Culture

Drag Race All Stars 8: Fans react to “crazy” double premiere

By Sam Damshenas

12th May 2023

Major spoilers ahead for Drag Race All Stars 8. 

RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 8 has premiered early, and fans are already predicting that it will be one of the “best seasons” ever. After two episodes! Cock-a-doodle-do! 

The eighth season of the franchise’s Quarter Quell spin-off sees the return of Alexis Michelle, Darienne Lake, Heidi N Closet, Jaymes Mansfield, Jessica Wild, Jimbo, Kahanna Montrese, Kandy Muse, LaLa Ri, Monica Beverly Hillz, Mrs. Kasha Davis and Naysha Lopez. 

The champion will take home $200,000 and join Chad Michaels, Alaska, Trixie Mattel, Monét X Change, Trinity the Tuck, Shea Couleé, Kylie Sonique Love and Jinkx Monsoon – our reigning “Queen of All Queens” – in the Drag Race Hall of Fame.

Not only that, there will be a second winner. This season’s twist is the “Online Fame Games,” where the eliminated contestants will share their unseen ensembles from week-to-week, with fans voting online for their favourites. Ultimately, the winner will win $50,000 doollahz.

The premiere featured a slight switcheroo to the All Stars format. From seasons two to six, the returning contestants flexed their charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent in a variety slash talent show – seven marked a change, as it was the first ever winners’ season, but fans expected eight to follow suit. 

After serving “Famous Then” and “Famous Now” in a fashion mini-challenge, the queens split into two superstar groups and wrote and recorded their own lyrics to new versions of the underground anthem Money, Success, Fame and Glamour by The Fabulous Pop Tarts (aka WOW co-creators Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey). 

Team One, consisting of Alexis, Darienne, Heidi, Kahanna, Kandy and Naysha, performed a glam-rock mix, while team two, consisting of Jaymes, Jessica, Jimbo, LaLa, Monica and Kasha, performed the disco mix. 

Kahanna won rave reviews for her performance and “Timeless Drag” runway, earning her first-ever win, while Darienne and Monica landed in the bottom two.

To the beat of Beyoncé’s Freakum Dress, Coco Montrese’s drag daughter faced season nine and All Stars 3 alum Aja in the lip-sync smackdown; flips, kicks, splits and intense choreography dominated the main stage, with Aja emerging supreme. With the majority of the group voting for Monica, the season five contestant was the first to get the chop.

Viewers lauded the lip-sync, with one fan saying “this is how you lip-sync to a Beyoncé song” and another writing: “The way Aja and Kahanna Montrese gave us one of the best lip-syncs on All Stars.”

In episode two, the queens starred in the “newest sketch comedy show, RDR Live” and strutted down the runway for the “Net Gala”.

Jimbo conquered the maxi-challenge and runway, earning her first win of the season. Later, she faced her UK vs the World co-star Pangina Heals – as in, the queen who sent her packin’ – in the lip-sync smackdown.  

“There’s no way Jimbo can beat Pangina in any lip-sync I’m afraid,” tweeted one viewer (and they were right). Another said: “Ay wow Jimbo vs Pangina in lsfyl is one of the shadiest thing the production did ksksks.”

With the power of elimination in the hands of the lip-sync assassin once again, Pangina revealed that the majority chose to send Naysha home. 

Check out the best reactions to the All Stars 8 double premiere below.

RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars Season 8 airs exclusively on WOW Presents Plus in the UK every Friday May at 8am BST followed by brand new episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars Untucked. Subscribe to WOW Presents Plus via https://uk.wowpresentsplus.com/