Gentleman, restart your engines…

Drag Race All Stars was renewed for a fourth season earlier this year after the massive success of its third instalment.

The highly controversial season, which saw BenDeLaCreme’s self-elimination and Shangela losing out on the crown to Trixie Mattel, scored massive ratings for VH1, so its renewal came as no surprise to fans.

In a statement, Pamela Host – boss at VH1 – said: “This franchise is truly a force to be reckoned with.

“Our passionate and talented queens continue to speak to our diverse fans who are not only looking for entertainment, but also the encouragement and inspiration to be their unique selves.”

Because we’re counting down the days until its premiere, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know about the highly-anticipated fourth season.

Start date: when will it air?

All Stars 4 will air 14 December, one week after a very special instalment titled Drag Race Holi-Slay Spectacular, which will bring together eight of the show’s favourite queens.

It will air straight after in the UK on Comedy Central at 1.30am, and will then be available on all catch-up streaming services.

Who are the main judges?

RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley and Ross Matthews are back for another round.

During RuPaul and Michelle’s podcast – What’s The Tee? – Mama Ru admitted to going “friggin’ crazy” on the All Stars judging panel.

Michelle reflected on an upcoming episode where the Drag Race host consumed – wait for it – 16 shots of Espresso.

“I’ve known Ru for 30 years. I just sat there and let her have her fun, screaming at the top of her lungs,” Michelle revealed.

RuPaul added: “This is for All Stars, and everybody knows we’re doing All Stars, we’re not giving anything away. Let them guess what episode I go friggin’ crazy on.”

Michelle said the cast were “shitting their pants” over RuPaul’s unexpected behaviour.

“They didn’t know what the fuck, they were like, ‘Erm’… I’ve known you like that before. That’s like old Ru.”

Guest judges: who’s set to appear?

Jenifer Lewis, Ciara, Kacey Musgraves, Gus Kenworthy, Keiynan Lonsdale, Zoë Kravitz, Rita Ora, Yvette Nicole Brown, Cecily Strong, Susanne Bartsch, Frances Bean Cobain, Felicity Huffan, Jason Wu, Erica Ash and Ellen Pompeo will appear for the show’s highly-anticipated fourth instalment.

Is this one of the show’s best panels ever? We have Meredith motherfucking Grey. Like, c’mon! Also, if we don’t receive that lip-sync to Ciara’s Work, we will riot.

Cast: who are the queens?

Manila Luzon (Season 3 and All Stars 1)

Original placement: Runner-up (Season 3), 7th/8th (All Stars 1)

Manila Luzon ranked second on the show’s third season, behind drag veteran and runway slayer Raja. Fun fact: Manila and Raja are the only top two in the whole series to have the same statistics. Three wins, one bottom two placement and one low placement, so it really could’ve gone either way. Will she finally snatch the crown on her third attempt? Or will she be another Shangela?

Latrice Royale (Season 4 and All Stars 1)

Original placement: 4th (Season 4), 7th/8th (All Stars 1)

Latrice Royale is one of the most beloved queens in Drag Race HERstory. During season four, she proved to be one of the funniest contestants, and tightest lip-syncers, boasting several iconic showdowns with queens such as Dida Ritz and Kenya Michaels. It’s about time Drag Race saw the return of the large and in-charge, chunky yet funky performer.

Gia Gunn (Season 6)

Original placement: 10th

Despite only coming in tenth place, Gia Gunn became one of the most quotable contestants ever. Her back-and-forths with the other contestants, such as Joslyn Fox, Laganja Estranja and Bianca Del Rio were hilare, and her entrance into the werk room was truly iconic. Since her season six stint, Gia bravely came out as transgender.

Jasmine Masters (Season 7)

Original placement: 12th

Jasmine Masters wasn’t well-received during her season seven stint, but has become legendary amongst Drag Race fans for her hilarious videos and Instagram live stories. Will we see her emerge from a cocoon once more?

Naomi Smalls (Season 8)

Original placement: Runner-up

Naomi Smalls didn’t make much of an impression on season eight until she showcased her sewing abilities for the Wizard of Oz challenge. Afterwards, she made her mark on the show and emerged as one of the most sicken’ing runway kweenz. She eventually placed as joint runner-up with Kim Chi behind Bob the Drag Queen, who neither of them had any chance against. How will she fare this time?

Farrah Moan (Season 9)

Original placement: 8th

Farrah Moan sulked over 700 times on the show’s ninth season, and became a meme queen because of it. Even though she didn’t win any challenges, Farrah has become one of the most followed stars on Instagram, with nearly 800,000 followers. We can’t wait to see what this queen has in store for us…

Valentina (Season 9)

Original placement: 7th

Miss Congeniality. Fan-favourite. Yup, it’s Valentina! This controversial queen was killing the competition until her lip-sync in the ninth episode against Nina Bonina Brown, when she defied Mama Ru and refused to take her mask off. She was the main focus in the season nine reunion, when nearly every single queen came for her “fake” personality. Valentina could’ve reached top three – had she learned her mother-tucking words – so we can see her as a front-runner for the crown.

Trinity Taylor (Season 9)

Original placement: 3rd/4th

Trinity could’ve taken the crown. She really could’ve. The Alabama queen showcased an equal amount of glamour and comedy, and managed to land three challenge wins, more than season nine winner Sasha Velour. In the finale, she ranked 3rd/4th after losing a killer lip-sync to Peppermint, who came equipped with several iconic reveals. This time, you know she’ll come prepared…

Monique Heart (Season 10)

Original placement: 8th

Like Valentina, Monique Heart could’ve gone much further on her season had she learned the words. However, she completely embodied charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent, and was a stronger performer than most on her season. We expect her to know her Carly Rae Jepsen this time, and to step it up in the lewks department, because henny didn’t come prepared the first time…

Monét X Change (Season 10)

Original placement: 6th

Monét X Change was the lip-sync assassin of season 10. Kameron may have defeated her and won more lip-syncs, but Monét embodied every single song and served some of the most iconic performances ever. That fake jump split in Pound the Alarm? Ooh honey! Like Monique, she embodies C.U.N.T, and if she wants to win, all she needs to do is tone down the pussycat wigs.

Drag Race rumours: what are people saying?

One of the most gag-worthy rumours for All Stars 4 is that RuPaul has a massive outburst while the queens are on stage.

Drag Race legend Willam seemed to confirm these rumours when she spilt some piping hot T on her Instagram.

She commented: “Maybe it’s when she saved Valentina after both people had her name on the lipsticks.”

For the past two seasons of All Stars, the queens have lip-synced for their ‘legacy’, and whoever emerged triumphant, eliminated a queen in the bottom two/three. RuPaul has never intervened, despite times when she’s visibly disagreed.

Does this confirm why RuPaul allegedly has a stern moment with the contestants? Willam has been known to provide some truthful T in the past, so we’re more than convinced this is true…

This article will be updated over time, so check back for some more sickening news on Drag Race All Stars 4.