Who Should Win Season 10? 5 Reasons Kameron Michaels Deserves the ‘Drag Race’ Crown
This piece on why Kameron Michaels should win is the third of a four-part series ahead of this week’s Drag Race finale. You can also check out our pieces on Aquaria, Eureka O’Hara and Asia O’Hara.
Thursday marks the finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 10, and with four excellent competitors having to slog it out in the Lip Sync for your Life elimination grand finale, it’s going to be quite a rumble. But we wouldn’t blame you if you put money on this season’s underdog, Kameron Michaels.
Though he has struggled to come out on top for much of the season, he’s proved a strong competitor, both literally and figuratively. (Did you see him do the air splits in a black thong as his own evil twin?) He’s friendly, has pulled lots of tricks out of that frilly sleeve and has proved more than once that bite is better than bark, hennie.
Here are five reasons why Kameron Michaels should win the Season 10 crown.
1. Kameron Michaels is not a spotlight-stealer always in need of attention.
In a season that has forced us to watch The Vixen throw petty tantrums and Eureka give her opinion on literally every single damned thing going on everywhere, Michaels has been a welcome breath of fresh, non-needy air.
He’s most content to let his talent speak for itself, and that talent is loud and clear. Perhaps he’s been watching Netflix’s The Crown and knows that grace and restraint are the hallmarks of a true queen. Snatch it, hunny.
2. Kameron Michaels is a no drama queen and (gasp!) actually a pleasant person.
Remember all those times Michaels started shit in the workroom and on Untucked? Yeah, neither do we — that’s because this queen never did. And that’s one of the reasons Kameron Michaels should win.
Yeah, he’s introverted, and on the reunion episode Dusty and Monique accused him of being cold and fake, but from what we’ve seen on Untucked, it’s more that he stays focused at the task on hand and is much better in one-on-one interactions. (It’s all that training as a professional hairdresser, y’all.)
In fact, in smaller groups he really opens up and even gets emotional, showing that introverts can be some of the most resilient, deepest and warmest folks we know.
3. Kameron Michaels should win because he rocks a lip sync.
It might seem a drawback that Michaels has had three chances to show off his lip sync skills, but that just means he’s had lots of practice for the grand finale’s upcoming elimination death match. Not since Peppermint have we seen such a fierce lip-syncer; Kameron knows the words and has athletic moves to back them up.
If he combines that with some surprising artistry — you know, Sasha Velour-style — then he could pull a crown-snatching upset from any of his three competitors.
4. Kameron Michaels is a wizard with his makeup and elaborate dress skills.
How’re you gonna come out in an Episode 3 “Fabulous Feathers” challenge looking like a goddamned real-life Maleficent? Seriously.
When Angelina Jolie turned into that she-bird demon witch she had CGI and an army of Disney makeup artists to help her. All Kameron had was his wardrobe and his teeny don’t-talk-to-me makeup mirror — and he. turned. it. out.
Don’t even get us started on his summer and Martian looks from Episode 4’s Last Ball on Earth, or the time he wore a gyroscope on his head as a damned hat. For real. Anymore gagging and we’d need the Heimlich maneuver.
5. Kameron Michaels should win because it’s time for a muscle queen to snatch the crown.
OK, so admittedly we’ve never had a “muscle queen” appear on the show before, so it’s not like one has been denied the crown. But still, as the show’s pioneer jock-competitor, Kameron Michaels bridges the gap between handsome jocks who mere mortals feel intimidated to chat up at the bar and approachable queens who radiate with warmth and charm after a show.
As a survivor of bullying, he knows the importance of kindness and strength. He is butch and femme, man and woman, strong yet kind, a hunky jock and a girly geek, all rolled into one talented package — and with that sort of versatility, he’d make a great ambassador as America’s Next Drag Superstar.
