In the immortal words of Alyssa Edwards, it’s “back back back back back again!”
On Monday (July 18), VH1 announced the return of the second season of RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race. Premiering on VH1 Friday, August 12 at 8 p.m. ET, the new season is also switching up the format of the original concept — gone are the work room antics, makeovers and classic Drag Race challenges of the original season, now replaced with a set of lip sync showdowns.
In a shake-up to the format that feels equal parts The Masked Singer and Lip Sync Battle, nine unidentified celebrity contestants will enter the competition with completed, fully-formed drag makeovers disguising their identities. They will compete in a series of lip syncs in front of a live audience based on different “categories” provided each week by the judges. In the end, one queen will be crowned “America’s Next Celeb Drag Superstar,” and be given $100,000 for their chosen charity.
The contestants will also receive mentorship from past Drag Race stars and “Queen Supremes” Brooke Lynn Heights, Jujubee and Monét X Change, with additional appearances set throughout the series from alumni like Eureka, Gottmik, Katya, Morgan McMichaels, Silky Nutmeg Ganache and Violet Chachki.
By the looks of the trailer for this season, fans are in for a treat — instead of offering a typical “lip sync for your life” format every episode, it appears the celebrities will get access to dancers, props, wild costumes, stage effects and much more to make their performances as memorable as possible.
Check out the full trailer for RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race below.