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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
The eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race began airing on March 7, 2016, with returning judges RuPaul and Michelle Visage, and Carson Kressley and Ross Matthews alternating as they did in Season 7. Twelve queens will be competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar" and a cash prize of $100,000 this season, which was the fewest amount of contestants since Season 2. The cast members were revealed during the NewNowNext Awards on February 1st, 2016.
This season marks one-hundred episodes of Drag Race, with the premiere being the one-hundredth episode. It also marks one-hundred contestants to enter the competition, featuring Derrick Barry as the one-hundredth queen to enter the work room.
The winner of this season was Bob The Drag Queen. Miss Congeniality was Cynthia Lee Fontaine.
In 2017 during the second episode of Season 9 Cynthia Lee Fontaine returned to the competition, where she placed 10th.
In January 2018 Chi Chi DeVayne and Thorgy Thor competed on All Stars 3. Thorgy placed 10th and Chi Chi placed 8th overall.
In December 2018 Naomi Smalls competed on All Stars 4, where she placed 3rd/4th, alongside Season 10 contestant Monique Heart.
In May 2020 Derrick Barry competed on All Stars 5, where she placed 10th.
Contestants
(Ages and names stated are during time of contest)
| Rank | Contestant | Photo | Real Name | Age | Current City | Ep. 1 | Ep. 2 | Ep. 3 | Ep. 4 | Ep. 5 | Ep. 6 | Ep. 7 | Ep. 8 | Ep. 9 | Ep. 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rusical | Snatch Game | Make Over | Ball | Grand Finale | |||||||||||
| 1st (Winner) |
Bob The Drag Queen | 
|
Christopher Caldwell | 29 | New York, NY | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | WIN | SAFE Mini Chall. Winner |
WIN | BTM2 | TOP 3 | WINNER |
| 2nd/3rd (Runners-Up) |
Kim Chi | 
|
Sang-Young Shin | 27 | Chicago, IL | WIN | LOW | SAFE | HIGH TEAM |
SAFE | HIGH | LOW | WIN | TOP 3 | RUNNER UP |
| Naomi Smalls | 
|
Davis Heppenstall | 21 | Redlands, CA | LOW | SAFE | SAFE Team Captain |
HIGH TEAM |
BTM2 | WIN | HIGH | HIGH | TOP 3 | RUNNER UP | |
| 4th | Chi Chi DeVayne | 
|
Zavion Davenport | 29 | Shreveport, LA | SAFE | WIN Team Captain |
SAFE | BTM2 | SAFE | LOW | BTM2 | HIGH Mini Chall. Winner |
ELIM | RTRN |
| 5th | Derrick Barry | File:2016-03-27-1459080945-3238345-12670554 1019308524758247 5503556095161548015 n.jpg | Derrick Barry | 32 | Las Vegas, NV | HIGH | SAFE | LOW | LOW | HIGH | BTM2 | WIN Mini Chall. Winner |
ELIM | RTRN | |
| 6th | Thorgy Thor | 
|
Shane Galligan | 31 | Brooklyn, NY | SAFE | HIGH | HIGH | SAFE | HIGH | SAFE | ELIM | RTRN | ||
| 7th | Robbie Turner | 
|
Jeremy Baird | 33 | Seattle, WA | LOW | SAFE | BTM2 | WIN | LOW | ELIM | RTRN | |||
| 8th | Acid Betty | 
|
Jamin Ruhren | 38 | Brooklyn, NY | HIGH | HIGH | HIGH | SAFE | ELIM | RTRN | ||||
| 9th (orig. 12th) |
Naysha Lopez | 
|
Fabian Rodriguez | 31 | Chicago, IL | ELIM | SAFE Team Captain |
ELIM | RTRN | ||||||
| 10th (Miss Congeniality) |
Cynthia Lee Fontaine | 
|
Carlos Hernandez | 34 | Austin, TX | SAFE | SAFE Team Captain |
ELIM | MISS CON | ||||||
| 11th/12th (Double Elim.) |
Dax ExclamationPoint | 
|
Dax Martin | 31 | Savannah, GA | SAFE | ELIM | RTRN | |||||||
| Laila McQueen | 
|
Tyler Devlin | 22 | Gloucester, MA | BTM2 | ELIM | RTRN | ||||||||
- █ The contestant won RuPaul's Drag Race.
- █ The contestant was a runner-up.
- █ The contestant competed in a four-person final lip-sync against all remaining contestants and placed as a top three finalist.
