick Barry (AS5)
On Drag Race season 8, Derrick Barry was asked to show the judges more than his proficiency in impersonating Britney Spears. When she was cast on All Stars 5, fans thought that they’d finally see the fully-realized drag version of Derrick Barry that hosts several shows on WOW Presents Plus.
Unfortunately, Derrick Barry’s plan didn’t come to fruition on All Stars, as the queen’s comedy number on the talent show ultimately fell flat. As the judges pointed out, Derrick once again hid behind characters when performing, which was the opposite of what they wanted from her. In the end, the All Stars 5 queens voted to eliminate Derrick after that performance.
4 BEST: Tatianna (AS2)
Fans and queens alike weren’t sure about casting Tatianna on All Stars 2. At the time, people didn’t realize how much she had improved as an entertainer, instead relying on the very young queen they knew from Drag Race season 2.
For the All Stars 2 variety show, Tatianna chose to go with a spoken-word number that seemed destined to fail. But as the ‘Same Parts’ performance went on, the judges and the queens began to realize that they were watching something that was surprisingly hilarious, smart, and iconic.
3 WORST: Jasmine Masters (AS4)
Jasmine Masters is known for being her hilarious self on the internet. The queen has become a viral sensation time and time again for her catchphrases and facial expressions, and it made perfect sense for Jasmine to do a stand-up comedy number for the All Stars 4 talent show.
Except, it became painfully clear to viewers that Jasmine Masters was improvising the entire stand-up set, which resulted in several aimless joke set-ups and random throwaways of catchphrases. That night, Jasmine undoubtedly bombed on the stage of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
2 BEST: Roxxxy Andrews (AS2)
If Roxxxy Andrews’ defining moment on Drag Race season 5 was that famous lip sync wig reveal, then the queen’s defining moment on All Stars 2 was her burlesque performance during the variety show.
All Stars 2 may not have been a smooth ride for Roxxxy Andrews, but there’s no denying that the queen deserved that Top 2 spot on the talent show maxi challenge. What’s more, Roxxxy’s performance fit in perfectly with the Drag Race franchise at the time, which had just crowned Violet Chachki the year before on season 7.
1 WORST: Farrah Moan (AS4)
Fans didn’t get any pleasure from watching Farrah Moan’s talent show performance on All Stars 4. First and foremost, Farrah abruptly fell during the number and was visibly shaken by it, unable to bring back up the energy that the performance required. Secondly, it was clear how much work she had put into the performance and how disappointed she looked for making that mistake.
Overall, Farrah Moan’s All Stars 4 talent number was a bleak moment for the queen. Thankfully, her peers understood that it had been an unfortunate mistake and decided to keep her around for another week.