The most dramatic seasons of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’

Reality TV is known for its drama, and arguably no series is more dramatic than the cutthroat contest of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Sex, lies, betrayal, and of course, lipstick. It sounds like the plot for a ‘made for TV’ movie, but the drama that RuPaul’s Drag Race brings is as unscripted and unpredictable as it gets. Not only are some of the contestants competing to be known as the queens of drag, but it seems the drama queen crown is also up for grabs. So we have compiled some of the most dramatic seasons of the show, so you can see what we mean.

RuPaul is known as the “Queen of Drag” and when he decided to take his act to Hollywood, producers jumped on board. The show quickly became one of the most-watched reality shows of its time, and before long, of all time. The show premiered in 2009 just as reality television was really taking off. Yet not only was it in the first round of the reality TV rollouts, but it was also the first of its kind. The show is touted for highlighting the LGBTQIA+ community and bringing it into mainstream media. The show displays all the glitz and glamour of the drag scene and has viewers relating personally to the contestants. It’s no wonder it has one of the highest viewerships in the genre, and we don’t want you to miss a moment. So, here for your viewing pleasure, are the most dramatic seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Season 14 – 2022

Season 14 premiered the “chocolate bar” reveal which, although seemingly innocuous, was actually extremely dramatic. To determine if each contestant was eliminated, they stood on stage and slowly unwrapped a chocolate bar. If the inside was just chocolate, it meant they were eliminated, if there was a golden bar inside, then they were saved from elimination, able to live to see another competition. Something about the slow unwrapping of those candy bars kept viewers, and us, on the edge of our seats. It was one of the most oddly dramatic reveals of the show and actually turned out to be a fan favorite.

The season was additionally exciting as it was won by Willow Pill, the first ever transgender winner. The season also welcomed Maddy Morphosis, the show’s very first heterosexual cisgender male contestant. Big reveals, first evers, and of course, the very nature of the competition all led to this season bringing an additional level of excitement and drama. We would expect nothing less.

Season 4 – 2011

Even more dramatic than the on-screen drama, is the drama that happens behind the scenes. Willam Belli’s abrupt exit from the show shocked fans. After being one of the fan-favorites for most of the season her disqualification was quite a surprise, and the reason behind it, even more so. Willam was reportedly disqualified for having conjugal visits with her husband during the show’s filming, which in Drag Show land is a big no-no. The supposed indiscretion created quite a scandal on the show, especially among viewers but also the other contestants. It seemed a thin excuse for one of the queens who seemed so destined for the crown. Yet Willam continued performing post-RuPaul and is still known as a famous drag queen and performer.

While her exit was dramatic enough, the real drama came a few years later when Willam revealed the real reason she left the show. She claimed she had actually slept with a producer and had then asked to leave the show to pursue other career opportunities. Whether this was the true reason for her quick departure or not, still remains a mystery, but one thing is for sure, it was one of the most dramatic seasons and scandals of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Season 12 – 2020

Premiering just a few short weeks before the world shut down as a result of COVID, we think season 12 deserves a little extra credit. RuPaul is always known for his exceptional timing and grand entrances and the debut of season 12 was nothing short of dramatic.

Yet the timing of the premiere was just a warmup for the rest of the season, mainly due to one contestant, the notorious Sherry Pie. Sherry Pie was disqualified from the show after allegations of sexual abuse were revealed. Even more shockingly, Sherry Pie admitted to them! Five different men came forward alleging Sherry Pie solicited them to offer jobs and then instead, tricked them into sending sexually explicit videos of themselves. Sherry Pie issued a public apology but was immediately disqualified from the show and mainly edited out of the season. The allegations and situation were made even more creepy by the fact that Sherry Pie enjoyed dressing up as a clown, adding an additional ‘ick’ factor to the already deplorable behavior.

It was one of the more dramatic scenarios of the show and one that lived on in infamy for many seasons to come.

