At long last, the season 13 finale. Tying season three for the longest in Drag Race herstory, this season has dragged, stretched out by its five non-elimination episodes. The wait is finally over, however, and while COVID filming restrictions mean no live audience, the Drag Race team does their best to replicate the typical finale energy as much as possible. “RPDR Grand Finale” is a jam-packed, exciting episode that builds confidently through the first half to the lip-sync showdown. Unfortunately, that’s where the episode lets itself down. After all that build up, the lip-syncs are, well, fine? The songs are good, the queens are talented, but compared to the fashion and the slick production throughout the finale, the lip-syncs are underwhelming, ending the season with falling action, rather than a thrilling build to the final moments.
The finale begins with a production number, RuPaul performing her song “New Friends Silver, Old Friends Gold,” with some help from the Drag Race dancers. Ru gets in on season 13’s tulle trend in a stoned nude illusion leotard and massive tulle coat with blonde hair, and she looks amazing. The song itself isn’t all that memorable, but it doesn’t need to be. This number is there to remind everyone at home why it’s RuPaul’s Drag Race, thank you very much, and mission accomplished.
Michelle introduces the top four queens by announcing the finale’s not one, not two, but three runway categories: Black and White, Red All Over, and Grand Finale Eleganza Extravaganza. The queens come out in alphabetical order, as always, and Gottmik makes a strong impression with her looks. For Black and White, she’s in a Pinhead-inspired look with a studded headpiece, black bondage wear over a white body suit, and impeccable paint. Her red look is more playful, a red flared red jumpsuit and bracers that takes inspiration from Keith Haring and David Bowie. She saved the best for last, though, her blue and gold eleganza. It’s striking, with a bold but accessible silhouette and plenty of drama, her bare chest exposed and ornamented with a Swarovski heart.
Kandy’s looks may not meet Mik’s, but they’re a big step up from her regular season fashion. Her black and white look is a Kandy take on a gown, part leotard and train, part formal wear. The dress itself is white with a sparkling BLM in black, though the design is such that without her voice over, some could be forgiven for missing the message. Kandy’s red look is more expected, a red mini dress with gold accents, a boombox purse, and oversized red headphones. Like Mik, her final look is her best, a black and blue gown with a massive peacock feather headpiece.
Rosé’s first look is a do-over of sorts of her tulle look, a My Fair Lady-inspired dress with massive bows, a wide-brimmed hat, and under-sized parasol. She looks fantastic. Less successful is her red look, which imagines her as an overgrown red tree, vines curving around her and giving her a beautiful crown and rooting her feet to the ground. Like the others, her most memorable look is her final one, a mint green, silver, and black outfit reminiscent of European royalty. Everything shimmers and glitters, and while Mik and Symone also went queenly for their final looks, Rosé’s is the least expected take.
Speaking of Symone, she once again delivers with her final runways. Her best look is her first, a blend of Versailles and Black fashion, her massive skirts combining ermine wraps and black, white, and silver bandanas. Her red look is campier and more fun, a fringed dress that on closer look is made of red acrylic nails. That’s creative enough, but the element that takes it over the top is her wig, two blonde ponytails held by a pair of Black hands (made of brunette hair), with their own massive red nails. While it doesn’t quite match her first look, her finale eleganza is terrific as well, a sleek, draped white dress with custom gold armor covering her right side and a massive blonde wig, dripped with gold. All four queens brought it to the runway, but as has been the case all season, at their best, Mik and Symone are out ahead of the pack.
Ru walks out to start the proceedings, glowing in a simple but pretty neon dress. The producers cut back and forth between the theater where the finale is being filmed and audience reactions at a distanced viewing party at the Drag Race drive-in, a fun way to mimic the energy of a live crowd. As reigning champ and onsite reporter Jaida Essence Hall makes sure to mention each time she’s thrown to, Bubly Bounce has sponsored the drive-in and it’s a key part of maintaining the momentum of the episode. Ru asks Jaida her advice for the top four and Jaida, looking glamorous and chic in a black gown and hat, reminds the queens that they’re all sickening, and to go get that crown.
It’s time for the interview portion. Ru brings out each of the top four queens in turn, introducing them with a best of montage from the season. Their chats are similar to their “Getting’ Lucky!” conversations, but they’re punctuated with video messages from fans and family, including Paris Hilton, who drops in to root on Mik. Each of the queens’ families sends in a message of support and they all come off well, genuine and supportive. Rosé’s is particularly delightful; her family are total dorks, charming and silly and very excited for her
The interviews take the finale to its halfway point, but there’s still a bit of time to fill, so Ru takes advantage of that fact to draw awareness to 40th anniversary of the first reported case of AIDS. After a clip of Bette Midler singing her hit “Friends” at a 1991 AIDS fundraiser, Ru connects that pandemic to the current one and introduces a music video recorded earlier with the queens both in and out of drag, lip-syncing to The Devine Miss M. The video more or less works, but its transition from reflective, emotional tribute to those lost to fun, cheerful bop is awkward to say the least. Rosé and Symone seem to be in completely different videos than Mik and Kandy at the beginning. A subtler transition or slightly more somber tone, at least until the reveal of the top four in drag, would have given more weight and impact to the performance. The tone shifts back when Ru introduces the next clip package, a tribute to the late Chi Chi DeVayne, who died in August of 2020. Fellow Drag Race alums Bob the Drag Queen, Kennedy Davenport, Thorgy Thor, Eureka, Kim Chi, Latrice Royale, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, and Heidi N Closet share memories of her and reflect on her legacy. It’s a moving, emotional segment, and a very pleasant surprise.
