Last night’s RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 5 finale was an hour and a half of drag perfection, featuring long-awaited reunions, season recaps, and interviews with every contestant — and, of course, the long-awaited crowning of America’s next drag superstar. Here are the episode’s ten most memorable moments.
10. Detox’s Old Hollywood black-and-white look
By channeling Pleasantville, she proved her creativity and made a silent argument that she should have made it to the top three.
9. RuPaul singing (or, you know, lip-syncing)
When Ru performed a single off her album, backed by a chorus of Season 5 queens, the entire audience joined her in singing, “Can I get an amen?” The number reminded viewers what this show is really about: loving yourself, and sharing that love with the world.
8. The Pit Crew dancing to “Peanut Butter”
The Pit Crew appears in every episode to assist with the challenges and look smoldering while doing it, but for the finale, they got a chance to take the spotlight, showing off their dance skills and glistening, flawless bodies while dancing to this song by Ru. No one is mad at that.
7. Ru tells Alyssa Edwards and Santino Rice to hook up
After reviewing all the terrible dresses in Drag Race history, judge Santino Rice still thinks this one worn by Alyssa is the all-time worst, simply because she brought it from home rather than making it from scratch. After some bickering, Ru suggested the two kiss and hook up, which actually… might be kind of cute?
6. Paula Abdul and her dog Thumbelina Skype in to compliment Alyssa and Coco’s lip sync to her song
Turns out, Paula would’ve let them both stay.
5. “Drag is what I do; trans is who I am.”
Ex-contestant Monica Beverly Hillz had a tough time on the show, partially due to the fact that she was in the midst of transitioning, with all the emotional challenges that entails. At the finale, Ru asked her to explain the difference between being a drag queen and being transgender. Needless to say, she nailed the answer.
4. Cameos from past Drag Race contestants
Fan favorites Latrice Royale, Manila Luzon, Raja, Chad Michaels, Sharon Needles, BeBe Zahara Benet, and Tyra Sanchez were among the veteran queens who were in the audience.
3. Ivy Winters wins Miss Congeniality
The second-most deserved award of the night went to Ivy, who won the fan-voted Miss Congeniality award, which was presented to her by last year’s equally deserving winner, Latrice Royale. Ivy is so sugar-sweet that when Ru asked her how she’d react to other queens being jealous of her clothing, she simply offered her sewing services to anyone who wanted to pay her for them.
2. Lineysha Sparx still not really knowing who Diana Ross is and the subsequent “Drag Race Herstory” lesson
Lineysha made a joke about confusing Diana Ross with Josephine Baker, but when asked to sing a famous Ross/Supremes tune, she blanked and just did a little wobbly-armed dance. It just never gets old. Her continued ignorance provided the perfect excuse for Ru to segue into a brief history lesson on the divas who have inspired drag queens over the decades — a lecture that, unsurprisingly, ended with a Cher montage.
1. The winner is…
Jinkx Monsoon! She faced fierce competition from runners-up Alaska and Roxxxy, and much like Sharon Needles last year, Jinkx was an underdog in the beginning, struggling with narcolepsy and looking bizarre in clumsy, often retro homemade outfits. But this clear fan favorite played to her comedic strengths and listened to the judges when they told her to glam up her runway look. Long live the queen!
Bonus: After her orange makeup was memorably likened to a Dorito, Coco Montrese showed she had a sense of humor about herself by bringing a “Coritos” clutch to the reunion.