‘Drag Race: All Stars’ is back and throwing ‘the most shade ever’

In all her fabulousness, RuPaul returned to TV on Thursday night (Aug. 25) with “Drag Race: All Stars 2.” Ten of the best runner-ups from past seasons returned to compete for the $100,000 grand prize, and the high honor of being inducted into Mama Ru’s Drag Race Hall of Fame.

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Picking the best of the best from those who previously missed out on the crown will be no amateur competition. It’s an embarrassment of riches to see Roxxxy Andrews, Katya, Ginger Minj, Alyssa Edwards, Coco Montrese, Phi Phi O’hara, Alaska, Detox, Tatianna and Adore Delano all together on the same stage. Needless to say, the library is open for business! Prepare yourself for some of the most deviously hilarious reads ever.

Shade aside, the talent this season is on another level. While we previously assumed that “All Stars 2” would’ve been dubbed “Can Anyone Beat Katya?” … we were so wrong. While Katya holds her own and was easily safe from elimination along with Detox and Alyssa, it was Roxxxy and Tatianna who were deservedly named as the Top 2.

Since Ru is constantly being called out for picking favorites, the “Supermodel” host has decided to tweak the rules this year. Zap2it got to speak with the original queen herself about the major change. “These are All Stars,” she explains. “They have proven themselves. I don’t need to eliminate them … let them eliminate themselves! It’s fun.”

When we asked her about the effect these new rules had on the contestants, Ru could barely contain her giggle. “Oh, honey. The shade. This is absolutely the most shade thrown on a TV show ever. No one has thrown shade like these queens in Season 2.”

RuPaul hasn’t relinquished her job as a judge entirely. She still decides which few are safe from elimination, and then picks the Top 2 queens who will lip-sync for their lives. The winner of this battle not only wins $10,000 but is then given the power to decide who from the bottom group of contestants will be sent home.

Since drag is such a tight knit community — and all these queens know each other — this new rule ups the drama in the work room by 100%. Will a winner send their biggest competition home? Or will the top queen of the week send home the person who truly performed the worst?

Real friendships are at risk here. And while the series has always shown the queens working together to bring each other up while still competing against one another, now alliances are going to be formed. Strategic moves outside the work room are now in play. And things are going to get ugly real quick.

Guest judging the premiere is Raven Symone, who we think should be brought onto this series full-time. She fits in perfectly beside Michelle Visage, Todrick Hall and Carson Kressley. Rocking a sky-high beehive mohawk and metallic purple lipstick, her facial expressions while watching the queens compete are so expressive, it’s like a bonus side-show each time the camera turns to her.

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After much deliberation, Roxxxy finally chooses the queen to carry the heavy crown of being sent home first. The first to sashay away on “All Stars 2” is Coco Montrese.

Bless Coco’s heart. The eldest of the ladies performed an Old-Hollywood dance routine that, while sweet, was a snooze fest. Already called out during the read session for being long in the tooth, Coco needed to step out with some vibrancy, prove that age is just a number and that she’s knowledgable about the newest drag trends. She did none of that.

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It wasn’t that she was bad, she’s just up against some of the fiercest competition. Could Coco hold a candle to Katya’s gymnastic routine? No. Or Tatianna’s spoken word routine? Not even close.

Speaking of, nothing was more surprising than Tatianna’s stellar routine. While on paper, a spoken-word performance about her genitalia sounds awful, but it was one of the most uniquely entertaining moments in “Drag Race” herstory.

The excitement is only beginning. Next week, everyone’s favorite competition will be taking place as the episode’s main event: Snatch Game. Start your engines — this season is wasting no time getting down to business.

“Drag Race: All Stars” airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on LOGO & VH1.

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