Ask die-hard fans about RuPaul’s Drag Race and they will probably tell you that it has been the highlight of the past decade. It would be useless to argue with them on that. And now we know that there will be a RuPaul’s Drag Race season 12 and a season 5 of All-Stars as well.
Since it debuted in 2009, the show has been a powerful vehicle for helping all drag queens and people in the LGBT community to fully express themselves. The show has received massive applause from all over the globe. And of course, right along with that, the show sits pretty with 13 Emmy Awards in its first 11 seasons, 13 other awards, and more nominations than anyone cares to count.
So imagine, the rapturous applause with which the news was received when RuPaul – in all his “Mama Ru” glory announced via a short video that VH1 had renewed the infamous show for two other seasons: Season 12 and All-Stars 5.
So when is RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 12 and All-Stars Season 5 going to get going? Here’s all we know about the award-laden reality tv competition.
What are the Premiere Dates for RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 12 and All-Stars Season 5?
Fans of the show went into hibernation after the conclusion of season 11 where Yvie Oddly walked away with the crown, scepter, $100k prize money, and more premium-grade cosmetics than anyone needs. RuPaul’s announcement brought them back to life, however, the master showman has deliberately remained coy on the exact premiere dates for each of these shows. Why spoil the suspense now when it’s so close, right?
While these dates have remained unknown, history is a good indicator of the way these two shows are going to premiere. Thinking retrospectively, RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars Season 5 will probably be the first of the two to hit screens. The last season of this show premiered on VH1 on December 14, 2018, and only one of the last 4 seasons has premiered as early as the second half of August. However, given that the debut season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK premiered on October 3, 2019, the All-Stars season may be pushed back a little to allow the new show some room to grow. Perhaps it will air in early 2020. Perfect timing, considering it will be a welcome distraction from what will undoubtedly be the most abrasive moment of the year – the US presidential election.
The exact premiere date for RuPaul’s Drag Race season 12 also remains unknown, even though the casting call for the show happened as early as January 2019. Looking at history again, we know that all the previous 11 seasons have come in the first quarter of the year, and season 12 does not look like it is prepping to be any different.
Rumors and Facts About Season 12 and All-Stars Season 5
RuPaul’s show universe has largely remained unchanged in the past few seasons. In fact, changes, when they do occur, usually happen a few seasons at a time, and that trend looks set to continue. In the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the prize money stood at $20,000. It did change every season for the next 3 seasons, although most of the other prizes stayed the same. By the fourth season, the prize money had climbed to a much welcome $100,000. However, after eight straight seasons without an upward review of the prize money, could this be the season of change? We’ll have to wait to see if that will be the case.
As for the upcoming All-Stars season, the format is expected to remain unchanged. It also carries the same $100,000 prize money and the opportunity for a former Drag Race contestant to make it into the Drag Race Hall of Fame. However, in the last season, the unprecedented happened when two contestants – Monét X Change and Trinity the Tuck – were crowned winners and inducted into the Hall of Fame. Fans of the show were definitely pleased with that development. This will only make the competition for the crown a lot more fierce, and who knows, perhaps we may see another double crowning this season as well? Or, possibly three winners?
With all the excitement mounting up as the premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 12 and All-Stars season 5come closer, some things are almost guaranteed to stay the same. Michelle Visage will most likely stay on as one of the main judges while Ross Mathews and Carson Kressley will continue to fulfill their roles as rotating judges. The show is also likely to have 15 contestants like it did last year. Prior to RuPaul’s Drag Race season 11, the show had seen fourteen contestants battle for the crown since the fifth season.