Well, that’s a surprise!
When we heard in last episode’s preview that Canada’s Drag Race’s reunion would feature someone going home, my guess was that the eliminated queens would get to vote one of the final four out. It seemed like the perfect set-up for a “competitive” reunion, although it would risk reminding viewers of All Stars 3’s disastrous jury twist. My next thought, which struck me while watching the episode, was that perhaps the reunion was actually a “challenge” of sorts, and the judges (except for host Brad Goreski) were actually off-stage watching the whole thing.
What I did not expect (and am not sure I could’ve ever expected) was a Lip Sync for the Finale tournament to take over the second half of the episode. Canada’s Drag Race has adapted the current American Drag Race finale format not for its own finale, but as a semi-final round to decide which three queens will move on. It’s actually kind of a reverse Lip Sync for the Crown: winning one of the first two rounds means you just move on, and the losers of the first two must compete in the final leg.
It adds a thrilling final twist to a season that has largely avoided getting too unconventional with the elimination format, and proves why, when deployed sparingly, twists can still bring something to Drag Race. (Look, I’m excited for Season 14, but all this talk of changing the game and chocolate bars doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.) And while it results in a gut-wrencher of an elimination, it ultimately feels like a fair decision—one we saw play out right in front of our eyes.
Credit: Courtesy of Bell Media
The queens don’t even have time to untuck after Adriana’s elimination before they’re besieged by another Rumail message telling them that before a queen can be crowned, they must reunite with the eliminated dolls! And before we know it, we’re back on the main stage with Brad and the whole cast. Everyone is dressed like they’re here for a Real Housewives reunion, although Kimora Amour admittedly missed the “pastel” colour motif memo.
Honestly, there’s not a ton to say about the reunion portion. There are a couple of attempts to make things shady, including giving Stephanie Prince a chance to read the other girls. But this cast clearly loves each other so much that none of it really sticks. Instead, the best moments are the queens lifting each other up and leading with that love in the way they speak about and to each other. Even the Brat Pack mostly got plaudits and kudos from the rest of the cast, no matter how annoying they found their early camaraderie.
Speaking of lifting each other up: Suki Doll wins Miss Congeniality! I’m so glad we get an official MC for Canada’s Drag Race—it drives me nuts that the international shows mostly unofficially award them. This is such a great way to give proper kudos to a great, amiable queen who went home far too soon, and gives her a moment in the spotlight. In fact, every moment in the spotlight we do see for a queen is great, but they’re kind of inconsistent. A queen like Adriana gets a whole package, while Synthia Kiss is only discussed in the context of her sisters, Gia Metric and Kendall Gender.
When the eliminated queens are asked who should win the season, the latter two Brat Pack members mostly go unmentioned, except for some kind of “and also” responses. Instead, it’s Pythia who gets the lion’s share of picks, with Icesis Couture getting several lovely shout-outs as well. It’s not exactly surprising that it would come down to the two of them: that’s where things have been heading all season. Gia and Kendall have done well, but neither feels like a real threat to win the crown.
Credit: Courtesy of Bell Media
So it’s interesting when, as the queens draw song titles to see who will be facing off against whom, Icesis and Pythia wind up against each other in the first round. Gia versus Kendall is less surprising—we were destined to have one more Brat Pack matchup—but this result means one of our two frontrunners will have to fight for her life in the final round.
The first round is the Brat Pack brawl, and it’s a close one. Gia gives a more conventional, dance-heavy lip sync to RuPaul’s “Main Event,” and it largely works. Kendall, on the other hand, really leans into the words and interpretation—and the results are mixed. Her facial expressions in the first half don’t match the song, so even though she’s precise, it’s not in the service of a great lip sync. However, she significantly improves in the back half, and ultimately laps Gia. She wins her spot in the final three.
Next is Icesis versus Pythia, and Pythia truly brings the energy of someone who has just been called out as the preferred winner by most of the cast—that is, she fully phones it in. Her performance is just nowhere near the level that it needs to be to keep up with Icesis, who is as dominant as ever in the lip sync. Hell, at one point, Pythia tries to get playful with Icesis, only for Icesis to turn it around and mime fucking Pythia. She even spanks her as she gets back up! It’s a blow-out, and Icesis moves on.
That takes us to Gia versus Pythia, and Pythia has woken up a bit from the first round. She pulls out all sorts of moves, and while I do think Gia is better, I don’t think this choice is ultimately about who is superior. Pythia is one of the two favourites to win—as long as she doesn’t flop, I think she’s coming out on top. And indeed, she wins, meaning it’s time for Gia to sashay away.
Credit: Courtesy of Bell Media
This is a remarkably emotional elimination, as tears visibly drop from Gia’s face as she listens to the judges and says her final words. I would’ve preferred her to make it to the finale over Kendall, but I do think it would’ve cut the momentum of the season if Pythia weren’t in the finale. The draw of the lip sticks doomed Gia after her first loss. Both Icesis and Pythia have a real shot at winning this; as good as she’s been all season, Gia hasn’t had a winner’s edit.
Next week, it’s time to find out who will join Priyanka in the Canada’s Drag Race winners’ circle! This has been a delight of a season. I’m pretty sad to see it come to an end, but I’m just happy to have spent this time with this cast. Getting to see them all once again in this reunion was the cherry on top.
Untucking our final thoughts
✨Stephanie stops to take a photo with Brad on her way down the runway because “I need camera moments.” We really were deprived of more Stephanie Prince.
✨Beth tries to make a golf joke about winning because she placed last. It goes over the other queens’ heads, and Adriana lands a perfect read: “So we didn’t miss any comedy.”
✨After a season of Brooke Lynn introducing Amanda as “TV’s Amanda Brugel,” I cannot tell you how hard I laughed at “VHS’ own Amanda Brugel!”
✨There have been so many little moments acknowledging the realities of Drag Race production this season. Gia leaving with “I’m gonna go text someone!” is just the latest and greatest example.
✨The compilation of all of Gia’s wordy speeches is, in a strange way, the absolute perfect send-off for her. I miss our Oscar speech queen already.
✨“I am confused, I’m tired, I peed a little.” Same, Icesis.
✨I’m of two minds when it comes to who’s going to win based on this episode. Icesis’ dominance in her lip sync against Pythia makes me think it’s foreshadowing for how the finale will go down, especially considering the challenge is a performance-based one. On the other hand, if you want to set up an underdog arc—which Drag Race as a franchise has been favouring more and more lately—who better than Pythia to take home the crown, despite her two wins and zero bottom two appearances? The one result I can’t see happening is a Kendall win, but when it comes to the other two, it’s a total toss up in my eyes.
The finale of Canada’s Drag Race will be available to stream Thursday, Dec. 16, at 9 p.m. EST on WOW Presents Plus in the U.S. and on Crave in Canada.
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