RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars

After watching all seasons of drag race, all stars and many international drag race versions I've never felt the need to write a review. There were some moments of favoritism but it was never too much. However, this global all stars is painful to watch.

The judging feels xenophobic, which for me, a non native speaker who used to live abroad in two English speaking countries, is triggering. It feels that queens from countries where English is not a native language are mistreated and not judged fairly. They don't receive the same opportunities even though they do really good in the competition. Drag race has progressed when it comes to treatment of transesexual or black contestants. However, we cannot forget that there are also Latin or Asian people as well as other backgrounds. Production and judges seem not to care about it and that is painful to watch in a show that is suppsed to be inclusive.

Ah, Global All Stars--the Olympics of drag where queens from all over the world come together to battle it out for the crown. Or at least, that's what the marketing says. What we actually get is more like "RuPaul's Drag Race USA, UK and Friends (But Mostly USA and UK)!" If you're hoping for a fair competition where queens from all corners of the world get an equal shot at glory, grab yourself a drink and lower those expectations right now.

Let's talk about the designated stars of the season: the queens who have already strutted their stuff under Mama Ru's gaze. I've never seen a production be this determined to push a Top 3 from day one. It's truly a letdown watching international queens pour their heart and soul into the competition, only to get completely overlooked-even when they've objectively crushed it. The whole thing is uncomfortably familiar for anyone who's not a native English speaker. Real shame to see it on THE show that boasts inclusivity, equality and fair treatment.

Still, don't get me wrong. The lip syncs are cute, the fashion is fierce, and you'll be entertained... until the judges have their pick. Because come what may on that stage, you can almost hear the producers whispering in Ru's ear, "This is Global All Stars, but, like, don't forget, America's watching..."

One episode worse than the other, questionable evaluations and bad decisions. Kitty, Kong, and Alyssa are clearly Ru's favorites. Unfortunately, the fans lose out. The lack of respect for queens is a real stain on the history of drag race. It had everything to be a great season, but unfortunately they didn't know how to put on a good show. I believe that Ru will need to rethink its evaluations or it will lose what keeps it going: its audience. We want a fair game, without any more favoritism, where the queens are valued and have their art evaluated fairly. The "non-rugirls" also deserve recognition. That's a big *!

The show could have been incredible, but.

• Jamal Sims as a permanent judge (I like him but as a judge he is lacking).

• Having the typical challenges (reading challenge, snatch game, etc.) puts non-native Engish speaking queens at a dissadvantage.

• Obvious favoritism for the Ru Girls
• Very short episodes, although they could be showing us more of the queen's interactions, etc.

Sad sad sad.

For a global all stars this is just lacking so much. What were the producers expecting? The favoritism is obvious. Did they think we would be okay with it? Obviously it gets people talking about the show but since Alyssa walked in episode 1, I knew she would be the crowned queen.

I wanted to share some thoughts about the judging panel for the Global All Star event. Given that it's a global competition, it would make sense to have judges from different parts of the world. Right now, it feels like the judging is heavily influenced by the standards of the US franchise, which doesn't seem fair for a competition meant to be global.

There also seems to be some clear favoritism going on. I know judging can be subjective, but it's starting to feel a bit too obvious, and it's disappointing to see.

I hope this feedback can help make future events more balanced and fair.

Thanks for listening.