Those who have stuck with RuPaul’s Drag Race since its 2009 debut are fully aware by now of the Blame It on the Edit singer’s tendency to introduce twists and turns to gag and goop the audience; from double shantays (and sashays) to lip-sync smackdowns for the crown and, of course, that iconic All Stars 2 mirror ruveal. The trailer for the show’s 14th season reveals a “mouth-watering twist” involving RuPaul’s chocolate bars that could “make a queen’s wish come true”. Although it’s not clear what the twist entails, RuPaul tells the cast that one of the bars contains something that “could save your padded ass”. The Emmy-winning host went into further detail on Jimmy Kimmel, where he called the candy bars an “integral” part of the season and compared them to the golden tickets in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We’re two episodes into the season, two incredible queens have already got the chop and the bars are yet to make an appearance, so we’re assuming they’ll make their debut on this week’s episode. Here, we share our top three theories on the twist and how it could potentially impact the season.
RuPaul’s Drag Race Got Talent?
Based on RuPaul’s Willy Wonka analogy, then we’re expecting the golden ticket to wield a lot of power. Seeing as how Charlie’s golden ticket landed him a coveted spot in the factory, where he had a really nice time, could Drag Race’s ticket do the same and grant a queen a spot in the final? Britain’s Got Talent has a similar format with their Golden Buzzer, which was introduced in its eighth season and offers each judge the opportunity to automatically advance one contestant to the semi-finals. This would be different, of course, because it appears as if the candy bars (and aforementioned golden ticket) will be randomly allocated. If we’re going with this theory, then it seems possible that each queen opens their candy bar upon elimination and discovers whether or not her “padded ass” will return for another chance in the final, or if she’s got the chop for good. Too far-fetched?
From sashay to shantay?
If it’s not a pass to the final, then it’s possible that it could be a golden-coated invitation to ruturn to the competition. With RuPaul revealing on Jimmy Kimmel that it could “save” a queen, then we foresee a scenario where the candy bars are dispersed amongst the queens, who are then given strict instructions to not open it until after their elimination. If they don’t have a golden ticket, their sashay away is final. If they do have the golden ticket, their elimination is nullified and they’ll shantay back into the werkroom the following episode. The only reason we’re unsure about this theory is: what if the next queen to get the boot has the golden ticket? It would be anticlimactic, to say the least. Also, if the golden ticket isn’t ruvealed until the semi-final and saves a fan-favourite, it would reek of producer interference. Thoughts?
Immunity?
A previous staple of Drag Race saw RuPaul bestowing immunity on maxi-challenge winners for the following episode, which was axed after season five but made a short-lived comeback for Manila Luzon and Monet X Change on All Stars 4 in the Lip-Sync LaLaPaRUza. Maybe, just maybe, the queens open a candy bar each episode and if they have the golden ticket, they’ve been granted immunity for the upcoming challenge; allowing them to participate in the episode without fear of getting the boot. It would certainly create an interesting dynamic amongst the queens, and could – again – save a “padded ass” if the challenge doesn’t play to their strengths.
The third episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14 airs Friday in the US on Paramount+ and Saturday in the UK on WOW Presents Plus.
More
