35 thoughts I had watching All Stars 8, episode 10: ‘She’s just handed her the crown’

All Stars 8 continues its track record of chaos and tomfoolery by cutting the season to a top two with a dreaded makeover challenge.

In an absolute gag, we find out that this week is not – despite everyone’s (my) assumptions – the season finale of All Stars 8, as the top three are tasked with joining the dreaded makeover challenge hall of shame.

Following a roast of Carson Kressley, three fabulous lesbians get family resemblance transformations from Jimbo, Kandy and Jessica, including surprisingly emotional chats about queer life in the 21st century. There’s also a weird mini-challenge shoe-horned in.

A very un-strategic lipstick choice is made, and we get a suitably chaotic international winner as a lip sync assassin.

Here are 35 thoughts I had while watching All Stars 8, episode 10: “The Letter ‘L'”.

• To quote disgraced TV presenter Philip Schofield: “We’re back in the room.” By which I mean the Werk Room, following Alexis’s elimination – and Jimbo was a fool for not eliminating Kandy.
• Kandy is also a shady lady for backstabbing Alexis, but I also immediately take that back because I’m glad the queen of treachery got sent home.
• Jimbo as this stupid ghost trying to speak Spanish is so annoyingly funny.
• The next day, the top three return – and the penny starts to drop that this week might not be the finale with a cryptic message from Ru. It would be heartbreaking if it wasn’t quite so funny.
• I’m sorry to report that I have absolutely no thoughts on this mini-challenge, apart from: ‘What a weird time for a mini-challenge?’
• Jimbo, Kandy and Jessica have to create corsets inspired by a classic Jean-Paul Gaultier perfume bottle. It’s not particularly funny, but it is product placement, which is arguably more important (sarcarsm).

• Ru confirms the queens’ fears by introducing a lesbian-makeover challenge for the trio – meaning the season’s set to be cut to a top two!
• Going to enter my critical era and say that it’s all well and good that we’ve got an episode dedicated to lesbians, comprised of queens Amanda-Faye, Lisa and Angie. But what about, I don’t know, casting a lesbian on the show? Drag kings would shake Drag Race up in a much-needed way, and would be a much more concrete way of showing appreciation.
• As ever, the criteria for this week is a ‘strong family resemblance’, which means: whoever production wants to win.
• The fact that Kandy tells Angie that she has two mothers is gay f**king rights, baby!
• As ever, the fact that these trauma-dumping conversations are so obviously prompted by producers is luckily drowned out by the charisma of the queens and the guests.
• Case-in-point: Jimbo asking Amanda-Faye “what’s your favourite colour?” followed by “was your life traumatic?”
• Jimbo’s putting Amanda in her Canada’s Drag Race entrance look! A throwback!
• As a gay man myself, I feel semi-ashamed to not have explored the parallels in how gay men and butch lesbians interrogate femininity in similarly fractured ways. A lot of the guests are speaking about how the concept of that is not ‘immediately accessible’ to them. That was maybe too deep for a Drag Race recap. Exiting my philosopher era post haste.
• If I was one of those queens, I’d be sick and tired of Ru saying: “Just one more thing.” Obviously, they now have to create a lip sync to a Roople song.
• Jessica and Lisa’s run through is similar to the other two’s – the lesbians are stressed! But luckily, all three queens are determined to support them, and remind them that drag is about fun.

• As the queens get ready, the assembled group talk about the words ‘d**e’ and ‘f****t’ – and it’s one of those moments that doesn’t feel incredibly over-produced, and is all the more impactful for it.
• Kandy’s makeover queen – Angie – looks gorgeous. Like, could be on season 16 gorgeous.
• Jimbo’s queen (Sissy Delicious) and Jessica’s (Kitty) also look gorgeous. It’s going to be hard to call which family resemblance is the best.
• Ru appears on the runway and is wearing what looks like a curtain. Gone with the wind, mama.
• Zooey Deschanel is a guest judge! How fun. I love New Girl. And I respect a deep-cut drag reference from a guest judge, such as Zooey saying her drag name is ‘Zooey Deschanel Iman Dupree Davenport’.
• Jessica Wild and Kitty Wild look great, and obviously Jessica’s voiceover is hilarious. “That wig is going nowhere because I glued that s**t on, she is gonna have that wig forever,” is so funny. A bit simple but as I’ve said, the judges pull critiques out of nowhere on this challenge so what does it matter.
• Jimbo and Sissy Delicious are also giving kind of simple – but it is a great makeover. Sissy looks better than she did in the Werk Room.
• Kandy and Kookie Musie look great in their pastel 60s minidresses. Miss Muse’s second win incoming, I fear.
• As expected, the critiques come down to the most bizarre statements, like Jessica and Kitty’s shoes being different. Because all families wear the same shoes all the time.
• Kandy gets (deserved) glowing critiques, and Jimbo gets deemed a bit simple. Fair, I think.
• These lip syncs are actually hilarious – I love it when a makeover contestant outshines their queen. Obsessed with Kookie’s slow slide into the ‘splits’ at the end.

• Kandy wins, and Jimbo and Jessica are told that in the event of a tie (which is essentially guaranteed), the vote falls to Kandy to decide who’s going home.
• Jimbo reminds us of her ‘alliance’ with Kandy – will the latter stick to it? Or will she do the sensible thing, and send Jimbo home! I’m praying to Naomi Smalls and Blu Hydrangea for some good television.
• Priyanka is the lip sync assassin! Please, please, please let that mean she’s getting the All Winners 2 call.
• God, I love Priyanka. Kandy do be turning it out though.
• Not the Fame Games pot going up to $60,000 because Kandy lost the lip sync.
• Priyanka is eating up her screentime. Jimbo and Jessica obviously voted for each other, and she makes a big deal out the ‘tie’ moment
• Kandy sends home Jessica – which has essentially handed Jimbo the crown.
• Next week, the entire cast is back for a talent show? How random.

All of this season’s Fame Games looks can be seen here.

RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars 8 continues on Fridays on Paramount+ in the US and on WOW Presents Plus in the UK and internationally.

• TV
• May 11

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