The eighth season of ''
RuPaul's Drag Race
''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...
'' began airing on March 7, 2016. Returning judges include
RuPaul
RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960) is an American drag queen, television host, singer, producer, writer, and actor. He produces, hosts, and judges the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and has received List of awards ...
and
Michelle Visage
Michelle Visage (born Michelle Lynn Shupack, September 20, 1968) is an American television personality, singer, broadcaster, producer, and actress. She gained recognition as a member of the dance-pop group Seduction (group), Seduction, who char ...
, along with
Ross Mathews
Ross Mathews (born September 24, 1979) is an American television host and personality. He rose to fame as an intern and a correspondent for ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno''; he was known as "Ross the Intern" on air.
Mathews has appeared on '' ...
and
Carson Kressley
Carson Kressley (born November 11, 1969) is an American television personality, actor, and designer. Beginning in 2003, he appeared in the Bravo series '' Queer Eye for the Straight Guy''. He was also the motivational host of the TV show '' How ...
, who shared judging responsibilities on an alternating basis. Twelve drag queens competed for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar". The prizes for the winner are a one-year supply of
Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics and a cash prize of $100,000. The full list of contestants was revealed during the
NewNowNext Awards
The NewNowNext-Awards was an American annual entertainment awards show, presented by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-themed channel Logo TV. Launched in 2008, awards are presented both for LGBT-specific and general interest achievemen ...
on February 1, 2016. The song "U Wear It Well" from RuPaul's album ''
Butch Queen'' was featured in promotion for the show. On March 31, 2016, it was announced LogoTV renewed the show for a ninth season. It was the last season to solely be played on Logo, as the show moved to
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
for its ninth season.
The theme song played during the runway segment every episode was "The Realness", and the song played during the closing credits was "Die Tomorrow", both songs from the album ''
Realness''.
The winner of the eighth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' was
Bob the Drag Queen
Christopher Delmar Caldwell (born June 22, 1986), also known by his stage name Caldwell Tidicue and better known by his drag name Bob the Drag Queen, is an American drag queen, comedian, actor, activist, musician, author, and reality television ...
, with
Kim Chi and
Naomi Smalls
Naomi Smalls is the stage name of Davis M. Heppenstall (born September 8, 1993), an American drag queen and reality television personality, best known as one of the runners-up on the RuPaul's Drag Race (season 8), eighth season of ''RuPaul's Drag ...
being the runners-up, and
Cynthia Lee Fontaine being crowned season 8's Miss Congeniality.
On August 20, 2020,
Chi Chi DeVayne
Zavion Michael Davenport (September 24, 1985August 20, 2020), better known by the stage name Chi Chi DeVayne, was an American drag queen and reality television personality who came to international attention on the eighth season of ''RuPaul's ...
died after battling
scleroderma
Scleroderma is a group of autoimmune diseases that may result in changes to the skin, blood vessels, muscles, and internal organs. The disease can be either localized to the skin or involve other organs, as well. Symptoms may include areas ...
and
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
.
Contestants
''Ages, names, and cities stated are at time of filming.''
Notes:
Future ''Drag Race'' appearances
* In 2017 Cynthia Lee Fontaine returned as a surprise contestant on
season 9.
* In 2018 Chi Chi DeVayne and Thorgy Thor competed on
''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars'' season 3; later in 2018 Naomi Smalls competed on
''All Stars'' season 4.
* In 2020 Derrick Barry competed on
''All Stars'' season 5.
* In 2023 Naysha Lopez competed on
''All Stars'' season 8.
* In 2025 Acid Betty and Cynthia Lee Fontaine competed on
''All Stars'' season 10.
Contestant progress
Lip syncs
Legend:
Guest judges
Listed in chronological order:
*
Nicole Richie
Nicole Camille Richie (; born September 21, 1981) is an American media personality, fashion designer, and actress. She came to prominence after appearing on the reality television series ''The Simple Life'' (2003–2007), in which she starred al ...
, television personality
*
Ester Dean
Esther Renay Dean (born April 15, 1982), known professionally as Ester Dean, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. She rose to prominence as a pop songwriter in the late 2000s and wrote numerous hit songs for singers including R ...
, singer/songwriter
*Jamal Sims, choreographer
*
Lucian Piane
Lucian Piane (born October 4, 1980), also known by the Internet nickname RevoLucian, is an American composer and music producer. He has composed music for several films, television shows, theater productions and singers, and received a RIAA Pla ...
