Who Will Win 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 16? Premiere Power Rankings
RuPaul's Drag Race
We're two episodes into RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16 and we've now met all 14 drag queens competing this year. And sure they've each only competed in one maxi challenge, but it's never too early to start speculating as to who might win. Next week we'll presumably see our first queen sashay away and then we'll be off to the races.
Last week, in part one of the premiere, seven queens demonstrated their abilities at a talent show and then stomped the runway with Sapphira Cristal taking home the win. This week the second batch of seven completed the same task with Plane Jane as the victor, but even in those three total hours of television we learned a lot about our 14 new beauties.
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 14 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.
Feel free to swing back to Parade from week to week because I will be updating as the season progresses.
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16 premiere power rankings:
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14. Amanda Tori Meating
Track Record: Safe
As much as I adore Amanda's personality (and think she's gonna be fire on an All Stars season some day), she's coming in just a little underbaked. Her makeup could use some finessing, she lost her wig on the runway, and her kitty cat talent show number was a bit ho-hum. In Untucked, the queens basically said they thought Amanda and Xunami would have been the bottoms if there were any in the premiere. Amanda could endure a few weeks of acting/comedy challenges with her winning personality, but she seems unlikely to make the Snatch Game (which is a bit devastating imho).
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13. Megami
Track Record: Safe
I honestly think Megami is a much stronger competitor than the premiere gave her credit for. While her runway did not in fact have a reveal, it was gorgeous and her high concept cosplay looks are gonna be fun to watch. She was a bit too earnest in the talent show with her protest piece, but I think she'll do well in acting/comedy challenges so likely she'll be bumped up in the ranking next week.
Related: Everything You Need to Know About 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Season 9
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12. Mhi'ya Iman Le'Paige
Track Record: Safe
Unlike Megami, I am worried we've perhaps seen most of what the Queen of Flips has to offer this week. While her stunts in the talent show were astounding, you need a lot more than backflips to win RuPaul's Drag Race. Her looks so far have been middle of the road, and I don't know how many lip syncs she's going to be able to back handspring through.
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11. Xunami Muse
Track Record: Safe
Xunami was giving Regina George in the premiere. She was giving hot, unbothered fashion girly. Her lip sync talent wasn't over the top and her runways, while sexy, were nothing compared to the likes of Q or Nymphia. And while Ru loves a fashion queen (Violet, Aquaria, Gigi, etc.), they need a little personality to go far. Luckily Xunami has that. Hopefully the premiere kicks her into high gear for the weeks to come.
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10. Hershii LiqCour-Jete
Track Record: Safe
Hershii is PURE PERSONALITY. Her drag so far has been a bit crunchy, but that charisma is off the charts. And as we've seen time and again, you can learn makeup skills and pay designers, but you cannot buy star quality. Case in point: her talent show number was hilarious, but why was she in safari gear? Her runway was elegant, but lacked originality. The main question now is will Hershii be able to polish her performance fast enough to go far?
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9. Morphine Love Dion
Track Record: Safe
Morphine is certainly the FACE FACE FACE of Season 16. And you know she will be serving BODY this whole season. But I can already hear Michelle Visage saying, "You can't rely on body." I fear Morphine may suffer from the age old trap of thinking she's more of a force than she actually is (as that towel dress perhaps proved). Will she be able to take feedback and up her game or does she think she's got nothing to learn? Unclear.
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8. Plasma
Track Record: Safe
Oh Plasma. Every season my heart goes out to the perfectionist theater girl. I love them. The fans love them. But more often than not, Ru does not. Plasma seems to be coming from the school of Marcia and Jan and she's already a bit incensed that the other queens are underestimating her. Her singing/impressions talent show and multi-layered sewing reveal were perhaps trying a bit too hard? Ru likes someone who seems a bit effortless, and I'm not sure Plasma is ever going to be capable of that.
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7. Dawn
Track Record: Safe
Dawn floated a bit under the radar in the premiere. Her zany talent show song wasn't super memorable in comparison to some of her competitors (for better or for worse), and while I love her conceptual looks, the yeti reveal wasn't the most shocking on the runway. That being said, I think Dawn has a LOT of tricks up her sleeve and might be following the Willow Pill playbook of keeping your cards close to your chest.
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6. Mirage
Track Record: Safe
It is beyond me how Mirage didn't win the talent show in Episode 1. I have been thinking about that heal clacking for the entire last week. I've watched that clip about 45 times. While her aesthetic is a bit cheap. It's smart cheap, and not something we've seen much of before. Plus of the entire cast, she's the one I'd least want to lip sync against. It's gonna take some work to eliminate her even if she might struggle with some of the acting/improv challenges.
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5. Geneva Karr
Track Record: Top
Of the four top queens in the two-part premiere, Geneva is the one who stood out the least, but that might not be a bad thing. The Texas queen has a Jaida Essence Hall level of refined professionalism to her, and I feel like she's going to excel in nearly any type of challenge presented to her. Pageant girls often don't quite have what it takes to win, but pencil Geneva in for the endgame for sure.
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4. Sapphira Cristal
Track Record: Win
Sapphira Cristal has the hunger. She has the charisma. She has the experience. And she has just the right amount of chaotic energy to make Ru love her. I'm not sure that Sapphira screams "future of drag" as much as some of the younger queens do, but if you can teach an old dog a few new tricks, then Sapphira might take the crown.
Related: The 'Drag Race' Season 16 Queens Create an Incredibly Chaotic Pregame YouTube Playlist
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3. Plane Jane
Track Record: Win
Plane Jane is not f*cking around. She came to win and she's gonna Phi Phi O'Hara her way to the top if she has to. We haven't seen this level of delicious villainy on Drag Race in a while and I am HERE FOR IT. While she delivered plenty of Jimbo-esque hijinks in the premiere though, I do wonder if the bit will get old before the season's end. Plane Jane also won this episode based on creativity and humor (two thinks certainly necessary to win the show), but I'm unsure whether she has the hard skills (sewing, dancing, writing, designing) to succeed in some of the future challenges.
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2. Q
Track Record: Top
Q proved in the premiere that she does not have a weak spot. She certainly won't be going home during a sewing or design challenge. Her makeup is on point. And she proved in the talent show that she's very capable of being silly (often the downfall of the fashion girls). Q's incredible eye for costuming is also unlike anything we've seen in the recent crop of winners, which could make her an appealing option for Ru to crown. We did, however, see that Q's lip sync abilities might not be the strongest. If she ends up in the bottom with Mirage, it could be the end of her.
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1. Nymphia Wind
Track Record: Safe
While Nymphia was not in the top two during the premiere (perhaps due in part to Plane Jane's strategic voting), in my mind she is the one to beat. Her entrance look was easily the strongest of the entire cast. Her conceptual banana look was also the best reveal runway looks of the lot. Her traditional dancing during the talent show may not have stood out in the way that "burger finger" or stripper heals did, but I think it exemplifies how well trained and thoughtful Nymphia is. Most of all, however, she seems utterly ridiculous and unafraid to throw everything she's got at the walls. After the premiere, she's my winner pick.
Next, Everything you need to know about RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16
