Review: RuPaul’s Drag Race (Season 12, Episode 14)

Ms Corona couldn’t stop RuPaul from crowning America’s Next Drag Superstar, the show must go on and the finale episode was one of the best yet. In previous seasons, the finale is filmed in front of a live audience and since season 9, we see the queens battle it out in a lip-sync for the crown. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, season 12 finale was shot remotely from the comfort of the queen’s houses across America. It was completely innovative and a new for reality TV, there were concerns it would not meet up to the usual standard, regardless it was even better and more interesting than a usual grand finale.

The show began in the usual format with the queens flaunting their glamorous outfits, usually RuPaul is the standout with her beautiful gown and signature blond hair, but to our surprise RuPaul instead wore a facekini, a black turtleneck and a classic fedora. RuPaul really turned up to the finale not in drug proving she is Still That Bitch.
It is not a Drag Race finale without deep sections from the queen’s parents and celebrity cameos throwing their love for the queens and how far they have come. We had some amazing cameos from Whoopi Goldberg to Dolly Parton, it really was an all-star turnout.

The battle had just begun in round one: the close lip-sync round to RuPaul’s Bring Back My Girls, this number was to showcase the queen’s ability to deliver a song with only their faces, no death drops, no splits, just facial expressions. It was a great number and was incredibly humorous as the girls began finding new ways to perform – Gigi Goode had her facial expressions on point, Crystal Methyd exerted campy realness whilst Jaida Essence Hall stole the show by her extravagant facial expressions.

Just like every episode from this season, there was a brief segment encouraging Americans to sign up to vote for the upcoming presidential elections in November. For this the queens did a cover of Cover Girl which was all about voting, “speak your mind theres nothing to it, vote”.

The queens were ready for round 2 of the lip-sync for the crown, this lip-sync was 3 individuals coming up with innovative and creative ways to put on a performance for the audience at home. Crystal’s lip-sync performance was first as she did a cover of I’m Like A Bird by Nelly Furtado, in true Crystal fashion she put on a weird and fascinating lip-sync as she dressed like a bird talking to a baby bird and regurgitated into the little birds mouth to feed it. It was the weirdest expression which is expected with Crystal.

Gigi covered a-ha’s Take On Me, it was similar to the music video and featured doodle sketches and wild 80s inspired hair. It was a really cool video and featured an outfit change, it was fun and inventive. Unlike all the other queens, Jaida did a normal li-sync in her front room to Ciara’s Get Up. She slayed and used the whole house as her stage, she was serving it and even gave us the famous Widow Von’Du move from episode 1.

Before the final lip-sync where the queen will be announced last years Miss Congeniality and Dolly Parton crowned this years Miss Congeniality, which went to the one and only Heidi N Closet. The final lip-sync was to Destiny’s Child Survivor and all the queens had the same set up, a sparkling background with pink fluorescent lights. From the get-go Jaida stole the show, her outfit was to die for and gave superhero realness, Crystal’s gown was inspired by Alice in Wonderland whilst Gigi wore a Wizard of Oz themed dress which after her ruveal changed to Dorothy. It was an epic lip-sync and unlike the usual final with the high-tech productions and use of props, this one just showed the queens amazing talent and ability to wow an audience without a high production set. This was everything that drag is about and it was a moving performance.

And the winner is… Jaida Essence Hall. She was gifted a virtual Super Mario crown by last year’s winner Yvie Oddly. It was a well-deserved win from an all-round queen, she proved even more way she is our winner in her speech where she said, “if you can’t love yourself how the hell are you gonna LOOK OVER THERE”. The final was unusual but fabulous and probably one of the most entertaining finales of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

All episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 12 are available to watch on Netflix.