Logo TV; VH1; MTV
Make us over like one of your French girls.
The makeover challenge has been a RuPaul’s Drag Race staple ever since the show premiered on Logo TV. While there have only been three actual makeover challenges on All Stars, the only cycle of the flagship series to not feature a makeover was season 14 (possibly due to ongoing concerns from the lockdown years).
Besides celebrating makeovers on Drag Race, the overall franchise has featured several spinoffs with the concept of “draggifying” people who had never been in drag before. From RuPaul’s Drag U to RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race, this has been a recurring theme in Mama Ru’s universe. When done poorly, a makeover can end up serving bona fide cringe. But when done well, it’s truly magical to see the joy that a makeover can bring.
Scroll through to check out the best makeover queens in RuPaul’s Drag Race herstory — and keep tuning in for new episodes of season 16 every Friday on MTV.
We had a few exciting makeovers in seasons 1 through 4 of Drag Race, but the first truly gag-worthy performance in this challenge came from Roxxxy Andrews in season 5. Ms. Roxxxy had her partner, Isabella Andrews, feeling the fantasy in full bloom.
This was also an exciting episode because it introduced us to Alaska’s makeover partner, Nebraska, who literally became a drag queen after this makeover and is still working in 2024. We also got to know Jinkx Monsoon and Fortuna (Dave), who claimed at the time that he blamed himself for the death of Judy Garland — a joke that would pay off many years later when Jinkx impersonated Judy in the Snatch Game of All Stars 7 and absolved Dave of any guilt he might still feel.
Pearl absolutely “came out of her shell” during the season 7 makeover episode, which also counted as a comeback challenge for the eliminated queens. Together, Peal and Trixie delivered a hilarious “conjoined queens” presentation that led to a challenge win for Peal and a spot to return to the competition for Trixie.
Every now and then, we still find ourselves daydreaming about this gag-worthy makeover challenge from Naomi Smalls in season 8. This year, the queens were tasked to give a drag makeover to cast members of Little Women: LA based on characters from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Naomi was assigned the Scarecrow, which was theoretically a pretty hard one to “draggify.” And yet, Naomi slayed the house down boots, won the challenge, and made Drag Race herstory with such an iconic outfit.
The cast of All Stars 2 was tasked to make over members of their actual family. This was a fabulous episode that introduced us to Roxxxy’s grandmother, Detox’s sister, Alaska’s mother, Alyssa Edwards’ sister, and Katya’s mother.
The winners of this challenge were Detox and Katya. But all tea, no shade? Katya and her mom, whose drag name was Svetlana Borisnova, literally stole the show. We were cackling all episode long from how hilarious and over-the-top Katya’s mom was during this entire episode.
Peppermint might not have won the makeover challenge on Drag Race season 9… but let’s be real: her makeover partner, Wintergreen, is still one of the most popular and well-known makeover queens to come out of the entire Drag Race franchise. That level of iconique surely seems like a winner, if you ask us!
Diehard Drag Race fans will probably never forget exactly where they were when Miz Cookie — the makeover partner of Miz Cracker in season 10 — turned around, saw herself in the mirror, and immediately started feeling her full drag fantasy. This ended up being a challenge win for Cracker after spending the entire season having doubts and being in her head, and we loved to see what Miz Cookie served us on the runway.
This is a place for legends, okay? Naomi Smalls not only slayed the makeover challenge in season 8, but she went on to do that *again* on All Stars 4. This time, the leg-endary queen was partnered up with her “Best Judy,” who received the drag name Extra Smalls. They looked exactly like drag family, and their runway looks referenced Sonny and Cher realness. That’s what we call a slam dunk, babes.
The makeover challenge on Drag Race season 12 was a pitch-perfect episode. Every single queen was assigned with the best possible partner they could’ve gotten, and we were lucky enough to see Jaida Essence Hall bringing the fabulous Jazz Essence Hall to life. During an episode with so many strong makeovers, Jaida still reigned supreme and won the challenge, which was lovely to see.
Season 13 was filmed at the height of the pandemica Lovato, which meant that the makeover challenge was adapted into the queens making over each other. Essentially, each queen had to encapsulate their respective partner’s drag aesthetic and energy — and no one understood that assignment better than Symone and Utica Queen. It was fascinating to see how Symone interpreted Utica’s drag, and vice versa. A very well-deserved win for these queens!
The latest addition to this list is none other than Plane Jane. For most of Drag Race season 16, Plane was a polarizing cast member that divided the fandom into those who appreciated her unfiltered self and others who didn’t enjoy her “villainous” antics. In the makeover challenge, though, Plane turned it completely out with her partner, Nick Lemmer, who received the iconic and hilarious drag name of Lazi Susan.
