Why You Can Trust CNET Watch 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Season 9 From Anywhere
Eight iconic queens prepare to sashay back onto center stage.
Spinoff show RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars is back for its ninth fabulous walk down the runway, with eight familiar queens getting a second chance at winning the crown.
Making up the lineup are Angeria Paris VanMichaels (Season 14), Gottmik (Season 13), Jorgeous (Season 14), Nina West (Season 11), Plastique Tiara (Season 11), Roxxxy Andrew (Season 5, All Stars 2), Shannel (Season 1, All Stars 1) and Vanessa Vanjie (Season 10, 11).
While Mama Ru and Michelle Visage are back as resident judges, the new season comes with a bit of a shake-up to the format, with the queens competing for charity rather than themselves. A massive $200,000 is up for grabs for the good cause of choice of Season 9's winner.
Celebrity guest judges meanwhile include Keke Palmer, Alec Mapa, Connie Britton and Everything Everywhere All At Once star Stephanie Hsu.
Below, we'll outline the places to watch the show live or on-demand, wherever you are in the world.
Read more: Best Streaming Services for Reality TV
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 9 release dates
Season 9 premieres in the US on Paramount Plus on Friday, May 17, with the first two episodes hitting the streaming service at 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT. The remaining installments of the eight-episode series will be released on a weekly basis each Friday at the same time.
Paramount Plus has two main subscription plans: Essential for $5 per month ($50 per year if paying annually) and Premium for $10 per month ($100 per year if paying annually).
The cheaper Essential option has ads for on-demand streaming and lacks live CBS feeds as well as the ability to download shows to watch offline later. Students may qualify for a 25% discount.
How to watch RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 9 online anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the show locally, you may need a different way to watch -- that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds by encrypting your traffic, and it's also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the show. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream content is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 a month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 35% -- the equivalent of $8.32 a month -- if you get an annual subscription.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
How to stream RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 9 in the UK
Drag Race fans in the UK can watch season 9 via WOW Presents Plus, the streaming home of Drag Race shows.
WOW Presents Plus costs £4.33 a month or £43.38 a year and gives you ad-free access to Drag Race shows from around the world, as well as a wide selection of other LGBTQ-related content.
Stream RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 9 in Canada
Season 9 will be airing in Canada on streaming service Crave from Friday, May 17.
If you're in Canada, you'll be able to watch season 9 on Crave from May 17. A Crave Basic with Ads subscription currently costs CA$10 a month, Standard with Ads is priced at CA$15, while the ad-free Premium Plan will set you back CA$22 a month.
Stream RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 9 in Australia
For those Down Under, streaming platform Stan is where it's at for Drag Race action. The first two season 9 episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars will be available on the service from Saturday, May 18, with new installments hitting Stan every Saturday from then on.
A Stan membership will currently set you back AU$12 a month, but if you're a new customer you can take advantage of a 30-day free trial.
Quick tips for streaming RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 9 using a VPN
- With four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- your experience and success when streaming may vary.
- If you don't see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the "search for city or country" option.
- If you're having trouble streaming after you've turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs -- like Roku -- don't have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you'll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you're using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network's sports app, you'll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you're using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.