Nymphia Wind made herstory as the first RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant of East Asian descent to win the coveted title of America’s Next Drag Superstar. The Banana Queen impressed fans and judges weekly with her creativity and talent, finally beating all 14 queens of the season to secure the cash prize, scepter, and crown. According to a new report by Deadline, the episode was historic in more ways than one, as it smashed ratings for the franchise. RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16, Episode 14, was the highest-rated episode of the franchise in 13 years, passing Season 3 when Raja took home the crown.
The episode was a winner in viewers and several audience demos. When compared to Season 15, the season finale was up 88% in the 18-34 demo and 30% in the 18-49 demo in terms of viewers. The episode also saw a significant increase in ratings, with the 18-34 demo going up 67% with a 0.84 rating and 18-49 going up 28% with a 0.76 rating. Apart from the finale, Season 16 also grew in viewers and ratings, setting a record for the highest-rated season in 4 years. On social media, the season was up 111% compared to Season 15, with 514 million views, as reported by Paramount Global.
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 16 Was Historic In More Ways Than One
The season began with 14 drag queens competing for the crown and the prize money, and they participated in various challenges. Week after week, queens who landed at the bottom were eliminated, reducing the number of contestants and concentrating talent. This season’s twist was an immunity potion that the queens who earned it could use to save themselves or another queen from elimination. In the final episode, Nymphia Wind, Plane Jane, and Sapphira Cristál battled it out for the crown, and Nymphia impressed the judges most.
Nymphia was the first queen from Taiwan, the first East Asian, and the third Asian contestant to win RuPaul’s Drag Race. She dedicated her award to outsiders and her country. The President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, congratulated her on the win with a message on Instagram:
“Congratulations to you, Nymphia Wind, for being so accomplished in the difficult art form of drag and for being the first Taiwanese to take the stage and win on RuPaul’s Drag Race . Right after being crowned queen, you said, ‘Taiwan, this is for you.’ Taiwan thanks you for living fearlessly.”