RuPaul's Drag Race season 18
| RuPaul's Drag Race | |
|---|---|
| Season 18 | |
Promotional poster for season eighteen | |
| Hosted by | RuPaul |
| Judges | |
| No. of contestants | 14 |
| Companion show | Untucked! |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Release | |
| Original network | MTV |
| Original release | January 2, 2026 – present |
| Season chronology | |
The eighteenth season of the American television series RuPaul's Drag Race premiered on MTV on January 2, 2026.[1]
Development
On August 20, 2024, MTV announced the series renewal for Season 18 along with its companion series RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked.[2] Casting for the eighteenth season began on September 30, 2024 with a deadline of December 6, 2024.[3]
Marketing
Season 17 winner Onya Nurve presented the contestants through the series official YouTube channel on December 2, 2025.[1] The promo theme was "Let There Be Light," with the contestants wearing ethereal and flowy looks, and the corresponding marketing being radiant and glowy.[4] An official trailer was released on December 9, 2025, which featured the contestants and the season's celebrity guest judges.[5]
Contestants
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darlene Mitchell | 34 | Los Angeles, California | TBA |
| Discord Addams | 34 | St. Petersburg, Florida | |
| Jane Don't | 32 | Seattle, Washington | |
| Juicy Love Dion | 24 | Miami, Florida | |
| Kenya Pleaser | 27 | Sumter, South Carolina | |
| Myki Meeks | 29 | Orlando, Florida | |
| Nini Coco | 29 | Denver, Colorado | |
| Athena Dion | 37 | Miami, Florida | 8th place |
| Mia Starr | 39 | West Palm Beach, Florida | 9th place |
| Vita VonTesse Starr | 37 | Montgomery, Alabama | 10th place |
| Ciara Myst | 31 | Indianapolis, Indiana | 11th place |
| Briar Blush | 25 | Boston, Massachusetts | 12th place |
| Mandy Mango | 28 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 13th place |
| DD Fuego | 36 | New York City, New York | 14th place |
Contestant progress
Legend:
| Contestant | Episode | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1[7][b] | 2[8] | 3[9] | 4[10] | 5[11] | 6[12] | 7[13] | 8[14] | 9[15] | 10[16] | 11 | ||||||
| Darlene Mitchell | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | Guest | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | TBA | |||||
| Discord Addams | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | Guest | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | ||||||
| Jane Don't | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | Guest | TOP2 | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | WIN | ||||||
| Juicy Love Dion | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | WIN | Guest | BTM | SAFE | BTM | SAFE | ||||||
| Kenya Pleaser | BTM | SAFE | SAFE | BTM | Guest | SAFE | SAFE | BTM | SAFE | TOP2 | ||||||
| Myki Meeks | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | Guest | BTM | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | ||||||
| Nini Coco | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | Guest | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | ||||||
| Athena Dion | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | Guest | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | |||||||
| Mia Starr | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | Guest | SAFE | ELIM | ||||||||
| Vita VonTesse Starr | TOP2 | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | Guest | ELIM | |||||||||
| Ciara Myst | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | BTM | ELIM | ||||||||||
| Briar Blush | SAFE | SAFE | BTM | ELIM | ||||||||||||
| Mandy Mango | BTM | BTM | ELIM | |||||||||||||
| DD Fuego | SAFE | ELIM | ||||||||||||||
- Notes
Lip syncs
Legend:
| Episode | Top contestants | Song | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1[7] | Nini Coco | vs. | Vita VonTesse Starr | "Enough (Miami)" (Cardi B) |
