{"id":225186,"date":"2026-05-08T22:19:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T22:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/225186\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T22:19:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T22:19:15","slug":"why-rupauls-drag-race-queens-returned-for-all-stars-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/225186\/","title":{"rendered":"Why ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Queens Returned for ‘All Stars 11’"},"content":{"rendered":"

A twist so nice they did it twice, \u201cRuPaul\u2019s Drag Race All Stars\u201d<\/a> is bringing back its Tournament of All Stars format for Season 11. However, this time around, only two queens from each bracket will advance to the semi-finals \u2014 as seen in Friday\u2019s two-episode premiere on Paramount+.<\/p>\n

A\u2019keria C. Davenport, Dawn, Lucky Starzzz, Morgan McMichaels, Morphine Love Dion and Mystique Summers make up the Orange Bracket. They will be followed by April Carri\u00f3n, Aura Mayari, Crystal Methyd, Salina EsTitties, Silky Nutmeg Ganache and Vivacious in the Pink Bracket, with the Purple Bracket\u2019s Hershii LiqCour-Jet\u00e9, Jasmine Kennedie, Joey Jay, Kennedy Davenport, Sam Star and Shuga Cain rounding out the cast.<\/p>\n

As always, RuPaul has final say over who comes out on top, but she\u2019ll once again be joined by Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews and Ts Madison on the judging panel, with special celebrity guest judges<\/a> Brian Tyree Henry, Bronwyn Newport, Christina Ricci, Cooper Koch, Evan Mulrooney, Gina Gershon, Jamal Sims, Janelle James, Juno Temple, Kate Hudson, La Toya Jackson, Law Roach and Rene\u00e9 Rapp along the way.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Kate\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

For AS11, we\u2019ve got representation from 10 main seasons, as well as four former All Stars \u2014 and even two queens who\u2019ve competed up North on \u201cCanada\u2019s Drag Race.\u201d But what exactly drew these fan-favorite contestants back into the competition? See what a majority of the cast told TheWrap, below:<\/p>\n

\"\"Dawn (Paramount+)<\/p>\n

Dawn
\u201cI felt somewhat misunderstood on Season 16, at times. There would be people who said they didn\u2019t understand my concepts or where I was coming from. But the thing is, to me, I didn\u2019t always need a concept, I didn\u2019t need to come from anywhere. It was just fun! So I wanted to come back to really show that I can reference, I can have more significant concepts and I can be a bit more drag-y. Like, I\u2019m Dawn and I do my sickening thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Mystique Summers (Paramount+)<\/p>\n

Mystique Summers
\u201c\u2018Bitch, I am from Chicago\u2019 comes up every single year. Everybody is quoting one of my catchphrases \u2026 Nowadays, the girls go in and are trying to say 50 million catchphrases. One episode will be this catchphrase, one episode another. OK, so you\u2019re all just trying to throw everything at the wall? Like, just let it come naturally. Me, I just start talking, and if I start rambling, just going crazy, you will get s\u2013t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"April Carri\u00f3n (Paramount+)<\/p>\n

April Carri\u00f3n
\u201cMy goal was to really be present in the werk room, to let everybody get to know me. In Season 6, there were a lot of queens and I was an early out. So coming back, it\u2019s just getting my voice out there and my vision, just showing my growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Aura Mayari (Paramount+)<\/p>\n

Aura Mayari
\u201cA lot of girls say they don\u2019t regret things from their past season, but I think it\u2019s OK to have regrets. For me that season, there were a lot of insecurities, a lot of anxiety. I was going through a lot in my life during that time, so I felt like I wasn\u2019t ready mentally to be there, but I took the opportunity because you never know. Coming back, I\u2019ve had a lot more experience in the industry and also just understanding who I am as a person \u2014 my drive, my persona and my artistry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Crystal Methyd (Paramount+)<\/p>\n

