Drag

Here’s what happened on the dramatic reunion special for RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14

By Jordan Robledo

16th April 2022

World of Wonder
World of Wonder

The queens reunited to spill all the tea on the latest episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14.

Last week, the last five queens participated in the final maxi-challenge of the season – which was a music video shoot for Ru’s hit song Catwalk.

After slaying their original verses and intricate choreography, the queens strutted down the runway for the last time in their “You’re A Winner, Baby” ensembles.

Mama Ru then announced that Daya Betty, Bosco and Lady Camden were safe – with the latter winning the season’s last maxi-challenge.

This left Angeria Paris VanMichaels and Willow Pill to battle it out in a sensational lip-sync to Lady Gaga and Beyoncé’s legendary single Telephone.

In the end, Ru saved both queens from elimination which resulted in all five contestants heading to the grand finale – which is the first time in Drag Race herstory.

This week, the ladies of season 14 headed back to the main stage to discuss the show’s dramatic ups and downs and, most importantly, their sisterhood.

During the hilarious sitdown, Mama Ru asked Kornbread ‘The Snack’ Jete how she felt after watching her crushing elimination on TV.

“Um, being told that, you know, ‘All right, girl that’s it for you’, was crushing,” she revealed.

“But watching it on the TV, it’s, like, okay, cool, it’s more settled in your spirit. But still not fun. I wish I was there. Maybe Snatch Game would have been better.”

Kornbread also revealed that her relationship with her family has changed after opening up about her turbulent childhood on TV.

The conversation then turned over to Jasmine Kennedie and her hilarious chatterbox ways.

When Ru asked Kornbread why she confronted Jasmine, the LA-based queen revealed that it wasn’t her initial intention.

“Well, first off, everybody in this room can tell you, I wasn’t gonna say nothing. Jasmine opened up the invitation,” she explained.

Kornbread then said that the other queens used to have conversations about Jasmine behind her back, to which the New York-based queen replied: “Thank you, Kornbread for being the only girl to talk to me.”

But of course, it wouldn’t be a RuPaul’s Drag Race reunion without DRAMA.

After a season full of tense moments between Jasmine and Daya, the two finally had an explosive confrontation.

When Ru asked if Daya regretted any of her comments from the show, the Chicago-based queen doubled down on her statements and said “no”.

“A lot of people ask me if I regret anything I say or done, and I don’t. I firmly believe in speaking up about how you feel,” she said.

“Now, watching myself back where I may have faltered and where I learned from the experience is the classic saying, ‘It’s not necessarily what you say. It’s how you say it.'”

She then went on to say that Jasmine said things at “the wrong time” and that she always chimed in “right where her sweet spot was.”

In response to Daya’s answer, Jasmine claimed that the Chicago-based queen came at her for no reason and attacked the other contestants to feel better about her place in the competition.

Jorgeous then added that she felt Daya never respected her and Jasmine throughout their time on the show.

After Alyssa Hunter called Daya a “b***h”, June Jambalaya chimed in to deescalate the situation by bringing up the stresses of the competition.

“I personally know Daya, and yes I was on the show for 48 hours. Daya Betty is genuinely a great person,” she explained.

“But in the competition setting, everyone handles stress differently, and in the stressful situation, she went in completely unfiltered.

“So she said something to you, it wasn’t personal it was what she was seeing from the judges and voicing it. Was it right? No. But that was how she was handling the competition and the pressure she was under. It doesn’t mean she’s a bad person.”

After Ru noticed that Daya was crying, the 25-year-old said that she wasn’t “that person” and that she just had her head in the game and her eyes on the prize.

Maddy Morphosis then added that everyone made shady comments in their confessionals and that none of what Daya said was “unforgivable”.

In response, Jasmine revealed that the two hadn’t even spoken since filming ended – which prompted Daya to call “bullshit” from her side of the stage.

“Bitch you talked to me one f**king time… is when [Deja] was on FaceTime, and you apologised to me,” she exclaimed.

Jasmine then said that she called Daya right before her Roscoe’s gig to let her know that she still “felt some type of way”.

Daya then said that she called Jasmine but received no response from the New York-based queen.

At the end of the tense argument, Kerri Colby entered the conversation and reiterated June’s comment regarding competition stress.

She also highlighted the unfair hate that Daya received throughout the season from fans.

“Daya has gotten landslidely the most unfair amount of hate, in terms of death threats people wishing her not well. People can’t stand anything about some of the things she does, and that’s not fair, that’s not right,” she said.

“Yes, I understand there are character flaws. Nobody is asking her to be perfect. And yes, there are times you’re a shady bitch. We’ve all been there… you have to cut her a little bit of slack.

“She did show redemption. She did show that she cared. And the thing is, if y’all got a problem with it, y’all gotta put the proof in the pudding.”

An emotional Daya then apologised to Jorgeous and Jasmine before praising the two and their talent.

Later in the reunion, the conversation turned to Maddy and her herstory-making inclusion as the first straight male contestant in the franchise.

After receiving praise from the other ladies, the Arkansas queen gave an inspirational speech regarding her impact on the franchise.

“Men should express their femininity. So many bad things come from toxic masculinity, homophobia, and transphobia,” she said.

“I’m not going to change the world. I’m not gonna be what brings the dam down. I’m just going to be another crack in it. I’m really excited to be a part of the show and be a part of that history and change.”

At the end of the reunion, Mama Ru and the queens opened up about the beautiful trans representation on season 14.

After showing a clip of Jasmine’s emotional coming out moment, Mama Ru asked how she felt after the episode aired.

“I put myself out there in a way I don’t think I ever knew I could, and I’m happy I said it because I don’t have to live in fear anymore,” she explained.

Jasmine went on to say that she didn’t come out to her dad until the episode aired. The 22-year old then added that everyone in her family has been supportive since.

Mama Ru then highlighted Bosco, Willow Pill and Kornbread for also coming out as trans before asking how life has been for them since.

“It’s been so cool. Verbalising it has given me so much support from the fans. Having that behind me to keep pushing me forward has been so helpful,” Bosco said

However, Kornbread and Willow revealed that it has been difficult since their coming out. But even though there were bumps in the road, the two queens expressed gratitude for their journey and for being able to walk further into their truth.

Next week our top five will make their way back to the main stage to see who will be crowned as America’s Next Drag Superstar.

Watch new episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14 every Saturday on the streamer of all things drag, WOW Presents Plus. Click here to subscribe.