Drag Race Brazil, Episode 12: The Recap
Are you up to speed?
Racers, start your engines, we've reached the final lap of the first season of Drag Race Brazil!
Are you up to speed?
The format of this episode followed the standard approach that we generally see in this franchise.
There were 1-on-1 chats with Grag, there were messages from family and friends, and there was lots of tears and emotions.
Sidebar - awesome to have an appearance from Bruno from the Pit Crew for the US version of Drag Race. Bruno is a Brazilian god.
The music video that had to be created in this final episode was to Grag's track, Party Everyday.
This was set up to showcase the Top 4 - everyone looked good, everyone did the job.
The final runway
As well as getting to see the entire cast in their finale looks, we got a final runway from our Top 4.
- Hellena Malditta: Hellena gave us a gold gown. I was a bit confused by this look, but it made more sense later on when it turned out to be a multi-reveal look.
- Organzza: Organzza gave us a celebration of black excellence. It was a strong look that was totally on-brand.
- Betina Polaroid: Betina gave us a look that was Leigh Bowery meets Hellraiser. It made sense for Betina.
- Miranda Lebrão: Miranda looked great in a red gown over a gold bodysuit. I think the netting that she was carrying had some significance, but I'm not sure what that was.
The Lip-sync
The track was Envolver by Anitta.
This is a strong track but a four-way lip-sync battle is always a bit of a circus.
The stage was really dominated by Hellena. She'd seemed a bit subdued throughout this episode but this was really her moment - she had a wig reveal and then multiple layers to her costume which meant that she held focus throughout the performance.
I didn't understand what Miranda was doing with the scissors, Betina was a bit hampered by her outfit, and Organzza was working hard but a bit all over the place.
The Crowning
I really wasn't sure how this was going to go down. In my head, I could easily make a case for Hellena, Miranda, or Organzza. Based on what we saw in the final lip-sync, I was guessing that it was going to be a win to Hellena.
However, it was Organzza that was crowned as the winner of Season 1 of Drag Race Brazil.
A worthy winner - she's had an outstanding season and this will clearly elevate her onto a global platform.
Season 1, done!
The Cast
Organzza
Final Ranking: Winning the first two challenges in this competition set Organzza up as the clear frontrunner and she pretty much maintained that momentum throughout the competition. A worthy winner.
Hellena Malditta
Final Ranking: Hellena is a total look-queen but she also consistently smashed it in the challenges throughout this competition. Not only did she win the sewing challenge of Episode 4, she also won Snatch Game. I underestimated Hellena. She very easily could have won the whole thing.
Miranda Lebrão
Final Ranking: Miranda had a clunky start to the season but she quickly found her groove. There's an intelligence and an angry fire to her humour that makes her a really compelling performer.
Betina Polaroid
Final Ranking: An experienced queen, Betina didn’t have a great start to the competition but she’s found her feet. I was a bit surprised that Betina made it all the way to the Top 4 but her consistency and professionalism really held her in good stead.
Shannon Skarllet
Final Ranking: Shannon has been a really strong and vibrant presence in this show. She made it to Top 5, which feels correct – eliminated in the lip-sync by Miranda.
Naza
Final Ranking: I really like Naza – she seems like she’s having a good time, whatever she’s doing. Her inexperience finally caught up with her and she was eliminated in Episode 8, beaten in the lip-sync by Hellena.
Dallas de Vil
Final Ranking: Dallas has been the survivor of this season – defying the odds to continue on in the competition. Her luck eventually ran out in Episode 7, beaten in the lip-sync by Shannon.
Rubi Ocean
Final Ranking: Rubi gave us some good TV but she couldn’t quite deliver any breakthrough performances amidst this very strong cast.
Aquarela
Final Ranking: Aquarela is interesting – very visual and very conceptual. Her visuals never quite seemed adaptable enough to suit the format of this competition – eliminated in Episode 5, beaten in the lip-sync by Dallas.
Melusine Sparkle
Final Ranking: I really like Melusine – she’s got a great presence on camera and she’s clearly a confident performer who can serve great looks. Perhaps she didn’t quite have the experience required to be a force in this competition – eliminated in Episode 4, beaten by Aquarela in the lip-sync.
Tristan Soledade
Final Ranking: Tristan is a bearded queen. She’s seems to be quite conceptual but a bit messy. The acting challenge of Episode 3 was her undoing, beaten in the lip-sync by Dallas.
Diva More
Final Ranking: I really like what we got to see of Diva, she’s likeable and engaging on camera. However, her performance in the video wasn’t strong and her cow runway looked a bit sad. She landed in the Bottom 2 for the split-premiere and was beaten in the lip-sync by Betina.