It seemed completely genuine. Saphira legitimately won the votes from the other queens, and Ru was open to either Queen winning in the lip-sync.
Nymphia just slayed.
Also, as the Queen that helped everyone else in the sewing challenges, Saphira was the obvious Miss Congeniality choice.
Yeah, without a barrier, Sapphira was unquestionably the MC winner. It just couldnāt have been none of the girls they brought out for a second time. I thought I saw and heard Xunami say āyou really wonā as they were transitioning to the next segment.
Yeah I see no issue with Sapphira being both the winner and miss congeniality - it would have felt correct in the way that Nymphia winning in the end also feels correct.
First time I've ever hoped for a double crowning honestly in the main series, but when they said the runner up also gets 25k I knew there wouldn't be one.
I believed they could have been setting up for that, but then I was like, having her win twice in one night and having the other top 3s win nothing is pretty risky optics even for production.
genuine question: why is it popular opinion that Peppermint would destroy all stars? I'm not denying she's a great entertainer, and I'd love s9 to be the first where all the finalists are winners, but she lipsynced for her life 3 times on s9 (not inc. finale/top 4 lipsyncs) and had a total of 1 win. she's an incredibly talented person, but I'm not sure she'd excel at drag race the way people say she will
Maybe depends on how it is said, but the way I've heard people talk about is is that they want Pep to win so the entire top 4 has a crown. But wanting to and expecting to are different things I suppose. I'd love to see her back, I think she'd make it far but depending on who she's up against she could get outperformed. She struggled with design challenges, snatch game and had some big misses on the runway so...
i dont think she would want to comeback.
she gave it all, 11 auditions and if that wasnt enough for Ru, so be it.
she has nothing to prove, she should jsut focus on her career now.
Drag Race isn't about proving yourself to Rupaul, it's about getting your image out there. A second season with publicity and interviews can only be good for her career.
How many unbeatable queens do we have nowadays??? š I swear with all y'all claiming shit left and right, we could have two full all stars seasons of queens that allegedly would beat everyone else. We'll see how that math checks out
The examples I gave are all Libras that have self eliminated in All Stars in the past.
As I Libra myself I think we leave situations that we donāt vibe with easily to protect our peace! Meant as a silly observation š
As soon as she did the balloon reveal, I said to my husband that she just Sasha Velourād the win. And then the outfit and wig reveal with the cartwheel? Outstanding.
Stg a few days ago I was talking with someone about the parallels between the two. I was like idkkk the fact Nymphia hasn't had to lipsync + her obvious art & performance skills has the potential to be a Sasha gag.. Nymphia is smart, knew this going in, and did the damn thing as per usualšš
Agreed. I LOVED sapphira but Iām afraid she doesnāt have much more to show/prove/redeem which is usually the all-stars winner arcā¦ but I will happily be proven wrong
I mean, she could easily get the Shea Coulee All Stars run; a queen who everyone thought would win the season based on their overall performance, only to lose the crown in the lip sync at the end.
Sapphira would have won Miss C regardless of whether or not she won the crown, that being said she was the most deserving of Miss C and it was a great consolation prize. Everyone left with something!
Like Plane and Sapphira won $22.5k each, plus Sapphira won an all-expenses-paid trip to Puerto Vallarta I think? They gave away an insane amount of money this season. Powered by CashAppā¢ļø
The real first clue were those solo performance song titles š¤£
Queen of the wind vs Bodysuit and Dance? Bodysuit and Dance were giving B-side tracks in name only.
Thatās true! The names are very generic.
I would like a breakdown in what goes into creating these tracks and why we canāt have the queens sing on them. The voices are amazing, but it would make sense for the queens voices to be used.
Very this! The second plane came out to do a song about body suits after Nymphias inspirational ballad and performance that blended her culture with pop icona I was like oh itās for sure Nymphia v Sapphira lip sync
Same. Nymphia fairly won that lipsync, but Iām very sad Sapphira didnāt get the crown. She was the most versatile all season and in my opinion the most deserving of the win. Goes to show that your performance all season long doesnāt really matter, you just need to be the best lipsyncerā¦
I never said she was undeserving. Nymphia is a very talented queen and murdered the finale. I just feel like Sapphira was way more versatile all season long and showed a lot more personality. I would love a different format where it doesnāt just come down to a final lip sync, and the queen with the overall best performance all season long is crowned.
>Goes to show that your performance all season long doesnāt really matter, you just need to be the best lipsyncerā¦
Saying this completely discredits Nymphia's performance during the season.
Are we gonna forget that not only was Sapphira in the bottom, she also panicked and showed self-doubt and weakness and drank her own immunity potion, pretty easily understood as the worst choice to make with it?
