‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Crowns Season 10 Winner in Finale With More Than a Few Tricks Up Its Sleeve
Editor’s note: This article contains spoilers for the Season 10 finale of “RuPaul‘s Drag Race.”
In a two-hour season finale, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 10 came to a grand conclusion Thursday night. Aquaria, the 21-year-old sensation from New York City, was crowned the reigning queen, earning the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar” and a cash prize of $100,000. Aquaria beat out Asia O’hara, Kameron Michaels, and Eureka, each strong competitors with heaps of charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent. Filmed in front of a live audience at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, Season nine winner Sasha Velour passed the crown to her fellow New York City queen.
“This season will go down as one of the most competitive in ‘Drag Race’ herstory. And still, Aquaria’s many talents distinguished her from the field of amazing queens,” RuPaul said in a statement. “This is the dawning of the Age of Aquaria. I can’t wait to see what she does next.”
“Finally making it to the top of the most influential drag platform of today is proof that no dream is ever unachievable if you have the passion, resilience, love, and work ethic to devote your life to that dream,” said Aquaria. “Drag will always be a dynamic and powerful art form and it is my duty now to honor the artists who have come before me while continuing to pioneer my own path and history by being open to growth and change as a human and a drag superstar.”
Season 10 started off with a bang, when Vanessa “Vanjie” Mateo’s exiting line of “Vanjie” became an instant viral moment, and ended with a few more tricks up its sleeves. In a shocking final performance, Asia O’Hara’s costume stunt left the audience gagging—and not in a good way. During her lip sync against Kameron Michaels, Asia O’Hara attempted to unleash live butterflies from her sleeves and bra. Instead of flying away, the butterflies sunk to the ground, slowly suffocating to death. It was painful to watch, and disappointing for Asia O’Hara fans everywhere.
In a thrilling final lip sync, Eureka brought the heat with splits, death drops, and the swagger of Nicki Minaj, but Aquaria whipped out the confetti to clinch the win. Accepting the crown, Aquaria said: “Sometimes in life you’re not always given a second chance, but if you do, take advantage of it, and go out with a bang!”
