'Canada’s Drag Race: All Stars' is finally here. Brooke Lynn Hytes says the timing was right

After six seasons of Canada's Drag Race, we're finally getting the first season of Canada's Drag Race: All Stars (premiering July 9 at 9:00 p.m. ET on Crave) — and we're so excited. The six-episode spinoff series will feature nine queens competing in front of host and judge Brooke Lynn Hytes, who's joined by iconic queens Jimbo and Priyanka.

"We had such a huge roster of queens … to choose from," Hytes told Yahoo Canada. "It kind of felt like the perfect time to do it, especially after the success of Season 6."

The competing queens in Canada's Drag Race: All Stars are: Aurora Matrix (Canada's Drag Race Season 4), Jackie Cox (RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12), Jada Shada Hudson (Canada's Drag Race Season 3), Juice Boxx (Canada's Drag Race Season 1), Makayla Couture (Canada's Drag Race Season 5), Nearah Nuff (Canada's Drag Race Season 4), Pythia (Canada's Drag Race Season 2), Sami Landri (Canada's Drag Race Season 6) and Tiffany Ann Co. (Canada's Drag Race Season 5).

Speaking about having the first all-drag judging panel, as the queens compete for $100,000 and the title of Canada's Ultimate All-Star, Hytes highlighted that both Priyanka and Jimbo brought "contagious" energy.

"That was really fun for me, and it was nice to have people there to share the burden of making these decisions, because it's a tough job," Hytes said. "And it was nice seeing other people realize how difficult the job is actually, and how much goes into it, and how much thought and discussion and analyzing goes into these things."

Hytes added that seeing Jimbo and Priyanka's success since Canada's Drag Race Season 1 has been full of pride.

"To be successful as a drag queen, you really need to be a self-starter, and they're both such self-starters," Hytes aid.

"Season 1 was during that weird time when everyone was in lockdown. … No other show was coming out, so everybody was watching Candace Drag Race. … And so they got so much attention, … and they took that, and they just ran with it. And they are both two of the hardest workers that I know, and they just continue to grow and do different things and push themselves, and they're just hungry for it."

While the judging panel is particularly exciting for fans, they'll also be joined by some incredible guest judges, including Robby Hoffman and Kathy Griffin, both beloved actors and comedians.

Hytes described Hoffman as a "menace" and "wild" on the show, teasing that we'll see Hytes and Hoffman bicker like an "old married couple."

And having Griffin on the show felt like a "full circle" moment for Hytes, being such a fan.

"What an icon, that was so cool. I grew up watching her, so that was a very full circle moment for me, and she was lovely, and exactly what I wanted her to be," Hytes said. "She was giving us all the hot goss on Hollywood, and talking about this person and that person, and just so much fun. And she brought her dogs with her, and her team was lovely, so she was wonderful and crazy."

'Wear an earring and learn how to sew'

One thing that the team behind Canada's Drag Race, and now Canada's Drag Race: All Stars, continues to do with success is evolve in a way that excites fans seasons after season, including having a diverse group of contestants.

"I give so much praise and credit to our incredible team that we have, that just keeps it fresh every single season, is always thinking of new ways to change things up. Thinking of really fun ways to include me, like the design challenge or the lip sync," Hytes said. "And it just feels like a really fun collaborative effort, and everyone is so passionate about making the show the best it can be."

"I'm so proud of the work we put in to showcase diversity and different kinds of drag and storytelling on our show. Our casting department does such a beautiful job of that, and I think inclusivity and diversity is the name of the game. To get as many different stories and types of drag and people from different backgrounds is so important to our show, because there's talent everywhere and everyone has a story that deserves to be told. I just think about all the kids out there watching the show, and seeing someone who looks like them on TV, and what that must mean to them."

But Hytes has one piece of advice for anyone who steps into the Drag Race universe: "Wear an earring and learn how to sew."

"When they don't wear an earring, … that's my number one pet peeve. Or when they come on and they're like, 'I don't know how to sew.' Like, how? How do you not know how to sew. … Still boggles my mind," Hytes stressed.

'Joy is also a form of protest'

While any season of Drag Race can get messy and dramatic, with the heat of the competition always at a high, there continues to be something special and particularly important about the joy the entire franchise continues to bring into people's lives.

"I think joy, now more than ever, is so important with everything else going on in the world," Hytes said. "It's important to speak up, and it's important to protest, but joy is also a form of protest, and happiness is a form of protest."

"I think it's so important that we keep making the show and keep bringing people at home who don't have much else to look forward to some joy in their lives."