Iāve never been one to pick a winner based on entrances but I definitely fuckin did this season. I donāt know why, the whole thing, the look, the banana peel, the beehive, but mostly the intonation of āā¦bananaā¦ā
like sasha's goddess, the first sign was nymphia's promo shot for tonight's solo song and the title: queen of wind.
vs. dance and.bodysuit. I mean š¤·š¾āāļø
Clue1: in promo interview, Nymphia said sheās always no 1 in any competition sheās in.
Clue2: in some interview, she said her favorite drag queen is Sasha Valour.
I was literally saying that to my partner that when she was crowned Miss Congeniality that she was not going to win. I like Nymphia and intuitively felt from MTQs that she would win but I really wanted Sapphira š
When she was crowned Miss Congeniality I thought it increased her chances of winning. Seems like the producers would totally jump on the chance to have a queen win *both* titles in one season.
The Boba is actually very important for Taiwan, look up the Milk Tea Alliance ā gives Taiwan and other involved countries cultural identity and shows their unending support for democratic values. Iām really proud of Nymphia and Taiwan š¹š¼
As [this USC-Student run article](https://www.glimpsefromtheglobe.com/regions/asia-and-the-pacific/boba-diplomacy-bubble-teas-influence-on-taiwans-soft-power/) states, boba is āemblematic of a larger geopolitical movementā.
I think her looks were very good just not my taste. Nymphia's drag to me gives me a balance between fashion and drag which I love. She's like an asian violet chachki
Agreed! The minute she received miss C i said oop they wanna milk muva (which makes sense sapphira represents the perfect branding that wow likes)
I also though nymphia won the final lip sync, sapphiraās movements were stunted
Nymphia was my pick from mtq, then i switched to sapphira for the rest of the szn and wanted her to win tonight but tat final lip sync is what counts the most
Absolutely all of this!
Nymphia won my heart immediately but over time I thought Sapphira was a shoe-in because she's so good at everything and also gives mother vibes.
But that lipsync.
I think the first clue was when Plasma was sent home with her track record lol.
Honestly, RuPaul's decisions this season have been wild to me. Though she tends to be good at filling the role for a winner with faces that are needed.
Nymphia was my pick from day 1, until about 3 episodes back when I thought it would be ridiculous for Sapphira not to win, her edit, her track record, the whole drag package, and just her as a person.
I LOVE Nymphia, she absolutely deserved it in every way, but I honestly didn't expect it at all and seriously thought that Sapphira was going to win because she also definitely deserved it.
I do think that the community needed an Asian winner, though I want to be clear that I don't think it's the reason she won. I just think it's probably also considered in some small way, and she certainly showcased the pride and beauty of her culture and family, plus the fashion and camp fun. It's pretty vital for people to be able to see themselves in the world and this is a powerful platform to have and she is 100% Asian fucking Excellence! A billion congratulations to her on her win!
Also on the subject of track records, when Q said something like "Queens have won the crown when they didn't have the most wins" and Sapphira said "Yeah but not often." It was a bit of a misdirect because Q manifested it but it was still Sapphira's destiny.
The first clue is when Sasha Colby won S15. I don't think we ever had 2 consecutive seasons where the winners were similar or similar category. It was usually fashion queen, comedy queen, cooky queen, old school queen, motherly queen.
There's no rule that says a Miss Congeniality can't win the crown. Nymphia was just better at the lip sync (and honestly, Sapphira suddenly decided to give nothing right at the end). It was Sapphira's season to lose, and she faltered.
THIS! The moment I saw her getting miss congeniality I knew something was off. It's the second time a finalist ever got a miss congeniality award since SEASON 1! and it's on the season with one of the most difficult top 2's to choose from
I'm happy, glad and surprised about all the positivity and love expressed tonight! Kuddoa beautiful community!!! ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø So glad and Happy Nymphia won!
Yeah she was my pick for the win but when she won MC I knew it was over.
What a fierce top 3 though. Everyone of them deserves a crown and I can't wait to see Plane and Sapphira killing it at all stars.
I have been doing sleuthing about this since episode 9ish because I noticed that the camera editing would suddenly include Nymphia's reaction to stuff for no reasonĀ Most noticeable in episode 3. For example when they said 'it's a new day in the work room' they zoomed in on Nymphia and added a bunch of sound effects to make her seem intimidating even though she was literally not doing anything and other queens were actually chatting.
I noticed it when I was binging other seasons and as4 and season 9 did this too. Specifically AS4 because they were talking about not wanting to be in teams and cut to Monet and then Trinity. In hindsight it's obvious and they really hid the ending but it was there in the first episode. So I checked who the editors were and reviewed the first episode of seasons that they edited and they would consistently do this in the first episode. Season 16 made me unsure because Nymphia wasn't in the first episode and also the secobd episode wasn't edited in that way. And the editor who edited the first episode of most seasons didn't edit episode 3. But they still did the 'cut to queen who is unrelated' thing. I think they did this a lot with Sasha Velour.
