Perhaps I’m a bit biased (as I live here), but it doesn’t come as much of a shock to me that queens from New York City have won 4 out of the 10 regular seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Dusty Ray Bottoms said it right about how “competitive” the drag scene is here, as we have birthed some of the most legendary queens to have ever graced our presence on and off the hit reality series.
Over the past decade, the show has given tons of Big Apple queens the star power that they deserve. Whether its touring in every crevice of the world, booking gigs with entertainers outside of the drag community and even producing major motion pictures, these “All Stars” have worked their butts off to get to where they are today.
Take a look at who we think are the 10 best queens from New York City to have ever competed on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Do you agree or disagree? Let us know.
10. Miss Fame (Season 7). Easily one of the most stylish and gorgeous queens to have ever competed on RPDR, Miss Fame came into season 7 as a frontrunner from the start due to her being one of the bigger names in the drag community. She made it halfway to 7th place but has since then become a force in the fashion industry, making the pages of Vogue and being a spokesperson for L’Oreal Paris. Not too shabby for a queen who used to hang with chickens on the farm.
9. Ivy Winters (Season 5). Ivy brought theatrics and tricks to her drag that combined her incredible drag aesthetic with something you would see at a fabulous circus of sorts. She also is the considered to be one of the most congenial queens (won Miss Congeniality in her season) to have ever competed and continues to be a force in and out of New York City all these years.
8. Monet X Change (Season 10). Another deserved Miss Congeniality queen, Monet came into the most recent season as a fan favorite from the get due to her bubby personality and fantastic wit. She’s heavily rumored to be on the upcoming season of All Stars, which gives this writer hope that a New York queen will finally win a title on the RPDR spinoff.
7. Miz Cracker (Season 10). Monet’s season 10 castmate also came in very popular yet had a hard time actually winning a challenge until her buddy Miz Cookie arrived and helped her score her only win of the season (so wrong).
6. Peppermint (Season 9). Peppermint was already a New York City legend prior to entering the werk room on season 9 but only elevated that status as the competition went on. She became runner up to another New York based queen, and since then has released some stellar music with openly gay rapper Cazwell and landed a starring role on Broadway.
5. Manila Luzon (Season 3). The first true NYC queen to have a shot for the title and gave eventual winner Raja a good run for her money. She won three challenges, had a killer aesthetic and a very memorable lip sync to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park.” Another queen to be rumored on AS4… will she finally get what’s hers and take the crown?
4. Sasha Velour (Season 9). Did anyone predict Sasha would win early on in S9? Not so sure, but she shut down that mindset pretty much from the get that season. She’s one of the rare queens to have never LSYFL and made up for that in the finale with a reveal that no one saw coming. Her avant- grade type of drag is widely considered to be one of the best out there, as she continues to stun the world with each new look she creates.
3. Bob The Drag Queen (Season 8). Just an unstoppable force of hilarity and personality that millions fell in love with in season 8. A true force to be reckoned with this has gone onto bigger things post Drag Race.
2. Aquaria (Season 10). Easily one of the most fashion forward queens to ever compete and is wise beyond her years when it comes to mastering her craft of drag (she’s only 22). Came into the show a bit of a brat but softened up and earned a ton of respect from her fellow sisters and the show’s fan base in the process. Expect to see her on several catwalks and the face of many makeup and fashion brands very soon.
1. Bianca Del Rio (Season 6). I mean… was there any other choice? Bianca has topped the lists of several RPDR countdowns as many consider her to be the best queen to have ever competed on the show… period. She’s sold out packed audiences on a worldwide level, hung out in bed with Joan Rivers, and created two motion picture movies over a 4-year-span. Not too bad for this self-described “clown.”
This was created by one of our Contributing Writers and does not reflect the opinion of Instinct Magazine or the other Contributing Writers when it comes to this subject.