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With the massive success of the Netflix series Wednesday, the latest episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race decided to offer its own take on the gothic teenager’s iconic look with another design challenge.
On Friday’s episode (aired March 1), the remaining queens were provided with black fabric and little else, as they attempted to try their hands — or more accurately, their sewing machines — at making neo-goth couture garments.

Proving herself yet again to be this season’s queen of fashion, Q managed to make a massive coat-dress that immediately impressed the judges, earning the star her second win of the season. Meanwhile, the judges told Plasma that her fashion needed a transfusion, whule Mhi’ya Iman LePaige couldn’t flip her way out of a third bottom placement.

Lip synching to a sped-up, TikTok-inspired version of Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary,” the bottom two gave their best renditions of Wednesday Addams’ disaffected dancing. But in the end, the Queen of Flips managed to pull out another transformative performance, sending Plasma packing.

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Below, Billboard chats with Plasma about the difficulties of a design challenge, why she doesn’t think fellow contestant Dawn “sabotaged” her, and how Drag Race is changing Broadway for the better.

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What, to you, has been the most surprising thing about the last couple months of fans getting to see you on the show?

Oh, that people don’t think I’m an absolute flop! I’m serious! The way in which I have been received as the most irritating queen — someone posted a TikTok that said, “Plasma is like if Miss Cracker snorted Jan.” First, I was like, “Ouch.” And then second, it was like, “Wow, what an amazing compliment.” I feel like I’ve been embraced in this warm, self-referential hug from the fandom, and I do really feel fabulous.

I have to say, my personal favorite of those kinds of funny reads was when Megami posted what she would’ve said in the reading challenge, and she said, “Plasma is known for her BFA — Being F–king Annoying.”

Girl! [Laughs.] I mean, “Being F–king Annoying” was brilliant and we were denied an opportunity to see her read me for filth on television. But it’s all good, Xunami really took the cake with that Jan. 6th read. Now, just to clear the air, since that challenge I’ve had a couple of people genuinely ask me where I was on Jan. 6th — I was at home in Texas, watching in shock and despair like we all were. It was definitely red territory, but not as red as a damn insurrection. Anyways, Xunami really ate me up with that one.

There’s been some comparison between you and Abbott Elementary star Chris Perfetti, who has since commented on the comparisons and said how complimented he feels by association. What was that like, seeing him respond that way?

I believe in the power of manifestation, and with those memes, I had been manifesting an opportunity to get in touch with Chris Perfetti and with the Abbott Elementary team. Like, for months, I have been manifesting this idea that I look so much like the gay teacher on Abbott, and I would love any opportunity to perform or to act with these people I respect in pop culture! I had this wild idea of me getting on the show for an episode and playing his brother, and maybe it’s a Drag Queen Story Hour storyline with the school, or some kind of narrative that isn’t so like, “Look at me, I’m a Drag Race girl doing a cameo on a show!” No, I want to be able to go on as a character under Quinta [Brunson]’s vision, that’s the dream. 

So, when he actually spoke about it and said he loved me and gave this very humbling compliment, I fell out. Like, that is the impact of Drag Race! It meant literally the entire world to me, and I would be so thrilled to work with him someday. He seems like an absolute gem. 

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The Drag Race impact is certainly having a much bigger effect lately — I mean this year alone, we have two former girls from the show, Jinkx Monsoon and Marcia Marcia Marcia, set to perform in blockbuster shows on Broadway. What does that tell you about how Drag Race, or maybe even the theater industry itself, is changing culture?

It’s terribly exciting, we love to see all of this happening. But I’m actually really glad you brought up both Jinkx and Marcia. Because Jinkx of course is a superstar, a legend. But Marcia is also making her debut in a queer-focused role, not a drag-focused role — and that’s important, because it tells me that the show is now reaching a mainstream capacity for understanding a queer experience that doesn’t necessarily hinge on drag. That’s incredible, because there’s so much more to the drag experience than putting on your wig and costume and going out and doing your three-and-a-half-minute Barbra Streisand ballad, in my case. It’s cool to see Broadway also starting to reflect a more human experience in queerness. 

