RuPaul's Drag Race season 8

The eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race began airing on March 7, 2016. Returning judges include RuPaul and Michelle Visage, with Ross Matthews and Carson Kressley sharing judging responsibilities on an alternate basis. 12 drag queens will be competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar", the fewest number of contenders since the second season. 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. The song "U Wear It Well" from RuPaul's album Butch Queen was featured in promotion for the show.

Contestants

The drag queens who will compete to be "America's Next Drag Superstar" for season eight of RuPaul's Drag Race are:

(Ages and names stated are at time of contest)

Contestant	Name	Age	Hometown	1	2
Acid Betty	Jamin Ruhren	37	Brooklyn, NY	HIGH
Bob The Drag Queen	Christopher Caldwell	29	New York, NY	SAFE
Chi Chi DeVayne	Zavion Davenport	29	Shreveport, LA	SAFE
Cynthia Lee Fontaine	Carlos Hernandez	34	Austin, TX	SAFE
Dax ExclamationPoint	Dax Martin	31	Savannah, GA	SAFE
Derrick Barry	Derrick Barry	32	Las Vegas, NV	HIGH
Kim Chi	Sang-young Shin	27	Chicago, IL	WIN
Laila McQueen	Tyler Devlin	22	Gloucester, MA	BTM2
Naomi Smalls	David Heppenstall	21	Redlands, CA	LOW
Robbie Turner	Jeremy Baird	33	Seattle, WA	LOW
Thorgy Thor	Shane Galligan	31	Brooklyn, NY	SAFE
Naysha Lopez	Fabian Rodriguez	31	Chicago, IL	ELIM

  The contestant won a challenge.

  The contestant was one of the best but did not win the challenge.

  The contestant was one of the worst but was not in the bottom two.

  The contestant was in the bottom two.

  The contestant was eliminated.

  The contestant did not participate in this episode.

  The contestant returned as a guest for the finale episode, but was not in the running for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar".

Lip-syncs

Episode	Bottom Two			Song	Eliminated
1	Laila McQueen	vs.	Naysha Lopez	"Applause" (Lady Gaga)	Naysha Lopez

  The contestant was eliminated after their first time in the bottom two.

Guest judges

(In alphabetical order by stage name and/or last name)

• Ester Dean (singer/songwriter)
• Faith Evans (singer)
• Vivica A. Fox (actress)
• Gigi Hadid (model)
• Todrick Hall (singer and internet personality)
• Debbie Harry (singer)
• Chanel Iman (model)
• Marc Jacobs (fashion designer)
• Nicole Richie (television personality)
• Thomas Roberts (journalist)
• Amy Sedaris (comedian and actress)
• David Sedaris (writer)
• Jamal Sims (choreographer)
• Tasha Smith (actress and comedian)
• Chris Stein (musician)

Episodes

Episode One: Keeping It 100!

Airdate: March 7, 2016

Contestant	Design challenge
Acid Betty	Make Dat Money
Bob The Drag Queen	Gone with the Window
Chi Chi DeVayne	Glitter Ball
Cynthia Lee Fontaine	Sugar Ball
Dax ExclamationPoint	Hello, Kitty Girls!
Derrick Barry	The Queen Who Mopped Xmas
Kim Chi	RuPaul's Hair Extravaganza
Laila McQueen	RuPocalypse Now!
Naomi Smalls	Float Your Boat
Naysha Lopez	Drag On A Dime
Robbie Turner	The Fabulous Bitch Ball
Thorgy Thor	Face, Face, Face of Cakes

• Guest Judge: Nicole Richie
• Special Guests: BeBe Zahara Benet, Tyra Sanchez, Raja, Sharon Needles, Chad Michaels, Jinkx Monsoon, Violet Chachki, Latrice Royale, Raven, Shannel and Morgan McMichaels.
• Alternating Judge(s): Carson Kressley and Ross Matthews
• Mini-Challenge: Photoshoot with past winners
• Main Challenge: Create an outfit based on a design challenge from seasons past
• Challenge Winner: Kim Chi
• Main Challenge Prize: $3,000 from selfieonastick.com
• Bottom Two: Laila McQueen and Naysha Lopez
• Lip Sync Song: "Applause" by Lady Gaga
• Eliminated: Naysha Lopez
• Farewell message: "Dear Ladies + Monsters. It was a pleasure meeting you all! Play the cards you are dealt + Turn DA PARTY! P.S. I ♥ U Layla [sic] xoxo! The Beauty! Naysha Lopez ♥"

Episode Two: Bitch Perfect

Airdate: March 14, 2016

Team	Contestant
The Lady Bitches Team Cynthia Lee Fontaine	Cynthia Lee Fontaine
	Bob The Drag Queen
	Derrick Barry
	Laila McQueen
	Robbie Turner
	Kim Chi
The Shady Bitches Team Chi Chi DeVayne	Chi Chi DeVayne
	Acid Betty
	Thorgy Thor
	Dax ExclamationPoint
	Naomi Smalls

• Guest Judges: Ester Dean, Lucian Piane, and Jamal Sims
• Special Guest: AB Soto
• Mini-Challenge: Latin dance-off to "Cha Cha Bitch"
• Mini-Challenge Winners: Chi Chi DeVayne and Cynthia Lee Fontaine
• Main Challenge: Perform in a collegiate a cappella sing-off
• Challenge Winner:
• Main Challenge Prize:
• Runway Theme:
• Bottom Two:
• Lip Sync Song:
• Eliminated:
• Farewell message:

Episode Three: RuCo's Empire

Airdate: March 21, 2016

• Guest Judges: Faith Evans and Tasha Smith
• Special Guest:
• Alternating Judge:
• Mini-Challenge:
• Mini-Challenge Winner:
• Main Challenge: Act in two Empire-inspired scenes
• Challenge Winner:
• Main Challenge Prize:
• Runway Theme:
• Bottom Two:
• Lip Sync Song:
• Eliminated:
• Farewell message:

External links

• Official website
• Ratings