Now that Jimbo’s had a comfortable five minutes as our reigning Drag Race Hall of Famer, it’s time to turn our attention to the forthcoming ninth season of All Stars, which – if rumours are to be believed (and they’re usually bang on) – has already finished filming.
Here, we round up all the potential legends who might be sashaying back into the werkroom next year – and of course, it’s completely speculative and based on their activity (or lack thereof) on social media and cancelled gigs, etc. None of this is officially confirmed.
Check out the eight rumoured cast members below, and let us know which queen deserves to join Chad Michaels, Alaska, Trixie Mattel, Monét X Change, Trinity the Tuck – deep breath, more sickening star power incoming – Shea Couleé, Kylie Sonique Love, Jinkx Monsoon and Jimbo in the Hall of Fame.
Angeria Paris VanMichaels (Season 14)
Challenge wins: 2
Original placement: 3rd/4th/5th
“The Southern belle from ATL” is (rumoured to be) back (hallelujah!). Angeria Paris VanMichaels stormed the first half of season 14 with five consecutive ‘high’ placements, two of which were wins. Known for her classic country charm and old school pageantry, Angeria made it to Drag Race’s first-ever final with five queens, tying with Bosco and Daya Betty for joint third/fourth/fifth place. Angeria made her comeback this year on All Stars 8 as a lip-sync assassin, where she lost to Kandy Muse.
Gottmik (Season 13)
Challenge wins: 2
Original placement: 3rd/4th
Gottmik memorably ‘crashed the cis-tem’ in season 13 as the franchise’s first openly trans male competitor, ultimately winning two of Drag Race’s most iconic challenges: the Snatch Game, where she won rave reviews for her impersonation of Paris Hilton; and the Ball. One of Drag Race’s most followed queens, with over 1.3 million on Instagram, Gottmik is notable for her partnership with season seven winner Violet Chachki. The fashionistas appeared in the music video for Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ historic smasher ‘Unholy’ – going on to perform with them at the Grammy Awards – and co-hosted Fashion Photo RuView for All Stars 7. Gottmik also ventured into the world of publishing, co-authoring ‘The T Guide’ with close friend and fellow trans icon Gigi Gorgeous.
Jorgeous (Season 14)
Challenge wins: 1
Original placement: 6th/7th
Jorgeous is one of the rare Drag Race contestants (alongside UK season three champion Krystal Versace and duck-walker Anetra) who has been told by RuPaul that they were “born to do drag”, so her return here doesn’t come as a surprise. During her season 14 run, the self-described “spicy Latina” (controversially) won the design challenge and made herstory as the first US contestant to survive four bottom two lip-syncs. Like her sister Angeria, Jorgeous returned as a lip-sync assassin on All Stars 8. To the surprise of, well, everyone, she lost her battle, so expect Jorgeous to retain her title (if rumours are to be believed, of course) on All Stars 9.
Nina West (Season 11)
Challenge wins: 2
Original placement: 6th
Nina West was already a drag legend before she competed on season 11, having won ‘National Entertainer of the Year’ and serving as inspiration for Sia’s iconic moving dress. She lived up to her reputation on Drag Race with two challenge wins, before Silky Nutmeg Ganache gave her the boot in an infamous lip-sync smackdown to TLC’s ‘No Scrubs’. Since her time on the series, the former Miss Congeniality has starred as Edna Turnblad in a national tour of Hairspray and Divine in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, and made an appearance in the Hulu series Drag Me to Dinner. In 2022, Nina continued to be a passionate advocate for ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’ with the release of her children’s book, ‘The You Kind of Kind’.
Plastique Tiara (Season 11)
Challenge wins: 1
Original placement: 8th
Fun fact: Plastique Tiara is – with all social media platforms combined – the most followed Drag Race alumni, ever. On TikTok, she boasts a staggering 11 million followers, with over 300 million likes for her transformative videos. Plastique, a member of the ‘Haus of Edwards’, made her debut on season 11, where she historically competed in Drag Race’s first-ever six-way lip-sync, won the design challenge and discovered the existence of up-and-coming singer-songwriter Beyoncé. On the subject of All Stars, Plastique previously told GAY TIMES: “I’m not gonna deny another chance on TV. One thing I would do if I came back, is to have a lot more fun.” All Stars 9: confirmed!
Roxxxy Andrews (Season 5, All Stars 2)
Challenge wins: 3
Original placement: 2nd/3rd (Season 5), 4th (All Stars 2)
Could Roxxxy Andrews be here to make it clear for a third time? (Please… we beg.) The acclaimed ‘Read U Wrote U’ singer was a “bitch” on season five and ‘made it right’ on All Stars 2 (we’ll stop soon, promise) and, hopefully, All Stars 9 will boast a sewing challenge, so she can give us what we like (we’re done). In all seriousness, Roxxxy is one of the franchise’s fiercest competitors and, although she had a less than impressive (statistical) showing on All Stars 2, she was focused on redeeming her less-than-congenial reputation. With her slate clean, expect Roxxxy to go full throttle for that crown.
Shannel (Season 1, All Stars 1)
Challenge wins: 4
Original placement: 4th (Season 1), 3rd/4th (All Stars 1)
Mmm, the delicious Miss Mandarin is also heavily rumoured to be competing on All Stars 9 following her recent appearance as a lip-sync assassin. (We’re noticing a pattern here.) Shannel is one of – fact, not opinion incoming – the franchise’s most memorable queens. From the aforementioned, artistic display of lip-smacking to her showdown with Santino Rice, in addition to her speech about how beautiful she is (iconic), Shannel is drag – and reality television – royalty. This would mark her first Drag Race stint as a solo competitor since 2009 – will she become the second season one contestant to snatch a crown?
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo (Season 10, 11)
Challenge wins: 0
Original placement: 14th (Season 10), 5th (Season 11)
The queen behind Drag Race’s most iconic exit – and arguably, most viral moment to date – has kept busy since season 10 and 11. IMDB credits include Germany’s Next Top Model, AJ and the Queen, RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race, All Stars Shore, Canada’s Drag Race and Drag Me to Dinner. Last year, Vanjie also led her own dating series, Vanjie: 24 Hours of Love, and continues to be a recurring cast member for Drag Race Live!, the series’ official residency show in Las Vegas. With all this post-show experience, Vanjie could be a real threat.
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