After a very controversial finale for its “All Stars” spinoff on Friday, the Emmy winning “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will return for its 11th season next week. VH1 previously announced that two-time Emmy-winner RuPaul Charles and regular judges Michelle Visage, Carson Kresley and Ross Mathews would be joined by Miley Cyrus on the premiere. This morning they revealed an impressive list of Olympians, Emmy and Grammy Award winners who will appear as guest judges this season.
Beyond Cyrus the guest judges include pop star Troye Sivan, Emmy-winner Lena Waithe, “Community” star Joel McHale, Cara Delevingne, former “SNL” cast member Bobby Moynihan, “Real House Wives of Atlanta’s” Kandi Burruss, reality TV show legend Tiffany “New York” Pollard, “Jane the Virgin’s” Gina Rodriguez, “GLOW” star Sydelle Noel, Wanda Sykes, Elvira, “Scandal’s” Guillermo Diaz, Olympic figure skaters Adam Rippon and Mirai Nagasu, choreographer Travis Wall, Amber Valetta, “Veep’s” Tony Hale and Clea Duvall, comedienne Fortune Feimster, “American Horror Story’s” Cheyenne Jackson (returning for a second go around), “13 Reason Why” and “Avengers: Endgame” star Katherine Langford and “Russian Doll’s” fabulous Natasha Lyonne.
Additionally, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow will treat the 15 competing queens to a special guest appearance.
This season there are 14 new queens and one returning contestant, Vanessa “Vanjie” Matteo. The latter became a crossover social meme after she was eliminated on the first episode of season 10 responding with “Miss Vanjie, Miss Vanjie, Miss Vanjie” as she exited the stage. Matteo originally hailed from Tampa, Fl, but now calls Los Angeles home.
The new contestants include A’keria C. Davenport (Dallas, TX), Ariel Versace (Cherry Hill, NJ), the show’s first Canadian contestnant Brooke Lynn Hytes (now based in Nashville, TN), Honey Davenport (New York, NY), Kahanna Montrese (Las Vegas, NV), Mercedes Iman Diamond (Minneapolis, MN), Nina West (Columbus, OH), Plastique Tiara (Dallas, TX), Ra’jah D. O’Hara (Dallas, TX), Scarlet Envy (New York, NY), Shuga Cain (New York, NY), Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Chicago, IL), Soju (formerly Chicago, now Los Angeles, CA) and Yvie Oddly (Denver, CO).
As with every season, the competing queens will battle to impress the judges, RuPaul and the world as they vie for the ultimate title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar” and a grand prize of $100,000 (before taxes, of course).
“Drag Race” recently made history as the first program to win Emmys for both Outstanding Reality-Competition Program and Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program categories in the same year. It also scored VH1’s first Producers Guild Award for Producer of Game and Competition Reality Show earlier this month.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” will return for its 11th season on Thursday, February 28 at 9:00PM ET/PT on VH1.