RuPaul’s Drag Race has a new champion!
Season 16 of the hit MTV reality series came to a close on Friday, April 19, with host RuPaul crowning Nymphia Wind as America’s Next Drag Superstar, making the 28-year-old performer the first Taiwanese queen ever to take the title and the third Asian/Pacific Islander winner in the main U.S. franchise since season 3 champ Raja and season 15 champ Sasha Colby.
To get to the top, Nymphia pushed ahead of runners-up Sapphira Cristál and Plane Jane. All three had gone into the finale with an impressive track record, Sapphira and Plane both with four main challenge wins and Nymphia with three.
However, unlike the other two, Nympiha had never been in the bottom three — a feat only achieved by a handful of winners, including Trya Sanchez (season 2), Bianca Del Rio (season 6), Violet Chachki (season 7), Sasha Velour (season 9), Aquaria (season 10) and Sasha Colby (season 15).
Nymphia edged out Sapphira after an acrobatic final lip sync to Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam.”
“To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth — and Taiwan this is for you!” Nymphia proclaimed as she took her victory walk.
Throughout the season, Nymphia’s fierce fashions, endearing personality and unwavering, out-there love for the all things bananas and yellow earned her a place in the hearts of Drag Race fans.
But it was her charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent — and the support of her fans, the Banana Believers — that got her the title. “My drag is very conceptual, cultural and very yellow, obviously,” she teased in the premiere.
In addition to the scepter and crown, Nymphia also took home a 1-year supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills Cosmetics and the “gag-worthy prize” of $200,000 (served by CashApp). That goes on top of the $15,000 in cash bonuses she earned during the competition (plus however much of the $5K she got when split between her 3 other teammates during the girl group challenge).
Season 16 of RuPaul’s Drag Race featured 14 queens from across the country battling it out for the win.
Other contestants besides the final three included Q, (Kansas City, Missouri), Morphine Love Dion (Miami), Dawn (New York City), Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige (Miami), Plasma (New York City), Xunami Muse (New York City), Megami (New York City), Geneva Karr (Brownsville, Texas), Amanda Tori Meating (Los Angeles), Mirage (Las Vegas) and Hershii LiqCour-Jeté (Los Angeles).
Like previous seasons, the show debuted in January with a split premiere.
Since 2003, RuPaul’s Drag Race has been airing on MTV. The show originally premiered on LogoTV in 2009 and aired its first eight seasons there. Seasons 9-14 aired on VHI, beginning in 2017.
The show has won 30 Emmy Awards, including five for outstanding reality-competition program. RuPaul has been named outstanding host for her work on the series a whopping eight consecutive times, and is the most-awarded Black artist in Emmys history.
Drag Race has spun a number of spinoffs over the years, both in America and internationally. The U.S. series remains the gold standard, with 15 queens previously named “America’s Next Drag Superstar.”
They are: BeBe Zahara Benet (Season 1), Tyra Sanchez (Season 2), Raja Gemini (Season 3), Sharon Needles (Season 4), Jinkx Monsoon (Season 5), Bianca Del Rio (Season 6), Violet Chachki (Season 7), Bob the Drag Queen (Season 8), Sasha Velour (Season 9), Aquaria (Season 10), Yvie Oddly (Season 11), Jaida Essence Hall (Season 12), Symone (Season 13), Willow Pill (Season 14), and Sasha Colby (Season 15).
