Top 10 Times We Had NO Idea What Ru Was Thinking on Drag Race

Like the art form of drag itself, “Drag Race” has constantly pushed the envelope of what’s appropriate. But this mini challenge had people wondering if it was time to leave the envelope alone for a little while. In an apparent callback to a talk show improv challenge a few seasons before, the queens were asked to create a naughty baby character. Whoever misbehaved the most would win. But we’d say the viewers who conveniently forgot about the whole thing are the lucky ones. The rest of us have to wonder what audience Ru and the producers were trying to reach with this one.

First thing’s first, we love Pearl. Without her, we wouldn’t have gotten some of season 7’s most iconic moments. But it has to be said, when she went up against a fan favorite in a lip sync to Blondie’s “Dreaming,” the judging seemed awfully wonky. And it wasn’t just because audiences were in their feelings about Trixie Mattel being eliminated. Many fans felt that Trixie’s rendition just went with the song a lot more than her competitor’s version. In fact, RuPaul even said Blondie members Debbie Harry and Chris Stein preferred her lip sync. It seems Ru respectfully disagreed. Whatever anyone thinks, Pearl did bring us the iconic Pearl Smash, and that’s worth something.

Speaking of Pearl and Trixie, their season was truly stacked with talent. However, it must be said that it was a cast full of fashion-oriented queens in a season full of atrocious and nonsensical acting challenges. We’re not looking for Pulitzer-worthy scripts here, but this even stretched the limits of sketch comedy. Ru’s now famous tirade against the queens who failed the “ShakesQueer” challenge was a stunning moment, but it honestly rings pretty hollow considering how ill-conceived the episode was. Ru and the producers cast queens who turned some of the best looks in the show’s herstory, but when it came to the bizarre acting challenges, they were underserved.

In 2023, RuPaul introduced a twist to the “All Stars” formula. The eliminated queens were given the chance to walk the runway in looks they would’ve worn had they continued in the competition. Fans would then vote for the winner. While we can imagine it was a great showcase for some expensive ensembles, it ended up not adding much to the season. Eventually, the Fame Games winner ended up being decided not just by the fans, but by a final variety show challenge that allowed the winner to multiply their votes to an obnoxious degree. That’s certainly not to say the victor, LaLa Ri, was undeserving. The twist would just need an overhaul if it came back. Still, it did give us some great memes.

The makeover challenge has been a mainstay of “Drag Race” since the beginning. Usually, it’s a great opportunity to show the power of a good drag transformation. However, two particular variations didn’t go over well. Ru tasked season 4 and 6 queens with dragging up straight men who seemed very uncomfortable with the whole endeavor. According to Joslyn Fox, her partner was essentially tricked into appearing on the show by his fiancée as punishment for cheating. It begs the question: why pair the queens with people who are clearly not into it? It makes what should be a celebration of drag into an uncomfortable spectacle. Hopefully, Ru keeps the makeover challenge light and inspirational from now on.

Ru didn’t just declare a losing team in this episode. She declared a bottom six. Almost half of the season 11 cast had to lip sync for their lives to J-Lo’s “Waiting for Tonight,” and it was chaos incarnate. Yeah, the diva worship challenge was bad, and having six queens fight for their lives at once probably seemed exciting. But as far as watchability goes, it isn’t cute. Even with split-screen, it’s hard to savor any particular performance. The only queen we get to spend any real time with is Honey, who’s thrashing on the ground is clearly indicating her as the loser, robbing the elimination of any suspense. The host tried to shake things up, but it was just a jumbled mess of footage.

Once again, the host threw another game-changing twist into the mix. Season 14’s eliminated queens were teased with the promise of another shot at the crown if they just chose the candy bar with the golden ticket inside. Willy Wonka who? The only thing that worked here was the countless memes viewers made of June Jambalaya’s deflated announcement that her chocolate bar was just that, chocolate. But as a component of the game, fans agree it was just Ru and the producers’ way of rigging the outcome right in front of our faces. Why they thought that would be compelling, we’re not sure. The chocolate bar twist can stay wrapped.

The first edition of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” was more of a ploy to fill airtime than a celebration of the series to that point. So, when Ru decided to team up some of the most legendary queens from the first four seasons, the contestants were as baffled as us. This is just as much a case of “what was Ru thinking?” as it is “why did they go with the (presumably) first idea?” Wasn’t there another way to have a shortened run? The whole thing was such a fumble, many participants have been invited back to participate in subsequent “All Stars” editions, at least getting some well-deserved do-overs.

Speaking of “All Stars” riggory, season 3 took the cake. In a move seemingly inspired by the likes of “Survivor,” Ru decided to invite the eliminated contestants back to vote for the final two. Up to that point, it was pretty obvious Shangela would at least make the finals. Instead, it was Trixie Mattel and Kennedy Davenport who advanced to the last round. The reason a jury works in other shows is that the contestants know they have to convince the people they’ve possibly wronged to vote for them in the end. Here, it was just a twist that negated a lot of the work the queens had done to that point in the competition, so what exactly was the point?

RuPaul stirred up controversy when announcing that trans women who had gender-affirming surgery were akin to Olympic athletes who took “performance-enhancing drugs,” saying they likely wouldn’t be cast on the show. It understandably left many fans and former contestants feeling incredibly hurt on several levels. Considering drag and queer history in general, it was strange that RuPaul would want such distance from the trans community. Luckily, Ru seemingly had a change of heart. Since making those comments, several out trans women have competed and even won the show. Contestants like Sasha Colby and Kylie Sonique Love have brought endless talent to the competition, making the host’s earlier thinking even more baffling.

Which “Drag Race” moment had you saying “Ru, please be serious”? Tell us in the comments.