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The search for America’s next drag superstar has kick-started in full swing with the premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 on Friday, January 5, 2024. A total of 14 new queens have arrived from all across the USA to compete for the ultimate crown and take home a whopping grand prize of $200,000.
Unlike last season’s 60-minute format, this time, the competition series has returned with episodes that span 90 minutes each. RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 has a two-part premiere.
Episode 1 already introduced viewers to seven queens of the season. Amanda Tori Meating, Dawn, Mirage, Morphine Love Dion, Q, Sapphira Cristal, and Xunami Muse competed in a talent show challenge. However, a newly introduced twist barred the judges from deciding who ranked the best among them, thereby also stopping the elimination.
Why no contestant was eliminated during RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16 Episode 1
It is no secret that RuPaul’s Drag Race plays around with its premiere format every year. For season 16, the makers opted to split the cast into two groups of seven. Though the judges didn’t get to decide who were the top or bottom contenders of episode 1, they did chip in their critiques.
Owing to the new twist, each queen was made to rank the other six from best to worst. While viewers did learn who landed in the bottom two positions, judge RuPaul announced there wouldn’t be any elimination in the first episode.
The decision was likely taken since the contestants were split into two groups and the performances of the other seven drag queens remain impending until the release of episode 2.
What’s the new twist of RuPaul's Drag Race season 16?
Named ‘Rate-A-Queen’, each contestant this season gets an opportunity to vote for their fellow competitors. In episode 1, Sapphira and Q emerged to be the best two, while the calculated scores placed Amanda Tori Meating and Xunami Muse in the bottom two positions. The evaluation of all the drag queens sent Saphhira and Q into a lip sync for the win.
Notably, the Rate-A-Queen twist is only valid in the first two episodes of the reality TV series. The judging process is likely to return to normal from episode 3 onward.
Who are the judges on RuPaul's Drag Race season 16?
While the series star RuPaul plays the role of the host, mentor and head judge, other prolific names on the panel include Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews, and Ts Madison. Additionally, actress Charlize Theron joined them as an extra special guest judge in the season 16 premiere episode.
Contestants Amanda Tori Meating, Dawn, Mirage, Morphine Love Dion, Q, Sapphira Cristal, and Xunami Muse performed on episode 1. Among them, Sapphira Cristal emerged as the winner of the first part of the premiere.
Next week’s episode 2 will feature the second half of the cast including Geneva Karr, Hershii LiqCour-Jete, Megami, Nymphia Wind, Plane Jane, and Plasma.
Where to watch RuPaul's Drag Race?
The Emmy-winning reality competition will exclusively be released on MTV. However, if you do not have an active MTV connection, the episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race will also be accessible on a variety of streaming platforms such as DirecTV Stream, Philo, and Sling TV. Additionally, MTV is also available on Hulu+ Live TV and Fubo TV.
Those interested can catch up with RuPaul's Drag Race season 16 every Friday at 8 pm ET on MTV.
