RuPaul on the season 10 finale of ‘Drag Race’ (Screenshot via YouTube)
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” crowned Aquaria as the winner of season 10 after a lip-sync showdown on Thursday night.
The finale was filmed in front of a live audience at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles and celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the series’ debut. The original queens from season one made an appearance including Porkchop, Ongina and Bebe Zahara Benet.
Other big moments included Oprah, Dame Judi Dench and Dench’s daughter Finty Williams giving RuPaul a special congratulatory message. Olympian Gus Kenworthy also made a cameo to ask a fan question and former talk show host Sally Jesse Raphael gave a voiceover to a lookback on 10 years of “Drag Race.”
The lip-syncing kicked off with Asia O’Hara and Kameron Michaels battling it out to “Nasty” by Janet Jackson. O’Hara attempted a butterfly release from her costume but instead the butterflies crawled on stage instead of taking flight. She was eliminated and Aquaria and Eureka O’Hara faced off to Jackson’s “If.” In a rare move, RuPaul decided to keep them both and they advanced to the first three-way lip-sync with Michaels.
The trio tried to out perform each other to “Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj but ultimately, Aquaria stole the show for Ru.
“This season will go down as one of the most competitive in ‘Drag Race’ herstory. And still, Aquaria’s many talents distinguished her from the field of amazing queens,” RuPaul said in a statement. “This is the dawning of the Age of Aquaria. I can’t wait to see what she does next.”
Aquaria added,“Finally making it to the top of the most influential drag platform of today is proof that no dream is ever unachievable if you have the passion, resilience, love, and work ethic to devote your life to that dream. Drag will always be a dynamic and powerful art form and it is my duty now to honor the artists who have come before me while continuing to pioneer my own path and history by being open to growth and change as a human and a drag superstar.”
Watch Aquaria win the title below.
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