‘Drag Race’ Shocker: Old Queens Return to Decide ‘All Stars’ Winner

Adam Salandra
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TV

Spoiler alert: This post contains spoilers from the finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 3. Proceed with caution.

The third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars came to an end tonight and after one last shocking twist, Trixie Mattel was crowned the winner.

RuPaul brought back all six previously eliminated queens to act as the jury for the final four and gave them the power to decide who would be in the Top 2. And their decision turned the game on its head once again.

After performing Ru’s ‘Kitty Girl’ in a live one-take video, each finalist went in front of the jury of their sisters to plead their case. They didn’t feel much warmth for Bebe, but Kennedy’s plea really tugged at their heartstrings.

Shangela gave a beautiful recap of how far she has come since Season 2 and her tears and pride were very well deserved. Then Trixie came in and also reminded us all that she deserves a place in any Hall of Fame for how successful she’s been since her first time in the race. Both queens looked stunning in their finale looks and clearly deserved to be the Top 2. But that’s not what happened.

As the eliminated queens sat around deliberating, they decided they’d rather vote for a queen who needs the win, as opposed to one who is already successful. A nice sentiment, but I have to strongly disagree. I want my winner to be someone who represents the show in the real world by being a success. The queen who has taken the platform she was given on the show and turned it into a blossoming career is the type of queen who deserves to be called an All Star. Otherwise, we’re just giving out pity wins, and the crown will mean nothing.

But when it is time to reveal who they chose, it is ultimately Kennedy Davenport and Trixie Mattel in the top spots. And for the first time all season, Trixie won the lip sync and ultimately, the crown.

It was devastating to see Shangela come so far and get so close but then not make it to the top to fight for the crown she deserved. You could see the pain on her face as she tried to process the totally arbitrary decision.

And although Trixie was the frontrunner going into All Stars 3, the most popular queen out of all the contestants, and has already proven she’s a superstar in the real world, the entire season feels like a waste. And that’s because nothing we watched really mattered in the end.

When BenDeLaCreme eliminated herself after winning every challenge all season, it already felt like we lost the “real” winner. But then when Shangela, who was right behind DeLa in wins throughout the entire season, also lost her rightful spot in the top, it seemed like it all came down to one lip sync in the last five minutes of the series and everything we watched all season was just filler.

And so, Trixie Mattel is our All Stars winner. And although she had to knock out the two queens with the best scores to make it happen, she will return to the real world absolutely continuing to be the perfect representation of why we all love this show.

Oh, and one more thing … Drag Race tweeted a video revealing who each queen voted for and Shangela only got one vote. One.

Adam Salandra
Adam Salandra is an Entertainment Editor for FANDOM. When he's not covering the latest in pop culture, you can find him playing with his French Bulldog pup or hovering over the table of food at any social gathering.