PHOTOS VIDEO ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race Holi-Slay Spectacular’ trailer and cast list
RuPaul’s Christmas special has a complete cast, a premiere date, and a trailer full of holiday shade! Officially dubbed “RuPaul’s Drag Race Holi-slay Spectacular,” the one-off lead-in to Season 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars promises to be a merry affair, complete with some of the biggest names from the main show.
The holiday show is yet another TV milestone for RuPaul, whose schedule has gotten so crowded that the upcoming eleventh season of Drag Race is rumored to be the star’s last. (Don’t worry: he’s got a talk show in the works, along with a ton of other projects.) Per the official press release, RuPaul’s Christmas special will be a festive reworking of the Drag Race formula, complete with a soundtrack provided by RuPaul himself:
The eight queens will return for an extraordinary holiday-themed episode filled with jaw-dropping surprises, eye-popping fashions, and epic performances choreographed by Todrick Hall. The queens will be dancing and lip-syncing to original holiday music from two RuPaul holiday albums, the classic Slay Belles and the new album, Christmas Party. Michelle Visage, Ross Mathews, and Todrick Hall will join RuPaul on the judging panel to help crown America’s first “Drag Race Christmas Queen.”
And here’s the official trailer for the “Holi-Slay Spectacular”:
In an accompanying statement, RuPaul elaborated on what to expect. “Nothing says Christmas like ‘Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, and drag queens slipping on their pantyhose,'” the star said. “Celebrating the holidays with my most festive girls inspired me to record my new album, Christmas Party. And this VH1 holiday extravaganza is my way of saying thank you to my Drag Race family by spreading a little bit of love, laughter and light across the country and around the world.”
So, a RuPaul-themed Christmas party intended specifically to remind everyone that good times are still possible? Sounds great! *And*, as an extra “thank you,” the December 7th “Holi-Slay Spectacular” will feature an exclusive first look at the All-Stars Season 4 premiere, which will air the following week.
As far as the Christmas special cast list, it’s a Who’s Who of Drag Race contestants from the beginning to the present day. Here are the eight participating queens, with links to their Instagram page embedded in each of their names:
–Kylie Sonique (Drag Race Seasons 2 and 3)
–Shangela (Seasons 2 and 3 and All-Stars Season 3)
–Latrice Royale (Season 4 and All-Stars Season 1)
–Trixie Mattel (Season 7 and All-Stars Season 3)
–Jasmine Masters (Season 7 and the upcoming All-Stars Season 4)
–Kim Chi (Season 8)
–Eureka O’Hara (Seasons 9 and 10)
–Mayhem Miller (Season 10)
As you may have expected, some of the cast has already begun sharing behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot. Here’s a pair from Mayhem and Sonique:
And Shangela looked especially festive in this outfit:
“RuPaul’s Drag Race Holi-slay Spectacular,” RuPaul’s Christmas special for 2018, will air Friday, December 7th at 8 PM on VH1. And RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars Season 4 will debut the following Friday, December 14th, also at 8 PM.
(Photo Credits: RuPaul’s Christmas special via VH1, Instagram)
John Sharp is a Starcasm’s chief editorial correspondent-at-large. Tips: E-mail at john@starcasm.net or send on Twitter at @john_starcasm.
