We are back to the United Artists Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles’ Ace Hotel. That shot-at-home finale from last year? Forget it! A thing of the past! There may not be an audience on site. And the cast on stage may be limited to RuPaul, the top four queens, our stunning current reigning winner Jaida Essence Hall and Miss Congeniality Heidi N Closet (plus a cast of Pit Crew dancers, of course). But the Lip Sync for the Crown finale format is back, and things are returning to normal about as much as they can.
To tell the truth, as a major fan of that at-home finale, I’m a little disappointed the show seems so determined to sweep away that format and return to what was done before. Lip Sync for the Crown has given us some great performances, like Yvie Oddly’s “The Edge of Glory,” Aquaria’s “Bang Bang,” Peppermint’s “Stronger” and, most significantly, Sasha Velour’s “So Emotional,” but there have definitely been diminishing returns since its premiere. Meanwhile, the original music video performances we got last season (in particular Crystal Methyd’s “I’m Like a Bird”) were unique, fresh and exciting. I held out hope that that element of the finale, at least, would return this year.
But no, from RuPaul’s opening performance of his song “New Friends Silver, Old Friends Gold” (complete with some light choreo!), it’s clear that we are here to put on a show. There’s a top four lip sync to Bette Midler’s “Friends,” in tribute to those we lost during the COVID-19 pandemic and in honor of the 40th anniversary of the first-reported case of AIDS. There are sit-down interviews with each of the top four, but only after a full-out ball in which each queen shows off three looks. And, of course, there are three lip syncs, the winner of the final being the winner of the season.
It’s an enjoyable finale, and we get plenty of time with Gottmik, Kandy Muse, Rosé and Symone. But what makes or breaks this finale will be learning who our winner is. After a season this long, it will be a thrill to see a triumphant crowning of our new champion.
Credit: Courtesy of VH1
After the top four show off a trio of runways—among the best looks are Symone’s black-and-white design, Gottmik’s Keith Haring-inspired red look and Kandy’s eleganza gown—we get to sit down with them for the traditional finale chats. Gottmik continues to prove she has the best rapport with Ru, cracking the host up repeatedly. She also gets a cute message from her Snatch Game impersonation subject, Paris Hilton, and an absolutely lovely message from her parents. Kandy also gets a terrific message from her mom, but her admission that she and Tamisha Iman haven’t talked since the season is pretty surprising, to say the least. (If only there were some kind of reunion special where they could discuss their issues face-to-face!)
Rosé’s whole family is on hand to deliver a message from home, and they’re a lovely lot. But Rosé foreshadows some trouble ahead: She sprained her ankle a few months back, and it’s not fully healed yet. During her in-show lip syncs, Rosé was known for a dip or two; it’s tough to imagine she’ll be able to do them if she’s not in top shape. Symone gets an adorable message from family as well, and shares that she has joined the Messaged By Rihanna club. There’s actually a lot of Rihanna talk this episode, as Symone cites her as an inspiration growing up (along with Lil’ Kim), and Jaida mentions later that she got to walk in Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty show. (This is the point at which I start a prayer circle for a Rihanna guest judge appearance for Season 14.)
We also get a really touching tribute to the late, great Chi Chi DeVayne, with messages from her Season 8 sisters Bob the Drag Queen, Thorgy Thor, Kim Chi and Cynthia Lee Fontaine, along with Kennedy Davenport, Eureka and Heidi N Closet. It’s incredibly emotional, and a painful reminder of who we’ve lost over the last year. Zavion Davenport was a true light on the show and off, and the world feels just a bit less bright without Chi Chi in it. Kudos to Drag Race for including such a lovely tribute.
Credit: Courtesy of VH1
And now we come to the lip syncs—all to Britney Spears songs! Unlike in past seasons, in which the winner of the wheel spin would get to pick their opponent, Ru simply spins the wheel twice this time. Kandy goes up against Rosé in round one to “Work Bitch,” while Gottmik and Symone face off in round two to “Gimme More.” It’s a New York City battle, then a Los Angeles duel, with the winner from each city duking it out for the win.
In the New York battle, Kandy easily out-dances Rosé. Hard to tell just how much her injury holds her back, but I’m not sure it would have wound up any differently with Kandy performing at full strength. Kandy dances the hell out of “Work Bitch,” feeling the music and tearing up the stage. Rosé can’t help but feel a bit behind her in pace and energy, even with a fun pair of costume reveals. Kandy moves on, and Rosé sashays away.
Gottmik and Symone make the L.A. battle a bit closer, though. Gottmik surprises by keeping up in “Gimme More,” and has a costume reveal to keep things going. But Symone has reveals of her own, positively exploding out of a Lakers-themed tracksuit (branded “Symone,” of course) and doing a wig-under-a-wig reveal. Her reveals, plus some subtle, effective movements, give her the win, moving her on to face off against Kandy. Gottmik expresses her gratitude for her time, and I have a feeling we’ll see her back for All Stars sooner versus later.
