Is ‘Drag Race's' Bracket Format Still Working For All Stars 10?

Forbes

13 hours ago

After nine episodes, RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 10 has finally completed each of its three brackets, leaving only nine queens to compete for a spot in the semi-finals. Now that the final queens are chosen, fans are left to wonder: how does everyone feel about the new bracket format now that it's over?
A New Format
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 08: Olivia Lux, Nicole Paige Brooks, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Tina Burner, ... More Irene the Alien, Alyssa Hunter, Denali, Daya Betty, Mistress Isabelle Brooks, Bosco, DeJa Skye, Ginger Minj, Jorgeous, Phoenix, Aja, Kerri Colby and Lydia B. Collins attend RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 10 + Tea Around Town Bus on May 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo byfor Paramount+)
To start the season strong, All Stars 10 featured a total of 18 queens. Fans initially wondered how all 28 contestants could compete, share screen time, and still show growth from their original seasons. To address this, All Stars 10 divided the 18 queens into three groups of 6, with each group given three episodes for the queens to compete for a chance to move on to the next round. Of those six queens, only three would advance, while the other three would be eliminated, and this process would continue until all three brackets were finished.
While fans initially felt this change was refreshing, as queens on previous All Stars seasons had struggled to maintain screentime if they weren't seen as frontrunners, especially when the cast is larger at the start of the season, the third and final bracket reached its conclusion today, and fans are split. While the first two brackets seemed to have an overwhelmingly positive reaction, aside from a few disgruntled fans upset that their favorite queens weren't moving on to the next round, the third bracket shifted from genuine excitement to what could be seen as gradual fatigue.
The format was simple enough. The queens were tasked with showcasing their charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent over 3 episodes, and impress the judges over multiple episodes. This time around, there were no eliminations until the final episode of each bracket, where the finalists were determined. Queens were graded based off of points they were awarded for top placements, winning in a lip-sync after said top placements, and for being voted Most Valuable Queen (MVQ) during deliberation on the final bracket episode, where queens would give special points to a contestant they felt deserved to move forward to the next round.
Many fans felt this was among the fairest judging the show had engaged in for an All Stars season, with queens usually being able to eliminate queens they see as strong competitors early on in other seasons of All Stars.
Bracket 1 showcased strong lip syncs from Aja and standout performances from Bosco. Bracket 2 brough peak reality TV with the antics of Mistress Isabelle Brooks and Jorgeous' alliance. The stakes and energy for the first 2 brackets was high, and engagement from fans across social media platforms was a reflection of that.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 08: Ginger Minj attends RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 10 + Tea Around Town ... More Bus on May 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo byfor Paramount+)
Still, by the time bracket 3 rolled around, there was a shift in how fans felt about the format. It could be said that this was a natural reaction to seeing the same format a third time, as I personally didn't mind it, but views and comments from fans seemed to reflect a feeling of burnout towards lip syncs and performances, with fans arguing back and forth about who they felt should've won, particularly when it came to Ginger Minj dominating the competition. While fans are allowed to disagree with the judging, Minj, being a seasoned veteran to the franchise, knows what will keep her ahead in the competition, and she, like any competitor would, played that to her advantage and solidified her place in the next round, along with fellow contestants Daya Betty and Cynthia Lee Fontaine.
Since this was the 10th season of All Stars, it makes sense that, from a production perspective, they were going to experiment with how the show was formatted. Not only does it make this anniversary season feel special and stand out, but it adds another layer of strategy.
Drag Race as a franchise has won several Emmy awards for a reason. Its connection to its audience and its dedication to authenticity and storytelling through drag have allowed it to stay and grow where most reality shows would have inevitably ended. Drag Race shows that it has a willingness to grow, and, maybe, from the feedback from fans on the third bracket, we might see a more polished form of this format in seasons to come. Until then, fans will have to see what awaits the remaining contestants in the coming episodes, especially with the return of a Drag Race staple: Eliminations are back on.