All best memes and reactions from RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12 Episode 1

2 March 2020, 14:06

By Sophie Thompson

RuPaul's Drag Race season 12 has officially kicked off, and 13 queens are battling it out for a cash prize of $100,000, a year's supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics, and the title of America's Next Drag Superstar.

RuPaul's Drag Race is back for season 12, and one episode into meeting the fresh batch of queens (half of them anyway), and we're already dying at the meme gold that the show has produced.

In this episode, we got to meet seven of the thirteen that will be competing, including Brita, Nicky Doll, Widow Von'Du, Jackie Cox, Heidi N Closet, Gigi Goode, and Crystal Methyd and they all gave us arguably some of the best work room entrances we've ever seen.

In the first mini challenge of the run it's clear that this season already isn't going to be an easy ride, with the days of dragging up Lil Poundcake in 20 minutes over, and a Spring AND Fall runway fashion show in full motion - complete with fake KimYe, obvs.

READ MORE: QUIZ: Which RuPaul's Drag Race judge are you?

With Nicki Minaj as this week's guest judge, the queens are already freaking out about their first performance, especially since they're going to be introducing themselves on stage for a rap performance complete with choreography, before being judged individually on who was lip syncing for a $5,000 cash tip. While no one was going home, the top two queens in question pulled out all the stops, because lets face it, $5,000 is a lot of money - that's like...1,000 shots of tequila, or six months rent if you're more practical.

While we can't wait to meet the other half of the contestants next week, lets take a look back at a re-run of episode one, entirely in viral memes...

First, a light summary:

And if you haven't watched the first episode yet, it involves an Arabic One Direction tattoo (we're still confused, too), a trip to the emergency room the night before the runway, some serious mis-pronunciations, and an appearance from one of Hollywood's most famous couples...well, almost.

It's always in episode one...

On a serious note, fair play to Jackie Cox, who gave an insight into the difficulties of being both Iranian and a drag queen, and admitted that people from her country could be thrown in jail or even killed just for representing who they are.

Heidi N Closet has already created some dictionary-worthy phrases

Although the internet dubbed her the 'filler queen' before the show had even started, we've already fallen head-over-heels for Southern AF queen, Heidi N Closet, and she's brought a whole host of her own phrases to centre stage already.* She's making the Drag Race UK lingo look basic.

*By her own phrases, we just mean mispronunciations of words you definitely use every day.

And the first French queen is here to teach YOU a lesson about speaking English

Nicky Doll did not come to play with producers who couldn't understand her accent.

Based off one mini challenge, the world is already obsessed with Gigi Goode's outfits

The tea is that her Mum actually makes most of her outfits, and Gigi refers to her as both her 'real Mum and her drag Mum' as she's works in theatre costume. AWWWW. Seriously though, this is so chic and that runway challenge has set the bar exceptionally high.

Remember Kimye? It turns out we knew them all along

Are they or aren't they? Was the question everyone was asking as the queens took to the runway to present their Spring/Fall looks and they were joined by two very familiar faces in the form of Kim and Kanye. Almost. It turns out that under the long black wig and facial hair were two queens we already know very well - Mayhem Miller and Kimora Blac. You almost had us there.

And back in the work room, some of the queens are already turning heads out of drag

Nicky Doll has already decided she fancies both Crystal AND Jackie Cox (it's only episode one, lordT), and boy-Jackie seems to be getting a lot of attention for his oh-so-handsome face.

Love aside, there's of course already drama brewing

When learning the dance for the main challenge, Widow was appointed head choreographer, but no one really had any interest in listening to her. *Does the human centipede*

First main stage runway complete - and we've already found an iconic duo

Fans were quick to point out that backstage, Crystal and Nicky Doll sat next to each other in their sparkle runway outfits looked remarkably like the angel and the devil. We are praying there's an on-screen romance incoming off the back of this- Move out the way, Sharon and Alaska.

Nicki Minaj came for Michelle Visage's job

As first (and arguably the best) guest judge of the season, rapper Nicki Minaj had a lot to say when it came to critiquing the girls - and while fans loved it, Michelle Visage...clearly did not. We're guessing she won't be back any time soon if Michelle has anything to do with it. (We still love you, Nicki)

…And then shut the house down with a rap she made up in the Uber on the way to the studio

I mean, we don't refer to her as the queen lightly, but take a look at this.

But Heidi N Closet had some excuses as to why she wasn’t performing her best… and it involved kale

Heidi actually ended up in the Emergency Room the night before the runway after having a severe allergic reaction.

Everyone was left open-mouthed when they thought Gigi and Widow were about to be the bottom two

After they both had strong looks in both the mini and maxi challenge, everyone really thought that Ru was about to send one of these girls home. No ma'am, she played us again. The pair ended up lip syncing to be crowned the top queen of the week and earn a $5,000 cash tip.

But Widow came THROUGH.

Gigi took a more low-key approach to the lip sync, while Widow came out doing the death-dropping and splitting extravaganza we've come to know and love from the show, which earned her the tip and the title after Nicki Minaj was left gagged by what she was seeing. Widow worked for that $5,000.

Next week we'll get to meet the other six queens competing in this season, and we've no doubt that our meme content for the rest of the year is secured firmly off the back of these next few weeks of binge-watching. Now, sashay away.

RuPaul's Drag Race season 12 episode 2 airs on VH1 on 6th March for USA viewers, or on Netflix on 7th March in the UK.