The good news? “RuPaul’s Drag Race” episode 16’s finale was fantastic with three incredible and very unique performances from our top queens. The bad news? Season 18 is officially over. The better news? We have a newly crowned queen!
The Final Runways
The girls really showed up and showed out with some of their best looks.
- DD Fuego’s floral gown is so classy, pretty and better than everything else she’s shown on the runway previously.
- Mandy Mango stuns in a gorgeous gown that represents her Filipino heritage.
- Briar Blush’s outfit is opulent and dazzling, complete with a porcelain doll mask. She looks like a vintage doll in an antique shop.
- Ciara Myst flies onto the stage with a beautifully feathered and blue bird-like fit.
- Vita VonTesse Starr looks INCREDIBLE in a fully gem-covered gown and wide-brimmed hat, plus a cape. The crowd roared when she came out, as they should.
- Mia Starr looks like a politician’s hot wife celebrating his election win.
- Athena Dion is giving goddess with the best wig I have ever seen her wear.
- Kenya Pleaser in a “Woman King” inspired outfit, it’s a little much but I appreciate the reference.
- Discord Addams does her famous walk in a cheeky outfit referencing the safety pin drama that almost sent her home. There’s too much going on but I love the pins in her wig.
- Jane Don’t looks absolutely stunning, like a gladiator goddess and the jeweled moth (butterfly?) in her mouth reminded me of the famous “The Silence of the Lambs” poster.
- Juicy Love Dion, once again not wearing hair, looks like a regal swan or cockatoo (pun not intended).
- I absolutely hate Darlene’s look. It looks so cheap, like she rolled around in Party City which, knowing her, is probably what she was going for.
- Myki Meeks looks like the chandelier at The Chandelier bar at the Cosmopolitan, which fits her whole old Hollywood glamour brand.
- Nini Coco’s multicolored gown is pleasing to the eye, but the wig is the best part; it looks like a splash of bejeweled paint.
The Top Queens’ Moment
Before we get to the top performances, I want to shout out 65-year-old RuPaul for having the energy to do a dope performance every finale. She even vogued a little bit! Let’s see what Aja says about it. She had a lot more energy than usual in this one. She also looked so fine in her glittery jumpsuit.
The top three queens created original songs with Leland, RuPaul’s favorite producer. Darlene went first with her anthem “Cookin’ With Gas” which is so catchy and fun. She’s not the best dancer but her charisma is out of this world. Described as the “dark horse” of the season by the judges, Darlene really goobered her way into the top. Her speech to her younger self was so emotional and poignant.
Myki Meeks performed her song “Versatile,” and it’s very fun and naughty; a catchy retro-inspired tune about being “vers.” She really sells that old Hollywood glam vibe perfectly. With her parents in the crowd, not only does she look exactly like her father, but she has their sense of humor and humility too. I always love when Ru talks to the parents.
Nini Coco’s song “Stimulate” is easily the most popstar song of the three. The opening choreography was incredible and technically very difficult. She is a very talented dancer. When Ru was interviewing her, she addresses her main storyline of the season: the queens not liking her level of shade. She was very earnest about learning how to communicate better.
The Guest of Honor
Miley Cyrus got honored with the Giving Us Lifetime Achievement Award. The audience’s collective jaws dropped when Ru announced Miley, so they may not have been told beforehand. Presented with the award, Miley jokes “This makes the Grammy look cheap.” Her being a big fan of the show makes this all feel less like work and more like a party. Ru also does the “what would you say to your younger self?” segment with Miley, which is very sweet.
The Congeniality
The current Miss Congeniality, Crystal Envy, presents the award to Jane Don’t who also wins $10, 000, a salve for her getting eliminated before the finale honestly. But wait there’s more! Native deodorant gives $2,000 to every queen, which is honestly so dope. A lot of these queens never won a challenge, so that at least helps pay back their expensive packages they didn’t get to fully show.
The Final Lip Sync
Our reigning queen and fellow Clevelander Onya Nurve is back and her step-down look is perfectly big and soft and graceful. She looks like a mix between Cinderella at the ball and a cloud.
Now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Myki and Nini are selected for the top two lip sync which means Darlene is out, but she gets $10,000 as a consolidation prize. Ru says the runner-up up will receive $25,000, so everyone is coming out of this with some coin.
The girls perform to “Every Girl You’ve Ever Loved” by Cyrus and Naomi Campbell in equally sickening outfits. Myki in her femme fatale pinstripe and Nini in her bedazzled devil look are almost at the same level performance-wise. Nini had a real fun gag with her bag being a puppet and singing some lyrics, but Myki bodied that song swinging the human hair wig around. Myki winning makes a lot of sense because she emoted and felt that song and you could tell Miley was very impressed.
Final Thoughts
This was a professionally fantastic season. Myki deserves the win and I have been rooting for her all season long. Nini is a stellar drag queen and will go far. Myki Meeks is officially your Season 18 Drag Super-Star!
Season 18 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has sadly come to an end. Thanks for checking out our coverage and we’ll see you next season.
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