Buckle up, Drag Race fans, because tonight is Season 9’s final showdown and it’s going to be a wild ride. All tea no shade, RuPaul’s Drag Race kicked the competition into overdrive this year. Season 8’s Miss Congeniality sashayed back into the competition, a cheerleading injury changed the game, and RuPaul had to lay down the law during the wildest lip sync ever. Week after week, this season of Drag Race has left viewers positively shook.

But–and we’re venturing into spoilers here, honey–as all Drag Race fans know, only three queens strut their stuff in the finale. Well, except this season. The competition has been so close that RuPaul cancelled the elimination in the season’s penultimate episode and sent all four queens — Peppermint, Sasha Velour, Shea Couleé, Trinity Taylor — into the finale. Which means four phenomenal queens are about to square off for the crown in an unprecedented finale lip sync extravaganza! Only one will win the crown–but can all four of them claim to be part of the greatest Drag Race finale ever?!

Once the shock of the final four decision wore off, though, it started to hit us: are these four queens the best group of finalists Drag Race has ever given us? And if Season 9’s finalists are indeed the strongest we’ve ever had … does that make Season 9 the best season of Drag Race EVAH?

Before the curtain falls and Season 9’s ladies untuck, Decider’s resident Drag Race devotees Joe Reid and Brett White will get to the bottom of this: does Season 9’s final four have more charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent than any other season’s last queens standing? First, we’ll break down the eight seasons that have come before.

Season 1: BeBe Zahara Benet, Nina Flowers, Rebecca Glasscock

Season 1 takes a lot of crap for its low production values, looking like it was filmed in the back of an absconded Vaseline delivery truck. In its initial incarnation, though, Drag Race was as much a cutting parody of Top Model-style reality competitions as it was a reality competition itself, and the shabbiness of the production (while certainly also budget-dictated) felt purposeful. Even within that framework, though, Season 1 gave us two iconic queens in its finale: the polished, statuesque, classic drag of Bebe Zahara Benet (“CAMEROOOOOON!”) and the Puerto Rican art-punk edge of Nina Flowers. And also there was Rebecca Glasscock.

Season 2: Tyra Sanchez, Raven, Jujubee

Tyra Sanchez is nobody’s choice for most beloved drag queen, but she never finished in the bottom of any challenge, never had to lip sync for her life, and clearly was giving RuPaul the deep-voiced fish she was apparently looking for. Raven was an iconic queen on Season 2 and beyond, but she did have some early struggles. Raven was both fierce and contentious, an early template for queens like Raja and Bianca Del Rio — who could be bitches but who backed it up. Jujubee, meanwhile, was a huge fan favorite and survived three lip-syncs before falling in third place.

Season 3: Raja, Manila Luzon, Alexis Mateo

Raja and Manila were the Heathers we deserved in season 3, a triumph of Mean Girls that only the gay male fans of Drag Race could love. Raja’s triumph was the first time that a winning queen held a decidedly avant-garde point of view. Manila was flawless when it came to putting a look together, though she leaned on some crutches (that over-the-top racist Filipino accent!) in the performance challenges. Still, she did lay down the most iconic lip-sync maybe ever. Alexis Mateo, meanwhile, was a pageant queen and an early example of pageant queens having zero idea what to do with art queens.

Season 4: Sharon Needles, Chad Michaels, Phi Phi O’Hara

Art/horror queen Sharon Needles took home the crown in Season 4, fending off more-than-just-Cher Chad Michaels and Chicago’s feisty Phi Phi O’Hara. Sharon made the judges gag with looks pulled right out of a Hellraiser movie, although she never impressed showgirl Phi Phi (“Go back to Party City where you belong!”). Chad Michaels proved to be more than just a Cher-alike (although she slayed as Cher in the Snatch Game), and she went on to win All Stars Season One.

Season 5: Jinkx Monsoon, Alaska, Roxxxy Andrews

Season 5 had a real Mean Girls vibe with the formation and fall of Ro-Laska-Tox, a snarky BFF trio comprised of Roxxxy Andrews, Alaska, and Detox. The quirky Seattleite Jinkx Monsoon often felt like the odd queen out, also because her vaudeville-esque humor clashed with Alaska’s dark/droll/dry wit and Roxxxy’s general disdain for all things funny. Jinkx emerged triumphant in Season 5, while Alaska went on to win All Stars Season Two.

