Drag Race RuCap: Better late than never, it’s the “Grand Finale”
Friday, April 24, 2026 at 10:30PM
Cláudio Alves in Drag Queens, Drag Race, LGBTQ+, MTV, Miley Cyrus, RuPaul, RuPaul's Drag Race, TV, TV Review, comedy, fashion

RuPaul and Miley Cyrus welcome you to the 76th Hunger Gam... I mean the season 18 Drag Race Grand Finale!

CLÁUDIO ALVES: And just like that, it’s over. Season 18 started pretty shapeless, with a scrappy, talented cast who exuded early Drag Race vibes, only to face late Drag Race challenges that did little to capitalize on their energy. The scandal of the Rate-a-Queen Talent Show two-parter suddenly gave us narrative propulsion that elevated the second half of the season until that dreadful makeover episode derailed it all again. We never recovered, enthusiasm dwindling and a bouquet of finalists that, though not undeserving, felt vaguely lackluster. And though the lip-sync LaLaPaRuza gave the show a jolt of life last week, the finale proper couldn’t help but be a letdown, perfunctory apart from one queen’s performance that, for a moment, gave the episode some necessary purpose. 

Grand finales are seldom great hours of television, but we know, from season 16, that this same format can beget better results than what we got this year. Oh well, could’ve been worse.

NICK TAYLOR: It could have been much worse!...

Our favorite did not make the top two, but the judging was pretty reasonable, especially compared to the last few maxi challenges. Most importantly, all three finalists can console (and/or congratulate) themselves with their insanely hot partners. If we haven’t said so already, then I’ll say it now: Congrats to Darlene on getting married to her hunk!!! Good for her!! 

Just like last year, the finale takes place on the main stage of the regular set. No live theater or Celebrity Drag Race stadium for the queens to strut down, no RuGirls in the audience, just a crowd of excited fruits sitting in front of the judge’s panel. Presiding over tonight’s finale are Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, and Jamal Sims. I can only assume Drew had custody of Ross that weekend. Who knows what TS and Law were up to? Right away, we jump into the queen’s roll call, so without further ado, let’s meet the queens of season 18 for the last time.

DD Fuego graces the stage in an asymmetrical floral dress, a spring bride feeling her oats. It’s the best blend of high-fashion presentation and girls’ girl realness she’s been aiming for all season. Which is not saying a ton, to be clear, but the DD in this look makes more sense than the DD from the first episode. Her face looks much softer than before, even with the sharp lines of the lashes and brows. The floral arrangements are attractively designed. It’s good! 

CLÁUDIO: She looks very pretty, very unobjectionable in comparison to what she presented during the season proper, including the loofah encore from the LaLaPaRuZa. Supposedly, this is her sister’s wedding dress, which she never got to wear after calling the whole thing off. I appreciate the repurposing of such a piece, giving it new meaning. Moreover, it doesn’t really look bridal, pushing for a Spring goddess vibe with all the flowers, including those blossoming from her fingertips. Still, nitpicks abound. The wig should be bigger, the makeup seems at odds with the pastel florals, and the satin overskirt's arrangement could be more flattering. All in all, a valiant effort, yet far from drag greatness.

I really wanted to like Mandy Mango’s paean to her Filipino heritage. Like DD, she looks pretty, yet there are too many details begging for improvement. Why is the nude lining so voluminous that she kept getting it wrapped around her feet? Why are the butterfly sleeves so floppy? And why is her mug so harsh with such a soft floral garment? The wig and the jewelry look great, at least. And I guess the massive Philippines flag train is worth some compliments, too, though I wish its colors were present on the front beyond Mandy’s hard-to-see manicure.

NICK: I’m basically with you on this. The broad impression isn’t bad, but the standout elements bring the things that don’t work into very sharp focus. Mandy’s mug continues to be a problem. Her flag train is worth appreciating, yet it feels like the only “moment” anywhere in this design.

Briar Blush gives us the first serve of the night, cinched for the gods in her olive green ensemble and her porcelain mask. I’m just gagged. She’s like a sexy magician, with her top hat and mermaid’s tail, her voluptuous padding, the devilish grin under her lace mask. It’s all immaculately assembled, and I love how the jacket showcases her floral tattoos like they’re part of the outfit. The fact that the hat was designed by Jacqueline West for Killers of the Flower Moon, maybe the most egregious Best Costume Design loser of this decade, makes me love her even more. 

CLÁUDIO: As someone who’s been following Joshua David McKenney’s Pidgin Doll enterprise for years now, I was gagged to see one of his masks on Briar’s hand. The rest of the outfit is almost as good, though I wish the crinoline structure underneath the skirt were better concealed. The top hat is fantastic, and the mug has never looked better. This actually made me real excited to see what Briar could do on an All-Stars season.

