Premiered: February 28, 2020

On: VH1

Starring: RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews, Shawn Morales, Jason Carter, Bryce Eilenberg, Wilson Lai, Bruno Alcantara, Jesse Pattison, Jaida Essence Hall, Crystal Methyd, Gigi Goode, Sherry Pie, Jackie Cox, Heidi N Closet, Widow Von’Du, Jan, Brita, Aiden Zhane, Nicky Doll, Rock M. Sakura & Dahlia Sin

Guest Judges: Nicki Minaj, Robyn, Thandiwe Newton, Olivia Munn, Leslie Jones, Normani, Daniel Franzese, Jonathan Bennett, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Winnie Harlow, Chaka Khan, Jeff Goldblum, Rachel Bloom, Daisy Ridley, Whoopi Goldberg & Jamal Sims

Despite a pandemic that changed the end of the season and an edit that had to mostly remove one of the competitors, season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race still manages to be one of the strongest in herstory.

Starting with a split premiere and no eliminations until the third episode, this season was packed full of strong performances. The queens had iconic turns with their style and talent making even the earliest eliminated still memorable.

It’s interesting to watch with competitor Sherry Pie being eliminated disqualified before the premiere but making it through to the end. After her first episode, all her confessionals and some runways were removed.

Due to COVID-19, the reunion and finale both had to be filmed in a Zoom-like format, which changed the energy, but the queens were still fierce.

Final say: They will survive. ★★★★☆