So yeah, I’m very excited about that direction, especially for Broadway today, because it feels like for every Cabaret and Chicago we get, we’re also getting stuff like A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical. Or, as I joked as Patti LuPone on my Reels, “What the hell do we need a Jimmy Buffet musical for?” And all love and respect to the performers in the companies of those shows, a gig is a gig and I respect the hustle! Patti also said “Broadway is an amusement park right now,” and when I see people like Marcia getting Cabaret, or I see Jinkx starting in Chicago, and the going to Little Shop of Horrors, and playing Carnegie Hall, or even Peppermint starring in Head Over Heels on Broadway [in 2018] … it just feels like we’re heading the right way, thanks to all of these girls using the platform to change the narrative on Broadway and in entertainment. 

Well, we should at least talk a little bit about the show. I was a little gagged when they announced a third design challenge at the top of this episode. I appreciated in Untucked when you said that sewing is a fundamental part of drag that you also just don’t like. What is it about designing garments that doesn’t speak to you?

What is it that Violet Chachki quote? “If you call yourself a designer but you can’t sew, you are a fashion secretary.” And girl, I am the proudest fashion secretary out there! I have what I think is really great taste, and a good eye for design — I just do not necessarily have the technique or the background in sewing and creation to make it happen for myself. That said, I have an immense appreciation for everyone who sews.

Now I’m going to get on my soapbox — because on the show, people say, “She’s not a seamstress, so she doesn’t have the talent.” But my perspective is, I actually can sew, and if I had time, I would love to be a seamstress. However, the Drag Race industry waits for no one, so if you’re not coming in with an expert capability to sew and an expert knowledge of the sewing machine, how the hell are you going to make an impressive garment in 16 hours, like we’re being asked to on Drag Race? Like, I’m good at crafting, but crafting and sewing are two households, both alike in dignity, you know? I am proud and thrilled to get to stand alongside fashion girls like Q and Nymphia and Dawn, who killed this challenge. 

Speaking of Dawn, there were some insinuations from the judges about Dawn “sabotaging” you by saying that you should try a different silhouette in this challenge, and you were quick to say that you did not feel that way in Untucked. Where are you at with that today?

Look, for the people who are going to try and claim that she “sabotaged” me, I still do not feel that happened. She just gave me an idea that I ran with. I am not a seamstress, I chose to do something that was different from what I’d done. If I wanted to wear a floor-length trumpet gown, I f–king would have, because I won a challenge in one of those two weeks ago.

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Before we run out of time, I wanted to know, what music have you been listening to lately?

I’m still blasting Jessie Ware’s “Free Yourself” album [That! Feels Good!], I just cannot get enough. My dream collaboration would be recording a jazz cover with Jessie Ware. 

Start warming up your voice with a quick “Do-Re-Mi,” because this week’s epsiode of RuPaul’s Drag Race is bound to be one of your “Favorite Things” — a Rusical challenge!
In an exclusive first look shared with Billboard on Thursday (Feb. 15), the queens of season 16 are gearing up to perform in their very own parody show, The Sound of Rusic. Based around the 1959 Rogers & Hammerstein musical (and its iconic 1964 film adaptation starring Julie Andrews), the annual Rusical immediately begins stirring up tensions between the queens in the new clip.

Tasked by RuPaul to cast themselves in the production, Plasma and Morphine Love Dion both reveal to the audience that they intend to play the lead role of Mariah. “It’s, like, the reason the show has a heartbeat,” Plasma says in her confessional. Morphine quickly jumps in to add that she’s not giving up the part without a fight: “I’m just tired of being safe, so I know from the get-go, ‘B–ch, I need a leading role.’”

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But before we get to see their inevitable confrontation over the lead role, two other queens — Q and Megami — begin squabbling over the part of the “Baroness Braun,” described by Xunami Muse as the show’s villain. As both queens refuse to back down from their first choice, Plane Jane finally breaks the tension by calling for a high-stakes game of rock, paper, scissors for the role. In one round, Q covers Megami’s rock with her paper, earning the nefarious part for herself.

