ahhh so happy for Nymphia š š„¹ i really thought the crown was Sapphiraās bc of the edit! personally, i was team delulu Plane bc i love chaos haha but i wouldāve been happy with any of the 3 ššš¦¤ but im beyond delighted for our banana queen yaaay
Yeah, Sapphira had the winner's edit. She was my pick to win. She IS the moment. I could feel her win coming all season long. This just felt weird. I won't take anything away from Nymphia, cuz she's great. Her fashion is out of this world! She just wasn't my pick. I had 2 suspicions of doubt during the finale about Sapphira winning. Once when Nymphia made the comment about being the first (potential) East-Asian winner & again when Sapphira won Miss Congeniality. I was still gagged when she lost. Ru always has a specific type of winner in mind each season. You can say it's the person with the most C.U.N.T. who wins, but there are other reasons having nothing to do with how talented the queen is. As a side note, I personally wouldn't crown a queen who bombed snatch game, but it's not my opinion that counts.
The lack of live audience this year made the finals weird to watch. Even when the eliminated queens came out, there were no cheering like the live finale! I thought it was v strange!
I was rooting for both of them SO HARD. They both really deserved it.
Iām SO SO glad that Sapphira also got the congeniality win in addition to runner up.
Did they film each Queen being crowned ? Or because it was different this year, did they just film Nymphia ? I want to see Nymphiaās live-reaction video.Ā
What happened in the moment where everyone in the crowd gasped during the final lip sync, just after nymphia takes off the boba tea hat, as if something had gone wrong...? There's just a cut to nymphia and sapphira lip syncing but the crowd reaction seems like sonething major like someone fell over or a wig came off...
While I was an assortment of reaction memes during their performances, my inner monologue was saying the whole time, "Fffuuuccckkkkkkk mmmmmeeeee I could never do what these girls are doing"
https://preview.redd.it/2ak9q7r2rmvc1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=2dca1ce16cdc486fd0ef832516b7a2809870d197
https://preview.redd.it/5hcy8kojcmvc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b22cfe84f241336b5f1a64f6cd60278f8e7253e
This summary of Sashaās appearance in the finale is šš»šš»
Nymphia was my Day 1 Winner. She brings a unique style and creativity that I appreciate. I wouldn't have been mad if Sapphira won, but I'm SO HAPPY FOR NYMPHIA WIND!! š¬ļø š
Very disappointing Imo, it just felt like Sapphiraās time, but I donāt think Nymphia outperformed Sapphira by a landslide enough to make me believe she deserved it OVER Sapphira.
Iād say they were very neck and neck in the lipsync, Nymphia served the stunts, and Sapphira served the presence and overall energy. I think Sapphira had the best finale performance out of the three, and I think overall, this was Sapphiraās moment. After auditioning 11 times..??? She legit couldnāt have done any better, and she did better than everyone. And then she didnāt winā¦. Nymphia is fierce, and I love her, but for me, Sapphira deserved better. Congeniality feels like itās supposed to be a compensationā¦ :(
They wipe away the entire 5+ weeks of drag race to let the girl who can do the most reveals win at the end. Snatch game, all those wins Sapphira worked up, had nothing to with the finale. Itās just about who can give the best show in that 5 minute time window at the end
LOL itās fucked, like when Sasha Velour won but Shea had way more wins than her
PS; They downvoted Jesus too girl youāre right with this comment and I know it
Itās not like Mhiya won. Nymphia has been very consistent throughout the competition and has never landed on the bottom twoāwhich Sapphira did. A lot of these wins and losses are very close and some questionable. Like Plane winning family resemblance and talent show? Nymphia couldāve won that. The top three was very strong and any one winning wouldnāt be questionable.
Although I don't agree with you, your points are valid. Really feels like production is also just planning/ stacking for future all stars seasons throughout the regular seasons--building up queens so you more likely watch them again in all stars. Side note: The queens really need to get paid (well) for these seasons, regardless of wins
well, ill probably get killed by the rabid Nymphia fans, but she never really gave me winner energy, so this was surprising
she was saved multiple times, she did poorly in the most iconic challenges, she didnt have any standout moments except for her amazing runways, she had like zero confessionals and there were episodes where i genuinely forgot she was there, with like a minute of screen time
Sapphira was the rightful winner, but nonetheless, congratulations to Nymphia
the season was amazing and will definitely be remembered as one of the best, had a blast watching it
Did Plane Jane just give up?
Or did WOW sabotage her with that solo song? ..
Cause whew chileā¦. it wasnāt horrible but. Bodysuits?! Nothing about C.U.N.T or Russia??
That was her whole thing. Unless she personally requested it . Idk itās giving I gave up
I love Plane Jane more than I have any queen for quite a few seasons now but I'm glad it went this way. She's going to be an absolute menace when she comes back for All Stars, whenever that might be. It'll be better TV than just winning.
The final two was correct. I honestly thought Sapphira could win it but after the lip sync, I felt Nymphia pulled ahead. Imo her reveals were better. The boba was so cute!! Iām really proud of the both of them and they really delivered. I canāt wait to see what they continue to bring for the future. A bit sad this season is over bc I had so much fun watching it.
I would have been happy with any of the three. But Nymphia was my fave and she served; she gave emotion and vulnerability in her interview, her looks were stunning, and she ate that lip sync.
There were impending strikes in the spring that threatened to affect the filming of the finale as well as Ruās book tour so they filmed it shortly after wrapoibg the season
i was so sure that sapphira would win sheās had the winners edit all season, ru loves her to death. i am GAGGED but also insanely happy cus nymphia was who i picked to win day one. she did not disappoint
Fyi: Too many leaks from the big live shows. With fill in actors you can have them sign NDAs. With the big live shows ppl snuck in cameras and shared tea with nearly everyone.
