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RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 8 Episode 12 Recap: Grand Finale

A new queen is added to the Drag Race Hall of Fame and an eliminated queen gets their fame game crown…

It’s been an epic season of highs and lows but we’ve finally made it to the end. Last week we welcomed all of our eliminated queens back to the werk room and main stage for an all star variety show. It was the eliminated queen’s last chance to attract enough votes to win The Fame Games. Ru named LaLa Ri and Jaymes Mansfeild as the winners of the variety show. Each of them had a chance to spin a magical wheel that would give them a number to multiply their final votes. Kandy Must and Jimbo are our two remaining All Stars and they’ll be competing one last time this week to see who will be the next All Star queen to join The Drag Race Hall of Fame. Let’s get into it!

This week’s episode begins with all of the queens entering the werk room together. LaLa and Jaymes are both feeling good about their double win after their lip syncs and the rest of the queens congratulate them on their amazing performance. Jaymes is happy to have finally won a challenge and get the chance to lip sync for the judges, which is all she wanted this season. Jessica says she’s proud of the current top two and the queens celebrate that there are two queens in the top that represent different types of drag. They all reflect on their journeys in the competition and both of the top queens talk about how ready they are for the final challenge in confessionals. It’s the final round and both of the queens are willing to do anything to win the crown.

It’s a new day in the werk room and all of our eliminated queens are still here. LaLa reveals she learned how to speak Spanish from Monica and Kandy and Jimbo prank the rest of the girls by telling them they cast secret votes for the variety show performance. Ru interrupts with one last video message and enters the room. Ru reveals that Jimbo and Kandy have one challenge between them and the crown. For their final maxi challenge they will have to perform original solo numbers written just for them by friend of the show, Leland. They’ll also have to pick up choreography. That’s not all, they’ll also sit down with Ru and Michelle for a Tic Tac chit chat.

Jimbo is up first and tells Ru and Michelle all about her traumatic upbringing and how it’s become the drive behind her reason for being a performer. Back in the werk room the eliminated queens are presented with a fuzzy pink box that Jessica reaches into and pulls out a question card. They play a quick game filled with superlatives, truths, and fun questions that’s half-shady and half-sincere. The game finishes with all of the queens winning cash tips and free trips, WERK!

It’s time for Kandy to sit down with Michelle and Ru and she talks about how scared she was to come back to the show and how she played the game differently this time around. She sheds a tear or two talking about her love for the art of drag. All of the queens make their way out to the main stage to learn the choreography for their final challenge. They have two numbers to learn the steps for. Both Jimbo and Kandy aren’t known for their dancing but they are putting in the work to make sure they get the steps down. 

It’s coronation day and all of the queens get ready in the werk room one last time. While all of the queens are working on their makeup, Jimbo is throwing together a last minute look as one last shot to impress the judges. Mrs. Kasha Davis and Jaymes have a heart to heart in front of the mirror and Alexis debuts her grandmother’s dress in the werk room. The eliminated queens tell the top two what they won from the fuzzy pink box and everybody gets a little sentimental doing their makeup for the last time together. Out on the main stage Ru introduces the judges panel for one last time, and tonight it’s all family with Michelle, Carson, and Ross. The judges introduce a new Rupaul ASMR-themed performance with some tingly noises. 

It’s time for our top two all stars to perform songs inspired by their own charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent. Jimbo is up first and her song is giving Rocky Horror realness. It’s fun, and weird, and totally Jimbo. Kandy performs second and her song is a werking queen anthem, and she obviously does a fantastic job performing the hell out of it. Both of them perform a little closing number together with all of the eliminated queens providing backing vocals in sparkly church choir robes. Following the performances the category on the runway is “Finale Fabulocity” and all of the queens strut in their most show stopping looks. After the runway the judges give their final critiques starting with Jimbo. Michelle tells her watching her perform throughout this season has been so fun to watch and Ross calls her a true original. Ru tells her that she is the type of queen that she grew up with and it has been a joy to watch her in the competition. Ross tells Kandy it was love at first sight with her and calls her world class. Michelle tells her that she’s had shining moments this season, like the makeover challenge that made her one of her favourites to watch the entire competition. Ru once again tells her that she is a huge fan of hers and Kandy explains what emotions went into her performance. 

Following the judge’s deliberations where they went through each queen’s performance throughout the entire season, Ru announces that the fans have voted for LaLa Ri! LaLa will win 60 thousand dollars and a crown, of course.

Jimbo and Kandy take the stage again in truly jaw-dropping looks to lip sync one last time to impress Mama Ru and earn their place in the Drag Race Hall of Fame. It all comes down to this and the final two lip sync to Do Ya Wanna Funk? By Sylvester & Patrick Cowley. Both queens give over-the-top camp performances full of outfit reveals and slides across the stage. After their full-of-funk lip sync, Ru announces that the winner of All Stars 8, 200 thousand dollars, and a spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame is…JIMBO! She’s bringing the crown home and she’s the first international queen to be inducted into the hall of fame! Condragulations to our Canadian queen! 

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