RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 6 Review (TV Series, 2021)

For the first time ever in the United States, a season of RuPaul’s Drag Race US is premiering on a streaming service. All Stars 6 is one of the flagship shows on the new Paramount Plus network. This is ViacomCBS’ streaming network, featuring original series, newly aired series, and catalogue series from CBS, VH1, MTV, Nickelodeon, BET, and more.

All Stars 6 is the show you would expect it to be, just larger in every way. Instead of the usual 10 contestants, this season has 13 contestants. The set looks bigger and more expensive. The production quality on the main series as well as UnTucked, the behind the scenes companion series, is better than ever.

The challenges are on a grander scale, too. in All Stars 5, a few contestants got to have set pieces or backup dancers for the first episode variety show. All Stars 6 featured specialty sets, lighting, and props for everyone. Trinity K. Bonet did a standup comedy routine about the power in her house, inspired by her season 6 standup routine about her Grandmother and the light bill; each punchline had a light cue to enhance the story. Ginger Minj sang an original song called “Gummy Bear” on an adorable looking set straight out of a Katy Perry music video. Every contestant had a beautifully produced performance regardless of the quality of the talent performed.

Episode four featured a Super Bowl Halftime Show-inspired challenge. Each contestant picked a celebrity to impersonate from previous Super Bowl performers ranging from Carol Channing to Beyoncé. The contestants brought their own costumes, but the show brought in the sets, lights, backup dancers, and RuPaul cover songs performed by celebrity impersonators like Christina Bianco, Vonzell Solomon, and…others I can’t confirm because Paramount Plus doesn’t let you pause the credits. The songs sounded great, the production design looked like the Super Bowl, and the editing was tight.

Without going into spoilers, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 6 is clearly planning something big. The four eliminated contestants so far have all been told there is “a game within a game” this season. What that entails has not been revealed, but the contestants leave very excited for what comes next. There is typically some kind of chance to reenter the competition on All Stars seasons. The series has been amping up these twists every chance they get, so we have to imagine this is a new wrinkle to the series.

RuPaul’s Drag Race, as a series, heavily relies on casting to find its success. All Stars 6 is the best cast dynamic we’ve had since All Stars 2. There are early season favorites like Jiggly Caliente (Season 4), Pandora Boxx (Season 2), and Yara Sofia (Season 3). There are contestants pulled straight from the newer seasons, like A’Keria C. Davenport (Season 11), Jan (Season 12), Ra’Jah O’hara (Season 11), Scarlet Envy (Season 11), and Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Season 11). There are also contestants who made an impression but never won a challenge like Kylie Sonique Love (Season 2), Serena Cha Cha (Season 5), and Trinity K. Bonet (Season 6). Rounding out the cast are two former finalists who came up short of winning the crown: Eureka! (Season 10/11) and Ginger Minj (Season 7).

This is the rare cast where everyone knows each other. Jan might be new to the show, but she has been a staple in NYC drag shows for years. Serena ChaCha only lasted two episodes on her original season, but she’s a hard worker with a successful wig business that has seen her custom wigs appear on the show (including on All Stars 6 contestants). The older season contestants know each other from when the show was smaller and the newer contestants are all connected through season 11. These existing relationships are paying off huge dividends on the show, with great workroom dynamics and compelling conflicts based on friendship versus gameplaying in UnTucked!

Airing a show on traditional TV has a larger built in audience. Airing a new season of a popular show on a brand new streaming network doesn’t guarantee that. Paramount Plus has a lot of issues to work through. Their navigation system isn’t great. Good luck actually trying to pause to check information in the credits like you can on any other streaming service—the information shrinks down to the bottom left corner; one false click and you’re sitting through 90 seconds of ads to try again.

Worse still, All Stars 6 premieres at 3AM EDT on Thursday morning. That’s absurd. You’re launching a streaming network with a show that clearly cost a lot to make and you’re premiering it when most of the audience is asleep. Those initial watch metrics makes a big difference and I know most viewers don’t have the privilege of waking up and watching an hour long show (plus ads unless you double your monthly subscription cost) before going to work. It’s probably a good 15-16 hours before the target audience gets to watch the show. By that time, the results have been spoiled on social media and on the show’s YouTube page with the Pit Stop official recap show and the Watcha Packing? eliminated contestant interview series. It’s poor decision making that helps no one.

All Stars 6 is shaping up to be a great season. If this is an indication of what Paramount Plus is willing to do with their original programming, the streaming network could be a success. They just need to clean up their interface and reconsider when they premiere their shows.

RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 6 airs new episodes weekly on Paramount Plus.