There is no doubt that the lip sync smackdown for the crown makes for a more enjoyable finale. However, its introduction marked a change in Drag Race towards the worse.
I've discussed this in my review of season 11's finale, so I won't get into it too much, but by making the determining factor only two lipsyncs, it takes anything accomplished over the course of the season and throws it out the window, meaning that a queen who skated by in the competition (not that there has been one yet) could potentially win the crown if she does a killer lipsync. Think about it this way: would you be cool if Coco Montrese won the crown, despite her terrible performance? Probably not, but people have just accepted this as what Drag Race is now.
Shea Coulee should have won the season, given that she was the only queen other than Sharon Needles to win four challenges in a regular season. That accomplishment alone should have guaranteed her the crown, along with her flexible, entertaining performances she consistently showed. A part of me wonders if the lipsync for the crown was introduced purely to screw with that and allow RuPaul to play favourites. It is no secret that "avant-garde" queens do VERY well on the show, with only a couple not being named the winners, namely Acid Betty. The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if Sasha Velour was the favourite to win but the producers knew that naming her the winner under normal circumstances would incite fan backlash. Whatever the reason, I think it was unfair to Shea and a dirty tactic that the fans just ate up because of the entertainment value.
Does this mean I didn't like Sasha's amazing wig reveal? No. That was probably one of the best lipsyncs in the show's history. What I am saying is that I don't believe that lipsync should have happened in the first place. It is unfair to the queens' hard work over the season and something done purely for drama and entertainment.
I've discussed this in my review of season 11's finale, so I won't get into it too much, but by making the determining factor only two lipsyncs, it takes anything accomplished over the course of the season and throws it out the window, meaning that a queen who skated by in the competition (not that there has been one yet) could potentially win the crown if she does a killer lipsync. Think about it this way: would you be cool if Coco Montrese won the crown, despite her terrible performance? Probably not, but people have just accepted this as what Drag Race is now.
Shea Coulee should have won the season, given that she was the only queen other than Sharon Needles to win four challenges in a regular season. That accomplishment alone should have guaranteed her the crown, along with her flexible, entertaining performances she consistently showed. A part of me wonders if the lipsync for the crown was introduced purely to screw with that and allow RuPaul to play favourites. It is no secret that "avant-garde" queens do VERY well on the show, with only a couple not being named the winners, namely Acid Betty. The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if Sasha Velour was the favourite to win but the producers knew that naming her the winner under normal circumstances would incite fan backlash. Whatever the reason, I think it was unfair to Shea and a dirty tactic that the fans just ate up because of the entertainment value.
Does this mean I didn't like Sasha's amazing wig reveal? No. That was probably one of the best lipsyncs in the show's history. What I am saying is that I don't believe that lipsync should have happened in the first place. It is unfair to the queens' hard work over the season and something done purely for drama and entertainment.
