RECAP: Canada’s Drag Race All Stars FINALE
You know you have a great season of “Drag Race” when the biggest complaint I’ve seen online is, “It’s too short!” And indeed, six episodes didn’t feel like enough for the cast of “Canada’s Drag Race All Stars.” These Canuck queens showed up and showed out this season, giving us great performances, great drama, great fashion, and great heart. It was a wonderful season, and I’m truly sad that it’s ending.
I thought the finale continued the streak of great episodes. I don’t know as I would change a single thing about it. All 9 contestants had at least a moment or two to shine, and the four finalists gave us three competitive and dynamic lipsyncs in the slay-off for the crown. Clap for these hookers; they all gave it everything they had. And go see them in the club and tip them, too!
Read on for my take on the finale of “Canada’s Drag Race All Stars.” SPOILERS AHEAD!
Wondering how to watch the series? It’s available to stream on WoW Presents Plus. Go ahead and binge it!
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The episode format featured a reunion with all 9 contestants, a mini-challenge lipsync for the 5 eliminated queens, the crowning of Miss Congeniality, and the by-now-expected lipsync for the crown featuring the Final 4. I’ll go through each queen in order of elimination, and how they fared this episode and this season overall.
Eliminated Queens
Jackie Cox: I feel so bad for Jackie. I thought casting a main series Ru Girl in this was a brilliant move, and I was hoping should be a wild card in this mix of Canadian queens. I just don’t think Jackie ever had a shot, given the social nature of this game. Jackie didn’t seem to know really any of these queens (U.S. Season 12 aired six years ago, and those queens didn’t really get to tour because of the pandemic), which meant she was at a disadvantage from the start. She had a few sweet moments this episode, and I loved her Persian-inspired final runway. I was hoping she might win Miss Congeniality, but alas not (although I appreciated Pythia advocating on Jackie’s behalf). I really hope we see Jackie on a future U.S. “All Stars” season, where the playing field is more level than it was for her here.
Pythia: The biggest threat coming into the season, and the second out. Pythia took the whole thing in stride, which I find admirable. She said herself that she knew she had zero shot of making it to the end as soon as she landed in the bottom, as she was the weakest lipsync artist in the bunch — we love a self-aware icon. Pythia is strong in aesthetic and in comedy, and I think if she could have sidestepped the obvious pitfall that was girl groups, she easily would have been a finalist. I do think she has a very strong chance for the fan favorite award being given out by Shark. I actually did not love her final runway look. Concept 10, Execution 4. I appreciate the craft and imagination but it verged into costumey for me, and Pythia has given us high-concept, fantastical outfits that didn’t fall into that category before. Just my opinion!
Juice Boxx: I’m glad Juice redeemed herself this season. The double-porkchop curse has now hit two queens on “Drag Race” (see: “Latina Royale” and “Canada vs. the World” Season 2), so her fears in Episode 1 were completely justified. I don’t think Juice necessarily was a real threat to the crown, but she rewrote her narrative with this show. And that’s kind of winning in itself. She also won Miss Congeniality, which is quite literally winning! So good on her. I did not particularly care for her finale gown, which looked like it had two partially filled trash bags on each side. The piece around her face was beautiful, though!
Makayla Couture: Another huge threat coming in, Makayla struggled to find her footing on “All Stars.” Still, I think she had a good run, and in a couple places I don’t think she got the credit she deserved. She looked beautiful on the finale runway, and she was one of the few queens who used the reunion to relitigate some actual issues she had on the season (specifically Nearah Nuff’s seeming prickliness toward her). She won the mini-challenge five-way lipsync (love that chop format, btw; they should do that in more series) and a couple grand in cash. Deserved. Makayla only made it halfway but she has big main-character energy. The fact that she’s only 23 and is delivering this level of drag and this level of drama on television is mindblowing. She has effortless star quality. I can’t wait to see what our Crashout Queen does from here.
Tiffany Ann Co: I thought Tiffany handled the challenging questions around her bottoming her way to F5 with grace and dignity. It would be very easy to get offended at the line of questioning, but she owned it and kept things moving. I thought she looked beautiful in the final runway, and I hope that more fans put respect on her name. Another thing I loved about Tiffany this season: she opened up about her vitiligo, and actively incorporated it into her drag in several ways. I thought this was a beautiful and impactful message, and I so appreciated her for it. I don’t know if we’ve ever seen a queen of color open up about this.
The Final 4
On paper, a lipsync for the crown with this Final 4 would be a no-brainer for proven lipsnc assassins Aurora Matrix and Nearah Nuff. But damn if Sami Landri and Jada Shada Hudson didn’t both impress me in their individual match-ups. I was proud of all four of them.
Sami Landry: Amazing season for Sami, who rolled right from S6 to this series. Sami was unapologetically herself the entire season, and yet she still showed us growth from her original season — impressive, given the tight turnaround. There were a few moments in that “Man, I Feel Like a Woman” where I actually wondered if the kooky Acadian could actually take it, but ultimately she had to settle for tied in third place. But she was such a delight all season long, and I absolutely cherish her totally unhinged social media. And that fuck-ass cartwheel she did in that lipsync. You will always be famous, Sami Landry!
Jada Shada Hudson: Jada also had a strong season. Was there any bigger glow-up than Jada on that runway? She looked incredible every week (except the design challenge, and even then, it wasn’t bad). I will confess that Jada lost me last week with her pity party — her feelings were relatable, but I just can’t respect someone giving up because something isn’t going their way. But she was back for a vengeance here, giving us a great final runway, and a solid lipsync in the Final 4. I like Jada quite a bit, and I think she tapped out at exactly the right place, tied for third.
Nearah Nuff: I would argue that Nearah was THE main character of this seaosn, and I’m sure the producers did not see that coming. Nearah was the core of almost every episode, and had what I would consider a more satisfying emotional arc. She was the underdog and you could see her fight and her passion. We also saw her growth. She has always been a fierce lipsync artist — which we saw both time this episode — but she can be funny as well, and strategic. I thought it was a close race in that final lipsync to Lady Gaga’s “Perfect Celebrity,” and I do think it would have been a totally plausible win for Nearah. She should exit this season knowing that she’s a top-tier queen.
Aurora Matrix: If Nearah was the main character this season, Aurora was the best performer. She had one notable fumble, in the political ads. Other than that, Aurora seemed completely prepared and in control the entire way. I saw a real leveling up from Season 4, and significantly more self-assuredness and star power. Aurora vs. Nearah is always an electric combination, and the final lipsync was a great showcase for both of them. I love the way Aurora moves her body (also, the matching bodysuits was beyond cunty). She’s captivating to watch, a strong well-rounded queen. So just like the first American “All Stars,” the Season 4 runner-up took the crown in her second run.
The last thing I’ll say about “Canada’s Drag Race All Stars” is that the all-queen panel was wonderful; similar to the show itself, the only thing I wanted was more of it. I’ve always found the secondary (non-Brooke Lynn Hytes) panelsts to be one of the weaker elements of this franchise, but having Priyanka and Jimbo on panel paid big dividends for me. I would love to see this as the regular judging line-up.
What did YOU think of “Canada’s Drag Race All Stars”? Drop your comments below!