Ciara Myst follows up with another season’s best, serving harpy realness in shades of cobalt and rust, with a white breast and bling for days. There’s something mesmerizing about those long feathers’ movement, how they draw lines that rhyme with that winged wig and make the whole thing feel incredibly aerodynamic. Great stuff and, for once, the mug coordinates well with the fashion.

NICK: Much like with her red carpet design, Ciara’s eccentricities are streamlined to very gorgeous effect. Her feathered headpiece is so striking, and unlike many an architectural wig, it serves the whole look beautifully, extending the lines created by her wings so your eyes are drawn all across her body. This also constitutes her second victory over Athena Dion, wielding a white-and-blue ensemble much better than the Greeky-Greek goddess has this season.

Vita VonTesse Star caps her tenure with another feat of monochromatic excellence. And I do mean caps, with that giant feathered sundial connected to her bodysuit. Mama looks expensive as hell, with those appliqués across her entire body. The white coat that mostly reads as a giant sheet is surprisingly elegant - was this her runway for the fan runway? Either way, she’s going out on a high note.

CLÁUDIO: So, this is a direct copy from an outfit Beyoncé wore on the cover of Vogue. And yet, dare I say that Vita wore it better? She certainly styled it in more interesting ways, with her cape and that spurt of feathers up top, with an exuberant piece of drag jewelry serving as an accent amid the simpler rhinestones, rhyming with the rings she’s got on both fingers. Her face never looked better, either, painted to perfection and exuding regality. Can you believe this was supposed to be her entrance look? Vita said so, but it’s hard to imagine such exquisiteness being one’s opening salvo into the competition.

Mia Starr looks good, but less extraordinary than the three gals who strolled down the catwalk before her. This is a lovely take on the same galaxy-dress concept Myki modeled for her top-four runway, with those delicate starbursts on her shoulders earning special mention. I also love the way the deep, night-sky blue works with the wig, elevating what is ultimately a basic mermaid gown with some sparkly stuff stuck on top and behind, like a diaphanous train or the Milky Way made fashion. I like it, even if it doesn’t wow me. Also, the boob plate is fantastic and beautifully color-matched to her skin tone. 

NICK: After spending literally the entire competition questioning Mia’s style choices, this feels like a big moment for you. She wore something beautiful! I liked some of those runways, but this is such a simple rendition of mature elegance, very far afield from what she’s presented us, but still in tune with her energy. This is Mamma Mia, ready for a night of lounging with the girls rather than lip syncing over and over and over and over again.

Athena Dion struts the stage in the biggest, longest wig I’ve seen her (or another?) wear this season. Apparently, her original Finale Eleganza look wasn’t completed in time for the taping, so this is a last-minute substitution. It’s a great headpiece and a good mug, bringing her Greek heritage to this white-and-gold robe moment. I’m not losing my mind for it, but this is youthful and kinetic in a way Athena’s runways often haven’t been. I do love the long sleeve, and how she’s clearly having fun waving it around onstage.

CLÁUDIO: When you walk through downtown Lisbon and reach the streets where the city’s haberdasheries and oldest fabric shops still do their business, you often glimpse mannequins draped in some of the showiest textiles they have to offer. There’s usually little rhyme or reason to their arrangement, just a showcase of finery, pre-beaded and shiny and lux and begging to ransack your wallet. Anyway, Athena looks like one of those mannequins in this fifty shades of gold ensemble. I don’t mean that as an insult, though it’s not necessarily a compliment either. She looks glam and, sometimes, that’s enough. Still hasn’t learned to paint her mug for TV cameras, however.

Kenya Pleaser comes out looking like a warrior goddess from some long-forgotten myth. The nude illusion with the body painting is very well done, as are the metallic elements throughout the garment. I might have held back with some of those chains, but they do produce a dramatic effect. The wig is major, as one has come to expect from Kenya, while the back of the outfit is left sadly unresolved. Still, a good effort from Miss Pleaser.

NICK: Ciara Myst designed this for Kenya, making our avant-garde queen 2/2 on vivid finale runways. The sheer amount of chains on the bodice cancel themselves out a bit, counteractive to the simplicity of Kenya’s previous runways, but this is pretty stellar iconography.

Discord Addams knows how to balance fussy, material-specific intricacies with sheer graphic impact. I love this runway, which might be her very best of the season. According to her Twitter account, her dress, coat, and wig were made from (or incorporate) a total of 11,000 safety pins, doubling down on her non-controversy by flexing her sartorial ingenuity. I can’t stop staring at it. Also, I need those earrings. Is this the best her makeup has looked all season? An incredibly high bar to clear, but this is magnificent. 

