Eight queens are still vying for the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 11. Here’s why each of them could win.
We have almost reached the halfway point on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 11. Even though this group hasn’t been my greatest cup of tea overall, there’s no denying the talent that many of them have.
Eight queens are still in the running to become America’s Next Drag Superstar. The filler girls have pretty much been weeded out (minus Scarlett Envy, to a point) and the ones that remain have proven why they are still in this competition as they fight tooth and nail for that coveted crown.
The remaining competitors have something in them that could grant them the W when this season ends… with the exception for one. Here’s a look into why each of them could be called the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race very, very soon.
Vanessa Vanjie Matteo: High twice, safe four times, bottom once.
Vanessa is no longer someone who simply walks backwards and says “Miss Vanjie” three times. She’s proven herself to be so much more than that. Has she done that great so far? Meh. Her outfits have been repetitive but there’s no denying that her personality is one of the best this show has ever seen. Past winners have relied on that in order to pull out their individual win, and she could too. What Vanessa needs to do is work on her fashion, use some makeup on that chest tattoo that is so glaringly distracting from what she has on and not get sucked up in the catty drama that has taken over this season.
A’Keria C. Davenport: One win, high once, safe three times, bottom two once, bottom six once.
A’Keria has been all over the board in season 11. She won two weeks ago but then landed in the bottom last week. Something that she has, regardless of that, is momentum. No one was too glued on her in the beginning as the other personalities took over the show. Even with things still at an all-time high, competition wise, she’s still shining. I didn’t even think her denim outfit warranted a bottom position last week, but she danced and lip-synced circles around Ra’Jah O’Hara which that just added onto her case for a potential win.
Brooke Lynn Hytes: Two wins, four highs, one low.
Brooke is this season’s fashion queen. That’s obvious. Her two wins were design-based challenges and she could’ve snatched a third for her farm to runway look. She also has charisma, charm, and can stay focused amid some of the other girls screaming around her. The relationship she’s developed with Vanessa only adds brownie points to an already impressive score this season. She’s one of the two to beat at this point.
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Nina West: One win, three safe, three low.
Nina keeps landing in the bottom because of her fashions, which I tend to like. She’s hella talented and one that could easily make it to the finish line even though she hasn’t done consistently well this season. Her comedy in the she-vangelical challenge was downright hilarious and a far contrast from the past two winners that this show has had who were more avant-garde than LOL. Also, we need a big girl to win. That doesn’t take away from Nina’s talents, but she would be the one to do it after many in the past tried but couldn’t (Ginger Minj, Eureka, Kim Chi, etc).
Plastique Tiara: One win, three high, two safe, one bottom six.
I struggle with Plastique. She came into this season being a well-known queen like how Aquaria entered hers last year. Her social media superstardom hasn’t really dulled her performance levels, but she’s still a look queen to me and I don’t know how that would carry her outside of this show. She did great this last episode, and that breakdown moment with Ru was incredible, but I’m still trying to figure out what major qualities she possesses for her to really earn this title.
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Shuga Cain: Two high, three safe, bottom two once, bottom six once.
Shuga is next to go, unless she kills it in the Snatch Game and can pull out some other tricks we haven’t seen yet. She’s a sweet gal with a great fashion sense but this kind of reserved personality doesn’t ever win in the end. I could be wrong though.
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Silky Ganache: One win, two high, three safe, one low.
Silky claims people call her Latrice Royale 2.0. The fan base argues that and says she’s Mystique 2.0. To me, she’s Jaidynn Diore Fierce’s annoying cousin. Silky is nothing short of controversial, especially after the first episode. Her polarizing behavior though is more off-putting than “yas queen” and I struggle to see how this should could give her the W after all the negative energy she’s delivered so far this season.
Yvie Oddly: One win, five highs, one safe.
Yvie has the best scorecard of all the queens this season. She’s never been in the bottom and has consistently come close to winning a ton of challenges. I fear something with her ankle will f**k her up in this competition at some point, but for now, she’s my winner. Her bold and brash personality can be a bit extra but is necessary when it comes to the extra-ness that some of these queens have exuded. She also has a big backstory and a Sharon Needles type of edit to her. Right now, my money is on Yvie.
This is the opinion of one contributing writer and not that of Instinct Magazine or other contributing writers.