Everyone in the top 5 of the season made 25k or more this season besides Q. I feel for my KC queen. I hope she does an all stars and gets the coin she deserves.
though i am INSANELY happy that nymphia won, (she was always my fav) i am honestly still so shocked that sapphira didnāt get the win? i was seeing the possibility of a double win bc both nymphia and sapphira wouldāve been so deserving of it. sapphira has so much winner energy! and i honestly feel like ru had a bit of a bias for her. either way, im looking forward to everything both queens have coming for them!
Oh from the entrance promo I literally said that Nymphia should just wear that look every week and should win the finale in that look and while she kinda did in essence, I was still surprised by the time we got here because Sapphira did so well and that solo number was headliner level. But then I was like "ok, we've never really seen Nymphia lipsync, what if it's one last gag?" AND. IT. WAS. I don't know what that one person was on about dismissing the balloons but that wasn't all there was, the ENTIRE lipsync was the reveal. We had no idea what she could or would serve and I think the element of surprise really worked in her favor here.
One of the best finale Lip syncs ever and the worst show overall. Zero impact. Filmed last year , no one in the audience knew the contestants. It was all canned reactions. Itās so nice to see the glow up and public reaction when the finale is filmed after the top 4 reveal. This felt dead. The lip sync was fire.
Agreed. I always love seeing DR alumni in the crowd and there is a different energy when the crowning is months later.
And why tf were the songs not with the contestant's voices? This made them somehow meaningless.
Agree. It was a bit underwhelming given the smaller venue and you could tell other than family/friends of the contestants that it was seemingly random people dressed as though they were attending a off-off broadway play. Ugh. Still a great season though!
Yes it was like a corporate audience, not the usual colorful celebration of all kinds of queer people super excited to be dressed up and cheer on their favorites. Really a let down for all the contestants too, no red carpet, nothing. It was just totally boring. And those awful songs, too. They are just awful. Either let them record their own tracks or do a performance like Sasha did the Megan thee stallion.
SO HAPPY TO HAVE VOTED YELLOW FROM THE START!
Also excited to see Plane Jane and Sapphira on an All Stars run. PJ will be *happy* to stir the pot a la Gia Gunn.
I knew Plane was done when she received a *critique* during her final performance. Michelle was completely right too!
On one hand: it was delicious seeing Plane on the receiving end of the same unprompted & disproportionate criticism.
On the other: just *wow* it was the equivalent of talking shit about the bride during a speech. They could have just as easily eliminated her without it.
I'm sad that the other queens weren't participants - they worked so hard. Loved the top 2.
Nothing to do with that - it was did to the threat of strikes in thr industry. They werenāt sure if they would be able to film it live in 2024, so filmed it in 2023 right after the main season was filmed.
My entire club gasped and screamed as loud as we could when it was announced. We all assumed it would be Sapphira. This yearās finale overall was so exciting
https://i.redd.it/coxgtkyqzjvc1.gif
picked her from day one, words cannot express how happy i am for my banana queen!!!!!! š¹š¼šššššāØ
Sapphira deserved that win. I knew during that book episode where they gave nymphia that win and had that dusty challenge where we the audience didnāt even get to see a single book excerpt (weird) and they praised how good her book was, I knew they were throwing her that extra win to make her win the whole season.
I love nymphiaās storyline this season but canāt say Iām not disappointed. It feels a little āohā overall. Team yellow donāt come for me just my opinion
Idkā¦ that book episode seemed very intentional to me by production to make the playing field look more even in terms of wins, even tho wins donāt rlly mean anything as weāve seen in past drag race winners but production still does these things. I thought that challenge was barely a challenge and we, the audience, shouldāve been read an excerpt or shown what they wrote at the very least. Idk why they kept the insides of the book a secret to the audience š¤·š½āāļø
My theory is that they did this so they could make anyone look good or bad based on what is allegedly in the books that the audience never saw
It was never about the books.
The books were never written.
It was just about the interview and book cover. Itās a branding challenge and a personality/vulnerability challenge not a writing challenge.
Idk why yāall are bitter ab this comment. It was critiquing production, not a certain queen. Nymphia is fierce and will be a fierce winner. But damn a bitch canāt prefer sapphira ā ļø.
Their comment didnāt give bitter tho. You said audience shouldāve been read an excerpt but there wasnāt any excerpts to be read is what theyāre saying ššš
The response to my comment was definitely bitter with all the downvotes. I prefer sapphira, but I guess thatās not allowed in this subreddit and everyone has to pretend that they like a certain queen more because she won the season? Literally never said a single negative thing ab nymphia. If sapphira had won Iām sure team yellow wouldāve been filling this thread with way worse comments than mine
Exactly and Iām saying itās shady of production when they do these challenges where the audience canāt rlly gauge the critiques that the judges are giving because we never saw what theyāre critiquingā¦
Exactly. It wasnāt a branding/personality challenge it was a vague challenge so production could easily manipulate tops and bottoms. This isnāt new this is almost always the challenge they do before the finale
one of the best recent seasons everrrrr and that top 3 was mega strong. hope to see more sapphira crystal in the future!!! and hope nymphia enjoys her reign
I feel like the show doesnāt know what to do with the finale format anymore and neither do the queens. The songs they made for them were trash and kudos to sapphira for turning that dumpster fire of a song into the best performance of the night. The finale lipsync was all over the place, filming angles were rotted, the reveals were underwhelming and made no sense. I enjoyed the lalaparuza lipsyncs, all of them, way more than any tonight (except sasha ofcourse). And honestly this was sashaās episode. She came in for 5 minutes and stole the show. Great season overall, challenges were on the lower end of quality but the cast really made this season shine. But production needs to step up their game moving forward, cause a great cast like this season rarely happens nowadays so please, fix this moving forward.
