This New All Stars 8 Clip Reveals A Twist About How The Winner Is Decided

You didn’t think All Stars 8 would end without a twist, did you? As if having a top two wasn’t already enough of a surprise, RuPaul teased a potentially game-changing wrinkle in the competition that could flip the script on who ends up with the crown. This first look at Drag Race All Stars 8 Episode 11 doesn’t just bring back all the eliminated queens, it also hints at a new power they have over the finalists.

Drag Race viewers were probably a bit confused when they realized there were still two episodes left in All Stars 8 after the season had already narrowed down a top two. Usually, the grand finale would be next, but Ru has something different planned this time around. Episode 11 has the potential to shake everything up a week ahead of the season finale, and Kandy Muse and Jimbo are clearly shook by that revelation.

In the first act of the new episode, Kandy and Jimbo celebrate how their alliance brought them all the way to the end of the race, only for Ru to arrive with a rude awakening. She announces that all the eliminated queens will be returning (sans Heidi N Closet, who didn’t come back after she quit the competition). As the Werk Room fills up once more, RuPaul teased that the eliminated queens will have a hand in choosing the All Stars 8 winner.

“You’re here to decide once and for all whether Kandy Muse or Jimbo makes it into the Drag Race hall of fame,” RuPaul decreed, immediately sending Kandy and Jimbo into a panic.

The implication seems to be a jury vote, similar to the controversial twist in the All Stars 3 finale. As Drag Race fans well know, that stunt was pretty infamous for screwing over Shangela, who was the frontrunner in terms of track record heading into the finale. Despite having the most challenge wins, the eliminated queens voted for her competitors Trixie Mattel and Kennedy Davenport to be the season’s top two instead, totally shaking up the crowning many fans had been expecting.

Could a similar upset happen in All Stars 8? Jimbo has a clear lead over Kandy in terms of track record, but Kandy has been playing a formidable social game all season, which could come in handy if there really is going to be a jury vote.

The penultimate episode of Drag Race All Stars 8 will stream on Paramount+ on Friday, July 14.