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It took two minutes of screen time for Plane Jane to become the villain of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16. Right away, the shady Boston queen showed her true colors describing herself as an “authentically Russian hooker” and calling (according to the subtitles) a plus-sized queen a “piglet” in her native language.
The shade continued all episode as she consistently made rude comments about her competitiors (both in confessionals and to their faces) and became the only queen to opt to rate the queens from worst to best instead of best to worst to give herself a better shot at winning.
It’s clear Plane is going to make damn good TV this season — but God, does she make you want to hate her.
Friday’s episode introduced viewers to the second half of the queens vying for the crown of America’s Next Drag Superstar following last week’s Charlize Theron-judged premiere. This time, the group got to hear words of wisdom from the ever-charismatic Becky G on the runway and backstage as they showcased their talents during a Queen’s Choice Awards talent show.
“Everyone you see on the way up is everyone you see on the way down. Always be a good person,” said Becky during Untucked. “There’s so much behind the outfits, the glitz, the glam, the makeup, the charisma that we have to turn on that switch. But I think to be a professional and really be in this for the long run is being a good person.” (Learn from Becky, Plane Jane.)
Plane Jane and Geneva Karr lip-synced to “Shower” by Becky G after being selected as the Top Two, while Nymphia Wind won the SheMV photoshoot mini-challenge. Here’s our Rate-a-Queen ranking following the second premiere of Drag Race:
1. Nymphia Wind: Talk about excitement! Wind was the most polished, campiest queen in this episode. She walked into the runway with a fun, yellow banana-filled outfit and huge hair that showcased her silly personality perfectly. She brought back the banana theme on the runway, telling a story as each of her reveals showcased “the journey” of a banana, going from a green look before she “peeled” her way into a two-piece ripe fruit, followed by a brown, burlesque look. She delivered everything you’d want to see from a drag queen, and her talent show paid tribute to her Taiwanese heritage in an elegant way. This girl’s got layers!
2. Plane Jane: This queen has Nicki Minaj energy: she’s kinda mean, slightly problematic, and not down to uplift her fellow queens, but damn, she’s talented. Plane is clearly the villain and it’s exciting to think about how the other queens are going to react to her shadiness as this season progresses. She reigned this episode in front of the judges thanks to a WTF talent show number where she sprayed ketchup and mustard all over her fake titties after lip-syncing about whatever “burger finger” is. Ru was cackling at her number and was entranced — but I worry if the “big tits” gimmick is too similar to All-Star winner Jimbo’s clown persona. She brought the breastplate back on the runway, and delivered a silly lip sync and deservedly won. But will being mean bite her in the butt?
3. Plasma: Plasma is fun and checks the boxes of the “showtunes queen” of the season. She calls herself a 65-year-old woman stuck in her body, but she made it clear that she’s also a forward thinker. She did a little too much in her talent show as she sang, lip-synced, and did impressions, but it’s clear that she’s a jack of all trades and she’ll be fun to watch. On the runway, she had a campy, fun fashion sense inspired by the tomato pincushion. (This one’s for the sewing girlies.)
It’s gotten back to us, ‘What are they teaching them? Are they OK? Why is she doing that in front of them?’ Me doing drag is the last thing my kids think about every day.
4. Hershii LiqCour-Jeté: This is the sister of Kornbread Jeté, one of the most recognizable queens of the franchise. Hershii describes her drag as “glam camp auntie” and channeled that this episode. Her jungle-themed talent show number was not as impressive as some of her fellow queens, and a bit hard to follow. Her look on the runway was cute though, and she shared a heartwarming story about being an adoptive parent to her sister’s kids. “It’s gotten back to us, ‘What are they teaching them? Are they OK? Why is she doing that in front of them?’ Me doing drag is the last thing my kids think about every day,” she told her fellow competitors. “The first thing they want to know is who’s feeding them.” Just her story alone makes you want to root for her.
5. Geneva Karr: It’s always inspiring to see a queen showcase her identity in their art. With her entrance look, Geneva Karr walked out in a bedazzled outfit emblazoned with the Mexican flag belly. It was just… too in-your-face! What definitely landed was the Texan queen’s folclórico-inspired number during the talent show and RuVeal where she went from mariachi to Adelita in a sweet quick-change. This Becky G premiere was made for Karr, who referenced her song “Mayores” as soon as the Latin pop star walked into the Werk Room. She brought out her mexicanidad every time she was on screen. I’m excited to see how Geneva grows this season and proves she’s much more than just her Latina identity.
6. Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige: Mhi’ya is just so lovable. Will she do well in this competition? Probably not. She’s known for doing flips, handstands, and crazy performances in Miami, and brought that during her talent show number. She clearly has a jaw-dropping routine, but her runway look was a miss as she walked in a basic swimsuit. She doesn’t seem to have the star energy some of the other queens had during confessionals and on the runway, but it’s hard not to love her.
7. Megami: See, there are queens with good intentions, but poor executions. Megami is one of those. She did a meant-to-be emotional lip sync to “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes while wearing a funereal outfit and holding a Pride flag in her hand that was supposed to evoke emotions about anti-LGBTQ hate. She ended it by holding up signs that asked viewers to “protect queer art,” but the whole thing was just so uninspiring. She also missed the point of the runway looks, which required a RuVeal. If there were eliminations in this episode, she would’ve been out.
Next week, all 14 queens will unite for the first time.
Drag Race airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.
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