Logo Renews RuPaul's ‘Drag Race’ for Season 8

Logo TV has renewed its reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race for an eighth season which last year, according to TV Guide Magazine, was ranked as one of its 20 best television series picks of 2014.the year. The Viacom-owned cable network said its seventh-season premiere drew 3.7 million total viewers, making it one of the most-watched debuts in the franchise's history, with the second episode up double-digits compared to the season opener.

MTV2 and Logo TV general manager Chris McCarthy in his press statement said: "After a record-breaking year of ratings and viewership, it's only fitting we would continue to rise with our first lady, RuPaul. From the cultural phenomenon of Drag Race, our partnership with the visionary Russell T. Davies and the creation of a new documentary division, we are making Logo TV the home of today's most innovative storytellers."

 RuPaul's Drag Race is produced by World of Wonder Productions with Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, Mandy Salangsang, Steven Corfe and RuPaul Charles serving as executive producers. McCarthy, Pamela Post and Tim Palazzola oversee the series for Logo TV.

RuPaul Charles, 54, actor, model, recording artist and drag queen, plays the multiple roles of host, mentor, and source of inspiration for the series, which follows the search for "America's next drag superstar." As USA Today's Lifeline explains: "RuPaul the drag queen will be the final word in judging and eliminations, while RuPaul the man will offer guidance to contestants for each challenge." Like most other competition of this nature, the show uses progressive elimination to reduce the number of drag queens in the competition from the initial field of fourteen contestants down to the three who will be competing in the final rounds.

As of the current season 7, which premiered on March 2, RuPaul is joined on the judges' panel by Ross Matthews, Carson Kressley, and Michelle Visage. Episode 4, titled "Spoof," which will be shown tonight, March 23, on Logo TV will have Jessica Alba and Lucian Piane as guest judges. For tonight's main challenge, the contestants were told to create a music video parody by writing lyrics, doing vocals, and doing a music video to one of RuPauls' songs.

At the same time that season 7 is airing, production on season 8 is now also under way, with Logo kicking off a nationwide casting call for new contestants. The auditions are now being held across the country according to the cable TV network.