The ultimate battle is to “Til the World Ends” and it’s an appropriately fun, energetic final number. Kandy opts to go with a silver jumpsuit, with no reveal (beyond taking off a pair of sunglasses, if you’d call that a reveal), while Symone executes a flawless costume unveiling as Britney sings “you notice what I’m wearing.” It’s a great moment, and the stringy, extremely twirl-friendly dress she has underneath makes for a terrific tool in the performance. Kandy matches the energy of the song, but Symone gives you just a bit more.
Credit: Courtesy of VH1
In the end, it’s Symone who wins out, becoming the 13th winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race’s flagship series, and America’s Next Drag Superstar. This seemed obvious way back in the second episode, when Ru told Symone she has “star quality.” But despite four challenge wins and a half-dozen lip sync wins since, other forces—including a resurgent Gottmik and Rosé—made Symone’s feel far from a sure thing. I’m ultimately very happy she is our new reigning champion, however. Symone is a terrific queen, as stunning in her drag as she is bold in her activism. Her win is a statement about the power of self-love, Black excellence and raising your voice to be heard. It’s the triumph of a queen from Conway, Arkansas, with tons of charisma, a unique view of the world, nerve for days and mega-talent. Symone worked hard, and she has more than earned this crown.
My gut feeling is, based on the much stronger back half of the run, Season 13 will work better upon a binged rewatch than it did watching week-to-week across 17 (!) weeks. It reminds me a lot of Season 9, another slow-to-start, strong-to-finish season that I would now count among my favourites. As a result, I don’t quite want to place it on any kind of all-seasons ranking yet. It deserves a bit more time—even though it feels like we’ve already spent quite a bit of time on it.
But if I had to make one recommendation for Season 14, it’d be this: The current number of queens and episode count is not sustainable. Either we need more queens, fewer episodes, or a mixture of the two. Fourteen queens in as many episodes used to be the standard, and I don’t see any reason why we can’t return there. Sometimes, the most gag-worthy things come in modest packages. And I do believe, with some fine-tuning, the main series of RuPaul’s Drag Race can be truly gag-worthy once again.
Untucking our final thoughts
✨With these three lip syncs—including to two new-to-Drag Race songs, “Gimme More” and “Til the World Ends”—Britney Spears has reclaimed from Ariana Grande the mantle of non-RuPaul artist lip-synced to most on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Eight of her songs have been lip-synced to a total of 10 times over the years, with “Stronger” and “Work Bitch” each performed twice. (If you include the international spinoffs of Drag Race, you can add the three-way lip sync to “Toxic” from Drag Race Thailand Season 1.) Of the 10 performances, however, Bebe Zahara Benet and Ongina’s original performance to “Stronger” remains my favourite. Sometimes, the OG is the best.
✨One of the most exciting developments of the episode: LaLa Ri is our new Miss Congeniality, as crowned by the reigning Heidi N Closet! I’m genuinely surprised by this, not because she doesn’t deserve it—she deserves it 10 times over—but because the last MC who left that early in the season, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, is from way back in Season 8. Kudos to LaLa, who is genuinely bowled over to win, and who truly encapsulates what it means to be a kind, warm, positive spirit.
✨This marks two years in a row that both the winner and Miss Congeniality have been Black queens, after 11 previous seasons in which that never occurred. There had been Black winners previously (Bebe Zahara Benet, Tyra Sanchez, Bob the Drag Queen, Yvie Oddly) and Black Miss Congenialities (Latrice Royale, Monét X Change), but never had they been crowned simultaneously before Jaida and Heidi.
✨Jaida gets to co-host this finale by appearing in the Drive-In Drag crowd to do some quick segments. They’re a bit too short, especially since Jaida can’t actually talk to the crowds, but it’s still nice to see her get a featured spot, considering she didn’t get to be part of an in-studio finale last season.
✨Though I stand by not loving the format, I do understand now why last season’s reunion/highlight special focused so specifically on the eliminated queens: Other than a short runway segment at the end of this finale, they’re all but absent this episode. This is a finale all about the final four.
✨Lawrence Chaney and Ellie Diamond both get a shout-out during Ru’s interview with the Scottish Rosé, in a little Drag Race UK Season 2 crossover. Other than The Vivienne’s cameo as Donald Trump at the start of Season 12, I believe this is the first proper acknowledgement of UK on the flagship series?
✨RUPAUL: “There’s a town called Bald Knob? Who came up with that name?”
SYMONE: “Some white man.”
✨As we mentioned last week, we’ll be back to cover RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under. Here’s how those recap will work: Owing to the episodes premiering on Saturdays (starting May 1), we’ll actually be publishing our recaps on Mondays, with the first debuting here on Xtra on May 3. So make sure to check the episode out over the weekend, and we’ll chat all about it on Monday morning.
RuPaul’s Drag Race may be over in the United States for now, but we’re heading Down Under! The series premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under streams Saturday, May 1, on WOW Presents Plus in the United States. The premiere time, as well as streaming info for Canada and other territories, will be announced soon—check WOW Presents Plus for local listings.
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