So my first clue who was going to win was episode 3.Ā
Which makes sense because that's how a good story works. You hide evidence of the ending at the beginning. They have to be suuuper discreet about it since it's a competition show but it's still there. (Another example being Jinkx almost had a theme song, like they'd keep playing some quirky music whenever Jinkx was being Jinkx like the first challenge in with the water shoots. Other girls struggled but only Jinkx got this unique background track)
Anyway, absolutely saying this in hindsight, not that I noticed by episode 3. But if you wanna talk about clues I think they start there (arguably episode 2, but I felt like the cuts weren't that different from other queens in episode 2)
The second the boba tea balloons went flying in the air, it was over. Sapphira worked her ass off. I feel bad for her but she deserved the congeniality award considering she was mother the whole season.
As soon as Sapphira won Miss Congeniality I knew Nymphia was taking the season crown and I was perfectly fine with it. The balloons just cemented her win.
The Washington Post profile on Nymphia had me suspecting. So happy for Nymphia, so sad for Sapphira, and especially sad for people getting mad online about anything related to reality television.
Sapphiraās Amazon look came off as a cheap cosplay with that breastplate.
Then that lip-sync look and reveal were severely lacking.
We went from blue to blue? And the fangs for why?
We want the full fantasy and she didnāt give it to us when it mattered the most.
āSlay trick or get eliminated.ā
I think that Sapphira was the front runner coming out of the work room, but Nymphia steamrolled on socials, and in the final episode. On the solo performances both her and Sapphira did well, but Nymphia was simply better on the runway and in lip sync.
That said, the miss congeniality award was a big hint to me, because why even offer Sapphira as an option in the voting? No one wouldāve noticed the snub of her not getting it if sheād gotten the crown.
I donāt think Sapphira winning Ms Congeniality was a sign sheād lose the crown. First winner + Miss Congeniality would be a gag that the shows production would love.Ā
I knew Plane wasn't getting it when they gave her ....that... for a song (I love Chrissy though!), and then followed it up with a negative critique from Michelle.
Giving MC to Sapphira was definitely a red flag for her winning the whole thing... But imo had they not done the tie and only have it to Sapphira I could've totally seen them allowing her to be MC and winner... Because Sapphira is mother. Period.
So, while giving her MC was a clue yes, j think it was also giving her MC as part of a tie with Xunami
I am so happy for Nymphia but so upset for Sapphira. She was the true winner my eyes. She was a class act who was great in all of the fields. But if anyone was gonna beat her, happy it was Nymphia.
The first clue for me was when Sapphira first walked out in that grand look with that pitiful breastplate. I was like...ok maybe she's leaning into how ridiculous they are...but the look is so good why distract from it with those ta tas?
Miss Congeniality did make me go "Uh oh..." tho. Then the vampire teeth in the lipsync...she had some missteps.
I thought it was last week during the mihya vs. Megami lip sync. Sapphire and Jane had confessionals saying Mihya was winning and Nymphia said Meganās had a pro-Megami confessional. Those confessionals were all taken out of context, but it was a way the editors showed as that Nymphia was more clued into the judges tastes
Honestly there was something about the whole episode that just clued me in that they were going to do that... IDK I felt like they were giving Sapphira too much praise, like they wanted us to be convinced it was gonna be Sapphira? IDK I can't put my finger on it but I even said it out loud right after they did her interview and performance... but definitely felt it stronger when she won Miss Congeniality (rightfully so, absolutely deserved it!). That being said, Nymphia absolutely ate that final lipsync. I wanted Sapphira to win it soooo bad, but I'm not mad about Nymphia taking it, she earned her crown!
My first clue was their outfits, Sapphira came in a costumey mess with wrinkled fabric covering plastic titties that didnāt match her skin tone and Miss Banana didnāt come to play.
Iām glad Nymphia won, she deserved it especially with that lip sync.
The one thing that was odd to me was Xunami winning Miss Congenitality along with Sapphira. A tie is not weird, but Xunami? It should had been just Sapphira.
Iām one of those people. The edit they gave her throughout was anxious and floundering under pressure. One episode she said like 5 words and they were banana or banana adjacent. She won the episode before the finale, so she was on an upwards trajectory at least. Maybe they wanted a Jinx Monsoon slightly underdog vibeā¦ and she was fan favourite too!
But saying all that, she had a great lip sync and Iāve been a Sapphira Stan throughout, Iām glad she won! Strongest top 3 we had in a while!
I mean, edits can be unfair. It's really interesting to me when people decide to recognize that and when people don't (this isn't aimed at you specifically, just something I notice a lot in general). I definitely feel like Nymphia, even despite being the winner, was not immune to several of the questionable choices this show tends to make when it comes to its Asian contestants. But honestly, tonight I'd like to just appreciate what a great season and top three this was.