Nini Coco |
| Episode | Bottom contestants | Song | Eliminated | ||
| 2[8] | DD Fuego | vs. | Mandy Mango | "Too Much" (Dove Cameron) |
DD Fuego |
| 3[9] | Briar Blush | vs. | Mandy Mango | "Love in Real Life" (Lizzo) |
Mandy Mango |
| 4[10] | Briar Blush | vs. | Kenya Pleaser | "Lights Camera Action" (Kylie Minogue) |
Briar Blush |
| Episode | Top contestants | Song | Winner | ||
| 5[11] | Juicy Love Dion | vs. | Mia Starr | "Pretty Ugly" (Zara Larsson) |
Juicy Love Dion |
| Mia Starr | |||||
| 6[12] | Athena Dion | vs. | Jane Don't | "Jerkin'" (Amyl and the Sniffers) |
Athena Dion |
| Bottom contestants | Song | Eliminated | |||
| Ciara Myst | vs. | Myki Meeks | "Toxic" (Britney Spears) |
Ciara Myst | |
| 7[13] | Juicy Love Dion | vs. | Vita VonTesse Starr | "Houdini" (Dua Lipa) |
Vita VonTesse Starr |
| 8[14] | Kenya Pleaser | vs. | Mia Starr | "Head Over Heels" (The Go-Go's) |
Mia Starr |
| 9[15] | Athena Dion | vs. | Juicy Love Dion | "Call Me When You Break Up" (Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco, Gracie Abrams) |
Athena Dion |
| Episode | Top contestants | Song | Winner | ||
| 10[16] | Jane Don’t | vs. | Kenya Pleaser | "Feels Like Another One" (Patti LaBelle) |
Jane Don’t |
Guest judges
RuPaul and Michelle Visage remained as the regular judges, with Carson Kressley, Law Roach, Ts Madison, and Ross Mathews reappearing as alternating judges. Various celebrity guest judges set to appear were revealed on December 9, 2025.[17] Starring celebrity guest judges are listed below in order of episode appearance.[18]
- Cardi B, rapper[19]
- Dove Cameron, singer and actress
- Sarah Sherman, comedian and actress
- Annaleigh Ashford, actress, singer and dancer
- Zara Larsson, singer and songwriter
- Amy Taylor, musician and activist
- Leland, singer and songwriter
- Jamal Sims, choreographer and director
- Brooke Shields, actress
- Benny Blanco, record producer
- Iman, model and actress
- Atsuko Okatsuka, stand-up comedian
- Teyana Taylor, singer and actress
- Danielle Pinnock, actress, comedian and writer
- Julianne Nicholson, actress
Special guests
Special guests who appeared in episodes, but did not judge on the main stage.
- Episode 1
- Bob The Drag Queen, winner of season 8
- Kim Chi, contestant on season 8
- Raja, winner of season 3, and contestant on All Stars season 7
- Jamal Sims, choreographer and director
- Erika La'Pearl, celebrity make-up artist
- Tokyo Stylez, celebrity hairstylist and wigmaker
- Episode 2
- David Benjamin Steinberg, songwriter and music producer
- Episode 8
- Zane Phillips, actor
- Froy Gutierrez, actor
- Chris Renfro, actor
- Episode 9
- Gabe Lopez, singer/songwriter and producer
- Carlos Basquiat, dancer and choreographer
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 239 | 1 | "You Can't Keep a Good Drag Queen Down!" | January 2, 2026 | |
|
Fourteen new queens enter the workroom. For the first mini-challenge, the queens act as a scream queen along with masked dancers. Kenya Pleaser wins the mini-challenge. For the main challenge, the queens design and create outfits using leftover materials from previous seasons. On the runway, category is Reclaim, Renew, Rejoice. Jane Don't, Nini Coco, and Vita VonTesse Starr receive positive critiques. Juicy Love Dion, Kenya Pleaser, and Mandy Mango receive negative critiques. It is then announced that Kenya Pleaser and Mandy Mango are the bottom queens of the week, and that there will be no elimination, and instead, Nini Coco and Vita VonTesse Starr are the top two queens of the week and will lip-sync for the win. Nini Coco and Vita VonTesse Starr lip-synced to "Enough (Miami)" by Cardi B. After the lip-sync, Nini Coco is announced as the winner of the challenge.
| ||||
| 240 | 2 | "Q-Pop Girl Groups" | January 9, 2026 | |
|
For this week's main challenge, the queens write, record, and perform verses as 70's and 80's girl groups.
