‘Drag Race’: Power Ranking the Season 10 Queens After the Premiere

Adam Salandra
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It was 10s, 10s, 10s across the board this week for the monumental premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 10 and our new crop of queens did not disappoint.

We were introduced to 13 new contestants, plus returning queen Eureka O’Hara, on Thursday night’s premiere, which recreated the Drag on a Dime challenge from the first episode of Season 1. The cast was easily able to turn trash into treasure for their runway looks, and it’s a great sign for the season when even the Bottom 2 queens weren’t really that bad.

Between the fact that they all came to slay and that we only spent 90 minutes with them so far, it won’t be easy to power rank the Season 10 ladies. But we’re going to do it anyway. This is Drag Race, after all, and placing bets on who will go far and who can’t hang is half the fun.

So for the first time this season, here is FANDOM’s very scientific list ranking the queens from next to go home down to most likely to take the crown, based on the premiere episode and our expertly crafted drag-obsessed calculations — also known as our opinions. Season 10 queens, start your engines, and may the best woman win!

14. Vanessa Vanjie Mateo

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 Vanessa Vanjie

We’re only one episode into Season 10 and we already have our first upset. Vanessa may not have delivered the best look on the runway, but her personality in the workroom and in her testimonials had us hungry for more. It felt like she could have been the Jiggly Caliente of the season — a little messy at times, but hilariously fun to watch — and that is a compliment. Drag Race is at its best when its contestants are huge personalities and big characters outside of drag (see: Alyssa Edwards), so it was sad to lose the most entertaining voice right at the start.

13. Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 Kalorie Karbdashian

Based solely on promo videos, it appeared that Kalorie would be the first queen of the season to sashay away, and she almost was. But when it came time to lip sync for her life, the Kardashian lover pulled enough stunts to keep herself in the game, including a tearaway dress reveal and making it rain by throwing cash all over the stage. During the backstage series Untucked — thankfully moved back to TV from YouTube — Kalorie also made it clear that she was willing to make good reality TV, calling out each contestant who she thought did worse than her in the challenge. And although she was wrong about each one, it proved she’s willing to stand up for herself and therefore stand out from the crowd.

 12. The Vixen

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 The Vixen

While most queens came to win the competition, it feels like The Vixen came to fight. That’s something she made clear in her Meet the Queens video (saying she was inspired by Tyra Sanchez, who won the crown and still fought with everyone) and in her workroom entrance (in which she posed with her fists up and said, “I’m just here to fight.”) But beyond just openly admitting it, she instantly proved it backstage during Untucked. She tried to whip up drama between Aquaria and Miz Cracker and somehow managed to face off with Monét in the process. It all came across as very forced and received more attention than her pool-noodle runway dress. Every season needs a villain and Vixen seems more than happy to volunteer for Season 10. But on the first episode, it may be smartest to lead with talent and let your inevitable feuds happen a little more organically.

11. Dusty Ray Bottoms

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 Dusty Ray Bottoms

Personally, it feels like Dusty Ray Bottoms deserves to be higher on this list, but the judges were not feeling the tin hat she wore on the runway. Despite being placed in the Bottom 3, Dusty appears to be serving different looks with a unique point of view, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see her really gain some traction as the competition continues. Michelle Visage is always asking contestants to change up their signature looks, but to tell Dusty that she’s “looking forward to a dot-free face” after only one runway seemed kind of unfair. But don’t worry, Dusty, a rough start gives you the opportunity to get an underdog edit, and Drag Race fans love rooting for the underdog.

10. Kameron Michaels

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 Kameron Michaels

Both Kameron’s entrance look and runway look were pretty, but something feels missing. What the muscle queen lacks in presence, she certainly makes up for with her ripped body out of drag, but serving as the “trade” (hot guy) of the season isn’t enough to get her the crown. We’ve only just begun, so there’s still time for Kameron to show us what tricks she has up her tattooed sleeve, but she failed to leave much of an impression this time around.

9. Asia O’Hara

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 Asia O'Hara

Asia is a queen with a lot of experience, but her edit on week one didn’t allow her to stand out from the pack. It’s clear she’s a queen with a lot of creativity, so she may pull out a few amazing looks as we progress. But similar to Kameron, there just wasn’t enough on Episode 1 to separate her from the other queens.

8.Yuhua Hamasaki

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 Yuhua

Yuhua really pops on camera and she seems to have an engaging personality. And while her entrance and runway looks were both beautifully constructed, she did create a dress out of caution tape — something that’s already been done several times on the show in the past. One of the queens shadily pointed out that she’s considered a seamstress, not a designer, which is an important distinction. If it’s true, she may struggle as time goes on. But if it’s not, she may have what it takes to quickly move up this list.

