Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Paramount+
There are two moments in the history of television that I never thought I would live to see. The first came nearly six years ago, when Twin Peaks: The Return began airing, and slowly transformed into one of the most important artistic achievements since the dawn of the moving image. The second is today, when Mrs. Kasha Davis returned to my screen in RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 8 (the first two episodes of which are now streaming on Paramount+), knocking The Return off its pedestal.
Kasha—who was essentially booted from Season 7 of Drag Race proper after she flubbed the word “welcome,” and pronounced it as “wel-cyoom,” in one of my favorite franchise moments of all time—never really got her due. And that’s why All Stars was created, to give a shot to the queens who showed massive potential, but didn’t get to bask in the spotlight of primetime reality television long enough.
This means that it can be a place for just about anyone in Drag Race herstory, as long as they made some kind of lasting impression during their time in front of the camera. Queens who were eliminated early can compete alongside queens who were inches from the crown, and have a legitimate shot at winning. (Hello, Kylie Sonique Love!)