On the runway, category is Your Neck, Your Back, Your Pussy, and Your Crack. Mia Starr and Jane Don't receive positive critiques, with Jane Don't winning the challenge. Team Studio 50-Whores is the losing team. Athena Dion, DD Fuego, Darlene Mitchell, and Mandy Mango receive negative critiques, with Athena Dion and Darlene Mitchell being safe. DD Fuego and Mandy Mango lip-sync to "Too Much" by Dove Cameron. Mandy Mango wins the lip-sync and DD Fuego is the first queen to sashay away.
| ||||
| 241 | 3 | "RDR Live Returns!" | January 16, 2026 | |
|
For this week's main challenge, the queens perform in a sketch comedy of RDR Live.
On the runway, category is Animal Attraction. Darlene Mitchell, Jane Don't and Juicy Love Dion receive positive critiques, with Juicy Love Dion winning the challenge. Briar Blush, Mandy Mango and Vita VonTesse Starr receive negative critiques with Vita VonTesse Starr being declared safe. Briar Blush and Mandy Mango lipsync to "Love in Real Life" by Lizzo. Briar Blush wins the lipsync and Mandy Mango sashays away.
| ||||
| 242 | 4 | "Red Carpet Mash Up" | January 23, 2026 | |
|
For this week's main challenge the queens must create show-stopping looks inspired by a mash-up of two different legendary red carpet looks. The queens have to partner up with their best friend in the competition, to be compared for their looks later by the judges. The mash-up's and pairings are:
On the runway, category is Red Carpet Mashups. Athena Dion, Ciara Myst, Jane Don't, Juicy Love Dion, Nini Coco and Vita VonTesse Starr all win each of their battles. Ciara Myst, Jane Don't and Vita VonTesse Starr receive extra positive critiques for their looks, with Vita VonTesse Starr winning the challenge. Briar Blush, Discord Addams, and Kenya Pleaser receive negative critiques with Discord Addams being declared safe. Briar Blush and Kenya Pleaser lipsync to "Lights Camera Action" by Kylie Minogue. Kenya Pleaser wins the lipsync and Briar Blush sashays away.
| ||||
| 243 | 5 | "The Rate-A-Queen Talent Show, Part 1" | January 30, 2026 | |
|
For this week's main challenge the queens split up into two groups, with six of them performing in the Rate-A-Queen Talent Show.
On the runway category is Not Today, Satin. The queens who didn't perform in this episode rank the performances using Rate-A-Queen. It is then announced that Juicy Love Dion and Mia Starr are the top two queens of the week and will lipsync for the win. The other group of queens ranked Ciara Myst the lowest, meaning that she will lipsync for her life next episode. Juicy Love Dion and Mia Starr lipsync to "Pretty Ugly" by Zara Larsson. After an outstanding lip sync RuPaul declares that it's a tie, with both Juicy Love Dion and Mia Starr winning the challenge.
| ||||
| 244 | 6 | "The Rate-A-Queen Talent Show, Part 2" | February 6, 2026 | |
|
For this week's main challenge the remaining five queens perform a Talent in the Rate-A-Queen Talent Show Part 2.
On the runway category is Shake, Shake, Shake. The queens who didn't perform in this episode rank the performances using Rate-A-Queen. It is then announced that Athena Dion and Jane Don't are the top two queens of the week. They lipsync for the win to "Jerkin'" by Amyl and the Sniffers. Athena Dion wins the lipsync and thus the challenge. Myki Meeks was ranked the lowest by the other queens, meaning that she will lipsync for her life against the bottom queen from the week before, Ciara Myst. Ciara Myst and Myki Meeks lipsync to "Toxic" by Britney Spears. Myki Meeks wins the lipsync and Ciara Myst sashays away.
| ||||
| 245 | 7 | "Drag Queens for Change" | February 13, 2026 | |
|
For this week's main challenge the queens create twisted parodies of political ads by taking a stand on political propositions. They are divided into pairs, with one queen arguing in support of the proposition, and the other arguing against it.