Back on the main stage, it’s time for the lip-sync smackdown and Ru announces that this season, each of the songs will be by the same artist: Britney Spears. Ru then introduces a surprise guest to introduce the rules, her cousin Senator Cory Booker—no seriously, they’re related, as they discovered after both participated in PBS’s Finding Your Roots. Booker doesn’t actually go through the rules, but gives a pep talk and fills a little more time, before Ru spins the wheel and reveals the lip-sync lineups. Kandy and Rosé will lip-sync first, then Mik and Symone, with the winner of each battle competing for the crown.
As the first queen chosen by the wheel, Kandy gets to choose the first song, contained in two pink boxes carried by the Pit Crew, one smooth and one furry. She goes furry, and her and Rosé’s song is revealed as Britney’s “Work Bitch.” They take their positions and the battle begins. Rosé is in a textured pink blazer and boots with strawberry blonde hair, a reveal clearly waiting to happen, while Kandy is in a white frilly leotard and blonde wig, ready to dance. Rosé tears away her look to reveal a light pink body suit and Kandy reveals one of her own, a candy colored leotard, but that’s where the performance tops out. Both know the song and they lip-sync it well, but between Rosé’s twisted ankle and Kandy seemingly holding back some moves, their performances are surprisingly subdued. Ru gives the win to Kandy, and it’s time for round two.
A little banter with Pit Crew member Bryce and Mik and Symone’s song is revealed to be Britney’s “Gimme More.” Mik is in a puffy red dress and black leggings with a red wig, while Symone is in a white track suit and tall, Grace Jones-style wig, her name emblazoned across her chest in purple and gold. Again, both clearly have reveals they’re waiting to pull out. The music drops and they both start serving face, giving plenty of attitude and movement. Mik deploys her costume change first, converting her skirt into a train and revealing “Crash the cis-tem” in red stones on her chest. Symone’s tear-away isn’t quite as clean, but it reveals a yellow dance costume, a much more dramatic change. She also lifts off her wig to reveal a long, wavy, reverse ombre wig, which she starts flipping. This lip-sync is much more dynamic than Rosé and Kandy’s, to the point where one wouldn’t blame RuPaul for calling an audible and giving Symone and Mik a rematch for the crown, over Kandy. That’s not in the cards, though, and Ru gives the win to Symone.
Before the final lip-sync, Ru throws once more to each of the season 13 queens, who present their finale couture remotely. Everyone looks good, but LaLa and Utica are next level, the standouts in a strong crowd. Ru welcomes out season 12 Miss Congeniality Heidi N Closet, who is in a green and red dress that doesn’t quite translate. Perhaps she’s a thorny rose? It won’t matter to fans, though, as she’s her usual charming self, playing well with Ru before passing on her title. Miss Congeniality for season 13, and the winner of the $10,000 prize from Olay Body, is LaLa Ri! After slaying so thoroughly in the reunion, it’s great to see LaLa get this boost. Olay Body also gifts the rest of the queens $2,000, ending the segment on a cheery note. Ru then welcomes out Jaida, who looks fantastic and every inch the reigning monarch in a burgundy gown and head piece. It’s a shame her tenure has been so impacted by COVID, but Jaida handles Ru’s questions about her experiences over the past year with grace, side-stepping the disappointment she and the rest of the season 12 queens must feel over their unfortunate timing.
After one final commercial break, Ru brings out Kandy and Symone for the final lip-sync battle. Symone is in a tall black braided wig and floor-length black coat, again, an obvious reveal, while Kandy is in a sparkling pastel pink and purple jumpsuit. Their song will be Britney’s “Till The World Ends.” They take their positions and prepare. Symone quickly reveals her second look, a dress comprised of yellow straps that function as fringe, swinging with each motion. Both Kandy and Symone jump around and have fun, but as with “Work Bitch,” it’s hard not to want more. In a nice bit of escalation, Kandy brings out a flag for the Dominican Republic, but shortly after, Symone triggers her wig and yellow streamers pop out of it, taking focus right back from Kandy. It’s fun, but it isn’t a transformative, season-culminating performance, on either of their parts. Symone edges out Kandy though, and this, along with her performance all season, makes her the clear winner. Ru builds suspense, but ultimately does name Symone America’s Next Drag Superstar, sending the season out on an anticlimactic, but satisfying note.
Season 13 had its ups and downs, but despite grumbles here and there, it’s been an entertaining and compelling season. Shot under difficult conditions during an incredibly emotional time for all involved, it’s easy to overlook the challenges of this season, but only because the Drag Race team made it look so effortless. The queens performed admirably, the production came up with creative solutions to guest judging and most, if not all, of their trademark challenges, and the most common complaint, aside from the typical claims of rigga morris, is that the season ran too long. It was too much of a good thing. That’s a wonderful place for a series to be, 13 seasons into its run. Rosé, Mik, and Kandy each delivered excellent performances across the season and stepped up their fashion for the finale, and Symone is a fitting, deserving winner. It’s hard to ask much more than that.
Stray observations
- Seriously, Ru looks ridiculous. May we all—or anyone who so wishes—look so good at 60.
