Welcome to RuPaul’s Drag Race Power Rankings! For the final time this season, let’s debrief the week’s new episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race to determine which queens ended the season on a high, and which needed she-mergency care. The finale is over, and so is Season 13. Which queen came out on top at the end—and how did we get here?
3rd/4th: Gottmik (last week: 1)
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The argument against Gottmik going into a Lip Sync for the Crown finale was that, despite never technically losing a lip sync, wagering on her performance ability is a tough bet. Nothing she demonstrated in either her “Rumors” premiere performance or the solo lip sync in the top four episode to H20’s “I Learned From the Best” remix was at the level required to win a Lip Sync for the Crown. The hopeful counter-argument was that, like Sasha Velour before her, Gottmik could shock the crowd by preparing something truly gag-worthy for the finale.
And on the runway for the finale ball, she gave us full gagatrondra. All three of her looks were nothing short of jaw-dropping; in a different finale format, one focused on fashion, you could have easily seen her taking the crown. But while she had a fun reveal in her lip sync to “Gimme More,” Gottmik couldn’t keep up with how naturally transfixing Symone is to watch. She needed to pull out some major gags to beat out someone who had already won four lip sync battles so far this season, and she couldn’t quite pull it off.
There’s good news for Gottmik fans, however. Given how much she clearly loved competing on Drag Race, it’s entirely plausible to expect her to return for All Stars. She came into her own as a performer this season, but it did take a minute. Seeing Mik start her next run at the top of her powers, with the taste level she’s demonstrated on the runway? She’ll smash the competition. And I, for one, cannot wait to see it—and I can’t wait to see all the amazing things she does off the show, either. Gottmik has more than put her stamp on this season, and she’s got scores of fans eagerly awaiting her next move.
3rd/4th: Rosé (last week: 3)
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Owing to the unconventional structure of this season, Rosé holds the unfortunate record of most lip syncs lost in a regular season, with three: Her season premiere lip sync against Olivia Lux, her top two lip sync against Denali and now her finale lip sync against Kandy Muse. That’s obviously rough for a queen who declared herself a Lip Sync Assassin from the start. But Rosé can take comfort in the fact that lip-syncing is basically the only field in which she stumbled, knocking it out of the park in nearly every other category. She never had to lip sync to save herself this season. And this wasn’t an example of production favouritism like we’ve seen in the past: Rosé genuinely showed proficiency across the board.
In the finale, she prepared as expected of a professional: She had her reveals, she knew all her words and she did a fine job. But Kandy was perhaps the toughest competition for her to go up against, because the differences in their styles—focused, practiced competence versus all-out dancing—couldn’t be more pronounced. I wonder how much Rosé’s ankle injury from a few months ago contributed to her relatively minimal movement. Regardless of the circumstances, Ru went with Kandy, leaving Rosé cut before the final lip sync and leaving us anticipating what feels like an almost inevitable future All Stars run.
I do hope Rosé waits a bit before returning, though. The truth is, with her level of expertise in almost all the areas that Drag Race requires, the likelihood of her making the finale in basically any season is high. But that polish isn’t going to be enough to push Ru to give Rosé the win. She needs to cultivate the Rosé persona just a bit more, and figure out what it is that will make her stand out from the pack—be it as a musical theatre expert, an actor extraordinaire, a comedy queen, a fashion girl or whatever, Rosé needs to angle herself into a particular lane while keeping her proficiencies in other areas. If she can do that, I think she has a real shot at winning her All Stars season.
RUNNER-UP: Kandy Muse (last week: 4)
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Watching Kandy dance her ass off in the lip sync to “I Learned From the Best” in the top four episode, it struck me that unless she were up against Symone in the first round lip sync, Kandy would likely be able to perform her way to the top two. Among this top four, she was the one who consistently demonstrated she could turn out major dance moves when her back was against the wall. Her “BO$$” lip sync was her only underwhelming one all season—against Symone, in a bit of foreshadowing—while Kandy’s “Call Me Maybe” and “Strong Enough” performances were among my favourites of the season.
So it’s no wonder that, in her battle against Rosé, her dance moves made all the difference. She did have a reveal, yes, but it was a pretty low-key one into a bodysuit. Her win came from her high-energy performance, one that felt much more in-the-moment than Rosé’s. And even against Symone, she kept that energy level high, making their performance feel like a party. Sadly for Kandy, it just wasn’t quite enough. Symone proved more compelling to watch, and thus earned the win.
In truth, however, Kandy beating out Symone would have been an unsatisfying result. She’s been an enjoyable presence this season, and I’ve appreciated her drag more than most. That can only go so far, though, and beating out the season-long favourite would’ve been a step beyond. I’m thrilled for Kandy that she made the final cut, though. She wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but Season 13 would have been a lot less interesting without her. Here’s to her future success—be it on All Stars or in another arena.
WINNER: Symone (last week: 2)
Credit: Courtesy of VH1
She did it. The Ebony Enchantress is America’s Next Drag Superstar.
Symone had to lip sync a record seven times this season: Once in the premiere, once for the win, twice for her life, once in the top four and twice for the crown. She edges out Kameron Michaels, who previously held the record for lip-syncing the most times in a single season with six. She’s performed expertly to Janet Jackson, Dua Lipa, Fifth Harmony, Ariana Grande, Whitney Houston and, twice in this finale, to Britney Spears. She also won a remarkable four maxi-challenges across the many episodes of this season—tying a record previously set by Season 4 winner Sharon Needles and matched by Season 9 and 12 runners-up Shea Couleé and Gigi Goode.
Long story short: From the main challenges to lip-syncing on the main stage, Symone spent most of Season 13 winning. And yet despite all that winning, she managed to keep her story arc dynamic by opening up about her vulnerabilities and insecurities, sharing her journey to loving herself. She kept us invested even as she aced the season. In the finale, she utilized a mixture of reveals and her own natural charisma to keep the attention focused on her. It wasn’t the most dominant pair of Lip Sync for the Crown performances we’ve ever seen, but it was enough to take the win.
Symone is America’s Next Drag Superstar XIII. She is the 13th to snatch this particular crown, and the 21st winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race overall. (She’s the 25th if you count the Drag Race franchises Ru himself does not host, too.) She is a stunning drag artist, a terrific performer, a bold activist and absolutely the correct winner. All hail the newest reigning queen.
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