Season 3 – 2011

Any season that contains the phrase; “Drag is not a contact sport,” you know has to be good. The line was a RuPaul original following a very heated lip-syncing battle between Mimi Imfurst and India Farrah, where Mimi actually scooped up India Oops.

The season was additionally cutthroat as the contestants were asked to make their outfits from very unconventional items. Everything from castoff holiday decorations, cake, even human hair! Yet, all the stress brought out some of the worst qualities of the contestants, it also brought out some of their best, or at least most creative sides. The outfits were awesome. Incredibly unique, very creative, and certainly worth all the tears, swears, drama, and little bit of blood that went into them. So if you want to see some amazing clothes and equally amazing fights, not to mention the infamous “contact sport” incident, then season 3 is going to be right up your alley.

Season 5 – 2013

Enter stage left Jinkx Monsoon. Jinkx is an eccentric narcoleptic who not only went on to win the crown, but also made some serious enemies along the way. Jinkx’s underdog Cinderella story did not charm the contestants quite the same way it did the fans and there were plenty of tears, fears, and fights along the way. Yet since this was the first season that allowed fans to vote, Jinkx was able to leverage all that fanfare into a crown! In fact, they are now known as the “Queen of All Queens.” Quite a title, to be sure.

Yet fame does not come without its price, as they say, and following the season finale, Jinkx revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, their iconic “water off the back” catchphrase was actually doing more harm than good. Jinkx went on to say that during all the contestant backlash and bullying, they were simply trying to stay focused by using the mantra, but that that didn’t mean the insults didn’t hurt. Jinkx revealed their self-esteem took a serious hit during the show. Jinkx also dove into the drama created when Monet and Trinity asked them to join their alliance. Jinkx refused, but the lines were clear, it was not all for one and one for all. Watch the behind the scenes politics of season 5 unfold as Jinkx navigates their way through the shark tank.

Season 7 – 2015

RuPaul may bring the heat but generally, he is calm, cool, and collected. Except for season 7, for some reason. The most dramatic part of season 7, was Ru himself. Now, don’t get us wrong, some of the season 7 performances were trash, but Ru’s reactions were still a bit over the top, even for the show. Episode 3 “Shakesqueer” especially brings out the worst in Ru as he rails against the contestants over their lackluster performances.

Additionally, one of the season 7 contestants, Pearl, claims that Ru was even worse behind the scenes. She revealed that Ru was hardly responding to contestants at all and when Pearl herself went up to Ru backstage, she claims Ru replied “Nothing you say matters unless the cameras are rolling.” Ouch. While these claims have not been substantiated, there is definitely a vibe with Ru this season, causing us to give it one of the most dramatic seasons award. Don’t get us wrong, there is plenty of other drama thrown into the mix as well, but Ru’s meltdown gives the drama an even sharper edge.

Season 9 – 2017

Season 9 is home to “Maskgate,” the infamous Drag Show moment where a contestant pulled off their mask to reveal – they didn’t know the words to the song! An entire lip sync battle conducted without even knowing the words! It was quite the scandal. Season 9 contestant Valentina was the shamed performer who fell down on her lip-syncing responsibilities. Following the performance she was eliminated from the competition, but the drama didn’t end there. Fans took to social media and dragged the former contestant. They railed her for not taking the competition seriously, for not owning up to her mistake, and for showing disrespect to her fellow contestants. Valentina did issue a public apology, but the damage was done. The former fan-favorite contestant left the show in disgrace and inadvertently coined the catchphrase “Maskgate,” an incident that is still referenced on the show today. That’s a lot of drama.

We knew there was a reason RuPauls’ Drag Race has been a fan favorite for 21 seasons and counting. It is one the longest-running reality television shows to date, and all that drama is at least a contributing factor. We never know what scandal, fight, triumph, or tragedy will befall the show next, but we do know this, we will be there for every fashion-filled second of it.