'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 5' Cast Announced, But Whose Race Is It?

"All Stars, start your engines - and may the best woman win!"

These now-immortal words from #RuPaulsDragRaceAllStars host RuPaul Charles are about to be uttered once again, thanks to the rapidly-approaching premiere of #AllStars5 coming up on June 5, 2020.

#Ongina. #Jujubee. #IndiaFerrah. #BlairStClair. #SheaCoulee. #MizCracker. #MariahBalenciaga. #AlexisMatteo. #MayhemMiller. #DerrickBarry. These are all immortal names to those who have been following #DragRace for years, and some are names that fans have been clamoring for a second (and in some cases third) chance at a crown.

Ongina won hearts way back in Season 1 when she acknowledged she was HIV-positive after winning a challenge to be a spokesmodel for MAC Viva Glam. Jujubee was a fan favorite from her appearance in Season 2, returning for #AllStars1 and as a professor for #DragU. #AlexisMatteo was the inherently likeable contestant from Season 3, and her lip sync against her dear friend #YaraSofia was among the most heartbreaking moments ever on #RuPaulsDragRace. And, of course, there's India Ferrah, perhaps best known for having been slung over fellow Season 3 competitor #MimiImfurst's shoulders and leading to #RuPaul's declaration that "Drag is not a contact sport."

The other competitors are relatively new by comparison. #BritneySpears impersonator Derrick Barry became known for having difficulty breaking out of the Britney rut and for his run-ins with #BobTheDragQueen in Season 8. Mariah, though she was "painted for the gods," as judge #MichelleVisage might put it, was eliminated midway through Season 3. Mayhem Miller, in spite of having started strong in Season 10, was eliminated fairly early, and while Miz Cracker finished 5th in her season (10), she was too much in her own head and ultimately psyched herself out.

It's Season 9's Shea Coulée, who was eliminated by ultimate Season 9 queen #SashaVelour, who is likely the favorite for the crown for All Stars 5. She was very much an all-round sort of queen; she could rap, she could dance, and she was fun. As fans of Drag Race all know, though, finishing in a certain position in your original season doesn't guarantee ultimate glory in an All Stars season.

Some of these queens are back to redeem themselves. Certainly, it would be no great shock if we were to learn that India Ferrah and Miz Cracker had returned for that very reason. Ferrah left the episode after Mimi Imfurst picked her up and no doubt is looking to have the opportunity to truly show what she's capable of. Miz Cracker, while having placed 5th in Season 10, recognized she overthought some of the challenges and ended up ultimately paying for that. There had also been high hopes for Mayhem Miller, who is part of the same drag family as #Detox and whose drag sisters are #Raven and #MorganMcMichaels; even Mayhem acknowledged she'd started strong but then struggled. Miz Cracker and Mayhem Miller will likely give Shea Coulée some serious competition as the weeks go on.

Blair St. Clair is back with a vengeance and a new look. Gone is the squeaky-clean Broadway girl, at least based on her Werk Room entrance for All Stars 5. She resembles a rock groupie, with her bright orange blazer, skirt and lightning bolt earrings. It would appear that Blair is ready to show a whole new side that we didn't see during her Season 10 appearance.

Derrick Barry is a huge question mark. Her entrance into the Werk Room was fairly unremarkable, and she seemed relatively unchanged from her Season 8 Britney Spears looks. Granted, she's known as a Spears' impersonator, but one of the criticisms from the judges was that Barry wasn't breaking out of that look - that she was not really stepping into drag but more into impersonation. Against the likes of Cracker, Mayhem and especially Shea Coulée, I'd be surprised to see her last long, but I've been wrong before.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Jujubee, Alexis Matteo and Ongina have planned. Jujubee finished third in her season, as well as finishing third in All Stars 1, and in spite of that, has never won a main challenge. Alexis Matteo finished third in Season 2 and fifth/sixth in All Stars 1. Ongina finished fifth in the original season of Drag Race, and this is her first foray into the All Stars realm, a move which many feel has been long delayed. All three are fan favorites, though Jujubee is likely the most popular of the three. My bet is that Jujubee or Ongina might finally prove they are worthy of the ultimate Drag Race honor - that of being crowned "All Star."

Is this going to definitively be Shea Coulée's season to get the crown she proved she deserved back in Season 9? Is Jujubee or Ongina going to knock it out of the park and snatch the crown? Will Cracker prove she's more than Crumbs? Will Mayhem show she is worthy of the title? Is there a dark (or black, as Season 6's #JoslynFox said) horse? While we have some time prior to All Star 5's June 5 premiere, it will be fun to speculate until we see some of our favorite queens in action.