Another season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars is in the books. In a rather controversial finale, Trixie Mattel follows in the footsteps of Chad Michaels and Alaska to become the third queen to take the All-Star title. Many fans of the show feel the victory should come with an asterisk, as favorite BenDeLaCreme excused herself from the competition a few weeks ago and others feel that Shangela was robbed of the title. The season finale brought back the eliminated queens to vote, Survivor-style, on the final two queens lip syncing for their legacy – and Shangie got thrown under the bus. In the end, it was Trixie who took home the title and the $100,000 prize.
🌟BONUS: See which lipsticks the eliminated Queens pulled to determine the Top Two! #AllStars3 pic.twitter.com/BKqbQSmwob
— RuPaul's Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) March 16, 2018
RuPaul has recently been in the hot seat because of comments he made about including transgender queens in future seasons of Drag Race. The crowning of the third white all-star has launched the hashtag #AllStarsSoWhite on social media. And Ru, who just got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last week, has been accused of delivering a lackluster All-Star season. Season 10 of Drag Race premieres on Friday.
As for Trixie, she already has a successful show with fellow queen Katya on Vice and a folk music album, One Stone. She is also nominated for a James Beard Award for a video she did for GQ entitled, “Trixie Mattel Makes a PB&J (and More Importantly, a Cocktail)”. Trixie is not resting on her laurels, telling the Huffington Post that “I’m doing 40-plus cities of a United States tour of my show “Moving Parts,” so people will be able to come see me play my guitar and tell jokes in real life.” She went on to add “I’ll be writing a new show this summer. The wheels keep turning. “Drag Race” is really cool, but I’ve always got the next 10 monopoly moves ready.” Here are some other highlights from the interview:
On winning AS3: I’ve always played the game in my career as if this will never happen. I’m happy it happened, but I definitely didn’t ever count on it or bank on it. Both times previously I lost on “Drag Race,” so I’ve only been a winner for like 12 hours. I think if you’re a real all star, you go out and you’re an all star whether or not you never do “Drag Race” again.
On #AllStarsSoWhite: I didn’t even see it. I’ve been avoiding [social media]. I’ll post pictures and videos of myself playing guitar in my room, but I don’t interact or weigh in on topics. As you can see when Shangela confronted me about that note, I can’t really handle confrontation or drama well because I’m never in it, so I don’t really know how to handle it when it comes.
On what she’s going to do with the prize money: I’m white trash garbage who came from nothing and afraid of living in a car eating cat food at any moment, so I’m just going to save all the money. I know it’s not exciting. I live in reality and I know at any moment I could stop getting the phone calls and nobody wants to hear me sing or tell jokes anymore. I just save it all so that one day if I quit drag I have a beautiful nest egg to show for it.
As for Shangela, don’t worry about her, she’s doing great. Her latest single, “Pay Me” is already rising up the charts. On losing All-Stars, she told Entertainment Weekly, “Even though the battle didn’t go in my favor, I will forever remain a queen. Halleloo!” And, speaking of the twist that robbed her in the finale, she addressed it like the “professional” she is, remarking,
Take a look at what happened this season, and take a look at how the fans are reacting. Take the temperature of the world and I think you’ll get your answer. Honestly, I wish that the rules had been different in the end. Maybe if we’d been aware that was going to be the twist, I would’ve played the game a little differently. But, it is a game as well as a reality show. It’s not like the Olympics; it is a reality TV show where there can be twists and turns that you don’t expect. You just have to recognize that’s what you signed up for. Walking into the Werk Room, I wanted to make the most of every moment because I never knew when I was going to be gone. Looking back, I did that.
I will admit I was disappointed that Shangela didn’t win, as she busted her ass in every challenge and has always been my favorite underdog (and the fact that I’ve interviewed her a few times doesn’t hurt. She’s a sweetheart and gives great interview). But, out of the final four, if it wasn’t going to be Shangie, I’m okay with Trixie taking the crown. It was a so-so season, and I’m looking forward to Drag Race season 10.
Photos: VH1, Getty Images, Instagram
Shangela was robbed. The queens were shady in their denying her the chance to LSFYL and the lesser queen won out of spite.
