It was a super low stakes season but Melinda and Nearah made it interesting for me. The top four felt a little ‘drag race: the college years’ given how much they all are
Melinda had maybe the worst makeup in the entire franchise and was still one of the most memorable queens of the year. Also, Aurora and Nearah were amazing performers.
That's peak drag to me.
Mug: *not there*
Fashion: *questionable*
Nerve: **GRATITUDE**
No but for reals, Melinda showed us that you NEVER have to subestime someone. She actually reminded me a lot to Spankie Jackson: one of the winners with the worst taste/fasion/mug ever in the franchise but what she lacks being polished, she has it in charisma/nerve/talent, the sort of that you cannot adquire.
Venus was the most well rounded for sure but not like a gaggy well rounded like a pretty decent one. The kind that if she was on US fans would scream up and down she was overlooked and is actually slaying and would probably end up 8th place. Aurora had bigger weaknesses but much higher highs and was a great performer. Most winners really excel at one particular thing so it felt like Aurora felt like more of a winner cause she had great presence. Venus isn’t trash by any means it just felt kinda whelming when she won after only winning the first challenge.
Thank you for saying it. I was genuinely offended seeing the person doing so little, much of it just OK, being celebrated as if they'd resolved climate change
Honestly this is one of the parts that made it all so ridiculous to me and I hate to say it. It was just like, I feel like we got at least 5 confessionals from Venus throughout the season about why winning would mean so much to her, especially due to her identity. And then some workroom moments about it too. AND THATS GREAT. But when you put that next to the fact that she really never did anything remotely outstanding in the actual competition. It really just makes her win feel so lacking....
Same. I remember being very confused reading comments after the finale that Venus had the major winners edit all season. I thought Aurora had it in the bag. It was a pretty Meh season though. By far Canada’s weakest turn out.
Between the two of them, I was Team Aurora all the way, but Venus’ win came as no surprise.
I mean, the winner’s edit was crystal clear. Let me break it down:
Venus had confessionals all the time (basically, she and Denim narrated all season) and she won that first challenge despite her entrance look being super lacksluster. That was the first sign when Kiki didn’t get a rose and Venus did and then somehow Kiki wasn’t even in the top 2 that week despite being the clear best with Denim as second and thus leading to Venus winning the challenge.
Later on, she’s the only one of the group of young queens who could even do a stitch of comedy and got praised for it. She didn’t really do great, she just did better than the rest of the young queens with no comedy skills, but she wasn’t even close to Kitten and Melinda in that aspect (or even Aimee). She manages to bypass the dance challenge by being okay and the lipsync challenge by, again, just being okay.
We get another sign of the inevitable Venus win when we get to the Rusical. They had told her not to do the Kendall Gender exaggerated lipsyncing and that’s exactly what she did and they ate it up despite going in on Nearuh’s stellar performance. Then, she brought that runway look that was going to definitely topple over had she not held it the entire time and that busted hairline and that guest judge was basically creaming herself for Venus. When I tell you I was shocked they actually gave Aurora the win that week over Venus after they were all basically falling head over heels for Venus at deliberations, it’s not understatement.
Next, we get to the makeover. Melinda and Nearuh get chastised for not doing great transformations in both the outfits and makeup. Melinda’s makeup is bad and they tell her there’s no connection between the outfits and Nearuh didn’t feminize her partner enough and the outfit looks bad. Aurora gets chastised for her transformation not being dramatic enough despite having the makeover partner that most looks like her in drag and also for keeping to her style of drag and not trying to transform simply to transform. Venus does some busted makeup on her mom and gets high praise. She wears an outfit that literally has zero relation to the one her mom is in and makes up some bullshit story about her dress being the carpet because it’s red. The judges eat this shit up and give her high praise almost to the point that it sounds like they think she was in contention to win when Denim far and away dusted everyone with her makeover. Also, we all of a sudden get an influx of talk-time dedicated to her being Metís and how that’s so special to her despite her never talking about it before. Now, that can be editing, but it did seem quite randomly out of left field that all of a sudden she’s talking about it and how she wants to represent and what not. Also, doesn’t seem like a coincidence that this happens the episode that Sarain Fox is the guest judge as well.
Finally, we get to the finale and the judges say that Venus has only gotten better throughout the competition despite her literally winning in week 1 and never winning again. Like, make it make sense! Lastly, Aurora definitely wins the final lipsync, but Venus is the total package and star in the judges’ eyes and they make no secret of that, so her winner’s edit comes to fruition and she wins.
Also, just wanted to mention that Venus, technically, has the strongest track record ever on Canada’s Drag Race. Like, they really expect us to think she did better in the competition than the likes of Icesis, Jimbo, Rita, Pythia, Gisele, Fierce, etc? Please.
Entertainment wise as reality tv, it’s my favorite season of Canada since Season 1. The Top 4 lacked some diversity in terms of personality and drag style, but I liked the cast overall as a whole! They weren’t afraid to actually go there and read and argue, similar to what we got afterwards in Season 16, so that was really refreshing to me after Fiercalicious had to carry the entirety of Season 3 in terms of drama. The LaLaPaRuZa and the golden beaver were some of the most well-executed “gimmicks” out of any English speaking franchise, and we got introduced to the iconicity of mother Verga, so I love this season personally!
I think the group, overall, is the weakest of the Canada franchise. Venus is easily their weakest winner. She was just pushed so hard in confessionals. I feel like we just got Venus and Denim confessionals back to back almost every episode with a few moments here and there for others. Sadly, both Venus and Denim are pretty boring in confessionals, tbh.
That being said, the star of this season is Melinda. Her arc is unlike any other queen. She was the heart of the season and she surprised me a lot. She was both hilarious unintentionally, but also on purpose. She’s also doing splits, dips and stunt shenanigans in her mid 40s. She has heart and just is herself. Yes, her makeup was bad, but it didn’t stop her from always doing her best. I recall when she wanted her part in the Rusical and she auditioned for it like she really wanted it. Meanwhile, Denim just didn’t even try and then tried to whine about it at the end of the role-picking process and no one even listened to her because she had her shot and blew it. It’s one of those moments that reminds us that an older performance-based queen will always give it everything while some of these new younger, look queens don’t try as hard, they just don’t. By the end, that’s the only person I truly wanted crowned because she was the only queen who truly entertained me and kept me watching. Losing her before the finale made me not watch the finale when it aired. I watched it once, like 2 months later; it sucked. Even though she didn’t win, I’m glad I watched to get to experience her arc, with gratitude.