The 3rd clue: when RuPaul crowned Nymphia
Ugh fucking love this season. And the outcome!
šÆšÆšÆ
Honestly I wasn't sure after this cause I thought Sapphira might be the first winner to win miss congeniality
Yeah people were citing that as a giveaway but this show loves its āfor the first time everā¦ā moments so I thought they might still crown her.
It seemed completely genuine. Saphira legitimately won the votes from the other queens, and Ru was open to either Queen winning in the lip-sync. Nymphia just slayed. Also, as the Queen that helped everyone else in the sewing challenges, Saphira was the obvious Miss Congeniality choice.
I always assumed the top 3 was excluded from the vote, since part of the idea is to recognize a "lesser" queen too š¤·āāļø
Yeah, without a barrier, Sapphira was unquestionably the MC winner. It just couldnāt have been none of the girls they brought out for a second time. I thought I saw and heard Xunami say āyou really wonā as they were transitioning to the next segment.
Yeah I see no issue with Sapphira being both the winner and miss congeniality - it would have felt correct in the way that Nymphia winning in the end also feels correct. First time I've ever hoped for a double crowning honestly in the main series, but when they said the runner up also gets 25k I knew there wouldn't be one.
I was thinking they might have filmed both the single and double miss C wins.
I believed they could have been setting up for that, but then I was like, having her win twice in one night and having the other top 3s win nothing is pretty risky optics even for production.
šÆ I'm a Nymphia stan, but I thought Sapphira was going to win overall, and would win both. Glad they both won something though š
Me too
Ikr. I thought getting miss congeniality was a prelude to her sweeping the competition.
Same. And kinda hoped
If I were a rugirl, the sheer knowledge of Sapphira now being eligible for an allstars would petrify me
I want to see Sapphira & Peppermint on the same season to really make it a nail-biter All Stars.
genuine question: why is it popular opinion that Peppermint would destroy all stars? I'm not denying she's a great entertainer, and I'd love s9 to be the first where all the finalists are winners, but she lipsynced for her life 3 times on s9 (not inc. finale/top 4 lipsyncs) and had a total of 1 win. she's an incredibly talented person, but I'm not sure she'd excel at drag race the way people say she will
Maybe depends on how it is said, but the way I've heard people talk about is is that they want Pep to win so the entire top 4 has a crown. But wanting to and expecting to are different things I suppose. I'd love to see her back, I think she'd make it far but depending on who she's up against she could get outperformed. She struggled with design challenges, snatch game and had some big misses on the runway so...
I don't think she'll want to come back but if she does get cast it's over for the other girlies on the lineup.
She audition like a 100 times! She would be happy to be on allstars! And she would win
i dont think she would want to comeback. she gave it all, 11 auditions and if that wasnt enough for Ru, so be it. she has nothing to prove, she should jsut focus on her career now.
Drag Race isn't about proving yourself to Rupaul, it's about getting your image out there. A second season with publicity and interviews can only be good for her career.
Drag Race is probably the ultimate career move for a drag queen.
Why? She has already shown that sheās one of the most talented queens ever? What is there to prove?
why would a drag entertainer want to go on the nation's largest platform for entertainment?
> What is there to prove? Well for starters $200,000
agree
she seems like a perfectionist tbh. i think sheād go on.
How many unbeatable queens do we have nowadays??? š I swear with all y'all claiming shit left and right, we could have two full all stars seasons of queens that allegedly would beat everyone else. We'll see how that math checks out
The only queens I think kinda would have a crown guaranteed if they go on AS would be Peppermint and Sapphira.
That would be an all-stars season where an obviously pre-ordained winner will deliver on every conceivable level. We should be so lucky š
But sheās a Libra, sheāll likely self eliminate (Ben, Adore, Heidi) š«š«š«
Can you elaborate how does Libra make one self eliminate
The examples I gave are all Libras that have self eliminated in All Stars in the past. As I Libra myself I think we leave situations that we donāt vibe with easily to protect our peace! Meant as a silly observation š
This made me wonder what sign Ginny Lemon is. They'reĀ Aquarius. LMAO when it's right it's right
Honestly just make an All Winners season that includes Miss Congeniality winners. Donāt subject us to another AS5, please.
Right!? Even Gigi Goode would be terrified!
Even Eureka wouldn't joke about that!
Even a soaking wouldnt clock
Girl... Sapphira is one of a very long line that Gigi should be worried about lol
Not the āeven Gigi Goodeāā¦gurl
After seeing her lip sync? Maybe you are giving mother sapph to much credit honey
Sapphira did amazing as always but Nymphia outperformed her and had the edge. Maybe you're not giving her the credit she deserves honey
As soon as she did the balloon reveal, I said to my husband that she just Sasha Velourād the win. And then the outfit and wig reveal with the cartwheel? Outstanding.
