RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 9)

RuPaul's Drag Race
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Season 9
Overall Information
No. of Episodes	14
Premiere	Friday, March 24, 2017
Finale	Friday, June 23, 2017
Season Information
Winner	Sasha Velour
Miss Congeniality	Valentina
Judges	RuPaul Michelle Visage Carson Kressley Ross Mathews
Season Chronology
← Previous	All Stars 2
Next →	All Stars 3

The ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race began airing on March 24, 2017. Fourteen queens are competing for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar" and a cash prize of $100,000. The cast members were revealed on February 2, 2017. The premiere date was announced on the official Drag Race Twitter account on March 1, 2017. This season is the first to not air on Logo, as it has been moved to VH1.

The winner of this season is Sasha Velour, with Peppermint placing as runner up while Valentina won the title of Miss Congeniality.

In 2018 Aja competed on All Stars 3 and placed 7th overall.

Also in 2018, contestant Eureka returned to compete on Season 10, after leaving Season 9 due to medical reasons. She ended up as Runner-up, making her the first returning queen to make it to the finale.

In December 2018, Eureka returned to compete on the spin-off RuPaul's Drag Race Holi-Slay Spectacular, and, as everyone won, she became the first queen to win a 'season' on their third attempt.

In December 2018, Trinity the Tuck, Farrah Moan, and Valentina returned to compete on All Stars 4. Farrah placed 9th, and Valentina placed 7th. Trinity went on to win the season alongside Season 10 contestant and Miss Congeniality, Monét X Change.

In May 2020, it was announced that Shea Couleé was going to be competing on All Stars 5. Shea went on to win the season, making her the third Season 9 queen to win a season.

Contestants

Aja

Alexis Michelle

Charlie Hides

Cynthia Lee Fontaine

Eureka

Farrah Moan

Jaymes Mansfield

Kimora Blac

Nina Bo'nina Brown

Peppermint

Sasha Velour

Shea Couleé

Trinity Taylor

Valentina

(Ages and names stated are during time of contest)

Rank	Contestant	Photo	Real Name	Age	Home Town	Current City	Ep. 1	Ep. 2	Ep. 3	Ep. 4	Ep. 5	Ep. 6	Ep. 7	Ep. 8	Ep. 9	Ep.10	Ep.11	Ep. 12	Ep. 13	Ep. 14
											Rusical	Snatch Game		Roast		Make Over	Ball		Reunion	Grand Finale
1st (Winner)	Sasha Velour		Alexander Steinberg	29	Urbana, IL	Brooklyn, NY	HIGH	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	SAFE	HIGH	LOW	HIGH	WIN	HIGH	HIGH Mini Chall. Winner	TOP 4	RUNNING	WINNER
2nd (Runner-Up)	Peppermint		Agnes Moore	37	New York, NY	New York, NY	SAFE	SAFE	HIGH	LOW	HIGH	BTM2	SAFE	WIN	HIGH	SAFE	BTM2	TOP 4	RUNNING	LOST 3RD ROUND
3rd/4th	Shea Couleé		Jaren Kyei Merrell	27	Chicago, IL	Chicago, IL	SAFE	HIGH	SAFE	WIN	WIN	SAFE	HIGH	HIGH	WIN	BTM2	WIN	TOP 4	RUNNING	LOST 2ND ROUND
	Trinity Taylor		Ryan Taylor	31	Birmingham, AL	Orlando, FL	SAFE	HIGH	WIN	BTM2 Team Captain	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	LOW	HIGH	WIN	LOW	TOP 4	RUNNING	LOST 1ST ROUND
5th	Alexis Michelle		Alex Michaels	33	New York, NY	New York, NY	SAFE	SAFE	SAFE	HIGH TEAM	HIGH Mini Chall. Winner	WIN	SAFE	BTM2	LOW	LOW	ELIM		RTRN	RTRN
6th	Nina Bo'nina Brown		Pierre Leverne Dease	34	Columbia, SC	Atlanta, GA	WIN	SAFE Team Captain	SAFE	HIGH	LOW	HIGH	BTM2	SAFE	BTM2	ELIM			RTRN	RTRN
7th (Miss Congeniality)	Valentina		James Leyva	25	Los Angeles, CA	Echo Park, CA	SAFE	WIN	HIGH	HIGH TEAM	SAFE	SAFE	HIGH	SAFE Mini Chall. Winner	ELIM				MISS CON	RTRN
8th	Farrah Moan		Cameron Clayton	23	Houston, TX	Las Vegas, NV	SAFE	SAFE	LOW	HIGH TEAM	BTM2	LOW	SAFE	ELIM					RTRN	RTRN
9th	Aja		Jay Rivera	22	Brooklyn, NY	Brooklyn, NY	SAFE	SAFE	BTM2	HIGH TEAM Team Captain	SAFE	SAFE	ELIM						RTRN	RTRN
10th	Cynthia Lee Fontaine		Carlos Hernandez	35	San Juan, PR	Austin, TX		SAFE Team Captain	SAFE	HIGH	BTM2	ELIM							RTRN	RTRN
11th (Departed)	Eureka		David Huggard	25	Johnson City, TN	Johnson City, TN	HIGH	SAFE	SAFE	HIGH	SAFE + DEPT								RTRN	RTRN
12th	Charlie Hides		Charlie Hides	52	Boston, MA	London, UK	SAFE	LOW	SAFE	ELIM									RTRN	RTRN
13th	Kimora Blac		Von Nguyen	28	Sacramento, CA	Las Vegas, NV	SAFE	BTM2	ELIM										RTRN	RTRN
14th	Jaymes Mansfield		James Wirth	26	Madison, WI	Milwaukee, WI	SAFE	ELIM											RTRN	RTRN

