RuPaul’s Drag Race season 10 episode 14 review: Grand Finale

It’s been a long and sickening road, but the winner of season 10 of RuPaul’s Drag Race has officially been crowned! America’s Next Drag Superstar is…

Season 10 of RuPaul’s Drag Race has been full of twists and turns. There was the double shantay, which saved both Eureka and Kameron from going home the same week, Kameron being saved from elimination MULTIPLE times, and even the elimination of fan favorites Miz Cracker and Monet X Change. Plus who could forget about the most iconic exit of any queen on Drag Race, Miss Vanjie!

Nobody expected the final four to be Kameron Michaels, Asia O’Hara, Eureka, and Aquaria. I certainly didn’t either. They all surprised me, though, but there can be only one winner.

Going into the finale, Kameron Michaels was far from a favorite to win. During the reunion last week, not a single one of the season 10 queens picked Kameron as their prediction for the crown. It stings, but honestly, it’s amazing Kameron made it this far. She proved she’s more talented than we all expected, and now we know she can absolutely murder a lip sync, so her drag career is surely set to take off now.

Aquaria had a lot to prove after coming into the competition with a huge Instagram following, garnering a massive online career before even hitting 21 — the eligible age to be on the show. She knocked it out of the park, even if she struggled a bit early on. She gave us so many legendary looks that will no doubt go down in RuPaul’s Drag Race herstory.

Eureka also had a lot to prove this season, since she was originally on season 9 but had to leave early because of an injury. She came back with a vengeance and the judges ate it all up, proving they didn’t make a mistake putting their faith in her. Asia, on the other hand, came in strong, and was pretty consistent from the beginning. She had her highs and lows, but now she made it to the end, and with a pretty great track record to boot.

The finale started with the queens of season 1 — minus that awful filter — walking out on the stage in an homage to the show’s 10th season, including winner Bebe Zahara Benet, Shannel, and Nina Flowers. Oh, and hey Porkchop!

Later, in another homage to the show’s landmark 10 seasons, the season 1 queens battled it out with the season 10 queens in a lip sync extravaganza to a RuPaul megamix! But that’s not what we’re here for. We want to know Miss Congeniality, and of course, who is the damn winner!

Miss Congeniality has been controversial in the past, because some see it as more a “fan favorite” than actually Miss Congeniality. Last year’s winner Valentina was there to announce the queen taking her place, via satellite all the way from Berlin. And the winner is… Monet X Change!

I was NOT expecting Monet to win Miss Congeniality, but Ru revealed that instead of the online fan voting, he had the season 10 queens vote for the title, which makes way more sense. When fans vote, they definitely go for their favorite, but the queens know the truth, and they see what the audiences don’t. Monet looked just as shocked, but SO excited. That makes it so worth it, because Monet really was a sweetheart the whole competition. And it wasn’t Miss Vanjie, thank god.

Now let’s get to the good part. The remaining four queens have to lip sync for the crown, a Sudden Death Lip Sync Smackdown. In pairs, they will have to battle it out to end up on top. Shockingly, the queen picked by the wheel onstage (Kameron), got to pick who she wanted to lip sync against! Then the two winning queens will go head to head in order to win the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar.

First up was Kameron, who chose to battle Asia O’Hara, to the song “Nasty” by Janet Jackson. Asia looked tacky as usual, but we knew she had something up her sleeve… and whatever was up there died. She planned out a reveal of butterflies flying out of her outfit, AND THEY DIDN’T FLY! They were so stunned that they just fell out of her outfit and honestly, same. It was one of the most excruciating moments in RuPaul’s Drag Race herstory. Monique Heart’s face said it all. Yikes.

Meanwhile, Kameron was pulling out all her usual tricks. I was gagging for her crazy hair flips and splits and all that, of course, but I still couldn’t take my eyes off of the trainwreck that was Asia. Not surprisingly, Kameron took that lip sync, and Asia looked heartbroken. She knew she lost as soon as those butterflies fell to the ground.