CLÁUDIO: I was not expecting this, yet here we are, with Discord Addams serving the best lewk of the finale bar none. Love every single detail, the coat's construction being especially mesmerizing, to the point that I literally paused the TV to stare at it. Notice how the fabric base mimics tattooed skin, and how the shoulder points are freestanding safety-pin structures. Incredible stuff, topped by a fun wig and phenomenal use of drag contact lenses to give herself heterochromia. Even the walk worked with the garment. Tens, tens, tens across the board!

As ever, I am impressed by how well Jane Don’t incorporates fashion history into her lewks. The Seattle queen is this season’s Lexi Love in that regard, finishing her runway collection with a gown that’s all Schiaparelli up top, before materializing into a shapely reference to Charles James’ Tree dress. She looks spectacular - better than all the finalists, in fact - sporting a color scheme that complements both her maximalist tendencies and her penchant for ginger hairdos. The dragonflies are an interesting addition to this whole fantasy, with the one she wears on her mouth reminding me of The Silence of the Lambs poster.

NICK: Spectacular stuff. I believe Jane’s called the poster a major inspiration, so you’re on the right track. The wig is immaculate, and I love the over-accessorizing of her bracelets and bugs against the elegant lines of her dress. Great way to negotiate potential clutter.

Last but not least is Juicy Love Dion, sculpted to perfection inside a wigless, form-fitting garment. She and Ciara are clearly on a similar wavelength with their blue-and-white avian realness. The feathers look like they could cut a bitch, and the padding hits just right. Very happy to turn this one over to you so you can go in-depth on Juicy’s references. 

CLÁUDIO: Mostly, I’m getting cockatoo. The most glamorous of cockatoos, it must be said. On a more serious note, I’m sure vintage Mugler was on the moodboard, probably some contemporary Schiaparelli and Maison Margiella, though their use of feathers is less literal than what we see here. Either way, this costume, along with Juicy’s entire package, is a testament to the talents of one Rochart, the Italian designer responsible for almost every single look she modeled down the runway, as well as a good percentage of Athena’s fits. Creating 14 looks in three weeks for the Dions is enough of an achievement that I almost think he deserved a shout-out, mayhap a special award, in the grand finale.

With the eliminated queens out of the way, it’s time to consider our three finalists. First on the runway, Darlene Mitchell serves kooky nonsense like only she could. As ever, I don’t quite understand her sense of style, but it’s impossible to deny that there’s a clear intentionality behind all of these choices, as well as an inarguable high level of polish in the execution. Do I like this? Not really. Is it my aesthetic? Heavens, no. But I respect it and find it a pretty great summation of this queen’s uniqueness in perspective and style.

NICK: It’s so goddamn much, yet it looks best when we see Darlene’s face, relishing in her own taste and daring you to tell her anything about this look she doesn’t already know. I don’t “like” this much either, yet I kinda love it as a statement. Even by Darlene’s standards, this is beyond good taste, only a few degrees removed from something you’d see on Susan Tyrell’s backwoods white trash in Cry-Baby. The scalped Grinch wig is exactly what this needs.

Myki Meeks stays true to form, walking onstage as the final evolution of this hourglass silhouette and beehive wig we’ve seen variations of throughout the season. I love the scale of her wig, and the way the tresses coming off it look like wrapping paper that’s been elegantly curled at the ends. I still don’t quite get what fascinates her about having branches protrude from her bodice, but the jagged weeping willow structure of these is compelling. As usual, the mug is stamped. Maybe not her best runway, but she’s glammed up for the festivities.

CLÁUDIO: You see a willow, I see a fountain. Maybe that’s because I’m so reminded of Fontana’s golden fountain look from UK vs the World, but I think the shoe fits. Regardless, I co-sign your final evolution descriptor, but find this to be, specifically, what would happen to her promo look if you handed her a Mega Stone. In other words, this is fab, the mug is right and the wig is even better. The biggest mark against it should be the way that nude panel on her hips kept moving and wrinkling in unflattering ways. Overall, it’s a pretty well-constructed outfit, but that small thing jumped out as an engineering fail.

And speaking of engineering, our favorite twink in STEM is here to deliver another variation on her bedazzled squigly lines, all nude and pink and atomic blonde for maximum pizzazz. At least, that’s what she’s doing from the waist up. The bottom is an odd sunset-colored twister that seems like an attempt to replicate her beloved squiggles in a more organic form. I don’t think it quite works, but it still looks like a museum-worthy piece. I also lived for that moment when she popped those laced-up gauntlets forward. It made me think of lizards or bugs that pull out such moves to intimidate predators.

NICK: The top half of Nini’s runway is incredible. Her wig is my very favorite facet of this runway. It’s the perfect marriage of her love of headgear with actually wearing a unit, and the closed, wiggly trajectory of the hair is so much fun. Bet I could connect this to a visualization of some scientific theory if I knew anything about STEM. I’m choosing to interpret the bottom fabric as Nini’s tribute to the queer parachute at the beginning of I Saw the TV Glow. Her upper half really is a tremendous achievement. 

