RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Flavour-Finale Epitomize: You're a Winner, Baby

Well, kitty girls, we've reached the finish of an All Stars season that was entertaining, maddening, shocking, tiresome, mystifying, and predictable all at once. You tin can't say you lot weren't gagged, positively or negatively, by almost every episode this season (except the soup-can episode, that was pretty meh) and later all, contentious debates within the Drag Race audience is the ancient gay fossil fuel that keeps the show going. Oh, and the wig stunts, tongue pops, and decease drops, all three of which this season had in glorious abundance. Overall, though, we end in the exact place we thought nosotros would, and that makes our petty balls ache. Not considering they're tucked, but because they're, well, bluish (as in sad).

The queens begin the episode by agreeing that it was not a difficult decision to ship Morgan home after she had missed the entire competition. Sort of a no-brainer. Morgan is a deliciously fun drag queen to scout piece of work a room, but she's simply not a elevate superstar in the way that RuPaul's Drag Race demands you be. Trixie reveals she had besides chosen to eliminate Morgan, and the ladies bask in the fact that they are really hither, at the finale, with no hijinks to be seen on the horizon.

The next mean solar day, RuPaul announces that the final maxi challenge volition be the most ambitious production number in the bear witness'southward herstory: The girls must write, record, and perform their ain verse to RuPaul'due south "Kitty Daughter" while slaying intense choreo by Todrick Hall. This sounds extremely fun, and the eyes of the girls light up with possibility. They have free rein here to do whatsoever they desire with their verse, and information technology seems like, finally, their destinies will be in their own hands.

Except, nope. Because RuPaul has decided to bring back the eliminated queens yet again, and we're calling our ophthalmologist well-nigh how hard our eyes are rolling. The opinions of these eliminated queens, while beyond capricious, are now going to weigh into the decision RuPaul will brand equally to who wins the competition. We can guess at this point that Thorgy volition try hard to be righteously shady, Morgan and Milk will merely, like, be at that place, Chi Chi volition sit quietly until she chimes in to say how she loves Kennedy, and we'll cry at Aja and Ben for what could have been.

Trixie and Shangela surmise (correctly) that the eliminated queens will come back to form a sort of jury, and that the meridian 4 will have to each plead their instance to them. BeBe, in archetype BeBe mode, is hilariously incorrect in the perfect mode when she says that the eliminated queens volition "probably be dancers." Shangela has a good express joy at this, and and so do we. Maybe BeBe really doesn't lookout this testify at all, and good for her.

The girls run across up with Todrick and a selection of sexy male dancers to rehearse the number. The choreography is equally intense equally it was suggested before, and one section involving a lifted kick gives BeBe detail difficulty since she'south "afraid of heights." BeBe is supplying a lot of comedy thus far, but all signs point to trouble as the residue of the girls execute the dance quite well. Todrick lets them know it looks sloppy as a whole (flash) and then tells them to "follow him." Ooh, Toddy…

The girls follow him outside the set, and as the stark natural lighting hits all our queens, Todrick reveals that the majority of the production number will be take place backside the scenes, LIVE, and in but one take. That'due south right, kweens, we are Jessie J–in–Grease Alive!–ing it upwardly in this bitch! The queens are gagged and excited, but Todrick reminds them that live means LIVE, and in that location will only be one chance to go this right. So, don't be bad! That's what Ru e'er says, right? Don't be bad?

On coronation twenty-four hours, the girls are feeling excited and proud. There is however some question as to what the eliminated girls volition exist doing, or what their attitudes will be, but this installment of Makeup Talk is more than focused on introspection as the girls look back on this season and whether they thought they'd all make it this far. Trixie documents her slow beginning and recent up trajectory. Kennedy again details her feelings nearly how y'all don't need to do well in the competition to win (this is actually sort of what she is saying), and BeBe claims to be the most consequent. Shangela doesn't get a large moment here to land her example, but she is Daenerys, if you lot haven't heard. Going forrard, you have to imagine Shangela is the one to beat.

On the mainstage, a lone RuPaul announces to no 1 that the operation we're nearly to see involves the entire cast and crew of RuPaul'southward Drag Race, then nosotros immediately put our expert spectacles on and run up to the tv considering if Winter Green (Peppermint's elevate daughter crew fellow member from season nine) is featured, we do not desire to miss that realness.

