We needed to rewatch the Season 18 finale of RuPaul's Drag Race on MTV. Here's why, and what it has to do with 'franchise fatigue.'
We needed to rewatch the Season 18 finale of RuPaul's Drag Race on MTV. Here's why, and what it has to do with"franchise fatigue.
" RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18 finale felt over-produced, swapping pageant energy for a glossy, franchise-fatigue TV event. The main stage finale and staged crowd hurt the atmosphere, making Drag Race feel less fan-driven and more carefully manufactured. Darlene, Myki Meeks, and Nini Coco delivered strong final numbers, but ads and awkward pacing drained momentum from the night. Myki Meeks won RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, though Nini Coco’s bold final lip-sync left the ending feeling expected, not fair.
Season 18 has come and gone – but we really need to look back on what went down. This season, we have yet another finale on the main stage set, and it opens with senior citizenprancing around on stage performing with scantily clad male dancers who can only be described as"a 2026 version of The Village People.
" The three finalists,, each perform an original number, then get critiques from the judges, as it's generally always gone. Except this season's finale felt more like the finale ofstarted as a female impersonation competition, then turned into a televised drag beauty pageant, went through phases that emphasized alternative styles, high fashion, camp, and has landed squarely in the"soul-less show with a shiny black stage that's jumped the shark a few times and is so over-produced, the show itself is a member of the Producers Guild" category.
For what it's worth, it joinsclip went viral probably isn't the best company to keep. But hey, anything to win an Emmy, right? That said, back to the finale. The audience looks so painfully and obviously staged and cast; it's a little insulting.
We want to see real fans, not Brandon, the hopeful actor/dog groomer, who is only taking this job to afford $25 vegan cheeseburgers. The finale model of having it in a theater and actually giving real fans a chance to buy tickets was brilliant, and the show is worse for moving it to the main stage and hiring a generic audience to constantly cut away to.
We don't need to be told how to feel about the queens at this point in the show – the viewers at home are excited, we don't need to see someone cheering in an isolated cut-away to tell us we should be excited. Anyway, the performances themselves: Darlene's number was cute and country, and perfect for her; Myki's number was about being versatile and screamed"Broadway," while Nini just lived hergot a"giving us lifetime achievement award" and then we got a history lesson when Crystal Envy came out to give a Native Deodorant ad and also to crown Jane Don't as Miss Congeniality, but mostly it was a deodorant ad.
And after the deodorant ad, we got a makeup ad! Lucky us. Who said this finale was soulless? I love being blatantly marketed to from a show I pay money to watch!
Finally, RuPaul narrowed it down to two by eliminating Darlene, but left her with a nice cash tip. RuPaul is just living his Oprah fantasy in this finale and throwing all that ad placement money back to the queens, which is the first good thing I can say about his business decisions. That leaves the final lip-sync to Nini and Myki, and I think the track record came into account.
Myki crushed it, yes, but Nini was literally dressed as sexy Satan, turned her handbag into a puppet, and had the puppet lip-sync the bridge for her. And yet, it still wasn't enough – RuPaul really said,"Not today, Satan," and it was expected, but not wholly fair. That leaves Myki Meeks crowned the winner of season 18! Was this outcome entertaining?
Yes. Does the winner feel correct? For the competition, yes. Will this mean a return to a RuPaul Drag Race pageant era?
Who knows! Perhaps next season will feel like a return to form – after all, RuPaul is 65 now, which is the age people start to wind down and phase out of the workforce. Is retirement in RuPaul's future? What would happen to the show?
Will he just keep getting more and more out of touch with each passing season? Only time and season 19 will tell. But in the meantime,Eden enjoys watching baking shows with her cat, and they have lots of opinions about television . She puts this to good use along with her journalism degree and writing experience with by-lines over the years in newspapers, magazines, books, and online media outlets.
You can find her on Twitter and IG at @Edenhasopinions.
"Here's why CBS's Ghosts is a"spiritual sequel" to one of my favorite shows, NBC's The Good Place . RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars is back with the tournament-style bracket again for Season 11, and the first six queens started it off strong. On Friday, Miley Cyrus was honored with her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to acting, music, and pop culture.
RuPaul's Drag Race S18E15 Review: LalapaRuza Riggory Realness? RuPaul's Drag Race S18E15 lip sync LalapaRuza smackdown challenge saw the eliminated queens fight for $50k and a crown of their own.
"Adult Swim's animated series My Adventures with Superman returns tonight for its third season. Here's a look at S03E01:"Into the New World.
"In this week's SNL Separation Anxiety, Kenan Thompson offers the latest edition of"The Rundown," and Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon talk SNL UK. We know the Kennedy Center Board filed that Donald Trump's name had been removed. But are we the only ones who want to see it for ourselves? Check out the images of the Disney+ and Marvel Animation’s X-Men ‘97 team at Spring Studios in Tribeca for the Season 2 world premiere.
Kicking off at 8 pm ET/7 pm CT on MeTV tonight, the House of Svengoolie rolls out the 1999 cult classic Idle Hands! Here's our preview...
Please follow us on Google to support us United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
GRANTCHESTER ON MASTERPIECE: Season 11 (Final Season)Premieres Sundays, June 14 – Aug. 2, 2026 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream with KPBS+. In the momentous summer of 1963, Geordie and Alphy face their greatest challenges yet. As an era comes to an end, the Grantchester family must face the depths of love, loss, and forgiveness one last time.
Read more »
Patagonia is suing Pattie Gonia, a drag queen performer with an environmental messagePatagonia the clothing brand is suing Pattie Gonia the drag queen for $1.
Read more »
Regular Season Could Have Less Importance for OKC Thunder Next SeasonOklahoma City’s season ended on its home court, and that loss could shift how it approaches next season. Going into the 2026-27 season, the Thunder roster will
Read more »
House of the Dragon Season 3: Major Changes and Battle-Heavy Season AheadHouse of the Dragon season 3 is making significant changes to the Targaryen, Velaryon, and Hightower families, with armies in various regions preparing for war. The showrunners have promised a battle-heavy season, including the highly anticipated Battle of the Gullet, as the Queens' deal is put to the test.
Read more »