RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16 Switched Up Its Final Challenge Format, And As A Longtime Fan, I Need This To Stick Around
It's almost hard to believe, but we're almost done with the whopping 16th season of RuPaul's Drag Race... and that doesn't even include All-Star seasons. Widely considered one of the best reality shows of all time, Ru and company have spent years winning Emmy awards and amassing a huge fanbase. While there have been some concerns over Drag Race fatigue given how many US and international seasons are airing at any point, Season 16 changed its format for the final challenge. And I really need the new version to stick around.
RuPaul's Drag Race is formulaic by design, with every season giving a new batch of Queens the same type of challenges: improv, design, marketing, Snatch Game, etc.. The final challenge has also featured the same segments like the tic tac dinner with Ru and having the contestants speak to their younger selves. But all that changed with Season 16's most recent episode.
To be clear: I love the show and have been watching since the very first episode aired on Logo back in 2009. That includes streaming seasons with a Paramount+ subscription. I've seen as big Drag Race winners were crowned, and watched all the ways the show changed. And it's because of this that I was actually happy to see certain segments cut from the final challenge episode, despite how popular they may be for other fans.
The queens talking to their younger selves in particular felt a little stale as time went on. While this was originally an opportunity for the contestants to reflect on how fat they've come since being little LGBTQ+ kids, it started to feel a bit contrived. Indeed, it felt like some finalists had written and rehearsed this segment rather than letting it organically play out.
The show rewards Queen who show their vulnerability. And after it became clear that they'd be asked to speak to a photo of their childhood self, sometimes it felt like the girls were trying too hard with their answers. And if finalists failed to produce tears, the edit wasn't exactly kind.
Obviously not all changes to Drag Race are created equal. Fans and Queens both spoke out when the show shifted to shorter episodes, so much so that the final few from Season 15 were extended by the network. But I think changing things up for the final few episodes will definitely help to keep things fresh.
As previously mentioned, RuPaul's Drag Race has become a global sensation, with a ton of different franchises airing at any point around the world. And Queens have been cast in shows like The Traitors and more. There's no indication that the series is going to slow down anytime soon, with fans expecting a new All-Stars cast announcement any day now. So we'll have to see if the recent changes to format stick.
New episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race air Fridays on MTV. Be sure to check out the TV premiere list.
