Drag Race Canada, S4:E9 - The Recap.

We've made it to the end of Season 4 of Drag Race Canada.

It's been a punchy nine-episode season, but it's been entertaining!

The Main Challenge

I don't know if we've had this version of a final challenge in a Drag Race series before?

The final four had to each write, record, and perform an original song.

They were all given the same backing track but then had to come up with the lyrics.

The highlight was the recording session with Nelly Furtado - bringing some star-power to the series. Nelly looked great, and felt very warm and engaged, and the real-time, in-the-moment way she was helping to improve each of the queen's songs felt like a real gift.

The queens were also each given choreography to learn.

It seemed like a lot.

We got to see the performances on the main stage and they were all pretty strong. Nearah is a compelling performer but she could have done with less words in her lyrics. For me, Aurora was probably the pick of them.

The runway

We got the final eleganza looks from the entire cast, but also some top-drawer looks from the final four.

• Denim: In a move away from her normal club-kid aesthetic, Denim gave us a play on body transformation with abs and pecs. I think this is Denim's best look of the season - it looked great, but also conveyed so much.
• Nearah: Nearah looked gorgeous - a stunning gown in blue with some extra chiffon for drama.
• Venus: Venus looked beautiful in almost a renaissance-inspired gown.
• Aurora: Drawing on her Chinese heritage, Aurora gave us Empress-realness.

The judging

We went from a Top 4 to a Final 2 - Nearah and Denim were cut, giving us a final lip-sync between Aurora and Venus. That seemed fair enough.

The lip-sync

The song was Try by Nelly Furtado.

Not an easy song - it's a bit one level and you've got to try and connect to the emotion of the lyrics. Plus, you're doing it in front of Nelly Furtado - guest judging you.

Aurora is a really good lip-syncer, but this track didn't play to her strengths - plus, her make-up was so stamped for this look that it didn't really allow the audience to connect with the emotion she was expressing.

Venus looked beautiful. She tends to overdo the emotion when she's lip-syncing but it worked in this context. She delivered the song.

When we got to the final crowning, based on everything that we'd seen this season - and particularly in this final episode - it felt kind of inevitable that it was going to go to Venus, and it did.

Congratulations to Venus - the new Queen of the North!

Season 5, done!

The Queens

Venus

Final Ranking: After winning the first episode, Venus immediately established herself as a frontrunner and managed to maintain that momentum throughout the competition. She's tall, she's skinny, she's beautiful, and she makes good TV. Congratulations, Venus - the Queen of the North!

Aurora Matrix

Final Ranking: Aurora has had a few ups and downs in this competition but she consistently demonstrated that she's one of the strongest queens in this cast. She really comes alive when she's performing on stage and she's established herself as a queen that you're going to want to see more of.

Denim

Final Ranking: Denim serves a futuristic club kid aesthetic that has really connected with the judges this season. Her success in this competition is really going to boost her confidence.

Nearah Nuff

Final Ranking: After a bit of a shaky start in the competition, Nearah demonstrated that she is not only a powerhouse dancer but also an accomplished and professional drag queen. She is the lip-sync assassin of the season and she's ensured that she's going to be booked and busy for many years to come.

Melinda Verga

Final Ranking: Melinda is from Edmonton and she produces shows that highlight Filipino and Asian cultures. Melinda has been on a total roller-coaster in this competition but she's delivered some good TV and held it together enough to stay in the game. Melinda made it all the way to Top 5, beaten in the lip-sync by Neerah.

Kiki Coe

Final Ranking: This has been a great season for Kiki - not only has she showcased the top-tier looks that she is renowned for, but she also got to demonstrate her performance skills. Kiki can be really pleased with what she's delivered.

Kitten Kaboodle

Final Ranking: Kitten Kaboodle is a showgirl who is known for her design and costuming skills. Her strengths are acting and creating looks, dynamic lip-syncs not so much. Eliminated in the lip-sync battle.

Aimee Yonce Shennel

Final Ranking: Aimee Yonce Shennel grew up in the Dominican Republic before moving to Canada. Aimee didn't get a particularly compelling start to the competition and the end of the road came in the lip-sync battle.

Luna DuBois

Final Ranking: Luna DuBois from Toronto and she celebrates her Nigerian culture. She's into fashion. Although she's exited the competition relatively early, Luna has been able to showcase her performance skills - no doubt she will be booked and busy.

The Girlfriend Experience

Final Ranking: The Girlfriend Experience was born in Germany but grew up in Vancouver. She produces an all-trans drag show in Vancouver. After a good first episode, the acting challenge of Episode 2 was a bit of a disaster. Saved by the Golden Beaver, Girlfriend made it through to Episode 3 but then that was the end of the road. It felt as if she was a bit overwhelmed by the whole experience, beaten in the lip-sync by Kitten.

Sisi Superstar

Final Ranking: The Pork Chop of the season, Sisi Superstar is from Montreal. She runs an alternative queer night called Unikorn Parties. It was the burlesque performance of Episode 1 where things really went sideways for Sisi and she didn't recover from there - unable to find her feet in this competition and beaten in the lip-sync of Episode 2, defeated by Luna DuBois.

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