Drag

Drag Race: We have a winner, baby! All Stars 8 makes herstory with new champion

By Jordan Robledo

22nd July 2023

Spoilers ahead for the Drag Race All Stars 8 grand finale. 

The Drag Race Hall of Fame has added another winner (baby!).

For the final maxi-challenge, the top two Drag Race All Stars 8 contestants – Jimbo and Kandy Muse – were tasked with showcasing their charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent while lip-syncing to two original songs by Leland. 

Like previous grand finales, the top two All Stars were told that they would be working with renowned choreographer Miguel Zarate for the performance.

Before the final two could get down to work, Ru invited Jimbo and Kandy for a Tic Tac chat with Michelle Visage. 

The first queen to head to the hot seat was Jimbo, who expressed her excitement over participating in her first-ever chat. 

“I’ve always wanted my very own little orange Tic Tac. I’m gonna get it gold plated and make a necklace,” she said in a confessional.

During her sit down, Jimbo gave insight into her upbringing and how her unique and subversive take on drag came to be. 

“Growing up, my dad was a scientist and also an alcoholic. And my mother was a teacher and then started to work with my father, also an alcoholic,” she explained. 

“It was just very tumultuous because they loved to party. They loved to have fun, and then it would always shift into insanity.

“So all of that dysfunction and all of that pain, I was able to put it in a safe place for myself to go, ‘Ok, that was his shit that I had to deal with. And now I’m free, and I choose joy, and I choose light, and I’m gonna try my best to see things in the best light possible.'”

Before Kandy attended her second Tic Tac Chat, the eliminated queens were surprised with a pink furry box in the workroom. 

“As usual, RuPaul loves to surprise us, and we have this very pink box. Usually, I’m not scared of putting my hand inside of a hole, and today, it’s no different,” Jessica Wild said in a confessional. 

Ultimately, the pink box held a batch of hilarious questions for the eliminated queens to ask each other. 

Things took a surprising turn when Mrs Kasha Davis was awarded a $1,000 tip and the power to give another queen a $1,000 tip. 

After much deliberation, Mrs Kasha gave Monica Beverly Hillz the aforementioned tip.

However, that wasn’t the last time that the queens were awarded money. 

Alexis Michelle won $2,000, Jaymes Mansfield took home $1,500, and then all nine of the eliminated queens were given an additional $500. 

The fluffy box gathering ended with Naysha Lopez securing five-night stay– plus airfare – for two to any Axel Hotel worldwide.

Picking up where the last Tic Tac Chat left off, Kandy joined Ru and Michelle to reflect on her time in the competition and what she’s learned about herself. 

“Before coming to All Stars, I was terrified of being here. I was like, ‘Girl, uh uh I was top two the last time, I’m okay, you know?'” she said. 

“I feel like a completely different person. Even having differences with the girls and then talking it out, you really start to grow as a person.” 

Kandy went on to reveal how much winning All Stars 8 would mean to her, stating: “Drag is what I do, what I breathe, and this will just mean so much to me because it’s been really tough and difficult getting here.” 

With the Tic Tac chat officially over, the queens made their way to the main stage to learn choreography from Miguel. 

While Kandy quickly grasped her dance routine, Jimbo struggled a bit with her moves. Fortunately, the Canadian queen was able to take on her choreography towards the end of the rehearsal. 

The next day, Kandy and Jimbo headed to the main stage to sashay down the runway in their finest drag before performing their original songs. 

However, before the final two delivered their final lip syncs, Ru performed her hit single ‘ASMR Lover’ in a stunning disco-inspired silver ensemble. 

After Ru’s performance, Jimbo took the stage with her track ‘I Remember Being Born.’ 

In true Jimbo fashion, the Canadian talent delivered laughs, sex appeal and creativity. 

Following Jimbo’s number, Kandy strutted across the stage to perform her electro-pop original song ‘Pay Me With Money.’

The New York-based queen held nothing back throughout her performance, which was full of fierce choreography, a jaw-dropping T lift and floating dollar bills.

The eliminated queens then joined Kandy and Jimbo on stage to perform a gospel-inspired rendition of ‘You’re a Winner Baby.’

After sashaying down the runway in their best “Finale Fabulosity” ensembles, the top two finalists were critiqued for their performances throughout the entire competition.

The panel praised Jimbo for her comedic talent and high-energy finale number, which Michelle described as “spot on and so fun to watch.” 

Ross Mathews and Carson Kressley echoed similar sentiments, telling Jimbo that they loved watching her tackle every challenge differently but staying true to herself. 

Towards the end of her critique, Ru praised Jimbo for being the type of queen that she grew up with, a “middle finger to society, the sort of punk rock new-wave irreverence” kind of performer.

The panel then shifted their attention to Kandy, who Ross Matthews immediately praised as “world-class”. Carson then lauded the New York-based queen, for having “charisma and uniqueness that saturated everything” she brought forward throughout the competition.

Michelle praised Kandy for some of her performances throughout the competition as well, including her iconic Rusical role and the makeover challenge.

Before crowning the All Stars 8 winner, Ru called the eliminated queens to the stage to announce that LaLa Ri was the winner of the Fames Games title. 

“Bitch. I just won the Queen of the Fame Games. You see! I need to do a little few more push-ups ’cause this sceptre is kinda heavy,” LaLa said in a confessional. “But it feels amazing to have it in my hand. It feels like, bitch, oh, my god, I won.”

With the queen of the Fame Games selected, Ru then brought the final two All Stars to the stage to perform one final lip-sync. 

To the beat of Sylvester & Patrick Cowley’s ‘Do Ya Wanna Funk?’, the two queens delivered a hilarious, fun lip-sync performance for their legacy. 

In the end, Ru crowned Jimbo as the winner, which now makes her the first international queen to take the All Stars crown. 

“The third time truly is a term, and you know what they say, never give up,” she said in a confessional. 

“This win proves that with enough drive, determination and love and support, you can do anything. And I am ready to take over the motherfucking world.” 

Here’s how viewers reacted to the All Stars 8 finale, including the epic lip-syncs and winner.