RECAP: RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 1
The “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 18 theme is “Let There Be Light,” and the season premiere did exactly that, brightening up the airwaves with 14 dazzling new queens engaged in, admittedly, familiar challenges, but bringing enough unique energy make the proceedings feel fresh and exciting.
Check out the first 10 minutes here:
I think the strong start to this season can be explained by a few things:
First and foremost, this cast feels seasoned and established. Not to be shady, but also to be shady, Season 17 often felt like “RuPaul’s School for Girl.” It was a very young cast, most of whom did not feel ready for primetime. Multiple times in this Season 18 premiere we were reminded that most of these queens are over the age of 30, and many of them have been doing drag for more than a decade – and it shows. The skill and talent was clear not only in the challenges, but also in the honest and unflinching reactions to one another in the work room and in “Untucked.” To me, this felt like Golden Era casts from seasons 4, 5, and 6 cutting up and reading each other down, and I LOVED it.
The premiere format was a return to the classic formula – ridiculous photo (here, video) minichallenge, followed by a design challenge. As much as I like the split premieres because they give us more time to get to know each of these queens, I still felt like I got a sense of most of these 14 queens (Mia Starr is the only one who kind of fell through the cracks for me). Having the whole cast there from the beginning helps to establish chemistry. And given how lackluster most of the Talent Shows have been for the past few seasons (“original” hype track lipsync, “original” hype track lipsync, some weird avant-garde art piece, “original hype track lipsync), I actually think the design challeng provided more entertainment this episode.
PERSONALITY. This cast is absolutely brimming with personality. Most of them have already established their style and their strengths (an overwhelmingly strong bunch of entrance looks/quotes), but more than that, all but a few also showed us exactly who they are as competitors/talking heads in just one episode. I won’t say they were all positive first impressions (Discord Addams and Briar Blush immediately coming in hot for the villain edit), but at least they made impressions.
Below find my initial takes on all 14 Season 18 queens, based on their Episode 1 performance (including work room entrance, design main challenge, and the scream queen mini challenge – thank you for the barely-dressed hirsute plague doctors, producers) as well as their promo looks and Meet the Queen videos. SPOILERS AHEAD!
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ATHENA DION
Athena is exactly the kind of queen I love. She is bold, confident/cocky, and unapologetic – and has the goods to back it up. Athena is a pillar of the Miami drag community, and drag mother to Season 16 standout Morphine Love Dion, and this season’s Juicy Love Dion, her drag granddaughter. Athena had one of the most striking promo looks and a great entrance outfit. As her name suggests, she’s going for goddess. I also get more than a soupcon of nighttime soap-opera diva (a compliment). I thought Athena’s look for the runway was cute and well made, and among the better looks in the Safe group. I was hooting at her clapping back against Briar’s unsolicited and delusional notes on her look in “Untucked.” This queen doesn’t miss a trick, and she will read you DOWN. Obsessed.
BRIAR BLUSH
Speaking of Briar, she made quite an impression in the premiere episode – she’s certainly not bashful! Like her Boston predecessor, Season 16’s Plane Jane, Briar seems to be coming from the school of, Pull attention by any means necessary, including being rotted for no reason. That said, I’m not mad at it. Briar is absolutely stunning – in her Meet the Queen she mentions Priscilla Presley as a style icon and I 100% see it – and I love her coltish energy, even if she frequently dipped into delusion this episode. I thought her cat-inspired outfit was among the worst of the Safe Group, particularly the bottom half of it. But she is giving us great television and she is, for sure, a character. And my goodness, that mug is beautiful…
CIARA MYST
I was concerned about Ciara from the Meet the Queen. I found her promo look striking, but the energy in the interview was aggressively mid. I was pleasantly surprised by what she gave us this episode. I LOVED her entrance look, and the fact that she made that herself is truly impressive. That said, I did not care for the look for the main challenge. The concept was solid, but the execution felt unresolved to me – although I loved the gloves. I also get that the lip make-up is her signature, but it tends to constantly pull me out of the fantasy she’s serving. On a positive note, I find her confessional look tres chic, and unexpected given the wild and kooky drag she to which she seems to gravitate.
