Published on Thrillist on August 27, 2020
Before Canada’s Drag Race premiered in July, we feared it would lack a certain je ne sais quoi (i.e., drama) that its American cousin is known for. These are Canadian queens, after all. Imagine our surprise when we got a season full of feuding, tears, and online discourse about fans’ treatment of the judges and queens. One season alone produced four lip-sync assassins and infinite mentions of “mooseknuckles.” It’s been a rocky ride full of unusual twists and unforeseeable turns, but an end is near.
Now that the Top Three have been chosen, we gathered everything you need to know about next week’s finale, including how to watch it, what to expect, and who we think will become Canada’s first drag superstar.
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Canada’s Drag Race Season 1.
When and where can I watch the Canada’s Drag Race finale?
Canada’s inaugural drag superstar will be crowned on Thursday, September 3. The final episode begins at 9pm ET, and US viewers can stream it on WOW Presents Plus.
If you’re in Canada, stream the finale on Crave. If you’re not in the US or Canada, you still might be able to watch. Find out if Canada’s Drag Race is available where you’re at here.
Which three queens moved on to Canada’s first-ever finale?
Canada’s inaugural cast has dwindled from 12 to three as we gear up for the final challenge of the season. Still standing are Priyanka, Rita Baga, and Scarlett BoBo.
Scarlett BoBo was first to secure a place in the finale after winning the week’s Maxi Challenge, a winter-themed ball that forced her to conquer her fear of the sewing machine. Up until the runway, Scarlett was the underdog. Her win left three of the season’s frontrunners to fight for only two remaining spots in the finals.
Two of Priyanka’s winter ball looks slayed, but the messy bodysuit she made from scratch prevented her from getting the Maxi win. (A bold outfit choice for the week that Michelle Visage was guest judging.) Still, she got overall positive reviews and became the next queen to secure a place in the Top Three.
Jimbo and Rita Baga were left to battle it out for the last spot in the finale. They lip-synced “Closer” by Tegan and Sara in a naughty performance that, uh, definitely made things physical. Rita scissored her dress, Jimbo scissored Rita, and viewers reminisced on how things weren’t always so close between the two. In the end, the judges chose to keep Rita and send Jimbo home, neglecting to use a double shantay this entire season.
How will the final episode be structured?
Despite airing well into the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canada’s Drag Race finale was filmed last fall, meaning there won’t be a live virtual crowning like with RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 12.
Expect the finale structure to be more in line with Drag Race UK than the American version. We anticipate that the Top Three will be asked to write and record original verses for the RuPaul song “U Wear It Well.” If it falls completely in line with Drag Race UK, the top two queens will then lip-sync for the crown, determining who’s a runner-up and who’s a winner, baby.
Who is poised to snatch the crown?
If there’s one thing we’ve learned with Canada’s Drag Race, it’s that nobody knows what’s coming next… and not just because the judges’ critiques are all over the place. This season featured an all-star cast of queens, making it anyone’s guess who will land in the top and bottom each week.
For a majority of the season, Priyanka, Lemon, Jimbo, and Rita Baga were the frontrunners, with Scarlett BoBo trailing safely behind (as in, she was nothing but safe every single week). Now that Scarlett finally nabbed a Maxi Challenge win and outlasted Lemon and Jimbo, we’re left wondering if she’ll continue picking off her challengers. After all, she’s the only queen who hasn’t lip-synced yet, which has to count for something.
Rita Baga has three Maxi Challenge wins, the most of anyone this season, but she’s lip-synced the past two weeks, proving she’s not as untouchable as we once believed. We know she’s capable of pulling off a win, but if she doesn’t give the final competition everything she’s got, it may not be enough to impress the judges.
Priyanka’s journey has been somewhat shaky, but despite having as many Maxi Challenge wins under her belt as she has lip-syncs, she has a mostly glowing track record and a personality that makes up for her shortcomings. Remember also that Priyanka won the singing challenge in Episode 3. With Scarlett’s limited experience ranking high and Rita’s recent decline, it’s looking like Priyanka might walk away with the crown next week, as long as she doesn’t fuck it up.
So the winner gets a crown… what else?
You really didn’t pay attention to RuPaul’s little intro before each episode? On top of the crown, the winner will receive a year of hotel stays from Hilton and a cash prize of $100,000.
Will Canada’s Drag Race crown a Miss Congeniality?
Sadly, no, but if there was one, we have some ideas of who it might be.
We can start by ruling out a few queens (no tea, no shade). Jimbo was a fan favorite with plenty of talents, but biting her tongue wasn’t one. Ilona Verley was both sensitive and fierce, but not the most unifying. Same story with Scarlett BoBo.
Sure Priyanka and Rita Baga threw their share of metaphorical punches, but their positive attitudes and sweet souls would make them strong contenders were they not already finalists. BOA and Lemon were famously feisty, but they had a handful of shining shoulder-to-cry-on moments; still, they may have gotten into one too many tiffs to earn the title.
If we had to guess, we’d say that the title comes down to Anastarzia Anaquway and Tynomi Banks. Tynomi, the lip-sync assassin whose reputation preceded her, was the season’s figurehead of drag success, and Anastarzia was the Bahamian pageant queen who assumed the role of mother. They struggled to find their footing in the competition before ultimately sashaying away, but in their short time on the show, the oldest queens of the season carried a gentleness that we can only assume translated to the workroom. Let’s just say it’s a tie. If RuPaul can do it, so can we.
How can I get my hands on more Drag Race content?
There is literally so much happening in the Drag Race franchise. In addition to Canada’s Drag Race, 2020 brought RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 12, All Stars Season 5, and new miniseries Secret Celebrity Drag Race.
WOW Presents Plus, World of Wonder’s streaming service for all things drag, houses the inaugural season of Drag Race UK, Season 2 of Drag Race Thailand, the BTS docuseries Werq The World, and other LGBTQ+ content. And if you’ve exhausted all those options, well, you have years and years of old Drag Race seasons to explore.