ABOVE: “Drag Race” finalists Rose, Symone, Kandy Muse and Gottmik. Photo via the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Twitter.
The grand finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” fell appropriately on Oscar weekend.
The Season 13 Top Four epitomize the future of the long standing show: Met-Gala grade couture, boundless talent and a roster of queens who legitimately represent the drag community – POC, Trans and musical theatre gay. The glitter has finally settled on Symone’s crown, and the hangovers have been nursed away, so here’s a look back on Drag’s biggest night.
Symone’s win is well deserved. By the night of the finale, Symone had four main challenge wins and lip-synced enough times to prove that she not only has fight, but a helluvalot of stage presence. She possesses an enviably suave calm, able to look the most stressful spotlight’s dead-on and deliver effortlessly. In the end, it was her ease on stage that won her the top title.
Her editorial and intelligent fashion taste is also an enormous asset. Symone continuously outdid herself on the runway, the night of the crowning as no exception. With flawless execution and beautifully references to Black American culture, Symone’s wardrobe will go down in history. In the season, her messaging was most powerfully showcased in a clean long sleeve white gown and tear-dropped shape bonnet with red crystal bullet holes and ‘Say Their Names’ bejeweled to the back of the ensemble.
Symone’s poise, charm and consistency made her a clear front-runner from the start, with only a few missteps in the third act of the season. She walked into the Ace Hotel Theater as one of two obvious picks to win: the other being her LA sister, Gottmik.
Gottmik’s run on “Drag Race” is also one for the queer history books. Gottmik is the show’s first ever openly transgender male contestant. RuPaul and the show itself have been harshly criticized in the past for insensitive comments and outdated attitudes towards casting Trans contestants.
While the show has taken baby steps towards rightly allowing Trans drag queens to compete, Gottmik hopefully represents the new era of more progressive drag race casting. She walked into the work room, said “let’s crash the cis-tem” and then proceeded to knock it out of the park all season long.
With runway collaborations with every top Drag Race designer, and unexpected wins in the show’s most coveted challenges, Gottmik proved herself to be a talented fashionista, comedian, actress and queen. Her spot-on impersonation of Paris Hilton in the Snatch Game is Oscar-worthy, and her ability to put on outfit together deserves endless praise Her wickedly good finale look is one of the most impressive outfits ever worn on the show. She also seemed to genuinely connect with RuPaul – which is they key to winning “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
The season finale had the flashy tone of the pre-COVID seasons. The scale: Olympic Closing Ceremony. A high-budget ball, sped through interviews, three high stress lip-sync battles for the crown and shameless product placement, the world is indeed healing.
The finale lip syncs level the playing field. It sets aside track record, fan favoritism and trailblazing status, boiling it down to one essential question: who does this 30-second Britney song best? The show culminated with the winners of the first two lip syncs facing off for the grand prize of $100,000. And Kandy Muse, with only one win under her belt, found herself in a surprise second place.
RuPaul crowned the once-quiet boy from small town Arkansas, Symone, whose Can’t Take My Eyes Off Her star quality and cleverly done reveals beat out Gottmik, Kandy and Rosé. Newly crowned, Symone thanked her fans and disappeared into the night to begin what will no doubt be an iconic reign.
That leaves three queens without a crown – so, Gottmik, Rosé and Kandy Muse hit the streets of West Hollywood to greet their adoring public. Strutting arm in arm, they paraded down Santa Monica Blvd., flanked by cheering fans, spotlights and flashing cameras. They ascended to the second floor of Beaches, in the glittering company of the fabulous members of The Getty Family.
The after party guest list also included Brooke Lynn Heights, ballet star and host of Canada’s Drag Race, Willam, eternal fan favorite and “Drag Race” drop-out, and sexy LA mainstay Rhea Litré. The photos of the night show the girls in their natural habitat: a gay bar. Kandy Muse tweeted her thoughts on the show, Gottmik got cozy with her pal Gigi Gorgeous, and Rosé, beaming, twirled around the bar in one of the most ridiculous wigs ever made. View photos here.
But, as everyone knows, the real race begins after the show ends.