Speaking to Billboard last year, Drag Race executive producer Tom Campbell said that the beloved challenge format was originally intended to be “a one and done challenge” for the queens of season 6, before the producers recognized how fruitful an annual Rusical could be. “This challenge, and Drag Race itself, is like a healthy tree that grew through a crack in the sidewalk — it doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t fit the algorithm, but it touches people’s hearts and and that’s what’s important.”

Episode seven of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 premieres Friday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on MTV. Watch the exclusive teaser clip above.

Queens on RuPaul’s Drag Race “Wannabe” in the top every week — and with the latest episode’s girl group challenge, the contestants had to prove they were “Worth It,” begging the host not to “Say My Name.”
Friday’s episode (Feb. 2) saw the 12 remaining drag stars tasked with writing, recording, choreographing and performing in their own versions of songs off RuPaul’s Black Butta as a series of girl groups. Testing their teamwork and their ability to stand out amongst a crowd, the challenge forced the girls to flex multiple performance muscles at once in order to earn another week in the competition.

With a show-stopping rendition of “A.S.M.R. Lover,” the queens of Thicc and Stick — Mhi’ya Iman LePaige, Geneva Karr, Megami and Nymphia Wind — dominated the challenge and earned themselves a four-way win for the week. As for the bottom two, Ru selected Q, whose dancing left something to be desired, and Amanda Tori Meating, whose pussycat wig runway look fell short in the judges’ estimations.

Lip synching to guest judges Icona Pop’s “Emergency,” Q and Amanda pulled out all of the stops — dancing, emoting and selling every beat of the song to convince Ru that they deserved a second chance. Ultimately, Ru wanted to hear some more A’s from Q, granting her another week in the competition, and determined that Amanda Tori Meating could’ve just been an email, sending her home.

Below, Billboard chats with Amanda about her time on the show, coming out as trans, becoming a meme and why she’s ready for her feud with fellow contestant Plane Jane to end.

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How are you doing after watching your run on Drag Race?

You know, to quote my sister Dawn, I feel so p—y right now!

Love to hear it. Before we get into the episode, I wanted to say I’m so happy for you after talking about your transition this week! How are you feeling after putting that out into the world? 

Thank you! Yeah, it’s been a mix — it’s a very personal part of my identity that I have been not necessarily sure of, until coming back from filming Drag Race. That was when I really said, “Oh, I’m trans.” To be on the show and not have a full understanding and acceptance of that, and then gaining that after filming was crazy; I felt like the Amanda that people were seeing on TV was … they were making assumptions about who that is, and what my pronouns are out of drag, so it just felt very nice to just kind of clear it up. The interactions I’ve been having with fans since then, whether it’s online or IRL, it’s just felt a lot more genuine and complete. People can just sort of see me a bit more fully. 

I also wanted to talk a bit about the look heard around the world from the premiere episode — I love that you have leaned as hard as you have into meme-ing yourself. 

Well, you know what, baby? I was like, “If people are going to clown me for this purple face, then I’d better make some money off of it so I can pay for FFS!” 

Period! What’s it been like to watch your face become a meme in real time?

You know, it was something I was kind of expecting after the day on set, and I think I was really dreading to see how it actually looked on camera. All I had were my memories on set, which can get very foggy over the months. But I ended up beating myself up about the whole purple alien situation, and I was expecting it to be so much worse. By the time I actually saw the runway, I was like, “Oh … it’s not good, but it’s not that bad!” At that point, I was like, “People can have their fun and make their jokes — I’m gonna make my coin with this.” 

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Throughout this episode, things get pretty heated between you and your “affiliate,” as you called her, Plane Jane. I appreciate that you have kept it 100% real with how you’ve been feeling about it online, because sometimes the on-screen fights spill over into real life. Where are you at with the Plane drama today?

I went into this, before we left for filming, by saying that all I could do was be honest. All I know how to really do is say exactly how I feel. So I said, “If I can do that, I’ll probably be fine.” Plane and I did not really communicate much after filming, to be honest. Through the rest of the summer and the fall, the extent of our relationship was pretty much what you saw on camera. Then, in more recent weeks, we’ve been in talks, we’ve been in negotiations, we’ve been in custody battles offline.

