Well y’all, we did it. We endured a season of RuPaul’s Drag Race in the midst of a global pandemic. From scandals to COVID-19, this season was a wild ride. In the end, we got one of the strongest top three in the history of the show. Crystal Methyd, Gigi Goode, and Jaida Essence Hall would fight for the crown from their homes and it was anyone’s game. Instead of facing off on stage, the top three would be performing three lip syncs from their homes!
The best part of the finale was a tie between Michelle Visage’s husband’s butt and Ross Matthews’ dog who believed Jan was robbed during the Madonna challenge. Oh, and Crystal’s entrance look. That woman was a full-on pinata. I love it here.
RuPaul kicked the evening off with individual conversations with the top 3. Crystal was first. She got an adorable video message from her parents AND her grandma. It’s always the best to watch families support their drag queen children. Crystal was definitely the contestant who had shown the most growth throughout the competition. It was great to watch her blossom!
Next came Gigi Goode’s one-on-one with Ru. I have to say, it was a lot of fun to watch the recap of her performance on the show. From her runway looks to her Snatch Game, she killed it this season. Gigi did her interview in a replica of RuPaul’s MTV Spring Break look from the 90’s, which was incredible. We also finally got to meet Gigi’s famous mom!
Last but certainly not least was Jaida Essence Hall! Jaida was by far one of my favorite queens this season. She gave us everything: humor, fashion, and genuine personality both on the runway and in her confessionals. During her conversation with Ru, she looked INCREDIBLE. She talked about how her mom brags about her being on Drag Race and that her dad and brother cried the first time she won a challenge. I love these aspects of Drag Race so much. But, what I loved the most was Jaida telling her younger self she had sickening skin.
Before we got the lip syncs, we got a message of safety from America’s sweetheart, Heidi N Closet. She taught us how to socially distance and keep sanitized during a pandemic. I think we could all listen to her read the phone book and be entertained.
It was time for lip-sync number one! This one was to Ru’s new song Bring Back My Girls and they could only use their faces in the performance. The performance was great, but what followed was even better. They paid tribute to Jacqueline Wilson, a Drag Race producer who passed away last year. A few of our favorite queens spoke beautiful words about her. It was a very special moment.
Then came the individual lip syncs. First came Crystal’s, which is great because we need to talk about it. She really was in full bird drag performing to I’m Like A Bird by Nelly Furtado. It was the most creative and absurd thing I’ve seen on RuPaul’s Drag Race and I loved every second of it. Next came Gigi who had the best production value. She lip-synced to Take On Me by a-ha. It was great. Jaida came next and she killed it to Get Up by Ciara. How she was able to make that all happen from her living room was beyond me. The competition was tight! One queen had to be eliminated at this point, though. Wait… nevermind… they all got to move on to the final lip sync.
Before the final lip sync, Nina West and Dolly Parton teamed up to crown the new Miss Congeniality. Of course, the title went to Heidi. She truly deserved it! Also, every season 12 queen got a $2,000 cash tip from Pantene. RuPaul called it a Pantene stimulus check, which I really enjoyed. We also got to check in with the reigning queen, Yvie Oddly, which was fun.
Finally, it was time for the lip sync to end all lip syncs or…er… to end the season, at least. The queens faced off to Destiny Child‘s Survivor, which seemed fitting. This lip sync was so much fun to watch. Jaida was incredible, Gigi’s outfit and performance were great, and Crystal was her perfect, weird self. The competition was stiff but in the end, Jaida got the much deserved virtual crown. She was a force to be reckoned with all season and will do the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar proud.
Given the current events unfolding in our country, this title means a little bit more than usual. There was something especially powerful about a drag queen of color winning RuPaul’s Drag Race to the song Survivor. Jaida, you’re amazing, and we can’t wait to watch you take over the world!
Well y’all, can’t say I’ll miss you. We’ll be back again next week chatting about RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season five. Yes, we don’t even get a week off. See you then!
