Jaida Essence Hall is the deserving winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race

I’m going to go out on a limb and say this has been a very strong season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

It’s not been without its problems, of course. There was the rightful disqualification of Sherry Pie over her disgraceful alleged misconduct, some of the challenges have been a bit messy, and I’m in no doubt that the makeshift finale is going to be all kinds of chaotic.

But that aside, I think it’s been a hit – and my favourite cycle for a few years, UK run aside.

The last couple of AllStars outings haven’t quite lived up to the magnificence of AllStars 2; season 11’s Silky Vs Everyone theatrics felt a tad overdone; and in season 10, it seemed like the weight of The Vixen and Eureka’s rivalry left the producers way out of their depth.

But thanks to some strong casting (Sherry aside) and a brilliant mix of heart, humour and drama, this year’s been a right treat – and what a perfect time for the programme to hit its stride again.

All it needs now is to stick the landing and give us a truly deserving winner. And while none of the three remaining queens would be a bad choice (Crystal Methyd? An angel on this earth! Gigi Goode? A polished talent!), I am extremely keen for Jaida Essence Hall to be crowned our Next Drag Superstar.

Let me show my working.

Throughout the first few weeks, there was a fan theory doing the rounds that I very much subscribed to: that the original plan was to package the season as a two-horse-race between Sherry and Gigi Goode.

And that’s certainly how it looked: despite strong starts from Widow Von’Du and Jaida, Sherry and Gigi had racked up two wins apiece by the half-way point, with Gigi piling on a third by week seven.

But with Sherry disqualified and the episodes hastily re-edited, it felt like the path was being laid for an easy Gigi victory – however talented many of her co-stars were.

And fair enough: she’d proven her worth in just about every way possible. She aced the Snatch Game as a quick-witted robot, she channelled pure Madonna in the Rusical, and she’s served up a relentless barrage of killer looks that have left the judges basically drooling.

However! I, and many others, suspected that Jaida had more than enough potential to give the 21-year-old Californian a serious run for her money. It was just a question of a) if producers would give her the vital Potential Winner Edit b) if the challenges would allow her to properly showcase her strengths and c) if Gigi would start to slip up.

Luckily, all three happened.

Gigi went straight from two weeks of wins to two weeks in the danger zone (though notably she’s never been in the bottom two), while Jaida just went from high point to high point.

She was very narrowly beaten by Heidi in week eight’s infomercial maxi-challenge, before – finally! – scoring two consecutive triumphs in weeks nine and 10.

Both of those wins were sensational. The iconic ‘LOOK OVER THERE!’ moment in the otherwise messy Choices 2020 episode was one of the highlights of the damn season, and I was so certain that Sherry and Janet The Planet would win the Superfan Makeover that I almost cried when Jaida got the honour instead.

(Though, side-note, it’s such a shame that Janet couldn’t have more airtime. Bring her back next year!).

Jaida hit her peak at just the right time; even though she did slip up on the One-Queen Show, that was an extremely rare mis-step for a contestant who has been consistently brilliant since episode one (well, two: she was in the second batch of girls to be introduced).

All season long, her confessionals have been sharp and funny, her looks have rarely been less than 10/10, and she has hardly let anything get her down along the way. She’s been an absolute joy.

I wouldn’t be mad if Gigi or Crystal snatched the crown. Although, a Gigi win feels a little less exciting, with an incredible four wins she’s certainly delivered the, er, Goodes.

As for Crystal, she’s just got better and better and better; growing progressively in confidence and finally winning a maxi-challenge in Week 11. She’s also extremely likeable, and expresses her drag in a totally unique way compared to the others.

But for me, when it comes to charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent, Jaida ticks every box most convincingly – and would be a perfect addition to the Drag Race Hall of Fame.

Let’s just hope she aces this weekend’s final showdowns. Don’t. F**k. It. Up.

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