On the runway category is I Can See Right Through Ha. Darlene Mitchell, Jane Don't and Myki Meeks receive positive critiques, with Myki Meeks winning the challenge. Juicy Love Dion, Mia Starr and Vita VonTesse Starr receive negative critiques, with Mia Starr being declared safe. Juicy Love Dion and Vita VonTesse Starr lipsync to "Houdini" by Dua Lipa. Juicy Love Dion wins the lipsync and Vita VonTesse Starr sashays away.
| ||||
| 246 | 8 | "Snatch Game of Love: Island Edition" | February 20, 2026 | |
|
For this week's main challenge the queens play a special version of the Snatch Game, the "Snatch Game of Love Island". The cast consisted of:
On the runway category is 80s Ladies, with each queen taking inspiration from a 80s icon. Jane Don't, Myki Meeks and Nini Coco receive positive critiques with Nini Coco winning the challenge. Juicy Love Dion, Kenya Pleaser and Mia Starr receive negative critiques with Juicy Love Dion being declared safe. Kenya Pleaser and Mia Starr lipsync to "Head Over Heels" by The Go-Go's. Kenya Pleaser wins the lipsync and Mia Starr sashays away.
| ||||
| 247 | 9 | "Fannie: The Hard Knock Ball Rusical" | February 27, 2026 | |
|
For this week's mini challenge the queens play the game "Grindr, I Hardly Know Her". Discord Addams and Kenya Pleaser win the mini challenge. For this week's main challenge the queens perform in "Fannie: The Hard Knock Ball Rusical".
On the runway, category is Beige Against The Machine. Jane Don't, Kenya Pleaser and Myki Meeks receive positive critiques with Jane Don't winning the challenge. Athena Dion and Juicy Love Dion receive negative critiques with both of them being up for elimination. Athena Dion and Juicy Love Dion lipsync to "Call Me When You Break Up" by Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco and Gracie Abrams. Juicy Love Dion wins the lipsync and Athena Dion sashays away.
| ||||
| 248 | 10 | "Drag In A Bag" | March 6, 2026 | |
|
For this week's mini challenge, the queens read each other to filth. Myki Meeks wins the mini challenge. For this week's main challenge, the queens must design a "scrappy" party dress using materials found in suitcases belonging to the previously eliminated contestants.
On the runway, category is Party. All the queens are receiving widely positive critiques from the judges. Jane Don't and Kenya Pleaser are announced as the top two queens of the week, with all the other queens being declared safe and no one being eliminated. Jane Don't and Kenya Pleaser lipsync to "Feels Like Another One" by Patti LaBelle. Jane Don't wins the lipsync and thus the challenge.
| ||||
| 249 | 11 | "A Toast to Alyssa Edwards" | March 13, 2026 | |
Ratings
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "You Can't Keep a Good Drag Queen Down!" | January 2, 2026 | 0.22 | 0.697 | [20][21] |
| 2 | "Q-Pop Girl Groups" | January 9, 2026 | 0.14 | 0.356 | [22][21] |
| 3 | "RDR Live Returns!" | January 16, 2026 | 0.16 | 0.573 | [23][21] |
| 4 | "Red Carpet Mash Up" | January 23, 2026 | 0.18 | 0.656 | [24][21] |
| 5 | "The Rate-A-Queen Talent Show, Part 1" | January 30, 2026 | 0.17 | 0.699 | [25][21] |
| 6 | "The Rate-A-Queen Talent Show, Part 2" | February 6, 2026 | 0.17 | 0.457 | [26][21] |
| 7 | "Drag Queens for Chang" | February 13, 2025 | 0.13 | 0.434 | [27][21] |
| 8 | "Snatch Game of Love: Island Edition" | February 20, 2025 | 0.20 | 0.533 | [28][21] |
| 9 | "Fannie: The Hard Knock Ball Rusical" | February 27, 2025 | 0.19 | 0.493 | [29][21] |
| 10 | "Drag In A Bag" | March 6, 2025 | 0.19 | 0.449 | [30][21] |
Footnotes
References
- ^ a b Tangcay, Jazz (December 2, 2025). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Reveals 14 New Queens for Season 18". Variety. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
- ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race Renewed For Season 18 At MTV & Paramount+ Picks Up RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars For Season 11". IMDb. August 20, 2025.
