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Aired spring–summer 2024 · the first season to compete for charity, not cash

Season 9

Eight returning queens compete for a season with no eliminations at all. Each week's top two performers earn Beautiful Benefactress Badges and lip sync for charitable donations, with badge winners able to block a rival from earning one the next week.

Premiered
May 17, 2024
Paramount+ · May 2024
Episodes
12
Format
No eliminations · charitable stakes
top two lip sync for donations, not personal cash
Cast size
8 players
eight returning queens, no weekly eliminations
Host
RuPaul Charles
RuPaul, ninth season at the All Stars helm
On this page6 sections
  1. 01The take
  2. 02The shape of the season
  3. 03Where it sits in the canon
  4. 04What to watch for
  5. 05Adjacent in the canon
  6. 06In this canon
01The take

Season 9.

A whole season with no eliminations, competing not for a personal purse but for a donation to The Palette Fund.
02The shape of the season

A rhythm worth tracking.

Season 9 removes weekly elimination again, this time with a twist Season 7 didn't try: the stakes are charitable, not personal. Each week's top two performers earn Beautiful Benefactress Badges and lip sync for donations to The Palette Fund, with badge winners able to block a rival from earning one the next week. The three queens with the most badges reach the finale lip sync. RuPaul Charles hosts twelve episodes.

03Where it sits in the canon

The #06 slot.

Slot #06 of 10 in the RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Editor's Canon. Season 9 sits just below All Winners because it repeats the no-elimination shape rather than inventing it, but the repeat earns its own slot by changing what the format is actually for. Eight returning queens spend the whole season with no elimination again, lip syncing for Beautiful Benefactress Badges instead of cash tips — donations to The Palette Fund rather than a personal purse. A badge winner can block a rival from earning one the following week, keeping a competitive edge alive inside a season with nothing personal on the line. The three highest badge counts advance to the finale lip sync. The canon ranks it sixth because the charitable reframe is a real distinction, even arriving second.

No spoilers. Every page is reviewed before it goes live.
04What to watch for

4 moments, no spoilers.

  • Premiere · playing for charity, not cash

    For the first time in franchise history — flagship or All Stars — the season competes for a charitable contribution to The Palette Fund instead of a personal cash prize. Watch how that reframes the stakes from the very first challenge.

  • Early run · Beautiful Benefactress Badges

    Each week's top two performers lip sync for a Beautiful Benefactress Badge rather than facing elimination. Watch how a season with nothing to lose each week still finds its competitive edge.

  • Mid-season · the block power returns

    A badge winner can block a rival from earning a badge the following week, adding a strategic wrinkle to a season otherwise built around donations rather than danger. Watch how queens choose when to use it.

  • Finale · the badge count decides the field

    The three queens with the most accumulated badges advance to the finale face-off. Watch how the badge tally, tracked all season, quietly sets up who gets that final shot.

06In this canon

Its Editor's Canon entry.

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars — Season 9 — tiered.tv