Drag Race Reunion: Daya Betty Breaks Down, Plus 9 Other Key Moments
The longest season in RuPaul's Drag Race herstory gave way to an appropriately eventful reunion on Friday, as the Season 14 queens — including June Jambalaya, Orion Story and several other names lost to history — reunited at the Flamingo Las Vegas to clear the air.
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But the headliner of this 90-minute affair was none other than Daya Betty, who was forced to reckon with the choices that led her to being labeled this season's villain.
The conversation was originally framed around Daya's season-long feud with Jasmine Kennedie, who felt that Daya took things too far by dragging her for who she is as a person, taking particular offense to terms like "energy vampire." Daya essentially shrugged it off, doubling down on that specific insult while also taking ownership for her reads: "I said what I said. I don't take any of that s–t back."
Then it became about more than just Daya and Jasmine. Other queens, including Jorgeous, chimed in with Daya-related grievances. Daya said she understood that her jabs might have felt personal, but they weren't. She then launched into some weird analogy about how it's like taking a science test in school, but noted Mensa member Jorgeous was quick to point out that she "didn't do none of that."
A few queens did come to Daya's defense. June suggested that Daya is a genuinely good person who merely handled a stressful situation differently than she could have. "Was it right? No, but that's how she was handling the pressure she was under," June said. Maddy Morphosis ('memba her?!) also defended Daya, pointing out that nothing she said crossed any sort of line.
Daya eventually broke down, saying that "everyone has this terrible idea" of who she is. ("I had my heads in the game and I had my eyes on the prize.") As for the death threats she's allegedly been receiving, there's absolutely no place for that in this or any fandom.
If the queens were hoping for an apology, they'll have to settle for this: "I'm sorry for the way I said things." Fair enough.
Other reunion moments worth discussing...
* Kornbread "The Snack" Jeté described the experience of leaving early as "crushing," but says that she was "more settled in her spirit" while watching the episode air. I also agree with her assertion that Snatch Game would've been better if she stayed.
* Kornbread also addressed — but offered no apologies for — telling Jasmine that she talks too much. "The rest of the girls would have conversations about but not with Jasmine," she said. When Jasmine started to talk over her, Kornbread said, "You still cut me off, and I love for it. You ain't changed." There's no real drama here, with most of the queens agreeing that Jasmine was a lot to take in. As June said, Kornbread's words may have been direct, but they were also needed.
* The fans, including celebrities like Ariana Grande, have apparently fallen in love with "Camgeria." Both Lady Camden and Angeria are enjoying the attention, with the latter saying, "I'm not opposed to anything. I'm really not."
* Speaking of showmances, Jorgeous and Orion apparently had a little something going on, but Jorgeous insists that "no lips touched." In fact, the whole thing sounds... what's the opposite of romantic? As Jorgeous explained, "When you're secluded and away, all you have is your sisters." And then Orion said, "I'll always love you. Even if you don't respond to my text messages." Ouch!
* The infamous Untucked fight between Maddy and Jasmine was apparently a misunderstanding, with both queens believing that the other was being dismissive.
* Kornbread insisted that she did, in fact, pay Daya $1,000 to eat that dragonfly in the werkroom.
* Bosco admitted that she "wasn't nice" when she fought to play Saltine in Moulin Ru!, before bringing up this argument: "When did we decide that drag queens aren't huge bitches?"
* Maddy (and Daddy Morphosis) won the Golden Boot Award for her infamous "rag-tag homemade country" dress. "I'm so glad I finally won something," she said.
* And the best read of the night came courtesy of Kornbread, who told DeJa Skye: "You and Jesus have something in common. You both have 12 followers!"
Your thoughts on the Season 14 reunion? Which queen will you be rooting for at next week's finale? Whatever's on your mind, drop it in a comment below.