‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 8’: Meet the returning queens set to do battle

From Kandy Muse to Jimbo, 12 queens are headed back to the werk room

While it was just a week ago that Sasha Colby was crowned RuPaul’s Drag Race’s 15th regular season champion, the churning wheels of RuPaul’s machine cannot lay dormant for long.

That’s right: All Stars 8 is on the horizon, and a new cast of 12 returning queens was announced Thursday. The series marks a return to the original All Stars format after last year’s “all winners” edition. This group of queens is back to fight for redemption and get a second shot at the crown after missing out on their first (or even second, in one contestant’s case) tries. The cash prize of $200,000 this time around certainly sweetens the deal too. 

This year’s crop of contestants includes two former winners of Miss Congeniality alongside a surprise international import from the north who’s already made a play at Ru-demption. It all goes down May 12, when the series is set to premiere on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Crave in Canada. 

Meet the 12 returning queens set to compete on All Stars 8: 

Alexis Michelle—Season 9

Credit: Courtesy World of Wonder

Darienne Lake—Season 6

Credit: Courtesy World of Wonder

Heidi N Closet—Season 12

Credit: Courtesy World of Wonder

Jaymes Mansfield—Season 9

Credit: Courtesy World of Wonder

Jessica Wild—Season 2

Credit: Courtesy World of Wonder

Jimbo—Canada’s Drag Race Season 1, UK vs. The World

Credit: Courtesy World of Wonder

Kahanna Montrese—Season 11

 

Credit: Courtesy World of Wonder

Kandy Muse—Season 13

Credit: Courtesy World of Wonder

LaLa Ri—Season 13

Credit: Courtesy World of Wonder

Monica Beverly Hillz—Season 5

Credit: Courtesy World of Wonder

Mrs. Kasha Davis—Season 7

Credit: Courtesy World of Wonder

Naysha Lopez—Season 8

Credit: Courtesy World of Wonder

RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 8 will premiere on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Crave in Canada on May 12.

Mel Woods is an English-speaking Vancouver-based writer and editor, and a former senior editor for Xtra Magazine. Prior to joining Xtra, they were an associate editor with HuffPost Canada. A proud prairie queer and ranch dressing expert, their work has also appeared in Vice, Slate, The Tyee, the CBC, The Globe and Mail, Canadian Geographic, The Narwhal and The Walrus.

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