All Stars Supergroup Explained

Series:RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars
Season:2
Episode:8
Season Article:RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 2)
Episode List:List of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars episodes

"All Stars Supergroup" is the eighth episode of the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.[1] It originally aired on October 13, 2016. Travis Wall is a guest choreographer, and the juding panel includes RuPaul, Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews, and Todrick Hall. The episode has the final four contestants—Alaska, Detox, Katya, and Roxxxy Andrews—write, record, and perform original verses to RuPaul's song "Read U Wrote U" for the main challenge. After winning a three-way lip-sync to "If I Were Your Woman" by Gladys Knight & the Pips, Alaska wins the competition and Detox and Katya are runners-up.

Episode

At the beginning of the episode, Katya reveals that she would have sent home Roxxxy Andrews from the competition, had she won the lip-sync. Michelle Visage reveals the final challenge of the season, which requires the final four contestants to write, record, and perform their own verses to RuPaul's song "Read U Wrote U".

The contestants record their vocals with assistance from AB Soto. Separately, the contestants each meet with RuPaul and Visage to record interviews for the podcast In the Werk Room, Alaska worries about being associated with Detox and Roxxxy Andrews as the clique "RoLaskaTox" (from the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race). On the main stage, the contestants rehearse with guest choreographer Travis Wall. Back in the Werk Room, the contestants prepare for the final runway and Alaska apologizes for her attitude.On the main stage, RuPaul welcomes fellow judges Visage, Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews, and Todrick Hall. The contestants perform "Read U Wrote U". The runway category is "All Star Glam-o-Rama". The contestants present their final looks and receive final critiques from the judges. RuPaul asks the contestants to say why they should be declared the winner and not their competitors. The judges excuse the contestants from the stage and deliberate. Roxxxy Andrews is eliminated, leaving Alaska, Detox, and Katya as the top three contestants of the season. They lip-sync to "If I Were Your Woman" (1970) by Gladys Knight & the Pips. Alaska wins the competition.[2]

Production

The episode originally aired on October 13, 2016.

The contestants revisited the song in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] [4] [5]

Reception

Gay Times called Roxxxy Andrews's verse "groundbreaking and revolutionary",[6] and said the contestants' performance was "legendary".[7] Adam Rippon skated to "Read U Wrote U" in 2018.[8] Screen Rant included "All Stars Supergroup" in a 2022 overview of the ten best episodes of All Stars, according to IMDb. The website said "the verses [the contestants] wrote were nothing short of fabulous and even spawned hilarious memes".[9]

"Read U Wrote U" was also the first song from Drag Race to chart on a Billboard music chart, peaking at #29 on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart and #14 on the Dance/Electronic Digital Songs Sales chart.[10] [11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Booster . Joel Kim . 2016-10-13 . RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season Finale Recap: And the Winner Is … . 2024-03-17 . Vulture . en . 2023-09-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230912200904/https://www.vulture.com/2016/10/rupauls-drag-race-all-stars-recap-season-2-episode-8.html . live .
  2. Web site: Sim . Bernardo . 2020-04-14 . RuPaul’s Drag Race: 15 Best Lip Sync Assassins, Ranked . 2024-03-17 . ScreenRant . en . 2023-07-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230719134242/https://screenrant.com/rupauls-drag-race-best-lip-sync-assassins/ . live .
  3. Web site: Smith . Reiss . 2020-05-04 . Drag Race’s All Stars 2 legends reunited for a quarantine edition of ‘Read U Wrote U’ and it was made well and truly clear . 2024-03-17 . . en-US . 2024-03-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240317053623/https://www.thepinknews.com/2020/05/04/drag-race-read-u-wrote-u-alaska-katya-detox-roxxxy-andrews/ . live .
  4. Web site: Damshenas . Sam . 2020-05-04 . Drag Race All Stars 2 finalists reunite for quarantine version of Read U Wrote U . 2024-03-17 . Gay Times . en-GB . 2022-01-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220122024159/https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/drag-race-all-stars-2-finalists-reunite-for-quarantine-version-of-read-u-wrote-u/ . live .
  5. Web site: Alaska, Detox, Roxxxy, & Katya Reunite for Quarantined Read U Wrote U . 2024-03-17 . www.pride.com . en . 2020-05-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200529200410/https://www.pride.com/music/2020/5/04/alaska-detox-roxxxy-katya-reunite-quarantined-read-u-wrote-u . live .
  6. Web site: Damshenas . Sam . 2018-11-12 . Detox reveals the one regret she has about Drag Race All Stars 2 . 2024-03-17 . Gay Times . en-GB . 2023-07-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230724162308/https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/detox-reveals-the-one-regret-she-has-about-drag-race-all-stars-2/ . live .
  7. Web site: Damshenas . Sam . 2021-02-19 . Here’s where the Drag Race's UK Hun? landed on the Official UK Singles Chart . 2024-03-17 . Gay TimesS . en-GB . 2022-01-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220122104354/https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/heres-where-the-drag-races-uk-hun-landed-on-the-official-uk-singles-chart/ . live .
  8. Web site: Watch Adam Rippon Skate to RuPaul's 'Read U Wrote U' . 2024-03-17 . www.out.com . en . 2023-09-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230926131659/https://www.out.com/popnography/2018/2/17/watch-adam-rippon-skate-rupauls-read-u-wrote-u . live .
  9. Web site: Elauria . Jom . 2022-06-21 . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: 10 Best Episodes, According To IMDb . 2024-03-17 . ScreenRant . en . 2023-09-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230903170110/https://screenrant.com/rupauls-drag-race-all-stars-best-episodes-imdb/ . live .
  10. Web site: "Chart History RuPaul Dance/Electronic Songs" . 26 February 2021 . Billboard.
  11. Web site: "Chart History RuPaul Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales" . 26 February 2021 . Billboard.