Is the ‘All Stars 8’ cast really not that competitive?
A lot of discourse has been happening on social media regarding the track records of the queens on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 8. This season does, indeed, feature a significant number of contestants who went home early during their original seasons. However, how do their Drag Race track records actually compare to past seasons of All Stars in terms of challenge wins?
Excluding All Stars 7 – the all-winners edition – we took some time to run the numbers and analyze how many maxi challenges had been won by the queens on every single season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars over the year. So, it’s time to find out in practical terms how those stats compare to the overall track record from the cast of All Stars 8.
Scroll through to see how the past Drag Race track records of All Stars 8 queens compare to previous seasons – and make sure to watch the new season when it premieres May 12 on Paramount+.
All Stars 1 – 14 challenge wins
Collectively, the cast of All Stars 1 won a total of 14 maxi challenges in their respective original seasons. Highlights include Alexis Mateo and Manila Luzon, who each won three maxi challenges prior to the first-ever All Stars. In turn, Jujubee, Mimi Imfurst, Pandora Boxx, Shannel, and Tammie Brown were cast in that season without ever having won a maxi challenge.
- Alexis Mateo (S3): 3
- Chad Michaels (S4): 2
- Jujubee (S2): 0
- Latrice Royale (S4): 2
- Manila Luzon (S3): 3
- Mimi Imfurst (S3): 0
- Nina Flowers (S1): 1
- Pandora Boxx (S2): 0
- Raven (S2): 2
- Shannel (S1): 0
- Tammie Brown (S1): 0
- Yara Sofia (S3): 1
All Stars 2 – 18 challenge wins
The All Stars 2 cast holds the record for most Drag Race challenge wins in the herstory of the spinoff. Overall, these queens came back to the werk room with a whopping 18 maxi challenge wins under their belts. Not a single queen in this cast competed on All Stars without having won at least one challenge on Drag Race before.
- Adore Delano (S6): 3
- Alaska (S5): 2
- Alyssa Edwards (S5): 1
- Coco Montrese (S5): 1
- Detox (S5): 1
- Ginger Minj (S7): 3
- Katya (S7): 2
- Phi Phi O’Hara (S4): 2
- Roxxxy Andrews (S5): 2
- Tatianna (S2): 1
All Stars 3 – 10 challenge wins
A total of 10 maxi challenges were won by the entire cast of All Stars 3. Four queens – Aja, Milk, Thorgy Thor, and Trixie Mattel – were cast in that season without having won a challenge before. Meanwhile, none of the All Stars 3 queens won more than two maxi challenges during their original seasons.
- Aja (S9): 0
- BeBe Zahara Benet (S1): 2
- BenDeLaCreme (S6): 2
- Chi Chi DeVayne (S8): 1
- Kennedy Davenport (S7): 2
- Milk (S6): 0
- Morgan McMichaels (S2): 1
- Shangela (S2 & S3): 2
- Thorgy Thor (S8): 0
- Trixie Mattel (S7): 0
All Stars 4 – 12 challenge wins
Farrah Moan, Gia Gunn, Jasmine Masters, Mo Heart, and Monét X Change were cast on All Stars 4 without a single maxi challenge win under their belts. Overall, though, this cast amounted to 12 maxi challenge wins as a collective. Most of those challenge wins came from Manila Luzon and Latrice Royale, who had an extra win from their time on All Stars 1, and Trinity The Tuck.
- Farrah Moan (S9): 0
- Gia Gunn (S6): 0
- Jasmine Masters (S7): 0
- Latrice Royale (S4 & AS1): 3
- Manila Luzon (S3 & AS1): 4
- Mo Heart (S10): 0
- Monét X Change (S10): 0
- Naomi Smalls (S8): 1
- Trinity the Tuck (S9): 3
- Valentina (S9): 1
All Stars 5 – 12 challenge wins
All Stars 5 was another season with 12 maxi challenge wins as a collective, but there are two clear standouts here: both Alexis Mateo and Shea Couleé entered this competition having each won four maxi challenges. The entire rest of this cast had either one or zero challenge wins in their past Drag Race track records – including Jujubee, who was competing for a third time.
- Alexis Mateo (S3 & AS1): 4
- Blair St. Clair (S10): 0
- Derrick Barry (S8): 1
- India Ferrah (S3): 0
- Jujubee (S2 & AS1): 0
- Mariah Balenciaga (S3): 0
- Mayhem Miller (S10): 1
- Miz Cracker (S10): 1
- Ongina (S1): 1
- Shea Couleé (S9): 4
All Stars 6 – 12 challenge wins
Despite having a much larger cast than ever before, the queens of All Stars 6 also amounted to 12 maxi challenge wins prior to that season. As many as seven queens entered that competition without ever winning a maxi challenge: Jan, Jiggly Caliente, Kylie Sonique Love, Pandora Boxx, Ra’Jah O’Hara, Serena ChaCha, and Trinity K. Bonet.
- A’keria C. Davenport (S11): 2
- Eureka (S9 & S10): 2
- Ginger Minj (S7 & AS2): 3
- Jan (S12): 0
- Jiggly Caliente (S4): 0
- Kylie Sonique Love (S2): 0
- Pandora Boxx (S2 & AS1): 0
- Ra’Jah O’Hara (S11): 0
- Scarlet Envy (S11): 1
- Serena ChaCha (S5): 0
- Silky Nutmeg Ganache (S11): 2
- Trinity K. Bonet (S6): 0
- Yara Sofia (S3 & AS1): 2
All Stars 8 – 8 challenge wins
Then we get to All Stars 8, a cast that has collectively won eight maxi challenges on past seasons of Drag Race. Though this is definitely the lowest total in All Stars herstory, it’s not that far off from casts like All Stars 3, which amounted to 10 challenge wins. This season also has six queens who never won a maxi challenge – Jaymes Mansfield, Kahanna Montrese, LaLa Ri, Monica Beverly Hillz, Mrs. Kasha Davis, and Naysha Lopez – which is fewer than the seven queens of All Stars 6 who had never won a challenge.
- Alexis Michelle (S9): 1
- Darienne Lake (S6): 1
- Heidi N Closet (S12): 1
- Jaymes Mansfield (S9): 0
- Jessica Wild (S2): 1
- Jimbo (Canada S1, UK vs. the World): 3
- Kahanna Montrese (S11): 0
- Kandy Muse (S13): 1
- LaLa Ri (S13): 0
- Monica Beverly Hillz (S5): 0
- Mrs. Kasha Davis (S7): 0
- Naysha Lopez (S8): 0