After 15 glorious episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, 3 finalists are left standing, poised to lip sync for the mother tuckin’ crown: Nini Coco, Myki Meeks and Darlene Mitchell. Over the course of the season, these very different queens have faced their own issues while evolving into a tight unit. The bug-loving Coco struggled to find connection throughout the competition, but fought her way to the finale after 3 terrific lip syncs. After showcasing her talents in Fannie: The Hard Knock Ball Rusical, the once demure Meeks broke out of the middle of the pack and won the last 3 challenges . With 9 years of sobriety under her belt, Mitchell was validated by the support of her fellow queens and gained much-needed confidence as she joined an elite group of queens who never had to lip sync before the finale.
Inspired by one of Mitchell’s excellent questions in the “Good Morning, Bitches!” challenge, Decider, to celebrate just how far they have come, asked each queen to remember the first time they saw a drag queen perform in-person. Hard to believe that these now seasoned and dedicated performers were once nervous and timid about the art form.
“I was in Tampa at a Hamburger Mary’s , which does not exist anymore,” remembered Meeks wistfully. “Alexis Mateo is the first queen I saw in person.” Drag Race fans everywhere know and love Mateo, who first appeared on the series back in Season 3 and went on to compete in All Stars and even Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. the World. “I was just a little closeted gay boy, like, ‘oh, take my dollar,’” laughed Meeks.
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The first drag queen performance Mitchell saw stayed with her over the years. “I went to Columbia College in Chicago, and my friends got us into SPIN nightclub, which is no longer there,” said Mitchell. “It was a drag show that night, and the performer was Debbie Fox.” Drag Race fans might know Fox from her appearance on OUTtv’s Camp Wannakiki. “I made my friend Haley hold my hand because I was so nervous and scared,” continued Mitchell. “Maybe they won’t interact with me if they think I’m a straight man,”Mitchell remembered thinking, noting that she now knows “that just makes them want to interact with you more.”
As a Drag Race fan, Coco remembered the first time she saw a queen from the series perform. “The first Ru Girl that I ever saw was Shea Couleé at Oilcan Harry’s in Austin when I was in college,” said Coco. The legendary Couleé first appeared back in Drag Race Season 9 and then went on to win All Stars Season 5. “It was when I was first just learning about drag, so it was very, very exciting,” remembered Coco.
These impressionable moments in their lives helped mold our Season 18 finalists into the amazing artists they are today. There’s no doubt there are people watching who have been inspired by the journeys of Coco, Meeks and Mitchell as they fought through multiple challenges. But who will come out on top? Tune in to watch the RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18 tonight at 8/7c on MTV to find out!