RuPaul's Olympic failure

Emily Monaco / THE GATEPOST

By Anthony Pintado Staff Writer When rumors of an Olympic-level competition for drag queens were spread across the internet, fans’ speculation peaked. This would be the start of a franchise showing off the best from around the world. These rumors turned out to be true, bringing the creation of “RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars.” Described as the “Olympics of drag,” it brought 12 queens from across the world to compete on one international stage. “Global All Stars” was set in stone to be the best season of the entire franchise. It was bringing fans from all over to root for their country’s representative. Fan engagement was through the roof. Everyone was ready to see international girls shine in front of a larger audience than they ever got on their original season. That's what we thought. The season started off strong with an amazing two-episode premiere styled Talent Show. Each queen got to present their own talent. Standouts included Alyssa Edwards, Eva La Queen, Miranda Lebrão, and Vanity Vain. This was the last good showing the season had for a while. There were two types of queens this season - “RuGirls” and “Drag Race girls.” RuGirls were judged by RuPaul, and the rest were international queens with different hosts. There was a clear bias for the RuGirls, which led to underwhelming performances, unfunny jokes, Addison Rae-level acting, and Ice Spice-esque lyricism getting praise from the judges. This resulted in an extremely predictable season that left no one wanting more, not even the competing queens. Examples of this dumpster fire appeared as the season went on, con-“drag”-ulating Kween Kong, Kitty Scott-Claus, and Alyssa Edwards every week while they constantly disappointed. In challenges such as acting, they rewarded a team with all three RuGirls the win for the week even after a trashy and frankly boring performance. On the other hand we had a group with Pythia, Nehellenia, and Soa De Muse do extraordinarily well, yet still not receive a win. Clear rigging for the RuGirls wasn’t the only problem this season had, as there was also a case of slight bullying from Kween Kong and Kitty Scott-Claus. All season long, Nehellenia had been seen as an underdog by her competitors, but the two prior mentioned contestants took it too far. Whether claiming she wasn’t on their level, Kitty calling her an “ungrateful cow,” saying her outfit was ugly and calling her stupid, or Kween Kong deliberately not choosing Nehellenia as a partner because she’s “so f**king annoying” and “acting like a child,” they did not take a step off of Nehellenia’s throat. While most of this could be seen as playful shade, it’s usually done so the queen on the receiving end can take a moment to digest it and throw shade back. These moments, however, happened in confessionals and these comments were made behind Nehellenia’s back. The behavior was disgusting to watch and left a very bad taste in many people’s mouths. The judging throughout the season was unfair, and it felt like native English speakers versus everyone else. For a season meant to highlight international queens, it was weird to see all of them mistreated throughout the season, and in the end only having one make it to the finale. All of this combined with horrible production and even worse judging made me think it’s time for RuPaul to wrap it up, pass the legacy to someone else. Without a doubt “Global All Stars” was the most disappointing season of “Drag Race” since “All Stars 5.” There have been 45 seasons since “All Stars 5.” It was a complete waste of the extreme talent brought onto set. While a redemption for “Global All Stars” is needed, if season two is anything like season one, RuPaul can keep it deep down in the files, because no one will be tuning in. Rating: F RuPaul, no one is saying love after that mess