| Season Number: | 8 | ||||||||||||
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| Num Episodes: | 10 | ||||||||||||
| Network: | Logo TV |
The eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race began airing on March 7, 2016. Returning judges include RuPaul and Michelle Visage, along with Ross Mathews and Carson Kressley, 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 on February 1, 2016.[1] 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.[2] It was the last season to solely be played on Logo, as the show moved to VH1 for its ninth season.[3]
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, with Kim Chi and Naomi Smalls being the runners-up, and Cynthia Lee Fontaine being crowned season 8's Miss Congeniality.
On August 20, 2020, Chi Chi DeVayne died after battling scleroderma and pneumonia.[4]
See also: List of RuPaul's Drag Race contestants. Ages, names, and cities stated are at time of filming.
| Age | Hometown | Outcome | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob the Drag Queen | 29 | New York City, New York | ||
| Kim Chi | 27 | Chicago, Illinois | ||
| Naomi Smalls | 21 | Redlands, California | ||
| Chi Chi DeVayne | 29 | Shreveport, Louisiana | 4th place | |
| Derrick Barry | 32 | Las Vegas, Nevada | 5th place | |
| Thorgy Thor | 31 | New York City, New York | 6th place | |
| Robbie Turner | 33 | Seattle, Washington | 7th place | |
| Acid Betty | 37 | New York City, New York | 8th place | |
| Naysha Lopez | 31 | Chicago, Illinois | 9th place | |
| Cynthia Lee Fontaine | 34 | Austin, Texas | nowrap | 10th place |
| Dax ExclamationPoint | 31 | Savannah, Georgia | 11th place | |
| Laila McQueen | 22 | nowrap | Gloucester, Massachusetts | |
Notes:
Legend:
| Episode | Contestants | Song | Eliminated | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laila McQueen | vs. | Naysha Lopez | "Applause" (Lady Gaga) | Naysha Lopez | |
| 2 | Dax ExclamationPoint | vs. | Laila McQueen | "I Will Survive" (Gloria Gaynor) | nowrap bgcolor="lightblue" | Dax ExclamationPoint |
| Laila McQueen | ||||||
| 3 | Cynthia Lee Fontaine | vs. | Robbie Turner | nowrap | "Mesmerized (Freemasons Radio Edit)" (Faith Evans) | Cynthia Lee Fontaine |
| 4 | Chi Chi DeVayne | vs. | Naysha Lopez | "Call Me" (Blondie) | Naysha Lopez | |
| 5 | Acid Betty | vs. | Naomi Smalls | "Causing a Commotion" (Madonna) | Acid Betty | |
| 6 | Derrick Barry | vs. | Robbie Turner | "I Love It" (Icona Pop ft. Charli XCX) | Robbie Turner | |
| 7 | Chi Chi DeVayne | vs. | Thorgy Thor | "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" (Jennifer Holliday) | Thorgy Thor | |
| 8 | Bob the Drag Queen | vs. | Derrick Barry | "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" (Sylvester) | Derrick Barry | |
| 9 | Bob the Drag Queen vs. Chi Chi DeVayne vs. Kim Chi vs. Naomi Smalls | "The Realness" (RuPaul) | Chi Chi DeVayne | |||
Listed in chronological order:[5]
Guests who appeared in episodes, but did not judge on the main stage.
Episode 1:
Episode 2:
Episode 4:
Episode 5:
Episode 6:
Episode 7:
Episode 9:
Episode 10:
See also: List of RuPaul's Drag Race episodes.
In August 2022, Time listed season 8 of RuPaul's Drag Race as among the Top 50 Most Influential Reality TV Seasons.[7]