By AJ Mun
Correspondent
For 17 seasons, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has been paving the way for LGBTQ+ representation on television. By advocating for trans rights and raising money for charity, “Drag Race” allows the unseen to be showcased. RuPaul has created a show that blends competition, charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent to give queens the chance to become America's next drag superstar.
Unfortunately, some queens have what it takes, while others do not.
The show contains a series of maxi and mini challenges that put the contestants to the test to determine who dominated the week and who deserves to sashay away (go home).
These tests include challenges for design, comedy, acting and talent portions. However, what I’ve noticed is that even for contestants who know the Drag Race Bible by heart, I can’t help but feel that some of them seem unprepared for the show.
If these queens have indeed watched every season of the show, as they claim, shouldn’t they have expected to participate in a challenge where they must design their own runway looks?
Now, I understand that not everyone is a seamstress, and that’s perfectly fine. However, if you're auditioning to be a contestant on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” you better know how to use a hot glue gun, a stapler, or even some duct tape to create a garment that reads well on the runway.
What tires me personally is watching a queen stress themself out over a moment they’ve had ample time to prepare for. We’re on Season 17 — you know the base formula by now.
In the same vein as the design challenge, I find myself growing more and more frustrated with contestants each season as their Snatch Game impressions continue to decline. I simply cannot fathom how someone could be a fan of the show and neglect one of the most iconic challenges RuPaul has ever introduced.
For example, in this season, Arrietty should have had an impression other than a baby locked and loaded before arriving on set. While her runway looks were absolutely stunning, the blatant lack of preparation for challenges beyond design was abysmal at best.
The purpose of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is to find America’s next drag superstar — someone who has the full package and can deliver the ideal drag experience. That includes runway, design, comedy, talent and performance.
What baffles me is that as the seasons go on, it feels like the queens are getting younger and more inexperienced. We’re seeing this a lot, especially in this current season.
Two examples of queens who I feel need more refining and training are Lydia B Kollins and Lana Ja’Rae. Kollins is 23 years old, and Ja’Rae is 22, and while both queens showed so much potential, they ultimately didn’t have as much follow-through as the other contestants.
That’s not to say that young queens can’t be just as talented — if not more so — than older contestants. However, the rush to get into the “Drag Race” Werk Room is much quicker than it used to be. That’s to be expected as the show gains popularity, but I don’t think that excuses the underdevelopment of skills required to win the competition.
While Ja’Rae had some great runways, and a few surprisingly strong moments in the challenges, she very much represents the modern-day queen. She opts for little to no padding or breastplates, favors high-fashion makeup over eccentric looks, and leans toward more traditionally desirable fashion geared toward the modern-day woman rather than delivering big, grand and campy looks.
On the contrary, Kollins brought a fresh and quirky aesthetic to the show. However, I wish she had leaned more into her Tim Burton-esque style instead of switching it up between episodes. Kollins struck me as a queen who could be a great competitor one day, but in her current state, she was never truly seen as a threat. That being said, she’s definitely a contender for a great “All Stars” run. Just not next season, please.
At the end of the day, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will always be a great show to turn to for comedy and entertainment. I just wish the contestants would prepare a little more. The fiercer the competition, the more entertaining it would be to watch great queens somehow slip up and be sent home.
They just better have a good exit line as they sashay away.
