RuPaul's Drag Race Episode 14 Recap: A Decisive Night for Suzie Toot

Editor's note: Before you dive into episode 14, read our recap of last week's episode.

Early on in this week's episode, Lexi Love proclaimed: "One more big challenge to go." But after last week’s stellar makeover episode, this episode was strangely anticlimactic.

Over the last decade, RuPaul's Drag Race has experimented with the format of its final episodes. A straightforward crowning gave way to a lip sync for the crown, which evolved into starring in a RuPaul music video, which evolved into writing a verse for a RuPaul song. Later, the reunion mutated into a LaLaPaRuza Smackdown. This episode indicates the recipe for bringing the season to a proper close remains elusive.

In celebration of the 1000th performance of RuPaul's Drag Race Live in Las Vegas, the queens were tasked with auditioning for headlining slots at the revue. RuPaul laid out a four-part gauntlet consisting of a photoshoot, an interview, a group musical dance number, and a promotional video.

The photo shoot was a welcome moment for RuPaul to interact with each queen, sometimes hands-on. But his absence from the interview portion dragged down the segment. While Latrice Royale is a longtime fan favorite and live show cast member, she has not witnessed the queens' growth this season. RuPaul and Michelle typically take on this role, bringing familiarity and connection with the competitors. Instead, the queens answered rote questions such as, “What’s your biggest strength/weakness?” and “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Save for Lexi’s human trafficking story and Jewels' joke-gate reveal, this portion felt as tedious as a job interview.

Given the weak lead-up to the performance, it would stand to reason that the musical number would be the main challenge showstopper. It was not. The five queens lip-synced (oddly to a male voice) and danced around to the show’s new number, “Gift Shop.” At a scant 70 seconds, it was a waste of everyone’s time and not at all a compelling reason to make a trip to Vegas. A personal verse from each queen would have injected some life into the anonymous performance. If they are saving individual performances for the Grand Finale in two weeks, why do this exercise at all?

The saving grace came from the runway category. On paper, Opulent Outerwear might have sounded like a weak concept for the season’s final runway, but the queens delivered. Each contestant crafted opulent looks that spotlighted their unique take on drag. Jewels, as her name suggests, sparkled with a very Vegas feathered coat. Lexi’s puffer jacket/opera coat hybrid continued her heart theme and exemplified her “avant-stupid” brand. Onya paid homage to her African roots with an astounding mix of patterns, textures, and oversized accessories, a fitting capstone to her collection of looks. Sam continued to embrace her brand of "capital D" drag with a bejeweled orange gown, a cape, and huge blonde hair. The only drawback? The combination of the two came off as unintentionally outdated. Suzie, on the other hand, was intentionally out of date with a gorgeous red 1920s cocoon coat that created a striking silhouette.

With four tasks and a runway, it was difficult to ascertain who might end up in the top or bottom. All tasks considered, Jewels edged out Onya for the win. Her victory had the convenient side effect of bringing everyone’s track records closer together going into the finale. The season closed with Onya at four wins, Sam at three wins, and Lexi, Jewels, and Suzie at two wins each. The bottom two would be between Sam, Lexi, and Suzie.

Suzie’s bottom placement seemed pre-destined from the start of the episode. The season needed a twist, and Suzie fit the bill. The idea of the perceived, if not literal, frontrunner landing in the bottom two at the very end added much-needed drama. While Suzie did herself no favors by saying, “I have no kryptonite,” her outsider role has felt at odds with RuPaul’s Drag Race throughout the season.

The throughline of the episode was that Suzie read more "Broadway" than "Vegas." It’s a fair assessment, and Suzie’s refusal to brand herself as something she is not contributed to her placement at the bottom. It’s a respectable outcome — she spent the season delivering her unique brand of drag in a way only she could. It’s part of the reason she polarized her castmates, audiences, and alumni of Drag Race all season long. Suzie probably wouldn’t fit in as the Vegas headliner because that’s not what she does or what she wants to do.

The lip-sync was great (they should do more Motown), and one could make a strong argument that Suzie won. From a narrative point of view, one wonders why the final lip-sync of the season wouldn't be between Suzie and Lexi. More than a missed opportunity, it prevented narrative closure between the two competitors going into the finale. RuPaul called this the “semi-final” of Season 17, but it felt unsatisfying. The one moment of finality was Suzie Toot’s impressive run on the season as a truly original and talented representation of South Florida drag.