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RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14: Which queen is most likely to take the crown?

Which queen deserves to follow in the footsteps of Symone as America’s Next Drag Superstar?

WORDS BY SAM DAMSHENAS

11th April 2022

For the first time in Drag Race herstory, RuPaul has allowed five contestants to sashay their way to the grand finale. It was another scandalous format change in a season full of twists and turns and goops and gags, the lot of it, including double saves, double shantays, non-eliminations, lip-sync tournaments, medical-related departures and finally – sorry, let us catch our breath – a flop Snatch Game (bar DeJa Skye, yay-uh!). Ultimately, five queens weathered one of the franchise’s most barmy instalments: Angeria Paris VanMichaels, Bosco, Daya Betty, Lady Camden and Willow Pill. While we await the season 14 reunion on 15 April, we dive into why each of the finalists would be a worthy successor to Symone and deserves a spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame.

Angeria Paris VanMichaels

Challenge wins: 2

Up for elimination: 2

Angeria Paris VanMichaels has charmed Drag Race viewers around the world this season with her Southern charisma and old school pageantry. She had an unparalleled start to the series, becoming only the third queen in the entire franchise to win the mini and main challenge of her premiere episode, and has maintained an impeccable track record with several more stints in the top – including another win. Throughout the course of season 14, Angeria proved that she can conquer comedy, (She’s a Super Tease), performance (Talent Show) and fashion (every goddamn runway). Not only that, she can turn a mothertucking lip-sync too. If the lip-sync for the crown format makes a comeback, as is rumoured, she – along with Lady Camden – will be one to watch. The only thing working against her is that, compared to the other queens in the top five, she hasn’t had much of a so-called “winners’ edit”. Despite this, Angeria would be another fantastic representative for RuPaul’s ever-expanding empire and, as one of the most congenial queens this season (or on any season, really), hearing “America’s Next Drag Superstar is… Angeria Paris VanMichaels!” wouldn’t upset many.

Bosco

Challenge wins: 3

Up for elimination: 2

Bosco may be tied with Lady Camden for most maxi-challenge wins, but it doesn’t necessarily mean she’s a shoo-in for the crown. In recent years, queens with the biggest tally from their respective seasons have gone on to lose to another, such as Shea Couleé, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Gigi Goode, Bimini Bon Boulash and Ella Vaday, proving that track record isn’t taken into account once the finale comes around. Also, it stings to say this, but Bosco’s shot at victory soon waned after the golden bar was revealed to be in her possession. With some questioning whether the Willa Wonka-inspired twist is real or in fact fabricated, a win for Bosco would – in the eyes of some fans – “reek of producer interference”. It’s difficult, because on the other hand, it would be perfect for her winners’ edit. The queen who almost went home ends up conquering the entire season? It would justify the existence of the golden bar, and its future with the franchise, that’s for sure. With or without RuPaul’s branded candy, Bosco deserves to be in that final. She’s decimated all comedy-related challenges with her dry wit, bar Snatch Game, and – although she has affinity for corsets – annihilated the runway each week. If Bosco can redeem her previous lip-syncs in the finale, then she could very well succeed Symone as America’s Next Drag Superstar.

Daya Betty

Challenge wins: 1

Up for elimination: 3

With three spills in the bottom, Daya Betty’s chances are, honestly, pretty slim. Until Symone triumphed last year, there had never been a (US) winner with more than one bottom placement. While statistics are working against her, it’s futile to argue with Daya’s trajectory in the competition. After being sent home in her first episode, she “crawled” her way back into the race and soon cemented her status as a force to be reckoned with in challenges such as The Daytona Wind, 60s Girl Groups and Moulin Ru: The Rusical. (Three completely different challenges, we should add.) And while she’s often compared to her drag sister Crystal Methyd, she managed to defy all expectations and carve out a niche for her own: as the drag, punk-rocker. That is a winners’ edit! Her abrasiveness might be her downfall, however. Although this is a reality competition series with drag queens, some viewers haven’t taken kindly to Daya’s candor – particularly towards her treatment of Jasmine Kennedie. In the words of Lashauwn Beyond, “This is not RuPaul’s Best Friend Race!” and it feels like Daya is the only one who hasn’t treated it as such. That’s not a bad thing, either – we love to see the queens kiki, but we just want to personally thank Daya for providing us with the all the drama and conflama we come to expect from a reality competition series with drag queens. No shade, but we’re more excited at the prospect of Daya sashaying back into the werkroom for All Stars than her actually winning the crown. We want more!

Lady Camden

Challenge wins: 3

Up for elimination: 1

We won’t lie, we didn’t envision Lady Camden in the top five. Her ballet routine in the Talent Show was gorge (Gottmik, 2021), but it wasn’t until episode five that she really gained momentum and solidified herself as a major competitor. Her performance as Leona Michaels in The Daytona Wind was simply iconic – “MAAAXIIIIIINE” is forever embedded in our minds – and it’s a testament to her abilities as an actress that she managed to earn the win over comedic heavyweights such as Bosco and Willow Pill. Not only will she win an Oscar someday, but she’s also proven to be a formidable seamstress (Glamazon Prime) and stage actress (Moulin Ru: The Rusical), while her runways have all been killer. As well as Jorgeous and Jasmine Kennedie, Camden is responsible for some of the most memorable lip-syncs of the season – which is important at this stage in the competition. After seeing how she effortlessly dominates the stage, it’s hard to imagine Camden not sashaying her way to a top two position in the final – if the lip-sync for the crown format returns, that is. At this point, there’s not much working against Camden. If we had to nit-pick, her amount of polish might be a disservice to her. Like Brooke Lynn Hytes and Ella Vaday, we can see her settling for a second/third place position while a queen with more edge takes the crown.

Willow Pill

Challenge wins: 1

Up for elimination: 2

If we had to bet money on a winner, like actual money, it would be Willow Pill. Not only is she obliterating all social media polls, RuPaul’s obsession for the Chicago queen was evident as soon as she threw spaghetti in a bathtub to the beat of Enya’s ethereal bop Only Time. It was ART! Indeed, Wiwwow Pill – as Ru calls her – doesn’t have as many wins as Angeria, Bosco or Camden, but her track record is stellar with seven weeks in the top three. She’s made a huge impact outside of the competition, also, by coming out as trans femme and opening up about her cystinosis, a kidney disease that causes problems with her eyes, throat and muscles – resulting in a huge 450k Instagram followers in the process, 170k more than her closest competitor. When it comes to the lip-sync aspect of the finale, we’re not counting her out at all. She was smooth as hell in her showdown against Bosco to Never Too Much and, although she’s not a dancing diva, took us to the dancefloor in her battle with Angeria to Telephone. With her track record and ability to shock, as well as RuPaul and the fanbase’s unanimous love for her, the Drag Race season 14 crown is Willow’s to lose. But, this is Drag Race, and it’s still managing to shock viewers all these years later. Maybe Ru will crown Kornbread?

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