‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ Moves Back to VH1 From Showtime, Reveals Cast
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Shantay, they stay… at VH1.
After the February announcement that “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” would move from VH1 to Showtime for its fifth season, producers revealed on Friday that the series will in fact remain on VH1 when it premieres on June 5. Both networks are owned by ViacomCBS.
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The initial decision to move “All Stars” to Showtime caught some flack from fans displeased that they would need to subscribe to the pay cable network to see it. But in a press release, the decision to keep “All Stars” on VH1 was chalked up to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which “resulted in various scheduling and programming adjustments.”
The release also officially revealed the cast of 10 previous contestants on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” who are returning to compete for the $100,000 top prize and a place in the “Drag Race Hall of Fame,” alongside previous winners Chad Michaels (Season 1), Alaska (Season 2), Trixie Mattel (Season 3), Monet X Change and Trinity the Tuck (who both won Season 4).
Season 5 of “All Stars” is definitely reaching back into “Drag Race” herstory: Half of the contestants originally appeared on the first three seasons of “Drag Race,” and two contestants also appeared on the first season of “All Stars.”
Host and executive producer RuPaul Charles promised that Season 5 would feature “a new twist” for the show “that is so twisted it’s guaranteed to twist your twisted minds.”
The contestants for Season 5 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” will be:
Alexis Mateo, came in third on Season 3 of “Drag Race” and appeared on Season 1 of “All Stars.” She’s also the drag mother of recent “Drag Race” breakout star Vanessa Vanjie Mateo.
Blair St. Clair, came in ninth on Season 10 of “Drag Race.” One of the youngest contestants to appear on the series, Blair made headlines when she revealed on the show — and for the first time in her life — that she was sexually assaulted in college.
Derrick Barry, came in fifth on Season 8 of “Drag Race.” She first appeared on reality TV performing as Britney Spears on the third season of “America’s Got Talent.” Derrick has also performed in “RuPaul’s Drag Race Live!,” the current Las Vegas stage show that went hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
India Ferrah, came in tenth on Season 3 of “Drag Race.” She’s infamous among fans for the lip sync battle her season in which fellow contestant Mimi Imfurst physically lifted India up in the air, causing RuPaul to utter the immortal words: “Drag is not a contact sport.”
Jujubee, came in third on Season 2 of “Drag Race,” and is the only queen who’s reached the finale of the show without winning an individual challenge. She also appeared on Season 1 of “All Stars.”
Mariah Paris Balenciaga, came in ninth on Season 3 of “Drag Race.” She also appeared as a drag professor on the “Drag Race” spin-off show “RuPaul’s Drag U” in 2011 and 2012.
Mayhem Miller, came in tenth on Season 10 of “Drag Race.” A queen with several connections to other “Drag Race” queens — she’s in the same drag family as Detox and Delta Work — Mayhem also appeared on 2018’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race Holi-slay Spectacular.”
Miz Cracker, came in fifth place on Season 10 of “Drag Race.” She’s also a regular columnist for Slate, and won the 2016 Excellence in Column Writing award winner for the Association of LGBTQ Journalists (i.e. the NLGJA).
Ongina, came in fifth place on Season 1 of “Drag Race,” and is one of the first reality stars to publicly reveal their HIV-positive status while on their show.
Shea Couleé, came in third place on Season 9 of “Drag Race,” and is only one of two “Drag Race” contestants ever to win four challenges in their season.
VH1 also released a video of all the “All Stars” Season 5 contestants’ entries on the premiere:
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