- She may have had a great season and delivered in the finale, but Rosé could not have been more obviously telegraphed as an also-ran. Ru did not see her as a real contender for the crown, as she made apparent when she said Rosé was, “leaving here a star.” A star, but certainly not America’s Next Drag Superstar.
- Speaking of Rosé, I appreciated the Lawrence Chaney and Ellie Diamond shout-outs during her interview.
- Can we get Denali and LaLa back for a lip-sync smackdown redo? You know they would have slayed “Work Bitch.”
- Mik really impressed me with “Gimme More.” This was definitely her best lip-sync of the season.
- I’ve had my issues with aspects of season 13, but it feels increasingly like one that will age well. I look forward to seeing how the all the queens grow from here, and to seeing them on future seasons of All Stars.
82 Comments
The Oscars should be done in a Drive-In. That would make sense after the past year.I’m glad Symone won, but the rest of it went pretty much the opposite of how I would have thought.
I was virtually certain Symone would be the winner though I personally would have preferred Gottmik. I knew there was virtually no chance Rose or Kandy would win. The unfortunate thing was the structure of the lip syncs meant we had to see Kandy twice.
The structure of the finale was very carefully curated to develop a Symone win in a satisfying fashion. I expected that Kandy would be the first queen chosen; I then knew that Rose would be her opponent, and that Rose, whose early elimination would enrage no particular part of a particularly rabid part of the fanbase, would be eliminated. Check, and check.I was somewhat surprised that both Gottmik and Symone didn’t make it into the finale, but I’m guessing that RuPaul had picked Symone as a winner earlier in the season, and thought Gottmik would have been too much of a threat in the final lipsync and might have possibly forced an upset. And that possibility encouraged her to eliminate Mik when she had the chance, which she did.Kandy vs. Symone was never going to be an actual contest — although Kandy did do well tonight in the lipsyncs — and Symone was crowned. It’s really one of the few episodes of the season which has had a satisfying arc. It’s a heavily-produced, manipulative arc, but still satisfying.
is it terrible I always skip to the very end of the finale episodes? always a bit of zzz. Symone and Mik were in a dud cast, but I know they would have shined in any season regardless.
Thrilled for Symone, and I hope Kandy gets her boat someday. This was a really strong cast and when you’re able to binge the season going forward time will be kinder to it.LSFTC has sort of served its purpose, but while I think it ought to be replaced I’m not sure by what. What could keep the tension high while not relying so much on the final four being good lip syncers?
If not the season 7 and 8 finale formats, season 14 should really take a page out of Drag Race Thailand’s book and give the top queens each a segment to do whatever they wish with, perhaps comparable to the variety show challenge from All Stars, but bigger. That way they can showcase exactly what they’re good at, and put on a drag show more similar to what you’d expect from them post-drag race. I reckon this would have the added benefit of justifying the live finale format, because this season I was just left feeling like they should have just crowned the winner on the main stage in episode 14 like they do in All Stars/UK/Canada.
They’d do well to steal the format of the Thai version’s finale, where each queen got to plan their own personal performance. They got close to it last year when they had them make their own music videos. Shame they pretty much went back to default this year.
I literally had to pause the show and go have a cocktail and a cigarette to calm myself down after RuPaul pushed Kandy into the final.Fuck this season.
I feel like Kandy + Simone should have been the first match-up, not the finale. Neither Kandy nor Rose deserved to go ahead to the top two IMO, especially based on Rose’s performance in the lip sync.
Thank God Symone won. I stopped watching because I canceled my cable. But with recaps I’m not missing much. I think this show emphasis to much of it’s time on lyp syncs. You can be a great queen without it.
I know AV Club moderates their comments, so I am continually baffled why they let commenters post hateful trash about Kandy week after week. If you’re that incensed about a reality TV show on drag queens, stop watching. Even the comments on YouTube and Reddit are less nasty and bullying than the stuff I read on here every single week. Kandy Muse is a fierce entertainer and excellent drag queen, and is just as deserving of her spot in this competition as anyone else. Funny how it always turns out to be plus-sized queens of color who catch the ire of this fan base. AV Club, do better. Please.
I agree with you up to a point: Kandy has, and most certainly will, receive a lot of unwarranted over-the-top, incendiary, and cruel comments for her drag race performance this season, but a lot of that is primarily the show’s fault. As I’ve mentioned, the show created her terrible edit, and showed it to viewers knowing that it would create a negative backlash, and used her for storyline purposes. And has now abandoned her.But there’s also no getting around the fact that her drag on the show was pretty bad, and her performances in almost all challenges were mediocre at best. That made her steady progress to the finale unsatisfying to watch.Where the show is particularly at fault is presenting a fantasy that all contestants enter the competition on a level playing field and have equal access to resources. That’s simply not true for a lot of young, poor, queens of colour on this show, who simply don’t have the resources to build up the level of performance experience or extravagant wardrobes with which a lot of the white queens enter the competition. There’s a video on YouTube which underlines how expensive it is to have a basic wardrobe for Drag Race. It’s expensive! WoW should spell this fact out for its viewers. And we all know that it won’t. Kandy Muse is a fierce entertainer and excellent drag queen, and is just as deserving of her spot in this competition as anyone else. Of this I have no doubt. It’s such a pity that Drag Race doesn’t trust its audience enough to know that we would have preferred a balanced edit that could have gone a long way in presenting her as a well-rounded character.
