Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/MTV
The “Night of 1,000” runways challenge has notoriously been hit or miss for the queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race. In recent seasons, the group of remaining competitors receive an assignment to dress as their favorite version of an enigmatic celebrity on the main stage. They’re then graded on their references, construction, and ability to sell the garment as a drag-ified version of a queer icon.
From its first official appearance in Season 8’s “Night of 1,000 Madonnas,” which sparked Kimono-Gate (a scandal far more impactful on American politics and social culture than anything Richard Nixon ever did), this runway theme has made loyal fans hold their breath.
In that season, four of the eight remaining queens wore kimonos inspired by the ones worn in Madge’s “Nothing Really Matters” music video—leaving both the judges and fans furious. Decades of looks to choose from, and we landed on four kimonos? Sorry, four kimonos, two of which were worn by white people, one of whom already had dreads! Chaos ensued. History was begrudgingly made.