Edited by Coral White
It’s nearly time for the hallowed finale of Rupaul’s Drag Race; the episode is set to air at the end of Pride month (June 28 at 8 pm on VH1) and will draw to a close the tenth season of Ru’s beloved show—it’s 2018’s pinnacle moment for queer culture. I couldn’t be happier.
And yet, as a sea of hashtags and posts championing Asia, Aquaria and Eureka flood the Internet, I can’t help but think that people are forgetting about this season’s fourth finalist and unsung heroine: Kameron Michaels.
Kameron (Dane Young) is a 31 year old muscle queen—a real one, not just Milk wearing a cheesy muscle suit for All Stars Season 3—hailing from Nashville, Tennessee. She has the personality of a classic bro—her passions include playing video games, working out all the time and getting sick tats—but has the body-ody-ody of a classic supermodel.
From Season 10’s very first episode, it’s obvious that both in and out of drag, Kameron Michaels is a straight up thirst trap, but as a muscle queen, she also offers a refreshing alternative to the show’s usual queens, who, with few exceptions, are thin and feminine. It’s nice for RPDR to flaunt queens who don’t just look like Alaska Thunderfuck or Farrah Moan.
But the queen is so much more than just a pretty face who can proportionize. Kameron is damn talented, slaying music challenges and lip syncs—her Cher impression gives Chad Michaels a run for her money—while still fairing surprisingly well at challenges she says she struggles with. When you compare her acting in Snatch Game as World Wrestling Federation star Chyna to whatever it was that The Vixen and Asia O’Hara were doing, it just isn’t that bad.
Despite all this, Kameron has been largely ignored this season by critics and judges alike. Why? Because Kameron Michaels is shy and reserved out of drag. And a quiet queen does not a reality TV show make.
This season of RPDR illustrated that drama is more important than talent, giving ample screen time and attention to the outbursts of Eureka, The Vixen and Aquaria (two of whom made it to the final four) while quickly ridding itself of boring (i.e. nice) queens like Blair St. Clair, Monique Heart and Mayhem Miller.
But try as they might to eliminate good queen Kameron, the judges just couldn’t shake her. Kameron held on for dear life, winning three lip syncs in a row and surprising everyone by making it to the final four and the grande finale. Sure, maybe she isn’t as funny as Monét X Change or as fashion as Aquaria or as iconic as Miss Vanjie, but you can’t deny that the girl’s got hella spirit. She has never let her place as the underdog stop her from fighting for her dreams. And honey, in my opinion, that alone means she deserves that crown.