{"id":263815,"date":"2026-06-11T22:24:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T22:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/263815\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T22:24:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T22:24:14","slug":"bracket-3-queens-promise-theyre-not-boring-as-rupauls-drag-race-all-stars-revs-up-we-all-care-about-this-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/263815\/","title":{"rendered":"Bracket 3 queens promise they\u2019re \u2018not boring\u2019 as \u2018RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race All Stars\u2019 revs up: \u2018We all care about this season\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jasmine Kennedie promises that Bracket 3 will be the most entertaining of RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race All Stars<\/a> Season 11\u2019s three preliminary rounds.<\/p>\n

That’s quite a tall order following last week’s Bracket 2 meltdown<\/a>, which had Salina EsTitties screaming, Aura Mayari sobbing, and Silky Nutmeg Ganache lying on the ground. Multiple betrayals resulted in not only mass hysteria, but also Silky and Crystal Methyd moving onto the semifinals, where they’ll meet Dawn and A’keria C. Davenport from Bracket 1.<\/p>\n

More from Gold Derby<\/p>\n

And yet Jasmine, who finished in eighth place on Season 14, is not only claiming that All Stars 11 “saved the best for last,” but also that they are “making up for last year’s Bracket 3.”<\/p>\n

“People were complaining about last year\u2019s Bracket 3 being boring,” she says, shading the three episodes of All Stars 10 in which the eventual winner Ginger Minj steamrolled her competition in straight sets (much to the chagrin of fans who cried favoritism). “Our bracket is not boring. We have drama. We have entertainment. We have tears. Emotions are high. There’s tension that boils up because we all care about this season.”<\/p>\n

\"Jasmine<\/p>\n

Jasmine KennedieSantiago Felipe\/Getty Images for Paramount+<\/p>\n

Bracket 3, which begins its three-week run this Friday, is a bit of a wildcard lineup, and unlike in Brackets 1 and 2, which included several returning pairs, no two queens in Bracket 3 have previously competed against one another. Joining Jasmine are Season 11’s seventh-place finisher Shuga Cain, Season 12’s 12th-place finisher Joey Jay (who is still gay), and Season 16’s 14th-place finisher Hershii LiqCour-Jete, all of whom are looking for redemption.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re the hungriest because we didn’t get that far,\u201d says Jasmine. “You can tell that everyone here wants to win and came back strong.”<\/p>\n

The only two former finalists in Bracket 3 are Season 17’s third-place finisher Sam Star, and Drag Race legend Kennedy Davenport, who made it to the top four on Season 7, All Stars 3, and Canada vs. The World Season 2, but has never won.<\/p>\n

Chatting in New York City’s Lawn Bar ahead of All Stars 11, however, Jasmine tells Gold Derby that she’s not letting her competition faze her.<\/p>\n

“My first time around on Season 14, I was so focused on the social game, and I wasn\u2019t really focused on the competition,\u201d she says. \u201cI think this time around, people will be pleasantly surprised to see I\u2019m very goal-driven, focused on me and my game.\u201d<\/p>\n

But before you worry that the deliciously messy queen of Untucked arguments and self-proclaimed \u201cMouth Almighty\u201d will be returning more demurely, Jasmine says, \u201cWe make it a little messy. We scratch some eyes out. Mouth Almighty is very present. Mouth Almighty is fully realized, and I didn’t hold back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps the biggest change for Jasmine since Season 14 is her gender affirmation. Jasmine came out as trans in a memorable scene her first time on Drag Race and since then has fully transitioned, becoming the first openly trans woman to perform in RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race Live in Las Vegas. Jasmine still sees a distinction between her female self and her drag persona, though.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, you\u2019re still in a drag competition,\u201d she says. \u201cI made sure to show my womanhood fantasy in the Werk Room. When I was on that stage, I did full drag, keeping those lines very distinct.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s only so much separating one can do. \u201cThe dosages [of hormones] were definitely high,\u201d she laughs. \u201cThe tears were flowing. Every time I cried, we just blamed it on the \u2018mones.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Joey<\/p>\n

Joey JaySantiago Felipe\/Getty Images for Paramount+<\/p>\n

Another queen who has learned to separate her natural look from her drag persona is Joey Jay, who performed in her real hair sans wigs on her original season, a choice that rubbed Michelle Visage the wrong way. While Joey didn\u2019t wear a wig \u201cas a callback\u201d while doing press, she\u2019s been wearing wigs for years since Season 12.<\/p>\n

\u201cI woke up one day and had an epiphany,\u201d she says. \u201cDrag is my career now. I look at drag as a doctorate. If you\u2019re gonna get a doctorate, you have to take all the classes. I can\u2019t graduate if I don\u2019t know how to sew, how to do hair. If I want to be one of the best drag queens in the world, I need to know the prerequisites.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to shelling out cash for wigs, Joey upped her budget all-around for All Stars. \u201cThe first time around, it was just a bit sloppy,\u201d she says. \u201cI was very frugal, but Drag Race isn\u2019t something you should be frugal about. This time, I didn\u2019t care. I asked friends for money. I\u2019m like, \u2018I\u2019ll pay you back.\u2019 I borrowed what I could. I\u2019m not a Virgo, but I was cosplaying as one. It felt good to feel prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Shuga<\/p>\n

