Who Will Win 'Drag Race' Season 16? Episode 12 Power Rankings
With only five queens left in the competition, we are quickly approaching the finale of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16. At this point, we know the remaining competitors well. We've seen them compete in every possible type of challenge, we have their track records and we know they are all shady as hell.
This week, after the second weird, mostly unfunny comedy challenge in a row, Dawn was brutalized in a lip sync against Morphine Love Dion and was sent packing. While Dawn was fifth in my rankings last week in comparison to Morphine's sixth, I did say that if the two ended up in the bottom together that Dawn's weak dancing abilities would be the end of her. Turns out a form-fitting dress, chains covering her face and "Body" by Megan Thee Stallion didn't help much either. Now only five queens remain.
Related: 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8' Take New York. Next Stop: the World.
Which brings us to the question: Who will win Season 16 of RuPaul's Drag Race?
To that end, I've put together a ranking of the top five queens competing on this season, ordered from least likely to most likely to be crowned America's Next Drag Superstar. It's a power ranking if you will, and while there are supposed spoilers on dark corners of the internet, I haven't read any of them. This ranking is also based on how likely the queen is to WIN the competition, not just go far.
If you want to take a look at last week's ranking, here you go.
Feel free to swing back to Parade from week to week because I will be updating as the season unfolds.
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16 Episode 12 power rankings:
MTV
5. Morphine Love Dion
Last Week: Sixth
Track Record: Safe, Safe, Safe, Safe, Safe, Bottom, Bottom, Bottom, Top, Bottom, Bottom
I would argue that at some point during Episode 12, Season 16 really narrowed itself down to a two-queen race between Sapphira Cristal and Plane Jane. With that as the obvious endpoint for Ru and the viewers, I could really see the remaining three queens being eliminated in any order. That being said, Morphine is obviously entering the home stretch with the worst track record. She doesn't have a single win under her belt (something that seems unlikely to change), she's lip synced in the bottom three times already, and she'll need to beat out two of her stronger competitors in order to avoid the bottom again. That said, she's most likely to be lip syncing against either Q or Nymphia Wind next week and Morphine seems highly capable of sending either packing, so perhaps her stay will be longer than I expect.
MTV
4. Nymphia Wind
Last Week: Fourth
Track Record: Safe, Win, Safe, Win, Safe, Safe, Bottom, Top, Immune, Top, Safe
While Nymphia began this season as an enigmatic oddball who downplayed her talents, we've now witnessed 12 weeks of Nymphia, and have a pretty good grasp on her abilities. While the queen is certainly formidable in sewing/design challenges, she seems to be more wacky than funny when it comes to the comedy challenges. She hasn't earned an individual win since Episode 3, and seems to be running out of steam a bit. While a makeover/design challenge could help prolong her stay in the competition, I just can't see Nymphia taking home the crown even if she does have the best aesthetic of the season, if not the franchise.
MTV
3. Q
Last Week: Third
Track Record: Top, Top, Top, Bottom, Win, Top, Safe, Win, Safe, Safe, Safe
While Q would tell you herself that she not only deserves the crown, but also a few more challenge wins, it became glaringly apparent this week that Q will not be the winner of Season 16. Her sourpuss attitude in losing to Sapphira and her unwillingness to fully resolve it have declared her the REAL villain of the season (unlike Plane Jane who got the redemption moment). Q is this season's Phi Phi O'Hara and while she may survive to the finale because she is good TV, it will only be to give us all the pleasure of watching her finally get her comeuppance.
MTV
2. Plane Jane
Last Week: First
Track Record: Win, Safe, Top, Safe, Top, Safe, Win, Safe, Safe, Safe, Win
And so we arrive at the final showdown of the season: Plane Jane vs. Sapphira Cristal. With one less win and a wobbly couple of weeks, I slotted Plane in second, but this was a strong week for her, and she seems to be riding into the final few episodes on a high. This third win cemented her as a frontrunner, and I don't imagine she'll be in her head nearly as much the next few weeks. Plane is an overall competitor who is unlikely to flounder, her villainous side has somehow earned her a host of fans, she's the internet's favorite meme queen and she's unlike previous winners. She's got three episodes left to show us what she's made of and unseat Sapphira.
MTV
1. Sapphira Cristal
Last Week: Second
Track Record: Win, Top, Safe, Safe, Immune, Top, Top, Safe, Win, Win, Win
With three wins in a row, this is Sapphira Cristal's crown to lose. The Philadelphia queen presented herself as a solid competitor throughout the first half of the season, without getting involved in too much drama or making a splash. In the back half, however, while Nymphia and Q continue to peter out, Sapphira has come charging into the lead. She's an excellent performer, her comedic timing is on point, and she's not buckling under the pressure. I think the only thing working against Sapphira is that she's representing an older style of drag. We've seen winners like Sapphira before, whereas Plane Jane would be a bit more novel. That being said, Sapphira is getting to the point where she's nearly undeniable. She's got four wins, the record for a regular season of Drag Race held by Sharon Needles, Shea Coulee, Gigi Goode and Symone. If she can manage to win either of the next two weeks, she'll have five wins, a record, and a near guarantee to win the season.
Next, Everything You Need to Know About RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16