█ The contestant won RuPaul's Drag Race.

█ The contestant lost the third lip-sync round.

█ The contestant lost the second lip-sync round.

█ The contestant lost the first lip-sync round.

█ The contestant competed in a four person final lip-sync against all remaining contestants, but no one had got eliminated, thus being placed as a top four finalist.

█ The contestant won the maxi challenge along with another contestant.

█ The contestant won the maxi challenge.

█ The contestant was one of the best but did not win the maxi challenge.

█ The contestant was a member of a winning team but did not win the maxi challenge.

█ The contestant was one of the worst but did not place in the bottom two.

█ The contestant placed in the bottom two but neither one was eliminated.

█ The contestant placed in the bottom two and won the lip-sync for your life.

█ The contestant placed in the bottom two, lost the lip-sync for your life and was eliminated.

█ The contestant did not place in the bottom two but departed due to medical reasons.

█ The contestant entered the competition.

█ The contestant was voted Ms. Congeniality by viewers and Fan Favorite by fellow contestants.

█ The contestant appeared on the "Reunion" episode and was still in the running.

█ The contestant returned and appeared on the "Reunion" episode, but was out of the running.

█ The contestant did not participate in the episode.

Episodes

Series #	Episode #	Title #	Airdate
119	1	Oh. My. Gaga!	March 24, 2017
120	2	She Done Already Done Brought It On	March 31, 2017
121	3	Draggily Ever After	April 7, 2017
122	4	Good Morning Bitches!	April 14, 2017
123	5	Reality Stars: The Musical	April 21, 2017
124	6	Snatch Game	April 28, 2017
125	7	9021-HO	May 5, 2017
126	8	RuPaul Roast	May 12, 2017
127	9	Your Pilot's On Fire	May 19, 2017
128	10	Makeovers: Crew Better Work	May 26, 2017
129	11	Gayest Ball Ever	June 2, 2017
130	12	Category Is	June 9, 2017
131	13	Reunited	June 16, 2017
132	14	Grand Finale	June 23, 2017

Episode 1: "Oh. My. Gaga!"

Airdate: March 24, 2017

Synopsis : Lady Gaga drops by to meet the 13 new queens competing to become America's Next Drag Superstar. Their first test is to compete in the Miss Charisma Uniqueness Nerve and Talent pageant.

Summary : The first episode featured 13 drag queens enter the werk room of RuPaul's Drag Race, where they are met by RuPaul and American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga, the latter who posed as a contestant. For the maxi-challenge, each queen were to prepare two runway looks on the main stage in front of RuPaul, Lady Gaga, and co-judges Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, and Ross Mathews: one based on their hometown, and the other being adaptions of Gaga's outfits, for the Miss Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent pageant. During the judges' critiques, Eureka, Nina Bo'Nina Brow,n and Sasha Velour were chosen as the top three participants in the pageant, with Nina Bo'Nina Brown winning the title. Before the episode finished, RuPaul abruptly announced a 14th queen entering the competition.