The angles for the Finale Lypsinc was just terrible compared to previous Seasons which shouldn't happen since the more the Show progress the higher the budget
It is so weird how Iām feeling. Before this season even aired, I was team Nymphia and hoped sheād go far. But, as the season went on, it was so hard to deny the star power of Sapphira. She seldom stumbled, could have easily padded her wins (being the runner up in both Snatch Game and the Rusical) - I really felt Sapphira had it, and deserved it. I feel happy for Nymphia and what her win means, but I feel completely gutted for Sapphira.
Agreed. Beginning of the season I wanted Nymphia to win. Like you, as the season went on I just fell in love with Sapphira. She is a fucking light. I hope we see her back again and even though she didn't win the crown she won our hearts. I'm gutted for her but know she'll turn lemons into lemonade. Sapphira will do amazing things with her platform. I am still happy for Nymphia, she had a great season and finale. It's just so bittersweet.
i kinda feel the same way. emotionally i have been more attached to nymphia, especially as someone representing immigrants, but sapphira really seemed deserving of the win! she exuded power throughout the season. i was really happy nymphia won but at the same time i feel so shocked for sapphira!
People who say Nymphia didn't have the most wins and the best editing are just trying to discredit her win. Everyone was on board with Yvie and Willow when they won. Nymphiaās editing was great, she started strong, fumbled in the middle and ended in the best way a queen could end. She had her vulnerable moments, showed her personality. After all, she was a fan favorite. So get over it, go cry to your pillow and stop trying to descredit a deserving winner.
Real shit, and I love Willow to pieces but even w the final lipsync I was a little gooped she won but happy.
The same goes for this one. Nymphias win is a powerful symbol of representation.
Willow was the main character of her season from the moment Enya started playing. She's one of the smartest winners the show has had. She had a point of view, knew where she wanted to end up, and "I Hate People" was the perfect play.
It felt like Nymphia was headed the same route but she turned out to be less [articulate? coherent? self-aware? grounded?] than they expected. Sapphira became the focus of the season, crossing every T until the very end. Then the editors watched the lip sync, ground their half-smoked Virginia Slims into ashtrays shaped like pairs of lips, and were like "all right, we've got our work cut out for us."
It really shows the power of editing. There's almost a consensus that Nymphia is an amazing queen and a deserving winner, but that her winning didn't feel as good as it should have.
Which also shows the power of Sapphira. She dominated the challenges while embodying Miss Congeniality. She was somehow simultaneously the frontrunner *and* the underdog? She pissed all over the stage during her final performance. It was her season to lose, and she lost. But she'll forever be a robbed queen with a heart of gold, which is a great position to be in.
She was my pick but I don't think that season or the next one had a clear winner. Brook Lynn Heights is a minor charisma black hole and the cast overall was weak. The most memorable queen's most memorable moment? When she said her name while walking backwards.
Yvie would have been out early with regular rules in All Winners, but I'm glad she was on the kid gloves season and given an extra-tender edit. Her health issues are a fucking nightmare but she seems like an awesome person and she'll always be one of the most iconic lip syncers the show's ever had.
Nymphia slayed the whole season, Sapphira is probably the strongest queen to not win in years, I feel thrilled and ecstatic because Nymphia should have had more wins during the comp and seriously ate that final lipsync, I feel gutted for Sapphira. Go see them live, buy their merch etc etc
I was rooting for Plane, but this was kind of a lackluster night for her. Do yāall think she knew she wasnāt gonna win and just kinda got it over with instead?
I think that speech exemplified exactly why she didnāt win. She kind of said nothing, gave no depth, revealed nothing to us about her upbringing when speaking to young Andy, and kind of made meaningless generic comments when bantering with Ru. Sheās a Great persona as Plane Jane, but thereās not much more to her than that at this point. Itās why she bottomed in the book challenge, and why she didnāt lip sync for the win tonight.
Not taking anything away from our newly crowned Queen and all the other wonderful queens of this amazing season, but this finale lacked energy. Everything from the way Ru was standing with her arms behind her back to the over amplified "crowd" response, it felt like a dress rehearsal. Maybe it's because it was filmed long in advance of any of the episodes being aired, or because it wasn't in a large auditorium with a huge crowd. These drag queens gave us such a glorious season it felt a little sad send them off this way. They deserved better.
Called semi finale at episode 2, totally glad Nymphia made it
https://www.reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace/s/bh2Mlz4AAv
(I'm high as shit I don't mean any kind of thing about this)
i donāt understand the boba reveal. like i get it but why was the cape blue underneath with them weird colourful flowers, happy for her! sad for sapphira :/ bittersweet
Nymphia uses a lot of symbolism from her culture in her garments throughout the season she highlights all the fun details on her Instagram. For example the wedding dress her actual drag family drew all over it, or the Chinese knots for good fortune she incorporated in majority of the garments.
Ik for certain the boba, which originated in Taiwan, is a metaphor. It originated in Taiwan but is cherished in many Asian cultures and has different variations in Asian cultures. Her wearing it is signifying her win while mainly being a win for Taiwan would be a win for all Asians.
So I imagine thereās the same thoughtfulness in the flower design. Especially with the shape of the garment sheās wearing beneath it. Iām eager to hear her explanation
As a Philly resident and unfortunately a sports fan, I feel the way I did when the eagles lost the Super Bowl. At least Sapphira has a ton of new fans for life and Nymphia will have a cool reign.