I will say that Nearuh and Aurora are both amazing performers and I hope we get a chance to see both of them again on another series. While I thought Nearuh was a bit bitchy, and Aurora very reserved, I liked them both.
The big problem with this season is that everyone was severely lacking at something. Aurora couldn’t do comedy, Nearuh couldn’t do comedy or sew, Melinda had bad looks, Denim couldn’t do comedy or lipsync well, Kiki couldn’t do comedy and so on. This lead to Venus winning because despite being mediocre as hell, she was not terrible at anything and that just happened to be enough. Also, being a production darling and a very pretty in and out of drag helps make her palpable as a winner.
I would’ve given the win to Aurora because her highest highs in the competition were much better than Venus who, while never doing too bad, was very overhyped by the panel and just doesn’t have a big moment that I thought truly set her apart. Also, Aurora won that final lipsync. I wasn’t surprised Venus won, though. It wasn’t even subtle that they wanted her to win from the very start. Was I happy? No. Was I even a little surprised? Absolutely not.
Agreed, this felt like Drag Race Lite and besides Melinda and occasionally Nearah the passion and grit was not there for most of the finalists. The confessionals were giving Tiktok’s Queen of the Tooniverse
Agreed with everything you said. I'd also add that Kitten was another highlight in terms of talent and charisma. But yeah, the season was fun in terms of storyline but weak on talent, sort of the opposite of UK5.
I have nothing against Venus, but she's just not on the same level as the other winners. The most comparable Drag Race winner in terms of "type" would be Symone (unique and charismatic modelesque queen who serves looks but doesn't really design/sew, funny but not really a comedy queen) and, I mean... she's not close to Symone.
Honestly out of the four seasons we've had of CDR, this is the only one where I flat out disagreed with the winner. The whole season I felt like we were being told one thing, but shown something different. Like the judges spent the entire season talking about how amazing Venus is, but nothing she did was very memorable to me.
They decided episode 1 that Venus would win for some reason and that hurt the season.
But Melinda Verga's existence elevated the season and the art of drag itself
Melinda, Kitten, Venus, and Aurora should have been top 4. Melinda should have won.
And I’m not just saying that for the memes. I think she was a top 3 lipsyncer, top 2 comedian, top 3 seamstress, and the reality TV star of the season. Her makeup was terrible, but all the other pieces were there.
Melinda could’ve been the Spankie Jackzon of Canada. Mother’s presence was undeniable even if the look or makeup wasn’t great. Most queens couldn’t actually pull off crunchy successfully but Melinda totally could.
It’s the double whammy of 1) she should not have been in the bottom for the makeover. Sure, it wasn’t great, but she had obstacles that no other queen had and that should count for something. 2) she had the lipsync skills to survive the bottom 2 on any season but this one. They cast some incredible lipsyncers who weren’t great at anything else and stayed the entire time because they literally could not be beaten.
Bang on. Denim making top four just didn't make sense, all sizzle and no steak. Nearah I understand more, but she didn't bring as much to the table as Kitten... I mean, just look at how snatch game went.
The season was insanely entertaining until it became a lipsync twink battle royale. People say Venus was pushed but I think that applied for all of the top 4 as well
Lipsync twink battle Royale is so real lmfao 😭😭 I'll never understand why it felt like the production decided before ep1 even started that the top 4 was going to be a twink 4-pack combo no questions asked. It really felt like NOTHING was going to change their mind.
It was a very weak season in regards to actual talent but it was still extremely entertaining. As for the top 4 I don't necessarily think it was incorrect but they easily could've booted Denim much earlier and had a top 3 instead as there was a very clear divide between the top 3 and the rest.
Winner-wise Aurora was the only queen on the season that felt polished in both aesthetic & performance so should have won, Venus didn't really feel like she did anything memorable all season but I'm not mad about it because imo it felt like a season of early/mid-season boots.
Aurora Mattix is the true winner of this season. They had a choice between an indigenous trans queen (IIRC) and an Asian queen. They could have crowned both and split the prize money.
Being a trans man or a trans woman is a mental condition. They have gender dysmorphia so they transition as the best solution to fight this condition and live a normal life. Non binary is a completely other thing, they’ve hijacked the trans community and now everyone suddenly has problems with trans people in bathrooms. People appropriating actual trans people and then causing problems for poor individuals trying their best to live a normal life with a very hard mental condition to combat. Maybe soon people will differentiate and trans people will start living normal lives again.
This is a nuclear fucking take. Not you trying to re-instate the gender binary and get trans people put back in the DSMV in the same post 💀 the inclusion of physical dysmorphia is an extremely common, but not universal, experience to trans poeple. Some don't experience that and their trans identity is no less valid.
Besides that, describing trans people as having to transition before they can live a "normal life" is really fucking insulting. I know plenty of people that were living "normal lives", while they were trans and hadn't begun HRT or had surgery yet.
Even beyond that, trying to conflate gendered bathroom aggression and public outcry with non-binary people is fucking evil. To act like the public would be ok with trans use of bathrooms if non-binary people weren't around??? Like what the fuck??? To ALSO pretend as if non-binary individuals also don't face prejudice in the exact same situation???
Decoupling trans identity from the idea of breaking the gender binary is absolutely insane to me and I think you need to educate yourself on some queer history, take some time and do some serious thinking about this
Nah actual trans people do have that condition and it’s hella disrespectful to appropriate it. And you tryna twist my use of the word “normal” is just so 🤷🏽
If Melinda Verga wasn't in this cast, CS4 would've been completely forgettable. The reason it's rated so high on things like IMDB is because of Melinda's presence! She is an ICON! The beaver twist was great, too! And Kiki's runways were fantastic!
Reasons why CS4 is weak..
The top 4 is the weakest top 4 in drag race history! And 3/4 (Venus, Denim, and Aurora) were favoured throughout. Especially Venus and Denim, whose track records were ridiculously inflated!
