I've been in denial about this for the entire season, quite frankly, but based on last night's episode of RuPaul's Drag Race, it's pretty clear who the winner will be.
Over the course of season 10, I have had two particular queens as front runners to take home the crown: Eureka and Asia O'Hara. Someone who I have never put towards the top until last week's episode was Aquaria, as I always felt there was something really lacking with her personality and her ego was just a little bit too much for me to handle.
That changed for me, begrudgingly, last night during the show's penultimate episode. They are clearly stretching this season out as much as possible, as next week is a taped reunion so I would assume that the real crowning will take place on the 28th, meaning that we have had five straight months of Drag Race since All Stars 3 premiered on January 25th. I need a break.
To be honest, last night's episode was a bit of a throwaway as they already taped the finale last week and we knew that it was going to be a final four based on all the information that got out on the internet. So, spoiler alert, no one went home, however I do feel like most of the episode was catered towards Aquaria and it made me see her in a different light.
Perhaps its just me, but the show really hasn't given Aquaria a major edit this season compared to some of the other queens on the show. Its very clear that she has had her game face on since the beginning, and has worked her butt off every single challenge to easily earn her a spot in the final four. She reminds me of past contestants like Violet Chachki, Tyra Sanchez and Phi Phi O'Hara, who were controversial in their approach to get to the end but no doubt earned a spot once they got there.
I will also agree with RuPaul in that she is top five in terms of looks that she has brought to the runway, as Aquaria is proof that she is incredibly wise beyond her years at such a young age in the fashion department. Keep in mind that Violet and Tyra were around her age too when they competed, and they both turned out flawless looks that helped them score a win in the end of their respective seasons.
She's also done pretty well in the challenges, pulling out a win during Snatch Game which no one really saw coming as she was known for her fashion and not her comedy up until that point. She bested some big competition in Eureka (Honey Boo Boo) and Monet X Change (Maya Angelou), for that, while pulling out two other wins as the season progressed.
Has her ego been a bit much to handle? In my opinion, yes, but she's backed it up with everything she has done this season so that shouldn't really be a negative as to why she shouldn't win overall. I think she's developed herself into a multi-faceted queen as S10 has gone on, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if she won on finale night and brought the crown back to New York for the 4th time over the past 5 seasons.
Well done, Aquaria. Well done.
This was created by one of our Contributing Writers and does not reflect the opinion of Instinct Magazine or the other Contributing Writers when it comes to this subject.
I just cannot get past her
I just cannot get past her very annoying, ego-centric, patronizing personality and say that Aquaria should win this season of Drag Race. Both Asia and Eureka have so much more pleasant and down-to-earth personalities than Aquaria. To me, they are both people I would enjoy getting to know and I just can't say that about Aquaria. Yes, her fashion looks have been outstanding, but did she do any of the design work herself or has she had these made by other people or has she just purchased them somewhere? Original taste is one thing, but if all her styling has been done by other people, she is just a clothes horse and nothing more.