- █ The contestant competed in a four-person final lip-sync against all remaining contestants and was eliminated.
- █ The contestant was previously eliminated, returned in Episode 3, & was safe.
- █ The contestant was one of two maxi challenge winners.
- █ The contestant won the maxi challenge.
- █ The contestant was one of the best but did not win the maxi challenge.
- █ The contestant was a member of a winning team but did not win the maxi challenge.
- █ The contestant was one of the worst but did not place in the bottom two.
- █ The contestant placed in the bottom two but neither was eliminated.
- █ The contestant placed in the bottom two but was not eliminated.
- █ The contestant placed in the bottom two & was the one who was eliminated.
- █ The contestant placed in the bottom two & both were eliminated.
- █ After being eliminated, the contestant was voted Ms. Congeniality by viewers.
- █ After being eliminated, the contestant returned and appeared on the "Reunion" episode, but was out of the running.
- █ The contestant was eliminated for the second time.
Episodes
| Series # | Episode # | Title # | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 1 | Keeping it 100! | March 7, 2016 |
| 101 | 2 | Bitch Perfect | March 14, 2016 |
| 102 | 3 | RuCo's Empire | March 21, 2016 |
| 103 | 4 | New Wave Queens | March 28, 2016 |
| 104 | 5 | Supermodel Snatch Game | April 4, 2016 |
| 105 | 6 | Wizards of Drag | April 11, 2016 |
| 106 | 7 | Shady Politics | April 18, 2016 |
| 107 | 8 | RuPaul Book Ball | April 25, 2016 |
| 108 | 9 | The Realness | May 2, 2016 |
| 109 | 10 | Grand Finale | May 16, 2016 |
Episode 1: "Keeping It 100!"
Airdate: March 7, 2016
- Guest Judge: Nicole Richie
- Special Guest(s): BeBe Zahara Benet, Tyra Sanchez, Raja, Sharon Needles, Chad Michaels, Jinkx Monsoon, Violet Chachki, Morgan McMichaels, Latrice Royale, Raven, Shannel
- Alternating Judge(s): Carson Kressley and Ross Matthews
- Mini-Challenge: Photoshoot with past winners
- Mini-Challenge Winner: Robbie Turner
- Main Challenge: Create an outfit based on design challenges from seasons past
- Main 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! The Beauty, Naysha Lopez ♥ P.S. I ♥ U Layla! [sic] xoxo"
Entrance Order
| 1. | Naomi Smalls |
| 2. | Cynthia Lee Fontaine |
| 3. | Dax ExclamationPoint |
| 4. | Naysha Lopez |
| 5. | Acid Betty |
| 6. | Robbie Turner |
| 7. | Kim Chi |
| 8. | Thorgy Thor |
| 9. | Bob the Drag Queen |
| 10. | Laila McQueen |
| 11. | Chi Chi DeVayne |
| 12. | Derrick Barry |
Design Challenge Assignments
| Contestant | Design challenge |
|---|---|
| Acid Betty | Make Dat Money (from Season 3, Ep. 13) |
| Bob The Drag Queen | Gone with the Window (from Season 2, Ep. 1) |
| Chi Chi DeVayne | Glitter Ball (from Season 6, Ep. 11) |
| Cynthia Lee Fontaine | Sugar Ball (from Season 5, Ep. 11) |
| Dax ExclamationPoint | Hello, Kitty Girls! (from Season 7, Ep. 11) |
| Derrick Barry | The Queen Who Mopped Xmas (from Season 3, Ep. 2) |
| Kim Chi | RuPaul's Hair Extravaganza (from Season 3, Ep. 11) |
| Laila McQueen | RuPocalypse Now! (from Season 4, Ep. 1) |
| Naomi Smalls | Float Your Boat (from Season 4 Ep. 6) |
| Naysha Lopez | Drag on a Dime (from Season 1, Ep. 1) |
| Robbie Turner | The Fabulous Bitch Ball (from Season 4, Ep. 11) |
| Thorgy Thor | Face, Face, Face of Cakes (from Season 3, Ep. 7) |
Episode 2: "Bitch Perfect"
Airdate: March 14, 2016
- Guest Judges: Ester Dean, Jamal Sims, and Lucian Piane
- Special Guest: AB Soto
- Mini-Challenge: Compete in a latin dance-off to RuPaul's song "Cha Cha Bitch"
- Mini-Challenge Winner(s): Chi Chi DeVayne and Cynthia Lee Fontaine
- Main Challenge: Perform in a collegiate acapella sing-off
- Main Challenge Winner: Chi Chi DeVayne
- Main Challenge Prize: A 4 night getaway to an all gay bed and breakfast in New England courtesy of mygaygetaway.com
- Runway Theme: Movie Premiere Realness
- Bottom Two: Dax ExclamationPoint and Laila McQueen
- Lip Sync Song: "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor
- Eliminated: Dax ExclamationPoint and Laila McQueen
- Farewell Message — Dax ExclamationPoint: "Ladies, You're all Fantastic! I wish I could be here with you! Set the world on fire + Make Everyone EAT IT -DAX! ☠"
- Farewell Message — Laila McQueen: "You're All the Biggest Pack of freaks and I am so "Happy" to call you "family". But Actually I ♥ you All & can't wait for the future with you! xoxo Laila!"