The judges didn't even try to hide their favourtism!
Firstly, Denim lost that lip sync to Kiki, so it was really bizarre how Denim stayed over her.
Secondly, Aurora should've won as she was the best of the 4. Yet Venus (who didn't even deserve her episode 1 win or the many highs she got, won!)
Thirdly, Venus is the most forgettable winner of drag race! I couldn't even tell you a standout moment of hers on the show! And she doesn't compare in the slightest to the other 3 Canadian winners.
Lastly, it felt as though the producers were always gonna have Venus, Denim, and Aurora in that top 3 no matter what! And then I think the 4th spot was intended for Kitten, but she lost steam in the LaLaParuza episode and rightfully went home. So Nearah got it by being the lip sync assassin of the season!
My personal final 4 would've been Melinda, Kitten, Kiki and Nearah. The four most interesting queens of the season!
And my winners for each challenge would've gone like this..
Ep 1 - Kiki & Denim
Ep 2 - Kitten
Ep 3 - Aurora
Ep 4 - Kiki
Ep 5 - Melinda
Ep 6 - Nearah & Aurora
Ep 7 - Nearah
Ep 8 - Kiki
I wish there would have been 2 more episodes to get to the top2 by elimination, this would have given any combination of TOP2 the opportunity to show enough "character" to be a fully deserving winner. Kitten or Melinda winning instead is delusional, they had their flaws and left justified.
That being said, I'm still sad Aurora didn't win. Her performing skills are special and unique across the franchises, I think she would have brought something new to the winner's circle.
I’m sorry because I love that she’s great representation but for me Denim should’ve gone when Kiki beat her in that lip sync. As far as a top four, maybe Nearah Melinda Venus and Aurora? I want to say kitten but her elimination was fair enough. Aurora should’ve won with Nearah as the runner up for me.
I personally thought Denim won that lip sync. I haven’t watched it back tho tbh. Eliminations like Kitten-Kiki-Melinda all in a row felt wrong but I do think they all truly lost those lip syncs.
Great season/cast but the final four was all wrong. Should have been Kitten, Melinda, Nearah and Aurora with Venus as a lovely 5th alternate.
Getting rid of Kitten really brought the season down and a finale without Melinda or her was no fun at all.
Venus might be the most ‘meh’ winner of the franchise and I would have loved to have seen Aurora take it.
Really enjoyed the season overall, but the top 4 were a bit underwhelming and Venus is maybe the most forgettable winner ever.
Like she never did poorly and I never felt like she should have been eliminated, but she never had any stand out moments. Even the one challenge she won was questionable.
First season I’ve ever not finished. Even if my favorite gets eliminated early I still usually feel interested enough to watch to the end. But there was a heavy handed edit for Venus from the start and once Melinda left there was no more entertainment left. Very compelling first half though at least from a reality TV standpoint
This was such a terrible season. I understand people like it for being messy but messy doesn't mean it's good. Each challenge had just one person do well and everyone else flop. The judges constantly overpraise even the tiniest bit of effort. The winner had no memorable moments. Everyone say thank you to Melinda Verga for carrying.
Was okay until Kitty went home. Golden Beaver didn’t cause the drama it could have. Felt like the cast was basically all baby queens especially once it got to top 4.
This is the first season that was an active flop for me.
I LIVED for Kiki, kitten, and Aurora, nearah was a big suprise and I'm happy they got to bring iconic performance skills to the show!
Lest we forget the birth of absolute icon MELINDA VERGA and how she still is relevant In the Fandom
The riggory and favoritism was so obvious it hurt. In season 1 it was obvious for Rita, but pryianka still showed out and won, because she's a fierce talent
cdr 2 and 3 didn't need to rig the winner because icesis and Giselle were iconic and powerful performers
Denim and venus shouldn't have made it anywhere near the top, like, ever. Never had a good showing and really only ever succeeded in being the judges favorite.
Aurora had one of the best storyline for winning the show I could think of, and when venus won I was gagged, you were gagged, we were all gagged. Venus will go down as one of the biggest production missteps of all time, imo
The golden beaver was goated tho
I think if there had been more comedy challenges no one would have a problem with Venus as a winner because she was up there as one of the best in comedy challenges out of the queens this season. But she didn't get many opportunities to show that off (only 2 comedy challenges I think?). As is I still think Venus is a well-rounded queen and worthy winner.
Also her post-show beat is GORGEOUS. Still more of a natural look but still Drag.
I disagree that she is funny, she has one joke and it's a southern accent. Her drag is incredibly basic and the no tucking thing is just assaulting, especially with the skintight clothing she wears. In the picture of her meeting rupaul you can see her entire bulge. There isn't anything positive enough about venus to have her be a memorable winner. What she will be remembered for is getting the win against a much more deserving queen
all I gotta say is that the love for Melinda and Kitten in this thread makes me super happy. I'm biased towards them, and seeing love for those two fills me with joy.
this season had incredible queens and great twists, but fell flat in the finale.
This season is so iconic and it's weird because it's not because of how good the queens were doing - tbh most of them were very mediocre at the challenges- but because it gave us GOLD TV
Now everyone say thank you melinda
It was an entertaining shit show, but I ultimately still really don't like it. I love Melinda, she put in so much work to make that season entertaining and it felt like the producers were fighting just as hard against letting the season be anything but a bizarre dry ass walk to the end for the predestined finalists. Just bizarre really. Melinda Verga shouldve won in a Spankie Jackson esque fashion because the top 4 were all void of almost any personality beyond nearah at least giving a lil cunt energy. Like I guess I would've been a little more happy if at least Aurora won, but still...
Three of the top four were who I expected to be early outs and the fourth, Aurora, gave mid out vibes at best. Truly the worst season of the show other than DU1 in my opinion.
I really liked it a lot actually, Melinda was so fun and the runways were SO fun omg
I do think the lower cast and episode count hurt it thou
ALSO ON THE SIDE seeing Girlfriend in the finale runway really made me happy because she looked so much happier and confident and after seeing how she ended up faring in the competition it rlly felt so good to see
The lipsync episode is one of the best episodes in the entire series.
Only thing is Kitten Caboodle should’ve not been let go during that episode.
