HEADER BY YOSEF PHELAN

Since its vaseline-filtered debut back in 2009, RuPaul’s Drag Race has become a pop culture phenomenon. Although a reality show documenting the ‘Blame It on the Edit’ hitmaker in his search for “America’s Next Drag Superstar” sounded like another soon-to-be cult series with a ‘save it from cancellation’ change.org petition, the series has defied all odds to become one of the most championed reality competitions of all time.

Thanks to the charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent (and in some cases, synergy) of the contestants, who bring it week after week with their innovative runway presentations and lip-sync performances, RuPaul’s drag empire has been honoured with 24 Primetime Emmy Awards – including six consecutive wins for Outstanding Host. The franchise has also branched out into international territories including Thailand, Chile, the UK, Canada, Holland, Australasia, Spain, Italy, France, the Philippines, Belgium, Sweden, Mexico and Brazil with new versions to follow in [insert any country here, honestly].

To celebrate Drag Race’s expanding herstory (and the 16th season finale), we have ranked all 34 seasons of the show (with RuPaul on hosting duties) from worst to best. We did not consult with the judges, the final decision rests with us, GAY TIMES. There’s bound to be some pushback with a few of our choices, but remember: it’s just drag! Water off a duck’s back and all that.

34. Season 1 (Down Under)

Most iconic moment: “Etcetera Etcetera goes by they/them pronouns. For example they haven’t been in the top, so we won’t be seeing them in the final” – Art Simone

From the offset, the first season of Down Under was mired in controversy. Two of the contestants, Karen from Finance and Scarlet Adams, were exposed for their racist pasts pre-season; igniting a conversation surrounding Australasia’s long-standing issue with people of colour while also begging the question: do the producers, y’know, background check? The situation exacerbated when both queens made it to the final and Scarlet, who was called out for blackface on the main stage by RuPaul, dominated the season with three challenge wins. (Awkward.) And while Art Simone was mourned by fans after her infamous exit – her delivery of “that means nothing” was, like her namesake, art – her return was confusing. Unlike past alum such as Carmen Carrera, Trixie Mattel and Naysha Lopez, who all returned in the same season, RuPaul failed to explain her reasoning to the cast and viewers at home, while Jojo Zaho and Coco Jumbo were paid dust. Down Under did, however, introduce us to beloved queens such as Kita Mean, Maxi Shield and Anita Wigl’it, as well as a fierce lip-sync assassin and underdog storyline in Elektra Shock. But sadly, with the amount of favouritism towards some of the queens and the racist scandals, the first season of Down Under was doomed from the start.

33. Season 3 (Down Under)

Most iconic moment: Ivory Glaze’s fumble

Down Under’s second season marked a significant improvement over its controversial predecessor thanks to the cast’s C.U.N.T., fairer judging and powerhouse top three, so we were optimistic that season three would continue this uptick in quality. Wrong! For one, the queens are still competing in a shed. World of Wonder signed off on football stadiums, essentially, for the first seasons of Drag Race France, Philippines and Mexico, yet the cast of a RuPaul-hosted show in its third season are still confined to a cubicle. The challenges were… questionable. Example number one: audiences almost witnessed a case of drag decapitation when the queens were forced to ride giant BMX’s in! their! heels! on Down Under‘s minuscule stage. Example number two: a member of the Pit Crew won the reading challenge. Like, huh? The various production-related injustices shouldn’t take away from the glorious cast, however. Ivory Glaze delivered camp chaos with her main stage fumble, forcing RuPaul to postpone a lip-sync for the first time in herstory. Flor’s irreverent, bonkers humour solidified her spot on an All Stars season, Hollywould Star injected the series with some much-needed cuntiness and Isis Avis Loren rightfully became the franchise’s first-ever Aussie champ.