Bitch Perfect Teams
| Team Lady Bitches | Team Shady Bitches |
|---|---|
| Cynthia Lee Fontaine | Chi Chi DeVayne |
| Bob the Drag Queen | Acid Betty |
| Derrick Barry | Thorgy Thor |
| Laila McQueen | Dax ExclamationPoint |
| Robbie Turner | Naomi Smalls |
| Kim Chi |
Episode 3: "RuCo's Empire"
Airdate: March 21, 2016
- Guest Judges: Faith Evans and Tasha Smith
- Alternating Judge(s): Carson Kressley
- Mini-Challenge: Drag up supreme court robes
- Mini-Challenge Winner: Naomi Smalls
- Main Challenge: Perform in two Empire-inspired acting scenes (Acting Challenge)
- Main Challenge Winner: Bob the Drag Queen
- Main Challenge Prize: $3,500 of eyewear from Bradley Kenneth
- Runway Theme: Rollergirl Realness
- Bottom Two: Robbie Turner and Cynthia Lee Fontaine
- Lip Sync Song: "Mesmerized" by Faith Evans
- Eliminated: Cynthia Lee Fontaine
- Farewell Message: "Don't give up!!! Fight for youre [sic] dreams!!! Love you mis amores #Cucu ♥"
RuCo Empire Roles
| Character | Team Naomi Smalls | Team Naysha Lopez |
|---|---|---|
| Vanilla Wafer | Naomi Smalls | Kim Chi |
| Chocolate Chip Cookie | Bob the Drag Queen | Thorgy Thor |
| Shortbread | Chi Chi DeVayne | Naysha Lopez |
| Ginger Snap | Cynthia Lee Fontaine | Derrick Barry |
| Macaroon | Robbie Turner | Acid Betty |
Episode 4: "New Wave Queens"
Airdate: March 28, 2016
- Guest Judges: Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, and Lucian Piane
- Main Challenge: Sing live in ‘80s style New Wave girl bands
- Main Challenge Winner: Robbie Turner
- Main Challenge Prize: A wig wardrobe from Weaven Steven
- Runway Theme: Neon Realness
- Bottom Two: Chi Chi DeVayne and Naysha Lopez
- Lip Sync Song: "Call Me" by Blondie
- Eliminated: Naysha Lopez
- Farewell Message: "Dear Ladies, Have a good time and push yourself. I got a 2nd chance, don't blow your first and only! xoxo Da Beauty! Naysha Lopez"
New Wave Queen Groups
| Street Meatz | Les Chicken Wings | Dragometry |
|---|---|---|
| Bob the Drag Queen | Kim Chi | Naysha Lopez |
| Thorgy Thor | Robbie Turner | Chi Chi DeVayne |
| Acid Betty | Naomi Smalls | Derrick Barry |
Episode 5: "Supermodel Snatch Game"
Airdate: April 4, 2016
- Guest Judges: Gigi Hadid and Chanel Iman
- Alternating Judge(s): Carson Kressley
- Main Challenge: Impersonate celebrities in Snatch Game
- Main Challenge Winner: Bob The Drag Queen
- Main Challenge Prize: A collection of handbags and wallets from Lux De Ville valued at $7,000
- Runway Theme: Iconic Madonna Looks
- Bottom Two: Acid Betty and Naomi Smalls
- Lip Sync Song: "Causing a Commotion" by Madonna
- Eliminated: Acid Betty
- Farewell Message: "Ladies, You have been touched by fierceness! Now werq it out! - Bob, ♥ you! See jew in new york. - Thorgy you are amazeballz! - AcidBetty 💋"
Snatch Game
| Contestant | Celebrity |
|---|---|
| Acid Betty | Nancy Grace |
| Bob the Drag Queen | Uzo Aduba/Carol Channing |
| Chi Chi DeVayne | Eartha Kitt |
| Derrick Barry | Britney Spears |
| Kim Chi | Kimmy Jong-Un |
| Naomi Smalls | Tiffany Pollard |
| Robbie Turner | Diana Vreeland |
| Thorgy Thor | Michael Jackson |
Episode 6: "Wizards of Drag"
Airdate: April 11, 2016
- Guest Judges: Todrick Hall and Marc Jacobs
- Special Guest: Marc Snetiker
- Alternating Judge(s): Ross Matthews
- Mini-Challenge: "Reading is Fundamental"
- Mini-Challenge Winner: Bob The Drag Queen
- Main Challenge: The queens give "Wizard of Oz" themed makeovers to cast members of Little Women: L.A.