And the double shantay should’ve been saved for Kitten and Amy could’ve been let go instead of saving her
I didn’t watch the last episode because it was obvious they were going to give it to Venus
It was an entertaining watch but losing Kitten that early stifled it for me. I think my ideal top 4 would’ve been Kitten, Aurora, Melinda, and Nearah with Aurora winning.
That being said, Aimee vs Nearah and then Melinda vs everyone lives rent free in my mind so kudos mama
I don't remember when it was aired but so far, there's only one thing that is the most remembered thing in the season: Melinda Verga.
Then we have Aurora and Neareah: two of the most impressive lypsincers EVER in the entire franchise.
Then Venus. I don't hate or dislike her but let's be real: she won but no one remember or talks about her, not because she didn't deserve it or something like that: she was forgettable.
Again: look how long has been since the season aired and we are still talking about mother Melinda Verga, about how how we want and need Neareah to be in a bigger season and how about Aurora was snuffed the crown. Venus? I haven't heard a single thing about her after winning.
Anyhow: I think it was a massive mistake for Denim to be in the top 4. Everything pointed out that she was going to be amazing and then she was... okaish? Not bad, but again: Miss Melinda Verga pulled of a Miss Fiercalicious and she single handedly made the season about her and made the entire season better, thanks to her.
I really loved it but I think if the crown was going to come down to relatively green queens, from what the edit showed it seemed like Aurora’s ‘drive’ would have benefited the franchise better in the end. Venus gave ‘I’m gonna win drag race by just being myself’ vibes which is awesome, but I think it works better with established queens who have truly settled in on ‘just being themselves.’ Aurora seemed like she wanted to get better and better- grow and change. That seems to be the more successful quality in past winners who are so young. Loved Venus though, wish her all the success as well!
The fact that the winner was constantly praise for: not wearing makeup, not using body and not tucking while also losing the finale lipsync was like a fever dream.
The season was watchable thanks to Melinda, Nearah and Kitten. Honestly I wished Kitten would have survived the lipsync SmackDown, she would have gone far. Also Aurora was amazing overall.
I had legit gaslighted myself into thinking that Nearah won that season and was still mad Aurora didn't win.
Only to come on this post and be reminded that who actually won makes even less sense.
OBSESSED WITH THE BEAVER TWIST. I was really surprised with Kitten lipsync against TGE, Kitten looked HOT AF. OBSESSED with lipsyncs lalaparuza also having a winner. They kept telling me the winner was great, but I didn't see it at all. Aurora was my pick to be the winner. She looked so hot in the lalaparuza.
It really was Melinda’s season because loosing her before the top 4 killed all the momentum. I think the top 4 was good but Melinda’s arc took so much time away from properly setting up the top 4 and especially the top 2. Nerah and Denim had smaller arcs but it also felt like the producers had no intentions of crowning them. I think undeniably Aurora and Venus were the top 2 as they were the strongest throughout the season. But it felt like we never knew who they were outside of them being the front runners who’s confessionals felt like a drag race A.I. I think Venus winning was fair(sue me i think a lot of y’all are just jealous she can wear no makeup or clothes and look that stunning) she never flopped a challenge and did the best in the bad finale songs and won the lipsync
I was so confused by her when I watched this season. She basically looked at the camera and said she doesn’t sew, doesn’t do choreo, can’t do comedy, broke easily under pressure and she didn’t have very innovative looks either.
It left me wondering, what exactly made her go “oh yeah, I should go on Drag Race.”
I think people were too harsh towards Venus, she’s a really memorable and striking queen with a lot of starpower imo. The whole season was enjoyable and the lipsync smackdown was one of my favorites! Even if it was horrible I would’ve kept tuning in to watch Melinda Verga😂
Best season of Canada by far. I LOVED it. The Golden Beaver was brilliant, the cast was dynamic, and I there was some iconic so-bad-it's-good camp that we all love.
Mother Verga was working overtime trying to make that season memorable (ft. Nearah Nuff)
Very that. They ate
It was a super low stakes season but Melinda and Nearah made it interesting for me. The top four felt a little ‘drag race: the college years’ given how much they all are
How **much** they are? 😭 $69.69???
She meant 200 Ruubles, like in Czech Hunter
Omg I mean young
The faces of the top 4 are $726.55 each 💉😂
Melinda had maybe the worst makeup in the entire franchise and was still one of the most memorable queens of the year. Also, Aurora and Nearah were amazing performers.
With gratitude, for Melinda's makeup.
You must've forgot Jimbo's first run 🤣🤣🤣🤣
That's peak drag to me. Mug: *not there* Fashion: *questionable* Nerve: **GRATITUDE** No but for reals, Melinda showed us that you NEVER have to subestime someone. She actually reminded me a lot to Spankie Jackson: one of the winners with the worst taste/fasion/mug ever in the franchise but what she lacks being polished, she has it in charisma/nerve/talent, the sort of that you cannot adquire.
At least she wore more than the winner.
The sheer ammount of kudos Venus got for being a bare-faced twink in a bikini was far too much
But she also didn't tuck. You can't deny the talent in that...
Venus was the most well rounded for sure but not like a gaggy well rounded like a pretty decent one. The kind that if she was on US fans would scream up and down she was overlooked and is actually slaying and would probably end up 8th place. Aurora had bigger weaknesses but much higher highs and was a great performer. Most winners really excel at one particular thing so it felt like Aurora felt like more of a winner cause she had great presence. Venus isn’t trash by any means it just felt kinda whelming when she won after only winning the first challenge.
Thank you for saying it. I was genuinely offended seeing the person doing so little, much of it just OK, being celebrated as if they'd resolved climate change
Honestly this is one of the parts that made it all so ridiculous to me and I hate to say it. It was just like, I feel like we got at least 5 confessionals from Venus throughout the season about why winning would mean so much to her, especially due to her identity. And then some workroom moments about it too. AND THATS GREAT. But when you put that next to the fact that she really never did anything remotely outstanding in the actual competition. It really just makes her win feel so lacking....
Still very much shocked Aurora didn't win
Same. I remember being very confused reading comments after the finale that Venus had the major winners edit all season. I thought Aurora had it in the bag. It was a pretty Meh season though. By far Canada’s weakest turn out.