Since we’re so giddy about fashion, shall we reveal our Top Toot and Boot of the season? As always, let me do a billion also-rans to lead the way, but this really was a good season for runways! I wanna give a shout to the favorite body parts runway, where basically everyone knocked it out of the park on the first proper challenge. Vita’s parasols, Darlene’s alien couch, and Jane’s scrap dress were unbelievable design challenge performances. Discord’s safety pin eleganza this week is ferocious. Love Nini’s poison dart frog and her top 4 eleganza. But if the latter runway is a silver medalist, then gold surely goes to Darlene Mitchell’s Shake It runway, with its giant gold body and unfathomable proportions. The mix of stone-faced glam and avant-garde insanity is to die for. Truly, no one else would have made this, but her, and no one would’ve modeled it so perfectly on the runway. Top Toot goes to Miss Mitchell, with a hat-tip to Nini’s ingenuity and Juicy’s general good taste throughout the competition.

I’ll be short and sweet with the Boots. Mia’s droopy satin bow probably cinches it over Kenya’s Chaka Khan moment and Athena’s incomprehensible beige runway. Ciara’s showgirl fit isn’t far behind. Briar’s red carpet luchador barely eeks out Kenya, Mandy, and DD in the premiere for worst design challenge looks. How about you, Cláudio? Who are you Tooting and Booting?

CLÁUDIO: I don’t like to consider the design challenge looks for these season-end honors. However, two creations deserve honorable mentions. Well, dishonorable in one case, as Mandy Mango’s basket weave nonsense for the premiere is too ugly to tolerate, and, to make matters worse, she actually had a very similar ensemble ready in her package which was just as hideous, if not as shambolically assembled. And then there’s the black-and-white umbrella couture Vita Vontesse Starr produced in the same episode, a glorious piece of design that remains unbeaten in my eyes as the best design challenge fit since Nymphia Wind wove wire through those neckties, two seasons ago. 

Truth be told, the top three contenders for my Golden Shoot all came from the same queen. Nini Coco was the fashion goddess of season 18, hands down. Juicy’s Rochart collection put up a good fight, as did Jane Don’t and her various fashion references, from Mackie to vintage Galliano, yet they didn’t stand a chance against that bug-brained mechanical engineer. Bronze goes to one of the few fits she didn’t create herself, those waves of geometric motion for the shake-shake runway. Silver is for the poison dart frog fantasy, whose mix of graphic impact and campy costumery took my breath away. Nevertheless, no runway this season was more breathtaking than my Golden Shoot and your second-place pick. Obviously, I’m talking about Nini’s squiggled top four look with that spear-like breastpiece and the best rhinestone wig I’ve ever seen. It joins Sasha Colby’s witchy nightmare of a gown, Nymphia Wind’s butoh homage, and Lexi Love’s Schiaparelli parasol in my personal pantheon.

The Golden Boot is a different matter. Like you, I pondered Kenya Pleaser’s 80s ladies’ catastrophe, but since she had to make it on the Werk Room after her designer left her on read, I can’t be too mad about the mediocrity on display. I guess the same goes for Myki’s makeover lewk, which has to go down in herstory as season 18’s biggest styling failure, down to those ugly nude gloves. But, since she also made it in the Werk Room, I’ll be nice and ignore it for the top dishonor. That title belongs to Mia’s sad, giant bow, marking a rare occasion when we both pick the same Golden Boot. Girl, you brought this from home. How come? We’ll never know, I guess.

Moving on from our personal awards, it’s time to welcome Mama Ru to the stage. Once again, she’s lip-syncing to one of her own tunes, backed by a gaggle of hot men in skimpy costumes. Maybe this is Stockholm Syndrome speaking, but I kinda liked this. At least, it felt less egregiously edited and deadened than RuPaul’s RDR Live musical breaks and the last couple of seasons’ worth of grand finales. Am I being too nice to the old broad?

NICK: Maybe? She’s still got star power on that stage. Vita’s already said this whole number was filmed hours before the finale properly started, meaning all the audience responses are interpolated cheers for other queens. So, I say we just accept it and move on.

After Ru’s walk-on, we begin the top three’s performances. Each queen has created their own original song in collaboration with Leland and his fellow Drag Race musicologists. First up is Darlene Mitchell, giving a perfectly safe performance to “Cooking with Gas”. The tune is fine, if more generic in its country spirit than her “I 💜ME” black t-shirt and layers of faggy rodeo digs. She’s not overshadowed by her dancers per se, and I like how she bobs and weaves through her crew of hotties by ogling them unabashedly. Still, the other queens are more inventive about using their boys while staying firmly in the spotlight.

