S14.E16: Grand Finale

[Ms.Lulu]

RuPaul crowns America's Next Drag Superstar in an epic Las Vegas drag revue show.

Original airdate: 4/22/22

[DEL901]

The right final two, but I wish Lady Camden had won.   But I knew she wouldn’t when Ru kept calling her a stunt queen as if tha5 is all she has going for her   

 

[Ms.Lulu]

So I didn't mind 5 finalists.  I liked the format of having them prepare a number with dancers.

Based on the performances Lady Camden and Willow Pill were the clear final two and either of them could have taken it. 

I am happy that Willow won, but I would have been happy if Lady Camden won too.  They are both so likable and different from previous winners.  I wonder if RuPaul considered having joint winners again.

I am surprised Kornbread won Miss Congeniality--she wasn't there very long.  But I am happy with that too.

It was also curiously light on Michelle Visage.  Also okay.

The only thing I would have done is cut the show to 60 minutes.  I don't get much out of RuPaul chatting with family.

 

 

Edited April 23, 2022 by Ms.Lulu

[Koalagirl]

My favorites made the final two!  Great lipsync with Lady Camden and Willow Pill showing so much love for each other and the fantastic stunt ending to the song.

 
In the Media thread I posted a People Magazine interview with Willow. It said that Willow’s sister passed away from complications of the same disease Willow has just a few months after the show was filmed. I wonder if that’s the sister who was at the finale. 

[davidcalgary29]

I thought that both Camden's and Willow's solo performances were more exciting than the final lip synch. And while I loved Willow's reveals -- what a fun concept! -- I'd be very happy if the entire trend was retired at this point. How could you possibly -- ahem -- top tearing away a giant jacket to leave yourself wearing a giant pair of pants on stage?

Edited April 23, 2022 by davidcalgary29

[davidcalgary29]

58 minutes ago, Ms.Lulu said:

 

I am happy that Willow won, but I would have been happy if Lady Camden won too.  They are both so likable and different from previous winners.  I wonder if RuPaul considered having joint winners again.

This is just about the only time that this would have made complete sense and have been completely fair. They really both exemplify different aspects of the word "performance" and are the literal yin and yang of modern perfomative drag.

[rustyspigot]

I guess RU is 11 feet tall now?

And we'll give the runner up 50K. Alright. Willow could've shit on stage and still won. But, good for The Lady Camden. Her solo performance was the highlight of the show for me.

Angeria puttered out. Bosco and Daya were fine. Just fine. It was the right top two I guess.

I don't know what that Michelle bit was.

I always have to give love to the thrusting shirtless dancers, the hardest workers in these finales.

Edited April 23, 2022 by rustyspigot

[Keywestclubkid]

I hate people ... :) was it just me or did anyone else find it odd that when Ru was doing the mini "interview" after each performance he just looked str8 ahead and not at which ever queen he was addressing? 

[violet and green]

I was distracted and mildly worried the entire episode wondering how Michelle was so tiny and Ru was so tall. It was so odd and offputting.

Right final two, fine winner (Willow was my favourite from the start so I should be happy!). I wish Camden had done as well as in her solo. 50,000 is good news as runner up, though.

Kornbread was only on 4 of the 4,000 episodes, so an odd Miss Congeniality.

It is over! My god. 

[SemiCharmedLife]

2 hours ago, rustyspigot said:

I guess RU is 11 feet tall now?

 

Yes!  What was that?  I was completely distracted during the entire episode trying to see if she was standing on something or what the deal was.  Everyone was dwarfed by her and it looked so odd.  Combine that with the way she was facing the audience and not turning to look at the queens she was interviewing and it made conspiracy theories abound in my head- is she standing precariously on very tall heels?  Is she being supported by a structure that lifts her off the ground?  Is she on a pedestal?

I thought the show was very entertaining and the queens outdid themselves with their looks and talent.  Congrats to Willow- I thought she would win, though my heart was rooting for Lady Camden.  I actually liked so many of the queens this season and would have been happy with a win by Angeria or Bosco, too.  I also thought Kornbread would win Miss Congeniality.  She made a huge impression during her short time there.  And she was on track for being at the top, so it was disappointing for her to have to bow out so suddenly.

[pnina]

I, too, was happy with the final 2 and the outcome.  Loved Lady Camden and Willow equally.  Thought RuPaul looked a bit strange though.  Didn't like her outfit and was very curious as to why she was so tall and so stiff.  I think Kornbread's Miss Congeniality prize was sort of a consolation prize for having to bow out of the competition so early due to her injury.  Can't wait for the next season!