- Main Challenge Winner: Naomi Smalls
- Main Challenge Prize: $1000 worth of spa services from The Spa On Rodeo (for both Naomi and Jasmine)
- Runway Theme: Wizard of Oz Couture
- Bottom Two: Derrick Barry and Robbie Turner
- Lip Sync Song: "I Love It" by Icona Pop
- Eliminated: Robbie Turner
- Farewell Message: "My dearest trashbags, I'm sorry to leave you all so soon, but know this, the love I have for you is REAL + quite strong, also whoever wins owes me a tea or a steak dinner! Love you all, Robbie"
Make Over Assignments
| Contestant | Little Woman | Drag Name | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob The Drag Queen | Elena Gant | Rob the Faux Queen | Glinda the Good Witch |
| Chi Chi DeVayne | Tonya Banks | Ti Ti DeVayne | Dorothy Gale |
| Derrick Barry | Terra Jole | Terra Barr | Tin Man |
| Kim Chi | Briana Mason | Miso Chi | The Wicked Witch of the West |
| Naomi Smalls | Jasmine Arteaga Sorge | Jazzy Jems | Scarecrow |
| Robbie Turner | Christy McGinity Gabel | Hedda Turner | The Cowardly Lion |
| Thorgy Thor | Brittney Guzman | Thorgeous | Emerald Citizen |
Episode 7: "Shady Politics"
Airdate: April 18, 2016
- Guest Judges: Thomas Roberts and Vivica A. Fox
- Special Guest: Andrew Christian
- Alternating Judge(s): Carson Kressley
- Mini-Challenge: Playing a true or false guessing game with the Pit Crew
- Mini-Challenge Winner: Derrick Barry
- Main Challenge: Work in pairs to shoot presidential campaign ads to smear their partner and stake their claim to be the first drag President of the U.S.A.
- Main Challenge Winner: Bob The Drag Queen & Derrick Barry
- Main Challenge Prize: A custom-made gown from Mountbatten Concepts
- Runway Theme: Black & White Realness(inspired by Detox)
- Bottom Two: Chi Chi Devayne and Thorgy Thor
- Lip Sync Song: "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls
- Eliminated: Thorgy Thor
- Farewell Message: "Clowns! All of you!! Come to NY - but please take down Bob! She's terrible! - anyway - ♥ you guys! top 3?....... Naomi, Bob, Deryk [sic]... Let's see.... (that was shady!) ♥ Thorgy"
Episode 8: "RuPaul Book Ball"
Airdate: April 25, 2016
- Guest Judges: Amy and David Sedaris
- Alternating Judge(s): Ross Matthews
- Mini-Challenge: Everybody Loves Puppets
- Mini-Challenge Winner: Chi Chi DeVayne
- Main Challenge: Ball Challenge
- Runway Themes: Baby Drag Realness, That's My Mama Realness, and Autobiographical Eleganza Extravaganza
- Main Challenge Winner: Kim Chi
- Main Challenge Prize: $2,500 gift card from Fabric Planet
- Bottom Two: Bob The Drag Queen & Derrick Barry
- Lip Sync Song: "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" by Sylvester
- Eliminated: Derrick Barry
- Farewell Message: "To my top 4, Ru said I won the challenge! What happened? I love you all! ♥ Derrick Bitch"
Episode 9: "The Realness"
Airdate: May 2, 2016
- Special Guests: Bianca Del Rio & Jayson Whitmore
- Alternating Judge(s): Carson Kressley & Ross Matthews
- Main Challenge: Star in the music video for RuPaul's song "The Realness" (Final Challenge)
- Lip Sync Song: "The Realness" by RuPaul
- Eliminated: Chi Chi DeVayne
Top Three of Season 8
| Queens | Challenge Wins | Up for Elimination |
|---|---|---|
 |
3 (Eps. 3, 5, 7) |
1 (Ep. 8) |
 |
2 (Eps. 1, 8) |
0 |
 |
1 (Ep. 6) |
1 (Ep. 5) |
Episode 10: "Reunion"
The three finalists each perform a lip sync to a song written specially for them- Bob performing "I Don't Like to Show Off," Kim performing "Fat Fem and Asian," and Naomi performing "Legs." After the three performances, RuPaul talks to the eliminated queens, and afterward Katya, season seven Miss Congeniality, announces that Cynthia Lee Fontaine won this season's Miss Congeniality title. The top three return and Bob The Drag Queen is crowned the winner of season 8.