The judges don’t appear to be living for her performance. Michelle seems incapable of making a facial expression while singing Darlene’s praises, and their enthusiasm for the next two queens underlines their indifference to her. Much more affecting is Darlene’s exit interview with Ru, which showcases her natural charm to its fullest effect. Also, what a cute fiancé. She makes a much better case for herself as a great winner through her indefatigable good attitude and her insane outfit. I can’t co-sign that the drag she’s doing will lead to more mall drag - estate sale drag is still my favorite descriptor - but it’s a pretty inspiring paean to all the garish DIY divas, and anything that gets Miss Ma’amShe on Drag Race is a net win in my book.

We also get the funniest riff on the “what would you say to baby X?” routine when Ru brings up a photo of Trash, Darlene’s former drag self, to ask what she’d say to this lil goblin. “Go to bed bitch! You have work in the morning!” is fantastic, and I appreciate the show giving its most bathetic impulses some accompanying silliness. 

CLÁUDIO: Darlene’s number was endearingly silly and quite well done for what amounted to an extended fart joke. Loved the outfit, which felt like another great example of what this girl’s drag is all about. There’s a designed faux-randomness to it, chaos executed with such polish that you might even miss the fact that everything has been tailored to fit her drag body and finished with rhinestones, even the dimestore t-shirt. The worst thing about it is the vocal track, which has been Autotuned to death yet can’t conceal how out of her depth Darlene is when asked to do any sort of singing. Even if we were just splitting hairs to decide between the three finalists, this technical failing would be enough to keep our beloved country hick out of the season’s top two.

As you point out, she’s much more successful in the post-performance interview portion. Also, for the record, Darlene has since married her beau, a merry ceremony for which many of her Drag Race sisters were invited, including the eventual Miss Congeniality. But more on that one later.

Myki Meeks comes next, ready with a number that’s just as heavy on double-entendres, though hers read naughtier and less goofy than her sister’s clownery. In essence, this is a Broadway gal’s spin on a burlesque number, mixing a theater kid’s sensibility with showgirl aspirations. Myki wants you to know she’s versatile and can do it all. She can even purchase the skinniest feather boa you ever did see, extra-long so she can deploy it to connect a whole chorus line’s worth of backup dancers. That Ozempic-ed boa aside, hers is a delightful number that would have cinched a victory in most Drag Race grand finales. I was honestly reminded of a more Vegas stage adjacent spin on the same sort of routine that earned Jane Don’t a top two placement in the second part of Rate-a-Queen Talent Show. 

However, it’s fair to say that our Floridian wunderkind isn’t as lovable as Darlene when it comes down to post-performance chatter. Hell, her parents get more out of it than she does, especially Daddy Meeks, who looks vaguely like he should be doing a magic show in a casino somewhere, or perhaps crooning from a bedazzled piano.

NICK: Her dad was giving Chazz Palmanteri the house down boots. DL Floridian trade who loves going on cruise trips with the guys, especially the docking. But yeah, Myki’s bizarrely not as charismatic in this conversational setting. I’m surprised she’s not a more potent force in the episode, given all the heat she had going into it. Whatever we can say of Onya’s performance, she was charismatic as fuck.

Whatever we can say of Myki’s interview, her performance is very good! I agree it’s a better version of what Jane served for her Talent Show, and it is such a good exercise in a possible Drag Race Vegas opener, she might have won last year’s Vegas challenge. This is also a great example of the queens using their own vocal tracks. Myki shows off her singing beautifully, and she flourishes under the spotlight.

Still, the best performance of the night comes courtesy of the finale’s dark horse threat for the crown. Nini Coco’s “Stimulation” is a barn burner of a Drag Race verse, beginning as a “Fitter, Happier” style mantra of mechanical pencil-pusher conformity before exploding into color and kinetic expression. Doing so much choreography on top of a table is a great way to keep all eyes on you without forgetting about the dancers, and the way those beefy boys catch her is so heavenly. She really got fucked over in the Girl Group challenge when she lost her voice - Nini’s got a great set of pipes, nailing her pop girl bop as forcefully as Myki tops her Broadway versatility.

It’s a fantastic distillation of Nini’s drag, all her artsy nonconformity and athletic prowess. We love women in STEM, and Nini’s a woman with GAMS, hubbah hubbah. She also does remarkably well in the pageant Q&A portion, successfully pitching her impressive peaks and recent rough patches as a path to killing this performance and winning this crown. A strange woman is a great ruler for strange times. Plus, she’s got a hot-ass boyfriend who helps make her puppets, and Ru asks them some questions about how smart people find love that feel slightly out of touch but mostly sweet, like she only recently learned nerds fuck. 