As I’ve mentioned, the show created her terrible edit, and showed it to viewers knowing that it would create a negative backlash, and used her for storyline purposes. And has now abandoned her. But there’s also no getting around the fact that her drag on the show was pretty bad, and her performances in almost all challenges were mediocre at best. That made her steady progress to the finale unsatisfying to watch.Preach. Bottom line; the obvious manipulation and excessive production did Kandy a huge disservice. Believe it or not, I actually liked her persona at first… right up until the moment when she threatened to hit Tamisha. After that, they leaned into the villain edit, hard; and the fact that neither Kandy’s performances nor her looks were up to par just made watching her that much less enjoyable. That said, I hope the animosity directed at her online dies down soon.
That said, I hope the animosity directed at her online dies down soon.And I hope the social media garbage that erupts after these finales never drives anyone away from drag again. Widow was probably my favourite queen on S12, and I really hope that she’s back in the game so that she can rescue an upcoming All Stars season.
I’d love to see Widow Von’Du on a season of All Stars…
I feel really, really badly for the S12 and S13 queens. The pandemic has prevented them from monetizing their Drag Race runs, and that must be devastating for those already economically marginalized. And we all know that interest in the queens declines in proportion to how much time has elapsed from the final episode of the orginial season. And there have been no shows! No DragCon! Nothing! That article you’ve linked was an eye-opener, and just goes to show how much drag costs — both in money, energy, and spirit. I’d be happy to see (aside from one grotesque exception) any of the S12 queens on any All Stars. I’ve just rewatched S12, though, and feel that Widow left a lot of unfinished business left on the workroom floor. More! I want more! *I just saw that Mondo made Crystal’s Finale look. What! It’s no wonder that queens are spending $20-40,000 on their wardrobes for the show now. That is just an insane amount money.
Mondo, the contestant that was robbed of his rightful win on Project Runway in the 7th or 8th season?
That makes a lot of sense in retrospect.
Having Kandy go up against Rose was completely manufactured, as was pushing her all the way to the finals. I think after the backlash Ru got from season 12, he was trying to virtue signal as hard as possible to remain relevant by pushing Kandy far further than was deserved. After her abysmal showing at the Beast Couture which was just washed over by the judges, it was easy to see that Ru was pushing Kandy for a reason other than her (lack of) talent. I’m not saying she’s a bad entertainer, but I am saying that this competition was decided long before the final. Ru Paul’s Favourite Drag Queen is a more suiting name as there seems to be no true competition left.
It was a reasonably entertaining finale and I’m glad they did something which had some of the flavor of a “real finale” since the season 12 one gives off such early pandemic vibes.Of course I wish the lip syncs had been set up such that we got to see Symone vs. Gottmik for the crown as opposed to getting way too much Kandy yet again.Strangely, I felt like all three of the lip syncs were somewhat subdued, especially considering how high energy the tracks were. I liked that they were all Britney tracks though, and I’d like to see them do something similar again
FUCKING FINALLY. This was the longest, most needlessly drawn out season of RPDR evah, and it’s finally over with the correct queen having been crowned. is it terrible I always skip to the very end of the finale episodes? Not at all, especially not these last few years where there’s been more marketing and promotion in the content, rather than any actual entertainment. I’ve had my issues with aspects of season 13, but it feels increasingly like one that will age well. Again, Kate; your inexplicable generosity is very much unearned. S13 will now and forever rank down there with S7 as my least favorite out of the entire franchise. I fear for whatever manipulated fuckery may be coming in future seasons – like so many other art forms, the more popular/successful this show becomes the less organic and engaging it becomes.
S13 will now and forever rank down there with S7 as my least favorite out of the entire franchise.I’ve watched S7 a few times now, and it really wasn’t that bad a of a season. I didn’t really find Violet Chachki to be terribly interesting or compelling on the show, and that made her win unsatisfying to me, and Katya’s untimely elimination was disheartening, but it had some excellent contestants and challenges. The problem that that season had is similar to what we saw in S11 and this season: shaky pacing, blatant overproduction, and a couple of poor writing choices that made some eliminations seem to be questionable when they really weren’t. The most unsatisfying season that I’ve seen is AS 5, which was so boring (except for Jujubee) and was so poorly written that I wasn’t even rooting for Shea in the end, even though she’s an excellent queen.This season could be vastly improved if they edit the first two episodes down into one and drop the third entirely while incorporating snippets of it into the fourth. That would get viewers into the eliminations early — and those really provide the main momentum and fun of this show — and vastly improve its pace.
You’re wrong. There is a great season buried somewhere here lol. Also we have to thank all the queens for spending their savings during a pandemic, you can’t just say it was a bad season sis they all went through so much
Also yes season 7 was overproduced but you’re looking at this from purely a tv angle, some of us live and breathe this, it’s unfair to say this is not organic, yes the queens refrain these days from speaking their mind but that’s only because they receive death threats and crazy shit online.
yes season 7 was overproduced but you’re looking at this from purely a tv angle, Um… I’m looking at it from my own personal point of view but thanks for telling me what/how I think; I just love it when total randos that I don’t know from a can of paint do that. You’re wrong. you can’t just say it was a bad season sisYeah, actually… I can, I did and I will again.You are obviously allowed to have your own opinion, but that doesn’t mean it has any bearing on what I think. Please get the fuck over yourself, trying to dictate what other people that you don’t even know can and cannot think or say.
