RuPaul Crowns America's Next Drag Superstar in 'DRAG RACE' Season 8 Finale
By: Caryn Robbins May. 17, 2016
After a season filled with gag-worthy challenges, ferocious runway looks, and cutthroat competitors, Bob The Drag Queen has been crowned the winner of Logo's RUPAUL's DRAG RACE season 8. Sashaying away with the title of America's Next Drag Superstar and a $100,000 prize, Bob The Drag Queen beat 11 of the nation's fiercest queens including Miss Congeniality Winner, Cynthia Lee Fontaine. Last season's winner, Violet Chachki, was on hand to crown her successor in front of a capacity crowd at LA's Orpheum Theatre.
"This season was the most competitive ever," said RuPaul. "And still, all things considered, America's Next Drag Superstar could only be Bob the Drag Queen. Her charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent is gigantic, and the world of entertainment has been blessed with a bright new star! Kim Chi and Naomi Smalls are so much more than runner-ups. They are gorgeous, talented queens who have captured the hearts and imaginations of the world and are destined for greatness."
"Winning is a dream come true, and a great opportunity," said Bob The Drag Queen. "With great drag comes great responsibility and I'm excited to get responsible."
A roster of celebrity guest judges helped narrow down the field throughout the season, including Gigi Hadid, Nicole Richie, Marc Jacobs, Chanel Iman, Ester Dean, Faith Evans, Debbie Harry, TODRICK Hall, and Vivica A. Fox.
Ratings for the much buzzed about season 8 are pacing 7% higher than the previous season.* On the digital front, the season 8 premiere was the most watched premiere episode in the history of "RuPaul's Drag Race" with over 3 million streams, an increase of 65% over the prior season premiere episode. Additionally, the current season has the highest digital downloads in network history with transactions up +47% from the previous season.**
RuPaul will be back to turn up the heat this summer with "RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 8 RuVealed," premiering Sunday, June 5 at 7pm ET/PT on Logo. The never-before-seen look into the unforgettable season is packed with fresh reads and behind-the-scenes gossip from Ru herself. Fan-favorite queens will also return to Logo later this summer with a second season of "RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race," where some of the most memorable contestants from Drag Race herstory will have another chance to serve up the talent and compete for a spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame. For a sneak peek of "RuVealed" clickhere and for a sneak peek of "All Stars" click here.
After last night's coronation, Bob The Drag Queen appeared in a first of its kind ad for the new AXE 'Find Your Magic' point of view, which spotlights how individuality and personal style are what really make a guy attractive. Just like "RuPaul's Drag Race," 'Find Your Magic' challenges outdated notions of masculinity and sends a message that guys can be what they want, dress how they want, love who they want and live fiercely. Bob The Drag Queen's ad can be seen at https://youtu.be/olxOk4366VM.
"RuPaul's Drag Race" is produced by World of Wonder Productions with Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, Steven Corfe, Mandy Salangsang, and RuPaul Charles serving as Executive Producers. Chris McCarthy, Pamela Post and Tim Palazzola serve as Executive Producers for Logo.
For more information on "RuPaul's Drag Race," go to LogoTV.com. For up-to-date "RuPaul's Drag Race" news and exclusives, join the "RuPaul's Drag Race" Facebook page or follow #DragRace conversation on Twitter at @RuPaulsDragRace. Follow along with live gifs from the show on Tumblr and additional content on the show's Instagram page.
*Source: Live 7 P18-49 cvg rtg 3/7/16-4/25/16 vs 3/2/15-4/20/15
**Digital Source Source: Streams - Adobe Site Catalyst, 3/7/2016-5/5/2016 vs 3/2/2015-4/30/2015. DTO - 03/07/16-05/01/16 vs 03/02/15-04/26/15.
Image courtesy of Logo
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