Season 6: Bianca Del Rio, Adore Delano, Courtney Act

You’d be hard-pressed to find three more different queens than Season 6’s finalists. Australian drag superstar Courtney Act dazzled the judges with her consistent fishiness, ex-American Idol contestant Adore Delano brought riot grrl realness to the runway, and veteran queen Bianca Del Rio roasted the competition like a dolled up Don Rickles. At 37, Bianca became the most veteran queen to snatch the crown.

Season 7: Violet Chachki, Ginger Minj, Pearl

Season Seven often gets dragged for being uneventful, even though it produced two fan favorite queens (Katya and Trixie Mattel). Of course you’ll notice that Katya and Trixie didn’t make it to the final three; instead, the gloriously crude and campy Ginger Minj, the very chill and flazéda Pearl, and the innovative and usually corseted Violet Chachki made it to the finale. In the end, the judges ruled in favor of Violet’s provocative take on old Hollywood glamour.

Season 8: Bob the Drag Queen, Kim Chi, Naomi Smalls

Season 8 had perhaps the ideal mix of a Drag Race final three: you had your art queen/makeup empress in Kim Chi, your comedy queen par excellence in Bob the Drag Queen, and your fishy-as-hell fashion plate in Naomi Smalls. Three great flavors of drag, lots to choose from. Ultimately, Ru chose Bob, who had been a front-runner since minute one, marking the third time in four seasons that a comedy queen would triumph.

Season 9: Peppermint, Sasha Velour, Shea Couleé, Trinity Taylor

Joe: Brett! So I think the task we have before us is twofold: 1) are the Season 9 finalists the best group of finalists? And 2) does that mean Season 9 is the best season? I’m going to start with question #1 and I pretty much have to say YES! Here’s the thing about the season 9 final four: there are no weak links. Peppermint struggled in the early going, especially whenever hot-pink was part of her ensemble, but she hit her stride by the time the Michelle Visage Roast came along, and by the time she flung off her Chaka Khan wig to reveal a Jennifer Hudson wig underneath it during the “Macho Man” lip sync, she placed herself among the fiercest of queens.

I feel like Shea and Trinity’s accomplishments speak for themselves. Shea has served attitude and creativity from minute one, stepping into anything from a pregnant grandma role to a flannel cape and rocked them all equally. Trinity, meanwhile, has definitively proved that pageant queens do NOT need to be afraid of comedy. Finally, Sasha Velour is the art-queen we should all want to see in the world, proving that she can slay the house down with brains. It’s honestly such a diversified group of styles, too!

Brett: Oh yes, on the #1 front, we are in agreement here. It always takes me a few weeks to start warming up to queens, as the early episodes are double stuffed with a dozen plus contestants. Plus I’m always wary towards them, unsure of whether or not they can hold a candle to my all-time faves. Halfway through the season, though, I was wowed–by pretty much every moment you mentioned. Peppermint won me over with her personality in the work room; my heart broke for her during her story about being a bullied cheerleader in high school, and then it soared during her insanely flawless Britney Spears drag. And I liked Shea from minute one. She’s been serving ’90s realness in a way I haven’t seen done before, and she’s proven that that aesthetic can be rainbow(ish) chic and fabulously grungey.

I don’t go for pageant queens because they sometimes show an aversion to comedy (Roxxxy, sigh), and that’s the box I mistakenly put Trinity in. That all changed during the fairy tale challenge when she busted out that ridiculous starfish sidekick, and then later killed it on “90210-HO.” Plus for someone that’s not a comedy queen, Trinity comes up with one-liners like a Bianca Del Rio. Lastly, but not leastly, there’s Sasha, who clicked for me during the roast. Her jokes were legit great, and so unique to her–as unique as her drag. From there, she really rose to the top for me. I want to be friends with Sasha.

All this makes me wonder, have any other group of finalists come this close to all around greatness?

Joe: To me, we’re talking about my two favorite seasons (2 and 5) and my least favorite season (3). Though I should stick up for Season 8, which had a perfectly composed final 3 that nevertheless didn’t feel all that competitive. Season 2, however, featured a true horse-race between Tyra and Raven, and a 3rd-place queen in Juju who was insanely fun to watch. Season 3, meanwhile, was Raja’s to lose, even though Manila was my personal favorite, and Alexis Mateo was a very solid (though to me unexciting) pageant queen.

Here’s what drives me crazy, though: by all rights, Season 5 should have this in the bag. The top 6 in this season was insanely accomplished (all 5 queens who didn’t win were brought back for All-Stars 2). Not to get ahead of myself, but this is my frontrunner for best season ever. But … Roxxxy Andrews sucks SO much! Maybe not ontologically but at least in the context of THIS season. As you mentioned, she was the pageant queen who not only showed an aversion to comedy but actively seemed repulsed by the idea. Of camp! On a show not only hosted by RuPaul but with RuPaul’s name in the title! Replace Roxxxy with the still-bitchy-but-not-delusional Detox in that final 3, and you’ve got a bulletproof trio.