Shuga CainSantiago Felipe\/Getty Images for Paramount+<\/p>\n

While technically a Scorpio, Shuga Cain, who previously worked in corporate America, also went full-Virgo while preparing for All Stars.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was getting married when I got the call,\u201d she says. \u201cI was planning a destination wedding and All Stars. It was insane, but my job in corporate was as a production director, so I switched into that gear. I had spreadsheets, grids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of the Bracket 3 girls, Shuga has had the longest gap in between seasons, but she\u2019s excited to show off her \u201cevolution.\u201d Before Season 11, she\u2019d only been doing drag full-time for a year. Now she\u2019s nearly a decade into her career. \u201cI\u2019m excited to showcase who I am now,\u201d she says. \u201cI feel younger, more beautiful, richer than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her first season, Shuga, who was 40, was called \u201cNana\u201d by her fellow castmates. She\u2019s now 48, but is quick to say, \u201cThere is nothing saggin on this body anymore, baby. I remember RuPaul was like, \u2018You are not old. You are just starting your life,\u2019 so I wanted to come back like a hot and sexy Real Housewife of Miami, and that\u2019s exactly what I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Hershii<\/p>\n

Hershii LiqCour-Jet\u00e9 and Sam StarSantiago Felipe\/Getty Images for Paramount+<\/p>\n

On the opposite end of the age spectrum is Sam Star, who at 26 is not only the youngest queen, but also the newest to the franchise on this season. With only a year between filming Season 17 and All Stars 11, Sam hasn\u2019t tried to reinvent herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, the first time I was so proud of what I did, and I think I did pretty much everything right,\u201d she says. \u201cI made it all the way to the finale. It just wasn\u2019t my time. When they called me back, I said, \u2018I know I have what it takes, so why not go for it again?\u2019 It\u2019s like a pageant. If you lose once, you just come right back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also thrilled with Sam\u2019s return is her mother, who appeared as Sassy Star during the makeover challenge of Sam\u2019s original season. \u201cShe was like, \u2018You got to go back, and this time you got to win,\u2019\u201d Sam remembers. \u201cShe\u2019s just proud of me no matter what I do, because she knows that getting on the show has been a dream for so long.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since Season 17, Sam has spent most of her time touring without Sassy, but says they might be an on-the-road duo before long. \u201cShe\u2019s so close to retirement,\u201d Sam says. \u201cWhen she does, she\u2019ll be on the road with me. She did come to my show in Atlanta, because it\u2019s just an hour drive from Alabama, and the line to meet her was longer than my meet-and-greet line. Y\u2019all thought I had a big ego? I get it from Sassy.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Sam lasted through the entirety of her season, Hershii LiqCour-Jete was eliminated in the third episode as the first boot, or \u201cPorkchop\u201d of Season 16. After Irene the Alien, the Porkchop of Season 15, dominated All Stars 10, Hershii is thrilled to be the next invited back.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople didn\u2019t get to see much of me last time,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I come from a legacy of good girls. Irene just came on, so to get that next call felt really good. It felt like Ru saw something in me that she herself felt like she missed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Hershii<\/p>\n

Hershii LiqCour-Jet\u00e9Santiago Felipe\/Getty Images for Paramount+<\/p>\n

Last time, Hershii struggled with being away from the two children she\u2019s raising with her partner, but this time, she felt more equipped for the emotions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time, I was not prepared to miss my kids as much as I did. That threw me off my game, because any other time, I\u2019m excited for somebody to come pick them up,\u201d she laughs. \u201cThis time around, my partner and their grandparents were like, ‘Listen, they\u2019re fine. Worry about that money. Go compete and stop being such a crybaby.'”<\/p>\n

Hershii says she\u2019s felt less lonely since opening up about being a gay dad on the show. After competing on Drag Race, she talked to plenty of other gay parents in similar situations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t even know a lot of us were parenting,\u201d says Hershii. \u201cLike A\u2019keria. I didn\u2019t know she was a parent. Kennedy Davenport is also a parent. Those experiences aren\u2019t talked about a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kennedy<\/p>\n

Kennedy Davenport Santiago Felipe\/Getty Images for Paramount+<\/p>\n

Of the Bracket 3 queens, the only one who has returned before is Kennedy, who seems to view the season in more pragmatic terms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came back to win the money,\u201d she says, \u201cPeople don\u2019t understand that this is also a job. This is our career, and it is very important to stay relevant. Being back on television helps to stay relevant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Returning for her fourth time, Kennedy also wasn\u2019t as intimidated by the process. \u201cI wasn\u2019t impressed, no shade,\u201d she says about her initial thoughts of the other girls. \u201cI love my group, but I see no competition. I\u2019ve survived 30 years doing drag, so not to toot my own horn, but I\u2019m my biggest and my only competition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drag Race fans will see just how true that is come Friday.<\/p>\n

Best of Gold Derby<\/p>\n

Sign up for Gold Derby’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Click here to read the full article. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jasmine Kennedie promises that Bracket 3 will be the most entertaining of RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race All Stars Season…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":263816,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[28797,100482,4942,1546,83295,102278,74316,9,24,63,122,124,123,4943,102279],"class_list":["post-263815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-all-stars","tag-bracket","tag-drag-race","tag-gold-derby","tag-jasmine-kennedie","tag-joey-jay","tag-kennedy-davenport","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-rupauls-drag-race","tag-sam-star"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263815","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=263815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263815\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}