Yahoo News Drag Race stars defend Trixie Mattel's win
RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars has already built up a controversial name for itself in the three seasons that have aired.
The first season was accused of being unfair as it saw the queens have to pair up and work in teams, while the second season saw the decision of who had to leave down to the queens rather than RuPaul herself. This caused a big backlash among some fans who accused the winning stars of saving their friends over stronger performers.
But it was the third season that really caused controversy. After frontrunner BenDeLaCreme decided to eliminate herself, it was thought Shangela was an obvious choice to take the crown. However the eliminated queens then voted for her not to make it to the final two and Trixie Mattel won the place in the Drag Race Hall of Fame.
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy about Trixie's win, DeLa said: "People really focus too much on the competition element of the show. The competition is important in terms of providing the show's structure but really what I love about Drag Race is that a really diverse group of queens gets to go on there and show off their skill sets.
"At the end of the day you can't compere truly what one queen does to what another queen does. We are all experts in our own field. Anyone who has seen Trixie live knows that she is a brilliant comedian. Anyone who is paying any attention at all can see how she has grown her comedy and her music career and her television presence is unsurpassed really.
"Honestly, I feel like most of the queens who were on that show could take home the crown just depending on what lens you are looking through and what set of skills you are valuing most at that moment. I don't think that one set of queens' actions devalue the talents of another queen."
She also answered back to claims that by leaving the show after being a favourite, it devalued the winner's experience.
"There's always going to be people who say stuff like that but I don't see it that way at all," she insisted. "I did what I wanted to do. It had nothing to do with the other queens.
"In our lives we all have to make decisions for ourselves and being conscious of others is important, [but] at the end of the day you have to follow what your own self is telling you.
"That wasn't about Trixie, it wasn't about Shangela, it wasn't about any of those other queens. I don't think it devalues anything that they've done. There are always going to be people that say that sort of thing, but those people aren't thinking very hard."
All Stars 2 winner Alaska also responded the the criticism, defending Trixie.
"She's a fair winner and I think she did great and she continues to do great things out in the world," Alaska told Digital Spy.
"I think she'll wear the crown with dignity and that's really what it's all about. The thing about Drag Race now is that you don't really know what's going to happen when it gets to the end of the season. It could be anyone just as much as anyone else. She won and they should all get over it and move on."
Alaska's new album, Alaska & Jeremy 'Amethyst Journey' is out now. BenDeLaCreme is performing in Beware The Terror Of Gaylord Manor in Seattle in October.
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