Girl please you just sound so fucking pretentious. Enjoy the show for what it is is all I’m saying,
And I’m saying fuck right off.
Get a clue; your opinions are completely irrelevant to me.
🙂
manipulated fuckery The tagline of the season! It worked well until it didn’t, which was essentially episode three. Onward and upward to International Drag Race!
S7 had Kataya.
Typical for the Traffic Barrel; all bluster in the run-up and blah in the performance. Even on a bad ankle, Rose brought more showwomanship to the lip-sync.
And for your big move in the finale to be bringing out the Dominican flag? Symone topped that with ease, as would have Mik, who probably should have been there.
And that flag was wrinkled boots!
Well this was QUITE a perfect birthday gift for me tonight! LOLLargely this finale felt calmer because I do think the top contenders were at the forefront for most of the time. I definitely thought it would be Symone vs. GottMik for the major finale and was gagged at the wheel deciding otherwise for sure. The quick ball to start the night was perfect and I do feel this drive in format was a great compromise given the times we’re in right now. Also, the Chichi tribute was so beautiful to see (and so emotional; Thorgy’s voice breaking broke my own heart again too)As far as the lipsyncs go there’s a conversation to be had about how Rose would’ve performed with fully healed knees but I also think we should remember that she lost the two lipsyncs she did have this season before while Mik has been a delightful presence during 13 but is arguably a weak lipsyncer (she won against Utica sure but was definitely saved a bit from lipsyncs during the branding & disco challenges that she would’ve lost IMO) so it ending up Kandy vs. Symone also made sense to me too. It’s been a LOOOONG season but generally a nice time and I’m super glad for the results. Congrats to Symone and may our blood sugar never be low again!
The quick ball to start the night was perfect and I do feel this drive in format was a great compromise given the times we’re in right now.It was a great idea, but those runways should have been shown throughout the episode to help build momentum to the final lipsync. Many of those looks were the best the contestants wore all season, and I would have liked more time to see them, and perhaps see some video feedback from the judges.
Kandy’s finale outfits were so improved that I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there was just a touch of production polishing before she walked the main stage. There is, after all, little sense in presenting a top queen (translation: a marketable commodity to RuPaul) in less than their best. The same can be said for Rose, who certainly had the best overall combined runway of the season.
Rosé had the best overall combined runway? I think Gottmik and Symone were both so far and away ahead of everybody else on that.
I saw that I should have clarified that sentence, but couldn’t edit it by that point. This was Rose’s best overall combined runway of the season, and I wanted time to appreciate That Special Moment. I’m certainly not suggesting that it was better than the looks Gottmik or Symone presented this episode or, really, during the rest of the this season.
I liked a lot about this finale for what it was, but Kandy as runner up is an insult to so many more deserving queens.
Someone please tell me how the hell did Kandy get to the finale? No, in fact, how did she get past the first three episodes?
She was very carefully chosen by production to be the season’s sacrificial goat, that’s why. No matter what her actual talents might be, her early-season edit was atrocious and calculated to raise the ire of most of the viewing audience. And this worked out perfectly for production, who could use her as a weak foil for whichever favoured contestant appeared in the final without having her be a real threat to her. In this case, it was Symone (which makes me happy). Kandy was certainly used by the show for its own purposes, and comes out of this with little to show but a lot of negative publicity. She’ll get a spot on AS for it, though.
When you can wear a morph suit and blowup alien doll from party city without even receiving a critique, it’s pretty clear the contest is rigged in your favour.
We won’t discuss that weak-as peacock feather headpiece. It looked ratty.
Don’t forget the fur patches clearly stolen from Hobby Lobby!
Symone was a fair and deserved winner, but I was rooting for Gottmik who should have been runner-up at the very least (even more so with Ru’s previous comments on trans people). How Kandy got there is beyond me, 3rd runner up was more than she deserved with Rosé who should have taken 3rd place. The random nature (is it?) of the final lypsyncs got things out of whack and unfair, even with a right eventual winner.Regarding RuPaul – yeah, her body is stunning for any age, let alone 60, but the wigs looked terrible, her tights in the opening number were way too dark and the neon number looked cheap. Would have been amused with Michelle reading her for her looks.Shame we didn’t get to see anything of the judges, but overall enjoyed how they worked around the pandemic for the finale. The drive-in was a good move.
Can she atleast wear a brunette wig once in awhile. It’s always blond or sometimes red.
Think I’ve seen her with white also.Honestly, I don’t really care – everyone has their trademark but then again, and this is risky to say, it does feel a bit like Ru’s been whitewashing* herself for decades now.*It’s friggin’ 08:00 here, better terms will come once I wake up.
Can she at least wear a brunette wig once in awhile.Okay, sis PREACH; because I sho’ thought it was just me.
I am beyond tired of seeing Ru emulate a damn Barbie doll… this is risky to say, it does feel a bit like Ru’s been whitewashing* herself for decades now.
You two make an excellent point bringing this up, as it’s a fascinating issue. This is a very calculated look and one that was chosen to help her sell a subversive political and artistic statement to a middle-class, largely conservative audience by inverting their expectations of how gender and sexuality should be expressed by a 6’6″ African-American man. And she’s done that brilliantly. She’s still walking the line between satire, camp celebration of conservative tropes, and crass monetization of all of those things, but I’m increasingly uncertain if she’s wearing the look or it’s just swallowed her whole at this point. I’m sure she still sees the joke, but is probably less willing to throw it in the face of an adoring public that’s made her very wealthy.
