RuPaul’s Drag Race Week: Most Underrated Queens!

Stacy Layne Matthews

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RuPaul’s Drag Race Week: Most Underrated Queens!
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For every queen who makes it big or becomes a fan favorite — Like Sharon Needles, Pandora Boxx, or Raja — there are a bunch more who are unfortunately sidelined. Every queen on RuPaul’s Drag Race is talented, but some don’t get quite the level of respect they deserve. So here are the top five queens who should be getting a little more fan love than they’ve been getting:

#5 Season Two’s Sonique

Sonique

Sonique had some of the most sickening drag of season two, her dancing was amazing, and she was actually the first queen in Drag Race herstory to transition following her tenure on the show. Sonique unfortunately went home a little too early, though that had more to do with her playing the mostly personality-free Lady Gaga than her actual level of talent. I wish she had stuck around a bit longer, but I think she needed to leave the show and start her transition so that she could be happier.

#4 Season One’s Shannel

Shannel

Shannel was the Susan Lucci of the first season, sadly. She was arguably the most talented and versatile queen of her season, but she never won a single challenge, to the point where “I should have won” nearly became her catchphrase. But the truth is, there are a few of those challenges she probably should have won, and her skill set really is amazingly diverse. I mean yes, she had a bit of an ego, but at least she had the moxie and the execution to back it up.

#3 Season Two’s Morgan McMichaels

Morgan McMichaels

This bitch is fierce. FIERCE. I adored her, her lip sync was on point, her style was perfection, and her couture look in the Gone With the Window challenge was hot as hell. She makes the list mostly not only because she went home WAY too early, but in a season with a lot of big personalities, I just think that she didn’t get enough credit from the fans for her performances.

#2 Season Four’s Phi Phi O’Hara

Phi Phi O'Hara

Yesterday, I listed Phi Phi as Drag Race‘s second best villain after RuPaul. And it wasn’t just because of her attitude; it was because the bitch was talented. Yes, some of what Phi Phi did was shady, but I think she got a bit of a bad rap, and some of the hate thrown her way was a little too excessive. She’s a queen who takes criticism well and actually grows from it, her wins on the show were well deserved, and although there were times she went a little too far in the name of winning, I do think she was just trying to do her best. All I’m saying is, I think she should be cut a little slack. Actually, the only reason she isn’t #1 is because she did manage to make it into the top three. So who’s the most underrated queen in Drag Race herstory? Well …

#1 Season Three’s Stacy Layne Matthews

Stacy Layne Matthews

Hear me out on this one: Stacy Layne Matthews was boss. In a season that was filled with a pretty staggering amount of venom, I think Stacy managed to keep her head over the water. For the most part, Stacy actually managed to do pretty well in the challenges, she had a charmingly understated wit to her, and her performance in the Snatch Game brought the house down. But most importantly, Stacy was actually really nice; I know that doesn’t sound like shining criticism, but in a season that pitted Heathers against Boogers, the fact that she never once indulged that awful feud while still remaining polite to all the other queens I think entitles her to a little more love than she got.

About JEREMY FEIST 5002 Articles
Jeremy Feist is an (ahem) entertainer from Toronto, Canada. He writes, acts, and performs on stage, and has been a writer for Popbytes for almost three years now. He lives in Toronto with his boyfriend, his incredibly dumb but cute puppy, and his immortal cat.