Crystal Methyd
\u201cIt\u2019s been quite a bit since my season, so I really wanted to hone my craft. Because I was so close to winning, I wanted to make sure that when I came back, it was the only possibility. So I\u2019ve been touring, learning from all the girls I\u2019ve been meeting along the way, and now I\u2019m ready to apply it and show Ru.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Salina EsTitties (Paramount+)<\/p>\n

Salina EsTitties
\u201cI really wanted to showcase my growth, not only within my drag and fashion, but as a person. I think I\u2019ve changed so much since my season. I felt like I was this little chihuahua trying to bark a big bark. Today, I feel like an actual bitch thriving. I\u2019m excited, just allowing people to have a new experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Paramount+)<\/p>\n

Silky Nutmeg Ganache
\u201cI like to compete, and I like to bring the bullfight. I like to bring the elephant feet out. I like to bring the cougar, the tiger, the bears, the lions \u2014 I like to bring that out. My original season, everybody said I sucked up the air out the room. But this time, I gave everybody a fair opportunity. Now, if the camera don\u2019t grasp you or if you don\u2019t interest the audience, it\u2019s on you. It\u2019s not because Silky was such a good personality. So this time, I let my natural star quality shine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Vivacious (Paramount+)<\/p>\n

Vivacious
\u201cMy goal was to show them that the Vivacious that existed back then is not the same Vivacious that you know now. Back when I did the show, it was a younger demand, in terms of what \u2018Drag Race\u2019 wants. I had to learn to adapt. It wasn\u2019t the old-school way of regular drag. RuPaul changed the game completely. The show allows you to mentally dig deeper into yourself to want to be a better queen in terms of what you present. So it was really beautiful to come back, because I get to show that there is some evolution \u2026 This is not amateur race. Do it properly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Hershii LiqCour-Jet\u00e9 (Paramount+)<\/p>\n

Hershii LiqCour-Jet\u00e9
\u201cAs prepared as I thought I was for my first run of the show, it was still quite jarring and I didn\u2019t get the experience that I wanted nor did I get to show \u2014 not just who I am as a performer \u2014 but who I am as a person. I really want to give the world a better opportunity to get acquainted with me and show why I was cast in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Jasmine Kennedie (Paramount+)<\/p>\n

Jasmine Kennedie
\u201cThe goal coming back was to do what I said I was gonna do my first time around! I think I talked a big game the first time, and I didn\u2019t necessarily have as much to back her up with. This time, I definitely do. Also, I wanted to come back and actually see myself on TV. When I first started, I could tell that I was trying to hide the woman under the boy, and I\u2019m just very happy to be able to come back and show my true self; to show that my drag and my makeup and everything just elevated and got better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Joey Jay (Paramount+)<\/p>\n

Joey Jay
\u201cMy goal coming back for All Stars was that I wanted to be really comfortable with my craft and have a good time. The first time, obviously, you don\u2019t know how to prepare for something you\u2019ve never done before. But I learned a lot, went home and just marinated. I was like, \u2018When I wake up, I feel like we
can win All Stars\u2019 \u2026 Now I have the resources to put together what I would like to do in this amount of time, and I would love to make magic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Kennedy Davenport (Paramount+)<\/p>\n

Kennedy Davenport
\u201cMy ultimate goal was to be good. You want to be fresh and allow your drag to speak evolution, so that was my purpose \u2026 I can\u2019t wait to see it myself, cause I was so stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Shuga Cain (Paramount+)<\/p>\n

Shuga Cain
\u201cMy goal in returning was to come back looking gorgeous, younger and richer than ever, and I think I succeeded! That\u2026 and snatching the crown, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRuPaul\u2019s Drag Race All Stars\u201d Season 11 drops two new episodes every Friday on Paramount+, alongside corresponding episodes of \u201cUntucked.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"RuPaul\u2019s\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A twist so nice they did it twice, \u201cRuPaul\u2019s Drag Race All Stars\u201d is bringing back its Tournament…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":225187,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123,4943,44401],"class_list":["post-225186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-rupauls-drag-race","tag-rupauls-drag-race-all-stars"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225186"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225186\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}