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First bursting onto our screens in February 2009, RuPaul’s Drag Race certainly made an impression. The show has gone from strength to strength, with the network seeing a 20% spike in viewers making the last season the most successful yet!
Now here we are seven years later, and for the eighth season, things are only about to get better. Loyal fans of the show will know all about the challenges the fabulous contestants have to take part in, and we are sure there’s plenty of excitement to come.
Here are some of the best from the past, but what’s next? Isn’t it fun to guess? Whether your dream challenge gets announced or not, it’s all about the runway, challenges and of course – all of that juicy drama!
Hey, we want to see them really work for that prize money (and, of course, the coveted cosmetics supply…). We all really love drag queens here, so here are the five challenges we’d most love to see on the latest season!
Casino Runway Challenge
A casino is a place of mystery, intrigue and a little bit of cheekiness. The drag queens exude these qualities themselves, so what better place to have them style up one of the challenges for RuPaul and the judges?
Casinos are also synonymous with success if you play your cards right, which is obviously something everyone is this drag race wants to achieve. Casinos are grand places traditionally and, like the queens themselves, there’s thankfully nothing humble or subtle about them – they’re glamour extravaganza. So what’s more appropriate for our new contestants?
A casino-themed runway allows for so much scope. Casino games themselves are quite interesting and certainly pose great challenges, from blackjack, to slots, to poker. Just think of the trademark casino items, from cards to dice to casino chips, and – why not? – the colourful characters which you can find there. Remember when Katya and Mrs Kasha Davis dressed up to resemble the little old ladies at the slots in Atlantic City for season 3? We are looking for more of that, please!
Remember when Katya and Mrs Kasha Davis dressed up to resemble the little old ladies at the slots in Atlantic City for season 3? We are looking for more of that, please!
One thing to really note is that the numbers on a roulette wheel actually add up to 666. Time to throw some little devils into the mix, too, perhaps? After all, the list of famous casino game players is vast and varied, and a group of inventive queens would love to rise to that challenge!
Another fun fact is that some games – like dice – go back to 3000 BC. Anyone for a cave woman casino?! Thanks to the casino’s versatility and rich history, there’s literally so much you can do with it. I’m certainly hoping for some Vegas girl realness.
Hair Metal Challenge
The 1980s were a confusing time for everyone (or so we are told) but they sure produced a lot of memorable fashion choices, shall we say. Hair Metal bands like Guns ‘N’ Roses, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith all absolutely rocked that glam rock style, and if there’s anything we think our beloved queens can do, it’s rock the glam!
Back then, rocker chicks and music video girls wore leather, huge hair and too much blush – not that different to drag style, come to think of it. Think Lita Ford and Doro.
Big hair, make-up and more, it’s literally the dream and it would make for some highly entertaining viewing! Add the style in with some classic rocking out on stage and you’ve got a challenge that audiences are really going to be on board with! Perfect for the lip syncing we know and love as well – simply hair-raising stuff!
MySpace Throwback
Remember having a MySpace page? Before the times of Facebook and Instagram, we relied on MySpace for all of our social networking needs. Of course, it still exists, but it’s nothing like it was back in its heyday. There was a particular ‘style’ associated with it, for a start – that of scene queens – and we think drag queens would add to that perfectly.
Whether it’s raccoon tail hair extensions, glitter mascara or super tight skinny jeans, we bet most of these things already form a staple part of most of the contestants’ wardrobes. By coming as your former MySpace self, there’s surely room for a few secrets to come out of the box.
MySpace is officially retro, too, just FYI. Facebook has of course officially stolen its crown but that crown can be best placed elsewhere (on one of our queens, naturally!).
We’re watching this space, even if not our old MySpace pages (cringe!).
Jungle Runway
Welcome to the jungle, baby! Imagine being thrown right into the wilderness? That’s exactly what we want to see of our queens!
We are sensing a theme here – you guessed it, of big hair! Again? Of course!
We live for wigs. There’s really nothing we like more. We’ve seen previous seasons cope with less than glam situations like the Tuckahoe prison environment in season 7 for example, and we reckon the new lot should be up to the challenge quite literally with this one, too.
Also, how about a photoshoot challenge involving eating something really gross? We’re not saying it’s anything to be heralded, but it would certainly make for addictive viewing!
You’ll get to sit at home smugly judging in your seats, but for them? Well, they do say it’s a jungle out there, baby! Some queens have already done it after all, check out Gia Gunn’s lioness realness below:
Takeshi’s Castle Runway
Takeshi’s Castle was named one of the world’s strangest reality shows, which puts it right up RuPaul’s Drag Race‘s street in terms of uniqueness and sheer brilliance! That’s why a themed runway challenge would be absolute perfection.
For those who don’t know, the Japanese game show (which was then recreated worldwide) took on a familiar premise of making contestants take on a series of challenges. They predictably involved storming a castle, but there were a series of weird and wonderful tasks and obstacles set every week.
The punishment for failing usually meant some kind of submersion in water or mud – and we are clapping our hands in glee thinking of the queens having to get a little down and dirty for their prize!
Regardless of what the challenges may be, we don’t have long to wait to see all of the new drag queens in all of their glory. To check them all by name, they are Acid Betty, Bob the Drag Queen, Chi Chi Devayne, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Dax Exclamationpoint, Derrick Barry, Kim Chi, Laila McQueen, Naomi Smalls, Naysha Lopez, Robbie Turner and Thorgy Thor.
You can read a little more about each of them for now, but you know they’re worthy because they were picked from hundreds and had to showcase an astounding 14 outfits!!
Of course, we don’t yet know much about them on screen, apart from things which have been released in teaser clips, such as this fun word association game! Spoilers aside, we know that they must meet RuPaul’s very own high standards.
By the finale, though, we’ll know them very well – just as last season!
RuPaul has said that, ‘These are people who have taken adversity and turned it into something that is beautiful and something powerful’ – and we just know this season won’t be any different.
Last season, the finale which crowned Violet Chachki reached 387,000 viewers in real time – not a bad feat at all for Logo.
The good news is that you don’t have long to wait to see if any of these challenges are indeed the theme of the day. If they’re not, we can live in hope for next year. And if they are? Just call us as psychic as Michelle Visage – you know, that time.
In the meantime, we just can’t wait to get this show on the road!