, music producer
*
Faith Evans
Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 in pursuit of a recording career. Evans initially performed as ...
, singer
*
Tasha Smith
Tasha Smith (born February 28, 1971) is an American actress and director. She began her career in a starring role on the NBC comedy series '' Boston Common'' (1996–97), and later appeared in numerous movies and television series.
Smith has ...
, actress and comedian
*
Chris Stein
Christopher Stein (born January 5, 1950) is an American musician and songwriter known as the co-founder and guitarist of the new wave band Blondie. He is also a producer and performer for the classic soundtrack of the hip hop film '' Wild St ...
, musician
*
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble, July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie (band), Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1 ...
, singer
*
Chanel Iman
Chanel Iman Robinson (formerly Shepard; born December 1, 1990) is an American model who has worked as a Victoria's Secret Angel. '' Vogue Paris'' declared her as one of the top 30 models of the 2000s.
Early life
Iman was born in Atlanta, Georg ...
, model
*
Gigi Hadid
Jelena Noura "Gigi" Hadid ( ; born April 23, 1995) is an American fashion model and television personality. In 2016, she was named International Model of the Year by the British Fashion Council. Throughout her career, Hadid has made at least ...
, model
*
Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs (born April 9, 1963) is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for his own fashion label, Marc Jacobs, and formerly Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, which was produced for approximately 15 years, before it was d ...
, fashion designer
*
Todrick Hall
Todrick Hall (born April 4, 1985) is an American singer, rapper, choreographer, and YouTuber. He gained national attention on the ninth season of the televised singing competition ''American Idol''. Following this, he amassed a following on Yo ...
, singer and internet personality
*
Thomas Roberts, journalist
*
Vivica A. Fox
Vivica Anjanetta Fox (born July 30, 1964) is an American actress and producer. She began her career on ''Soul Train'' (19821983) and played roles on the daytime television soap operas ''Days of Our Lives'' (1988) and ''Generations (American TV s ...
, actress
*
Amy Sedaris
Amy Louise Sedaris (; born March 29, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She played Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central comedy series '' Strangers with Candy'' (1999–2000) and the prequel film '' Strangers with Candy'' (2005), wh ...
, comedian and actress
*
David Sedaris
David Raymond Sedaris ( ; born December 26, 1956) is an American humorist, comedian, author, and radio contributor. He was publicly recognized in 1992 when National Public Radio broadcast his essay " Santaland Diaries". He published his first col ...
, writer
Special guests
Guests who appeared in episodes, but did not judge on the main stage.
;Episode 1
*
BeBe Zahara Benet
Nea Marshall Kudi Ngwa (born March 20, 1981), better known by his stage name BeBe Zahara Benet, is a Cameroonian-American drag queen, drag performer, television personality, and musician best known for winning the RuPaul's Drag Race (season 1), fi ...
, winner of
season 1 Season One may refer to:
Albums
* ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004
* ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012
* ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012
See also
*
*
* Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to:
...
*
Tyra Sanchez
King Tyra, formerly Tyra Sanchez, is the stage name of James William Ross IV (born April 21, 1988), an American drag queen and reality television personality. A frequent drag impersonator of pop star Beyoncé, Tyra is known as winner of the se ...
, winner of
season 2 Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014
* ''2econd Season'', an album by Unk, 2008
* "Season 2", a song by Phoenix from ''Alpha Zulu
''Alpha Zulu'' is the seventh studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix, released on 4 ...
*
Raja
Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
T ...
, winner of
season 3
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
*
Sharon Needles
Sharon Needles (born November 28, 1981) is the stage name of Aaron Robert Coady, an American drag performer and recording artist. Needles rose to international attention on the RuPaul's Drag Race (season 4), fourth season of the Logo (TV channel) ...
, winner of
season 4 Season 4 may refer to:
* "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock''
See also
*
* Season One (disambiguation)
* Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014
* ''2econd Season'', an album ...
*
Chad Michaels
Chad Michael Storbeck, known professionally as Chad Michaels (born March 20, 1971), is an American Drag queen, drag performer and professional Cher impersonator. He was a runner-up in the RuPaul's Drag Race season 4, fourth season of ''RuPaul's D ...
