RuPaul's Drag Race is again expanding the franchise with new seasons of Drag Race Down Under and Secret Celebrity Drag Race. While RuPaul's formula for Emmy award-winning shows has kept fans watching for over a decade, the show has recently been criticized for too many seasons coming out with no fundamental changes to keep the competition engaging.
Viewers at home have noticed that even with added twists, the show still relies on old tropes and challenges to keep the show going, and while staples of the show are appreciated, fans want to see something new and exciting come from the production.
Upping The Winnings
RuPaul's Drag Race was a relatively small production when it started, but now that the show is on a mainstream network and new seasons are expected every year, fans feel the queens deserve a bigger prize if they take home the crown. Redditor LBTerra said, "The prize money needs to be 150k minimum. Considering the quality of looks these judges and the fans want now, queens need to spend more than ever to come on the show."
The stakes will be higher for the queens and the viewers by upping the prize money. When compared to other shows, Drag Race comes in with a relatively small prize, especially when the cost of the queens' looks is compared to potential earnings from the show.
The Star Format
All-Stars 7 changed the stakes of the maxi challenges with the introductions of Legendary Legend Stars for winning queens and blocking other queens for the next week. However, fans felt the format could be more exciting with a few changes. Redditor KatchupBottle said, "here are my suggestions; Top 2 queens get 2 stars, and high queens get 1 star... Halfway through the season, half the queens with the lowest star counts get eliminated and then do the same to get the top 3."
The lack of eliminations was something that fans hadn't expected, but it also let the queens get more screen time; but with the controversy surrounding the finale, this system would remove the final jump in stars that shook up the top four.
Other Judges Get More Power
Judges like Michelle Visage often have the best quotes of each season but don't have a great deal of power when it comes to the final decision in which queens stay and which queens go home. This dynamic has had some fans wonder why the other judges are there to weigh in, not just RuPaul.
However, Reddit user Hecless has a solution for this, saying, "I feel like Drag Race should allow Michelle Visage to veto Rupaul's decision, and It is shown in either Untucked or in the regular ending speech." Giving Michelle more power would make her more influential to the show and add a push and pull between the judges that fans have yet to see.
Add A Mole
Drag Race can be full of drama, but one thing the show has never done is include a queen who RuPaul chooses explicitly to stir up drama. Season 14 was one of the friendliest to date, so fans want to see more drama.
Redditor CHRISKVAS said, "honestly, I would live for production to put a mole queen in the cast with the objective of causing as much messy drama as possible." More drama would bring back the old Untucked style with new twists.
Keep The Queens Together
Former contestants have revealed that the Ru-girls are supposed to stay away from each other when the cameras aren't rolling, leaving them stuck in their hotel rooms when they aren't in the workroom. However, Redditor Fatty_Patty_Ratty suggested, "Put the girls in a house between challenges and let the drama ensue."
All the queens interacting outside of challenges has never been done on the show and would breathe new life into the show that fans need to keep watching. While lots of other reality shows involve contestants living together, it is an element that allows viewers to get to know contestants and be more invested in the show as a whole.
Themed Seasons
Drag Race saw massive success with the all-winners season of All-Stars, and now fans want more themed seasons that would bring back favorite queens and new queens. Redditor jennzillacake said, "I thought of other themed seasons. Like 40 plus queens for an "Icons Season" or the Congeniality Season, but I would also love an 'Early Out' or 'Second Chance Season.'"
Themed seasons are something fans have asked for more frequently, and showrunners know they will do well with viewers, so there could be a Pork Chop season for the first eliminated queens.
Guest Judges
The celebrity guest judges on Drag Race haven't always been great, especially when fans of the show don't know the guest or have no authority in the drag world. Fans were delighted by big-name appearances like Miley Cyrus and Lizzo in the past.
Still, Reddit user NuclearPlanet feels there is a pool of potential judges that are being overlooked, saying, "I'd like to see drag queens as judges instead of people like Gigi Hadid and Chanel Iman who seem to have no idea what drag even is..." Using other drag queens as judges the show could bring more queens into the mainstream who aren't Ru-girls but have an influence on the drag community.
Space Out The Seasons
As much as fans love seeing their favorite queens come back for All-Stars and meeting new queens on regular seasons, fans are getting exhausted with the frequency of seasons airing, making the show feel stale or overdone.
Redditor brabrabrady said, "Having an All-Stars season once a year really takes away the specialness of being an 'ALL STAR.' It's less 'all-star' now 'second chance' nowadays..." Taking All-Stars back to the original once every four seasons format ensures that only the best queens are being brought back, and regular seasons get the full spotlight while they air.
New Main Challenges
As much as fans love challenges like Snatch Game and The Ball on the main stage, they feel some old stand-by challenges need to go. Redditor Vivian_Salz said, "Enough with the repetitive main challenges. We need fresh ones, particularly more challenges focused on design and fashion."
Even though some of the best maxi challenges have been acting challenges, newer seasons have heavily relied upon acting challenges to the point that fans are over the acting and want to see more drag-based challenges.
More Diverse Casting
Diversity has been a hot topic among RPDR fans for years, especially as more seasons air with queens who look similar to other queens both in and out of drag. Redditor TheOrneryArtistry said, "I have no hate towards anyone, and I truly love how diverse it is because there are people of color and queens of all sizes in the cast. But somehow, it feels a little repetitive because it seems to follow the same thing all the time."
In recent seasons the cast has had very few queens in their 30s or above, no queens with beards, and most queens fitting a specific body type. To keep fans, the show needs to diversify in all categories when casting to keep the show relevant.
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