I’m back with one final post on the Drag Olympics of Drag Race! The RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs. The World Season 2 Grande Finale combined a reunion with a Lip Sync Smackdown for the Crown.
While final episodes often included some form of performance or lip sync, the idea of a sudden death lip sync tournament in the Drag Race finale began in 2017 with RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9. That was our first season with four finalists – Shea Couleé, Sasha Velour, Trinity the Tuck Taylor, and Peppermint. We’ve learned since then that production shot multiple endings of the semi-final episode, including various eliminations, and that Peppermint wasn’t certain she would be included in the live finale until relatively close to the date of the show.
That could have become a one-time affair if not for winner Sasha Velour and her roses. Sasha undoubtably created the biggest Drag Race moment of all time – a meme that instantly spread across the internet, and which has been referenced by many mainstream shows including Saturday Night Live (twice!). The idea of a wig reveal to a downpour of roses has become part of the queer internet lexicon. [Read more…] about RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs. The World Season 2, Episode 8 – Grande Finale