SO ROBBED.
also CAN’T STAND Trixie
I agree.
While Trixie progressed the most- Shangela was definitely the most consistent. The only reason Shangie didn’t win, is because their peers had such a heavy hand in the elimination process this time around.
A trend I hope won’t be repeating itself because then the best no longer wins. It becomes a congeniality popularity contest instead.
I think the final 2 should have been Shangela and Trixie. Shangela deserved the chance to do that final lip sync. They’re my two favorites of the season so I’m not mad about Trix winning, I just wish Shangela had the chance to win too.
Yes! THIS!
Shangela not being in the top two was a decision based in bitterness. I’m OK with Trixie taking the crown but it should have been her and Shangie battling it out. The whole nonsense about Kennedy ‘needing’ it more for her career was ridiculous. If she can’t make as much of her opportunities from being on Drag Race as the other Queens then that’s her problem, other more successful Queens shouldn’t have to step aside to give her glory.
Kennedy is basic, period. Shangela showed so much growth and she deserved that spot in the final two. This show is getting tired.
Whilst I think Shangela was undoubtedly top two the eliminated queens obviously have opinions on something we didn’t see. Only Thorgy voted for Shangela and considering she was voted off by her I don’t think their decisions were necessarily based on what happened on air.
That being said there aren’t many queens who have capitalised on the Drag Race opportunity like Ms Mattel. She was a star despite her poor showing in her season before this All Stars. Well deserved.
People need to calm down. A really perfect season of all stars is not an inalienable right or something. So it wasn’t the best season ever, boo hoo. My husband and I had a great time watching it and it’s a joy to see these queens every week.
And as far as the so white thing… come on now. There have been many queens of color to win. This is a coincidence, it truly is.
And as for Dela, no she did not win because the pressure got to her and she couldn’t hang and she left. The winner has to be able to make it all the way through. So no she is not the true winner.
Thanks for the spoiler…
WELCOME TO THE INTERNET.
Also it’s not as if the finale aired an hour ago in a different time zone; it’s been days.
Yet another opportunity to set the record straight re: an African American man being accused of ‘so white’ crowning on his show: Trixie Mattel is (one half) Native American. Per wikipedia; He is half Ojibwe, and comes from a Native American family
RuPaul being African American doesn’t change the fact that there’s some issues as some people of color have no problem carrying the mantel of racism, even against their own interests.
Didn’t Trixie just call himself “white trash” in that interview. Maybe he doesn’t identify with his Native American side.
The people complaining about “another white winner” are wrong anyway, since Trixie is actually Native American (I think she’s said Ojibwe). She even grew up on a reservation.
She grew up next to the reservation in a trailer. Didn’t have an indoor toilet until she was 12.
Even though she is half Ojibwe, she identifies as white since she is white passing and doesn’t know much about her Native American roots.
…I spend way to much time in the RPDR subreddit lmao.
I love them all and try not to get too attached to who wins, but it was hard to see Shangela’s face when she heard she would not be in the top two. She really should have won based on everything. Still, I do really like Kennedy, and I like that she went so far. They are all amazing!
It should have gone done like this:
Winner: Ben DelaCreme
2nd: Shangela
3rd: Trixie
But honestly the crown means so much less when the clear winner abandoned the show. I’m still reeling from Dela’s departure. I know Trixie has a cult following and many die hard fans. I do think she’s a great queen, a successful working queen with a sharp wit. I’ll have to be content with her win. Sigh.
it really was a luke warm season of drag especially compared to AS2 which was so good and stilll is one of my favorite seasons, but i think this is down to the production teams fault. the more they get away from letting the cream rise to the top by virtue of being good at the competition and the more they try to add twists and turns that dont add anything i think the more people will be disappointed with the show. even though adding all these twists gets people talking it doesn’t make them feel good. drag race used to make people feel good. now its all about shock value.
I was sooooo mad about this result. The only reason those shady queens voted Kennedy was to up her booking fee. Well guess what, if Shangela and Kennedy are at the same meet & greet, Kennedy is still gonna be an afterthought.