Kennedy begins the number popping out of a truck on the backlot, imploring the world to "experience your puss down deep in your soul." For this line lonely, peradventure she should win. Kennedy takes her final solo functioning moment on RuPaul's Drag Race to remind anybody that she is a showgirl, love, and one of the best in the biz. She kicks and dazzles off at the cease of her number, having shown the hell upwardly and slaying. And yes, Morgan and Aja were in the background. Morgan was even doing some choreographed arm-dancing, so possibly BeBe was correct near them background dancing later on all! Possibly we were wrong for doubting BeBe!

Shangela'south poetry is extremely fun and total of pride and accomplishment. If you're an avid viewer of this show and accept been since the early seasons, this may even be a little scrap emotional to watch. When you consider where she started all those years ago, the fact that she has become the Beyoncé fish that she is in this moment is pretty inspiring, and no i handed it to her. She has worked difficult for this and she deserves information technology. Nosotros're beaming ear to ear for the entirety of her verse.

It's going to be hard for anyone to top BeBe Zahara Benet's rataka-tititata Jungle Kitty original poetry from a couple episodes ago, and while the sewing-machine-centric voguing she does here is very good, it's not what we know she is capable of. That being said, BeBe is a fable and she serves information technology. Information technology'southward only difficult to compare to the instant RuPaul's Drag Race classic that nosotros only saw weeks ago. Nosotros didn't hear any fabricated-up words in this poesy and that unfortunately amounts to a deduction for BeBe.

Trixie really impresses with a verbally dexterous verse. Although she doesn't practise equally much dancing as the other ladies, she moves well and easily switches betwixt her many props. More than a lot of the other ladies, it feels like she is performing her poetry in existent fourth dimension, and she stays true to herself with a lively comedic execution. She also looks terrific. This is definitely going to be a close ane heading into the climax of the performance.

After a brief musical interlude wherein Michelle Visage, Ross Mathews, and Carson Kressley do some calorie-free pace-touch one-2-3-4 choreo to fill time, the meridian iv are chased through the backstage area by the camera until they pop onto the mainstage to evangelize the final section of the number we saw them rehearse earlier with Todrick. Despite the fact that BeBe does not stick that lift she so struggled with earlier, the judges are blown away past the performance.

There is nonetheless the concluding rails, though, and the category is All-time Drag Eleganza Extravaganza, love. Information technology is a special kind of gag to see these looks one after another. BeBe serves what she has all season: jungle. She is a walking leopard, and while it's a little redundant, there is something to exist said about knowing your make. Of form we wish for some more variety, but that'due south non what we're getting. And that'due south okay! Kennedy Davenport serves her final runway wait from flavor vii ii.0, as she gives us pride-inspired rainbow couture meets glamorous evil Disney villain from the deep. We love it. Shangela looks like she could be going to the Oscars in her gown, which is admittedly stunning from top to bottom. The new wig really suits her, and she simply looks like a winner. Trixie Mattel enters in what is her unmarried best rails look e'er, some sort of dark 1940s femme fatale vixen meets dog-park poodle. Nosotros live for it. Nosotros stand up with our prediction that BeBe should be sashaying abroad, merely because her rails expect isn't the literal best matter she's washed all season. The bar is loftier here.

Earlier the judges' critiques, it is revealed that the eliminated girls have formed some sort of tribal council and will be voting on the summit two later short meetings with each of them. So throw out everything nosotros've said because we take a feeling this finale performance, so hyped all episode long, is not going to matter at all. Shangela and Trixie's suspicions are confirmed, nevertheless they are still visibly gagged by this information.

The judges are kind to anybody in their comments and critiques. They really graze over the operation they've merely seen and focus on the positive big-moving picture of information technology all. Who really cares what the judges say on an All Stars flavor when the people that matter are sitting just over yonder, watching and waiting every bit contoured agents of chaos.

In the workroom, the eliminated queens sit in a terrifying tableau across from a single armchair on which each queen will sit, plead their instance, and answer questions so that the eliminated girls can make their choices. We should say that they all look stunning in fashions that had to exist among their favorites that they did not go to wear. As BeBe Zahara Benet enters the workroom, she can feel with her "African sixth sense" that these girls do not desire to crown someone who has already won a flavor of RuPaul's Drag Race, and she is probably non wrong. However, this is non the topic that ruffles feathers. Instead, Thorgy becomes irritated when BeBe volition non reply a question as to which queens she had called to eliminate and bring back the week that she lip-synced against Ben. BeBe holds true to her word that she will keep this secret to her dying solar day, and it obviously bothers the girls. Thorgy will remark a little subsequently that she is not "fabricated comfy" past BeBe, and she doesn't like that. Considering, as we all know, this competition is near Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, Talent, and Making Other People Feel Comfy.