, runner-up of
season 4 Season 4 may refer to:
* "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock''
See also
*
* Season One (disambiguation)
* Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014
* ''2econd Season'', an album ...
and winner of
''All Stars'' season 1
*
Jinkx Monsoon
Hera Lilith Hoffer (born September 18, 1987), best known by the stage name Jinkx Monsoon, is an American drag queen, actress, singer and comedienne, originally from the Pacific Northwest, and perhaps best-known for winning the RuPaul's Drag Race ...
, winner of
season 5
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
*
Violet Chachki
Violet Chachki is the stage name of Paul Jason Dardo (born June 13, 1992), an American drag queen, burlesque/Aerial dance, aerial Performing arts, performer, Content creation, content creator, model, and Music artist (occupation), recording arti ...
, winner of
season 7
*
Shannel
Bryan Watkins, known by his stage name Shannel (born July 3, 1979), is an American drag queen and television personality, best known for competing on the RuPaul's Drag Race season 1, first season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and later the RuPaul's ...
, contestant on
season 1 Season One may refer to:
Albums
* ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004
* ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012
* ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012
See also
*
*
* Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to:
...
and
''All Stars'' season 1
*
Latrice Royale
Timothy K. Wilcots (born February 12, 1972), better known by the stage name Latrice Royale, is an American drag performer, recording artist, and reality television personality. She is best known for her appearances on the fourth season of ''RuP ...
, contestant and ''Miss Congeniality'' of
season 4 Season 4 may refer to:
* "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock''
See also
*
* Season One (disambiguation)
* Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014
* ''2econd Season'', an album ...
and contestant on
''All Stars'' season 1
*
Raven
A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...
, runner-up of
season 2 Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014
* ''2econd Season'', an album by Unk, 2008
* "Season 2", a song by Phoenix from ''Alpha Zulu
''Alpha Zulu'' is the seventh studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix, released on 4 ...
and
''All Stars'' season 1
*
Morgan McMichaels
Morgan McMichaels (born May 28, 1981) is the stage name of Scottish-American drag performer Thomas White, best known as a contestant on the second season of the reality television competition ''RuPaul's Drag Race,'' as well as the third seaso ...
, contestant on
season 2 Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014
* ''2econd Season'', an album by Unk, 2008
* "Season 2", a song by Phoenix from ''Alpha Zulu
''Alpha Zulu'' is the seventh studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix, released on 4 ...
;Episode 2
*AB Soto, musician
;Episode 4
*
The Vivienne
James Lee Williams (12 April 1992 – 5 January 2025), known professionally as The Vivienne, was a British drag queen from Colwyn Bay, Wales, and winner of the RuPaul's Drag Race UK series 1, first series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'' in 2019. T ...
, ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' UK Ambassador
;Episode 5
*
Charo
María Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza, professionally known by her stage name Charo, is a Spanish-born actress, singer, comedian, and flamenco guitarist who rose to international prominence in the 1960s on American television, as well ...
, musician and comedian
;Episode 6
*Marc Snetiker, ''Entertainment Weekly'' journalist
*Cast of ''
Little Women: LA''
;Episode 7
*
Andrew Christian, fashion designer
;Episode 9
*Jayson Whitmore, director
*
Bianca Del Rio
Roy R. Haylock (born June 27, 1975), better known by the stage name Bianca Del Rio, is an American drag queen, comedian, actor, and costume designer. She is known for winning the sixth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. Since her time on ''Drag R ...
, winner of
season 6
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and polar ...
;Episode 10
*
BeBe Zahara Benet
Nea Marshall Kudi Ngwa (born March 20, 1981), better known by his stage name BeBe Zahara Benet, is a Cameroonian-American drag queen, drag performer, television personality, and musician best known for winning the RuPaul's Drag Race (season 1), fi ...
, winner of
season 1 Season One may refer to:
Albums
* ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004
* ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012
* ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012
See also
*
*
* Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to:
...
*
Tyra Sanchez
King Tyra, formerly Tyra Sanchez, is the stage name of James William Ross IV (born April 21, 1988), an American drag queen and reality television personality. A frequent drag impersonator of pop star Beyoncé, Tyra is known as winner of the se ...
, winner of
season 2 Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014
* ''2econd Season'', an album by Unk, 2008
* "Season 2", a song by Phoenix from ''Alpha Zulu
''Alpha Zulu'' is the seventh studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix, released on 4 ...
*
Raja
Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
T ...
