Nearly 15 years after the premiere of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the competition show that puts drag queens through the wringer to crown America’s Next Drag Superstar, the show has spawned 15 international spinoffs, a thriving “All Stars” brand, a “Secret Celebrity” offshoot and the clout to say it has changed the landscape of drag — not to mention pop culture as a whole.
Once tucked away on Logo TV, the World of Wonder-produced series switched to VH1 in 2017, and began a cultural ascension for the ages. Buoyed by social media and a larger platform, the campy confection won the Emmy for reality competition series the following year, a prize it claimed for four straight years. RuPaul is still the reigning seven-time winner for host for a reality or competition program.
But when you strip away the phenomenon and accolades, what makes a good season of “Drag Race?” Is it in the challenges, which have drastically evolved over time? Is it in the runway presentations that now offer Fashion with a capital F? Is it in the interactions among the queens, be they heartfelt or heated?
For myriad reasons, some seasons stand stilettos higher than others and we are here to do the impossible, perhaps even the unthinkable — rank them from worst to best. Or in the show’s words, from sashay to shantay.
But this ranking comes with a few disclaimers.
It includes the first 14 seasons of the original mothership series “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The currently-airing 15th season, which made the jump from VH1 to MTV, is not included because it’s still finding its place in the pantheon. Even though “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” pulls from the same stable of queens, it tends to be its own (to quote Alyssa Edwards) beast and airs separately on Paramount+ these days, so it is not included here.
Nor are the international iterations that are, one by one, advancing RuPaul’s agenda for global domination.
The criteria for a good season of “Drag Race” is also, of course, subjective. This list is based on the quality of the season itself. The incredible success many queens have found after the series was not a factor.
For all that “Drag Race” has done for its competitors and the drag industrial complex, it is still a TV competition series, and this list reflects which seasons truly snatched the crown.