(Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
“RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” Season 8 is upon us, and it looks like a party! We were introduced to the cast earlier this month in episode one, which appeared on YouTube.
This season will be a return to ‘All Stars’ format for the show, following the season of royalty, which included no eliminations, and the queens competing for prized pins. Similar to other seasons, queens will vote each other out of the competition. The online reaction to this group of queens has been largely positive. The prize has increased to two hundred thousand dollars for the winner.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race has the most devoted fan base in the world,” declared Ru, before revealing that as the season airs, the runways of the eliminated queens will also be featured, and the fan favourite is to be voted on via social media. The winner of this title will receive fifty thousand dollars.
The game is fame, but who's in it to win it?! 🎬✨#AllStars8 starts streaming MAY 12 on @paramountplus! 👑 pic.twitter.com/GHMjrV9cRl
— RuPaul's Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) April 27, 2023
In order of appearance on the introductory “Meet the Queens” video, here is a brief overview of the cast, and their performance in episode one. The season premier featured three looks from each queen in as many categories. The theme of the episode was fame, with the queens
Season 12
Heidi N. Closet is a solid comedy queen. On her original season, she didn’t always serve looks — Nicki Minaj infamously remarked, “I hate, hate, HATE your hair and make up,” a moment that went super viral on social media — but consistently gave a fierce and memorable personality. She was named Ms. Congeniality, a demonstration of her kind presence in the Werk room.
Her Famous Then look was a nod to Little Bo Peep. Closet dragged up as a porcelain doll. Her Famous Now look was inspired by Chloe and Hailey Bailey. Her Famous Forever look was a Chris Tucker inspired leopard print gown. In the main challenge, her verse and stage presence were commanding. She was on point, and knew all the words and moved.
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Season 7
Mrs. Kasha Davis is reinventing herself. She is coming into All Stars 8 sober, and with a clean slate to demonstrate everything she couldn’t on her original Season 7, after going home eleventh. As a lot of the drag industry is centred around bars and alcohol it is always refreshing to have a sober queen in the Werk room.
In her Famous Then look, she served Lucille Ball from 1945 realness. In her Famous now look, she chose Kris Jenner. And that was… a choice (Tatiana reference). The inspiration was clear, but the execution needed work. It felt like an elevated Halloween costume. Her Famous Forever look was a safely solid look, an average gown and a wig in the shape of a helmet. Her verse was quirky at times, and delivered lines about reinventing herself.
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Season 8
On Season 8, Naysha Lopez was not unpolished, but she wasn’t fully ready for the competition, or didn’t give it her all. She also is coming into All Stars 8 with a fairly clean slate, as she did not demonstrate her full potential the first time.
Inspired by the iconic Chanel tweed suit, in her Fashion Then look she served a rather plain dress. It was a very literal interpretation. Her Fashion Now look was inspired by Donatella Versasce wearing Jennifer Lopez’s now iconic green dress in 1999. Bold of her to choose someone from the nineties for a Famous Now brief, but it was executed well. Her Famous Forever look was a bedazzled lavender catsuit. There was little that clearly defined her specific brand of drag throughout the three looks.
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Season 11
Drag daughter of Coco Montrese, Kahanna Montrese has a lot to prove. She finished 15th on Season 11, so this return represents a near total reintroduction to the world. She is giving circus realness in her entrance look, a very larger than life number. Montrese has clearly put in the work to develop her drag following Season 11.
Her drag is very opulent. She served Old Hollywood in a bedazzled velvet black dress for her Famous Then look. For her Famous Now look, she referenced Lil Nas X’s hot pink suit, dragging it up and making it fully her own style. She was an absolute Phoenix on the runway—literally—for her Famous Forever brief. In the Maxi challenge, she raps about her spiritual and physical glow up.
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Season 13
THE MUSE IS BACK. She is a very outspoken, catty queen. Makeup, hair, outfits constantly on point; she is a fierce competitor, although she ultimately came in second place on Season 13.
She was snatched in an homage to none other than RuPaul herself in her Famous Then look. Her Famous Now look left a lot to be desired, vaguely inspired by influencer culture. She served robot woman realness in her Famous Forever look.
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Season 7
The theme of Darienne Lake’s return to the main stage is glow up. She is still an old school queen serving traditional drag, but it feels fresher than she did on Season 7, where she came across as less energetic.
Take a dip in Darienne Lake, who served a very literal interpretation of a Renaissance Fair for Famous Then. Lake executed it well, but it felt uninspired, and rather cosplay. Her Famous Now… did not land. Inspired by singer Billie Eilish, Lake delivers the star’s iconic oversized fashion, but the outfit feels disjointed. She was positively drenched in rhinestones, however, serving opulent leopard in Famous Forever. Leopard will never die. In the Maxi, while she was noticeably behind on a lot of the group choreography, she commanded the stage during her solo.
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Season 5
Monica Beverly Hillz was one of the first trans competitors within the franchise. Her casting on the show comes on the heels of a relatively long break from drag. Her legacy is definitely one of a role model on the show. Hillz’ entrance look is giving girl scout doll. This Barbie is fierce!
She served Cleopatra for Famous Then in a beautiful black and gold cape and crown. She served Kim Petras in the Famous Now category. Meh. It’s fine.
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Season 9
Jaymes Mansfield was definitely unpolished on Season 9, where she went home first. However in the years since, she has been making a name for herself on YouTube.
Mansfield served a fairly safe Mexican dress for her Famous Then look, a solid Jojo Siwa for Famous Now, and a campy fifties gown for Famous Forever.
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Season 9
Alexis Michelle is a fairly unproblematic queen, who came in 5th on Season 9. Occasionally, though, she had some self sabotaging tendencies on her original season. She is giving Broadway vibes, and is skilled at theatre.
For her Famous Then look, she served powder room royalty, referencing the fifties movie Sunset Boulevard. She recreated Kim Kardashian’s famous black dress from the Met Gala in Famous Now, and a simple yet glamorous gown for the Famous Forever brief. There was not too much tying all three looks together as well as some other queens did in the episode.
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Season 2
It has been 13 years since Jessica Wild graced TV screens in Season 2. She is a skilled performer, and is good at commanding a spotlight. I can easily see her being the main character of the season. Wild is stunning in a large gold gown. Met Gala extravaganza.
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Canada’s Drag Race
UK vs the World
Jimbo went to clown school. She has competed on a number of international franchises, and is making her debut on American television. She is an artist first and foremost, focusing on aspects of drag as performance art. She served body and curves in a tiny bikini.
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Season 13
LaLa Ri was also named Ms. Congeniality. On Season 13, she proved that she was a fierce performer. She was sent home by her now infamous design challenge, and is the first ever Golden Boot Award winner. Ri is giving head piece in her first look, in a bedazzled catsuit.
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