In a season full of twists, RuPaul’s Drag Race just delivered the biggest one yet: it actually ended!
The longest competition in the show’s herstory finally reached its conclusion on Friday with an extravaganza filmed on the Flamingo Las Vegas stage, with the largest group of “final” queens — Angeria Paris VanMichaels, Bosco, Daya Betty, Lady Camden and Willow Pill — battling for the crown, the title and the $150,000 grand prize.
Round 1 (aka “Showgirl Showdown”) required each of the queens to perform an original number: Angeria got this started, reminding everyone her name by having it spelled out in stars; Bosco combined her love of burlesque and disturbing religious imagery; Daya similarly contributed to our nightmares, serving insect realness; Camden pulled off a flawless transformation, going from prim-and-proper to punk; and Willow gave us weird to the power of weird, with multiple face reveals — and not just on her face.
Following these performances, Ru announced that Camden and Willow were the season’s official Top 2, leaving room in All Stars 8 for any combination of Angeria, Bosco and Daya.
But before the winner could be revealed, LaLa Ri took the stage to crown this season’s Miss Congeniality. Unsurprisingly, the title went to Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté, who kept spirits bright in the werkroom before leaving the competition early due to an injury.
OK, it’s battle time! And because it was the final lip sync of the season, Drag Race went all out, selecting Cher’s cover of ABBA’s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” as Camden and Willow’s fight song. Folks, it truly doesn’t get much gayer than that.
And let me say, both queens came prepared. Willow began the performance in a cartoonishly large pinstriped suit, including pants that went up to her chin, then stripped down to a sickening purple bodysuit. And Camden, who started out in a perfectly regal look, brought the heat in a flame-inspired second outfit. Even though the crowd went wilder for Willow, the queens felt evenly matched, save for Camden struggling to pull off another Freddie Mercury-level wig reveal.
Heading into the final lip sync, this was still anyone’s game, but the winner became clear by the time the music stopped. America’s Next Drag Superstar is… Willow Pill!
Are you glad to see the crown on Willow’s head, or did you have another winner in mind? Vote in the poll below, then drop a comment with your full review of the finale.