- ^ "Calling all queens! Casting for #DragRace Season 18 beings TODAY". Facebook. September 30, 2024.
- ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/DRxNVsEiXzd/?img_index=3
- ^ Rude, Mey. "RuPaul's Drag Race season 18 drops guest judges and trailer | Out.com". www.out.com. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey (December 4, 2024). ""RuPaul's Drag Race" season 18 cast of queens revealed — and they're 'out for blood'". Entertainment Weekly. Dotdash Meredith. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
- ^ a b "You Can't Keep a Good Drag Queen Down!". RuPaul's Drag Race. Season 18. Episode 1. January 2, 2026. MTV / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "Q-Pop Girl Groups". RuPaul's Drag Race. Season 18. Episode 2. January 9, 2026. MTV / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "RDR Live Returns!". RuPaul's Drag Race. Season 18. Episode 3. January 16, 2026. MTV / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "Red Carpet Mash-Ups". RuPaul's Drag Race. Season 18. Episode 4. January 23, 2026. MTV / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "The Rate-A-Queen Talent Show, Part 1". RuPaul's Drag Race. Season 18. Episode 5. January 30, 2026. MTV / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "The Rate-A-Queen Talent Show, Part 2". RuPaul's Drag Race. Season 18. Episode 6. February 6, 2026. MTV / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "Drag Queens for Change". RuPaul's Drag Race. Season 18. Episode 7. February 13, 2026. MTV / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "Snatch Game of Love: Island Edition". RuPaul's Drag Race. Season 18. Episode 8. February 20, 2026. MTV / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "Fannie: The Hard Knock Ball Rusical". RuPaul's Drag Race. Season 18. Episode 9. February 27, 2026. MTV / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ a b "Drag in a Bag". RuPaul's Drag Race. Season 18. Episode 10. March 6, 2026. MTV / WOW Presents Plus.
- ^ Rude, Mey (December 9, 2025). "RuPaul's Drag Race season 18 drops guest judges and trailer". Out. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
- ^ Tinoco, Armando (December 9, 2025). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 18 Judges Photos: Cardi B, Teyana Taylor, Benny Blanco & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
- ^ Hirst, Jordan (January 3, 2026). "Cardi B is one of the best Drag Race judges ever, producer says". QNews. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
- ^ Berman, Marc (January 6, 2026). "Friday Ratings: The Password is Lackluster". Programming Insider. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "RuPaul's Drag Race Ratings". USTVDB. February 27, 2026. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
- ^ Berman, Marc (January 13, 2026). "Friday Ratings: Under 9-Million Viewers for the 5 Broadcast Networks Combined". Programming Insider. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
- ^ Berman, Marc (January 21, 2026). "Friday Ratings: 'Happy's Place' on NBC Tops Scripted Series". Programming Insider. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
- ^ Berman, Marc (January 27, 2026). "Friday Scorecard: 'Happy's Place' on NBC Most-Watched; CBS in All Repeats". Programming Insider. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ Berman, Marc (February 3, 2026). "Friday Scorecard: Reba McEntire's Just Renewed 'Happy's Place' on NBC Tops Night in Viewers". Programming Insider. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ Berman, Marc (February 10, 2026). "Friday Ratings: NBC is Off and Running with the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony". Programming Insider. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ Berman, Marc (February 18, 2026). "Friday Scorecard: NBC and The Winter Olympics Reign Supreme". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
- ^ Berman, Marc (February 24, 2026). "Friday Ratings: NBC Winter Olympics Winning Streak Continues". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
- ^ Berman, Marc (March 3, 2026). "Friday Scorecard: CBS Dramas and College Basketball on Fox Share Modest Domiance". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
- ^ Berman, Marc (March 10, 2026). "Friday Ratings: 'Sheriff Country,' 'Fire Country' and 'Boston Blue' Lead CBS to Total Viewer Victory". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 12, 2026.