DARLENE MITCHELL
Darlene had one of my favorite Meet the Queens, this affable Midwestern transplant to L.A. who literally could not stop laughing at how ridiculous this entire thing is. And it IS ridiculous! In the best way. Darlene did not make a huge impression this episode, but I enjoyed watching her on screen. The runway look was on the low end of the Safe spectrum for me (again, decent concept, execution a bit off), but I vibed with her energy. She seemed to be having a blast, and I had a blast watching her.
DD FUEGO
Our sole New York City queen in a season with FIVE Florida queens – how the tables have turned – did not have a great first episode. DD is very confident in DD’s skills, and based on her talking heads and Meet the Queen, is excited to tell you how amazing she is. I’m going to need more showing and less telling. She got offended at Nini calling out her “microwave couture” in “Untucked,” but as soon as she stepped out in that emergency blanket concoction our entire couch said in unison, “baked potato.” This was not good, and DD was lucky to be Safe – she could have easily been in the Bottom 3 this episode. There’s a cockiness (that’s New York for you), but based on what we’ve seen thus far, I’m unconvinced that there’s enough to back it up.
DISCORD ADDAMS
Amazing casting. One of the most endearing qualities of a drag queen, for me, is delusion, and Discord is both clearly talented (that entrance look was killer, from toes to tip) and deeply delusional. And also not at all afraid to run her mouth. That’s what we call television gold, folks. Discord’s look for the main challenge was indeed good. I could see it in the Top 3. I suspect it was specifically kept out of the Top 3 deliberately to send Discord spiraling, and she already started unraveling by Episode 1. The unrepentant hate boner for Nini was glorious to behold, and I am so delighted to have her here. This is the kind of harmless antagonist I can enjoy.
JANE DON’T
I loved Jane’s Meet the Queens interview, and while I thought her promo was a LOT, I still enjoyed what she was giving us. I love the Bette Midler vibes and references in the premiere, and I am rooting for her. That said, I don’t think she should have been Top 3 in this challenge. It was well constructed and it was ambitious, for sure. But to quote a classic “Untucked” moment, Is she pretty? I would argue that the dress, at least, was not. But I do appreciate the work she put into it. I also appreciated that she wasn’t afraid to get messy in “Untucked,” even when she was pretty clearly in the Top group. I don’t need the kumbaya circle, and I think Jane is going to keep it spicy, but still keep it hinged. I hope!
JUICY LOVE DION
The stunt casting this season is putting a drag mother and drag daughter (well, daughter/granddaughter) up against one another. Juicy is the drag daughter of Season 16’s Morphine Love Dion, and the youngest member of this cast. That fact was readily apparent in her Meet the Queen, where I found her energy level low and personality very Gen Z coded. Juicy was more warm than I expected in the work room, and I do think the drag mother/daughter dynamic is genuinely compelling to watch. Juicy was one of the Bottom 3 queens this week, and justifiably so. The garment moved beautifully on the stage, but there was very little to it. The judges praised the bust piece, which I thought was quite generous of them. The skirt was, to be blunt, sad. She is beautiful and very clearly wants to be here, but she seemed to be one of the only queens in this cast who did not know how to sew. We are on Season 18. How is this still happening? It speaks to an unserious quality that I think Juicy will struggle to overcome.
KENYA PLEASER
I wasn’t sold on Kenya from her Meet the Queen or her promo look, but I left this episode a full Kenya Pleaser stan. That’s a real testament to her, because that runway look was a CHOP. The thing is, she knew it. And she owned it. I can appreciate that level of self awareness, and I enjoyed both her entrance and especially her performance in the mini challenge – a star-making moment for sure– so much that honestly, a rough design outfit didn’t even phase me. And she really did sell it on the runway like the rent was due. Adore Kenya and I am rooting for her to go far in this competition.
