RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars

Ah, Global All Stars--the Olympics of drag where queens from all over the world come together to battle it out for the crown. Or at least, that's what the marketing says. What we actually get is more like "RuPaul's Drag Race USA, UK and Friends (But Mostly USA and UK)!" If you're hoping for a fair competition where queens from all corners of the world get an equal shot at glory, grab yourself a drink and lower those expectations right now.

Let's talk about the designated stars of the season: the queens who have already strutted their stuff under Mama Ru's gaze. I've never seen a production be this determined to push a Top 3 from day one. It's truly a letdown watching international queens pour their heart and soul into the competition, only to get completely overlooked-even when they've objectively crushed it. The whole thing is uncomfortably familiar for anyone who's not a native English speaker. Real shame to see it on THE show that boasts inclusivity, equality and fair treatment.

Still, don't get me wrong. The lip syncs are cute, the fashion is fierce, and you'll be entertained... until the judges have their pick. Because come what may on that stage, you can almost hear the producers whispering in Ru's ear, "This is Global All Stars, but, like, don't forget, America's watching..."

After watching all seasons of drag race, all stars and many international drag race versions I've never felt the need to write a review. There were some moments of favoritism but it was never too much. However, this global all stars is painful to watch.

The judging feels xenophobic, which for me, a non native speaker who used to live abroad in two English speaking countries, is triggering. It feels that queens from countries where English is not a native language are mistreated and not judged fairly. They don't receive the same opportunities even though they do really good in the competition. Drag race has progressed when it comes to treatment of transesexual or black contestants. However, we cannot forget that there are also Latin or Asian people as well as other backgrounds. Production and judges seem not to care about it and that is painful to watch in a show that is suppsed to be inclusive.

Any hope of impartial judging and a fair fight has been quickly dispelled in the last couple of episodes (ep. 3 and 4). As some people on social media have astutely pointed out, it is about viewership and Paramount+ getting back as much of its investment in this maiden Global Drag Race as possible. With an American judging panel and production pressure to retain contestants from high viewership countries further into the series (English as first language, higher populations, more liberal), the unceremonious axing of the first two queens is less surprising and the trajectory of the remaining queens become predictable.

My predictions for next contestants to go are: Soa de Muse (underwhelming), Eva Le Queen (can't lip sync to save their lives), Tessa Testicle (amusing but overshadowed), Vanity Vain and Gala Varo. And the last ones standing probably are: Pythia (CAN, creativity only gets one so far), Kween Kong (AUS/NZ, dancing only gets one so far), Nehellenia (ITA, underdog character arc), Kitty Scott-Claus (UK, need I say more) and Alyssa Edwards (USA, duh). What was initially excitement at a global season has deflated into resigned acceptance that diehard fans from around the world will not be getting the Olympics of drag they deserve.

As a long-time fan of RuPaul's Drag Race, I was excited for Global All-Stars, but the editing has made it almost impossible to enjoy. The sound effects, in particular, are completely out of place and poorly timed. During eliminations, it feels like the editor doesn't know when or how to use sound effects-sometimes the wrong sound is played, or two different sound effects overlap awkwardly. It's confusing and makes what should be dramatic moments feel clumsy.

The latest episode featuring the roast was even worse. The background music playing while the queens were delivering their jokes was so loud and distracting that it drowned out the humor. Instead of laughing, I was left feeling uncomfortable and irritated by how the music clashed with the performances. What should have been a highlight of the season was completely ruined by bad editing choices.

I really wanted to enjoy this season, but the editing has made it unwatchable.

One episode worse than the other, questionable evaluations and bad decisions. Kitty, Kong, and Alyssa are clearly Ru's favorites. Unfortunately, the fans lose out. The lack of respect for queens is a real stain on the history of drag race. It had everything to be a great season, but unfortunately they didn't know how to put on a good show. I believe that Ru will need to rethink its evaluations or it will lose what keeps it going: its audience. We want a fair game, without any more favoritism, where the queens are valued and have their art evaluated fairly. The "non-rugirls" also deserve recognition. That's a big *!