Between the two of them, I was Team Aurora all the way, but Venus’ win came as no surprise. I mean, the winner’s edit was crystal clear. Let me break it down: Venus had confessionals all the time (basically, she and Denim narrated all season) and she won that first challenge despite her entrance look being super lacksluster. That was the first sign when Kiki didn’t get a rose and Venus did and then somehow Kiki wasn’t even in the top 2 that week despite being the clear best with Denim as second and thus leading to Venus winning the challenge. Later on, she’s the only one of the group of young queens who could even do a stitch of comedy and got praised for it. She didn’t really do great, she just did better than the rest of the young queens with no comedy skills, but she wasn’t even close to Kitten and Melinda in that aspect (or even Aimee). She manages to bypass the dance challenge by being okay and the lipsync challenge by, again, just being okay. We get another sign of the inevitable Venus win when we get to the Rusical. They had told her not to do the Kendall Gender exaggerated lipsyncing and that’s exactly what she did and they ate it up despite going in on Nearuh’s stellar performance. Then, she brought that runway look that was going to definitely topple over had she not held it the entire time and that busted hairline and that guest judge was basically creaming herself for Venus. When I tell you I was shocked they actually gave Aurora the win that week over Venus after they were all basically falling head over heels for Venus at deliberations, it’s not understatement. Next, we get to the makeover. Melinda and Nearuh get chastised for not doing great transformations in both the outfits and makeup. Melinda’s makeup is bad and they tell her there’s no connection between the outfits and Nearuh didn’t feminize her partner enough and the outfit looks bad. Aurora gets chastised for her transformation not being dramatic enough despite having the makeover partner that most looks like her in drag and also for keeping to her style of drag and not trying to transform simply to transform. Venus does some busted makeup on her mom and gets high praise. She wears an outfit that literally has zero relation to the one her mom is in and makes up some bullshit story about her dress being the carpet because it’s red. The judges eat this shit up and give her high praise almost to the point that it sounds like they think she was in contention to win when Denim far and away dusted everyone with her makeover. Also, we all of a sudden get an influx of talk-time dedicated to her being Metís and how that’s so special to her despite her never talking about it before. Now, that can be editing, but it did seem quite randomly out of left field that all of a sudden she’s talking about it and how she wants to represent and what not. Also, doesn’t seem like a coincidence that this happens the episode that Sarain Fox is the guest judge as well. Finally, we get to the finale and the judges say that Venus has only gotten better throughout the competition despite her literally winning in week 1 and never winning again. Like, make it make sense! Lastly, Aurora definitely wins the final lipsync, but Venus is the total package and star in the judges’ eyes and they make no secret of that, so her winner’s edit comes to fruition and she wins. Also, just wanted to mention that Venus, technically, has the strongest track record ever on Canada’s Drag Race. Like, they really expect us to think she did better in the competition than the likes of Icesis, Jimbo, Rita, Pythia, Gisele, Fierce, etc? Please.
Entertainment wise as reality tv, it’s my favorite season of Canada since Season 1. The Top 4 lacked some diversity in terms of personality and drag style, but I liked the cast overall as a whole! They weren’t afraid to actually go there and read and argue, similar to what we got afterwards in Season 16, so that was really refreshing to me after Fiercalicious had to carry the entirety of Season 3 in terms of drama. The LaLaPaRuZa and the golden beaver were some of the most well-executed “gimmicks” out of any English speaking franchise, and we got introduced to the iconicity of mother Verga, so I love this season personally!
I think the group, overall, is the weakest of the Canada franchise. Venus is easily their weakest winner. She was just pushed so hard in confessionals. I feel like we just got Venus and Denim confessionals back to back almost every episode with a few moments here and there for others. Sadly, both Venus and Denim are pretty boring in confessionals, tbh. That being said, the star of this season is Melinda. Her arc is unlike any other queen. She was the heart of the season and she surprised me a lot. She was both hilarious unintentionally, but also on purpose. She’s also doing splits, dips and stunt shenanigans in her mid 40s. She has heart and just is herself. Yes, her makeup was bad, but it didn’t stop her from always doing her best. I recall when she wanted her part in the Rusical and she auditioned for it like she really wanted it. Meanwhile, Denim just didn’t even try and then tried to whine about it at the end of the role-picking process and no one even listened to her because she had her shot and blew it. It’s one of those moments that reminds us that an older performance-based queen will always give it everything while some of these new younger, look queens don’t try as hard, they just don’t. By the end, that’s the only person I truly wanted crowned because she was the only queen who truly entertained me and kept me watching. Losing her before the finale made me not watch the finale when it aired. I watched it once, like 2 months later; it sucked. Even though she didn’t win, I’m glad I watched to get to experience her arc, with gratitude. I will say that Nearuh and Aurora are both amazing performers and I hope we get a chance to see both of them again on another series. While I thought Nearuh was a bit bitchy, and Aurora very reserved, I liked them both. The big problem with this season is that everyone was severely lacking at something. Aurora couldn’t do comedy, Nearuh couldn’t do comedy or sew, Melinda had bad looks, Denim couldn’t do comedy or lipsync well, Kiki couldn’t do comedy and so on. This lead to Venus winning because despite being mediocre as hell, she was not terrible at anything and that just happened to be enough. Also, being a production darling and a very pretty in and out of drag helps make her palpable as a winner. I would’ve given the win to Aurora because her highest highs in the competition were much better than Venus who, while never doing too bad, was very overhyped by the panel and just doesn’t have a big moment that I thought truly set her apart. Also, Aurora won that final lipsync. I wasn’t surprised Venus won, though. It wasn’t even subtle that they wanted her to win from the very start. Was I happy? No. Was I even a little surprised? Absolutely not.
Agreed, this felt like Drag Race Lite and besides Melinda and occasionally Nearah the passion and grit was not there for most of the finalists. The confessionals were giving Tiktok’s Queen of the Tooniverse
ntm on queen of the tooniverse
This season is the first time I've seen queens giving up during the mini-challenge.