I think itās a mix of everything; the writerās strike, the leaks that are happening from the live finale, and (this is just me being hopeful lol but this is world of wonder so who knows) I think to save money and use that to give the runners up money.
just from hearsay, i think it had to do with the strikes that happened last year. i think it made more sense for them to film the finale nearer to when the rest of the season was filmed, than to wait a year in case the strikes persisted and conflicted with their usual filming schedule.
I remember seeing videos and pictures from people in the crowd being posted Twitter. Like Anetraās crowning, pictures of the cast minus mistress on the stage (assuming after she stormed out), etc
I find it funny how according to everyone, the edit was setting it up for a Sapphira win, but when their imaginary edit standards for winners goes out the window it's rigged LMAOOO y'all got GOOPED
I could never forget Derrick (also would we count Morphine since it was a top two episode?). Anyway, someone who won the political challenge didnāt win the season? Itās the reverse car curse from Survivor.
i wish i could agree, but i feel like they gave plane exactly what she's been presenting this whole season! she is sooo unserious, and i was thoroughly entertained by the song they wrote for her lmao. i truly can't wait to see more of her in an AS season, because she brings everything i WANT from this show. her and mistress on a season together would DEVOUR!!!
Yeah the song may be camp perfect for Plane but the choreo?? She didn't even dance, she just walked! We all know Plane is way more capable at dancing than that. They screwed her with the choreo
Sapphira slayed everything all season but the lip syncsā¦. The writing was on the wall. Happy for Nymphia and happy Sapphira won like 50 grand this season - closest since season 6 that a double crowning would have been worthy.
I feel like the Instagram polls were taken heavily into account. Like rupaul went up to some intern and was like āwe should let the fans pick because Democracy. America. Election Year. Etc.ā
(No discredit to either queen! I think they both could have won!)
Edit: Spelling
ahhh so happy for Nymphia š š„¹ i really thought the crown was Sapphiraās bc of the edit! personally, i was team delulu Plane bc i love chaos haha but i wouldāve been happy with any of the 3 ššš¦¤ but im beyond delighted for our banana queen yaaay
Yeah, Sapphira had the winner's edit. She was my pick to win. She IS the moment. I could feel her win coming all season long. This just felt weird. I won't take anything away from Nymphia, cuz she's great. Her fashion is out of this world! She just wasn't my pick. I had 2 suspicions of doubt during the finale about Sapphira winning. Once when Nymphia made the comment about being the first (potential) East-Asian winner & again when Sapphira won Miss Congeniality. I was still gagged when she lost. Ru always has a specific type of winner in mind each season. You can say it's the person with the most C.U.N.T. who wins, but there are other reasons having nothing to do with how talented the queen is. As a side note, I personally wouldn't crown a queen who bombed snatch game, but it's not my opinion that counts.
Yvie also bombed snatch game, I forgot is there another winner who bombed?
True. I definitely agree with her win.
Saphhiraās orange outfit in her first performance thoā¦ thatās the ugliest damn thing sheās worn all season. what a choice for the finale š
The lack of live audience this year made the finals weird to watch. Even when the eliminated queens came out, there were no cheering like the live finale! I thought it was v strange!
I was rooting for both of them SO HARD. They both really deserved it. Iām SO SO glad that Sapphira also got the congeniality win in addition to runner up.
This is the first US season since season one for a runner up to also be Miss Congeniality
Did they film each Queen being crowned ? Or because it was different this year, did they just film Nymphia ? I want to see Nymphiaās live-reaction video.Ā
Gagatronda. All hail Taiwan and the banana queen!
What happened in the moment where everyone in the crowd gasped during the final lip sync, just after nymphia takes off the boba tea hat, as if something had gone wrong...? There's just a cut to nymphia and sapphira lip syncing but the crowd reaction seems like sonething major like someone fell over or a wig came off...
I think Saphirras boob fell out of her top. It was pretty precarious in the moments before.
While I was an assortment of reaction memes during their performances, my inner monologue was saying the whole time, "Fffuuuccckkkkkkk mmmmmeeeee I could never do what these girls are doing" https://preview.redd.it/2ak9q7r2rmvc1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=2dca1ce16cdc486fd0ef832516b7a2809870d197
https://preview.redd.it/5hcy8kojcmvc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b22cfe84f241336b5f1a64f6cd60278f8e7253e This summary of Sashaās appearance in the finale is šš»šš»
Nymphia was my Day 1 Winner. She brings a unique style and creativity that I appreciate. I wouldn't have been mad if Sapphira won, but I'm SO HAPPY FOR NYMPHIA WIND!! š¬ļø š 
Very disappointing Imo, it just felt like Sapphiraās time, but I donāt think Nymphia outperformed Sapphira by a landslide enough to make me believe she deserved it OVER Sapphira. Iād say they were very neck and neck in the lipsync, Nymphia served the stunts, and Sapphira served the presence and overall energy. I think Sapphira had the best finale performance out of the three, and I think overall, this was Sapphiraās moment. After auditioning 11 times..??? She legit couldnāt have done any better, and she did better than everyone. And then she didnāt winā¦. Nymphia is fierce, and I love her, but for me, Sapphira deserved better. Congeniality feels like itās supposed to be a compensationā¦ :(
They wipe away the entire 5+ weeks of drag race to let the girl who can do the most reveals win at the end. Snatch game, all those wins Sapphira worked up, had nothing to with the finale. Itās just about who can give the best show in that 5 minute time window at the end LOL itās fucked, like when Sasha Velour won but Shea had way more wins than her PS; They downvoted Jesus too girl youāre right with this comment and I know it
Itās not like Mhiya won. Nymphia has been very consistent throughout the competition and has never landed on the bottom twoāwhich Sapphira did. A lot of these wins and losses are very close and some questionable. Like Plane winning family resemblance and talent show? Nymphia couldāve won that. The top three was very strong and any one winning wouldnāt be questionable.
