RuPaul's Drag Race is arguably one of the best reality shows ever, and usually graces fans with more than one season per year. Shortly after Season 17's airing, we've been treated to All-Stars 10 (streaming with a Paramount+ subscription). And while I loved the two-episode premiere, I've got to say that the bracket system is already frustrating me a bit.
While some fans figure out how to watch RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars 10, I've already blown through the first two episodes. The premiere was a fun viewing experience, especially thanks to fan favorite contestants like Aja. We are now at Episode 3, which is once again focused on Bracket 1. I'm excited to see the drama play out, but I'm sad that we won't get a glimpse of the rest of the cast. The bracket system sequesters the queens, and I'm just having a hard time adjusting to this format change... despite how gag-worthy the season has been so far.
I Hate That We've Only Seen Half The Cast.
I was a Day One supporter of Drag Race, watching the beloved blurry first season on Logo back in 2009. Since then it's become an Emmy-winning success, but I'll admit that when the show changes its format too much I can be resistant. I'm intrigued by the bracket system, but I wish there was a way to show more of the contestants in these early episodes.
Maybe a solution would be alternating between brackets each episode. Although given how filming for Drag Race actually works, this would mean that we'd be watching the show non-chronologically. There likely isn't a way to ease my feelings without abandoning the macguffin altogether, so I'll just have to sit and deal with my discomfort as I watch new episodes every Friday.
I'm Going To Miss The First Group When They're Gone.
While it's strange that 2/3 of the cast of All-Stars 10 haven't graced our screens yet, it's going to be even weirder when the first bracket girls are gone for weeks at a time. Queens like Bosco and Irene the Alien (if they survive their grouping and move on in the competition) will capture our hearts and then vanish for weeks at a time as the second and third groups go through the same elimination process. The first two episodes have been a total blast, but I've got to admit I'm having some growing pains.
Of course, I recognize the upside to these smaller groups. This allows each of the contestants to have much more screen time, as each episode only focuses on one group of queens. This is why split premieres of Drag Race tend to work so well, going back to Season 6. Still, the fact that we'll never get the full cast together as a group during this season of All-Stars is a bummer for a longtime fan like myself who likes to see the group dynamic at play.
New episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars air Fridays on Paramount+ as part of the 2025 TV premiere list. We'll just have to see how fans feel about the format change as we get deeper into the season.
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