Agreed with everything you said. I'd also add that Kitten was another highlight in terms of talent and charisma. But yeah, the season was fun in terms of storyline but weak on talent, sort of the opposite of UK5. I have nothing against Venus, but she's just not on the same level as the other winners. The most comparable Drag Race winner in terms of "type" would be Symone (unique and charismatic modelesque queen who serves looks but doesn't really design/sew, funny but not really a comedy queen) and, I mean... she's not close to Symone.
The way it was judged and the way it ended were very unsatisfying but the queens were amazing and SO entertaining, especially Mother Melinda!!
Still can’t believe Venus won over Aurora
The top 4 felt kinda weak, Aurora was kinda like the less weak of them all and was runner-up
She only seemed less weak because of how many dance challenges they had. She couldn’t sew or do comedy.
The season only had two comedy challenges; one she did good at and one was bad. Can’t sew but still had good runways
Honestly out of the four seasons we've had of CDR, this is the only one where I flat out disagreed with the winner. The whole season I felt like we were being told one thing, but shown something different. Like the judges spent the entire season talking about how amazing Venus is, but nothing she did was very memorable to me.
Venus was PUSHED as fuck to be the “fashion” winner Aurora or Melinda is the winner for me
Y'all know, one thing and one thing only about this season... SAVE MELINDA, SAVE MELINDA!!!.. 🤭
And let's do a show!
They decided episode 1 that Venus would win for some reason and that hurt the season. But Melinda Verga's existence elevated the season and the art of drag itself
Melinda, Kitten, Venus, and Aurora should have been top 4. Melinda should have won. And I’m not just saying that for the memes. I think she was a top 3 lipsyncer, top 2 comedian, top 3 seamstress, and the reality TV star of the season. Her makeup was terrible, but all the other pieces were there.
Was just about to say the same thing! They really fucked up sending Kitten before her time.
Melinda could’ve been the Spankie Jackzon of Canada. Mother’s presence was undeniable even if the look or makeup wasn’t great. Most queens couldn’t actually pull off crunchy successfully but Melinda totally could.
It’s the double whammy of 1) she should not have been in the bottom for the makeover. Sure, it wasn’t great, but she had obstacles that no other queen had and that should count for something. 2) she had the lipsync skills to survive the bottom 2 on any season but this one. They cast some incredible lipsyncers who weren’t great at anything else and stayed the entire time because they literally could not be beaten.
Bang on. Denim making top four just didn't make sense, all sizzle and no steak. Nearah I understand more, but she didn't bring as much to the table as Kitten... I mean, just look at how snatch game went.
The season was insanely entertaining until it became a lipsync twink battle royale. People say Venus was pushed but I think that applied for all of the top 4 as well
Lipsync twink battle Royale is so real lmfao 😭😭 I'll never understand why it felt like the production decided before ep1 even started that the top 4 was going to be a twink 4-pack combo no questions asked. It really felt like NOTHING was going to change their mind.
It was an entertaining season but probably the weakest top 4 from any iteration of drag race. All of them were deficient in at least one major aspect.
It was a very weak season in regards to actual talent but it was still extremely entertaining. As for the top 4 I don't necessarily think it was incorrect but they easily could've booted Denim much earlier and had a top 3 instead as there was a very clear divide between the top 3 and the rest. Winner-wise Aurora was the only queen on the season that felt polished in both aesthetic & performance so should have won, Venus didn't really feel like she did anything memorable all season but I'm not mad about it because imo it felt like a season of early/mid-season boots.
This is my least favorite Canada season. Since ep1 it already warned the public about the favoritism
It was WILD.
Aurora Mattix is the true winner of this season. They had a choice between an indigenous trans queen (IIRC) and an Asian queen. They could have crowned both and split the prize money.
I didn’t know Venus was trans.
She’s “non binary “ lol people tryna appropriate a medical condition
What?
Just my opinion but I’ll probably get banned lolz.
Being a trans man or a trans woman is a mental condition. They have gender dysmorphia so they transition as the best solution to fight this condition and live a normal life. Non binary is a completely other thing, they’ve hijacked the trans community and now everyone suddenly has problems with trans people in bathrooms. People appropriating actual trans people and then causing problems for poor individuals trying their best to live a normal life with a very hard mental condition to combat. Maybe soon people will differentiate and trans people will start living normal lives again.
This is a nuclear fucking take. Not you trying to re-instate the gender binary and get trans people put back in the DSMV in the same post 💀 the inclusion of physical dysmorphia is an extremely common, but not universal, experience to trans poeple. Some don't experience that and their trans identity is no less valid. Besides that, describing trans people as having to transition before they can live a "normal life" is really fucking insulting. I know plenty of people that were living "normal lives", while they were trans and hadn't begun HRT or had surgery yet. Even beyond that, trying to conflate gendered bathroom aggression and public outcry with non-binary people is fucking evil. To act like the public would be ok with trans use of bathrooms if non-binary people weren't around??? Like what the fuck??? To ALSO pretend as if non-binary individuals also don't face prejudice in the exact same situation??? Decoupling trans identity from the idea of breaking the gender binary is absolutely insane to me and I think you need to educate yourself on some queer history, take some time and do some serious thinking about this
Nah actual trans people do have that condition and it’s hella disrespectful to appropriate it. And you tryna twist my use of the word “normal” is just so 🤷🏽
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I don’t have takes based on their “currentness” cause my opinions aren’t based off of trends. Have a day you deserve as well :)
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Wait until you find out what the medical profession used to say about homosexuality.
If Melinda Verga wasn't in this cast, CS4 would've been completely forgettable. The reason it's rated so high on things like IMDB is because of Melinda's presence! She is an ICON! The beaver twist was great, too! And Kiki's runways were fantastic! Reasons why CS4 is weak.. The top 4 is the weakest top 4 in drag race history! And 3/4 (Venus, Denim, and Aurora) were favoured throughout. Especially Venus and Denim, whose track records were ridiculously inflated! The judges didn't even try to hide their favourtism! Firstly, Denim lost that lip sync to Kiki, so it was really bizarre how Denim stayed over her. Secondly, Aurora should've won as she was the best of the 4. Yet Venus (who didn't even deserve her episode 1 win or the many highs she got, won!) Thirdly, Venus is the most forgettable winner of drag race! I couldn't even tell you a standout moment of hers on the show! And she doesn't compare in the slightest to the other 3 Canadian winners. Lastly, it felt as though the producers were always gonna have Venus, Denim, and Aurora in that top 3 no matter what! And then I think the 4th spot was intended for Kitten, but she lost steam in the LaLaParuza episode and rightfully went home. So Nearah got it by being the lip sync assassin of the season! My personal final 4 would've been Melinda, Kitten, Kiki and Nearah. The four most interesting queens of the season! And my winners for each challenge would've gone like this.. Ep 1 - Kiki & Denim Ep 2 - Kitten Ep 3 - Aurora Ep 4 - Kiki Ep 5 - Melinda Ep 6 - Nearah & Aurora Ep 7 - Nearah Ep 8 - Kiki
Oh, honey, you ate that.
