Breaking Down What Those 'Handmaid's Tale' References On 'RuPaul's Drag Race' REALLY Mean

So far, RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 3 has proved a worthy and entertaining entry in the series' pantheon, and one of the season's weirdest gags are the Handmaid's Tale costumes that previous winners Chad Michaels and Alaska have been spotted in all season long. And while the sight of the two queen dressed like Elisabeth Moss in her Hulu series is inherently hilarious, these little vingettes raise more questions than they've answered so far. Seriously, what do those Drag Race Handmaid's Tale references mean? It is the reigning Best Drama Series at the Emmys, so maybe Best Host of a Reality Competition Program RuPaul just wanted to pay a little tribute to a fellow beloved series. And All Stars 2 had a little fun in the credits every week with a running gag of Chad Michaels hanging out in the Hall of All Stars all alone, so there's certainly precedent for a fun gag that reminds the audience of the previous All Stars winners.

But this season, there's also been little stingers attached to the end of each episode that show Chad and Alaska slowly stalking the eliminated queens, complete with some offscreen screams. Finally, it looks like this ongoing theme is getting a payoff, because the season's episode will ru-veal the show's plans. From the "Handmaids To Kitty Girls" sneak peek, it looks like only three of the eliminated queens will be returning for a shot at Ru-demption. The episode's theme will take the eliminated queens from their conservative Handmaid garb to a 1990s throwback to the Spice Girls by forming a girl group. Both the Handmaids and the Spice Girls are... collective groups that fight for empowerment (the Handmaids through small acts of political rebellion in the face of a totalitarian regime, the Spice Girls through... girl power), but otherwise, the two don't have any clear connections.

Perhaps that's a part of this Gilead-themed runner, because the queens — like the handmaids — know only a small portion of the show's overall plans. And a conspiracy theory emerged among certain fans about how the show would continue to keep these queens in the dark. On Facebook, a user named Chris White posted their theory that BeBe Zarhara Benet, winner of Season 1 and surprise addition to All Stars 3, was an undercover mole who would "report" on how the other queens had performed behind the scenes during the season finale. Bebe's solid but unremarkable performance was a key piece of evidence for this theory, but after her win (and prize of 10 thousand doll-ahs) during the "Pop Art Ball," it seems her heretofore ride in the middle of the pack has come to an end, and the theory has lost a little steam. But it still remains compelling, spawning dozens of posts on Reddit, conspiracy YouTube videos, and, besides those who attempt to spoil the season outright (a typical pastime for dedicated and clue-happy fans), has emerged as the most exciting theory so far about All Stars 3.

There have been a few other theories, though they don't tie to the Handmaid theme all that well. The above YouTuber, JakeyonceTV, posts weekly theory videos (filled with speculative spoilers, so be warned) that suggest everything from surprise eliminations to a possible double crowning. There's also the Drag Race Funko! Pop figurine line, which features Mama Ru, All Stars 2 winner Alaska, and current competitor Trixie Mattel, spawning theories that she's the real winner. But considering Trixie is the only member of All Stars 3 with their own series (VICELAND's The Trixie & Katya Show), this might be more practical than it is devious.

Ultimately, whether these elaborate fan theories turn out to hold water or not, the series' running gag is funny and provides a framework for the upcoming ru-venge from the eliminated queens, which was one of the highlights of All Stars 2 (recall the iconique "Shut Up and Drive" moment?), and hopefully will do the same for the series' third installment.