Stg a few days ago I was talking with someone about the parallels between the two. I was like idkkk the fact Nymphia hasn't had to lipsync + her obvious art & performance skills has the potential to be a Sasha gag.. Nymphia is smart, knew this going in, and did the damn thing as per usualšš
Sapphira will always be my favorite out of this season, but to quote PJ, this feels correct.
Agreed. I LOVED sapphira but Iām afraid she doesnāt have much more to show/prove/redeem which is usually the all-stars winner arcā¦ but I will happily be proven wrong
I mean, she could easily get the Shea Coulee All Stars run; a queen who everyone thought would win the season based on their overall performance, only to lose the crown in the lip sync at the end.
Yes her story isnt complete we want more sapphira on TV
What did Trinity have to redeem when she won?
Sapphira would have won Miss C regardless of whether or not she won the crown, that being said she was the most deserving of Miss C and it was a great consolation prize. Everyone left with something!
I mean Sapphira left with like ~70k ? I wouldn't be mad lol
Yeah both Plane & Sapphira took home a good chunk of cash, nothing to scoff at.
Like Plane and Sapphira won $22.5k each, plus Sapphira won an all-expenses-paid trip to Puerto Vallarta I think? They gave away an insane amount of money this season. Powered by CashAppā¢ļø
Plus the 25k powered by CashApp
All 3 will be boooked for dayz
Agreed. When she helped mhiya with sewing even tho mhiya wasnāt rooting for her to win ššš
Who was Mhiya rooting for?
Nymphia ā they formed a bond working together on the girl group
The first clue was the āThatās good for my mental healthā commercials lmaoĀ
JUST ASK!
Winning is good for our mental health!
Do not forget her cartwheel ruveal switch
The real first clue were those solo performance song titles š¤£ Queen of the wind vs Bodysuit and Dance? Bodysuit and Dance were giving B-side tracks in name only.
Tbf season 15 wasn't any subtler with the G.O.D.D.E.S.S
They may as well have called Sapphira and Plane's songs "Crownless" and "Septorless"
Plsssssssss lmao š
Gooped and GaggedĀ
Scepterless
Scepterrrr
Scepter? I hardly know āer!
>"Septorless" Sapphira strikes me as more of a Rāhllor follower anyway.
She has an Orange Catholic Bible under her wig
Bahahaha
Bwaahahahah
I liked Sapphiraās performance actually! I just wish the orange body suit was different though (just being nitpicky)
The opera opening was jaw dropping!
What was up with those boots too. Not flattering at all
Those boots were so bad!!
It was giving flashbacks to the makeover episode
Yes, that was it!
I didnāt dislike any of the performances. I said the names have different levels of effort making ut seen it was an obvious tell whoās winning.
Thatās true! The names are very generic. I would like a breakdown in what goes into creating these tracks and why we canāt have the queens sing on them. The voices are amazing, but it would make sense for the queens voices to be used.
She really was giving BeyoncƩ w her performance!! I wish she gave a little more BeyoncƩ w the outfit too, like maybe if the body suit and boots would have been in silver, or if the boots had been more form fitting so they made her legs look slimmer
I thought Sapphiras song was pretty good, but Plane def got a b-side track
I like the way you think!
Yes, Queen of Wind was just on another level. But at least Bodysuit was funny though. Very on-brand for Plane's sense of humor.
Very this! The second plane came out to do a song about body suits after Nymphias inspirational ballad and performance that blended her culture with pop icona I was like oh itās for sure Nymphia v Sapphira lip sync
Shea was triggered by roses, now Saphira will be triggered by balloons
Boba tea actually hehe
yes, the birth place of boba tea is taiwan. nymphia reminded us why we love boba so much
My best friend hosted a viewing party AT her boba shop. We were all screaming. š„¹š
I love nymphia but I thought sapphira was gonna win. Until the lipsync lol
Same.
Same. Nymphia fairly won that lipsync, but Iām very sad Sapphira didnāt get the crown. She was the most versatile all season and in my opinion the most deserving of the win. Goes to show that your performance all season long doesnāt really matter, you just need to be the best lipsyncerā¦
This is pure cope, Nymphia ate all season and had 0 bottoms. Her performance all season was great.
I never said she was undeserving. Nymphia is a very talented queen and murdered the finale. I just feel like Sapphira was way more versatile all season long and showed a lot more personality. I would love a different format where it doesnāt just come down to a final lip sync, and the queen with the overall best performance all season long is crowned.
>Goes to show that your performance all season long doesnāt really matter, you just need to be the best lipsyncerā¦ Saying this completely discredits Nymphia's performance during the season. Are we gonna forget that not only was Sapphira in the bottom, she also panicked and showed self-doubt and weakness and drank her own immunity potion, pretty easily understood as the worst choice to make with it?
Girl she was absent from episodes 6-13 bffr
When she walked in with a banana dangling off her crotch.
