Why Latrice's Elimination On 'All Stars' 4 Just Completely Changed The Game — Again

Each Friday, fans wait with bated breath to see who the top All Stars queen sends packing. So far this season, all of the eliminations have been pretty justified — that is until last week, when Naomi Smalls cut Manila Luzon. In the Feb. 8 episode, Trinity the Tuck took the same low road by sending home Latrice Royale for the second time. All of which boils down to one thing: the All Stars final four are done playing fair. The claws are out, and they're not retracting until someone crosses the finish line.

Naomi made it pretty clear that, at this point in the competition, the golden rule doesn't really apply. "I think we're realizing in this competition, now, we're not gonna be judging it fairly," Naomi said after eliminating Manila. "Because, what's fair? Life's not fair. Get used to it." Later in the episode, that sentiment was especially present when she told Trinity that she would pick Latrice to send home. If you're thinking, "Wait, didn't she just save Latrice last week?" The answer is yes. And that's how quickly the tables can turn.

Fans dug up the receipts on that move of Naomi's, too. In her promo interview for the season, she provided some vague foreshadowing that now totally makes sense. "Fans are going to literally not see it coming," she said. "You have to be evil to make it in this business. You cannot have feelings in All Stars. You just can't. You have to be malicious, you have to be able to hold your own and make big decisions that are really just there to benefit you." OK Naomi — we see you.

It's been quite the season of highs and lows thanks to the no-rules nature of the All Stars game, which was temporarily suspended to give the eliminated queens a fighting chance to return during week six. That's when Latrice made her comeback. At first, there was a theory that her return was Ru's plan to send her to the top, but after this week's turn of events, that's been disproved. Latrice is notably one of the most globally adored queens in the show's history, and the majority of its fandom would've gladly crowned her winner. Trinity knew that, and decided to send her home in spite of (or perhaps because of) it.

The back-to-back elimination of best friends and drag veterans Latrice and Manila is true "goopery," in the words of Monique Heart. And it's probably leaving the majority of long-time Drag Race fans with a feeling similar to whiplash. Unfortunately, they won't have much time to recover before being whipped into another episode of the unexpected. At this point, anything could happen.

Trinity the Tuck, Monique Heart, Monét X Change, and Naomi Smalls complete the top four queens on All Stars Season 4. It's obvious that they've all become incredibly close — they've spent so much time together. But when it's time to throw shade to save their own tails, their umbrellas are ready, their visors are on, and their sunglasses are as large and opaque as their over-lined lips.

Because each competitor is now locked and loaded, they're all rife with nerves — and rightfully so. Although they've all done considerably well in the competition (which is why they're in the top), they know that at this point, it's anyone's game. The only way to ensure safety is to win.