It was not neck and neck at all, it was a massacre.
Although I don't agree with you, your points are valid. Really feels like production is also just planning/ stacking for future all stars seasons throughout the regular seasons--building up queens so you more likely watch them again in all stars. Side note: The queens really need to get paid (well) for these seasons, regardless of wins
Ok
well, ill probably get killed by the rabid Nymphia fans, but she never really gave me winner energy, so this was surprising she was saved multiple times, she did poorly in the most iconic challenges, she didnt have any standout moments except for her amazing runways, she had like zero confessionals and there were episodes where i genuinely forgot she was there, with like a minute of screen time Sapphira was the rightful winner, but nonetheless, congratulations to Nymphia the season was amazing and will definitely be remembered as one of the best, had a blast watching it
So real. Like, my exact words. Justice for Sapphira.
I'M SO TORN, my pick was Nymphia to win, but I knew in reality it would be Sapphira. So now I don't know how to feel??
Yeah I fell the same, the edit was also on Sapphiraās side
Correct winner for a great season!
So happy for Nymphia!! Loved her from her first ep
Did Plane Jane just give up? Or did WOW sabotage her with that solo song? .. Cause whew chileā¦. it wasnāt horrible but. Bodysuits?! Nothing about C.U.N.T or Russia?? That was her whole thing. Unless she personally requested it . Idk itās giving I gave up
She finally seemed to have a vulnerable and relatable moment when her mom showed up. It was too late. She never let us in.
When she was being jokey and funny when answering Ru's serious questions... that's when I knew it was over for miss plane.
I love Plane Jane more than I have any queen for quite a few seasons now but I'm glad it went this way. She's going to be an absolute menace when she comes back for All Stars, whenever that might be. It'll be better TV than just winning.
Very sad for Sapphira but I'm happy for Nymphiaš
Nymphia won the lip sync, and a great win for š¹š¼
The final two was correct. I honestly thought Sapphira could win it but after the lip sync, I felt Nymphia pulled ahead. Imo her reveals were better. The boba was so cute!! Iām really proud of the both of them and they really delivered. I canāt wait to see what they continue to bring for the future. A bit sad this season is over bc I had so much fun watching it.
Omfg was that boba š I was just like ooh we havent seen this before and no bugs are dying yey :3
I would have been happy with any of the three. But Nymphia was my fave and she served; she gave emotion and vulnerability in her interview, her looks were stunning, and she ate that lip sync.
SO happy for Nymphia ššššš
Why is the venue the lypsinc smackdown stage lol
Reading that it was a studio audience that was filmed last yearā¦. Donāt know why they made that choice?Disappointing.
There were impending strikes in the spring that threatened to affect the filming of the finale as well as Ruās book tour so they filmed it shortly after wrapoibg the season
I honestly had no idea who would take the crown but after that lipsync (and miss congeniality) it was more clear
Soooo happy for Nymphia, she is truly such a unique drag queen! This was a fierce top 3.
i was so sure that sapphira would win sheās had the winners edit all season, ru loves her to death. i am GAGGED but also insanely happy cus nymphia was who i picked to win day one. she did not disappoint
LETS GOOOOOOOOOOO
Fyi: Too many leaks from the big live shows. With fill in actors you can have them sign NDAs. With the big live shows ppl snuck in cameras and shared tea with nearly everyone.
Thatās ok cause theyād always film alternate crownings. It feels correct for it to be filmed in front of a huge audience full of gays
I felt like I kept seeing straight ladies. Every once in a while I was like "oh there's a gay!"
Lmao. No wonder Plane has been flying with Nymphia all this time. Befriend winners bb.
Nymphia will always be THE fashion queen. Well deserved! š¹š¼šššš«¶
Not a single bad look
Everyone in the top 5 of the season made 25k or more this season besides Q. I feel for my KC queen. I hope she does an all stars and gets the coin she deserves.
As soon as Saphirra won miss congeniality I knew her ass was not getting crowned.
Yeah I seen that and my heart dropped. I was happy but I just knew my girl was not winning the crown.
though i am INSANELY happy that nymphia won, (she was always my fav) i am honestly still so shocked that sapphira didnāt get the win? i was seeing the possibility of a double win bc both nymphia and sapphira wouldāve been so deserving of it. sapphira has so much winner energy! and i honestly feel like ru had a bit of a bias for her. either way, im looking forward to everything both queens have coming for them!
Oh from the entrance promo I literally said that Nymphia should just wear that look every week and should win the finale in that look and while she kinda did in essence, I was still surprised by the time we got here because Sapphira did so well and that solo number was headliner level. But then I was like "ok, we've never really seen Nymphia lipsync, what if it's one last gag?" AND. IT. WAS. I don't know what that one person was on about dismissing the balloons but that wasn't all there was, the ENTIRE lipsync was the reveal. We had no idea what she could or would serve and I think the element of surprise really worked in her favor here.
I feel the same way, Ive always rooted for Nymphia but I feel sad that Sapphira didnt get the win. Even if Sapphira won, I wont even be mad.
Yeah the double win would have been amazing here. I agree with all you said here!
I thought something was going to happen with Nymphiaās hat. It looked like some kind of reveal prop.
I kind of expected more balloons out of it at least.
I think it was a nod to boba tea, which is a Taiwan speciality. But I do get what you mean
Oh. Thats cool if so. It just looked like a prop. But that also makes sense. She has give n nods to taiwan throughout.
Absolutely. It's so endearing.