MANDY MANGO
Mandy is absolutely stunning – look at that promo look – and has a delightful campy take on drag, paired with a sunny attitude. I love that she’s a nurse who specializes in LGBTQ healthcare. Let’s raise up all those heroes, especially in this difficult time for our community. That said, I’m concerned for Mandy in this competition. She’s one of two queens this season that seem not quite fully baked (compared to the bulk of the cast from Season 17, many of whom needed significantly more time in the oven). You can see the ideas and the details – the mango earring in her confessional; come through, branding queen. But that runway look truly was a mess, and I do think it came down to the flower placement. As they would say on “Project Runway,” there may be a “taste issue” at play. And as guest judge Cardi B said, “She looks like she had a TIME at Michael’s.” An iconic read I will be stealing. My real concern for Mandy is that she seemed pretty defeated after those criticisms, even if she agreed with what was said. She seemed to shut down in “Untucked,” and that’s the kiss of death of this show.
MIA STARR
As I mentioned in my opening, Mia got lost for me this episode. That’s surprising, because I loved her Meet the Queens. Mia’s pedigree is super impressive, having toured as a dancer with major musical acts for the past decade. I have a feeling she’s going to be lethal in lipsyncs. I also liked the few minutes we got to spend with her this episode, and I didn’t hate her look, even if it was just stuff glued to a corset (somewhere, Michelle Visage is screaming). I look forward to getting to know Mia better as the weeks go on, and I hope the lack of a spotlight this week isn’t indicative of what her edit will be (see: Acacia Forgot).
MYKI MEEKS
I’m so intrigued by Myki. I don’t think she had a particularly strong premiere episode – the entrance look and the runway look were both the definition of Safe – but she gives great confessional, and she’s cute as a button. There’s a mischievous quality to her that I find magnetic, and she has a quick wit. Those are two things that RuPaul historically loves. She clearly can do impactful fashion – see her promo look – but it was a bit of a slow start for this Orlando queen.
NINI COCO
On the other hand, Denver’s Nini Coco came in with guns blazing. Terrific entrance look and memorable entrance line, followed by a creative and brilliantly executed main challenge outfit. You know you’re doing something right when most of the rest of the cast spends “Untucked” trying to take shots at your creation, which just got a tongue bath from the judges (and rightfully so). But also, if you’re Nini, you know you’re doing something right if you have EYES. That was a great look, it used actual unconventional materials (bags – LaLa Ri found dead), and it looks EXPENSIVE. And then she comes out in the Top 2 lipsync to “Enough” by Cardi B. Ma’am. I am sorry for stereotyping, but I did not expect this twink to come out and serve that kind of swag. Nini is only the third Denver queen ever on “Drag Race”; the first two were Yvie Oddly (Season 11) and Willow Pill (Season 14). Will she follow in their heels and ALSO take the crown? Based on this episode, she certainly seems like a real contender.
VITA VONTESSE STARR
But these gal ain’t gonna make it easy for them, especially Miss Vita Von Teese. Confession: I love a pageant queen. I love the poise. I love the confidence. I love the well-rounded skillset. Based on this episode, Vita has all of that. She also has a great personality. I was enchanted by her Meet the Queen. When she came on stage in her main challenge look, our viewing party audibly gasped. One of the judges – Carson Kressley, I think – said that he could have believed that she brought that home, and that it was for a Best Drag category. It was THAT good. Vita absolutely smashed that runway, but I was concerned with what I saw from her in the “Enough” lipsync. I saw a lack of connection to the song, and possibly a bit of fear in her eyes. It’s possible that she simply didn’t know how to cut loose in that gown (which, valid). She also didn’t seem to “pop” in the work room scenes in a way that I would like. But some queens take a few weeks to really settle in, and if this is what Vita is giving us in Week 1, I am so excited to see what’s next.
A final note that Cardi B was a great first-episode guest judge; that Powerpuff Girls in “Mortal Kombat” look was amazing, and she seemed fully engaged with the queens and the proceedings. It was also great to see her glam squad engage with the girls as well.
All in all, a terrific opening episode for this season. Nobody went home (good – I personally think it’s cruel to send a queen home on Episode 1, given the time and expense that goes into preparing for this show), and I thought the Bottom 2, Top 2, and winner of the challenge (Nini Coco) were all 100% right. Let’s hope we continue to get more of the same as the season continues.
NEXT: Girl Groups, the girls are fighting, and more tears.
What do you think of the Season 18 premiere? Which queens are you rooting for? Let us know in the comments.
