Drag Race All Stars 9 finale has a major format change
Fans are convinced this RuPaul’s Drag Race finalist has quit drag. (World of Wonder/YouTube)
The RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 9 finale is just weeks away, but internet detectives have discovered that it will have one key difference.
Drag Race finales have come in many different forms over the years: On regular seasons, they’ve included everything from a top three to a top five (yeah, season 14 was weird), a live taping or a pre-record, and have seen the queens participate in a lip sync smackdown, perform their own bespoke numbers or even just have a chat with RuPaul.
The same can be said for All Stars. How many queens are going to make the finale is anyone’s guess (just look at All Stars 8‘s top two), and what the contestants actually have to do to secure the crown seems to change year on year.
Well, with All Stars 9, it looks like that trend is continuing, as the Nancy Drews of drag (and X) have discovered that the finale this year is being split into two parts.
First posted by X user @virgosmalls, they wrote: “The finale of [All Stars 9] is separated into 2 episodes…” adding: “What do they have planned……”
After another user questioned how they knew this, the original poster responded with a screenshot showing the interface of streaming service Paramount+‘s scheduled lineup for the remaining four episodes of All Stars 9.
The four All Stars 9 instalments still to come are next week’s ‘Rusical‘ episode, which will be episode nine of the series. Following that, episode 10 will include a ‘Lip-Sync Lalaparuza Smackdown’, though given that All Stars 9 is a non-elimination season, it likely won’t follow the same format as season 16‘s.
Then, episodes 11 and 12 of All Stars 9 are confirmed to be the finale split over two weeks, with both episodes sporting the same name: ‘Grand Finale Variety Extravaganza…’, on July 19 and 26, respectively.
So what’s going to happen? Well, we kind of don’t know, but there’s a few things we can hazard a guess at.
The first (that we actually know for certain) is that the three queens with the most Beautiful Benefactress Badges will make up the season’s top trio, and be in with a shot at winning All Stars 9 for their charity.
We also don’t know who’s going to make it – as of episode eight, Angeria Paris VanMicheals has three badges, and Roxxxy Andrews and Plastique Tiara have four, but there’s always the possibility that, à la All Stars 7, other contestants could make up the difference at the last minute should bonus badges be awarded.
Then, of course, we don’t know what the episodes will consist of, other than a talent show. All Stars 8 included one in its penultimate episode, but then had another final that was distinctly different, unlike the double bill that All Stars 9 seems to be ramping up for.
Basically, we’re just going to have to wait and see…
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 9 airs on Fridays on Paramount+ in the US and WOW Presents Plus internationally.
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