[Fake Jan Brady]

I wonder how much input the queens had into the songs that were foisted upon them for their solo spots? Some of those songs were way better than the others and pretty much helped decide the final two.

[Blakeston]

12 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

In the Media thread I posted a People Magazine interview with Willow. It said that Willow’s sister passed away from complications of the same disease Willow has just a few months after the show was filmed. I wonder if that’s the sister who was at the finale. 

The season was filmed last year, but this finale was filmed a few weeks ago, so it must have been a different sister.

I don't think the queens have much input into the songs they're given. Back in season 8, Bob insisted on a "purse first" song - but my guess is that if they aren't adamant about a certain theme, they're assigned one. (I can't imagine that Willow asked for an "I hate people" song.)

The songs were so short, and the quality varied so much, that it was very difficult to compare the quality of the performances. Daya had the best look, and Camden was the best dancer (no surprise), but Willow's performance was very entertaining too. I think Camden and Willow as top two was the only real option.

Regarding Kornbread as Miss Congeniality - she's been very active in supporting the other queens throughout the season, particularly on social media. At times, I think she actually went too far with it (like congratulating Jorgeous for her incoherent, nasty response to Cynthia Lee Fontaine). But Kornbread has definitely formed intense bonds with these queens, in spite of her short time on the show.

I really wish that they'd put some sort of graphic on the screen when the past queens did their number, to let us know who was who!

[Adeejay]

In which world would someone who can barely move, outperforms a trained dancer?  I like Willow, but in all fairness, Lady Camden should have won.  I knew the fix was in when Willow wasn't eliminated in the semi-final.  

[davidcalgary29]

44 minutes ago, Adeejay said:

In which world would someone who can barely move, outperforms a trained dancer?  I like Willow, but in all fairness, Lady Camden should have won.  I knew the fix was in when Willow wasn't eliminated in the semi-final.  

I don't think Camden outperformed Willow, even though she certainly outdanced her. I thought they were equally entertaining in the lipsynch.

There's also the counter-argument that lipsynching skills (or lack thereof) shouldn't be the only metric that determines the measure of the winner at the finale. Some great queens either don't do it very well (Jimbo) or have genuine mobility issues, and excluding them from the prospect of winning would be unfortunate. Repeating this finale's format, or having a talent show with the top four (or five) and a "lipsync for the winner between the top 2", would be a good way to move forward in the future. I also have to say that the lipsynching tricks/stunts/reveals are just becoming FAR too much.

[theatremouse]

16 hours ago, Keywestclubkid said:

I hate people ... :) was it just me or did anyone else find it odd that when Ru was doing the mini "interview" after each performance he just looked str8 ahead and not at which ever queen he was addressing? 

Conspicuously reading a prompter.

[violet and green]

But even then, he rarely turned his head to the queen when she answered. It was like he was held in place by strings or glue.

[funnygirl]

This season was so long, I found myself more relieved than excited when the winner was finally announced. Mind you, still very happy with the final two, but was underwhelmed by the finale as a whole. The lip-sync songs weren't great. And why wasn't Willow literally crowned? Unless the crown wouldn't stay put and they edited it out…? Also, too many unnecessary pans to the audience. The family members and season 14 queens are one thing, but the random audience applause shots ad nauseam were tedious.

Bring on All Stars!

[Keywestclubkid]

3 hours ago, violet and green said:

But even then, he rarely turned his head to the queen when she answered. It was like he was held in place by strings or glue.

it was weird right?

[Red Bridey]

Ru's outfit and posture reminded me of Fezzik in the Princess Bride when they storm the castle to save Buttercup. I love Willow's win; she is very original in her performances. But I would have been happy with a Lady Camden win; I liked her very much. Those lip sync songs...who on earth do they have sing them? Terrible, just awful. I have a terrible memory; I don't remember Orion Whoever at.all. Or any of the Las Vegas performers, to tell the truth.

[howiveaddict]

4 hours ago, violet and green said:

But even then, he rarely turned his head to the queen when she answered. It was like he was held in place by strings or glue.

That was animatronic Ru, actually.  And she looked 10 feet tall next to the other contestants.   She was actually on vacation elsewhere.

[Lethallyfab]

I think the gigantic shoulder pads helped and was Ru was wearing 11-inch heels?, the whole The Giantess look was weird, unless it was a deliberate attempt to make the girls look smaller than herself, a conspiracy theory that I would totally buy into.

I ALSO call Kornbread as Miss Congeniality as weird, she was there for like three episodes.