This is a very calculated look and one that was chosen to help her sell a subversive political and artistic statement to a middle-class, largely conservative audience by inverting their expectations of how gender and sexuality should be expressed by a 6’6″ African-American man. And she’s done that brilliantly. Agreed, completely.Personally, I’m very conflicted when it comes to Ru:
On the one hand, I love her for what she’s done for drag and so many queens, elevating the art form and exposing it to the world at large, creating opportunities where almost none existed before.
On the other hand, I also resent the hell out of Ru for her past attitude towards Trans folks, her passive enabling of bigots like Shirley Q Liquor, and most recently, for her shitty attempts at imitating harmful quacks like ‘Dr Phil’; trying to mine the queens’ personal trauma for fucking ratings.Metaphorically, it’s like she’s Mommy Dearest without the direct physical abuse; She’s undeniably fabulous, but also incredibly fucked up.
Quite a few things have been said and written about this the past few years. Ru of the present is a very long stretch from Ru of the past (her not doing her own makeup anymore and even refusing to do so – remember the facekini from last year’s finale, the whole fracking stuff, comments on trans folk, rumoured behaviour on set and several more issues that have come to light).I genuinely believe she has been of tremendous importance and truly groundbreaking back in the 90’s, and the initial seasons of Drag Race were important too. Aside from the entertainment factor they also brought stories to the forefront that were barely heard before and showcased the art that drag is (or can be, at the very least).But as much as Ru likes to talk a good game about her younger years and what she stands for, it really doesn’t show in her actual behaviour and the course the show has taken the last few years (and Ru raking in the dollars). Personally I would even argue it’s beyond time for the show to end, even more so as every consecutive win makes the title less and less meaningful for winners past and present.Honestly, I’m quite done with everything RuPaul and watch primarily for the contestants.Bit of an Ellen story, no?
Personally I would even argue it’s beyond time for the show to end, even more so as every consecutive win makes the title less and less meaningful for winners past and present.I’d argue the opposite, though, as the win and appearing on this show has become a real and tangible currency now that RuPaul has increasingly turned drag into a skill that can be marketed to non-queer consumers on a global scale. Just take a look at DragCon, which can be an important (if highly controlled) source of income for many low-income queens: that didn’t exist in S1, but is now an actual thing. And many of these queens are legitimate D-list TV celebrities now, and have used their exposure on DR to develop careers in more traditional entertainment fields. That’s better than the “no-list” that they would have been on before DR. Without DR, probably only Willam, Shangela, and Kelly Mantle could have eked out a living as actors, and would probably not be doing so in drag.Winning DR in S1 = Winning ANTM in “cycle” 1: not a whole hell of a lot. Winning DR in S13 = a shot at sharing many different pies including drag, vegas revues, terrible songs, and terrible shows on Netflix. If you’re on Ru’s good side.I can’t disagree with these comments about Ru herself, but there aren’t really any good candidates to replace her, who have the right amount of experience, exposure, and willingness to brand themselves crassly right now. Maybe in five years — if she allows it — Shangela could do it, or maybe Raven. But not right now.
Isn’t there something like too much of a good thing though? I mean, how many have competed now, and while not all of them quite a few have gone mainstream one way or another (and power to them). At some point society is saturated, no?Not saying I can’t enjoy the spectacle of a 1000 drag queens, and that they don’t deserve it, but to me it just feels like overkill by now and while a win may make a big personal impact, on the drag race scale it seems hardly a big thing anymore (perhaps even more so as so many non-winners find success and fame as well, some more than actual winners).
Here’s an article I thought you might find as interesting as I did, regarding the financial cost to queens competing on Drag Race:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3dmav/what-does-it-cost-to-go-on-rupauls-drag-race
“For me, it was [worth it]—definitely, 100 percent,” Heidi, who recently released “GAP,” her first single, said. “I literally came from poverty to where I am now. I didn’t have much to lose from going. I was like, If I go and get eliminated first, at least I can say I was on it, get a couple gigs, get an increased booking fee, and keep working. And here I am. I now live in L.A., living my best life. So it was definitely a good up-front investment.”
This comment underlines why I often feel robbed at the end of the season: where was this smart, business-savvy Heidi on the show? Why did they just want to show her to be a lovable, unsophisticated, hick? That article is essential reading for anyone watching this show.
Yay, Symone, Congratulations!
So why exactly do they ask viewers/fans to “vote”/hashtag the queen they want to win? How does that work with this finale scheme in which the winner of a series lip sync-off win? Voting means nothing.
The Twitter vote never meant anything, it’s just something to keep the fans busy for the two week wait.
Voting allows the show to gauge the popularity of each of its finalists. Production has learned that it risks some pretty harsh blowback if an unlikeable queen is chosen as the winner, and that not even they can guarantee that an early favourite will maintain momentum (and likeability), so this is a valuable tool for them. RuPaul may not want her contestants to go to the message boards, but her employees certainly do so, and they’re well aware of who’s become toxic by the the time that the finale airs. Remember, all of the finalists were taped winning the season (and maybe that’s why Symone looked so fatigued and kind of underwhelmed when she was crowned), so all they have to do in the end is choose the queen who’s not going to cause a fan backlash.