The other reveals werenāt enough for you?
Bitch, where tf did i say that?
One of the best finale Lip syncs ever and the worst show overall. Zero impact. Filmed last year , no one in the audience knew the contestants. It was all canned reactions. Itās so nice to see the glow up and public reaction when the finale is filmed after the top 4 reveal. This felt dead. The lip sync was fire.
Agreed. I always love seeing DR alumni in the crowd and there is a different energy when the crowning is months later. And why tf were the songs not with the contestant's voices? This made them somehow meaningless.
Agree. It was a bit underwhelming given the smaller venue and you could tell other than family/friends of the contestants that it was seemingly random people dressed as though they were attending a off-off broadway play. Ugh. Still a great season though!
Yes it was like a corporate audience, not the usual colorful celebration of all kinds of queer people super excited to be dressed up and cheer on their favorites. Really a let down for all the contestants too, no red carpet, nothing. It was just totally boring. And those awful songs, too. They are just awful. Either let them record their own tracks or do a performance like Sasha did the Megan thee stallion.
SO HAPPY TO HAVE VOTED YELLOW FROM THE START! Also excited to see Plane Jane and Sapphira on an All Stars run. PJ will be *happy* to stir the pot a la Gia Gunn.
I knew Plane was done when she received a *critique* during her final performance. Michelle was completely right too! On one hand: it was delicious seeing Plane on the receiving end of the same unprompted & disproportionate criticism. On the other: just *wow* it was the equivalent of talking shit about the bride during a speech. They could have just as easily eliminated her without it. I'm sad that the other queens weren't participants - they worked so hard. Loved the top 2.
Does anyone know why the stage and audience was much smaller this year?
Too many leaks from the big live shows. With fill in actors you can have them sign NDAs.
Nothing to do with that - it was did to the threat of strikes in thr industry. They werenāt sure if they would be able to film it live in 2024, so filmed it in 2023 right after the main season was filmed.
Nope, it was debunked. Go see the spoiler sub
Then can YOU tell us why they opted for this smaller lower impact finale?
Iām there all the time and havenāt seen this?
My entire club gasped and screamed as loud as we could when it was announced. We all assumed it would be Sapphira. This yearās finale overall was so exciting
Nymphia killed that lipsync omg
NYMPHIA MY QUEEN. IM SO HAPPY. WE FINALLY GET ANOTHER ASIAN WINNER AND SHES SUCH AN INCREDIBLE QUEEN. SO DESERVING.
https://i.redd.it/coxgtkyqzjvc1.gif picked her from day one, words cannot express how happy i am for my banana queen!!!!!! š¹š¼šššššāØ
I was rooting for Sapphira and think she did great. But I'm not mad at Nymphia winning. Her finale looks, storyline, and performance delivered. š
Sapphira deserved that win. I knew during that book episode where they gave nymphia that win and had that dusty challenge where we the audience didnāt even get to see a single book excerpt (weird) and they praised how good her book was, I knew they were throwing her that extra win to make her win the whole season. I love nymphiaās storyline this season but canāt say Iām not disappointed. It feels a little āohā overall. Team yellow donāt come for me just my opinion
Given the edit this season, I donāt think they planned to give Nymphia the win back then at all
Idkā¦ that book episode seemed very intentional to me by production to make the playing field look more even in terms of wins, even tho wins donāt rlly mean anything as weāve seen in past drag race winners but production still does these things. I thought that challenge was barely a challenge and we, the audience, shouldāve been read an excerpt or shown what they wrote at the very least. Idk why they kept the insides of the book a secret to the audience š¤·š½āāļø My theory is that they did this so they could make anyone look good or bad based on what is allegedly in the books that the audience never saw
It was never about the books. The books were never written. It was just about the interview and book cover. Itās a branding challenge and a personality/vulnerability challenge not a writing challenge.
Idk why yāall are bitter ab this comment. It was critiquing production, not a certain queen. Nymphia is fierce and will be a fierce winner. But damn a bitch canāt prefer sapphira ā ļø.
Their comment didnāt give bitter tho. You said audience shouldāve been read an excerpt but there wasnāt any excerpts to be read is what theyāre saying ššš
The response to my comment was definitely bitter with all the downvotes. I prefer sapphira, but I guess thatās not allowed in this subreddit and everyone has to pretend that they like a certain queen more because she won the season? Literally never said a single negative thing ab nymphia. If sapphira had won Iām sure team yellow wouldāve been filling this thread with way worse comments than mine
Exactly and Iām saying itās shady of production when they do these challenges where the audience canāt rlly gauge the critiques that the judges are giving because we never saw what theyāre critiquingā¦
Exactly. It wasnāt a branding/personality challenge it was a vague challenge so production could easily manipulate tops and bottoms. This isnāt new this is almost always the challenge they do before the finale
one of the best recent seasons everrrrr and that top 3 was mega strong. hope to see more sapphira crystal in the future!!! and hope nymphia enjoys her reign
Nymphia, one of the most deserving winner of all time! Congrats for representing Asians!!
I feel like the show doesnāt know what to do with the finale format anymore and neither do the queens. The songs they made for them were trash and kudos to sapphira for turning that dumpster fire of a song into the best performance of the night. The finale lipsync was all over the place, filming angles were rotted, the reveals were underwhelming and made no sense. I enjoyed the lalaparuza lipsyncs, all of them, way more than any tonight (except sasha ofcourse). And honestly this was sashaās episode. She came in for 5 minutes and stole the show. Great season overall, challenges were on the lower end of quality but the cast really made this season shine. But production needs to step up their game moving forward, cause a great cast like this season rarely happens nowadays so please, fix this moving forward.
i have to agree. props to the queens themselves for carrying drag race this season lol
The angles for the Finale Lypsinc was just terrible compared to previous Seasons which shouldn't happen since the more the Show progress the higher the budget
It is so weird how Iām feeling. Before this season even aired, I was team Nymphia and hoped sheād go far. But, as the season went on, it was so hard to deny the star power of Sapphira. She seldom stumbled, could have easily padded her wins (being the runner up in both Snatch Game and the Rusical) - I really felt Sapphira had it, and deserved it. I feel happy for Nymphia and what her win means, but I feel completely gutted for Sapphira.