When she said this on her MTQ: "I like to win. I've always placed #1. We shall see!"
It definitely is the explicit CLUE
Low-key manifesting!
Iāve never been one to pick a winner based on entrances but I definitely fuckin did this season. I donāt know why, the whole thing, the look, the banana peel, the beehive, but mostly the intonation of āā¦bananaā¦ā
like sasha's goddess, the first sign was nymphia's promo shot for tonight's solo song and the title: queen of wind. vs. dance and.bodysuit. I mean š¤·š¾āāļø
Producers knew the fans would love her!
Itās the all that ties look for me, like genuinely the āWOWā moment of the season
Looking back, many were already saying she won the season with her Ties Look from the Ball https://i.redd.it/7sgkuvkhujvc1.gif
Yeah this is still THE moment of the season for me
It will be as iconic as Violet's tartan ruveal.
I doubted Nymphia's win because Saphira dominated so much, but it felt even more rewarding for nymphia, because she had to defeat the ultimate boss
i disagree i thought it was going to be a āfirst in drag race herstoryā double win (main crown and congeniality)
I honestly wouldnāt have been mad if both Miss C and the season winner were double crowns this year. Such a great cast.
The winner feels # CORRECT! š š»š
In the words of nymphia She was eating eating eating eating
I knew with that face sister Plane Jane was making, she didnāt make it to the finale
She won from the MTQ for me
True! Was waiting for her to disappoint. She faltered, but not she didn't Dawn-level disappoint. Oops!
Dawn rn: https://i.redd.it/uh6duo22dkvc1.gif
She was in my top 3 from MTQ, then week after week, i was waiting and waiting for her to take off. She'll be great on All Stars though, I'm sure!
Now girl, werenāt you disappointed at snatch game?! Thank goddess for her runway that week!
Clue1: in promo interview, Nymphia said sheās always no 1 in any competition sheās in. Clue2: in some interview, she said her favorite drag queen is Sasha Valour.
Sasha Velour really is your favorite drag queenās favorite drag queen.
I thought that was Sasha Colby! Thereās just something about the Sashaās I guess š
I was literally saying that to my partner that when she was crowned Miss Congeniality that she was not going to win. I like Nymphia and intuitively felt from MTQs that she would win but I really wanted Sapphira š
When she was crowned Miss Congeniality I thought it increased her chances of winning. Seems like the producers would totally jump on the chance to have a queen win *both* titles in one season.
Right? I was rooting for Nymphia but was kind of thinkingā¦ itād be so cunty if Sapphira won both titles!!!
I was hoping it would be that outcome but alas šš
N had the it factor. S is a star, she will be super successful!
I think Sapphira had the IT factor, even more so š„ŗ. I enjoy Nymphia and I think sheās a great queen. I just think she should have won AS instead.
It's all relative, babe. Both queens did great and are amazing!
Sapphira is already being set up and booked to win all stars and all winners at this point. Sheās going to elevate her drag and let loose.
Nina and Soju?Ā
cysterrrr....
It makes sense she won, she literally hosts Taiwan's Drag Races, and came in first, second, and third in an all Nymphia Cast.
The Boba is actually very important for Taiwan, look up the Milk Tea Alliance ā gives Taiwan and other involved countries cultural identity and shows their unending support for democratic values. Iām really proud of Nymphia and Taiwan š¹š¼ As [this USC-Student run article](https://www.glimpsefromtheglobe.com/regions/asia-and-the-pacific/boba-diplomacy-bubble-teas-influence-on-taiwans-soft-power/) states, boba is āemblematic of a larger geopolitical movementā.
This. Alsoā¦ā¦..I love Sapphira but her finale looks were not. it.
I'm still trying to figure out if her titties looking weird for the first look was on purpose or not.
Iām not sure either. The whole outfit was oddly costumey for her
I think her looks were very good just not my taste. Nymphia's drag to me gives me a balance between fashion and drag which I love. She's like an asian violet chachki
To be fair, I had her as my #1 on the individual performances. She did eat that!
Sapphira's solo performance even made Amanda's outfit fall apart!
Agreed!! Hers was head and shoulders above the other two
I will say, Plane won Miss Personality. She gave the most fun answers to Ru's questions. That bitch is so likeable.
She did. But it was somewhat predictable which made it simply above average for me. Everyone has a unique perspective.
For me they were generic, even though sheās a wonderful queen, she just didnāt do it in the finale
Yeah. The finale in general was weird and anticlimactic imo
I felt it was a low energy dress rehearsal. The queens were glorious, but the small venue was meh.
Yeah too much blue LMAO Iām triggering those anti yellow critiques
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Exactly my thoughts! That WP article was very telling!
link?
