Bianca Del Rio Clears Up Why She's Not Appearing On All Stars 7
Bianca Del Rio is one of the most beloved stars in "RuPaul's Drag Race" herstory. The comedy queen was an early frontrunner in Season 6, and nobody was surprised when she ultimately took the crown over the more polished Courtney Act and lovable punk Adore Delano. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Bianca described her overall look as a mixture of "Joan Crawford and Coco the Clown." The outspoken performer doesn't suffer fools gladly, which is why fans flocked to her.
As the seasoned queen explained, she cut her teeth performing to empty halls for practically nobody. "I played in clubs where there were four people in and I had to pay two of them to watch me. I did gigs in bingo halls during happy hour in the afternoon," Bianca recalled. She's just as frank about her experience on "Drag Race," memorably telling Digital Spy the challenges only seem like a good idea at the time. Mostly, Bianca was running on "adrenaline," without thinking too hard.
Still, considering how universally popular she is, it stands to reason Bianca would be the producers' first port of call for an all-winners season of the show. So, why isn't she taking part in the upcoming "All Stars 7"?
Were all the previous Drag Race winners invited to compete in All Stars 7?
As Variety confirmed, for the first time ever, the upcoming "All Stars" season of "RuPaul's Drag Race" will feature a cast made up entirely of previous winners. Vying for the crown once again, alongside an all-time high prize of $200,000, when the show debuts on May 20 are Season 3's Raja, Season 5's Jinkx Monsoon, Season 11's Yvie Oddly, and Season 12's Jaida Essence Hall. Joining them are the very first winner of hit spinoff "Drag Race U.K.," The Vivienne, returning joint "All Stars 4" winners Trinity the Tuck and Monét X Change, and, finally, Shea Couleé, who emerged victorious in the fifth season of "All Stars."
Once the cast was revealed, fans immediately began speculating whether all winners were invited to "RPDR All Stars" Season 7. Although this is the first iteration of the format, several obvious former stars seemed to be missing. In a joint interview with Entertainment Weekly, the all-winners cast went back and forth on whether coming back to "Drag Race" was really the best idea, with Jinkx deadpanning, "I'm just a glutton for punishment."
Monét admitted she was concerned about destroying her reputation, while it was a no-brainer for The Vivienne since there's famously no cash prize on the British version of the show. (It's produced by the BBC, using public funds, so they can't justify it, per the Gay Times.)
Here's why Bianca Del Rio isn't taking part in the all-winners season
In response to the release of the "All Stars 7" cast, fan-favorite former winner Bianca Del Rio notably tweeted, "Sorry, I was busy," leading Shea Couleé to quip, "No you weren't." (Always one to get the last word in, Bianca wished Shea luck on the show, noting, "You will need it.") But, was Bianca actually busy, or was she just being her typical funny self? In an interview with Digital Spy, the Season 6 winner confirmed she did get the call for "All Stars 7." Unfortunately, for those hoping to see her back on the show someday, Bianca simply has no interest in returning.
"It just didn't make any sense to me," she revealed, adding, "It just didn't suit my life." The New Orleans native reiterated what she's said many times before in interviews, which is that the show was a great experience that obviously launched her career into the stratosphere, but it was a moment in time that Bianca doesn't feel the need to revisit.
Likewise, the "Hurricane Bianca" star didn't want to have to give up work to do it. "I didn't feel there was anything I had to prove, or go back," she stated firmly. "I'm enjoying what I'm doing. I prefer a live audience and performing."
Bianca del Rio doesn't see the value in ever returning to Drag Race
Bianca del Rio did offer some suggestions about changing up the format, though, which is something fans have been clamoring for, but sadly the producers didn't take them onboard. As she informed Digital Spy, "I just suggested anything other than being in the same competitive format that we've seen for 14 seasons, you know? I thought: what if it's a 'Big Brother' event? What if it was this other type of situation where we had to be out in the wilderness and have to do drag? Or trapped in a house?"
Bianca previously told the Gay Times she wouldn't ever return to "Drag Race" because the show is an entirely different beast to what it was when she first took part, echoing comments made by her Season 6 sister, Adore Delano. Bianca said likewise during an interview with BuzzFeed. In fact, the "Drag Race" alum even joked she'd sooner appear on "Supermarket Sweep," which offers a similar amount of prize money, instead. If the producers of that show are reading this, it's time to give Bianca a call.