CLÁUDIO: Forget about the Drag Race crown, Nini Coco should be hired by the VMAs or the Grammys to come up with future showcases. That’s the level she was playing at on that stage, putting every other girl who’s ever presented a finale number to shame with the possible exception of Sasha Colby. She had the best choreo, the best execution of said choreo, the best overall concept, the best coordination with her dancers, the best use of props, the best costume, the best vocals, the best music - Nini was undeniable on such a level that I’d have been pretty furious had track record proved the end-all-be-all of criteria and deprived her from a well-deserved top two placement. Maybe that’s why Ru didn’t even beat around the bush and named her first, as if she were the obvious choice. Because she was. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Had her interview been a disaster of awkwardness and reticence à la Kim Chi in season 8, I might have seen a reason to keep her out of the running for the Drag Race champion title. But she aces that, too, redeeming the tension we noted when having her tic-tac lunch with Ru a couple of episodes ago. For sure, her guests from home helped, both the boy toy and mother in attendance, to make Nini more approachable and endearing. The way the conversation drove the queen to choke up, more vulnerable than she ever was in camera, was catnip for Ru, who, you’re right, seemed befuddled by her engineer twink getting into it with a fellow smart man. Then again, I’d be dazzled by them, too. The Cocos are Nerd4Nerd goals. 

I don’t really have much to say about the Miley Cyrus tribute apart from the fact that giving a Lifetime Achievement Award to someone in their 30s is patently absurd, verging on camp if not for how dourly earnest the whole thing was. How do we go from Bob Mackie to Liza to Hannah Montana? I know she’s a superfan of the show, but surely we could’ve renamed the prize so it didn't all look so insane. It’s especially galling because, right after, we get the episode’s most vital innovation. At long last, that skit with Bob, Kim Ch,i and Raja pedaling to power the show’s production pays off, a mere 16 episodes after we first saw them. It’s another tribute of sorts, but for queer pioneers who are no longer with us.

It’s safe to say we wouldn’t have Drag Race (or the queer rights we have today that conservative movements insist on taking away) without the efforts of William Dorsey Swann, José Sarria and Mother Flawless Sabrina. I’ll take this opportunity to recommend Tom Fitzgerald and Lorenzo Marquez’s book, Legendary Children, which explores many of the influences on modern Drag Race, including these three historical figures. For Flawless Sabrina, you should also see the legendary documentary The Queen, a vital predecessor to Paris Is Burning and a tremendous snapshot of the New York drag scene circa 1967-8. There, you will also find vital impressions of the great Harlow and the icon that was Crystal LaBeija. More of this, Drag Race!

NICK: If we’re both assigning homework, I’ll endorse Randy Shilts’ biographical novel The Mayor of Castro Street. An in-depth chronicle on the life of Harvey Milk, Shilts also incorporates a lot of detail about the Castro Street neighborhood, including José Sarria’s tenure at The Black Cat and his political activism. It’s a fantastic book, and I hope this segment inspires more folks to read up on who these pioneers were. 

There are other icons adjacent to the show I’d like to see Ru show a little love to, namely Charro and Lady Bunny, who deserve tributes if only for how often Ru invokes and invites them. Giving a lifetime achievement award to a 30-something is, indeed, silly, yet I can appreciate it as a gesture supporting an artist who’s flourished in spite of so much personal and professional turmoil. It’s not hard to imagine a world where Miley doesn’t have this career. She’s genuinely thrilled to be onstage with Ru, and her speech at the mic shows real gumption for whatever the future holds. There’s surely a great PR team behind lining this up with her Hannah Montana retrospective, but as they say, fierce is fierce! 

Before we get to Ru’s top two verdict, it’s time to welcome back last year’s winner, Onya Nurve!! In truth, it’s a slightly dispiriting slideshow compared to how much Nymphia and Sasha Colby were able to showcase in their stepping-down videos. There are so many clips of her achievements from season 17, and as impressive as they are, it hits more like an All-Stars reel. But being bummed also feels too aligned to Onya’s deranged haters when, by all metrics, she’s doing absolutely great.

Genuinely, any drag queen being able to tour the world is an amazing achievement, and I hear great things about Onya’s current stint on the Vegas stage. Whatever led to her Kinky Boots engagement falling through and to her tour with Jewels collapsing creates a patina of missed opportunities, especially given so little photography of the tours she did take. At least she looks lovely in her step-down look, a baby blue dress flattened to go wide like a defensive barrier, and her makeup and hair are fantastic. You’ve said smarter things about Onya in our private chats, so why not say them here too? 

CLÁUDIO: I just feel the Drag Race fandom is very hostile to Onya, and quite unfair, too. Nymphia and Sasha’s reigns are the exception, not the norm. Indeed, Sasha Velour is the pioneer in that regard, having spent the year after her coronation expanding the drag empire she had already started by that point, even editing a zine, releasing a trippy short film, and continuing to produce amazing showcases for other queens. Before her, most winners had those world tours, plus what felt like an obligatory original song and matching music video that rarely got more than a polite shrug from the broader fandom. Just four years ago, Willow Pill did even less than Onya, though, like her, she spent a good amount of time facing cruel criticism from those who called themselves her fans.

