It was finally the moment I have been dreading – the finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16! This season has been so much fun. This cast of queens has been so incredible. I will miss watching them each week! However, we have a winner to crown, so let’s get into it.
The episode kicked off with a lipsync performance by RuPaul herself. Of course, she was joined by Michelle Visage, Ross Mathews, Carson Kressley, and TS Madison to crown this season’s winner. After introducing the judges, it was time for the queens to walk the runway. Everyone looked amazing! I thought Hershii Liquor Jeté and Amanda Tori Meating looked so good, and I would love to see them both get another chance on a season of All-Stars. Mih’ya Iman LePaige and Plasma also looked stunning, but I think Dawn, Morphine Love Dion, and Q had my favorite looks from the eliminated queens.
Then the top three hit the stage. I was left speechless by Nymphia Wind, Sapphira Cristal, and Plane Jane’s looks. They all looked truly incredible. Again, this cast never missed (except for those few times they did but even that was fierce).
The finale wasn’t just for fun, it was also for a good cause. There was a match on donations made to the ACLU Drag Defense Fund! Remember, you can support the defense fund every day of the week by donating here.
It was time for the queens to start their solo performances. It was a treat to see Nymphia perform since she never fell in the bottom during the season. It was wonderful! She looked absolutely amazing, too! It was so sweet to see Nymphia’s mom and best friend in the audience, coming all the way from Taiwan to support her. Her mom was so supportive and sweet.
Next up was Plane Jane. I was so distracted by her wig getting stuck in her lip gloss while she was dancing. Also, the highlight of her performance was Amanda’s annoyed look. If you’re on drag Twitter, you know the one. Plane has grown on me throughout the competition, and I am proud of her growth toward the end of the season! Plane’s mom was there, who is a scientist, and it was great to hear her support for Plane!
Sapphira closed out the individual performances and oh my god. Can you believe what we all saw? She is perfect. I am convinced. I also couldn’t get over her fellow contestants going OFF during her performance. EVERYONE was living. Sapphira’s mom and best friend were in the audience, and again, another amazing mom. She was hilarious. I love everyone’s moms.
Speaking of moms, they showed a wonderful tribute and slideshow to biological and drag mothers alike, and the photos were adorable. It was SO cute!
Elvira was honored, and though I know her story, it is always insane to hear about everything from her date with Elvis to her connection to drag. She was even there, which was wonderful. Tweet of the night went to Kornbread Jeté, who thought Elvira was her real name.
So the top three was then chopped down to a top two, which was Sapphira and Nymphia, who would move forward to the lip sync for the crown.
How lucky were we to get a Sasha Colby highlight reel and performance? RuPaul knew exactly what we wanted. It was perfection and I will never stop being obsessed with her.
Malaysia Babydoll Foxx then came out to present the next Miss Congeniality. Remember, the queens vote on this now, and there was a tie! Xunami Muse and Sapphira took home the title! I loved this!
Finally, it was time for the finale lip sync between Sapphira and Nymphia to everyone’s favorite song, Padam Padam by Kylie Minogue. Between these two, you knew it was going to be an incredible show. Nymphia came prepared with a balloon reveal and then at some point flipped out of her current outfit into another one? Sapphira did perfectly, too, but Nymphia pulled out all the stops and stunts. Sapphira’s wig reveal was really impressive too, though! I love both of these queens!
It was absolutely perfect, but in the end, Nymphia was crowned our winner! And of course, Sapphira was so happy for her on stage. She really is a living angel, huh? Ugh, what a season. I just love all these queens!
Now RuPaul has to figure out how to give us a 17th season with as much heart! Can it even happen?! Thank you for joining me here each week. Until next season, queens!
