Few series have seen as much worldwide success as RuPaul’s Drag Race. Created by RuPaul Charles, this LGBTQ+ reality show has broken barriers for more than a decade. With its premise of having mega-talented Drag Queens compete for the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar,” it gained so much acclaim that it wasn’t long before multiple spin-offs were in the works. This began locally with shows like Drag U and RuPaul’s Drag Race: All-Stars, with each one’s increasing popularity. Eventually, this led the franchise to grow beyond its home country and establish new ones in countries across the world. From Thailand to the UK, it’s been amazing to see global fans finally get to see their nation’s best drag, making it even more exciting when the series’ new Vs. The World spin-offs promised to bring so many of these iconic queens together – to mixed reactions.
While popular, Canada Vs. The World and UK Vs. The World has earned critiques since each one began; while intriguing, questionable casting choices and skewed judging have gained both shows a long list of routine complaints from fans. But it’s those issues that make the franchise’s newest programs not only one of the most anticipated, but highlight its willingness to fix these mistakes of the past to create something entirely new. By showing that it is actually committed to giving every country their chance at the crown, RuPaul’s Drag Race: Global All-Stars is already proving to be the series’ best spin-off yet.
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Has a Casting Problem
RuPaul’s Drag Race is an ever-expanding franchise, so it delighted many fans when they learned the show’s newest batch of spin-offs would bring together some of the fiercest queens from its many international programs. When RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. The World was announced, viewers weren’t sure what to expect; All-Stars was a long-established format, but the series had never attempted it with such an exemplary cast whose players included contestants from all over the globe. Despite the varied reactions to the season’s many eliminations, it is regarded as a success, leading not only to a sophomore outing but another version in RuPaul’s Drag Race: Canada vs. The World. Both were a great evolution for the series, one that not only brought its many international shows together but granted queens who excelled on their original shows another platform to show off their skills. These iterations represent some amazing ideas – though they’re held back by some pretty huge issues.
The casts of these vs. The World seasons are astounding, but fans have noticed some unfortunate trends among them. In a series meant to bring together the “best of the best” of Drag Race’s international program and show off what makes each country’s Drag so unique, ow is it fair that almost half of the contestants are all from the same franchise? Even more, fans saw that while many international series haven’t even been graced with a chance at All-Stars yet. There are many American and UK queens who’ve already been given multiple chances to win (and haven’t) who get to come back and compete yet again. Not only does the extremely skewed casting give certain countries a better shot at winning than others. The series’ over-reliance on mainstream queens who’ve already gained fame with their many showings takes away chances of introducing international queens who deserve this new platform. These are unfortunate issues that have persisted into the currently airing Canada vs. The World season 2 and are still annoying audiences, but they’ve also spotlighted just what makes the recently announced RuPaul’s Drag Race: Global All-Stars already so amazing.
Global All-Stars’ Is Truly a Franchise First
In theory, every version of vs. The World should function the way RuPaul’s Drag Race: Global All-Stars promises to. But despite each show claiming that they want to bring together queens from all over the world, fans have begrudgingly accepted that this means half the cast will be from the home season, the rest will be made up of American queens who are on their 3rd/4th shot at the crown, and the occasional international performer will be thrown in to fulfill each season’s premise. Global All-Stars, though, has already begun living up to this concept, with the recently announced cast having no queen is from the same country. Each of the twelve performers are from a different nation, a basic yet exceptional choice which sets this new spin-off apart from the others by genuinely being a battle of the show’s many different versions. Even more, aside from the American Queen Alyssa Edwards – a Drag Race icon who has not competed in many years since her turn on All-Stars 2 – these queens are all coming back for their first time, ensuring that this is a group who really deserves this one-of-a-kind shot at the crown.
By bringing together queens from each nation who (mostly) have never competed more than once, RuPaul’s Drag Race: Global All-Stars is truly living up to its name. These are exceptional performers whose approach to the art form of drag represents the unique styles of their countries and communities. They bring with them not only an essential education of how thousands of LGBTQ+ communities across the world have been impacted by the rise of RuPaul’s Drag Race, but also a ferocity that comes with any Queen who didn’t win their first time around. Vs. The World is filled with so many queens who have been on the show many times before, meaning fans are aware of all their talents beforehand, which means, while they are still great to watch, these casts rarely offer anything that viewers haven’t already seen before. With this casting for Global All-Stars the franchise is creating something genuinely unlike anything its audience has ever seen before. It will celebrate the many different countries that RuPaul’s Drag Race has touched by uplifting all the jaw-dropping skills these queens have to offer. In a series as long-lasting as this one it’s hard to do something truly new, but with Global All-Stars, RuPaul’s Drag Race is already creating something unlike anything its fans have ever seen before – and the first episode isn’t even out yet!
While RuPaul’s Drag Race: Global All-Stars is a much-needed innovation for this groundbreaking franchise, that doesn’t discount the impact of its other vs. The World series. These shows are wholly entertaining, and while some of the countries represented have better chances at winning, it has still been thrilling for mainstream audiences to see the international queens who often get forgotten in favor of more mainstream (often American) contestants. Yet for all the greatness of these spin-offs, their concepts pale in comparison to Global All-Stars – a premise that the series is already living up to. By choosing not to pick queens from the same franchise and comprising its cast of largely first-time returnees, this new show is promising a genuinely unique format it has never attempted before. It is ensuring that the many international series that have grown Drag Race’s reach are getting the love they deserve, showcasing every country’s excellence in a way that no previous installment has ever been able to. The other spin-offs are amazing in their own way, but when it comes to RuPaul’s Drag Race: Global All-Stars, this series has already proven itself to be the best spinoff this franchise has ever seen.
RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars will be airing on Paramount+ in the US on Aug. 16, 2024.