It feels right with our fantasy.
Mikelle StreetWe believe in Symone supremacy.
In the finale of RuPaul's Drag Race season 13, Symone walked away with the crown, scepter, and $100,000. The Arkansas native beat out 12 other formidable contestants in a fairly tight — if extended — season. And while many are celebrating the overall win, according to reports, Symone made history in the process. What's more: it was in the same episode that the show made VH1 history.
Bernardo Sim at ScreenRant reports that Symone became the first queen ever to survive seven lip syncs on Drag Race with the finale episode. Her final performance, against Kandy Muse to "Till the World Ends," pushed her over Trinity the Tuck's record of six lip sync wins that she has held since All Stars 4. But it's been the most interesting confluence of events that's led us here.
Season 13 kicked off on New Year's Day with a new format, forcing all of the queens to lip sync immediately. This scored Symone her first win to Janet Jackson's "The Pleasure Principle." The artist herself appreciated the performance, and went on to post it in her Instagram Stories. Then there was Dua Lipa's "Break My Heart," in episode two where Symone faced off against Olivia Lux. The two were battling for a $5,000 tip and the winner of the week.
The performer then wound up in the bottom with Kandy Muse performing to Fifth Harmony's "BO$$." Some might count this as a win as Ru first told Muse to sashay away before then saving her — but even if you don't, Symone still survived it. In episode 12, Symone performed Ariana Grande's "No Tears Left to Cry," and Grande reposted a clip as well. Symone finished the season up doing the Top 4 lip sync to Whitney Houston's "I Learned From the Best" before doing "Gimme More" and "Till the World Ends" in the finale.
This history-making title comes in addition to a wad of cash. Not only did the queen get the $100,000 grand prize, but along the way, she won $20,000 in cash tips. Don't let the smooth taste fool ya, indeed.
But that wasn't all. According to Deadline,RuPaul's Drag Race is the number 1 most social cable program of 2021 so far. This contributed to and was a result of a premiere episode that was the most-watched in franchise history, as well as a finale episode that was highly watched as well.
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