RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14 is finally coming to an end after what felt like the longest season in the show’s herstory — in reality, it’s the same length as season 13.
Ahead of tonight’s episode, each of the five semifinalists had very different track records. Even though Bosco won three maxi challenges before the semifinals, she had plenty of rough nights and was practically eliminated, only being saved by the “golden ticket” twist. With three bottom placements and only one maxi challenge win, one could say that the odds weren’t stacked in Daya Betty’s favor, either. And then there were Angeria Paris VanMicheals, Lady Camden, and Willow Pill — three queens who only had to lip sync for their lives during the “LaLaPaRuZa” episode. VanMicheals and Camden won two maxi challenges, whereas Pill had one win.
Looking at this scenario, there wasn’t a single queen who felt absolutely safe from elimination if she happened to do poorly in her “rumix” number. After the performance played out, with the performers doing a cast mix of “Catwalk” complete with a music video inspired by George Michael's “Too Funky,” Mama Ru announced that Camden won the last maxi challenge of the season. Meanwhile, Bosco and Betty were deemed safe and moved on to the finale.
Despite being perceived as shoo-ins for the top four by many fans, VanMicheals and Pill fell into the bottom two and had to lip sync for a final spot at the grand finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race. In the end, though, RuPaul couldn’t reach a decision. The five remaining queens – VanMicheals, Bosco, Betty, Camden, and Pill – are now all getting a chance to snatch the crown and take home the $150,000 grand prize.
Scroll through to see who we think should win Drag Race season 14. Tune in to watch the grand finale on Friday, April 22 at 8pm on VH1.
The odds are typically favorable for queens who get to the grand finale after winning the most maxi challenges in the season, but Bosco’s three challenge wins just aren’t enough for her to be considered a frontrunner largely due to the fact that her failures on the show really stuck out.
First, Bosco’s impersonation of Gwyneth Paltrow at the Snatch Game fell flat and made her one of the bottom-seven queens lip syncing in the “LaLaPaRuZa.” Then, at the lip sync smackdown, the queens kept choosing to go against Bosco, which exposed her as a weak lip syncer. While she could’ve proven them all wrong, Bosco undoubtedly lost her first two lip syncs and went into a sudden match with Jasmine Kennedie to stay alive in the game. One episode later, Bosco fought for the main role in the “Moulin Ru: The Rusical” challenge only to underperform and land in the bottom yet again. Bosco then lost that lip sync to Jorgeous and was officially going to be eliminated if it wasn’t for the golden ticket twist.
If Bosco pulls through at the finale and somehow lip syncs her way to the crown, she’d be taking home a record-shattering $170,000 prize from Drag Race. That total amount would include the grand prize of $150,000, Bosco’s three maxi challenge wins worth $5,000 each, and her two mini challenge wins worth $2,500 each.
Betty was introduced during the second premiere of Drag Race season 14 and was promptly eliminated right there and then. When she returned to the competition in episode three, the judges kept struggling to disconnect her from Crystal Methyd and had a hard time identifying what Betty’s individual drag was fundamentally about.
It wasn’t until the “Daytona Wind” acting challenge that Betty stood out enough to land in the top two spot. She was then back at the top during the following episode and was deemed the winner of the “1960s girl groups” maxi challenge. Unfortunately, the highs in Betty’s journey don’t erase her early elimination and the fact that she landed in the bottom three times – more than any of the other season 14 semifinalists. And yet, Betty slayed the “rumix” challenge, which is the perfect time to do well on the show. That, combined with her “underdog” storyline, puts Betty ahead of Bosco as far as her chances to win the season.
Betty won $10,000 from her two maxi challenge wins on Drag Race. If Betty were to win this season, she would be taking home a whopping $160,000.
Camden didn’t have that many low points on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14. Her only time in the bottom was during this season’s disastrous Snatch Game, and some fans even argue that her William Shakespeare impersonation should’ve at least made her safe that week. In turn, Camden was never really able to keep momentum going for herself throughout this competition. She first won the “Daytona Wind” maxi challenge from episode seven, and she didn’t win again until the Rusical challenge in episode 12. Then, Camden won the “rumix” challenge and added a third win to her track record.
Overall, flying mostly under the radar on Drag Race doesn’t typically work for queens who want to win the how. The judges and fans love queens who can build momentum and are able to sustain it. They also love underdogs who fall a few times but always get back up stronger than ever. Ultimately, Camden’s storyline in the series was pretty stable. When trying to predict the odds of Camden winning this season, it feels like she’s the biggest wildcard going into the grand finale.
Over the course of season 14, Camden won three maxi challenges worth $5,000 each. If she were to win Drag Race, she’d earn a total of $165,000 in cash.
When Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté left mid-season due to an injury, many viewers assumed that the rest of the competition would be a cakewalk for Ms. VanMicheals. Indeed, it’s safe to say that VanMicheals could’ve easily won about 85% of the maxi challenges in season 14 if the judges wanted to reward all of her successes. Her two official maxi challenge wins were during the talent show in episode two and the “Super Tease” challenge in episode four, but let’s not forget that VanMicheals killed it at the ball and in the design challenge, could have easily won the girl groups challenge, and also had great stage presence in the Rusical.
When VanMicheals did fall into the bottom alongside seven other queens due to their weak performances at the Snatch Game, there was no doubt that she’d lip sync the house down in the “LaLaPaRuZa” smackdown. Her only true moment of weakness all season long was landing in the bottom two at the semifinals, but even then, there was just no way that Ru would keep this queen out of the finale. Even more impressive than VanMicheals’ track record is the momentum she was able to sustain all season long.
Between her two maxi challenge wins and one mini challenge win, VanMicheals has already made $12,500 on the show. If she goes on to win season 14, she’ll be walking away with $162,500.
This season has been full of talent, charisma, nerve, and talent, but no obvious frontrunner. With that said, Pill has the strongest fan-favoritism and track record to win Drag Race season 14. Despite only winning the ball challenge, Pill is far from just being a “look queen” or a “kooky queen.” From her bizarre lip sync number to Enya in the talent show to her hilarious acting in the “Super Tease” challenge to her fierce performance in the 1960s girl groups challenge, Pill fundamentally understands how to succeed on Drag Race while also keeping things fun and loose.
There were rare times when Pill underperformed in season 14. Following her pitch-perfect but jokes-free impersonation of Drew Barrymore at the Snatch Game, Pill went on to win her very first round in the “LaLaPaRuZa” smackdown. She then fell into the bottom a second time in the semifinals and went up against VanMicheals – but Pill stayed confident and, as expected, brought her full unique self to that final lip sync for your life. Just like VanMicheals, Pill made it impossible for RuPaul to send her home. After a spectacular season, Pill is heading into the grand finale with the right amount of momentum that one needs to win Drag Race.
Pill’s earnings throughout season 14 consisted of $5,000 from a maxi challenge win and $2,500 from a mini challenge win. If she snatches the crown and wins the grand prize, Pill will cash in a record-breaking $157,500.