Different performers have different priorities, and those priorities inevitably shape the way their reigns unfold. Moreover, there’s a significant distinction in opportunity between what Onya got and what her two direct predecessors enjoyed. One could take this into a conversation about how the media landscape, even queer media, tends to be less enthused about Black queens, but I don’t feel equipped to have a cogent and properly in-depth discussion about race. However, it’s important to acknowledge how much less open to celebrating queerness the American media has become in the past year, the second Trump presidency bringing a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ policy, a greater normalization of anti-queer rhetoric that sometimes makes it feel as if we regressed two decades or so in the process, and an entertainment industry all too willing to kowtow to these perceived cultural shifts.

All this affected Onya’s reign as much as COVID and the lockdown kneecapped what should have been Yvie and Jaida’s moment in the sun way back when. I wish this shows’ devotees could extend more grace towards the queens themselves. But also towards the show. It’s been disheartening to see putative Drag Race enthusiasts speak of putting the flagship series on hiatus, advocating for silencing the biggest and loudest platform for openly queer artistry currently on American TV, probably the American mainstream as a whole. Even if this season was a tad lackluster, I beg some sense from these people. Luckily, since season 18 had the biggest ratings ever, that tragedy seems like a nightmare that won’t come true. However, with Paramount and David Ellison having considerable power over the future of Drag Race, I don’t feel especially comfortable either.

That was a whole lot of verbiage to defend my beloved Onya Nurve, who, indeed, looked lovely in her step-down look. Because I’m nit-picky, I’m bound to comment on the need for more petticoats so that we can disguise that hoop wire a bit better on the skirt. Otherwise, it’s a tremendous confection that has Onya serving up a wedding-cake fantasy with all those swirls around the place. I especially love the wig and headwrap, even though the oversized bindi could have been left on the makeup table.

Anyway, there’s just one order of business before we confront the Lip-Sync for the Crown. Obviously, I’m referring to the Miss Congeniality vote, which brings Crystal Envy back to the Drag Race stage, sporting a Rochart original because that Italian master doesn’t just work in service of the Dion dynasty. She’s probably never looked better and she’s here to announce that the season 18 cast has picked Jane Don’t as their most congenial.

It makes sense that it’s Crystal passing the torch to Jane since their crowning moment was met with similar levels of “huh? her?” online. In both cases, it’s a matter of the editing concealing something that’s been quite obvious to anyone following the queens on social media and their commentary at drag clubs like Roscoe’s. Similar to Crystal, Jane helped her sisters a whole lot, from providing borrowed stuff for lewks to pre-performance support, a sort of mothering that also brings back memories of Bianca del Rio’s tough love on season 6. But, because the viewers didn’t see that behind-the-scenes material, it seems like this decision came out of nowhere, perchance motivated by pity at the frontrunner missing the finale. I have no issue with the Miss Congeniality results and prefer that Drag Race continues to allow the queens to vote how they see fit.

What say you, diva? You, who are the forever Miss Congeniality in my heart? Seriously, I think you’re the most congenial person I know, so your expert input is fundamental here. 

NICK: As the reigning Miss Congeniality of Team Experience, Jane Don’t winning doesn’t feel shocking at all. So many of the early episodes showed Jane helping her sisters or being an emotional support system to someone going through it. Coaching Juicy through comedy and sewing challenges, helping her entire girl group write and/or tweak their lyrics, her heart-to-heart with Darlene about how punk rock she thinks that cornball is. She’s been a consistent shoulder to cry on without coddling her sisters. The top four cried about Jane leaving because she was their rock! Jane’s been congenial the whole time, goddammit!!! When Jane hears her name, she cackles like it’s the best, dumbest joke to ever happen to her, remarking that while congeniality is not aspired to in her family (Cláudio’s note: Yay for the Designing Women reference! We love you, Julia Sugarbaker!!), it means the world that her sisters chose to give her this prize. 

So, I say it’s very deserved, with the caveat that Jane probably wouldn’t have won if she were in the top three. Jane said on Instagram that she voted for Vita, who almost certainly came second in the voting. The girls clearly love her to bits. I have no doubt Darlene would’ve won if we were back to the Fan Favorite days. They were never gonna win, but I want to give props to DD Fuego physically jumping and cheering for her sisters at every single opportunity these past two episodes, and Athena for staging a harder on-the-ground offensive to win this vote than Kamala Harris did in the 2024 general election. She’s the funniest bitch in the room when she’s preening from the sidelines.

