Can you believe we’re down to the final three already? Holy hell, this season of RuPaul’s Drag Race has just flown by, and now it’s between Jinkx, Alaska, and … oh who are we kidding? At this point, it’s a final fight between Jinkx and Alaska, we can’t even factor in Roxxxy anymore. In the spirit of last night’s courtroom-themed video challenge, instead of the usual recap, I’m going to make the case for and against the final three girls.
Alaska
Why she should win Alaska entered the competition with a very unique disadvantage: She was Sharon Needles’ boyfriend. The big question was whether or not Alaska could live up to her very famous ladyboyfriend, and the answer has been a resounding yes. Alaska is Sharon’s equal in wit, style and class. Her ability to create characters is top-notch and her ability to turn trash into glamour is second to none, but her biggest strength is that Alaska doesn’t play it safe: She always plays it big with smart gambles, and while those risks don’t always pay off, she knows how to correct course.
The case against her The big strike against Alaska is that she sometimes doesn’t show as much vulnerability as she could. Alaska needs to learn when to turn off the characters and bring people into her world, which admittedly isn’t an easy thing to do. The other hindrance is that some of her dresses look a little samey at times. Other than that, she has a real shot at the title.
Jinkx Monsoon
Why she should win Out of all the queens, Jinkx is probably the most well-rounded of the queens. She can act, sing, dance, write, lip synch, sew, market … she’s shown that she can do it all, and she’s got the winning streak and consistently high placements to prove it. Statistically, Jinkx is actually the single strongest queen in the history of Drag Race, and at this point Jinkx pretty much deserves it based solely on her talent, but Jinkx is also a complete sweetheart, and has gained a following for her message of positivity.
The case against her Honestly? I can’t really peg her for anything. The only time she ended up on the bottom was in the final four, and even then she wasn’t that bad. I guess all I can say is Jinkx has some questionable styling choices, but that’s it.
Roxxxy Andrews
Why she should win Say what you will about her, but Roxxxy is a talented queen. She has great styling and a great drag family pedigree behind her, and out of all the queens, she probably follows the judges’ critiques the best. Despite the pageant queen label, she’s shown that she can deliver lines with aplomb and her couture creations are gorgeous.
The case against her Let’s get the objective stuff out of the way first, shall we? Roxxxy can lip synch, but dancing is a problem for her, and her understanding of what comedy is and isn’t is severely lacking. Roxxxy also has a habit of falling back on crutches: The tear-aways, the skin-baring swimsuits, the catchphrases … simply put, Roxxxy lacks creativity. But that would all be fine if it weren’t for her very serious attitude problem. Maybe it’s a product of her pageant life, but Roxxxy is just vicious when it comes to her competitors. During last year’s final three, the queens actually had moments of redemption as they all came together one last time to apologize to each other for their transgressions. But not only did Roxxxy openly flaunt her contempt for her competitors, but she seemed intent on dragging it along behind her down to the bitter end. Roxxxy’s going to need to SERIOUSLY retool her frame of mind if she hopes to remain employable, not just snag the crown.
Who will win?!
Based on a combination of fan outpouring and overall performance, I think Jinkx might just barely edge out Alaska for the win. Roxxxy tried hard, but at this point she’s just the also-ran.