RuPaul's Drag Race Season 18 Top Three Talk Finale Hopes
If one thing is certain, it’s that every season of RuPaul’s Drag Race is going to introduce us to crazy talented drag queens who almost instantly become stars. Well, season 18 of the MTV hit reality competition series has done it again, and the top three are ready to step into their spotlight. Darlene Mitchell, Nini Coco and Myki Meeks spoke with Newsweek about what it feels like to potentially be the next winner of Drag Race.
Each one of these queens impressed the judges all season long. Myki’s Snatch Game performance as Drew Barrymore even landed the queen a spot on her talk show. “I thought I did a good job. It was fun. And for it to have gone as far as it did, to even meet Drew Barrymore and do it in front of her, was just incredible,” Myki said. Darlene’s laugh and sense of joy guided her through the season, despite the judges’ frequent critiques of her sensible shoe choices. “I’ve joked that I’m like the reset button when it comes to drag,” she said. “It’s really about the joy that you inspire in people and that you can invite other people in on.” And Nini stunned runway after runway despite having to lip sync for her life a couple of times. “We have not seen a winner like me before,” Nini said. “If I have to show off my powerhouse performance ability to get there, I am ready to do so.”
Listen to the full chat with the top three queens from season 18 of RuPaul’s Drag Race on the Parting Shot Podcast with H. Alan Scott before the finale airs on MTV Friday.
The following transcript was condensed and lightly edited for publication.
Congratulations on a fantastic season. Nini, everyone had amazing looks, but you had the people on X talking about your looks this season. With that said, you also had to lip sync for your life a few times. How do you feel about your path to the end?
Nini Coco: You know what? I think we have not seen a winner like me before, so it is all the more reason to take the crown. Lip syncing is a core part of the show and the competition and drag performance in general. So I’m like, hey, if I got to lip sync my way to the end, if I have to show off my powerhouse performance ability to get there, I am ready to do so. It’s been an interesting journey, but I’m ready.
Darlene, you didn’t have to lip sync for your life, but you did have to explain the shoes. [laughs] You were a great sport about everything, and you had a presence of joy that, in my opinion, got you to this point. How do you feel about your path to the top?
Darlene Mitchell: I felt pretty good. There were quite a few high placements sprinkled in there, which I’m happy about. Two wins is pretty good, so I feel like there’s a fighting chance there. You want to see something right now? Baby, the shoes! They don’t come off. [laughs]
She’s a comfort queen. I love it. And Myki, you had an incredible run and wowed everybody time and again. How do you feel about your path?
Myki Meeks: I feel great. Going into the season, I felt very confident and ready. Then I met all the other queens and thought, oh my God, I’m not the only big fish here. It shook me a little. The first few episodes really shook me, and the talent show happened and I got rated in the bottom. After that moment, I faced my biggest fear, which was the chance of going home and losing out on this opportunity. I put gas in the tank and cleared it from there. I’m very proud of what I’ve been able to present. I feel like I was very me the whole time. I just had a fabulous time. I loved it.
Season after season, every queen is looking, sometimes a little too hard, for that catchphrase or moment that becomes part of their brand of drag. For the three of you, it all came organically. Myki, what’s something from this season that you were surprised stood out with the fans?
Myki Meeks: The Drew Barrymore Snatch Game. I placed in the top, but after my runway, I was just like, you know what it is, it is what it is. I thought I did a good job. It was fun. And for it to have gone as far as it did, to even meet Drew Barrymore and do it in front of her, was just incredible. I’m very proud of that moment.
Nini, your Snatch Game as David Attenborough was also fantastic.
Nini Coco: I’m happy to announce that I will be co-narrating the next Planet Earth with Sir David, my friend. Myki, sorry to step on the toes of your success. Seeing Myki’s Snatch Game for the first time was incredible. We didn’t get to see each other’s groups, so I was blown away by what she did. I felt like I did take a big risk, a big swing. I remember the room being on fire. I remember Darlene being on her knees, she could not stay in character. It was such a cool experience. That was the last challenge I expected to win. So when it came through, I was like, oh, I am unstoppable at this point, I could do anything. Fast forward a few episodes, is that true? Debatable. But I still believe I got more gas in the tank.
You certainly do. Darlene, what’s something from this season, other than the shoes, that caught on?
Darlene Mitchell: Banana! [laughs] Never in a million years did I think that would be the thing in my little bag of tricks. Honestly, that was not even ever the plan. It was in the moment, the night before, just realizing that I’ve got to do something different to break out and make a mark. Babe, that was it. It was the bag of tricks, and I feel like it really did put me on the map for the rest of the competition, for sure.