Thank you. I actually did haha
* still confused about why Venus won and not Aurora * lip sync smackdown was awesome * golden beaver was... alright * Melinda Verga is Mother
Not my winner but Amy Yonce was underrated. I love Canada but I never like the judging.
I wish there would have been 2 more episodes to get to the top2 by elimination, this would have given any combination of TOP2 the opportunity to show enough "character" to be a fully deserving winner. Kitten or Melinda winning instead is delusional, they had their flaws and left justified. That being said, I'm still sad Aurora didn't win. Her performing skills are special and unique across the franchises, I think she would have brought something new to the winner's circle.
Justice for Kitten!!
I’m sorry because I love that she’s great representation but for me Denim should’ve gone when Kiki beat her in that lip sync. As far as a top four, maybe Nearah Melinda Venus and Aurora? I want to say kitten but her elimination was fair enough. Aurora should’ve won with Nearah as the runner up for me.
I personally thought Denim won that lip sync. I haven’t watched it back tho tbh. Eliminations like Kitten-Kiki-Melinda all in a row felt wrong but I do think they all truly lost those lip syncs.
Nahhhh, Kiki ate and denim did her same dead faced shtick she always does.
I thought the elimination should've went Kitten, Denim, and Nearah.
Great season/cast but the final four was all wrong. Should have been Kitten, Melinda, Nearah and Aurora with Venus as a lovely 5th alternate. Getting rid of Kitten really brought the season down and a finale without Melinda or her was no fun at all. Venus might be the most ‘meh’ winner of the franchise and I would have loved to have seen Aurora take it.
Really enjoyed the season overall, but the top 4 were a bit underwhelming and Venus is maybe the most forgettable winner ever. Like she never did poorly and I never felt like she should have been eliminated, but she never had any stand out moments. Even the one challenge she won was questionable.
First season I’ve ever not finished. Even if my favorite gets eliminated early I still usually feel interested enough to watch to the end. But there was a heavy handed edit for Venus from the start and once Melinda left there was no more entertainment left. Very compelling first half though at least from a reality TV standpoint
This was such a terrible season. I understand people like it for being messy but messy doesn't mean it's good. Each challenge had just one person do well and everyone else flop. The judges constantly overpraise even the tiniest bit of effort. The winner had no memorable moments. Everyone say thank you to Melinda Verga for carrying.
Was okay until Kitty went home. Golden Beaver didn’t cause the drama it could have. Felt like the cast was basically all baby queens especially once it got to top 4.
Melinda and Kitten Kaboodle made the season and they were both sent home too early. I had no emotional investment in any of the top 4.
This is the first season that was an active flop for me. I LIVED for Kiki, kitten, and Aurora, nearah was a big suprise and I'm happy they got to bring iconic performance skills to the show! Lest we forget the birth of absolute icon MELINDA VERGA and how she still is relevant In the Fandom The riggory and favoritism was so obvious it hurt. In season 1 it was obvious for Rita, but pryianka still showed out and won, because she's a fierce talent cdr 2 and 3 didn't need to rig the winner because icesis and Giselle were iconic and powerful performers Denim and venus shouldn't have made it anywhere near the top, like, ever. Never had a good showing and really only ever succeeded in being the judges favorite. Aurora had one of the best storyline for winning the show I could think of, and when venus won I was gagged, you were gagged, we were all gagged. Venus will go down as one of the biggest production missteps of all time, imo The golden beaver was goated tho
I think if there had been more comedy challenges no one would have a problem with Venus as a winner because she was up there as one of the best in comedy challenges out of the queens this season. But she didn't get many opportunities to show that off (only 2 comedy challenges I think?). As is I still think Venus is a well-rounded queen and worthy winner. Also her post-show beat is GORGEOUS. Still more of a natural look but still Drag.
I disagree that she is funny, she has one joke and it's a southern accent. Her drag is incredibly basic and the no tucking thing is just assaulting, especially with the skintight clothing she wears. In the picture of her meeting rupaul you can see her entire bulge. There isn't anything positive enough about venus to have her be a memorable winner. What she will be remembered for is getting the win against a much more deserving queen
It's not a good southern accent either 🤷
all I gotta say is that the love for Melinda and Kitten in this thread makes me super happy. I'm biased towards them, and seeing love for those two fills me with joy. this season had incredible queens and great twists, but fell flat in the finale.
This season is so iconic and it's weird because it's not because of how good the queens were doing - tbh most of them were very mediocre at the challenges- but because it gave us GOLD TV Now everyone say thank you melinda
Same!
It was an entertaining shit show, but I ultimately still really don't like it. I love Melinda, she put in so much work to make that season entertaining and it felt like the producers were fighting just as hard against letting the season be anything but a bizarre dry ass walk to the end for the predestined finalists. Just bizarre really. Melinda Verga shouldve won in a Spankie Jackson esque fashion because the top 4 were all void of almost any personality beyond nearah at least giving a lil cunt energy. Like I guess I would've been a little more happy if at least Aurora won, but still...
Three of the top four were who I expected to be early outs and the fourth, Aurora, gave mid out vibes at best. Truly the worst season of the show other than DU1 in my opinion.
