Welcome to RuPaul’s Drag Race Power Rankings! Every Tuesday, we’ve debriefed the week’s new episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 14 to determine which queens are riding high, and which need she-mergency care. And now, we look back on the full season for each member of the final five—including our new champion.
3rd/4th/5th: Angeria Paris VanMicheals (last placement: 5)
After starting Season 14 with literally nothing but high-scoring performances, I guess there’s some sense in Angeria boasting about her track record. But “Check My Track Record” nonetheless felt like a very strange choice for Angie, both musically (why not a park-and-bark song?) and in terms of the actual content. Yes, Angeria started strong, but her track record was outclassed by Lady Camden at season’s end.
The song is emblematic of a greater issue with Angeria’s run, though: the edit was never that interested in letting us get to know her. Other queens got plenty of time to open up; Angie, by contrast, was still largely a mystery by season’s end. Even in the reunion, her story was about how she related to another queen (Camden), and not about herself. It’s a shame, because Angie comes off as an interesting, incredibly charismatic person. If the show were interested in her, I’m certain she could’ve been edited as a frontrunner. Alas, without the benefit of a strong narrative, the odds of her ever winning were slim. I would love to see her back for an All Stars run someday.
3rd/4th/5th: Bosco (last placement: 2)
Ultimately, Bosco’s story was about being the recipient of the golden chocolate bar. She dominated much of the competition, had a bad stumble from Snatch Game through the Rusical and was saved by the “drag gods.” Then, in the roast, she bounced back big, and had that been the last episode, I think she’d have been a frontrunner to take the crown. But the Rumix episode was a tough one for Bosco—I personally thought she should’ve been in the bottom two over Willow Pill—and her dulled momentum showed in the fan vote. After being a fave all season, Bosco finished in a pretty distant third in the race for Instagram likes.
So what felt like an arc that could deliver someone the crown ultimately left Bosco in a non-winning position. Her original song, “Devil,” didn’t help matters: it was a slinky, slow villain track perfectly fitting for Bosco, but not right as an argument for her win. Her performance of it was also low-key in comparison to the other queens; Daya Betty did a better job of making a slower song look dynamic onstage. In the end, it was all a recipe for Bosco to finish short of the final two—but it’s easy to imagine that in another, slightly different universe, she’s sitting at home with the crown now.
3rd/4th/5th: Daya Betty (last placement: 3)
As I mentioned in my recap of the reunion, Daya’s edit during it was not that of a future winner. It was the deconstruction and resolution of her villain arc, but it didn’t leave her with any momentum for the crown. Still, like with Kandy Muse last season, you could at least see one of the season’s most controversial characters making it to the top two. Alas, her performance of her song “Fighter,” while visually really cool, didn’t have enough time to ramp up to where it needed to go. Given more time to build, I think the mid-tempo song could’ve been a major moment for Daya. But with just one minute, it felt rushed.
In the wake of the reunion, there were quite a few tweets supposing that Daya might be cast in a future All Stars season with her sister-in-conflict, Jasmine Kennedie. I can see it … but I also think if Daya ever comes back, we’re likely to see a far less outspoken version of her. True, she stood by what she said all season at the reunion, but she also seemed deeply affected by the backlash she received. Moreover, being a villain in a format where everyone has the chance to vote you out would likely not end well for Miss Betty. Still, I do think she deserves a shot at All Stars, particularly as she continues to develop her aesthetic as a queen. I’m just not sure she’ll be the same Daya in the confessional booth next time around.
RUNNER-UP: Lady Camden (last placement: 1)
I’m admittedly a little sad Camden didn’t win, since she was my fave for much of the season (give or take a flight on the DeJa Skyes). But I do think hers would’ve been an unusual winning narrative: she was ignored for much of the early part of the season, had a triumphant moment during the “Daytona Wind” episode, then slipped back to the middle of the pack. It wasn’t until the Rusical that her arc really shifted into focus, but that was long after queens like Bosco, Daya and our eventual winner Willow had started making their arguments for the win. On a pure performance level, I think Camden won this season, but story-wise, it would’ve felt odd.
In terms of the finale, methinks Camden may have flown a little too close to the sun with a song in which she repeats “I won!” over and over. She did make the final two — and deservedly so, considering hers was the best of the initial performances—but she needed a blowout in her Lip Sync for the Crown to snatch the victory. Willow more than kept up (I’d actually argue she outdid Camden at her own game), meaning Camden was destined to fall short of the crown. Still, with all her cash prizes added up, she’s walking out of Drag Race with a cool $65,000—not too shabby, to say the least. And I do think we’ll see her again on All Stars, though I hope she takes a bit before returning. She could very well win upon a return, but she’ll need to demonstrate that, despite being great at much of what Drag Race tests this time around, she’s still been able to grow.
WINNER: Willow Pill (last placement: 4)
Ru took a Wiwwow Pill in the very first episode of Season 14, and that dose kept her riding high all season long. Despite only earning one maxi-challenge win, Willow nonetheless racked up a hell of a strong track record, dominating in all kinds of performance fields: fashion, comedy, music and so on. Her only major stumbles were Snatch Game—which everyone faltered at, and she quickly redeemed herself with a solid “Never Too Much” lip sync—and in the Rumix, which wasn’t as big a failure as the judges made it out to be. Willow also won over the fandom in a major way, and went into the finale with the most visible support.
It’s interesting to consider Willow’s reception visávis, say, Krystal Versace’s in UK Season 3. Both queens received fawning praise from Ru for just about anything they did, which led to a backlash against Krystal. But Willow stayed a fan fave throughout. I credit two major factors to this, beyond Willow’s own tremendous likability: Ru never used Willow’s low moments as an occasion to wildly overpraise her, as he did with Krystal (most notably after she faltered in Snatch Game), and Ru also had Jorgeous to lavish praise on for most of the season. Since she wasn’t Ru’s only favourite, Willow didn’t draw the same skeptical eye from the fanbase.
That fan support, plus her openness in sharing her story all season, and a dynamite performance in the competition, made her the easy pick for the win. She may not have been my personal favourite, but she was an enjoyable, exciting presence to watch over the last four months. And I have no doubt that she will make a terrific reigning queen. Congrats to Willow Pill, America’s Next Drag Superstar XIV!
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