So I guess we’re just giving out participation trophies now?  Every single queen gets Two Grand from Olay Body?  

I would *also* be pissed if I were a previous winner who did the same work for $50,000 less.

I’m fine with Willow winning, I guess, but she honesty never hooked me in the competition as much as past winners.  This seemed pre-determined.

ETA:  Oscar Isaac, a prince among men, is a stan and watched the finale at a gay bar.  *Please* have him as a judge, show.

Edited April 24, 2022 by Lethallyfab

[Gracie123]

I wish I knew Ru's 3rd, 4th, and 5th alternate.  Mine would be Angeria, Daya, Bosco.

 

[MsJamieDornan]

On 4/22/2022 at 10:21 PM, rustyspigot said:

I guess RU is 11 feet tall now?

Ru is 6'4". Add at least 6 inch heals and about 8 inches of hair and you get 7'6".  

[loki310]

I really liked Daya Betty’s solo performance. I was totally expecting Carrie or Angeria to get congeniality. And I completely agree that the lip synch is tired. They should have to do that plus a talent portion. 

[30 Helens]

I think there was a Pit Crew member under that skirt, and Ru was sitting on his shoulders. 

Having a final 5 makes sense after seeing the finale. That’s how many were needed to fill he performance slots. I don’t think there was ever any chance of Daya or Bosco winning, as they had both been previously eliminated. And Ru never seemed that much into Angie. I think it was always a Willow and Camden race, and IMO the right queen won. Very happy for Willow.

I do think Kornbread’s win was a consolation prize for having missed out on the season. She seemed well liked in the time she was there, and so that’s something they could give her. I wondered for a moment, though, if the show was going to troll us and give it to Daya. 

Overly long season, but had a lot of likeable, entertaining people, so I can’t complain. Looking forward to the all-winner All Star season. That will either be great fun or a massive clash of egos. (Maybe both.)

[Ms.Lulu]

I guess the Kornbread win is so surprising for me because the queens voted.  That's why Keri or Angie seemed more likely to me.

[Blissfool]

 

9 hours ago, Lethallyfab said:

I ALSO call Kornbread as Miss Congeniality as weird, she was there for like three episodes

And half that time she was being mean to Jasmine, which frankly I'm still not over it!

 

[Keywestclubkid]

I mean having the queens vote on congenitally makes sense since ... congrats on her win ....

[butterbody]

1 hour ago, Blissfool said:

 

And half that time she was being mean to Jasmine, which frankly I'm still not over it!

 

When I try to remember Kornbread's time on the show, all I can recall are all the times she was awful to Jasmine

[Blissfool]

In this episode, Daya Betty made several references to her baldness and it seemed like she wasn't able to grow hair. Does anyone know the story on this?

[cpcathy]

4 hours ago, Blissfool said:

 

And half that time she was being mean to Jasmine, which frankly I'm still not over it!

 

I dislike Jasmine but I thought Kornbtead was awful to her, Miss Congeniality, my butt!

[Sile]

Kornbread was lucky that she was only there for three episodes.  She didn't have time to piss off everybody.  I like her well enough in her TH, but I really didn't think she was anything outstanding in either the challenges or runways we saw. 

But I also really dislike plus size queens who push the food angle (which is most of them).  "Look at me, I'm fat!  Because I eat a lot!  I can't even stop eating during an entrance or a Snatch Game,  Because I'm a big girl!  Get it!"

Willow was winning no matter what Lady Camden did in the finale.  By that time Ru has already picked who she wants.  I remember in Season 3 (before they had a separate finale) back when the last episode was the video challenge.  Alexis Mateo killed in that video and even Raja and Manila admitted that she outdid them.  And then she ends up third to Raja and Manila.  Yes, I agree that Raja was the best of the season overall, but then why even bother to try if it's already determined.  

[SemiCharmedLife]

46 minutes ago, Sile said:

Kornbread was lucky that she was only there for three episodes.  She didn't have time to piss off everybody.  I like her well enough in her TH, but I really didn't think she was anything outstanding in either the challenges or runways we saw. 

But I also really dislike plus size queens who push the food angle (which is most of them).  "Look at me, I'm fat!  Because I eat a lot!  I can't even stop eating during an entrance or a Snatch Game,  Because I'm a big girl!  Get it!"

Willow was winning no matter what Lady Camden did in the finale.  By that time Ru has already picked who she wants.  I remember in Season 3 (before they had a separate finale) back when the last episode was the video challenge.  Alexis Mateo killed in that video and even Raja and Manila admitted that she outdid them.  And then she ends up third to Raja and Manila.  Yes, I agree that Raja was the best of the season overall, but then why even bother to try if it's already determined.  