Brett: Yeah, pretty much every season has a Roxxxy Andrews in the top three, which throws me off. I loved Sharon Needles, grew to respect Chad Michaels, but just couldn’t with Phi Phi O’Hara. And then there’s Roxxxy, Courtney Act, and Naomi Smalls–all perfectly fine queens, to be sure, but just not for me. The one season that definitely doesn’t have a shot at this Totally Official Decider Best Drag Race Season Title is Season 7; I was not on team Violet or team Pearl (love Ginger Minj). It still hurts that Katya, everyone’s beloved Katya, didn’t make it into the top three that season.

This is where it gets tough: Jinkx and Alaska are so great, and Bob and Kim Chi are amazing–and then the third person didn’t make an impression on me. That’s not the problem I have with Season 9, where I could easily see rooting for my least fave (Trinity) in pretty much any other season. And you’re right about Season 5 on the whole. Detox, Coco, Alyssa Edwards, Ivvvvvyyyyyy Wiiinteeeerrrrrs! That’s a killer lineup, one that definitely goes tuck-to-tuck (yes, I went there) with Season 9. But look at the capital ‘E’ Events of Season 9: Charlie Hides’ botched lip sync, Eureka’s surprise dismissal, Valentina’s literally show-stopping lip sync, the return of Cucu! Sarge?! I’ve been thrilled every week.

Joe: Okay, so here’s where we hit my snag: the first half of Season 9 was, at times, quite shaky for me. Charlie’s lip-sync was sad and uninspiring (as were quite a few of the lip-sync performances that weren’t Peppermint), Eureka’s dismissal was a bummer, and “The Return of Cucu” was No Doubt’s least successful album by far. That said, the whole Valentina veil-sync moment was instantly iconic, and the makeover episode was the best one Drag Race has done yet. It just took us a while to get there. Of course, the bright side of a season where the first half is a predictable culling of uninspired queens is that the top queens are all killer, no filler, and that’s exactly what we have here. Best top 4 ever.

But … Season 5 and Season 2 still rank higher for me as full-season experiences. Season 2 perhaps benefits from the show as a whole being new and exciting. Was it an all-timer of a Snatch Game that year? Nah. But it was the FIRST Snatch Game! But there are so many indelible moments (Disco Extra Greasy Shortening! Jujubee reading the library down! “Bitch, I’m from Chicago!”) and challenges (from wedding dresses to rock performances) that hold up seven years later.

Season 5, as I mentioned, has the strongest collection of queens with the strongest storyline into the finale. I was fully onboard and NEEDED Jinkx Monsoon to win just to shove it in Roxxxy’s face. And yet I was also kind of into Alaska’s comeback narrative after starting so meekly.

Season 9 gave it to me late in the game, but these two seasons gagged me EVERY WEEK.

Brett: It may be because this is my first ever time going week-to-week with Drag Race instead of binging on streaming services (shout outs to Hulu and iTunes), but I will surf on Drag Race’s sudden wave of popularity and declare Season 9 the best (with the caveat that “best” in this case means “my favorite”). I’m all about the here and now! This might be a startlingly odd and possibly too sentimental metric to go by, but Season 9 had so many queens in it that I would actually want to hang out with; they feel like they could be my friends! Like, I’d hang with Sasha and Shea and Peppermint (and even Trinity, if paired with one of the other three!) any day of the week. I love Alaska and Detox and Alyssa Edwards and Adore Delano, but they don’t feel like friends to me.

This is very weird, but I think that’s what I’ve responded to most this season–maybe because everything else in life not Drag Race related is way stressful, and for an hour a week I’ve gotten to spend time with what feels like a real friend group. The part of me that loves The Drama agrees with you about that excellent Season 5 storyline. “Jinkx and the Rise and Fall of Ro-Laska-Tox” is a tale for the ages. But, maybe I’m blinded by my Gay Pride Month feelings (this is the first Drag Race to air throughout June!), I gotta go with 9.

So we can both agree that this is the greatest final two/three/four in the show’s history, at least!

Joe: 1) I love that you would require a chaperone on your friend-date with Trinity Taylor. And 2) We CAN agree: Best Final Four. May the best woman (best woman) wiiiiiin!

The RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9 finale airs tonight on VH1 at 8PM ET.

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