Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/World of Wonder
I love RuPaul’s Drag Race. Actually, that’s a pretty strong understatement: I am completely and utterly obsessed with RuPaul’s Drag Race. I’ve watched every season more times than most would deem acceptable, including the All Star seasons and the international franchises too. My poor husband can’t go more than a few minutes without hearing cackling drag queens. It’s not just the show I can’t get enough of, either, as I spend much of my free time by watching recaps, attending viewing parties, and listening to drag podcasts.
It’s a show that’s had an immeasurable effect on my existence. As a queer person, Drag Race has taught me to embrace and adore every different facet of my being—and walk into the room purse first. (I don’t have any purses, but for me, a purse is a state of mind).
This year, RuPaul’s Drag Race found a new home for its fifteenth (!) season, airing on MTV. It started strong, with a premiere that introduced 16 new queens, the most of any season to date. But things have gone haywire in the weeks since then. MTV cut the typically 60-minute episodes down to 40. It seemed that the network wanted to save some time to make Friday nights a destination for viewers—introducing the ghastly Real Friends of WeHo as Drag Race’s accompaniment. What MTV seems to have forgotten is that the real destination is Drag Race and nothing else!