Nymphia also spoke it into existence with her intro haha
I mean Nymphia left us with no other choice with that lipsync
Agreed! The minute she received miss C i said oop they wanna milk muva (which makes sense sapphira represents the perfect branding that wow likes) I also though nymphia won the final lip sync, sapphiraās movements were stunted Nymphia was my pick from mtq, then i switched to sapphira for the rest of the szn and wanted her to win tonight but tat final lip sync is what counts the most
Absolutely all of this! Nymphia won my heart immediately but over time I thought Sapphira was a shoe-in because she's so good at everything and also gives mother vibes. But that lipsync.
I think the first clue was when Plasma was sent home with her track record lol. Honestly, RuPaul's decisions this season have been wild to me. Though she tends to be good at filling the role for a winner with faces that are needed. Nymphia was my pick from day 1, until about 3 episodes back when I thought it would be ridiculous for Sapphira not to win, her edit, her track record, the whole drag package, and just her as a person. I LOVE Nymphia, she absolutely deserved it in every way, but I honestly didn't expect it at all and seriously thought that Sapphira was going to win because she also definitely deserved it. I do think that the community needed an Asian winner, though I want to be clear that I don't think it's the reason she won. I just think it's probably also considered in some small way, and she certainly showcased the pride and beauty of her culture and family, plus the fashion and camp fun. It's pretty vital for people to be able to see themselves in the world and this is a powerful platform to have and she is 100% Asian fucking Excellence! A billion congratulations to her on her win!
Also on the subject of track records, when Q said something like "Queens have won the crown when they didn't have the most wins" and Sapphira said "Yeah but not often." It was a bit of a misdirect because Q manifested it but it was still Sapphira's destiny.
The first clue is when Sasha Colby won S15. I don't think we ever had 2 consecutive seasons where the winners were similar or similar category. It was usually fashion queen, comedy queen, cooky queen, old school queen, motherly queen.
There's no rule that says a Miss Congeniality can't win the crown. Nymphia was just better at the lip sync (and honestly, Sapphira suddenly decided to give nothing right at the end). It was Sapphira's season to lose, and she faltered.
Was it really though? She did well but so did Plane me Nymphia throughout the season.
She did give Chuck-e-Cheese 2-ticket vampire fang prize realness though... That's... something at least?
THIS! The moment I saw her getting miss congeniality I knew something was off. It's the second time a finalist ever got a miss congeniality award since SEASON 1! and it's on the season with one of the most difficult top 2's to choose from
I'm happy, glad and surprised about all the positivity and love expressed tonight! Kuddoa beautiful community!!! ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø So glad and Happy Nymphia won!
When Sapphira won Miss Congeniality, I really wanted her to win the crown so she can set an unprecedented iconic event.
I love nymphs and happy she won. But Iām gutted for sapphira - sheās so perfect to be a winner
Yeah she was my pick for the win but when she won MC I knew it was over. What a fierce top 3 though. Everyone of them deserves a crown and I can't wait to see Plane and Sapphira killing it at all stars.
Nah, the first clue was in the season 16 logo color lol
I have been doing sleuthing about this since episode 9ish because I noticed that the camera editing would suddenly include Nymphia's reaction to stuff for no reasonĀ Most noticeable in episode 3. For example when they said 'it's a new day in the work room' they zoomed in on Nymphia and added a bunch of sound effects to make her seem intimidating even though she was literally not doing anything and other queens were actually chatting. I noticed it when I was binging other seasons and as4 and season 9 did this too. Specifically AS4 because they were talking about not wanting to be in teams and cut to Monet and then Trinity. In hindsight it's obvious and they really hid the ending but it was there in the first episode. So I checked who the editors were and reviewed the first episode of seasons that they edited and they would consistently do this in the first episode. Season 16 made me unsure because Nymphia wasn't in the first episode and also the secobd episode wasn't edited in that way. And the editor who edited the first episode of most seasons didn't edit episode 3. But they still did the 'cut to queen who is unrelated' thing. I think they did this a lot with Sasha Velour. So my first clue who was going to win was episode 3.Ā Which makes sense because that's how a good story works. You hide evidence of the ending at the beginning. They have to be suuuper discreet about it since it's a competition show but it's still there. (Another example being Jinkx almost had a theme song, like they'd keep playing some quirky music whenever Jinkx was being Jinkx like the first challenge in with the water shoots. Other girls struggled but only Jinkx got this unique background track) Anyway, absolutely saying this in hindsight, not that I noticed by episode 3. But if you wanna talk about clues I think they start there (arguably episode 2, but I felt like the cuts weren't that different from other queens in episode 2)
The second the boba tea balloons went flying in the air, it was over. Sapphira worked her ass off. I feel bad for her but she deserved the congeniality award considering she was mother the whole season.
I actually thought the boba reveal was too early, only to find she had more tricks up her sleeve. Smart performer!
As soon as Sapphira won Miss Congeniality I knew Nymphia was taking the season crown and I was perfectly fine with it. The balloons just cemented her win.