I still maintain that Kandy had no business in the final 4 but she did win her lipsync fair and square. Rose was not all there and it’s obvious that Rupaul just wasn’t really buying what she was selling. Kandy in the final 2 still feels manufactured as fuck and I’m going to guess she’s going to be coming back a few times just like Vanjie. JoyGottmik definitely improved on her lip syncs but the only queen she might have beaten in the lipsyncs is Rose. Symone was never in the doubt as the winner and that was the best outcome in my opinion
Rose was not all there Sadly true;, but from what I understand, she was dealing with some sort of injury during the performance?
And I still think that she knew that she wasn’t going to win. Rose’s over thirty, and I really don’t think that Ru likes theatre kids, which is rich coming from someone whose own persona is so rehearsed and manufactured. RuPaul essentially told her that her prize was going to be the ability to gloat to Jan that she made it to the finale. I think a Drag Race run creates the most benefits for younger, poorer queens who had uncertain economic prospects before the show. In that case, the show can give them an instant career, and the threat/possibility of being locked into endless seasons can be a real economic lifeline to people who don’t have one. I think it would be a terrible shackle to anyone who had a pre-existing career, is a self-starter, or is older, which is probably part of the reason why Willam has left on bad terms. And why Tamisha is about to when she finds out that she’s lost the royalties to the songs that she’s presented on the show.
I really don’t think that Ru likes theatre kids, You may be onto something with that theory; thinking back on how hard the judges were on Jinkx in S5, even though she did win in the end. I think a Drag Race run creates the most benefits for younger, poorer queens who had uncertain economic prospects before the show. Good point as well. That’s some bullshit about the show owning the rights to whatever the queens create, but that’s how the business goes.
I’m going to guess she’s going to be coming back a few times just like Vanjie. Joy.
I doubt it. Fans don’t like Kandy – and that in no way justifies the abuse she’s getting online – but – aside from maybe All Stars – there’s no incentive there to bring her back the way they do Vanjie – who fans love.
And in Kandy’s defense, the producers are partly to blame. They gave Kandy a clear villain edit in the beginning where she starts off as arrogant and bullying other queens – I still think Kandy went over the line and should have been kicked off for trying to escalate her fight with Tamisha from verbal to physical – then – once the drama dried up – try to turn her into Vanjie 2.0 without even really addressing any of that – the only time it came up was in her lyrics for the song in the penultimate episodes (I’m not counting the reunion) and that made her out to be the victim once more. It didn’t help that they made it so blatant by let her skirt by with bad runway looks and saving her from elimination for no other reason besides the potential for more drama.
But yeah, the lukewarm – at best – fan response to Kandy probably means she’ll be more of a Silky than a Vanjie. The nail in the coffin was probably her online behavior – which doesn’t get brought up very much. When people went after her for bullying Elliott, she accused the producers of editing out microaggressions that Elliott made* and all but said she was in the final four when she started getting shit for the fight with Tamisha.
And in Kandy’s defense, the producers are partly to blame.The producers were fully to blame for this. End of story. They knew exactly what they were doing when they cast Kandy, created storylines for Kandy, and carved a place in the finale for Kandy. Sure, it’s a fart in the face to fans who expect a meritocracy, but ratings are a more precious commodity to the producers than artistic integrity.
ratings are a more precious commodity to the producers than artistic integrity.And that’s the main problem with the show now. As thrilled as I am that drag as an art form is becoming more mainstream, this is the inevitable downside.
Just to go a bit meta here: Rose’s shout-out to Ellie Diamond was two-fold: yes, she’s giving the other Scottish queen from this years Drag Race UK a shout-out but she’s also echoing something that Ellie (and a lot of us UK fans were bitching about) – that RuPaul was being snide when she was saying Lawrence Chaney’s name. RuPaul’s “Scottish” accent is nowhere near what Lawrence (and Rose’s Scottish accent, btw) sound like. In fact, lol, I’ll just point something out to a lot of you: Lawrence and Rose are from the same region of Scotland as each other. Rose was born in Greenock and Lawrence comes from Helensburgh: two wee towns on the Clyde Coast. You can actually see each town from each other across the Clyde, btw. It’s something like five miles. There are subtle differences between the Helensburgh and Greenock accents, but they don’t sound like a Yank trying to be funny.Oh and Rose and Lawrence (and my entire wee country, all six fucking million of us) don’t speak with “brogues”. Brogues are ugly fucking shoes, RuPaul (as ugly as your suits, my aged dear). The thing about Ellie Diamond – which pissed me off as well after I re-watched series two of Drag Race UK – is that she never got a response back from RuPaul after she called Ru out on her exaggerated Scottish accent. Some people in Scotland would find the drawled “Lawrence Chaney!” fucking insulting. I’m not one of them, but it has been mentioned on social and proper media over here.
Believe it or not, that was actually RuPaul’s attempt to be nice and brand her into an instantly recognizable commodity that Lawrence herself could use to sell pencils on the street corner in 19th century London. Except that that P.T. Barnum style hucksterism went out with the Edsel. And, of course, she failed.“Iiiviyeeee Wiinterrrssss…” God that one was obnoxious.
Oh fuck, I forgot about that. Not to mention “step into the cool waters of Darienne Lake”…*shudder*
“step into the cool waters of Darienne Lake”…*shudder* That one was especially annoying to anyone who grew up in southern Ontario or western New York, because Darien Lake was (and still is, by the looks of it) a cheap, second-rate amusement park near Buffalo: I used to see ads for it all the time on TV after school. And, of course, the reference was never explained on the show, and the “joke” was completely lost.