Kennedy fares much better with the girls, who ask pageant-esque questions of a pageant queen. Chi Chi does indeed break down and tells Kennedy how much she loves her, and so we know where her vote is going. In a talking caput, Kennedy makes a salient betoken in that, of the four, BeBe has already won, Trixie has a huge career, and Shangela been something of a Drag Race household name since simply subsequently the evidence began. She needs this the most. Whether that's a rubric the eliminated girls will abide by is a toss-upward.

Next in the hot seat is Shangela, who compares the circumstances to Ned Stark's beheading in Game of Thrones. Apparently an entire season of Daenerys analogies has led up to an off-the-mark Ned Stark one, which makes us then mad that we want to blow upward the Not bad Sept of Baelor. Shangela crunches the numbers as she sits across from the queens: 3 of them she eliminated, two she'southward butt heads with, and finally there'south Ben, who silently gazes from her chair in her all-red Hullo, Dolly! eleganza. We get a very valid talking point from Shangela: Trixie is the only queen in the final four who has never sent anyone home, which puts the other 3 at an unfair disadvantage. She then goes into an inspiring speech about her growth from seasons 2 and 3, that she went to "drag schoolhouse" and that no matter the outcome, this is her graduation. It'south an emotional self-validation that wins over even the most resistant Shangie-haters, and we can't help merely applaud equally she graciously curtseys out the room.

Trixie trails in soon subsequently, and unloads a lot of her feelings surrounding her disappointments and accomplishments on the season. She praises Shangela for making so much in the real world out of her short time on the show, only then throws BeBe and Kennedy under the charabanc for not showing whatever substantial corporeality of growth (exhibit: Kennedy's updated rainbow dress). She cites her work ethic in many areas, including folk music and comedy and television development, and proudly declares herself an all-star even before taping began. The eliminated queens agree and cordially dismiss her as they move on to option lipsticks for the top two.

Everyone gathers back on the mainstage, and Morgan announces as the foreman of the grouping that the jury of eliminated queens take selected their top ii: Kennedy and Trixie. Shangela and BeBe bow out gracefully, and the last two move on to a lip sync of "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus, which is a most interesting song choice for a terminal number. Trixie digs deep into the seismic emotional buildup of the song while Kennedy twirls with aplomb, which is dangerously reminiscent of Kenya Michaels pirouetting around the phase to "(You Make Me Feel Similar A) Natural Woman" against a grounded Latrice Royale. Kennedy somewhen takes the visual backseat, equally Trixie pulls in the full gravitas by the end. And with that, Ru crowns Trixie the tertiary winner of All Stars and the newest inductee in the Drag Race Hall of Fame.

As we close the book on this noisy, sometimes cluttered season, nosotros can step back for a second and appreciate it every bit a tapestry of wonderfully memorable moments: Aja jumping "from in that location," Ben'due south self-emptying, "Rataka-tititata / Yeah, I'm pussy, bitch" (or everything else out of BeBe's mouth), and a few Snatch Game impressions. You'll get these slap-up bits with any Drag Race season. Alas, it's a tapestry checky past plenty of indelibly rougher moments: the dropped Handmaid's Tale fleck, Thorgy's note, the entire Warhol Brawl, and a few Snatch Game impressions. The fulcrum that determines a great, well-counterbalanced season of this show is constantly shifting, and possibly we've been a bit spoiled equally a viewing audition with what Drag Race can deliver, only here's hoping that the show will modify with the times, as it always has, and emerge with a refreshed format that's fit for an All Star.

In lieu of a quote for this finale episode, we will instead award BeBe Zahara Benet as the virtually quotable queen this season, and present her with our Said the Bitch Icon Award. Sure, Trixie was the talking-head MVP of the season, but calendar week afterwards calendar week, BeBe's sound bites but begged to exist repeated out loud and spoken with that soothing, sagely timbre. All hail the original.

Drag Race All Stars Finale Epitomize: Yous're a Winner, Baby