Welcome to RuPaul’s Drag Race Power Rankings! Every Tuesday, we’ll debrief 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. Ahead of the five-queen finale, let’s take a look at who’s got the momentum necessary to win the crown.
5. Angeria Paris VanMicheals (last week: 4)
Well, she stayed in the game, and I wasn’t sure that was a safe bet as of last week. But Angeria just barely made the finale in my book. Her verse in “Catwalk” was cute, but clearly outclassed by several of the other queens. Her dancing was serviceable, but it took her quite a while to even get there. Her look in the video was by far the worst — you get something custom-made and you just go for a bodysuit? — and her final runway, while elegant, wasn’t strong enough to make up for her overall package. I thought her bottom placement was entirely fair, although I’d have changed who her opponent in the lip sync was. (It should’ve been Bosco, not Willow Pill.)
Angie also, in my eyes, pretty clearly lost the lip sync. She was unfortunately trapped in a pretty restrictive gown, but Willow’s look was also cumbersome and she managed fine. Angie’s self-describe “park and bark” lip syncing style just isn’t a good fit for a format where the songs can come from all kinds of genres. She’s lucky that a top five finale likely means no Lip Sync for the Crown tournament. But I’d still place Angeria’s odds for the win pretty low at this point. For all her strength early in the competition — and she had an absolutely incredible start to her run — she has lost momentum heading into the finale.
4. Willow Pill (last week: 3)
It’s funny: I feel like I’ve been having to consistently rate Willow much lower than she deserves these past few weeks because of her episode-by-episode performance. Were I rating based on who is in the best place to win, I don’t think I’d ever have rated her lower than number two. The fact that she seems like the clear frontrunner to take the crown despite having just one win (just like her drag mother, Yvie Oddly!) speaks to just how much the criteria for winning has changed over time. But with Ru positively gushing at every turn about how much he loves Willow, I almost can’t see this going any other way. (Key word: almost.)
I absolutely don’t think Willow should’ve been in the bottom two, and I absolutely believe she was put there for storyline. Much more dramatic to have the two best friends lip sync for a double shantay instead of giving Bosco yet another lip sync to survive because of a non-elimination twist. In the challenge, Willow’s verse was my second-favourite (especially the “Cute, absurd, and a touch of ugly” part), and her look for the challenge was super cute — although I think all the raving about her facial profile being worked into the bodice was too much. It was just a wavy hem! I guess I get what the judges were saying about her facial expressions not connecting to the song, but that feels like a somewhat arbitrarily applied criticism used when the show needs to put someone in the bottom despite otherwise doing well. (See: Yara Sofia’s Shakira in the Super Bowl Halftime Show Rusical in All Stars 6.)
On the runway, I appreciated Carson Kressley’s note about getting what Willow is doing but still not liking it much. That’s been my feeling about a lot of Willow’s looks in the back half of this season — with some additional grumbling about her constantly skating runway categories. But I actually really liked the rat-in-a-gown look this week: it felt elegant enough for a final in-season episode runway, but still felt distinctly Willow. She’s not my pick for the crown, but Willow’s done more than enough to deserve the win at this point. And again, if I had to place money, I’m almost certain that’s what’s going to happen.
3. Daya Betty (last week: 5)
Were Daya a real threat to take the crown, I think she’d have gotten this maxi-challenge win. Her verse in “Catwalk” was great (albeit with a clunky flow), she looked good in Bettie Page drag during the performance, and she wisely picked up on the crawling note that Michelle Visage gave to Angeria. I didn’t personally love her final runway — the burning effect was cool, but I disliked the side bustle — but the judges seemed all in on it. Giving her a second win would’ve put her at two, the same as Angie and Lady Camden and just one short of Bosco.
But the win went to Camden instead, leaving Daya with a relatively underwhelming track record: one win, a few bottoms, and an actual elimination way back in Episode 2. Perhaps she can pull out something so stellar in the finale to change everyone’s minds, but realistically, I think she can only beat Angeria in a final two scenario. I think Ru would choose Bosco, Camden, and Willow over Daya no matter what. So do I think Daya can still win? Yes, technically. But I think the chances are quite slim.
2. Bosco (last week: 1)
It’s very silly that Bosco didn’t land in the bottom next to Angeria. While she had some clever lines in her verse, her delivery was all over the place (“Forgive me, Father, for I… have sinned”) and her vocals were auto-tuned like crazy. I actually liked her outfit for the video more than the judges or Willow did, but it was an odd choice for a song in which she talks about showing skin. Her runway look was a real miss for me, too. And the judges’ critiques made clear that she was at least in contention for having to lip sync. But if this was always going to end in a double shantay, having Bosco be saved from elimination once more would’ve been stretching the limit of how many passes one queen can get.
The fact that she didn’t lip sync, however, is a sign to me that Bosco is still very much in this with a shot at the crown. She, like Angie, benefits from there likely not being a Lip Sync for the Crown finale, and her narrative as the gold bar recipient may be too hard for production to ignore. I still think Willow and even Camden have a much better shot at winning this. But something in my gut is telling me it’s unwise to count Bosco out.
1. Lady Camden (last week: 2)
Were I making the call, Camden would be my pick for the winner, and it wouldn’t be a particularly close call. In a season that has felt incredibly repetitive at times, and referential to so much that’s come before on Drag Race, Camden’s arc has stood out as refreshingly unique. She’s had remarkable highs, long periods of being overlooked by the judges (especially in the early weeks), and has demonstrated a real fight to save herself in sticky situations. On the latter point, I think her “Don’t Let Go” lip sync is one of my favourites of the season, and showed she has a real range in terms of what she can do. Were there to be a Lip Sync for the Crown finale, I’d place all my chips on her to emerge victorious.
Will she win, though? Her biggest competition is Willow, who the show has far more narrative invested in than Camden. And as I’ve said a few times now, I don’t think we’re getting a LSFTC finale. But! I do think Camden winning the Rumix is a great sign that the show is still interested in her. Track records may not matter, but this win gives her a great bump in momentum heading into the finale. She’s a solid second in fan support behind Willow, and as we’ve seen in recent seasons, being the top performer on socials isn’t necessary to win the crown. (See: Jaida Essence Hall beating out Crystal Methyd in Season 12.)
Were I a betting man, I’d still be putting most of my money on Willow. But I might slip a chip or two onto Camden’s square too. The race isn’t over, and depending on how much she gets to show off her talents in the finale, she may just sashay through to the winners’ circle.
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