Culture

Drag Race season 12 crowned a winner, baby, after a surprisingly emotional and satisfying finale

Drag Race season 12 finalists

Drag Race crowned a winner after its first-ever at-home finale. (VH1)

Drag Race season 12 has a winner, baby, with RuPaul crowning America’s Next Drag Superstar after a surprisingly satisfying virtual finale. Warning – spoilers follow.

After a season unlike any other, Drag Race concluded with a final episode which – though it looked unlike anything we’ve seen before – had all the heart, drama and lip-sync magic we’ve come to expect.

Jaida Essence Hall, Gigi Goode and Crystal Methyd dialled in from home to catch up with Mama Ru and yet another facekini.

Before we found out who won Drag Race season 12, RuPaul treated us to guest appearances from judge and new mother Rachel Bloom (who all but broke into a reprise of her Crazy Ex Girlfriend classic, “Heavy Boobs”), Crystal Methyd’s mum and grandmother (who almost sent RuPaul into a reprise of the Crazy Ex Girlfriend classic, “Heavy Boobs”), and an iconically unbothered Dolly Parton – whose body was not commented on.

Nina West was also on hand to announce this year’s Miss Congeniality which – of course – went to Heidi N Closet, along with a $10,000 cash tip meaning Heidi has now earned more from Drag Race than she did in the year prior to filming.

The finale took an emotional turn when RuPaul and a host of Drag Race legends paid tribute to Jacqueline Wilson, a producer on the show who sadly passed away this year.

Then, it was on to business.

The top three performed a close-up lip-sync and a solo music-video style showcase, after which RuPaul announced that all three (duh) would be progressing to a three-way face-off to determine who won.

After one final lip-sync to the incredibly apt Destiny’s Child, “Survivor”, RuPaul announced the winner of Drag Race season 12: Jaida Essence Hall.

Though there were fans upset that their favourite didn’t win, the majority agreed that all three finalists would have been deserving winners.

But in the end (and certainly after All Stars 4) there could only be one.

After last year’s winner Yvie Oddley crowned Jaida, it was pointed at that she was actually in attendance at last year’s finale – as a makeup artist for Silky Nutmeg Ganache.

The final words (for now) came from Nicky Doll, who paid an emotional tribute to Jaida’s win.

“I’m so proud and so happy,” she said. “You guys don’t know what I saw – she fought so f**king hard this whole time, stayed positive, respectful, followed the rules.”

“One tea I’m gonna give you… she was given a week less than other people to work on everything that you saw, she did in a shorter time than everyone else.

“This bitch fought everything and gave everything that she had to do it, it really feels like I won.”

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