They've got the power! Back for a second round, RuPaul's Drag Racewelcomed its iconic twist from Season 16 back to the Drag Race universe. The 14 new queens hailing from all across the country, were told by RuPaul that Rate-A-Queen would be returning for its two-part premiere. Like last time, the big Season 17 premiere of the reality series showcased the talent of the drag artists and then handed them the power to vote for their favorite queen of the night thanks to Rate-A-Queen. This twist brought an exciting element to the long-established show format that is bound to cause a ripple into how the game is played this season. And that's the tea.
Then came the unexpected. RuPaul revealed she and the judges would not be judging them; they would be judging each other! But, unlike last season, the mechanics of Rate-A-Queen have changed. Welcome to the stage the newest twist on a twist. As RuPaul revealed, Rate-A-Queen is a peer evaluation system where each contestant will determine where the other contestants rank based on their Talent Show performance and their runway presentation. Those ratings would determine who the top two queens of the night would be, and thus would Lip Sync for the Win, as well as which bottom queen would have to Lip Sync for Their Life. But unlike last season, the queens from their respective weeks would not be judging one another. The opposite week queens would be. So, the queens from Week 1 would rate the Week 2 queens, and vice versa. This twist on the twist was the correct way to fix a slightly obscure twist. If this doesn't raise the stakes, what will? Well, allowing the queens themselves to decide who would perform during Week 1 and who would perform during Week 2. Time to strategize!
The Talent Show Stakes Have Been Raised Thanks to the Rate-A-Queen Twist
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Power twists have been nothing new when it comes to the Drag Race franchise. Drag Race All Stars is infamous for the power given to the queens. Whether they would win a lip sync and have the power to eliminate the bottom queen of their choice or take a vote for whose lipstick the Lip Sync Assassin would have, the Drag Race All Stars were already established reality television personalities. They were able to incorporate an element of power into their game. A game they had previously played. Rarely have new queens to the franchise ever been given such power. On Canada's Drag Race, they introduced a power twist where the winner of the Maxi Challenge was the recipient of the Golden Beaver. The Golden Beaver allowed the winner to save one of the bottom three queens from the Lip Sync for Your Life. For viewers of Canada's Drag Race, the Golden Beaver created great drama and legendary television moments. Melinda Verga,anyone?
For a show that has been on the airwaves for 16 years, shaking things up is always a welcome invitation for the viewers. Like any talent competition reality show, fans can be critical of the decisions of the judging panel.RuPaul's Drag Race has fallen victim to fan uproar nearly every season. Sometimes, multiple times in a season! By giving the contestants this Rate-A-Queen power, in addition to showcasing their art, they will have to consider what is the best strategy to move forward in this game and how it might affect their position. In previous seasons that featured a Talent Show maxi challenge, some viewers were perplexed as to how a queen dancing and lip-syncing to a track, something that is considered "part of their job," could be considered talent compared to those who bring a unique talent that no other competitor might have. With Rate-A-Queen, this first challenge forced the queens to take more consideration into what signifies a strong talent portion. The stakes have been raised, and rightly so. Though one queen who performed an actual original talent would like a word.
Do Twists Have the Ability to Impact Strategy on 'RuPaul's Drag Race?'
Like the Golden Beaver from Canada's Drag Race, the Rate-A-Queen twist brings a welcome element of strategy to the forefront. How do you determine who should be ranked high and who should be ranked low? During Season 16, we learned in the first episode, contestants like Amanda Tori Meating stated, "all my decisions are all going to be strategic because this is a game and you gotta play the game." Mirage, on the other hand, decided to base her decision on who makes her laugh the most. This season, having already seen one season's results play out, the queens took this into consideration. Like her Boston sister Plane Jane, Kori King, and her sadistic laugh, went in with a game plan. The unlikely duo of Lana Ja'Rae and Arrietty formed an off-camera alliance that allowed them to rate one another in first position regardless of how they performed. By putting themselves in opposite groups, they had the power to inflict serious damage on the results. And they did. It was a genius move.
From Belgium to the world! Athena Likis is proud to represent her drag and her country on the global platform.
Knowing that whoever would be ranked last would be lip-syncing following the Week 2 Talent Show, the Week 1 bottom queen, Acacia Forgot, had a unique power of her own. It was something that no one else had. She essentially could influence the game by deciding who she wanted to lip sync against. As a queen not known for tricks and stunts, she could rank someone of equal footing at the bottom to ensure that she would be her opponent. All she had to do was convince the others that this plan was best for everyone involved. As fate would be on her side, she was able to maneuver and strategize to ensure that her desired target was hit. Hormona Lisa was ranked last and was forced to compete against her in the Lip Sync for Your Life. Now, as many fans took to social media to provide further strategy, Acacia had a bigger advantage as she could have potentially walked the runway in a look that was better suited for a lipsync as opposed to the week's themed runway. She chose not to. She served the judges cake, and then some. Acacia delivered the first gag of the season. That makeup brush is now and forever iconic.
The Twists Keep Coming
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The art of drag is celebrated on Drag Race, but at the end of the day, it's still reality television and viewers still tune in for the drama. With the new mechanics thrown in, the Rate-A-Queen twist reached its maximum potential. Especially knowing that the queens will find out the exact rankings by each queen in episode three. And then Drag Race had to pull another one over on the queens and reveal that ANOTHER twist was here: the Badonka Dunk Tank. Here, the loser of the lip sync has the opportunity for immunity should they pull the right lever that dunks a very willing Michelle Visage into the cool waters below. When Drag Race lays it on, they lay it on heavy. Like the paint on the queens' faces. How, statistically, Hormona Lisa was able to pull the right lever and remain in the game is beyond me, but she did! She had a 1 in 5 chance of staying, and she did. Perhaps, like Acacia ensured Hormona was her rival, she used some of her own strategy. Or some good old-fashioned luck.
The Rank-A-Queen twist resulted in whom the top two contestants of the week were, as well as the bottom queen from the two respective weeks. From there, the other queens' placement was not revealed. Will they be in future episodes? Based on last season, no. But if Drag Race really wants to ensure the drama is on high, revealing the complete ranking is in their best interest. Imagine finding out your new drag sisters did not think so fondly of your performance in week one. Could further alliances be produced? Will newfound rivalries take center stage? The fallout could be chaotic!
Nothing says heartbreak like a fan-favorite queen sashaying away.
It's unclear if Rate-A-Queen will continue into Season 18, but if RuPaul is anything like Jeff Probst on Survivor, when something works, keep it alive! Fans of the show are sometimes bewildered and perplexed by Ru and the judges' decisions. By leaving the decisions to the queens, the peer-on-peer review can remove the blood from the hands of the judges while keeping RuPaul's Drag Race fresh and exciting. And once again, that's the tea.
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RuPaul searches for America's next drag superstar.
Awards Won
Critics' Choice Real TV Awards: Best Competition Series
Producer
Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, RuPaul, Steven Corfe, Mandy Salangsang, Chris McKim
Production Company
World of Wonder
Number of Episodes
200
Watch RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17 Fridays at 8 p.m. on MTV. All previous episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race are currently available for streaming on Paramount+
Image via MTV
Image via MTV
Image via MTV
English (US) ·