, winner of
season 3
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
*
Sharon Needles
Sharon Needles (born November 28, 1981) is the stage name of Aaron Robert Coady, an American drag performer and recording artist. Needles rose to international attention on the RuPaul's Drag Race (season 4), fourth season of the Logo (TV channel) ...
, winner of
season 4 Season 4 may refer to:
* "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock''
See also
*
* Season One (disambiguation)
* Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014
* ''2econd Season'', an album ...
*
Chad Michaels
Chad Michael Storbeck, known professionally as Chad Michaels (born March 20, 1971), is an American Drag queen, drag performer and professional Cher impersonator. He was a runner-up in the RuPaul's Drag Race season 4, fourth season of ''RuPaul's D ...
, runner-up of
season 4 Season 4 may refer to:
* "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock''
See also
*
* Season One (disambiguation)
* Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014
* ''2econd Season'', an album ...
and winner of
''All Stars'' season 1
*
Jinkx Monsoon
Hera Lilith Hoffer (born September 18, 1987), best known by the stage name Jinkx Monsoon, is an American drag queen, actress, singer and comedienne, originally from the Pacific Northwest, and perhaps best-known for winning the RuPaul's Drag Race ...
, winner of
season 5
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
*
Bianca Del Rio
Roy R. Haylock (born June 27, 1975), better known by the stage name Bianca Del Rio, is an American drag queen, comedian, actor, and costume designer. She is known for winning the sixth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. Since her time on ''Drag R ...
, winner of
season 6
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and polar ...
*
Violet Chachki
Violet Chachki is the stage name of Paul Jason Dardo (born June 13, 1992), an American drag queen, burlesque/Aerial dance, aerial Performing arts, performer, Content creation, content creator, model, and Music artist (occupation), recording arti ...
, winner of
season 7
*
Shangela, contestant on
season 2 Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014
* ''2econd Season'', an album by Unk, 2008
* "Season 2", a song by Phoenix from ''Alpha Zulu
''Alpha Zulu'' is the seventh studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix, released on 4 ...
and
season 3
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
*
Carol Channing
Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, comedian, singer and dancer who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Each of her characters typically possessed a fervent expressiveness and an easily ide ...
, actress and comedian (via video message)
*
Trixie Mattel
Brian Michael Firkus (born August 23, 1989), better known by the stage name Trixie Mattel, is an American drag queen, television personality, makeup entrepreneur, DJ and singer-songwriter originally from Silver Cliff, Wisconsin, Silver Cliff, Ma ...
, contestant on
season 7
*
Margaret Cho
Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian, actress and musician. In her Stand-up comedy, stand-up routines she critiques social and political problems, especially about race and sexuality. She starred in the Ame ...
, comedian and actress (via video message)
*
Lena Headey
Lena Kathren Headey ( ; born 3 October 1973) is an English actress. She gained international recognition and acclaim for her portrayal of Cersei Lannister on the HBO fantasy drama series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which she received ...
, actress (via video message)
*
Gia Gunn
Gia Gunn is the stage name of American drag performer Gia Keitaro Ichikawa (born May 10, 1990). She is known for competing on the sixth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', the second season of '' The Switch Drag Race'', and '' RuPaul's Drag Rac ...
, contestant on
season 6
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and polar ...
*
Nancy Grace
Nancy Ann Grace (born October 23, 1959) is an American legal pundit, commentator and television journalist. She hosted ''Nancy Grace (TV program), Nancy Grace'', a nightly celebrity news and current affairs (news format), current affairs show ...
, legal commentator and television journalist (via video message)
*
Jennifer Holliday
Jennifer Yvette Holliday (born October 19, 1960) is an American singer and actress. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as ''Dreamgirls'' (1981–83), '' Your Arms Too Short to Box with God'' (1980–1981) and later became a ...
, singer and actress (via video message)
*
Katya
Katya is a feminine given name. It is a very popular name in Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Serbia, and North Macedonia. It is a Russian diminutive form of Ekaterina, Yekaterina, which is a Russian form of Katherine (given name), Katherine.This name is ...
, contestant and Miss Congeniality on
season 7
Episodes
Reception
In August 2022, ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' listed season 8 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' as among the Top 50 Most Influential Reality TV Seasons.
Ratings
See also
*
List of Rusicals
References
External links
*
Ratings
{{Authority control
2016 American television seasons
8
2016 LGBTQ-related television