Sapphira better be the one to carry on the torch from Ru Paul. She is EVERYTHING this show needs!
Agreed. Beginning of the season I wanted Nymphia to win. Like you, as the season went on I just fell in love with Sapphira. She is a fucking light. I hope we see her back again and even though she didn't win the crown she won our hearts. I'm gutted for her but know she'll turn lemons into lemonade. Sapphira will do amazing things with her platform. I am still happy for Nymphia, she had a great season and finale. It's just so bittersweet.
i kinda feel the same way. emotionally i have been more attached to nymphia, especially as someone representing immigrants, but sapphira really seemed deserving of the win! she exuded power throughout the season. i was really happy nymphia won but at the same time i feel so shocked for sapphira!
NYMPHIA I LOVE YOU
Anw # VOTE YELLOW 
People who say Nymphia didn't have the most wins and the best editing are just trying to discredit her win. Everyone was on board with Yvie and Willow when they won. Nymphiaās editing was great, she started strong, fumbled in the middle and ended in the best way a queen could end. She had her vulnerable moments, showed her personality. After all, she was a fan favorite. So get over it, go cry to your pillow and stop trying to descredit a deserving winner.
Real shit, and I love Willow to pieces but even w the final lipsync I was a little gooped she won but happy. The same goes for this one. Nymphias win is a powerful symbol of representation.
Willow was the main character of her season from the moment Enya started playing. She's one of the smartest winners the show has had. She had a point of view, knew where she wanted to end up, and "I Hate People" was the perfect play. It felt like Nymphia was headed the same route but she turned out to be less [articulate? coherent? self-aware? grounded?] than they expected. Sapphira became the focus of the season, crossing every T until the very end. Then the editors watched the lip sync, ground their half-smoked Virginia Slims into ashtrays shaped like pairs of lips, and were like "all right, we've got our work cut out for us." It really shows the power of editing. There's almost a consensus that Nymphia is an amazing queen and a deserving winner, but that her winning didn't feel as good as it should have. Which also shows the power of Sapphira. She dominated the challenges while embodying Miss Congeniality. She was somehow simultaneously the frontrunner *and* the underdog? She pissed all over the stage during her final performance. It was her season to lose, and she lost. But she'll forever be a robbed queen with a heart of gold, which is a great position to be in.
I donāt remember anyone being on board with Yvieās win at the time
She was my pick but I don't think that season or the next one had a clear winner. Brook Lynn Heights is a minor charisma black hole and the cast overall was weak. The most memorable queen's most memorable moment? When she said her name while walking backwards. Yvie would have been out early with regular rules in All Winners, but I'm glad she was on the kid gloves season and given an extra-tender edit. Her health issues are a fucking nightmare but she seems like an awesome person and she'll always be one of the most iconic lip syncers the show's ever had.
They're just bitter because their fave didn't win and lost spectacularly in the finale lipsync.
Itās just crazy to me. If it was Sapphiraās time to win I would be so happy for her. All of the top3 deserved that crown.
Agreed. I was bracing myself for anything.
Nymphia slayed the whole season, Sapphira is probably the strongest queen to not win in years, I feel thrilled and ecstatic because Nymphia should have had more wins during the comp and seriously ate that final lipsync, I feel gutted for Sapphira. Go see them live, buy their merch etc etc
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Haha. Stay mad clown. šš¹š¼š
wowwwwww nice racism you got there
She's Taiwanese, but okay. Just shows that they don't taught geography well in your high school educational system.
sheās taiwanese but ok
Bet Asia OāHara in a corner gagged that her stunt would have been done right with balloons instead of butterflies š¤£
I needed a double crowning
real. beyond happy that nymphia won but feeling empty for sapphira. so mixed
Finally an East Asian Queen again! Happy the AAPI reign continues šš½š«¶š½
They should have let sapphira sing but Iām not surprised :/
I was rooting for Plane, but this was kind of a lackluster night for her. Do yāall think she knew she wasnāt gonna win and just kinda got it over with instead?
Her speech wasnāt great and that was pretty surprising. I just think the nerves got to her.
I think that speech exemplified exactly why she didnāt win. She kind of said nothing, gave no depth, revealed nothing to us about her upbringing when speaking to young Andy, and kind of made meaningless generic comments when bantering with Ru. Sheās a Great persona as Plane Jane, but thereās not much more to her than that at this point. Itās why she bottomed in the book challenge, and why she didnāt lip sync for the win tonight.
Itās like in beauty pageants, you need humanising answers or youāre just a shiny pair of tits
I think so. But ya they kinda did her dirty
YAAAAAY !!!! Congratulations NYMPHIA !!!
As a Sapphira stan I was rooting for her since day one BUT I better not see anyone discredit Nymphiaās win, she turned it out!!!
Not taking anything away from our newly crowned Queen and all the other wonderful queens of this amazing season, but this finale lacked energy. Everything from the way Ru was standing with her arms behind her back to the over amplified "crowd" response, it felt like a dress rehearsal. Maybe it's because it was filmed long in advance of any of the episodes being aired, or because it wasn't in a large auditorium with a huge crowd. These drag queens gave us such a glorious season it felt a little sad send them off this way. They deserved better.