• Guest Judge: Lady Gaga
• Maxi Challenge: Compete in a pageant of two categories, "Where are you from?" and "Favorite Gaga look".
• Maxi Challenge Winner: Nina Bo'Nina Brown
• Maxi Challenge Prize: 1 week getaway to The Grand Resort and Spa at Fort Lauderdale Beach.
• Eliminated: N/A

Entrance Order

1.	Peppermint
2.	Valentina
3.	Eureka O'Hara
4.	Charlie Hides
5.	Farrah Moan
6.	Sasha Velour
7.	Alexis Michelle
8.	Shea Couleé
9.	Trinity Taylor
10.	Kimora Blac
11.	Jaymes Mansfield
12.	Nina Bo'nina Brown
13.	Aja

Episode 2: "She Done Already Done Brought It On"

Airdate: March 31, 2017

Synopsis : Lisa Kudrow from Friends stops by, and the queens are challenged to perform in an epic cheer battle. With guest judges The B-52s.

Summary : Carrying on from episode one, RuPaul announced a 14th queen entering the competition, which turned out to be season 8 contestant Cynthia Lee Fontaine, who previously placed 10th in her season. For the maxi challenge, each queen competed in a cheer-leading battle between two teams, with Fontaine and Nina Bo'Nina Brown serving as team captains; subsequently, the runway theme on the main stage was "White Party Realness". During the judges' critiques, Shea Couleé, Trinity Taylor and Valentina were deemed the best for their performances and runway looks, with the latter contestant winning the challenge. Charlie Hides, Kimora Blac, and Jaymes Mansfield were criticized for their performances, though Hides was the only contestant out of the three to be commended for her runway look. Hides was declared safe from the bottom two, whist Blac and Mansfield lip-synced against each other to The B-52's "Love Shack"; Blac won the lip-sync, while Mansfield was sashayed away by RuPaul.

• Guest Judges: The B-52's
• Special Guest: Lisa Kudrow
• Maxi Challenge: Perform in a cheer battle
• Maxi Challenge Winner: Valentina
• Maxi Challenge Prize: Custom wig wardrobe from Rock Star Wigs
• Runway Theme: White party
• Bottom Two: Jaymes Mansfield and Kimora Blac
• Lip-Sync Song: "Love Shack" by The B-52's
• Returned: Cynthia Lee Fontaine
• Eliminated: Jaymes Mansfield
• Farewell Message: "You Live to Love me more each Day. JM. PS JK I LOVE you all."

Cheerleading Squads

RuPaul's Glamazons	B-52 Bombers
Aja (Sassy)	Cynthia Lee Fontaine (Naughty)
Nina Bo'nina Brown (Assy)	Kimora Blac (Slutty)
Shea Couleé (Flirty)	Eureka (Wacky)
Sasha Velour (Dirty)	Trinity Taylor (Tacky)
Charlie Hides (Boozy)	Farrah Moan (Thorny)
Jaymes Mansfield (Snoozy)	Peppermint (Corny)
Alexis Michelle (Floozy)	Valentina (also Corny)

Episode 3: "Draggily Ever After"

Airdate: April 7th, 2017

Synopsis : The queens must create fairytale drag princesses, and transform themselves into sassy sidekicks. With guest judges Todrick Hall and Cheyenne Jackson.

Summary : In episode 3, the remaining 13 contestants were asked by RuPaul to create an original fairytale princess look, for the runway, with a sidekick character to portray on the main stage, in front of the panel of judges. During the judges' critiques, Peppermint, Trinity Taylor and Valentina were praised for their runway looks and side ick creations, with Trinity Taylor winning the challenge. However, Farrah Moan, Aja, and Kimora Blac were criticized for their performances and looks. Out of the three, Moan was declared safe, while Aja and Blac lip-synced against each other to Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero"; Aja won the lip-sync, whilst Blac was sashayed away by RuPaul.

