Drag

“This is the gaggiest twist”: Drag Race fans react to part one of the All Stars 9 finale

By Jordan Robledo

20th July 2024

The penultimate episode of Drag Race All Stars 9 has delivered a shocking twist that has left fans gobsmacked.

Spoilers ahead

Following last week’s electric Lip Sync LaLaPaRuza, which saw Roxxxy Andrews win her fifth Beautiful Benenfactress Badge, the ladies returned to the workroom to prepare for their final week in the competition.

However, when the queens strolled over to their table, they were greeted with a mysterious fuzzy pink box.   

“Today, you got to dig deep for charity. For $1,500, reach in, grab, and make some coins for your cause,” Plastique Tiara exclaimed while reading the box’s directions.

Nina West was the first queen up to the plate and tasked with imitating three of her fellow queens.

After delivering hilarious impressions of Roxxxy, Gottmik and Vanessa Vanjie, the Ohio-based talent was given the aforementioned amount for The Trevor Project.

“Werk, bitch. I have raised $6,500 altogether for the Trevor Project. I should put my hand in a furry box more often,” she said in a confessional.

When it was Angeria Paris VanMichaels’s turn, the Southern queen was asked to deliver an interpretive dance routine representing her drag queen persona.

Instead of tearing up the dance floor, Gottmik was asked to critique the queen to her left – Shannel – on her fashion, similar to beloved Drag Race judge Michelle Visage.

“Girl, I’ll do anything for money for Trans Lifeline or in general,” the LA-based talent exclaimed in a confessional.

Following Gottmik’s cheeky little read, Shannel stepped up to the plate for her task, which was to scurry around the werkroom like a squirrel looking for a nut.

Things took a sensual turn when the pink box asked Roxxxy to pole dance with an imaginary pole.

Similar to Nina, Jorgoeous was asked to deliver an impression. However, instead of mimicking her fellow queens, she was tasked with selecting a celebrity, which ended up being Cher.

The second to last queen up was Vanjie, who was instructed to act a fool until everyone in the group started to laugh, a hilarious task that didn’t take long to achieve.

Plastique was asked to sing ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ for the last pink box activity while the other queens called out physical prompts.

After delivering a riveting rendition of the beloved nursery rhyme – including cartwheels, jumps, and twerking – she secured $1,500 for the Asian-American Foundation.

Following the pink box shenanigans, RuPaul entered the workroom to ring in part one of the All Stars 9 grand finale.

“Now, all season long, you’ve been shaking what your drag mama gave you to raise money for your charity, and that makes you all champions,” Mama Ru exclaimed.

“And every step of the way, our amazing crew has worked tirelessly to help you shine. Now it’s your turn to make them sparkle.

“For your final mini-challenge using the magic of quick drag, you need to transform a hard-working crew member into a Ru girl.”

Ru then introduced each crew member before pairing them off with their respective queens.

The teams were as follows: Gottmik and set dresser Ian, head hairstylist Suzette and Shannel, Roxxxy and prop maker Conrad, production assistant Malcolm and Angeria, Melisa from the art department and Plastique, segment producer Guya and Nina, Vanjie and Kyrsten from audio, leaving Jorgeous with assistant set manager Justin.

With their partners selected, Ru gave the ladies 30 minutes to get the Drag Race crew in sickening geish, which proved to be a hilarious endeavour.

During the creative process, assistant set manager Justin was feeling his oats, which made the rest of the queens and crew cackle.

“I got Ms Justin, the assistant set manager of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and she’s a diva too, which I live for,” Jorgeous said in a confessional.

On the other side of the workroom, Ian opened up about his newfound love for the Drag Race series, which started after he joined the show’s crew for season 15.

“That’s the season I started watching. Now I’m very invested in the show. My sister, she’s seen every season. She’s going to freak out,” he explained to Angeria.

Nina also bonded with her drag child Guya, who she described as a ball of sunshine. After creating their drag children, the queens reunited with RuPaul to show off their handy work.

Ultimately, Ru announced that all the ladies were winners before revealing their final maxi-challenge.

“We are celebrating your charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent as you star in the Slay It Forward Variety Extravaganza,” the drag legend exclaimed.

“Now the stakes are high because this week, the top two All Stars will each receive three Beautiful Benefactress Badges, so baby, it is still anyone’s game to win.”

Ru went on to add that the top three queens with the most badges will compete in a final lip sync for the grand prize.

