RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14: Catwalk
Power Rankings with P
Welcome to Power Rankings with P, a newsletter ranking cast members on the reality shows I subject myself to on a weekly basis. What can I say? I love slop.
Happy RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14 Finale Day to all who celebrate! I've caught up just in the nick of time and am looking forward to experiencing the finale surrounded by a bunch of queer strangers tonight. But first, my last Power Ranking of the season! I was heartbroken when Willow Pill and Angeria Paris VanMichaels, my personal top two for the crown, both ended up in the bottom for the last competitive episode of the season. But like me, production clearly wanted both girls in the finale so they were both saved. Congrats to the... top 5? Alwight. With yet another non-elimination episode, I've ranked the girls based on their likelihood to win tonight's finale:
5. Bosco (last week: 2nd)
In the front half of the season, I thought Bosco was a shoo-in for top 4. She performed well in the challenges, had exciting, conceptual looks on the runway, and gave great talking heads as a narrator of the season. Unfortunately, she began to slip in the challenges, her runways got repetitive, and the pressure cooker that is Drag Race just got to her. Even though she "won" the roast, I don't think she ever truly recovered in the competition. Bosco being the first queen this season to hit three main challenge wins feels wrong, especially when Willow Pill, who never faltered like Bosco did, only has one. Still, even with those three wins, nothing about her edit says winner, at least not anymore. Plus, the queen saved by the golden chocolate bar was never going to win anyway.
4. Daya Betty (last week: 6th)
As much as I would love to see a villain from Missouri as America's Next Drag Superstar, it's just not Daya Betty's crown to win this time around. I'm thrilled she made the finale though, as this season would have been nothing without her combative, eviscerating, and hilarious presence. You just need a villain to make an exciting show, and Daya was the best one we've had in years. Her villainous ways aside, she did consistently well in the competition, and I love her punk-rock style of drag. She may have been eliminated in her premiere, but Daya Betty absolutely deserves to be in the finale.
3. Angeria Paris VanMichaels (bottom 2, last week: 4th)
I went back and forth on these next two placements, but feel confident in this guess based on the production team's storytelling this season. For the majority of the season, I thought (hoped) this crown was between Angeria Paris VanMichaels and Willow Pill as they both started the season incredibly strong, with Angeria winning two main challenges in the season's first four episodes. Unfortunately, as the competition progressed, Angie essentially disappeared from the back half of the season while Willow remained a major power player. Both Angie and the production team set the bar incredibly high for her from the jump, and she just wasn't able to sustain that momentum over the course of 14 or so episodes. While it's easy to picture her in the winner's circle, and it pains me to say this, I just don't see Angeria winning.
2. Lady Camden (challenge winner, last week: 1st)
This episode really emphasized that Lady Camden is absolutely a contender for the crown. Not only did she win the final challenge of the season, bringing her to a total of three main challenge wins, but she got the last Tic Tac lunch with Ru and Michelle, which was very emotional and felt very winner. She has a ton of momentum going into the finale, and, other than a short-lived flop era, had a great season overall; I still think her performance in The Daytona Winds is top to bottom one of the strongest episodes a contestant has ever had. Still, with Drag Race UK going strong, I don't think RuPaul is going to crown a Brit on the American flagship.
1. Willow Pill (bottom 2, last week: 3rd)
When RuPaul lovingly told Willow Pill, "you are my tribe" with the same respect and admiration she reserves for winners like Raja, Jinkx Monsoon, and Symoné, I decided that yeah, RuPaul is crowning her. At the end of the day, RuPaul's Drag Race is not a competition to become "America's Next Drag Superstar," rather, it is a competition to be RuPaul's favorite drag queen for a three-week filming period over the summer. And Willow Pill did just that! Sure she only has one main challenge under her wig, but RuPaul does not a give a fuck about statistics - This Is The Girl. In addition to being RuPaul's chosen one, Willow Pill just embodies Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent more than anybody else this season; she is the full package. My final answer for who I want to win? Willow Pill. Who I think will win? Willow Pill!