Chris here, champing at the bit to just get RuPaul's Drag Race All Star-ted, already! We are only a week away from a new season of mega-wattage lipsyncs and high stakes before another queen joins previous All Stars winners Alaska Thunderfuck and Chad Michaels in the Drag Race Hall of Fame. We still have no sign of the mystery tenth queen, so we can expect the show to save her for a big reveal as it did last season with the return of Cucu. However, we can expect a slew of guest stars including Titus Burgess, Vanessa Williams, Kristen Chenoweth, and, catch this, Nancy Pelosi!
And to aid our speculation on the eventual winner before the premiere, we've gotten a glimpse at the first looks as the queens enter the workroom. Since we're Drag Race obsessed, let's rundown the best first impressions and rank the looks:
9. Milk
I love that Milk always undercuts her looks with an unexpected brand of kooky comedy, but this is not one of her best looks. Wasn't Aja mercilessly dragged for ill-fitting chaps only a season ago?
8. Morgan McMichaels
Morgan should not be underestimated in any way, so it pains me to say that I expected more from this first look. Unfortunately a nude body suit and earth tone shrug does not a second coming make - but her bite looks to be in delicious form.
7. Thorgy Thor
A bit too on the clown side for her "glamour clown" aesthetic, no? Maybe I'm just not excited for Thorgy's return, but this feels like a retread on what we've seen from her before without an evolution. Damned if she doesn't make you smile, though.
6. BenDeLaCreme
Now I'd still wager DeLa is a major threat to win the whole competition, but no points for innovation here - you'll remember this print on her because it's almost exactly what she wore on her season's finale. She is still adorable, and I'm positive we'll see something more amped to All Star level.
5. Aja
Now this is already what she was missing last season: nerdy fun (via a scooter!), colorful vibrancy, and POLISH. The bathing suit is the least interesting thing about the look, but you know Aja had to bring a little bit of sluttiness to it!
4. Kennedy Davenport
Talk about referencing some of your most memorable moments, Kennedy showed up crystallized as a glamazon bitch ready for the runway! Kennedy always delivers next level pageant royalty glamour but this look also showcased her sense of humor that's too often taken for granted. Reader, I'm excited.
3. Trixie Mattel
The internet's favorite (and sure, mine as well) gets the most points for humor and originality. I can't help but worry that her rollerskate slip here might be an omen of what's to come however; don't forgot she's proven to be her best while working outside the rigidity of the show's challenges.
2. Chi Chi DeVayne
Meanwhile my concerns for the self-proclaimed trash queen look to be unfounded so far! The trick for Chi Chi here is to remain true to her DIY aesthetics while punching it up to All Star quality, and this simple and radiant look does just that. As much the showgirl sweetheart as she ever was, and streamlined to perfection. [breathes sigh of relief]
1. Shangela
If you're not excited for the return of one of Drag Race's most quotable and ferocious competitors, you're doing Drag Race wrong. How wrong was I to have mild trepidation about her inclusion here after already having multiple seasons of chances to snatch the crown? This entrance rifs her endlessly gif-ed box-bursting reveal that she was among season 3's competition after being the first to sashay away on season two - but taken to the max. If polish was her weakest point in the past, she looks to have mastered that. Bitches, beware, because she's a definite frontrunner.
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars returns Thursday January 25!