Yes, Ru knows who she wants before that finale is filmed.  Having a lIp synch for the crown just seems problematic.  If her winner isn't as good as the other, a lot of editing needs to go into it to make it seem less so.  I think they should eliminate that last lip synch- the individual performances are enough.  I loved those, and it was great seeing some past queens get together for a performance.  I missed seeing famous queens in the audience, though.  I love it when they show up and flaunt their fashions.

[Ms.Lulu]

RuPaul hasn't always had Lip Sync for the crown, so they can easily drop it.  I think most people like the individual performances better anyway.  

So are we agreed?--We'll drop the chat with families and friends, the extra performance number with eliminated queens/or the queens on the strip and Drag Race will stop asking us to tweet during the finale to pump up numbers.

Who is going tell Ru?

[Ms.Lulu]

5 hours ago, Sile said:

 

Willow was winning no matter what Lady Camden did in the finale.  By that time Ru has already picked who she wants.  I remember in Season 3 (before they had a separate finale) back when the last episode was the video challenge.  Alexis Mateo killed in that video and even Raja and Manila admitted that she outdid them.  And then she ends up third to Raja and Manila.  Yes, I agree that Raja was the best of the season overall, but then why even bother to try if it's already determined.  

I agree, Willow was going to win no matter what. And I think Willow won the Lip Sync anyway.  Lady Camden was struggling with her wig when she tried to recreate the Freddy Mercury moment and the cameras had to work hard to not show too much of it.

Now we get to see a few of these queens again in future AllStars comps.

[Mahfouz]

20 hours ago, Blissfool said:

In this episode, Daya Betty made several references to her baldness and it seemed like she wasn't able to grow hair. Does anyone know the story on this?

Probably cursed by the same demonic entity that infects her personality. 

There were a lot of unfortunate moustaches in the audience. 

Willow was the best of a mediocre lot. She was the only one of the finalists who did not seem like a version of some other queen and had her own style, sense of humor, etc. 

Camden shot her wad with the trip and fall reveal. Doing it a second time at the finale just seems desperate. 

I dislike Bosco's eyebrows. The drag ones. 

 

[Blakeston]

20 hours ago, Blissfool said:

In this episode, Daya Betty made several references to her baldness and it seemed like she wasn't able to grow hair. Does anyone know the story on this?

I just assumed that she has male pattern baldness (and shaves whatever hair she may have). I've known plenty of guys who were in that position in their mid-twenties, and wouldn't be able to grow a mullet if they tried.

On 4/24/2022 at 4:00 AM, loki310 said:

I really liked Daya Betty’s solo performance. I was totally expecting Carrie or Angeria to get congeniality. And I completely agree that the lip synch is tired. They should have to do that plus a talent portion. 

My understanding is that the only contestants who are eligible for Miss Congeniality are the ones who didn't make it to the finale.

I don't think Willow was necessarily guaranteed to win the season. I'm sure that Ru and the producers generally have a contestant who they want to win, but I don't think it's 100% predetermined.

For example, I can't imagine that they wanted Sasha to win season 9. They denied her any individual wins, even though there were several challenges she easily could have won. But Sasha killed the two lip syncs, and they gave her the crown.

The winners since then - Aquaria, Yvie, Jaida, Symone and Willow - all went into the finales as the front-runners, and were probably favored by production. But I think they all genuinely won their final lip syncs. With Willow/Camden, the lip sync was close - but people who were in the audience said that Camden botched the wig reveal, and the editors were kind to her.

If Camden had wiped the floor with Willow, I think she would have won.

[Kaboom 2.0]

I would've been glad with a Willow or Lady Camden win. Kornbread as Miss Congeniality wasn't a surprise. Seeing Symone again made me miss her even more! I would've loved to have seen LaLa Ri come out in a gorgeous upscaled version of her infamous gift bag dress. 

Why weren't Carson or Ross at the reunion? Or did I miss them?? Ru being 12 feet tall on that stage made me LOL when Naomi Smalls, on the final ep of The Pit Stop hosted by the fantastic Monet X Change covering the finale, said its good to be tall, you can look down on others. 

Bring on All Stars! 

[DisneyBoy]

Finally watched this finale and agree with the results. I *loved* Willow's stupid suit idea - clever as hell. Camden didn't seem to have any idea what to do in the final lip synch which surprised me. It was like she had no moves. Didn't they know it was Gimmee Gimmee Gimmee beforehand? Couldn't she have pre-choreographed something? Did the wig mishap really shake her?

The playing around with Willow was sweet and all but...where was the fight?

I got the sense she knew Willow was the winneŕ and acquiesced...

Looking forward to seeing Bosco, Jorgeous, Camden and Angie on All Stars eventually. 

Edited May 2, 2022 by DisneyBoy

[stormy weather]

I just think it was wonderful that Willow won, predetermined or not as it was. She was inspiring for so many people with real disabilities and I loved how she didn't make her illness all there was to her. She was so clever and random, I just adored her, plus she was a model of kindness and humbleness so in my eyes she's the perfect queen.

I know I'm in the absolute minority here but if I had to choose, I would've put Angeria in the finale with Willow. Lady Camden was lovely and all but IMO not as funny as Willow and Angeria. She also kinda botched her performance, it looked like she was throwing limbs in the air randomly, and she couldn't really dance that well in high heels. 

 

On 4/23/2022 at 4:34 AM, Koalagirl said:

In the Media thread I posted a People Magazine interview with Willow. It said that Willow’s sister passed away from complications of the same disease Willow has just a few months after the show was filmed. I wonder if that’s the sister who was at the finale. 

It wasn't her for sure, it was the sister whose picture they showed on one of the episodes when Willow was talking about her disease, she looked a lot like her. I imagine it would be such a painful loss so even more kudos to Willow for pulling through, I'm sure she did it for her sister, too.

 

On 4/23/2022 at 5:30 PM, Blakeston said:

I don't think the queens have much input into the songs they're given. Back in season 8, Bob insisted on a "purse first" song - but my guess is that if they aren't adamant about a certain theme, they're assigned one. (I can't imagine that Willow asked for an "I hate people" song.)

Yeah? I think that's exactly the kind of song Willow would request/co-write, as it's something she would absolutely (jokingly, I guess?) say.

[The Mighty Peanut]

On 4/24/2022 at 1:47 PM, Blissfool said:

In this episode, Daya Betty made several references to her baldness and it seemed like she wasn't able to grow hair. Does anyone know the story on this?

Keep Daya Betty's name out your fucking mouth! 

Jk jk jk jk 🤣

Edited May 2, 2022 by The Mighty Peanut

[The Mighty Peanut]

On 4/27/2022 at 8:07 PM, stormy weather said:

On 4/23/2022 at 11:30 AM, Blakeston said:

I don't think the queens have much input into the songs they're given. Back in season 8, Bob insisted on a "purse first" song - but my guess is that if they aren't adamant about a certain theme, they're assigned one. (I can't imagine that Willow asked for an "I hate people" song.)

Expand  

Yeah? I think that's exactly the kind of song Willow would request/co-write, as it's something she would absolutely (jokingly, I guess?) say.

I don't know. I can understand that she'd get a song that is...a little misanthropic. But did Willow ever do anything to suggest she actually despised mankind? She loved Kornbread, befriended Angeria, seemed to get along well with everyone, and didn't appear to isolate herself. 

I know, I'm overthinking it. None of the songs really stuck out to me as particularly representative of their personalities (Bosco's probably did the most). They were still a long way away from Bob's and Naomi Smalls', for example.

Edited April 30, 2022 by The Mighty Peanut

[Ms.Lulu]

12 hours ago, The Mighty Peanut said:

I don't know. I can understand that she'd get a song that is...a little misanthropic. But did Willow ever do anything to suggest she actually despised mankind? She loved Kornbread, befriended Angeria, seemed to get along well with everyone, and didn't appear to isolate herself. 

In terms of Willow Pill I thought her song worked. 

Willow has been vocal about the 'hate' being written online about her fellow drag queens.  I took it to mean she hates people taking drag too seriously and throwing hate at queens.  For instance, people were doxxing and threatening Daya based on her performance/comments on a GAME SHOW.

Here is another example:

 

Edited April 30, 2022 by Ms.Lulu

[TVbitch]

Lady Camden, Willow and Angeria were my favs, so I guess it's about as good of a result as I can hope for. I think Lady Camden could have been a winner in another season, but Willow was very unique, had good looks, and was dealing with her challenges so gracefully. I'm happy for her. 

As for giant Ru lording over the affair without looking at anyone, that had me mesmerized as well. Everyone standing next to her looked like they'd been through Willie Wonka's shrinker machine. I believe she avoids turning her head because she always has special fill lighting right in front of her. I've noticed this more and more on the show in general. Whenever she introduces the challenges, the queens are off to the side and Ru is pointed toward the lights, so it doesn't even look like she is talking to them. I guess she's earned her vanity!