Every year a new season of Rupaul’s Drag Race is aired and it never fails to be my favorite reality show. Rupaul’s Drag Race is different from your average reality show, it’s competition based, and every week the queens face different challenges to try and win them and not be kicked off the show. In the end, the grand prize is a total amount of $200,000.
The reason I love RuPaul’s Drag Race so much is because of how interesting it is. The competitors all have a lot of drama and sometimes, when they are arguing, I feel like I’m in the room with them. Things can get very heated because each of the queens are faced with the possibility of being booted off by RuPaul himself.
Along with the tea, I also love watching the weekly challenges. Before every maxi (main) challenge, the queens have a mini challenge that involves them doing something like reading (roasting) the other queens or dressing up in a funny way. But the maxi challenges are definitely the highlights of the episode. These challenges have the queens doing design, acting or song challenges. Sometimes they design, sew and assemble their own dresses. Other times they are given a script and have to memorize it. And then the other challenge is sometimes writing lyrics to their own songs and having to sing and come up with choreography for the song.
I feel like I don’t really see talent-oriented challenges on other reality shows. To be a contender on RuPaul’s Drag Race you really have to be talented because if you’re picked and you just show up and there and you can’t sew or act, you’re going to end up being booted off early in the season. So, the drag queens making it to the end are very strong competitors and the best of the best.
Season 16 is different from the rest though. This season is bringing back old challenges from earlier seasons like decorating challenges, or the snatch game (where the queens impersonate celebrities), or even the Rusical (musical). This season really takes me back because as the seasons got newer, the traditions faded away and that made me sad. I’m glad to see things being incorporated still.
Another reason why this season is so great is because of the drag queens themselves. From the very beginning, you can tell who is going to make it to the top. Drag queens like Plane Jane or Sapphira Cristál have demonstrated their amazing drag and many talents throughout the competition of season 16 and I hope for one of them to win because not only are they very talented, but they are also likable people.
To be on a TV show televised to millions, there is a pressure to want to be liked or not to want to say the wrong thing. The thing about drag queens though is that they will say whatever is on their minds and keep it 100% real. I really love to see actual real reality tv instead of scripted “reality” tv. To be who you truly are for the world to see is admirable, in my opinion.
As the season comes to a close, the stakes are higher than ever. There are four queens left, and I look forward to seeing who wins. Even though it sometimes is sad not to see your favorite drag queen win, it’s still rewarding to be a part of such a welcoming fandom.
