The return of immunity on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 had the fans gooped, gagged, gutted, floored, and bewildered ever since the first few teasers for the season came out.
Immunity used to be a tradition in the earlier seasons of Drag Race. However, it was removed after certain queens bombed challenges with the knowledge that they couldn’t be sent home during that particular week.
Season 16 introduced a new kind of a twist: Immunity Potions, which queens can hold onto and decide to use — on themselves or on others — during a particular week that might present some risk. The two queens who earned these Immunity Potions were Sapphira Cristál in episode 1 and Plane Jane in episode 2… and we finally saw Sapphira use her Immunity Potion in episode 6 to save herself.
Interestingly enough, Sapphira drinking her Immunity Potion wasn’t as well-received by the judges as we anticipated. Quite the opposite, really! They looked at Sapphira with some form of disappointment, like she wasn’t confident enough in herself.
MTV
But here comes the gag of the season: Parade writer Mike Bloom (@AMikeBloomType), who also regularly covers reality shows like Survivor and Big Brother, identified an important parallel between Immunity Potions and having an Idol on Survivor. And, in the process, Bloom shared a mind-blowing strategic idea for these potions to be used.
“So the [Drag Race] potion works less like a Survivor idol and more like Safety Without Power,” Bloom wrote in an X post. The person who drinks it leaves before any feedback and is automatically safe. “Soooooo what if it could be used offensively rather than defensively?”
He added, “Imagine if Plane Jane feels that she’s second behind Q in the challenge. Could she theoretically use the potion on Q, forcing her to be safe without critiques, and Jane would go on to win?”
This idea has us absolutely shook. Can you IMAGINE!?
In the meantime, a bunch of Drag Race fans are chiming in with reactions, thoughts, questions, and hot takes to Bloom’s suggestion for this strategic move.
Scroll through to check out how fans are reacting to this strategic move involving the Immunity Potions — and keep tuning in to RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 every Friday on MTV.
