potential mother

Here’s who ‘Drag Race’ fans think RuPaul wants to take over the show—and why they’re so certain

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Drag queen RuPaul in a scarlet red dress, black gloves, and a blonde wig, holding tiny opera glasses up to her face.
Image Credit: ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ Viacom

For years we’ve called RuPaul mother, but is there about to be a new mama in town?

Having recently passed the 200th episode milestone, RuPaul’s Drag Race *original recipe* is a veritable institution, and Ru’s been there every step of the way across 15 seasons—and that’s to say nothing of All Stars, numerous spin-offs, and various international iterations she’s been involved in.

Yes, the 62-year old icon and drag queen—excuse us, Queen Of Drag—has been at it for a minute, and though she looks as dazzling as ever, we all know she can’t possibly keep hosting forever, right?

Naturally, that’s led many fans to theorize what Drag Race might look like if, one day, Ru decides to put those wigs on a shelf and retire for good. Would there even be a show? And, if so, who could possibly fill her heels?

Well, because a certain subsect of the fandom is extremely Reddit-literate and already knows the outcome of the current season up to the live finale (in addition to some future seasons), they’ve moved on to cracking some bigger theories—namely, who does Ru want to have take over the mantle of Drag Race?

And their current guess? Why it’s none other than Sasha Colby, the trans icon who won the famed Miss Continental drag pageant in 2012 and is the current frontrunner of Season 15 (because, sorry Loosey LaDuca, we’re not counting Mini Challenge wins here.)

Here, allow TikToker @allidoisdryheave to break down the her-storic nature of Sasha’s hypothetical win:

@allidoisdryheave Drag Race theories. #dragrace #sashacolby #season15 ♬ original sound – PhilipSeymourHoffwoman

Why fans think Sasha Colby is going to win Season 15

At the start of their video, the TikToker acknowledges the fact that, yes, Sasha is absolutely destroying the competition thus far. With multiple Maxi Challenge wins, two additional episodes where she’s scored “high” with the judges, and never so much as touching the bottom three of the week, Miss Colby’s impeccable track record is pretty appropriate considering she’s “your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen.”

But, a presumed frontrunner barnstorming their way through the competition without faltering even once doesn’t necessarily make for a dramatic season of television, does it? That’s why, as @allidoisdryheave lays out, some theorize she’ll ultimately lose the crown to a challenger, giving whichever queen that may be a ready-made underdog narrative.

Are you still with us? Good! Here’s where the TikToker flips all of that on its head, making the case for Sasha to win not just the crown, but future hosting duties:

“Here’s something I don’t think people have considered yet: Ru is going to retire soon, probably—or at least pass the main engine of the franchise to someone else.

But rather than consider a Sasha Colby win weirdly too obvious, consider the implications of RuPaul doing that. Ru would be in the twilight of her career crowning the first ever Miss Continental and Drag Race winner.

By crowning Sasha Colby the winner, Ru would essentially be giving out the biggest crown ever given out in drag, and be the one to give it out—that’s an extremely Ru thing to want to do.”

With both a Drag Race crown and a Miss Continental title, that’d make Sasha one of the most decorated queens of all time and, as the fans’ logic goes, one of the only people worthy enough to take the show’s baton from Ru.

Huh, makes you think!

Related:

‘Drag Race’ fans rejoice as the show’s 90-minute runtime is restored: “Bullying works”

More than half the cast will be gone by then, but still!

Why fans think Sasha Colby will be the next host of Drag Race

By the way, all of this way already floating in the ether before the latest episode of Drag Race, “50/50’s Most Gagworthy Stars,” in which Sasha claimed her third Maxi win, putting her heads and wigs and shoulders above the competition.

With victories in improv-style hosting, a fashion-forward ball (“The Crystal Ball”), and a scripted comedy acting challenge (“All Queens Go To Heaven”), the show is certainly making space to show off what a well-rounded talent Sasha is—and praising her at every chance they get.

(Plus, she had a fiercely close yet still definitive win over Anetra in the first round of the LaLaPaRuZa!)

And then there’s what went down on the main stage during deliberations: After praising her note-perfect Beyoncé runway, Ru singles out the way Sasha worked with flamenco legend Charo in the challenge, underscoring how comfortable she felt at the helm of the fake interview show.

Ru even asks Sasha if she’s hosted TV previously, going on to say, “You’re a natural, kiddo!”

Mama Ru has never shied away from basically announcing her favorites on the show, but this feels like she’s going the extra mile, making sure that we see what she sees: Sasha Colby is a star!

And, you know what? We agree! While it’s hard to imagine RuPaul’s Drag Race without its namesake queen at the helm, Sasha Colby sure does make for a worthy successor—and she doesn’t even need the Season 15 crown to prove that.

Here’s more of what fans are saying about the theory over on Twitter:

Related:

Here are all the looks you didn’t see on the ‘Drag Race’ runway (so far)

Some of the best looks from ‘Drag Race’ season 15 didn’t even make it to the main stage!

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