“RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 4” had one of the most disappointing finales in reality television history as it avoided choosing one queen to join the hall of fame, instead choosing a tie between Trinity the Tuck and Monet X Change.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” has had a lingering air of being tired ever since the third season’s controversial finale in 2018. RuPaul’s decision to crown both Monet X Change and Trinity the Tuck truly brings out the vibe that this is the most disappointing finale for the series yet. This season has had plenty of memorable moments thanks to a cast of iconic queens, but maybe it is time to let this spin-off rest.
The thought of there being two seasons of “All Stars” within 12 months is absurd and cheapens the idea of what it means to be an all-star. This was an incredibly strong cast of queens, but the production feels rushed, as if VH1 is afraid drag will not be trendy next month. Three queens being inducted into the imaginary Drag Race Hall of Fame in a year’s time feels sticky and wrong.
One of the worst parts of the finale was the editing. It was clear that they never originally planned for a double crowning as two separate scenes of Trinity and Monet winning were sloppily spliced together. This really adds to the overall cheapness of this episode, making it seem like no one on the production team really cares about anything other than creating shocking moments to score more Emmys in the reality TV categories.
This tragic close to “All Stars 4” is depressing because of how bright things were looking leading up to this moment. The first eight episodes were packed with drama and meme-worthy moments, but these last two have truly been a bummer. It seems like the producers thought a double win would be a shocking moment, but it just feels anticlimactic. There would have been more shock and less disappointment had they called Jasmine Masters and given her the crown.
A double win was also likely meant to skirt any backlash that would inevitably come from the losing queen’s fanbase. The blonde and white look of the “All Stars” winners has been an important issue brought up repeatedly since Trixie beat Shangela and Kennedy last season. On the other side, there has been a considerable amount of unwarranted hate sent towards Monet throughout this season that would likely have worsened had she beaten Trinity.
Choosing a double crowning allowed for RuPaul and the show’s producers to escape any criticism regarding who wins. Even if one chooses to ignore the absurdity of a tie, the top two felt wrong. Not only was the strongest competitor eliminated two episodes ago, but Monique Heart’s talent and performance prior to the final episode was also completely dismissed. While the tie felt weird, it also felt wrong to have neither Manila nor Monique in the top two when considering their performance. “Drag Race” needs to go back to focusing on celebrating queer art and not forcing these irritating twists.
The final lip sync between Trinity and Monet to Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter” was a really strong lip sync from both. Watching the lip sync was super high energy and anxiety-inducing, which made it even more disappointing when RuPaul revealed that they both won a crown and $100,000. One can only imagine the frustration of Naomi and Monique having been sent home in third and fourth for arbitrary reasons.
The finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 4” was not only a diss to the viewers who expect a winner, but also to the queens who have been runner-up in previous seasons. RuPaul deciding to give out a tie on “All Stars 4” makes this season feel like a waste of time. One can only hope this is not “Drag Race” jumping the shark. It sure is going to look strange having five winners for only four seasons.
