Who Will Win 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 16? Episode 8 Power Rankings
We're half way into RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16 and the competition is getting serious. With the queens having shown us the full breadth of their talents, we're getting a good sense of who the frontrunners are (and who they are not).
This week we also said goodbye to Xunami Muse, who I'd ranked in 7th place out of nine last week. She'd never made her way into the top and after eight weeks in the competition there just wasn't any room for her to hide. She joined a long line of queens whose lackluster Snatch Game performance spelled doom.
Related: 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 8' Take New York. Next Stop: the World.
Which brings us to the question: Who will win Season 16 of RuPaul's Drag Race?
To that end, I've put together a ranking of the eight remaining queens competing on this season, ordered from least likely to most likely to be crowned America's Next Drag Superstar. It's a power ranking if you will, and while there are supposed spoilers on dark corners of the internet, I haven't read any of them. This ranking is also based on how likely the queen is to WIN the competition, not just go far.
If you want to take a look at last week's ranking, here you go.
Feel free to swing back to Parade from week to week because I will be updating as the season progresses.
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16 Episode 8 power rankings:
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8. Mhi'ya Iman Le'Paige
Last Week: Ninth
Track Record: Safe, Bottom, Bottom, Win, Bottom, Bottom, Top
I am SHOCKED that Mhi'ya Iman Le'Paige is still in this competition and even more shocked that she appears to be getting some sort of comeback narrative. While her Snatch Game performance as Shaquita, Trina's imaginary cousin, earned some chuckles from RuPaul, she's living on borrowed time. Every week she endures is a straight-up miracle, but her remaining competitors are formidable. Her run is getting into Kameron Michaels territory and fans are about to revolt.
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7. Morphine Love Dion
Last Week: Eighth
Track Record: Safe, Safe, Safe, Safe, Safe, Bottom, Bottom
If there is one queen that Mhi'ya could feasibly send home it is Morphine. She's been in the bottom the last two weeks and is one of the only queens remaining without a win on her record. While her confessionals are some of the best in the show's herstory, I think there is a fairly substantial divide between her and the top six this season.
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6. Dawn
Last Week: Sixth
Track Record: Safe, Safe, Safe, Safe, Top, Safe, Safe
Dawn is a bit of an outlier on Season 16. She's been safe every week but one, and while she's performed fairly well, she's never managed to win. While I don't think she needs to worry about heading home before either Mhi'ya or Morphine, I wouldn't be surprised if we see her in the bottom as early as next week.
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5. Nymphia Wind
Last Week: Fourth
Track Record: Safe, Win, Safe, Win, Safe, Safe, Bottom
While to my eye, Nymphia seems like an obvious contender to win the show, RuPaul (and the show's producers) seem to think otherwise. She's received relatively little airtime this season in proportion to her talent, and she hasn't been singled out for her work since her early win in the ball challenge. While her fashion is some of the best we've seen on the show, her comedy doesn't seem to be registering with Ru, and I think she could be sent home in a comedy challenge as we near the end.
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4. Sapphira Cristal
Last Week: Fifth
Track Record: Win, Top, Safe, Safe, Immune, Top, Top
Sapphira seems to have her groove back after a rocky few weeks. She was a hair away from a win this week and having been in the top two weeks in a row now, she seems destined to collect a second win soon. She's playing the suck up card well, and as a well-rounded queen, there isn't an obvious challenge that will send her home.
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3. Plasma
Last Week: Second
Track Record: Safe, Safe, Win, Safe, Bottom, Win, Safe
While Dawn did call out Plasma this week for returning time and again to her theater girl schtick, that seems to be working well enough. I'm not sure if its enough to secure the crown, but she's definitely a contender. Her two wins should also keep her alive through a few more challenges as well. The most obvious obstacle for Plasma will be a late-season design/makeover challenge, but if she can survive that, pencil her in for the finale.
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2. Q
Last Week: First
Track Record: Top, Top, Top, Bottom, Win, Top, Safe
Q continues to do well. While dancing seems to be her kryptonite, she's proven time and again that her runways and comedic abilities are strong enough to keep her out of danger. While her Amelia Earhart wasn't necessarily groundbreaking, she was up against stiff competition this season in the Snatch Game and being called out as safe is no knock on her record.
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1. Plane Jane
Last Week: Third
Track Record: Win, Safe, Top, Safe, Top, Safe, Win
Becoming the second queen with two individual wins, Plane Jane has proven herself time and again that she's a force to be reckoned with and that her humor is exactly what Ru is looking for. Winning the season's most iconic challenge with a Serbian pop star impression doesn't hurt either. With the immunity potion at her disposal and without a single misstep in the competition so far, Plane Jane is as close to a lock as you can be for the finals. She will be competing for the crown and seems pretty darn likely to take it home.
Next, Everything You Need to Know About RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16
