"I am amazed at myself. In my mind, I've already won."
When Shannel delivered that line in the first-ever season of RuPaul's Drag Race, she wasn't being a delusional diva… she was truly looking into the future!
From the moment she was cast on All Stars 9, Shannel immediately entered the herstory books by becoming the first and only queen to compete in all three decades that Drag Race has been on the air.
Shannel made her reality TV debut in 2009 as a contestant in the first season of Drag Race. She then competed on All Stars 1, which aired in 2012, and returned for All Stars 9, which is airing in 2024. This means that the Las Vegas showgirl has been featured as a Drag Race competitor in the 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s — becoming the first queen to do so.
Season 1 of Drag Race was all about figuring out what this series could become, what worked and didn't work for the competition, and which kinds of drag queens would be crowned as America's Next Drag Superstar. But since that very first season, Shannel's aesthetic, creativity, and talents were already pushing the envelope past the ideals of "female illusion" that so many drag enthusiasts obsessed over at the time.
After finishing season 1 in fourth place, Shannel returned for All Stars 1 and paired up with Chad Michaels in what would end up being the winning team ("Shad") of the season. Together, Chad and Shannel won three maxi challenges, which led to Chad's subsequent induction to the Drag Race Hall of Fame.
12 years later, Shannel is back in our screens for All Stars 9 — a non-elimination season where the queens are competing to raise money for charity. The Drag Race OG, who is competing on behalf of Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), is guaranteed to appear in all of the episodes of All Stars 9, so she'll yet again make it to the end of the competition.
While we're excited for these upcoming episodes of Shannel competing on All Stars 9, this feels like a victory lap for a drag entertainer whose career now spans nearly 30 years. This time, Shannel already entered the werk room breaking records, making herstory, and teaching the children what longevity is all about.
Condragulations, OG!
New episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 9are streaming every Friday on Paramount+.