Welcome to Canada’s Drag Race Power Rankings! Every week, we’ve debriefed the week’s new episode of Canada’s Drag Race Season 5 to determine which queens were riding high, and which needed she-mergency care. But we’ve now arrived at the finale, so it’s time to take one look back at our final four queens’ journeys.
3rd/4th: Helena Poison (last week: 1)
Credit to Helena: she made the best possible case for herself in this finale, and were she not walking into it at a deficit, I think she could’ve won it all. Her single was catchy as hell. Her final runway was gorgeous: it was like she was dripping deep purple poison. More than anything, she asserted a real understanding of her brand and her specific point-of-view as a queen. I was heartened to see Orville Peck really make a case for her perspective as unique and valuable. We don’t see punk queens do this well on Drag Race all the time, and I’m really glad Helena made it to the finale.
The issue is something Brooke Lynn Hytes hinted at with her critique that Helena doesn’t have the “fire” to win: Helena is a good bit quieter than the other members of the top four. At the end of the day, Drag Race is still a reality show, and while every winner has not been loud and boisterous, the quieter ones still have a distinct “character” they play: think Violet Chachki or Willow Pill. Helena’s just a bit too reserved to really have a chance at the crown. That’s a damn shame, because as I argued last week, I think Helena had a terrific season, and it was capped by her terrific finale performance. It’s a shame she couldn’t clear the final hurdle.
3rd/4th: Minhi Wang (last week: 3)
Though they were clear that Minhi did not deliver at the level of the other queens this week, the judges actually went easy on her. This was a pretty bad finale for Minhi, with a single that was fun, but not right for this kind of final showdown; a runway that had a strong first impression but was too stiff as it walked and a performance that demonstrated all her flaws as a dancer and lip-syncer wrapped up in one minute-long package. For better or worse, much of this season has been about who can perform a number best: the premiere Broomix, the Lip Sync Slay-Off, the girl groups challenge and now this. Minhi got a couple of lucky breaks in those challenges to avoid elimination, but it all came back to bite when Minhi suddenly looked distinctly less polished than either of our top two.
Still, Minhi should be really proud of herself. She had a terrific track record this season, won two challenges and served some of the best runway looks of the whole cast. She demonstrated that despite starting on this show as Pit Crew, she would be leaving it as a full-fledged queen and star. I hope she continues to pursue drag, even though it’s not her full-time career: she’s got a special something that makes her one you can’t help but root for.
RUNNER-UP: Makayla Couture (last week: 4)
I’m pretty shocked Makayla didn’t take the crown! I thought the narrative was so firmly with her, but the show pivoted to a winner with a quietly simmering story. The decision stands in stark contrast with last season, when Venus won largely on consistency in the competition and her presence in the narrative, while Aurora Matrix fell short of the crown despite higher highs in the challenges. Still, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen the quieter character of the final two win on Canada’s Drag Race: Ra’Jah O’Hara was laid-back in comparison to Silky Nutmeg Ganache on Canada vs. The World Season 1, for instance.
Results of the competition aside, though, Makayla had one hell of a season. She had tremendous moments of connection and opposition with her fellow cast members, she looked gorgeous just about every week on the runway and she delivered three great musical performances across the season. If she ever comes back for another season, pencil her in for any verse challenge wins from the start. She made the House of Couture proud, and I have a feeling we’ll see her again on Drag Race someday.
WINNER: The Virgo Queen (last week: 2)
A huge congratulations to Virgo! I wish I hadn’t pivoted my winner prediction off of her at the last minute after feeling it all season: there was just something about Virgo’s story that made sense this season. She wasn’t the biggest character every episode, but she was slyly funny in confessionals, and she had a couple of late-season story moments that established her importance to the season’s narrative. Moreover, she had two wins—tied for most of the season—and tore it up both times she was in the bottom. She’s ending the season with a 5-0 lip sync record! If Makayla was the star of the TV show, Virgo was the star of the competition.
Like Venus’ victory over Aurora, or Miss Fiercalicious and Kimmy Couture not making it to the final two, I imagine there will be a good bit of debate over Virgo’s win. It speaks to how tight the race really felt that basically everyone in the final four had their supporters. But in the end, Virgo’s win gives us a good reminder about Canada’s Drag Race: it’s often who snags the judges’ attention early that winds up winning it all, with Gisèle Lullaby being the only real anomaly among the main series winners. Virgo made a strong first impression, and the judges never stopped loving her. All hail Canada’s Next Drag Superstar V!
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