- Miss Congeniality: Cynthia Lee Fontaine
- Top Three: Bob the Drag Queen, Kim Chi, and Naomi Smalls
- Lip sync Songs: "I Don't Like to Show Off" (Bob the Drag Queen); "Fat Fem and Asian" (Kim Chi); “Legs” (Naomi Smalls)
- Winner of Season 8: Bob The Drag Queen
- Runner-Ups: Kim Chi and Naomi Smalls.
Gallery
Press Released Logo
RuPaul's Promo Look
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Check out the lookbook gallery to see the contestants' looks from each episode.
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Videos
The Pit Stop Recap Show
The Pit Stop S8 E1 with Detox
The Pit Stop S8 E2 with Trixie Mattel
The Pit Stop S8 E3 with Ginger Minj
The Pit Stop S8 E4 with Delta Work
The Pit Stop S8 E5 with Raja
The Pit Stop S8 E6 with Morgan McMichaels
The Pit Stop S8 E7 with Laganja Estranja
The Pit Stop S8 E8 with Shannel
The Pit Stop S8 E9 with Victoria "Porkchop" Parker-0
The Pit Stop S8 E10 with Cynthia Lee Fontaine
Trivia
- Season 8 is the only season in herstory...
- ... to include the Shade Tree, a confessional room in which queens could share their innermost secrets and thoughts.
- ... where none of the contestants landed in the bottom 2 three times.
- ... where the winner of the season never placed high without winning the Maxi Challenge. Every episode Bob the Drag Queen received positive critiques, she ended up winning the Maxi Challenge.
- Season 8 is the first season...
- ... to have someone do two celebrities in the same Snatch Game. Bob The Drag Queen impersonated both Uzo Aduba and Carol Channing.
- ... to not have a recap episode. None of the following seasons have had one since.
- Season 8 is the second...
- ... regular season with 12 contestants, after season 2.
- ... regular season to have a double elimination, the first was in Season 5.
- ... regular season to have less than three contestants lipsync for their life in two consecutive episodes, after Season 1.
- Not a single regular season has had two contestants lipsync for their life in two consecutive episodes. In Seasons 1 and 8, only one contestant landed in the bottom 2 in two consecutive episodes, whereas every other season has had at least three.
- Season 8 is one of the four regular seasons that don't have 14 episodes, with Season 1, 2 and 3.
- Season 8 has the lowest placing Miss Congeniality. Cynthia Lee Fontaine placed 10th.
- With only 10 episodes, Season 8 is the second shortest regular season after Season 1 (9 episodes).
- The lip-sync assassin of Season 8 is Chi Chi DeVayne. Chi Chi sent home Naysha Lopez and Thorgy Thor.
- Part of the fourth episode was filmed on July 27th. This was figured out due to it being Robbie Turner's birthday.
| Winner | Bob The Drag Queen |
|---|---|
| Runners-Up | 2nd & 3rd: Kim Chi & Naomi Smalls |
| Other Contestants | 4th: Chi Chi DeVayne • 5th: Derrick Barry • 6th: Thorgy Thor • 7th: Robbie Turner • 8th: Acid Betty • 9th: Naysha Lopez • 10th: Cynthia Lee Fontaine (Miss Congeniality) • 11th & 12th: Dax ExclamationPoint & Laila McQueen |
| Judges | RuPaul • Michelle Visage • Carson Kressley • Ross Mathews |
| Pit Crew | Jason Carter • Miles Davis Moody • Bryce Eilenberg |