Sashay, shantay, glitter on the runway. The hit reality tv show RuPaul’s Drag Race is back for Season 13, and fans are already raving. 

The premiere episode was the most-watched of the show’s history, with a total of 1.3 million people watching from all over the world. This season kicked off with six “Lip Sync For Your Lives” performances pairing the 13 queens up as soon as they walked into the Werk Room. The winners and losers were then split into groups for their own premiere episodes. As with every other season the winner will receive a cash prize of 100,000 dollars and a one-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills Cosmetics.

This season was filmed during the pandemic, which brought new challenges. Regardless, the team took all the precautions and were still able to deliver a top-of-the-line season. The show has won countless awards and has expanded its brand to countries including : Australia, 13 brand new queens were introduced from Minnesota to California and the Big Apple. The new queens include: GottMik, Khamorna Hall, Joey Jay, LaLa Ri, Elliott with 2 Ts, Symone, Utica Queen, Olivia Lux, Rosé, Tina Burner, Tamisha Iman, Kandy Muse, and Denali. The cast has already won fans over with its diverse crowd and crazy over-the-top personalities. As the queens now have to turn to social media due to the pandemic it’s easier for them to closely interact with fans.

This cast and season have made waves in the media for one specific reason as well. Gottmik is the first-ever trans male contestant on the show. This is an especially big deal because RuPaul himself has been criticized in the past for remarks he has made about the trans community but has since apologized and shown growth by putting so many other forms of drag and trans people on the show. GottMik has been bombarded with interviews and articles on his experience with the show and how it feels to be representing his community. He has shown nothing but gratefulness and love for his castmates and platform. 

I personally have watched every season from start to finish, even season one, which aired in 2009. Every season the cast seems to make it more and more enjoyable and this one is no different. I have to say the premiere was not my favorite, but I love the cast and I think that makes up for it. I can’t wait to see what these queens bring this year and who will end up winning. My top three so far are Olivia Lux, Gottmik, and of course Symone.

Although the season has just started it has already caused an uproar in the community and received great reviews from fans. The season will air until around the end of April where the next drag superstar will be crowned. As the queens battle it out for the crown, who are you rooting for?