All Stars 9 airs gag-worthy voting twist in first finale episode
The All Stars 9 girls are gagged with the finale’s Double Diamond twist (World of Wonder)
The RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 9 queens have made it to the finale, but a last-minute ‘Double Diamond’ twist means that anyone can still reach the top three of the season and snatch that crown.
Warning: Sickening spoilers for All Stars 9 ahead.
After ten long weeks of the Plastique Tiara and Gottmik runway show, featuring Teletubbies, ruby snippers and Jorgeous saying the word “gape” at every available opportunity, the eight queens of All Stars 9 are finally in the first part of the season’s double-bill finale.
Before we jump into the two twists, here’s a count of Beautiful Benefactress Badges going into episode nine. Roxxxy Andrews has five, Jorgeous and Plastique have four, Angeria Paris VanMicheals have three, and Gottmik, Shannel and Vanjie have two.
It turns out that none of that matters, though! Because after a mini challenge in which the queens give members of the Drag Race production crew some quick drag makeovers, RuPaul announces the Maxi Challenge, and the episode’s first twist.
The final Maxi Challenge of All Stars 9 is the ‘Slay It Forward Variety Extravanagza’ – and RuPaul reveals that the top two All Stars will receive three Benefactress Badges each, so it really is still anyone’s game.
Gooped? Well, keep reading.
Fast-forward to the end of the episode – the first in Drag Race‘s herstory where no-one lipsynced and the contestants didn’t even get in drag – and each queen each has had a Tic-Tac lunch with Ru and a brief rehearsal for their talent show, which will air in the final instalment of All Stars 9.
But then, the Ru-Mail sound plays, and Ts Madison drops bombshell number two on the queens; the ‘Double Diamond’ twist.
Explaining the gag, Ts reveals, “Whoever receives the double diamond, will double her final number of Beautiful Benefactress Badges, which just might give her the boost she needs to make it into the top three.”
“But I’m not choosing which queen gets the double diamond and neither is RuPaul,” she continues. “We’re leaving that decision up to you. Each of you needs to vote for the queen you think deserves the Double Diamond.”
In one final twist, Ts says, “The Double Diamond winner won’t be announced, until all Badges have been awarded at the end of the Variety Extravaganza. And no, you cannot vote for yourself.”
The penultimate All Stars 9 episode ends with the queens getting their vote on – but we don’t see who they all pitch for.
Gottmik and Roxxxy both vote for Nina, the former despite her friendship with Vanjie, and the latter because Nina gifted her a badge in episode 4.
Plastique and Nina both pick Roxxxy, with Plastique using the logic that she’s a shoe-in for the finale anyway, with five badges. And for everyone reading this that disagrees, this technique makes perfect mathematical sense.
Nina, meanwhile, may have negated her own chance at the final, because if she and Roxxxy receive the same amount of votes, and the tiebreak is a lipsync, we all know who’s winning.
Jorgeous picks Plastique, but we don’t see who Angeria, Shannel, Vanjie select.
RuPaul will crown a winner next week, in the All Stars 9 finale. Don’t stress though; Canada Vs. The World‘s second season kicks off today (19 July) and Global All Stars is mere weeks away.
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 9 airs on Fridays on Paramount+ in the US and WOW Presents Plus internationally.