For sure. Drag Race is the Olympics of drag. It’s intense, and you have to build relationships. Yes, it’s a competition, but you also build really intimate relationships that can last for years. Myki, is there someone from this season you connected with?
Myki Meeks: I could say a lot of the girls, especially Darlene and Nini, because we went through the entire journey together. We’re about to tour together too, along with Juicy [Love Dion]. These are sisters that I’m very happy to have in my life. I can literally call up Athena Dion anytime and she’ll answer. She’s such a good person to have on your side. She taught me so much about my taxes. We had a lot of mirror chats, and we shared a lot about our lives together. So I love that. I love that woman. I love her.
Darlene Mitchell: Obviously these two. The top three group chat was formed right away. So these two definitely have a place in my heart. And of course, I walked away with a new best friend in Jane Don’t. Like I said earlier today in an interview, you go into these competitions knowing you’re going to make friends, but not necessarily meeting somebody you feel is going to be a best friend for life. That was the feeling I got with Jane Don’t, pretty much right away. So that relationship is very meaningful and special to me.
Nini Coco: The top three, we saw every challenge together. We have been through the thick of it all. This is the core. I’ll add, I remember Jane did a tarot reading for me at, I think it was top five, that I think changed my life. It happened all off camera. The group that has been through this whole thing together is the core.
One of the things I think about whenever I watch a season of Drag Race is what the winner will do with that title. What do you foresee for yourself doing next?
Darlene Mitchell: I’ve joked that I’m like the reset button when it comes to drag. So just sort of reinforce that there aren’t any rules. What we try to stick to as far as the checklist of drag, just throw that out the window. It’s really about the joy that you inspire in people and that you can invite other people in on. That is really what drag at its core is about. So winning this show and having a title and what you’re going to do with it is really spreading that joy and making sure that all are welcome.
Nini Coco: The people who have inspired me to do drag have kind of created their own world outside of Drag Race. I’m thinking of Sasha Velour, who has Nightgowns and these other shows that invite entertainers and performers and artists they’re inspired by. That’s something I want to try to emulate in my own way, find ways to invite other performers who inspire me to create shows that are so much beyond what I could do on my own. Drag Race has shown me the power of collaboration. Before the show, I really did everything myself, from outfits to production to mixes. You can create so much more powerful work through collaboration. That’s what I hope to do, share this experience and this opportunity with other artists and create a unique show that’s in my own lane. Have I figured out exactly what that is? No, but it’s going to be fierce, it’s high production and it’s going to be another version of performance art. Hopefully it expands what drag can be and the audiences it can reach.
And Myki? What would you do if you win?
Myki Meeks: I would quit. [laughs] I’m just kidding. I have the gigs of producing, directing and all that good stuff. I’m very fortunate that I work for an event venue in Orlando that allows me to deliver on these creative ideas. I literally created my own drag competition that was live but also a YouTube series, at the same time as getting ready for Drag Race. We were posting it weekly. So to now have this platform that’s beyond just my local scene, I know I can create even bigger projects that involve more of my community.
The state of the world is chaotic, and drag queens and the queer community in general have come under a lot of intense criticism. What do you hope people watching take from your drag and this season of Drag Race?
Myki Meeks: I don’t want to speak for the other two. I think the three of us, and a lot of the previous season, represent fun in drag. We want to bring a sense of fun with everything we do. To give people an escape from what we’re living in right now once a week, although it’s probably not my favorite time for this to happen for us, it is very important that we are doing this. People seek refuge in the joy that we’re bringing every single week. I hope the message of being yourself, living life boldly and loving fiercely can resonate with a lot of people who may or may not be familiar with the show.
Nini Coco: As much of an escape as the show is, I find it a little dangerous if we separate drag too much from politics, because drag at its core is this defiance of societal norms and a way to truly express both the joys and the pains of whatever moment we’re in. So even though it is an escape, and I think Drag Race does such a good job of celebrating that joy, I think we should never fully disconnect from what’s going on in the world.
Darlene Mitchell: Going back to the theme of our promo, “let there be light.” Even in the darkest times, even in your own personal darkest times, there is always a way to find the light. There’s always a positive spin, there’s always another side of the coin. There’s always optimism. There’s always hope. I feel like that is the takeaway from our season, but even just in life in general. Let there be light, find the light. There’s always another option.
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This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 12:24 PM.