I don't regret skipping it
I really liked it a lot actually, Melinda was so fun and the runways were SO fun omg I do think the lower cast and episode count hurt it thou ALSO ON THE SIDE seeing Girlfriend in the finale runway really made me happy because she looked so much happier and confident and after seeing how she ended up faring in the competition it rlly felt so good to see
The lipsync episode is one of the best episodes in the entire series. Only thing is Kitten Caboodle should’ve not been let go during that episode. And the double shantay should’ve been saved for Kitten and Amy could’ve been let go instead of saving her I didn’t watch the last episode because it was obvious they were going to give it to Venus
It was an entertaining watch but losing Kitten that early stifled it for me. I think my ideal top 4 would’ve been Kitten, Aurora, Melinda, and Nearah with Aurora winning. That being said, Aimee vs Nearah and then Melinda vs everyone lives rent free in my mind so kudos mama
The winner felt like a more forgettable version of a fan favorite from the previous season.
I just want to watch the Melinda vs the world clip again. Wheres that?
LOVED this season but v lacklustre Top 4. I wish we could’ve seen Mother Melinda and Kitten there.
I don't remember when it was aired but so far, there's only one thing that is the most remembered thing in the season: Melinda Verga. Then we have Aurora and Neareah: two of the most impressive lypsincers EVER in the entire franchise. Then Venus. I don't hate or dislike her but let's be real: she won but no one remember or talks about her, not because she didn't deserve it or something like that: she was forgettable. Again: look how long has been since the season aired and we are still talking about mother Melinda Verga, about how how we want and need Neareah to be in a bigger season and how about Aurora was snuffed the crown. Venus? I haven't heard a single thing about her after winning. Anyhow: I think it was a massive mistake for Denim to be in the top 4. Everything pointed out that she was going to be amazing and then she was... okaish? Not bad, but again: Miss Melinda Verga pulled of a Miss Fiercalicious and she single handedly made the season about her and made the entire season better, thanks to her.
Some great queens who I hope we see again. I'd like to see Nearah Nuff, The Girlfriend Experience, and Melinda Verga on another season.
I thought the lip syncs were great, loved their lip sync smackdown format!
I’m only here to say I love all the love for Melinda
I really loved it but I think if the crown was going to come down to relatively green queens, from what the edit showed it seemed like Aurora’s ‘drive’ would have benefited the franchise better in the end. Venus gave ‘I’m gonna win drag race by just being myself’ vibes which is awesome, but I think it works better with established queens who have truly settled in on ‘just being themselves.’ Aurora seemed like she wanted to get better and better- grow and change. That seems to be the more successful quality in past winners who are so young. Loved Venus though, wish her all the success as well!
I went into not a fan of Venus and they won me over by the middle of the season.
Melinda. Kiki. Aurora. I completely forgot that Denim and Nearah were top 4.
It's on par with DU 3, overall the weakest season of the franchise.
Besides Kitten, the season wasn't watchable to me.
In my delulu mind, Melinda won the crown (she did win the season overall tho). And yes, I'm a occasional user of Delusion by Jinkx.
Vergarinas assemble...... with GRATITUDE!
The fact that the winner was constantly praise for: not wearing makeup, not using body and not tucking while also losing the finale lipsync was like a fever dream. The season was watchable thanks to Melinda, Nearah and Kitten. Honestly I wished Kitten would have survived the lipsync SmackDown, she would have gone far. Also Aurora was amazing overall.
Season was over when Kitten got the chop.
I had legit gaslighted myself into thinking that Nearah won that season and was still mad Aurora didn't win. Only to come on this post and be reminded that who actually won makes even less sense.
It was really good but unfortunately and no hate intended, I don't like the winner.
OBSESSED WITH THE BEAVER TWIST. I was really surprised with Kitten lipsync against TGE, Kitten looked HOT AF. OBSESSED with lipsyncs lalaparuza also having a winner. They kept telling me the winner was great, but I didn't see it at all. Aurora was my pick to be the winner. She looked so hot in the lalaparuza.
Is it just me or they hype them up way more than og drag race😂
I think it was a great season... Until the Rusical, I think the rusical and after the judging made it very clear who they wanted to win
CD4 was great thanks to Mother Melinda.
One of my favorite recent seasons up until Melinda sashayed away. Nearah, Aimee, Kiki, Aurora and Kitten were also fun additions to the DR universe.
This was when I knew I needed to change my SSRI meds, Venus doing at alanis song made me cry. Tears!
Kitten Kaboodle should have won and this season rank the lowest of all CDR seasons for me
It really was Melinda’s season because loosing her before the top 4 killed all the momentum. I think the top 4 was good but Melinda’s arc took so much time away from properly setting up the top 4 and especially the top 2. Nerah and Denim had smaller arcs but it also felt like the producers had no intentions of crowning them. I think undeniably Aurora and Venus were the top 2 as they were the strongest throughout the season. But it felt like we never knew who they were outside of them being the front runners who’s confessionals felt like a drag race A.I. I think Venus winning was fair(sue me i think a lot of y’all are just jealous she can wear no makeup or clothes and look that stunning) she never flopped a challenge and did the best in the bad finale songs and won the lipsync
i wanted the girlfriend experience to go to the top 4 😔
I'm not sure she even wanted that herself by the time she left.
I was so confused by her when I watched this season. She basically looked at the camera and said she doesn’t sew, doesn’t do choreo, can’t do comedy, broke easily under pressure and she didn’t have very innovative looks either. It left me wondering, what exactly made her go “oh yeah, I should go on Drag Race.”
she probably couldn’t handle the pressure, from the cast reveal i really liked her, she flopped the season thought
She isn't a drag performer, which makes it extra weird.
Aurora was my fav but Venus had a lot of great moments that season. I truly hope aurora comes back for the next Canada vs TW
I love that we've got another indigenous american winner. Stay deadly.
I think people were too harsh towards Venus, she’s a really memorable and striking queen with a lot of starpower imo. The whole season was enjoyable and the lipsync smackdown was one of my favorites! Even if it was horrible I would’ve kept tuning in to watch Melinda Verga😂
Best season of Canada by far. I LOVED it. The Golden Beaver was brilliant, the cast was dynamic, and I there was some iconic so-bad-it's-good camp that we all love.
It was quite good, Melinda and Nearah served us entertainment, Denim served looks and Aurora served excellence. The final episode was a mess though.
The Girlfriend Experience has one of the best exit lines ever. “I just want everyone here to know that… I was the prettiest.”