We had a rocky moment with each other in our texts, about two weeks ago. But I do think, after that, we were able to have a dialogue where we were discussing our feelings in an open, honest, genuine way, and not trying to play anything up for cameras that weren’t there. 

I also think that the fan base needs to normalize queens on the show being co-workers, not necessarily friends. You don’t have to be friends with everyone!

Yes! It’s interesting because there has been so much discourse around our relationship. There are a lot of fans who think they can just jump online and send a bunch of random hate to people, which is not OK. The response from the girls to a lot of that is usually, “We’re all friends! We all love each other!” And I was sitting in my trailer, reading those tweets going, “Well … I don’t know that we’re all friends!” But, just because we’re not necessarily “friends” doesn’t mean we can’t be co-workers who respect each other.

So, in terms of the relationship with Plane, that’s where she and I have arrived — we might not be “friends” at the moment, though I don’t think either of us has written that off. But, we can be cordial and respectful and mature adults in the workplace, and I’m grateful for that.

I’ll be honest, I have a bone to pick with the judges in this episode, because I loved your robin’s nest look. It was conceptual, the message came across, and it fit the theme —  what were you thinking when you were receiving those critiques on the runway?

Can I be honest? 

Please be honest. 

I was standing there on that stage thinking, “Are they blind? Are they looking at what I’m looking at? This is camp, this is concept, this is cool!” I didn’t necessarily feel very pretty in it, but I thought it was cool! Yeah, I did not agree with them on the critiques. But here we are!

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Before I have to let you go, we’re asking all the girls this season — what music, other than “My Kitty,” have you been listening to in recent weeks?

Well, “My Kitty” is available on Spotify and Apple Music [Laughs]. To be honest, I’m still hooked on Renaissance, I cannot and will not let it go. Because of Drag Race I had to miss the concert this summer, which was one of the devastating losses of my life. I’d give it all back! Take me off the season and put me on season 17 just so I can go see the Renaissance Tour! Every single time I get in drag, I have the album on repeat, and it’s gotten to the point where instead of checking what time it is, I can tell how long it’s been by hearing what song we’re at on the album. 

Okay, but importantly, is there any particular song on the album that you find yourself gravitating toward?

“Church Girl.” Now, I love Beyoncé because she’s an album artist, and you know she’s going to give you a body of work that should be listened to in full. Every song on that album is a banger. But there is something about “Church Girl” that just moves my spirit — when I listen to it, I’m crying, and then I am throwing my a–. 

After three episodes filled with about five thousand new twists, RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 finally sent its first queen packing.
On Friday’s episode (Jan. 19), the now-united cast of 14 queens were tasked with throwing The Mother of All Balls on the main stage. Cycling through three looks on the runway, the contestants showed off their best Mother Goose looks (themed after nursery rhymes) and their best Significant Mother (themed after famous moms), before finally revealing their Call Me Mother/Father Eleganza, which they crafted one day prior in the work room out of nothing but menswear.

But of course, in this season of twists, Ru couldn’t just let the girls off that easily — the hostess revealed that the girls would be using the show’s newly-introduced Rate-A-Queen system one last time to determine the week’s tops and bottoms. After 14 rounds of voting from the contestants and classic judges’ critiques, Nymphia Wind was crowned the winner for her inspired look using men’s ties.

The news was not so good for Geneva Karr and Hershii LiqCour-Jeté, who wound up in the bottom for their lackluster looks. Performing in a high-energy, all-out lip sync to Ava Max’s “Maybe You’re the Problem,” both queens gave it their all, but only Geneva was permitted to stay.

Below, Billboard catches up with Hershii about performing in the ball challenge, speaking about being a queer parent on national television, and why she felt that the Rate-A-Queen system lended itself to “more shade than fairness.”

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You made it to Drag Race, queen! How are you feeling after watching your run on the show?

I don’t feel bad at all — I genuinely feel like I gave it all I could, and I did the best that I could, and I did not quit at any point. I feel like nobody wants to be the Porkchop, but the best I could do is what I gave. I’m pleased!

I wanted to say, before we get into the episode, that it was so cool to see you talking about being a parent and how that affects your view on anti-LGBTQ legislation trying to limit children’s interactions with queerness. How have you been dealing with the ongoing release of these bills?