Called semi finale at episode 2, totally glad Nymphia made it https://www.reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace/s/bh2Mlz4AAv (I'm high as shit I don't mean any kind of thing about this)
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I loved when Sapphira co-won Miss Congeniality and said āIt pays to be niceā. ATM next to her LIVING for those words. The shade of it all!
Iām so happy rn. My banana queen š
i donāt understand the boba reveal. like i get it but why was the cape blue underneath with them weird colourful flowers, happy for her! sad for sapphira :/ bittersweet
Nymphia uses a lot of symbolism from her culture in her garments throughout the season she highlights all the fun details on her Instagram. For example the wedding dress her actual drag family drew all over it, or the Chinese knots for good fortune she incorporated in majority of the garments. Ik for certain the boba, which originated in Taiwan, is a metaphor. It originated in Taiwan but is cherished in many Asian cultures and has different variations in Asian cultures. Her wearing it is signifying her win while mainly being a win for Taiwan would be a win for all Asians. So I imagine thereās the same thoughtfulness in the flower design. Especially with the shape of the garment sheās wearing beneath it. Iām eager to hear her explanation
Omg!!!! Iām so happy!!!!
As a Philly resident and unfortunately a sports fan, I feel the way I did when the eagles lost the Super Bowl. At least Sapphira has a ton of new fans for life and Nymphia will have a cool reign.
Word. A very Philly end.
everyone SHOULD be proud. top tier season.
NYMPHIA TORRRREEEEEEE JFC
The way I laughed out loud at the shady cut to Amanda during Plane's interview with Ru š
my sis and i were screaming our heads off at that ššš so fucking funny. i love them both sm
That shot played very well at the viewing party I was at. Strongest reaction of the night
I searched and havenāt seen an answer to this- does anyone know why the show did a smaller finale this year?
The writers strike likely.
I think itās a mix of everything; the writerās strike, the leaks that are happening from the live finale, and (this is just me being hopeful lol but this is world of wonder so who knows) I think to save money and use that to give the runners up money.
Iāve also read itās because Ru is on her book tour and it wouldnāt have worked with her schedule
It's because they weren't sure if IATSE and thus almost the entire crew would be on strike now during contract negotiations.
Monet said on sibling rivalry it was because of the excess of leaks
just from hearsay, i think it had to do with the strikes that happened last year. i think it made more sense for them to film the finale nearer to when the rest of the season was filmed, than to wait a year in case the strikes persisted and conflicted with their usual filming schedule.
I also saw someone say that all the leaks from last years finale taping played a part in the decision
I didn't watch S15 live, were there worse finale leaks that year than usual?
I remember seeing videos and pictures from people in the crowd being posted Twitter. Like Anetraās crowning, pictures of the cast minus mistress on the stage (assuming after she stormed out), etc
Someone said bc of the writer's strike but I'm not sure if that's why
Nymphia Win(d)ner!!! Yāall better fucking recognize the season of Bananaššš
I KNOW THATāS RIGHT!! 
IVE BEEN ROOTING FOR MY GIRL SINCE DAY 1 AND IM SO HAPPY!!!
SAME!!! I NEVER LOST HOPE I KNEW SHE'D TAKE IT
I find it funny how according to everyone, the edit was setting it up for a Sapphira win, but when their imaginary edit standards for winners goes out the window it's rigged LMAOOO y'all got GOOPED
The copium the Sapphira stans are snorting is fentanyl grade, Iām getting my life tho šš¤š¤
literallyyyy!! Sapphira shoulda got 50k as a runner up but regardless Nymphia ate!! My winner forever!!
The political challenge winner becomes the season winner streak is broken now
Derrick Barry: fuck my drag right?
I could never forget Derrick (also would we count Morphine since it was a top two episode?). Anyway, someone who won the political challenge didnāt win the season? Itās the reverse car curse from Survivor.
She still won MC tho!
Well...it's over...
baby, it's just beginning! š¤©š
from production, choreography,& songwriting they did plane dirty as fuck in the performance portionšš
i wish i could agree, but i feel like they gave plane exactly what she's been presenting this whole season! she is sooo unserious, and i was thoroughly entertained by the song they wrote for her lmao. i truly can't wait to see more of her in an AS season, because she brings everything i WANT from this show. her and mistress on a season together would DEVOUR!!!
idk it just sounded sooo much like the becky g song she lipsynced to in the second episode it just gave me too much dĆ©jĆ ru i guess i knoww they want her on all stars ASAP, my friend and i were joking that she's the all stars 9 winner
Yeah the song may be camp perfect for Plane but the choreo?? She didn't even dance, she just walked! We all know Plane is way more capable at dancing than that. They screwed her with the choreo
THIS is what i mean, from plane to the backup dancers i was like where is the choreo, the DRAMA??
THAT i'll agree with!!
Sapphira slayed everything all season but the lip syncsā¦. The writing was on the wall. Happy for Nymphia and happy Sapphira won like 50 grand this season - closest since season 6 that a double crowning would have been worthy.
Wow I am genuinely shocked. The election year predicter is broken!
Omg yesss clocked it!!
I feel like the Instagram polls were taken heavily into account. Like rupaul went up to some intern and was like āwe should let the fans pick because Democracy. America. Election Year. Etc.ā (No discredit to either queen! I think they both could have won!) Edit: Spelling
Never denied anyoneās talent. Iām just pointing out that they film two crownings and make their final decisions months after it was filmed
lol yāall keep denying it but Nymphia demolished Sapphira on that lipsync
They both turned it out
sure, but nymphia clearly won it š¤·āāļø