Top 10 Things We Miss about Old RuPaul's Drag Race Seasons

In season 4, RuPaul introduced the puppet mini-challenge. The queens were tasked with dolling up a hand puppet inspired by one of their fellow competitors. Given that the challenge was usually included in an episode soon before the finale, the contestants were all chomping at the bit for a spot, and stress was at an all-time high. Some would do loving parodies, while others would thoroughly roast a competitor. Not only was it great comedy, but it was also a great story device to tell us where they stood with each other going into the home stretch. The challenge was then retired before being revived for season 12. That seemed to be a one-off since, as of the 16th edition, it hasn’t been seen again.

In its early days, “Drag Race” was a place where newer queens could find themselves and veteran queens could enter a whole new echelon of their career. But after 16 seasons and several spin-offs, drag performers are launching careers everyday. So naturally, the cast often skews younger and less experienced. However, some of the early seasons’ best moments came courtesy of performers who had a sense of history and professionalism. They were around before the more progressive time that allowed the show itself to exist, and had to build careers without the benefit and pressure of TV. Queens like Bianca Del Rio, Latrice Royale, and Chad Michaels are great performers and provided the necessary reality check for younger queens who needed it.

In its first few seasons, “Drag Race” spoofed and updated shows and movies that had a long history with the LGBTQIA+ community. Indeed, it used to draw from greater popular culture for its challenges and humor. But more and more, the show seems to recycle its own greatest moments. This kind of thing was happening as early as season 5’s “Lip Synch Extravaganza Eleganza” challenge, but it increasingly feels like an echo chamber of self-referential humor. As fun as old school “Drag Race” was, it was also able to introduce younger audiences to more obscure pop culture references. A callback can be hilarious, but when it’s so baked into the show’s fabric, it almost becomes like a snake eating its own tail.

When it premiered, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” was a thinly-veiled parody of “America’s Next Top Model.” RuPaul’s dramatic elimination speeches were clearly a knock-off of Tyra Banks’ self-serious persona. Over the years, the show had to evolve. But it’s easy to miss that irreverence. What did eating frog legs and musical chairs have to do with drag? Absolutely nothing! But it sure is entertaining. “Drag Race” has only turned up its informative political and earnest emotional approach since then. Showcasing the queens’ real lives is not a bad thing, but making them talk to old pictures of themselves does make us miss the days when the show took itself a little less seriously.

One thing that the show has gotten way too far from is drag’s humbler roots. Back in the old days, many of the queens were required to be more resourceful and make clothes in the actual Work Room far more often. Now, with more exposure, the level of fashion has been raised beyond what many performers can reasonably afford. Thus, there are numerous stories about contestants going into debt to put together a suitable runway package for a season. While later seasons have featured some truly eye-popping designs, the precedent that’s been set only widens the gulf between queens who have access to big money and those who don’t.

There was a time when fans were so thirsty for a second helping of “All-Stars”, they could talk about nothing else. Season 2 came out four years after the first installment and was easily a top tier edition of “Drag Race.” But you know what they say. Be careful what you wish for. Now, it seems like every time we turn around, there’s another “All Stars” season coming. While it’s great to see some queens get a second chance at the crown, it should be a treat and not a given. The show just doesn’t build up a reserve of viable and deserving competitors quickly enough to justify a whole season every year.

In season 7, “Drag Race” completely overhauled its aftershow. “Untucked” was originally devised as a less structured behind-the-scenes spin-off. Early on, the aftershow was much more heavily produced and manipulatively edited. Starting in 2015, the show took on a more documentary style approach, with somber music and slow-motion, and it’s way less fun. The tackily decorated backstage lounges were replaced with the actual backstage before moving to the Work Room. What’s more, new “Untucked” is structured in a way that diffuses tension, with guest judges coming in to interrupt the queens’ banter way too often. To cap it all off, it goes full depression mode in those sad final moments as the eliminated queen packs up her things.

Season 1 had nine queens. Just like the prize money, there was a time when the cast size was growing with every new season. Season 15, for its part, had 16 contestants in total. This decision was met with heavy skepticism and even outrage when the show cut its 90 minute episode length back down to an hour, ensuring the storytelling would be stunted. This measure ended up being temporary due to the response. But it wouldn’t have been a problem if the cast were smaller. There has to be a happy medium somewhere. Indeed, more queens in a season cuts down substantially on the time we get to know each of them and experience their artistry on an individual level.

Celebrity impersonation has been a huge part of drag artistry for a long time. The “Snatch Game” challenge was originally created to test the queens’ skills in that area. While there were contestants who performed as fictional characters played by their named celebrities in those earlier seasons, the criteria for Snatch Game has become way too broad. Now, anything goes. Original characters and even abstract mythological ones like the Boogeyman and Tooth Fairy have become fair game. Impersonation might not be what a queen is good at, but that’s the whole point. Some queens are better at some challenges than others. So it seems like something has been lost in the relaxing of what the game is about.

It has to be said, a good fight on “Drag Race” is hard to come by nowadays. Some fans don’t call it “RuPaul’s Best Friends Race” for nothing. For every Kandy Muse vs. Tamisha Iman on a new season, there were three or four Alyssa Edwards vs. Coco Montreses or Bianca Del Rios vs. Laganja Estranjas. Changes to “Untucked” and the overall tone of the series plus the increased social media harassment by fans has led to a tamer piece of TV. Queens who try to inject a little drama and shade into a season are treated like they’ve committed actual crimes. It begs the question. What’s the good of getting a bunch of divas together if they aren’t going to have a diva-off?

What do you miss most about old school “Drag Race?” Tell us in the comments.