• Guest Judges: Cheyenne Jackson and Todrick Hall
• Maxi Challenge: Create a fantasy fairytale princess and a sassy sidekick.
• Maxi Challenge Winner: Trinity Taylor
• Maxi Challenge Prize: $2,000 gift card from Casper, a mattress manufacturer.
• Bottom Two: Kimora Blac and Aja
• Lip-Sync Song: "Holding Out For A Hero" by Bonnie Tyler
• Eliminated: Kimora Blac
• Farewell Message: "Hey ladies, I ♡ you all! Sisters 4 ever! ♡ kimmy"

Episode 4: "Good Morning Bitches"

Airdate: April 14th, 2017

Synopsis: The queens join the cutthroat Morning Talk Show wars. Naya Rivera (Glee) and Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman guest judge.

Summary: In episode 4, the 12 remaining drag queens were asked by RuPaul to act in two live morning talk shows, titled Good Morning Bitches and Not On Today; the contestants also had to interview with American singer and actress Naya Rivera, who served as the weeks, co-special judge. Alongside this, the runway theme of the week was Naughty Nighties. During the judges' critiques, team Good Morning Bitches—which included Aja, Alexis Michelle, Farrah Moan, Valentina, and subsequent winners Shea Couleé and Sasha Velour—were all deemed safe, while the Not on Today team were up for elimination. Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Eureka, and Nina Bo'Nina Brown were all commended for their performances, despite Fontaine being criticized for her runway look. However, Charlie Hides, Peppermint and Trinity Taylor were all criticized for their performances. Peppermint received the worst reviews for her runway out of the three but was noted by the judges as the better performer. She was ultimately declared safe, while Charlie Hides and Trinity Taylor lip-synced to Britney Spears' "I Wanna Go"; Taylor won the lip-sync, whilst Hides was sashayed away by RuPaul.

• Guest Judges: Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman & Naya Rivera
• Maxi Challenge: Star in morning talk shows.
• Maxi Challenge Winners: Shea Couleé and Sasha Velour
• Maxi Challenge Prize: $1,000 and a one-year supply of burgers from Hamburger Mary's.
• Runway Theme: Naughty nighties
• Bottom Two: Trinity Taylor and Charlie Hides
• Lip-Sync Song: "I Wanna Go" by Britney Spears
• Eliminated: Charlie Hides
• Farewell Message: "LADIES, I'VE ENJOYED GETTING TO KNOW EACH + EVERYONE OF YOU! SLAY IT FOR TRANMA! XO CHARLIE"

Talk Shows

Role	Not on Today	Good Morning Bitches
Anchors	Trinity Taylor	Alexis Michelle
	Peppermint	Farrah Moan
Entertainment	Charlie Hides	Aja
	Cynthia Lee Fontaine	Valentina
DIYs	Eureka	Shea Couleé
	Nina Bo'nina Brown	Sasha Velour

Who Should Go Home Tonight?

Queen	Choice
Trinity Taylor	Charlie Hides
Peppermint	Charlie Hides
Charlie Hides	Peppermint
Cynthia Lee Fontaine	Peppermint
Eureka	Trinity Taylor
Nina Bo'nina Brown	Trinity Taylor

Episode 5: "Reality Stars: The Musical"

Airdate: April 21, 2017

Synopsis : Todrick Hall directs the queens in Broadway's newest mega-sensation, the Kardashian musical. Singer Meghan Trainor guest judges.

Summary : In episode 5, the remaining 11 drag queens featured in the season's first mini-challenge to pose in a sexy selfie with the pit crew of RuPaul's Drag Race; Alexis Michelle won the challenge, and was given the authority to choose roles for the maxi-challenge of Kardashian: The Musical. Alongside this, the runway theme of the week was Faux Fur Fabulous. During the judges' critiques, Aja, Eureka, Sasha Velour, Trinity Taylor and Valentina were declared safe. Alexis Michelle, Peppermint and Shea Couleé received high critiques for their performances, though Michelle received negative commentary about Alexis' runway look. However, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Farrah Moan, and Nina Bo'Nina Brown were all criticized for their performances. Nina Bo'nina Brown was declared safe from the bottom two, while Cynthia Lee Fontaine and Farrah Moan lip-synced against each other to Meghan Trainor's "Woman Up". Despite their lip-sync, RuPaul removed contestant Eureka from the competition due to an injury that occurred in episode two for the cheer-leading challenge; as a result, Fontaine and Moan were declared safe.

• Guest Judges: Meghan Trainor
• Special Guest: Todrick Hall
• Mini-Challenge: Pose in a sexy selfie with the pit crew
• