S09.E14: Grand Finale

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

In an epic, show-stopping finale, RuPaul crowns America's Next Drag Superstar.

[Spotlight]

That was a disappointment

[okerry]

wow, they always look better on award night. Are there professionals doing the queens' hair & makeup & wardrobe for these events?

love seeing Nina wearing actual drag.

don't care for Ru's gown or makeup, and usually she's perfection.

Trinity should do Vivian Leigh. 

Sasha, love ya but please put a wig on sometimes.

Shea's pretty awesome.

don't care too much for Peppermint, but she is pretty.

WINTERGREEN FOR AMERICA'S NEXT DRAG SUPERSTAR!!!

wow! I take it back! Sasha in a wig!

not sure about this format, but we'll see

gimmicks won't save ya - still gotta lip sync - I'd choose Trinity - 

oh well - there's always Vivian Leigh, lol

Shea's the better dancer, but Sasha makes me feel that she's actually singing - and those rose petals, lol

they were both good, but I do like Sasha - and Trinity is out, so, wow!

yay, Bob! Where's the purse?

Team Sasha. That Marlene Dietrich was Everything.

ha love Sasha's white outfit and mask

right away I'm all about Sasha

i think i like the other formats better, but okay

yay! Sasha!

[doingthejackal]

That second lip sync made my life.

And watching her father and boyfriend react with so much pride and awe--oh, look, a second life!

And now Bob's entrance?! Shit, now I'm going to live forever.

[DasFlavorPup]

For that "So Emotional" lipsync I'd loved it if instead of rose petals, Sasha would've just gone full-on-I'm-not-going-to-be-IGNORED Alex Forrester and pulled out a fake knife and mimicked stabbing someone and cutting herself, just really go for it.

I don't have a problem with the outcome - all four of these queens are perfectly acceptable to me.  That being said, I do think Peppermint was the better of the two in the final lip sync (just seemed like Sasha wasn't syncing very well at all near the end), but oh well.

Edited June 24, 2017 by DasFlavorPup

[annewithaneee]

I'm going to take my cranky, clearly much older than the demo this show is now catering to, ass over to Bake Off on PBS now. 

Honestly, everything came together for me during the upteenth pan to a YouTuber in the audience mugging shamelessly for the cameras. Can't blame the show for knowing where their largest and most vocal fanbase is these days...it just feels wrong for drag. You know what the typical Joey Graceffa fan can't do? Get past the door in a gay bar.

As someone who thinks Sasha was the most undeserving of the four on stage - for her performance on the show, not her persona outside of it - it did make me snicker that while Peppermint got love from the absolutely stunning Laverne Cox and Trace Lysette, Sasha got stuck with a shout-out from the perpetually parched Katy Perry...and you could tell Sasha was in no way feeling it.

[CaioF]

Ok, lets go straight to the lip syncs cause that was the appeal of the finale,

Round 1: Trinity X Peppermint : I knew the spoilers and was expecting Peppermint to kill it. For me, Trinity was ROBBED! She worked her way out the entire song while Peppermint was fadding away most of the song and only showed up for a reveal of a ugly/illfitting dress! I call shade!

Round 2: Sasha X Shea: Both times I saw Shea lip sync I was dissapointed/expected more. This was her best on the show but still not enough. Sasha in other hand, we didnt know what to expect and she brought it! And different from Peppermint, she didnt trust only on the use of a prop (the petals), she really gave more emotion and life to the song.

Final Round Sasha X Peppermint: Peppermint did her thing but once again, Sasha KILLED IT! Like, I didnt had a big favorite and actually I was really unsure about Sasha´s performance´s skills when I was thinking of her winning. She actually served the two best/most unpredictable lip syncs of the night and deserved the crown.

Ranking the lip sync:

Sasha1 and 2 (a tie for me)

Peppermint 2

Trinity

Peppermint 1

Shea.

I liked the idea of the lip sync at the finale but it was too short. Next season, they should make a two hours special.

PS: Bob The Drag Queen serving Camarooonnn!!!

Edited June 24, 2017 by CaioF

[kathy42977]

I love Peppermint. But she did not belong in the top 4. And Trinity won that first lipsynch against her.

Trinity is smart so I don't think she expected to win the crown. But I do think she expected to be in the top 2.

I do sort of feel bad for Shea. In any other season she would  have won the crown.

But my God I thought Sasha was on fire tonight. I honestly didn't think she had it in her to turn it out the way she did. I was sitting here looking at my screen in disbelief. I couldn't believe that was actually Sasha. I just thought she was incredible.

Even though it doesn't seem fair I liked that they had to work hard until  the bitter end to win.

Edited June 24, 2017 by kathy42977

[deannanikki]

Oh man. I didn't like this format. Yes, Trinity (who I thought should've won against Peppermint) and Shea could've lip-synced better. Yes, I thought Sasha was the correct winner with this format, even though I wanted Shea or Trinity to win. However, I feel like the queens' performances during the season meant squat and this could set a precedent for queens to only be a good lip-syncer and to get away with being lackluster in other areas. I would hope the finale is different next year so queens don't get any ideas about that.

With that off my chest, congrats to Sasha!

[CaioF]

10 minutes ago, deannanikki said:

Oh man. I didn't like this format. Yes, Trinity (who I thought should've won against Peppermint) and Shea could've lip-synced better. Yes, I thought Sasha was the correct winner with this format, even though I wanted Shea or Trinity to win. However, I feel like the queens' performances during the season meant squat and this could set a precedent for queens to only be a good lip-syncer and to get away with being lackluster in other areas. I would hope the finale is different next year so queens don't get any ideas about that.

With that off my chest, congrats to Sasha!

Not so sure... To make to the finale, you have to excell on the challenges... Even as a fierce lip syncer, theres only a number of times you can fall in the bottom (Peppermint lucky was that she didnt hit the limit). Like, I saw someone on another forum saying that with this format Coco would win season 5,... Like nooo giiirl, she still wouldnt make into the finale anyway. 

Edited June 24, 2017 by CaioF

[CraftyHazel]

I've loved Sasha all season long, so I'm thrilled to death that she won.  She looked stunning too!  I'm fast approaching "elderly" status, so I'm hardly an Instagram/YouTube audience, but I love Sasha's win...bald queen, Fulbright scholar, very artsy, fierce a.f.  Good for her!  And her dad and boyfriend were so cute!

[deannanikki]

1 minute ago, CaioF said:

Not so sure... To make to the finale, you have to excell on the challenges... Even as a fierce lip syncer, theres only a number of times you can fall in the bottom (Peppermint lucky was that she didnt hit the limit). Like, I saw someone on another forum saying that with this format Coco would win season 5,... Like nooo giiirl, she still wouldnt make into the finale anyway.

Yeah, I still think Coco would be out, lol. However, this show tests several areas of the queens' talents and it seems a bit unfair to have it come down to just one for the crown.

I will say that the finale was an interesting way to change things up.

[CaioF]

5 minutes ago, deannanikki said:

Yeah, I still think Coco would be out, lol. However, this show tests several areas of the queens' talents and it seems a bit unfair to have it come down to just one for the crown.

I will say that the finale was an interesting way to change things up.

We could argue about queens winning the later seasons counting more on personality or comedy or fashion over other stuff.. Theres always something.. Lip Syncs, when its given good songs like tonight where both contestants can shine, are a good way to break a tie. You can win a lip sync with dance moves, with a great look, with comedy, with dance moves etc.. Its all about how you combine more of these qualities and put on your lip sync. Also, it was a big slap on the face of Charlie, Valentina and other queens with lame lip syncs/counting to move to the finale without have to do it. Next season we might have queens more prepared to perform fierce lip syncs instead of just play a character for the cameras/the audience fighting to be the ultimate fan favorite.

Edited June 24, 2017 by CaioF

[Cosmic Muffin]

I've carefully remained unspoiled about the finale and the winner, I got my Indian takeout, I was all set to watch something I've been looking forward to all week, all day, and ten minutes before it ended, the t.v. lost the cable signal!

I decided I'd be ok being spoiled about whether it was Peppermint or Sasha, rather than waiting any longer. Any of the top four would have been fine with me, but I really liked Sasha. I hope they all have great careers post show, although I wouldn't mind it if Valentina faded from the public eye.

[annewithaneee]

22 minutes ago, CaioF said:

Not so sure... To make to the finale, you have to excell on the challenges... Even as a fierce lip syncer, theres only a number of times you can fall in the bottom (Peppermint lucky was that she didnt hit the limit). Like, I saw someone on another forum saying that with this format Coco would win season 5,... Like nooo giiirl, she still wouldnt make into the finale anyway. 

Yeah no that's a bridge too far....however, Roxxxy or Detox might have won with the same finale format, despite Jinkx and Alaska making much stronger showings during the entirety of the season. We never saw Alaska LSYFL in season five, unsure if her winning format from AS2 would have been around back then when her polish and confidence wasn't in full bloom just yet.

Personally, I don't want to see this format repeating. I'd much rather see Ru give the queens a much-needed kick in the ass during the season after the first time a queen clearly throws in the towel ala Charlie. Here, though, it made sense, since they let underwhelming lip syncs dominate the season's narrative, and the outcome was pretty low-risk...no matter who won, I'm not sure anyone would have been completely robbed. All four were pretty close, just not in a "oh my god this is the best season ever" way...they were all just really good in different ways. Not anyone great or phenomenal.

Edited June 24, 2017 by annewithaneee

[CaioF]

Quote

Yeah no that's a bridge too far....however, Roxxxy or Detox might have won with the same finale format, despite Jinkx and Alaska making much stronger showings during the entirety of the season. We never saw Alaska LSYFL in season five, unsure if her winning format from AS2 would have been around back then when her polish and confidence wasn't in full bloom just yet.

Personally, I don't want to see this format repeating. I'd much rather see Ru give the queens a much-needed kick in the ass during the season after the first time a queen clearly throws in the towel ala Charlie. Here, though, it made sense, since they let overwhelming lip syncs dominate the season's narrative, and the outcome was pretty low-risk...no matter who won, I'm not sure anyone would have been completely robbed. All four were pretty close, just not in a "oh my god this is the best season ever" way...they were all just really good in different ways. Not anyone great or phenomenal.

 

Yes, you have a point here... For this season it worked/was a fair way to break up a close race. Seasons with uneven final 3 tho, yes, could be risk. Actually, maybe they might start to consider to decide the finale breaker depending on the season.. Queens would signe out to the show more prepared for anything, instead of think they cracked the code on how to win the show.

For me, all 4 went to the finale with a missing piece to make them the winner and after tonight, IMO, Sasha showed herself as the most well rounded queen. Shea and Trinity would be close. Peppermint still is trusting more on her charisma and lip syncs skills (that actually was above Sasha´s and Trinity´s tonight). Looking back, Sasha was able to pull of acting, comedy, looks, have a brand and in the end be a fierce lip syncer aswell.

Edited June 24, 2017 by CaioF

[HunterHunted]

The first lipsync was not good. When Peppermint found out that it would be Stronger, you could see the briefest "oh shit!" look on her face. Stronger is a little too slow and musically and lyrically unremarkable for what Peppermint does the best.

Trinity used the stage better, but the way the camera kept cutting away made it seem like she was better than she was. Trinity can't dance and she was off the beat the entire time. Trinity had more tricks, but they were barely on the beat. What's the point of a bunch of stunts and tricks if they aren't building naturally with the song? The worst part is that she's almost on the beat which is what makes her hard to watch because it's almost right, but not. Additionally, Trinity likes her big splashy moves, but she doesn't have skill to deliver them with the sharpness to make them pop. In a lot of ways Trinity's performance reminded me of Milan or Dida Ritz against Latrice. 

Trinity was showy, but not technically good. A great lipsync (or performance) should build, convey emotion, and create a narrative through line. Trinity had big showy tricks and stunts, but the use of them was practically arbitrary. Peppermint wasn't great (this was the worst lipsync we've seen from Peppermint), but she was better than Trinity.

Sasha on the other hand isn't a dancer, but used what she had and knows to great effect. She understands the ideas about emotion and narrative and you see her building her performance to convey all of that.

The thing that I've always liked about Sasha and Peppermint is that they both are really good at making it seem like they are actually singing.

[le bordel chaud]

I came around to truly loving Trinity by the end of the season and I really think she beat Peppermint in their battle. But to her credit, she took the L with grace and was a great sport about it.

Shea's weak point was her lip syncing as her Cool For The Summer showed, so this format really did her no favors.

I thought the last lip synch between Pep and Sasha was really close but Sasha got it because she was far superior over the entire season. I just think a Trinity v. Sasha finale would have been more fair and satisfying. But hopefully Trinity has secured her spot for All-Stars where she will be a front-runner.

[Ruby Gillis]

4 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

Trinity used the stage better, but the way the camera kept cutting away made it seem like she was better than she was. Trinity can't dance and she was off the beat the entire time. Trinity had more tricks, but they were barely on the beat. What's the point of a bunch of stunts and tricks if they aren't building naturally with the song? The worst part is that she's almost on the beat which is what makes her hard to watch because it's almost right, but not. Additionally, Trinity likes her big splashy moves, but she doesn't have skill to deliver them with the sharpness to make them pop. In a lot of ways Trinity's performance reminded me of Milan or Dida Ritz against Latrice. 

Trinity was showy, but not technically good. A great lipsync (or performance) should build, convey emotion, and create a narrative through line. Trinity had big showy tricks and stunts, but the use of them was practically arbitrary. Peppermint wasn't great (this was the worst lipsync we've seen from Peppermint), but she was better than Trinity.

Sasha on the other hand isn't a dancer, but used what she had and knows to great effect. She understands the ideas about emotion and narrative and you see her building her performance to convey all of that.

 

I totally agree.  Trinity really suffered by not building to a big moment at the end.  It was so high energy all the way through, and while I enjoyed her performance, Peppermint was able to steal the spotlight at the crucial moment.  Shea was also one level throughout, although I enjoy her sharp moves, and she didn't pull out a big trick at the end to win.

The producers actually determined those pairings right?  Did Trinity really pick Peppermint?

Edited June 24, 2017 by Ruby Gillis

[CaioF]

7 minutes ago, Ruby Gillis said:

The producers actually determined those pairings right?  Did Trinity really pick Peppermint?

IDK.. Maybe her tought process was: If our lip sync comes to a closer one, Ru will save the queen that did the best on the competition so let me pick the one with the lowest score? It was really a upside down situtation. Some queens would be afraid to go against Shea on the lip sync thinking she was the one way ahead/Ru´s choosen one while in the fact, she was the best option to go against, since shes the weakest/least inspiring lip syncer.

[twinkietwin94]

DVRd it and watching now, Sasha is the clear winner of round 2, WOW! Round 1 was kinda meh but so was that song. I wonder if Pep got it bc she did more lip syncing and fewer tricks. Trinity was trying and rocking it out with the tricks but then you couldn't see her mouth to see how she actually did lip syncing. Can't wait for the last round.

[twinkietwin94]

OK yeah Sasha KILLED IT! Really while I love Pep I don't think she was strong enough all season to win, the other three though I was fine with any winning, much as I felt last season.

[Couver]

Whew what a finale! I loved it. It was so high energy. This was a very deserving top 4. I think each had their own strengths but throughout the season they all rose to the occasion most consistently. I was pulling for Peppermint so I'm a little gutted. IMO she was the better of the 2 in the final lip sync. Sasha gives really....ugly face during her lip syncs but I guess that's her style? It was a toss up between Trinity and Pep in the first lip sync. Trinity opened stronger but I think Peppermint was smarter in building to a bigger finish and she was lip syncing the words much better than Trinity. I was sad for Shea too. She did so well all season. But something was missing in her lip sync. It was very low energy and Sasha was fantastic in that one.

My one nitpick about Sasha is that I feel she and the show think her drag is ground breaking and I just don't see it. Facets of it have been featured before. Princess, Milk, and Max all have aesthetics very similar to Sasha's and I'm not sure her cerebral side comes through in her drag to differentiate from other queens with similar styles. With that said she is well spoken and I think she'll be a good ambassador for the show and for LGBT visibility. Her father is adorable!

I do wonder about the reunion now (being staged) since Valentina and Aja seemed very happy sitting next to each other.

Were there less drag alum than normal? I saw Jaidynn and Tyra but not many others. No Porkchop shout out?

[CaioF]

5 minutes ago, Couver said:

Were there less drag alum than normal? I saw Jaidynn and Tyra but not many others. No Porkchop shout out?

Like mentioned above, they had to save airtime/chairs to show random youtubers.

[HunterHunted]

24 minutes ago, Ruby Gillis said:

I totally agree.  Trinity really suffered by not building to a big moment at the end.  It was so high energy all the way through, and while I enjoyed her performance, Peppermint was able to steal the spotlight at the crucial moment.  Shea was also one level throughout, although I enjoy her sharp moves, and she didn't pull out a big trick at the end to win.

8 minutes ago, twinkietwin94 said:

DVRd it and watching now, Sasha is the clear winner of round 2, WOW! Round 1 was kinda meh but so was that song. I wonder if Pep got it bc she did more lip syncing and fewer tricks. Trinity was trying and rocking it out with the tricks but then you couldn't see her mouth to see how she actually did lip syncing. Can't wait for the last round.

The producers actually determined those pairings right?  Did Trinity really pick Peppermint?

Trinity is a really hard worker. She tries, but I've always had the sense that she's almost confused as to why a bit was working. She was super high energy and throwing herself around the stage, but you couldn't see her lips and there was no relief from high energy dancing. Trinity is arrhythmic on a global scale. She doesn't understand the rhythms of acting, comedy, dancing, and performance. She doesn't understand the ebbs and flows that make high parts stand out much more in contrast. When something works for her, it's almost by accident.* She is the Nerve in C.U.N.T.** Trinity will give it her all. It may not work and she might not know what she's doing, but she's giving 110%.

I didn't think about the producers picking those pairings, but it makes sense. I was surprised when Trinity chose Peppermint. I thought she would have picked Sasha. Sasha also can't dance, but Trinity has her nakedness and willingness to throw herself around the stage to muscle a win against Sasha.

*Alexis Michelle has studied so hard she knows why things are supposed to work, but she doesn't have the talent to do it.

**Peppermint is the Charisma. Sasha is unique and Shea is talented. It's not that they all don't exhibit some of the other attributes, but those are their fundamental defining attributes.

[CaioF]

Things that happened and werent aired acording from some people that were there:

´´Ru's entrance was filmed twice, up to the part before she turned around

The judges gave an ad lib response based off the the prompter I could see

Ru said that the house was overbooked and she needed to find a seat for an old friend of hers and was asking people to give up their seats. She "randomly" chose a seat, which was India Farrah's, and had security come escort her out. Naturally, it was none other than Mimi Imfurst who came down the aisle, picked her up like in S3, and walked out with her. Then Porkchop came in and took India's seat, now that Ru had made on available for her

Anytime Valentina was on stage, people would start chanting her name. It also happened a bit during Peppermint's interview, so we'll see how much more of that they'll release.

Peppermint also said she would buy another pink skirt with the 100k

The crowd lost their shit a lot more at wintergreen

They didn't do any questions from the drag queen alumns. I barely remember them from two weeks ago, but it had to deal with trans kids coming out and how she separates trans from drag.

They didn't show the video from Katy, it was just the audio

Papa Velour also said the he originally thought Sasha was too good, in her artistry, for drag race and then saw how she would excel at it in later seasons

Again, no drag alum questions. She was asked about her favorite piece of art, which took 5 minutes, but I don't remember what else was asked

They not showing any of the queens saying who they want to lip sync against and not against, only Shea so far

Shea said she'd buy that car with the 100K along with paying off student loans

S9 queens were not in the audience for B roll footage, so their reactions are genuine, the other audience reactions are 90% B roll

They asked Trinity what photo she uses on apps and she said she uses the tuck cause her face would scare people off

They removed trinity saying she wants to go against peppermint so if she lost, shed lose to the best lip syncer of the season

Trinity got a video message from Amanda Lepore

Ru only spun the wheel once

The box process took about 2 minutes or so and she went with the crowd

Ru said dun dun dunnnn say they approached the front

Audience reaction is not genuine, they recorded us to two other people acting out the songs. The audience went so nuts over Pep's reveal that they actually toned it down a LOT. You couldn't hear the song any more after the reveal

Ru left the stage for about 5 minutes to figure out who moved on

The crowd was chanting Peppermint the entire time, they removed that

They removed Shea's slip on the roses. It was the ONLY time she went to the right side of the stage

The crowd was chanting Sasha the entire time after the lip sync, and again, they removed that

Peppermint's speech was thanking all the trans, non-binary kids, and she kept dropping "if I won" before every sentence

The audience standing up and cheering WAS re-recorded for Ru's reactions, but it was barely 50% of the actual reaction, so I think that's why theres so little of Ru reacting to the lip syncs. They primarly did it for Sasha, when the crowd yelled "AND PEP" they said "oh we can edit that in if we want to" ``

Overall they say that the reaction from the live audience was bigger and the lip syncs had even more impact live. They probably turned it down cause it would give away all Ru´s decisions.

Edited June 24, 2017 by CaioF

[Cosmic Muffin]

Thanks, CaioF!

 

The finale really should have been longer. So should the reunion. Maybe next season.

[phoenix780]

If it's all about the finale... That was fricking great. I'm with those who thought Trinity was robbed, but Sasha was so good, in my opinion, it wiped out that moment. 

I think they should have more entertainment though, and less interviews. They have a legion of performers to pull from. 

[Stowaway]

They gave one of the least exciting seasons one of the most exciting finales. . .  but I doubt they'll repeat this format (at least not exactly). Whatever else it was, Season 9 was the season of the spoilers. They need to figure out how to plug their leaks, not do their most interesting moves in front of thousands of witnesses.

[CaioF]

15 minutes ago, Stowaway said:

They gave one of the least exciting seasons one of the most exciting finales. . .  but I doubt they'll repeat this format (at least not exactly). Whatever else it was, Season 9 was the season of the spoilers. They need to figure out how to plug their leaks, not do their most interesting moves in front of thousands of witnesses.

IKR? This season already was suffering get the audience excited (I just watched the last Pit Stop episode on Vh1 website with Bob presenting and even there he said that he found this season boring till the reunion) and the moments that could make people gag were all spoiled. The finale outcome in particular, like about 90% of the fans/core audience already knew it. It was good still, but imagine how more shocked/the repercussion would be if people went to this finale really expecting Trinity to have a shot, Shea as the most possible winner, Sasha as a second place finisher and Peppermint stuck in 4th?! (at least that was the mindset for alot of the fans before the finale was tapped and the spoilers leacked).

[HunterHunted]

Quote

They asked Trinity what photo she uses on apps and she said she uses the tuck cause her face would scare people off

It's her lips. Too much filler. They're too big and not proportionate to her face.

I loved Bob rocking it All Things Ankara style--wax print Hollandais eleganza.

[phoenix780]

I want to thank you all for not sharing spoilers. I had no idea what was going to happen, or that spoilers were so prevalent. 

[rozen]

1 hour ago, Stowaway said:

They gave one of the least exciting seasons one of the most exciting finales. . .  but I doubt they'll repeat this format (at least not exactly). Whatever else it was, Season 9 was the season of the spoilers. They need to figure out how to plug their leaks, not do their most interesting moves in front of thousands of witnesses.

 

They probably can't, because this is one of the few seasons where the format was even feasible. Bob & Chi-Chi would have straight murk'd Kim Chi and Naomi in a head-to-head lip sync battle. The instagram fanclub would have been even more outraged than they already were. 

I was rooting for my dark horse, Trinity, for her surprising versatility and can-do attitude, but sadly it was not to be. I then cheered for Shea for destroying nearly every challenge, but my application was rejected. I then cheered for Pep, who embodied the spirit of the song as one of strength and redemption, rather than deranged frustration, but was denied. I had picked Sasha to win at the start of the season, but man was it unsatisfying. I think I got sick of hearing 'I AM SO UNIQUE IN THE DRAG WORLD' over and over and over again*. But her fashion is ferocious and she has a good message, so it's fine. 

Sasha is the queen I'd want to have hosting an intimate dinner party followed by a book discussion. I would pay money to watch any of the other queens perform. 

Bob needs to stop rolling his shoulders and stand up straight.

 

*Which, tbf, I'm sure she's said twice ever and they've just spliced it into the show a billion times.

[film noire]

6 hours ago, kathy42977 said:

 I couldn't believe that was actually Sasha. I just thought she was incredible.

Me, too -- she was fantastic -- her body all angles and edges (but her skirt swirls nice and flowing)  + her stunning costuming eye + selling those songs with old school Garland face (big, raw and up front). I loved it. (I also love Peppermint, but she was too in charge of everything; Sasha performed being at the mercy of something, while Peppermint seemed on top of it all.)

I want this finale format from now on, if only to hear Ru say "Two Queens stand behind me" every year.

6 hours ago, Cosmic Muffin said:

I've carefully remained unspoiled about the finale and the winner, I got my Indian takeout, I was all set to watch something I've been looking forward to all week, all day, and ten minutes before it ended, the t.v. lost the cable signal!

Poor you! (Cable did,  indeed,  fuck it up ;)

Edited June 24, 2017 by film noire

[vixenbynight]

3 hours ago, phoenix780 said:

I want to thank you all for not sharing spoilers. I had no idea what was going to happen, or that spoilers were so prevalent. 

I don't know exactly what Ru, the producers and VH-1 can do to stop certain folks from posting spoilers everywhere. I got spoiled by someone posting a comment on a recaper's YT page a couple of weeks ago. 

All of the s9 queens looked amazing in the final episode. I hope that ALL of them try to build off their careers from being on the show, including Valentina. I hope that she comes to understand that she has to continue to work on her talent AND to not expect that she will be praised all the time for just showing up looking amazing.

The top four queens did it for me in their performances. I will pay to see them all perform. They all brought something different in their performances, which, must make Ru very proud for all of them. 

I'm ready for All Stars 3!!

[HunterHunted]

This finale has redeemed pulling your wig off. Chad did it expertly in Snatch Game. It became Roxxxy's go to move. It's been over used in LSFYL. Peppermint's use of it during the Village People challenge to illustrate the theme of her performance was inspired. Peppermint's aggressive wig reveal in the finale was the moment that she took back the stage, especially because it looked like it barely missed Trinity's face. It's been over used and used incompetently in many LSFYLs. However, Sasha's twist with the rose petals means that we should expect to see queens having crystals, flower petals, confetti, and money falling out their wigs in future seasons.

Shea's outfit for the cast photo was sort of African inspired. Nina's outfit for the reunion was African inspired. Bob's dress tonight was clearly African inspired. And I'm hoping the costumes from the upcoming Black Panther look will serve as additional inspiration for queens.

Allstars 3--Valentina, Aja, and maybe Shea. Perhaps Chi Chi, Thorgy, and Acid Betty.

Edited June 24, 2017 by HunterHunted

[Silly Angel]

Was my laptop weird or did Shea not seem to know the words?

[CaioF]

23 minutes ago, Silly Angel said:

Was my laptop weird or did Shea not seem to know the words?

I think she did but she wasnt giving the words the right emphasys. The biggest fail *showed on camera/close up* was her doing a subdue lip sync while Whitney was screaming a high note. She was too focused on the dance moves, and nothing else (if she wants to be the fierce dancer, she should watch Alyssa on how to build a dance routine for a lip sync). It was really flat like her other lip syncs, it has not build up/no moment and souless in parts. When she lip sync against Nina on her bottom two appearance I totally saw her performance as a crack on her armor. Others gave her the benefit of the doubt saying that it was the song/going against Nina that already gave up etc. The lip sync with the 4 queens together also, she was the least exciting. IMO, last night just proved the crack on her armor. Nothing that she can´t fix but she needed this to seal the deal for her case this season and she didnt.

Edited June 24, 2017 by CaioF

[snowblossom2]

So mad at this finale and the last minute change in having a lip sync determine the winner. Shea was robbed of a crown that should have been hers. 

 

To me, it invalidates the whole season. Yes, you have to be good to make the top 4 but you can also be mediocre by always being safe. Shea came to slay and she did. I don't like it coming down to one (or two) lip sync.

 

tbh, Sasha's fine and good but she's not as revolutionary as she thinks she is, nor is she even the freakiest or most quirky winner (Sharon, Jinx). 

[noveltylibrary65]

Worst finale ever.  Trinity and Shea clearly won their rounds and then Peppermint won the final.  UGH.

12 hours ago, annewithaneee said:

I'm going to take my cranky, clearly much older than the demo this show is now catering to, ass over to Bake Off on PBS now. 

 

I literally just finished watching the British Bake Off and the Finale back to back!

[Jesse]

Man, I thought that Finale was great, and Sasha KILLED IT.

[noveltylibrary65]

11 hours ago, Ruby Gillis said:

The producers actually determined those pairings right?  Did Trinity really pick Peppermint?

I'm thinking her strategy was to avoid her in the final LS.

[JayD83]

11 hours ago, Couver said:

I do wonder about the reunion now (being staged) since Valentina and Aja seemed very happy sitting next to each other.

 

 

7 hours ago, Mayberry said:

Yaasss, Hunty! That's who I wanted to win!

I was a bit uncertain about a lipsync comp for the finale but then Sasha brought the drama and creativity!

I did pick Trinity over Peppermint in their round, though. Peppermint was only about the reveal.

This season really was all about the lipsync, wasn't it.

Loved that they chose TWO Whitney songs. That's my diva!

Petals, darling!

 

Whitney is my diva as well, and when that Thunderpuss remix of "It's Not Right But It's Okay" came on, I completely lost my composure.  Sasha BODIED both songs! 

[film noire]

3 hours ago, Silly Angel said:

Was my laptop weird or did Shea not seem to know the words?

Not your laptop. At times, it felt like she was lost, lyric-wise --  hard to overlook since it's not her strong suit anyway -- last night, imo, she looked like a back-up dancer compared to Sasha's command of the lip sync.  But if Shea ever figures out how to sell a song,  she'll be formidable. 

Edited June 24, 2017 by film noire

[trippyhop]

I just have to say that Sasha won the night for me with her Lucy Westenra in Bram Stoker's Dracula look.

Edited June 24, 2017 by trippyhop
Adding visuals

[HunterHunted]

2 hours ago, noveltylibrary65 said:

Worst finale ever.  Trinity and Shea clearly won their rounds and then Peppermint won the final.  UGH.

I literally just finished watching the British Bake Off and the Finale back to back!

I don't know that anything is or was particularly clear. I have some formal musical and dance training. Rhythmically, Trinity was off the entire performance. Trinity has terrible performance instincts (intrinsic and learned). I've posted at length about how Alexis Michelle intellectually knows what makes a compelling performance, but doesn't have the skills or talent to pull it off (though she can pull off a really credible impression). Trinity is the opposite. She's clueless as to why a performance is working, but she has enough innate talent to pull it off.

Shea was shockingly low energy in places where she should have been high. Shea has never been good at enunciating her words during a lipsync. So it's a little bit obvious that Sasha with some props, clear enunciation, and a song that was slow enough that Shea couldn't go crazy with dance moves, might actually best Shea.

[JayD83]

1 hour ago, Mayberry said:

Sasha was an unexpected delight because the other queens thought the lip syncs mostly needed high-energy. That's what cost it for Trinity and Shea. Sasha may have not jumped around and twirled as much as them, but she brought the interpretation.

 

Exactly.  I posted on other boards that Sasha brought out the psycho chic on both songs, ESPECIALLY "So Emotional."  I've been a Whitney stan for 25 years and never realized it could be interpreted as a stalker song, until last night. 

[Avon.Blakes7]

1 minute ago, HunterHunted said:

I don't know that anything is or was particularly clear. I have some formal musical and dance training. Rhythmically, Trinity was off the entire performance. Trinity has terrible performance instincts (intrinsic and learned). I've posted at length about how Alexis Michelle intellectually knows what makes a compelling performance, but doesn't have the skills or talent to pull it off (though she can pull off a really credible impression). Trinity is the opposite. She's clueless as to why a performance is working, but she has enough innate talent to pull it off.

Shea was shockingly low energy in places where she should have been high. Shea has never been good at enunciating her words during a lipsync. So it's a little bit obvious that Sasha with some props, clear enunciation, and a song that was slow enough that Shea couldn't go crazy with dance moves, might actually best Shea.

I think Trinity was too busy trying to perform like Alyssa Edwards throwing the hair around! That was really something seeing Peppermint change hair and dress right before our eyes! Trinity was done even with that roll/flip at the end of the song! Sasha was adored by the judges and given her tons of credit for a modern POV even when dated! The bald head just took me back to Ongina who was mercilessly cut at times for trying to get away with no hair! I can't fault the choice, but it was a choice, not a real win if you go by the "LSFYL!"

[Primetimer]

Season 9 ends with a lip sync tournament, more dramatic reveals than you ever thought possible, and a winner you may not have seen coming.

View the full article

[noveltylibrary65]

3 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

I don't know that anything is or was particularly clear. I have some formal musical and dance training. Rhythmically, Trinity was off the entire performance. Trinity has terrible performance instincts (intrinsic and learned).

You're right I shouldn't have used the word 'clearly' -- it was definitely something I felt though.