After this delightful display of affection, Ru names the top two. The queens all return to the stage in sparkly new costumes, with nary a RuVeal in sight. Myki’s wearing an even sexier riff on Nicole Kidman’s AMC ad suit, with breast cups and hip pads and a giant hat I love on principle. Nini is dressed as a sequined devil, swinging a giant purse by her side for no apparent reason besides serving puss. Last but not least is Darlene Mitchell, in a pink jacket with beads dangling from the hem over a tiger-print bodysuit with a yellow and pink gradient. They’re ready to fucking party, and Ru’s ready for a show.

Nini Coco is the first queen she names, and she’s so gagged she might fall over. After a long, tantalizing pause, she announces that Myki Meeks progresses to the finale. Our beloved Darlene becomes the first queen in the US franchise to never be eliminated from the game due to injury. I can’t argue with her elimination being unfair, though I would have loved to see her perform. I also wonder if the finale had been filmed later, akin to season 17’s, and we could’ve seen all of these queens show off after several months of touring and promoting on the road. Either way, Darlene seems to exit the stage in good spirits, and I wish this former bedroom queen a long, healthy gestation period before she goes bonkers on All-Stars.

CLÁUDIO: I completely agree with Ru’s decision and that’s something that’s gotten rarer and rarer over the past few weeks. Myki and Nini earned their spot through their finale performances. There was even an extra dymension to this choice as, in season 18, the victor gets a collab with Anastasia Beverly Hills rather than a sickening supply of their products. That means we get a video montage of each gal coming up with a pallette. Darlene's is all about 80s blue eyeshadow, Myki is going heavy on the pink, while Nini has this whole sunset color story that's giving lesbian Pride flag but also matches her entrance look. Just from what we see in these short minutes, it's easy to see that Miss Coco had the best idea and execution. Love he orange blush! Hell, she's got the season's most iconic makeup style, so this isn't that surprising. As for Darlene, she's probably better suited for an intentionally kitschy product launch with Trixie Mattel Cosmetics.

Moreover, we know, from seeing them battle to secure their spot in the competition, that both queens are adept lip-syncers. After last season’s flotsam performance to Gaga’s “Abracadabra,” I’d be on the producers’ side even if they decided to downright rig the whole thing just to ensure a worthwhile battle at the finale’s end. And that’s what we get, with Myki Meeks and Nini Coco going against each other to the sound of Miley Cyrus’ “Every Girl You’ve Ever Loved” featuring Naomi Campbell.

Overall, it was a pretty even match. Nini had the best choreo and the cleanest moves, while Myki sometimes wavered or half-stumbled when hitting her dramatic poses. It’s nothing too bad, yet it highlights their different approaches to drag, to performance as a whole. Myki is more intuitive, perhaps, and Nini is all about precision. However, I’d argue that our Floridian queen got more into the spirit of the tune than her competition, messiness be damned. Part of it is how much her face sells the fun of performing for the crowd in opposition to Nini’s less emotive fierceness. A more significant cause is that the engineer twink spends way too much time setting up the reveal of her purse puppet (courtesy of Mr. Coco). Did I love that divalicious handbag taking over lip-syncing duties for a verse? I sure did. Yet the gag felt too little for such a big preamble, seamless as that whole performance may have been. 

I was having more fun watching Myki than Nini and, in the end, it seems like Ru felt the same. Track record weighted on the decision, for sure, but I’m not mad at our eventual winner. At the very least, she had one of the best crowning lines ever, joking that the “Meeks shall inherit the Earth.” All in all, I’m surprised that the result didn’t come across as perfunctory and dedramatized as it could’ve been, in part because the final edit of the episode did acknowledge how close Nini got, slaying the finale in such a decisive manner that her entire image with the fandom appears to have been redeemed. She certainly earned a slew of new fans along with her consolation prize (every queen won a monetary tip), and that might be even better than snatching the crown. On that note, let me wrap up my commentary by saying that the crown itself is rather fetching, probably the best design they’ve had in a while. Once again, it’s worth reminding folks that this could’ve all been much worse.

NICK: I thought both queens killed it. You can tell they were hungry for the crown, and I love that neither one got lost in reveals or some other nonsense. Nini’s purse gag was the closest thing to a reveal we had, and even that was more about hiding the trick in plain sight. They went out as the performers they’ve been all season. Nini served athletic precision and full-bodied expression. Myki keyed into the emotion of the song while still using her body to full effect. The moment of Nini doing the splits and Myki spinning and hammering her fist to the floor felt like a moment of two equally matched adversaries clashing blades.

Either one would’ve been a great winner, and had track records gone a little differently, I wonder if Drag Race would be in her STEM era. For all the bullshit season 18 gave us, this was a good finale and a great battle for the crown between two talented queens. It’s been a great joy to write about this with you, Cláudio. See you next year!

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