Honestly, I’m queer, so it’s not anything new with everything that’s going on. This has been happening. I do my best to actually try to not focus on it too much, because when I dwell on that stuff, it makes me sad and I don’t want to put that on my children.

I want them to have the most normal life that they could possibly have — whatever you consider “normal” being. They remind me every day that this normal is just fine for them, too; they don’t look at me as a queer person, they don’t look at me as a drag queen, all they see is Baba. They wanna make sure they get their cereal in the morning and their hugs at night. They are my focus; when it comes to everything else, I do my part in the voting booth, and I do my part being as visible as I possibly can. I mean, even just being a parent who is also a drag queen, even just being visible is political for me. 

Did your kids get to watch you on the show? 

So, they’ve seen it, but I don’t think they realize that it’s actually on TV. As far as they know, that’s just me at work!

Let’s get into the work, then! This season, we were introduced to the new Rate-A-Queen system — what did you think of this twist when it was first introduced to you on the show?

Oh, I hated it! [Laughs.] I did not like it at all! I just knew that, to an extent, it was going to mess up some chances for me. I knew that people were either going to play the game and be shady, or they were going to be fair — and there was going to be a lot more shade than fairness! I feel like I could’ve potentially gone further had a few of the girls played it a little more on the fair side. 

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What did you make of Plane Jane’s “best are bottoms, worst are tops” tactics she used in your premiere episode?

Girl, I saw her wheels turning in the work room! I don’t know if the other girls caught it, but the second she said, “I’m going to make sure I play fair,” I gave her a look, like, “Yeah, sure you will, girl.” She turned out being exactly the girl I knew she was. But, that’s part of the game! The fandom wants TV, they want some mess, they want somebody to come in and shake things up — Plane Jane is your girl! 

If you had the opportunity to go back, do you think you would’ve done your Rate-A-Queen picks differently?

Absolutely! I went in there trying to be all integral and nice to everybody and fair — no, if I could go back, I would mess everybody’s placement up. [Laughs.]

It’s episode three, and we’re already at the ball challenge, which is easily one of the hardest challenges on the show. What was your immediate reaction when you found out the ball was happening this early in the show?

I love the ball challenge, because it’s the one challenge where you really get to show the most of yourself and your style on the runway, so I actually really like that they put it this early. My problem was with the design element — I can use a machine, but if you’re asking me to be a Q or a Sapphira or a Nymphia, I’m not that girl! 

Completely, and I feel like we always have the same discourse around the ball challenges, where people are shocked that some girls can’t sew. Where do you fall on that debate — do girls need to know how to sew when they go on Drag Race?

Oh, interesting. I don’t think it’s about knowing how to sew, because being a designer is a different type of talent. Everyone can know how to sew or not; I didn’t have to ask for any help with the machines, I didn’t need any glue guns, I could put an outfit together. But I’m not a designer, I cannot see fashion in that way. My drag is heavy on the performance side. It’s about being able to design, not being able to sew — like, when I saw what Q had wrapped around her neck, my jaw dropped. 

Sadly, you wound up in the bottom this week, lip synching to Ava Max’s “Maybe You’re the Problem” against Geneva Karr, and I was obsessed with the unhinged, church-lady energy you brought to this lip sync. What was your strategy going into that performance?

To be completely honest with you, I already felt like everybody had decided that I was going home. There was no need to ask Sapphira or Jane for immunity, because nobody was coming to save me. Plus, if you know me, you know that Ava Max is so far outside my wheelhouse — I love her as an artist, but that is not my wheelhouse. My thought process was, “If I’m leaving, I’m going to have the best time of my life on that stage.” So, the second the music hit, and that one camera swung in front of me, that was all I needed. I was just living my life on that stage. 

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Well, before we let you go, I wanted to ask — is there any music you’ve been obsessing over lately?

Actually, yes there is! I just ran into this artist, his name is Dre Scot, and he is so good. I cannot listen to club music in my downtime, I need some relaxing, good vibe music, and Dre Scot’s voice is so relaxing, I love him. Oh, and Victoria Monét! Both of them are on constant repeat in the Hershii household.