7. Eureka O’Hara

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 Eureka O'Hara

After leaving a huge impression on Season 9, we were thrilled to have Eureka back on our screens. But after the premiere, we’re a little worried about the Elephant Queen’s future. For starters, she seemed very nervous to fall during the mini-challenge — and understandably so after the horrible knee injury she sustained last time around. But those nerves came across looking like low energy and the preview for next week shows her struggling with PTSD during the dancing challenge. And while her phoenix entrance look and her Sweet 16 valley girl runway dress were both good, neither helped her leave the impression that she was able to on the premiere of Season 9. That being said, if she can work past her fears, her talent and personality are big enough to take her far.

6. Aquaria

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 Aquaria

At only 21, Aquaria is already an Instagram superstar because of the amazing looks she creates in drag. But just as Aja came in with a huge fanbase at the start of Season 9 before not being able to live up to the hype, Aquaria may suffer the same fate. Her personality seems slightly dry and flat, which could definitely hurt her in the acting challenges. It’s very likely that she’ll turn it out on the runway each week, but the series is usually very performance heavy, which means she may get gobbled up by more charismatic contestants. But then again, Violet Chachki also served sickening looks with a lack of TV charisma and she made it all the crown, so anything’s possible.

5. Blair St. Clair

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 Blair St. Clair

Based on early previews of Season 10, we would have placed Blair St. Clair as one of the first to go. But the Broadway baby impressed the judges with her Vivienne Westwood-inspired visor outfit and landed in the Top 3. If her performance skills are as good as the theater queen makes them out to be, then she should definitely have the chops to nail the upcoming acting challenges we know are heading her way.

4. Monique Heart

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 Monique Heart

It’s hard to understand how Monique was only safe this week because her runway look made out of playing cards was a work of art. Her red plastic wig and makeup added to the illusion and gave her one of the best looks of the premiere. And by the time we got to know her better backstage during Untucked, it was clear that she has the personality to become a fan favorite and the skills to back it up and take her to the top.

3. Monét X Change

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 Money X Change

From the moment Monét X Change appeared on our screens, it was clear that she has star power. Her charisma also granted her more screen time, as she was always popping up in testimonials throughout the episode. Her sponge look was unique and delivered a conceptual story. And just because the other queens couldn’t wrap their heads around it doesn’t mean it was any less thought through. Currently, Monét’s biggest challenge is the fact that she sounds so similar to her good friend and Season 8 winner Bob the Drag Queen. If you close your eyes while she’s talking, there’s a good chance you wouldn’t be able to tell the two queens’ voices apart. But the looks we’ve seen so far seem to imply that the more we get to know her, the more she’ll carve out a spot in our hearts that’s totally different from Bob’s, and we’re already excited for more.

2. Mayhem Miller

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 Mayhem Miller

Imagine watching all of your closest friends make all their dreams come true while you’re relegated to the sidelines for nearly a decade. That’s what happened to Mayhem, whose drag family consists of Drag Race royalty like Morgan McMichaels, Delta Work, and Detox. Not only were all those queens picked for the show, but they all made it on during the earlier years of the series, which means Mayhem had to wonder for years why her sisters were traveling the world with fans across the globe while she was stuck working brunch shifts in West Hollywood. And that’s why the L.A. queen was so emotional when her latex-glove look scored her the first win of Season 10. Not only did she look amazing, but her emotional response likely endeared her to viewers. After such a long wait, it seems like it’s finally her time to shine, and she came ready.

1. Miz Cracker

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 Miz Cracker

Mayhem may have won the first challenge, but it feels like Miz Cracker won the first episode overall. She received the runner-up spot due to her amazing “sad widow” dress made of shower curtains and broad-rimmed hats and sold it even more with her performance down the runway. “It’s not the outfit that will sell the runway, it’s me,” she said in a voiceover, and she wasn’t wrong. But the fact that the look was still great too is a good sign that she’s a force to be reckoned with. And if all that’s not enough, she was absolutely hysterical while talking to the judges. The quips came out of her instantly and without hesitation, and the jokes seem fresh and different from past funny contestants. A comedy queen who also serves looks? Keep your eyes on Cracker because she is going to go far.

Adam Salandra
Adam Salandra is an Entertainment Editor for FANDOM. When he's not covering the latest in pop culture, you can find him playing with his French Bulldog pup or hovering over the table of food at any social gathering.