Season 10 of RuPaul's Drag Race kicked off on Thursday night, with 14 new hopefuls vying for the crown that several legendary queens have won in the past.
We are still coming down a bit from the All Stars 3 finale, yet this new group has allowed us to transition seamlessly from that disaster into what I am hopeful for is a great season full of drama, fish, quotables, and Jason Carter looking amazing in just a pair of underwear.
I finally watched the first episode yesterday, which saw pop star Christina Aguilera take the reigns as the guest judge on the premiere, and based on the overall episode and the return of Untucked, I have made my rankings from 1 to 14 on who did the best so far and who was the absolute worst. Keep in mind, this is not just about the runway, this is about how they came across overall in my minds. Claws out, kittens.
1. Monet X Change: There might be some bias here, as I'm also from NYC, but Monet did what a lot of other girls couldn't do is that she brought her personality to the first episode without having it be too much or as its called nowadays, "the most." Her persona was really bubbly and fun, and I appreciated what she did with those Brillo pads for the Drag on a Dime challenge that kept her safe after the first episode. A lot of people are thinking that two other queens from NYC are going to go far (more on that later), but don't sleep on Monet at all just yet.
2. Eureka O'Hara: We all know Eureka's story, she went home early in season 9 due to an injury and came back. She's back, and it's great, but what's even better is that she did not become a camera hog this time around. The first episode of season 9 made me dislike her a bit, as she was trying to hard too come across as funny but it was just way too much. This time, she's a bit quieter, reserved, and focused, while still being helpful without it coming across as ME ME ME. She's not going anywhere anytime soon, IMHO.
3. Yuhua Hamasaki: I really, really like Yuhua. She's what this show needs: a great sense of fashion, humor with a bit of an odd ball personality that has worked for many in the past like Katya and Alyssa Edwards for example. She was top 3 with her fashion choices this week, and based on her entrance look (and how she looked at the Meet the Queens event earlier this week), I really have high hopes to see what Yuhua can do in this competition.
4. Vanessa Vanjie Mateo: For the life of me, I don't understand why she went home. Vanessa was serving me Angie Martinez realness from the moment she walked in, she had a great personality and her outfit looked WAY better than some of the other queens who were safe. I'm only putting her this high because she's gone (although who knows with this show), but she was really fun to watch as the episode progressed, and my heart broke for her as she kept breaking down over and over again because of her landing in the bottom and eventually being sent home. Speaking of crying…
5. Mayhem Miller: Girl, get your tissues ready. Mayhem has tried out eight times for this show, a show in which her best friends have not only made it onto but have experienced major success in the aftermath. That has to do something to your spirit on some level, which is evidenced by her crying the entire episode. I'm thrilled that she won the main challenge, as it sort of became her justification on why she should be on this show in the first place, but I'm hoping it isn't like this every episode and she stays fierce without needing a Kleenex in each scene.
6. Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams: One of my favorite queens that I met at the Meet the Queens event earlier this week, Kalorie's honesty in Untucked about the other queens ensembles and her amazing lip sync performance put her high on my list. I hope she doesn't go home early, as there is a true firecracker in there waiting to explode.
7. Dusty Ray Bottoms: Whereas Kalorie belonged in the bottom for her unfinished "money" look, I don't believe Dusty deserved to be anywhere near close to it. Her outfit was great, the hat was a bit weird but it didn't merit a bottom 3 position. She's quirky and fun, sort of like a Jinkx Monsoon 2.0 type but from a different city and with dots on her face. Do not sleep on this one as well. Also: the judges need to shut up with these queens trademark looks, it annoyed me when they did it to Max and they are doing it all over again to Dusty. If that's her look, let her have it.
8. Asia O'Hara: Asia is middle of the road for me. Yes, she comes from a legendary family, and yes, she was fun and all in the werk room but was being THE MOST during Untucked with a fellow queen (who will be discussed later), however her mug and outfits were on point so she gets the middle for me as of now.
9. Miz Cracker: I'm only putting her this low because I can see that the drama between her and Aquaria is going to be the newest Alyssa/Coco type of thing, and I'm really not here for it. It's going to tire a lot, and Cracker is very talented outside of how this storyline is being edited. I'm praying that it doesn't stay this way each episode, because I'll lose focus in both of them very quickly.
10. Blair St. Clair: She was in the top, but we barely got to know her this episode. I hope to see more as the show progresses.
11. Kameron Michaels: Kameron was serving muscle queen body, probably the most jacked Drag Race contestant the show has ever had, but that's really it. It's hard to have each queen stand out in the first episode, so she's getting the Blair treatment as of now.
12. Monique Heart: I don't see anything really special about this one. The one-liners were incredibly forced, her laughing at Monet in Untucked was ridiculous and she's just coming across as very annoying at this point. Maybe I'll have a change of "heart" but who knows.
13. The Vixen: The Chicago native deserved to be in the bottom because all she did was wear a bra and panties with some colorful tubes all over her body. It looked very pedestrian and she rubbed me the wrong way by saying "I came here to fight" when she walked into the werk room. Just stop. Seriously.
14. Aquaria: I met Aquaria at the Meet the Queens event, and this is partially why I have her so low. Her lack of professionalism, which was evident on the show in terms of the endless talks on Cracker and just her overall attitude, showed during my interview with her when she kept asking her assistant for a straw while we were talking. Not only that, but it took her five times to answer a simple question, which comes off as forced and wanting to be perfect. It's all just a bit prickly for me at this point, however… things could change.
Who is your favorite and least favorite right now? Let us know your thoughts!