Next up was Eureka versus Aquaria to Janet Jackson’s “If”, and Aquaria came ready to slay. She immediately slid off her bulky silver cover-up to reveal a spikey nude bodysuit and a “Miss Vanjie” fan in her hands. Eureka pulled a wig reveal, but it was lackluster. She managed to do two quick changes, though, and they were fun!

They both killed it, of course, but that lip sync definitely went to Aquaria. You could tell how much she wanted that crown… or at least that’s what I thought until Ru said the dreaded words: “Shantay you both stay.”

YES, AGAIN. IN THE FINALE. I’m sorry, but no. That was NOT a double shantay, Aquaria won it, we know it, they know it, and Aquaria certainly knew it because she did not look happy at all.

After a sickening entrance from reigning RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Sasha Velour that rivals Violet Chachki’s infamous finale look, it was time for the FINAL lip sync with Aquaria, Eureka, and Kameron. The song to lip sync to was “Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj.

Right out of the gate, Aquaria started with a BANG. Literally! She had a firecracker or something that went off the second the song started, and that really set the pace for her. She had so much fire, but really, they all did. They know this is for the crown, and they all know how to slay a lip sync. They even all managed to go into a synchronized split!

But then Aquaria ended things with a confetti cannon, and it was over for those queens. That’s right, America’s Next Drag Superstar is…

…

AQUARIA!! The 21-year-old New Yorker started out as a huge fan of Drag Race, and it inspired her to start drag and now she won the whole thing! It’s such a great story, and a well-deserved win. Aquaria walked in to that workroom thinking she was a superstar, and now everyone else knows it, too.

For a second there, I really thought the producers were rigging it to let Eureka take the title, especially with that messy double shantay, but YAAAAAAS AQUARIA!!

Regardless of who won, I’m still happy that this was an eventful, shocking season. Do I love all of the choices made? Of course not, but it was entertaining and it kept us guessing. And if you’re not happy with the winner, just remember one thing: it’s a TV show.

We all know the other queens are going to have a career anyway, and if they don’t that’s not because they didn’t win, it’s because they didn’t strike while the iron was hot. They better get those bookings ASAP!

Until next season, Drag Race fans!

Related Story: 20 essential songs for your Pride Month playlist

Random Ruflections

• Monet will not let that sponge thing go! Do you think dollar stores around the nation are totally confused about why they’re sold out of sponges?
• “Welcome home, baby!” – Ru, to the audience.
• Kameron looks like a video game princess, but one who knows martial arts and would kick the bad guy’s ass
• “I’m definitely here to steal the show, and hopefully a check.” – Aquaria
• “She has been doing drag for nearly 46 years.” – Aquaria on her toughest competition, Asia O’Hara
• “….from being a Nutcracker to being a nut packer!” – Ru on Aquaria
• Ummmm can we discuss how snatched Oprah (or “Opraaaaaaaaaaaah!”) looks in that video message?
• “As Melania Trump once said, ‘any hole, is a goal!’” – Aquaria, and RuPaul’s new mantra
• “It’s like a straighter, sporty, not as fun version of Drag Race.” – Olympian Gus Kenworthy on what the Olympics is really like
• “I talked to my lawyers and I think I owe you an apology, for ‘allegedly’ slapping you.” – RuPaul to Asia, before giving her a free pass to slap her back (and a guilt trip)
• Dame Judi Dench saying “Shantay you stay” is my new ringtone forever.
• Why does Kameron keep looking up during her interview with Ru? Where is she looking? Is she okay?
• Kameron Michaels’ grandmother sent in a video message, and I am crying.
  What’s the fun in a reveal if you can literally tell by their bulky outfits that it’s going to be a reveal?
• THAT BUTTERFLY STUNT WAS SO AWKWARD I AM STILL CRINGING!
• “Soak it up, bitches!!!!” – Miss Congeniality winner, Monet X Change
• Did I mention YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS AQUARIA?!?!?!