“Now, later on today, you’ll rehearse your solo performances with the finest dancers in the business, and I do mean finest. And you are cordially invited to a Tic Tac Chit Chat with yours truly.”

However, in typical Drag Race fashion, Ru teased another twist but refrained from revealing it to the queens.

“I knew it was something coming because you know mama be having all kinds of tricks up her sleeve there. It’s a gospel sleeve, bitch,” Angeria said in a confessional.

“It’s a big sleeve, bitch, just full of all kinds of tricks and shit in it.”

After Ru left the workroom, Vanjie asked Roxxxy about her talent for the Slay It Forward Variety Extravaganza.

“I’m paying homage to my other burlesque,” the Florida-based queen answered.

On the other side of the workroom, Nina felt the pressure of the challenge, explaining her theory that only queens with five badges or more could make it to the final three.

While working on her costume, Angeria told Gottmik she was performing an original song called ‘Park and Bark’ for the talent show.

In response, Gotttmik teased that she was going to do “a little dance, punk rock artistry” alongside a guitar solo.

In addition to preparing for the Slay It Forward Variety Extravaganza, each of the queens met up with Ru for the Tic Tac chat, which was full of emotional and heartfelt moments.

During Shannel’s tearful sit-down, the Las Vegas queen thanked Ru for boosting her confidence and shattering her self-imposed high expectations.

When Angeria landed in the hot seat, the Atlanta-based queen gushed about All Stars 9 having a more competitive atmosphere than her time on Drag Race season 14.

The third queen to participate in the Tic Tac lunch was Nina, who described the competition as an emotional rollercoaster.

Nina then thanked Ru for bringing her back into the drag sphere with All Stars 9 following her extensive break to play Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, adding that drag is life-saving.

For Vanjie’s Tic Tac chat, the season 11 talent opened up about her performance in the competition and how she is more sure of herself this time around.

Jorgeous had a similar discussion with Ru, revealing that All Stars 9 has helped her discover her “funny, down-ass bitch” personality and embrace her gay identity.

During Gottmik’s Tic Tac chat, the herstory-making talent gushed about flexing her acting, singing and dancing talents. She also expressed her gratitude for being given the opportunity to highlight the Trans Lifeline charity.

The second to last queen to sit down with Ru was Roxxxy, who discussed her emotional journey since appearing in Drag Race season five, including the fallout with her grandmother.

While she tearfully recalled the heartache of losing contact with her grandmother, she praised her LGBTQIA+ family for their love and support.

For the final Tic Tac sit down, Plastique and Ru shared a heartwarming chat about the former’s journey – including her time living in Vietnam and how the series helped her achieve happiness and success.

Following their Tic Tac lunches, the queens continued preparing for the Slay It Forward Variety Extravaganza.

However, amid the hilarious chaos, a surprise RuMail from TS Madison revealed the long-awaited final twist Ru teased earlier in the episode.

“I’ve got a double diamond to give way,” the fan-favourite rotating judge explained.

“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 diamonds and neither is RuPaul. We’re leaving that decision up to you. Each of you needs to vote for the queen you think deserves the double diamond.”

Towards the end of the RuMail message, Ts revealed that the double diamond winner would be announced at the end of the variety extravaganza, adding that they cannot vote for themselves.

Like in past All Stars seasons, the queens were asked to cast their vote by selecting a lipstick with the contestant’s name on it.

While some of the queens kept their choices hidden, Jorgeous revealed Plastique as her pick. Gottmik and Roxxxy selected Nina, and Roxxxy received two votes from Plastique and Nina. 

Shortly after the episode aired, fans flocked to social media to share their reactions to the voting twist.

One fan on X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote: “This has got to be the GAGGIEST twist in Drag Race herstory. This completely changes the game— AND at the last second. I’m SICK.”  

Another fan added: “Why do these queens keep voting for Roxxy and giving her badges? She is your top competition without the boost lol. Why are they helping her?”

A third fan tweeted: “Jorgeous is a real one, giving the extra badge to Shannel because she was convinced she deserved, and now voting for Plastique to get the double diamond because she’s slayed every time. love her a lot.”

On next week’s episode of Drag Race All Stars 9, the queens will finally hit the stage for the Slay It Forward Variety Extravaganza. American Horror Story star Connie Briton is set to step in as a guest judge.

See below for more fan reactions to part one of the finale.