Is everyone else this overjoyed that Rupaul’s Drag Race (arguably the best thing to ever happen to reality television) is airing a second All Stars season, starting tonight?
As the show has brought drag to primetime televison, it somehow doesn’t feel quite as transgressive anymore. That certainly doesn’t mean it can’t be surprisingly smart and undeniably entertaining. And the first All-Stars season was especially good because of on queen: Tammie Brown.
One of the first-ever RPDR contestants, Tammie managed to subvert all the expectations of reality tv, often to surreal ends. When she didn’t feel like participating in a challenge, she didn’t. When the other contestants were supposed to throw shade at each other for dramatic backstage footage, she veered their attention-grabbing tactics off course with bizarre outbursts.
In a race characterized by an obsession with glamour, Tammie Brown just aimed to be really, really weird and self-aware. And even though she ended up getting voted off the island faster than other queens, she sashayed-away a far more memorable personality than many a “top 3” finalist. I hope this season of All Stars lives up to the last one, but without Tammie, it’s hard to imagine it can.
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