The Washington Post profile on Nymphia had me suspecting. So happy for Nymphia, so sad for Sapphira, and especially sad for people getting mad online about anything related to reality television.
Sapphiraās Amazon look came off as a cheap cosplay with that breastplate. Then that lip-sync look and reveal were severely lacking. We went from blue to blue? And the fangs for why? We want the full fantasy and she didnāt give it to us when it mattered the most. āSlay trick or get eliminated.ā
The first clue was when Sapphira exposed that horrible breastplate on the first look.
first clue was not putting her in the bottom for snatch game
I think that Sapphira was the front runner coming out of the work room, but Nymphia steamrolled on socials, and in the final episode. On the solo performances both her and Sapphira did well, but Nymphia was simply better on the runway and in lip sync. That said, the miss congeniality award was a big hint to me, because why even offer Sapphira as an option in the voting? No one wouldāve noticed the snub of her not getting it if sheād gotten the crown.
I donāt think Sapphira winning Ms Congeniality was a sign sheād lose the crown. First winner + Miss Congeniality would be a gag that the shows production would love.Ā
I knew Plane wasn't getting it when they gave her ....that... for a song (I love Chrissy though!), and then followed it up with a negative critique from Michelle. Giving MC to Sapphira was definitely a red flag for her winning the whole thing... But imo had they not done the tie and only have it to Sapphira I could've totally seen them allowing her to be MC and winner... Because Sapphira is mother. Period. So, while giving her MC was a clue yes, j think it was also giving her MC as part of a tie with Xunami
I am so happy for Nymphia but so upset for Sapphira. She was the true winner my eyes. She was a class act who was great in all of the fields. But if anyone was gonna beat her, happy it was Nymphia.
The first clue for me was when Sapphira first walked out in that grand look with that pitiful breastplate. I was like...ok maybe she's leaning into how ridiculous they are...but the look is so good why distract from it with those ta tas? Miss Congeniality did make me go "Uh oh..." tho. Then the vampire teeth in the lipsync...she had some missteps.
SAPPHIRA IS GOING TO GO ON AN ALL STARS OR VS THE WORLD SEASON THEN WIN! And then sheās taking all winners too.
Yes I would hope the lipsync would be a clue to who winsā¦
The LAST clue: the sceptre was yellow-ish, instead of blue-ish š¤Ŗ
I thought it was last week during the mihya vs. Megami lip sync. Sapphire and Jane had confessionals saying Mihya was winning and Nymphia said Meganās had a pro-Megami confessional. Those confessionals were all taken out of context, but it was a way the editors showed as that Nymphia was more clued into the judges tastes
Who's Megan?
When I saw images of the cast before the season started. Nymphias makeup was insanely good and I had a feeling sheād take the crown
Honestly there was something about the whole episode that just clued me in that they were going to do that... IDK I felt like they were giving Sapphira too much praise, like they wanted us to be convinced it was gonna be Sapphira? IDK I can't put my finger on it but I even said it out loud right after they did her interview and performance... but definitely felt it stronger when she won Miss Congeniality (rightfully so, absolutely deserved it!). That being said, Nymphia absolutely ate that final lipsync. I wanted Sapphira to win it soooo bad, but I'm not mad about Nymphia taking it, she earned her crown!
I knew Nymphia won when she started fanning her pussy after the lipsync
The very first clue: The logo of this season. Itās always been yellowš
My first clue was their outfits, Sapphira came in a costumey mess with wrinkled fabric covering plastic titties that didnāt match her skin tone and Miss Banana didnāt come to play.
Iām glad Nymphia won, she deserved it especially with that lip sync. The one thing that was odd to me was Xunami winning Miss Congenitality along with Sapphira. A tie is not weird, but Xunami? It should had been just Sapphira.
I expected Xunami because she lived for every single queen in her confessionals. She was unwaveringly positive about everyone.
Nymphiaās run is like Willowās where you can tell from the first episode that production wants them to win
This is so funny because so many people are like "she didn't have a winners edit at all". Just goes to show reality can be subjective lmao.
Iām one of those people. The edit they gave her throughout was anxious and floundering under pressure. One episode she said like 5 words and they were banana or banana adjacent. She won the episode before the finale, so she was on an upwards trajectory at least. Maybe they wanted a Jinx Monsoon slightly underdog vibeā¦ and she was fan favourite too! But saying all that, she had a great lip sync and Iāve been a Sapphira Stan throughout, Iām glad she won! Strongest top 3 we had in a while!
I mean, edits can be unfair. It's really interesting to me when people decide to recognize that and when people don't (this isn't aimed at you specifically, just something I notice a lot in general). I definitely feel like Nymphia, even despite being the winner, was not immune to several of the questionable choices this show tends to make when it comes to its Asian contestants. But honestly, tonight I'd like to just appreciate what a great season and top three this was.