The franchise “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has laid the groundwork for mainstream drag in the media. The franchise renounced famous stars such as Bianca Del Rio, Jinkx Monsoon, Alyssa Edwards, and even the famous Trixie Mattel. The show “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has expanded into a whopping 18-season phenomenon, with over 20 versions of the franchise internationally and locally. With the rise of the show, every season and version has one thing in common: their downfall.
With “RuPaul’s Drag Race” expanding into the beast it is today, there has been a noticeable increase in money, popularity, and recognition. With this comes responsibility, which the show does not seem to uphold. In the earlier seasons of the show, many queens came with the skills needed to be an asset in the competition. With the new seasons, many queens come with high fashion (usually made by the hands of a seasoned queen) and fabricated fame, usually made from social media. This destroys the point of the game. Many queens come to this show to get their work out there so they can be the next big thing, or the next big queen. This destroys the aspect of working hard for your fame when it is already handed to you.
Not only does the show feature uncreative challenges and unfair critiques in recent seasons, but the show is also a setup. Many deem the show as “a race to second place,” which cannot be more true, especially now. Season 17 winner Onya Nurve and Season 15 queen Sasha Colby have been seemingly given their wins, which is made clear through the number of wins received within the season. This damages the actual talented queens in the same seasons. In the most recent season, season 18, fan favorite Myki Meeks was seemingly separated from her peers by featuring on exclusive talk shows such as Drew Barrymore’s talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show. With the season finale nearing air, many fans are speculating that Myki Meeks is going to be set up yet again for a win.
Not only has the “setup aspect” of the show diminished the meaning completely, but the show, as of recently, also damages local queens in drag-oriented areas. Renowned drag queen and lifelong friend of RuPaul herself, Lady Bunny, has said that if you’re coming to see a drag race queen, then you don’t appreciate the true art of drag. This couldn’t be more true in the state that the show is in now. While RuPaul’s Drag Race is one of the most influential and monumental pieces of reality TV of our time, it has definitely lost its spark, creativity, and fun that so many fans fell in love with the show for.
