And just like that “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” season 11 comes to an abrupt end with episode 12. We adore the winner, even though we all saw it coming from a mile away. This was an underwhelming end to a fiery, fun season.
Spoilers ahead!
Stayin’ Alive or Not
The remaining semifinalists (A’keria C. Davenport, Dawn, Silky Nutmeg Ganache, Crystal Methyd, Jasmine Kennedie, and Joey Jay) seem mostly excited that this stressful experience is over. Maybe it’s just be but there’s something less exciting about going into a finale with 6 total queens versus the usual 2-4. It’s giving season 14 final five, with the stakes feeling lower.
Let’s talk about episode 12’s highlights.
The Drama
The final Rate-A-Queen results come out and, surprise, the girls all put A’keria in the bottom. It’s clear her lip-syncing skills have them all shook and they’ve been trying to get her out this whole round, so they don’t have to face her in the smackdown. According to Jasmine on social media, she voted A’keria low because of other, outside factors that didn’t really have anything to do with the performance itself.
Dawn and Jasmine were tussling for most of the episode, with Jasmine calling out Dawn for organizing an alliance of sorts to put Silky and A’keria in the bottom and Dawn clapped back. It was a lot of back-and-forth, but one thing is clear: Jasmine likes to fight…with everyone. Between Joey, Dawn, and A’keria, Miss Mouth Almighty has a lot to say, all the damn time.
The Guest
There was no guest judge this week and also none of the judges gave critiques, so I have no idea why any of them were actually there. Unless they did and it was edited out. However, Evan Mulrooney was back, this time as the ball boy, replacing our usual Pit Crew members. He did so good as the visually aesthetic meat. He seems to be Ru’s pet funny white boy of the month, and I’m living for it.
The Final Challenge
The finale consisted of a Disco Smackdown for the Crown, featuring only disco music, which is a very specific choice. I won’t read too much into it. The queens’ outfits ranged from cute to spectacularly hideous, which really does match the vibe of the disco era. For this version of the Lalaparooza, there are three rounds of lip syncs, but based on the semifinalists’ performances, two queens will skip round 1 (I saw Reddit predictions on this), which of course puts Crystal in the second round, along with Jasmine. The fix is in, I yell from my couch. So those two got to sit back and watch the first round, while the rest sweat it out.
Mulrooney picked Silky’s ball first and she decided that because she’ll definitely be doing three rounds (presumptuous and wrong, as usual), she picked Dawn for something light and easy. Dawn, of course, took offense to that later on.
Round 1: Silky vs. Dawn
This was an uninspiring lip sync. The most entertaining parts were when Dawn kept getting in front of Silky, which Silky kept reacting to with visible annoyance. Silky brought out batons and Dawn tried to take the silly route, but this was not a good performance. I’ve seen better from both. Also I hated Silky’s outfit. This Orphan Annie ass dress, why did she pick this? Silky wins, which was obvious from the start.
Round 1: A’keria vs. Joey
A’keria got to pick the song, which resulted in a much better lip sync. Both queens did a great job embodying Diana Ross. A’keria really knows how to emote and own a song with her face; Joey had great movements and looked comfortable. Joey won this round and I was a tad bit surprised. I’m sad for A’keria, but this tracks for how they were playing in her face all season. Joey earned her win, though.
Round 2: Silky vs. Joey
Joey ate this song up, while Silky was doing entirely too much walking around setting up her reveals. She looked clunky, uncoordinated, and confused. Thankfully, Joey won this round.
In the Losers Lounge (sorry), A’keria looked absolutely delighted to see Silky walk into the back with her and Dawn. If she couldn’t win, at least her nemesis didn’t either.
Round 2: Jasmine vs. Crystal
That was a fun, but not very memorable, lip sync. Jasmine played it sexy, while Crystal was very peppy and full of joy. Crystal was selected to win, which is crazy because I think Jasmine did better. But we already knew Crystal wasn’t losing this round.
Final round: Crystal vs. Joey
Most of the outfits have been underwhelming for these lip syncs, but Crystal’s flame outfit with the flame headpiece is so ridiculous, I think I love it. I really do feel they both did really well. Crystal’s reveals were well-timed and she had contagious energy, while Joey really looked perfect for that era and song.
The Winner and Loser
The only losers are the queens who put up with this whole mess without getting any money out of it. At least the runner-up gets 25,000! Crystal Methyd is officially your “All Stars 11” crowned queen! It would’ve been so gaggy if Joey was crowned after not winning a single challenge, but alas, Ru has her long-time favorites. Congratulations to our well-rounded kooky clown queen!
The Untucking
I got to keep it a hundred, this was an overall unpleasant and uncomfortable last “Untucked” episode. I almost wish they didn’t film it. Nothing was ever resolved with the A’keria vs. Silky drama, they did all that lever-pulling to get them to an anticlimactic ending. Here are a few moments that stuck out to me:
- Dawn tells A’keria she hopes Silky wins the next round, so that she doesn’t have to sit in awkwardness with them. That didn’t happen.
- A’keria and Silky continue to ignore each other, which is the awkwardness Dawn was talking about trying to avoid.
- Dawn is so shady with Jasmine, calling out the fact that she’s won more lip syncs this season than Jasmine has. Jasmine took it in stride, so kudos to her.
- I will say I chuckled when Crystal was celebrating backstage with her sisters and Silky yells weakly, “BRACKET 2,” with almost no enthusiasm.
Final Thoughts
All in all, an underwhelming ending to a pretty damn good season. The bracket seasons always start on a high note and then kind of end in a whisper. When production plays a heavy hand in who they want in the final lip sync, it takes away the thrill of rooting for your favorite queen and removes any tension of who might win. That being said, Crystal is a very deserving queen and I hope the fanbase remains kind to her. She really did fantastic this season in her own right.
Rating:
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