Except that that P.T. Barnum style hucksterism went out with the Edsel. That ‘do something “funny” when you say people’s names’ schtick does seems to be one that Ru is hard pressed to let go of. It’s weird that as an entertainer, Ru often does not seem to realize which gimmicks actually work, and which ones are just tedious and played out.
Sure. Right. RuPaul just absolutely fucking ruined Lawrence Chaney, didn’t she? And Ivy Winters and Darienne Lake—just when their careers were hitting the stratosphere, along comes RuPaul to trip them up and ruin their dreams by creating publicity and buzz and recognizable catch-words for them.RuPaul and this show has done more for drag performers than anything in history. No one—NO ONE—would have a clue about any of those performers had they not been on RuPaul’s show. To fucking denounce and diminish her contributions because you have an issue with her faked accent—which doesn’t harm anyone, but was huge in creating name recognition and publicity for LC—or her age or any of the other insulting crap people bring up shows how petty and small the most vocal “fans” of this show have become.
The whole finale was underwhelming. None of the lipsynchs were were exciting, the songs (except the last one) were dull, and hardly anybody fucking moved. At least Rosé had an excuse with a bum ankle. There was no tension in the finale, especialy. Nobody could imagine that the unrefined drag of Kandy Muse (and I’m a KM fan) would win out over the very refined and elevated drag of Symone, which is also infused with social consciousness. I was happy to see the Chi Chi DeVayne tribute, and I know I said it way back, but I think “Zavion Davenport” would have been a kickass drag name (It worked for Mr. Charles just fine). Our long national Drag Race nightmare is over. When’s the next All Stars?
Our long national Drag Race nightmare is over.When’s the next All Stars?Glutton for punishment? Can’t wait for A Nightmare on Drag Street 6: Eureka Explodes! ? Every regular season of Drag Race has been better than — with the big exception of AS2 — every season of All Stars, which has recently hovered between “meh” and “ew Jesus, gross”. I’m therefore not sure relief is warranted here. But I like your optimism!
I’m therefore not sure relief is warranted here. But I like your optimism!A middle-aged cisgender male can dream!
I can’t even force myself to call it “All-Stars.” Mostly because that’s not what it is. If someone slides into “All-Stars” immediately after their season ended (in which they didn’t really even perform that well), how are they a “star?” I call it either “RuPaul’s Also-Rans” or “Second Chance Sister.”
The dress itself is white with a sparkling BLM in black, though the design is such that without her voice over, some could be forgiven for missing the message. I only noticed the L, which I thought was a nod to Laverne DeFazio.
I think Symone is one of the most deserving winners of Drag Race ever. Just a true star.
This season, though, just was needlessly long. It started January 1st, and we’re getting a finale at the end of April. The 3-episode start to the season was a drawn-out dud that ultimately meant nothing. The undeserved double save and the comically terrible COVID special just ate up more time. The seams on the production started to show in an unflattering way, which is a real shame. And of course the fact that the truly *excellent* UK season started and ended during the run of this season did not help.
This season was definitely quantity over quality.
That being said, even though I do not agree Kandy should have been given such flagrant boosts by the production and definitely should not have been in the top 4, the vitriol directed toward her here and by fans generally is unacceptable and loathsome.
All well stated points. While I personally don’t care for Kandy as a queen, most of my resentment is reserved for Ru and the producers. All season long, they were manufacturing reasons to keep a less-talented queen around who was obviously nowhere NEAR on par with the likes of Symone and Gottmik, in a flagrant attempt to keep the melodrama going. Lastly, I agree with you that people trolling KM online is not fucking okay. I abhor bullying, and no one ever deserves to be harassed.The dress itself is white with a sparkling BLM in black, BLM did NOT read for me at all; I just recognized the M and figured it was another poorly done version of Kandy’s name, like that terrible fascinator.
I know she gets a lot of less than enthusiastic attention from fans, but I do think Kandy gets a most improved gold star from me. I don’t think Kandy should have or could have won, and I do think her top 4 part was partly down to missteps others took, but I found myself actually enjoying her which I can’t say for some of the other queens like her in the past.
The storylines were so mangled this season that I’m going to have to — maybe in a year or two — watch it again so I can enjoy it for what it was. And I shouldn’t have watched Untucked at all, which just manipulated me into following those same stupid storylines without any real payoff. I actually think that the cast was really good, but some of my good mood coming into this soured when I was spoiled mid-season with rumours and innuendos about bad behaviour on set. The cast can work that out between themselves, and I’ll just watch the episodes (or some of the episodes) without the off-screen drama in mind.
And I’ll be honest in saying that I rarely watch Untucked anymore out of laziness rather than anything else. I’m also not super active in Drag Race social media so that’s likely a second point for me in being able to just enjoy what’s on screen.I’m not endorsing the possibility that they all behaved badly off camera. Just kind of glad that I can keep to my space and not deal with that.
So… no recap of DR Down Under?
It’s a pity that the A.V. Club doesn’t have one-off minicaps of the entire seasons of each of the international verisons of Drag Race. With possibly the exception of UKDR2, all of these versions of the show have been problematic in their own ways, and it would be fascinating to do a dive into each to discuss why that is the case in a production that’s really become the flagship mainstream media representation of queer identity in a whole lot of countries.
Agreed; even mini-caps would be preferable to just ignoring installments of RPDR from other countries.