Posted in: TV | Tagged: drag race, rupaul

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17 Episode 16: It's "Grand Finale" Time!

It's time for "The Grand Finale"! Here's a rundown of what went down during the season finale of MTV's RuPaul's Drag Race Season 17.

During MTV's RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 finale, for the first time, the performances are not a lip sync battle, but each of the four finalists had to record and lip sync to an original song. Of course, the top two still lip sync to a song as normal, and in this case, it could absolutely be none other than Lady Gaga's Abracadabra. In order of the main stage performance:

Jewels Sparkles has progressively annoyed me more and more throughout the season, and I could hardly watch her finale performance. Between the "ding" and whatever effects they put on her voice on that track, it was just nails on a chalkboard. Her looks all feel generic, and it's just giving me bargain bin Jan with all this wannabe Ariana Grande hair, and I just cannot. The other thing that consistently annoys me is her tights when she wears these little lingerie dance numbers – her waist down is three shades darker than the rest of her body, and it is so distracting. Girl, I know they make dance tights in your shade, WEAR THEM. Did she deserve to be an early out? No, but a solid mid-out should have been her lot this season and the fact she made it to top two proves the producers don't care about the actual artistry of drag and are just regurgitating the same busted storylines and had to put Jewels in some kind of a box because she is marketable and likely the next cash cow WOW is going to push on the masses along with the Vegas show.

Lexi Love's drag feels over-engineered specifically to win the drag race by pandering to RuPaul, and it's as fake as her giant talon claw nails. I've said it before, I like some of the things she's doing, but her performance tonight just feels so forced and the very opposite of genuine. Of course, I feel that way about her on-screen persona this season as well.

Onya Nurve's number was the first one I didn't find myself unbelievably bored with, and that's because her stage presence and voice are absolutely fantastic. It's like a smooth, creamy cup of hot chocolate that's just the right temperature to sip and savor. Now, don't get it twisted. She's not by any means a dancer, and that choreography was a little rough, but she more than makes up for it in stage presence and aura.

I will always gag over Sam Star's performances, but I do see how she's just barely outshone by Onya in this performance in particular. The comedy element and personality weren't quite as there as Onya, but she just does a very different, super polished style of drag, so it makes sense for her. She did the house of Trinity (House of the Tuck?) very proud not only on the main stage tonight, but throughout the whole competition. The apple clearly does not fall far from the tree, but I really don't mind when the tree is as sickening and fabulous as Trinity.

My personal ranking would be Onya, Sam, Lexi, Jewels, with Onya and Sam being the clear front runners and top two, because let's be real, as much as I love Sam, from early on it was clear there was absolutely no way that anyone but Onya was winning this season.

Liza Minnelli was presented with the "Giving Us Lifetime Achievement Award," and she is as delightful and sassy as ever.

But, fantasies aside, the actual top two, Onya and Jewels, lip-synced to Abracadabra, and Onya brought the energy and stage presence she always does, while it felt like Jewels was just reveal and tricks and gimmick after gimmick. Was it entertaining? Yes, but did the correct queen win? Also yes.

And with that, RuPaul's Drag Race season 17 is over, and honestly, the best part of the season was last week's lip sync, where we got the most sensational performance from spiritual winner Suzie Toot. Congrats to Onya and all the queens, and none for the producers, who suck.

Stay tuned for RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 10 news, which sees 18 queens competing and premieres May 9 on Paramount+.

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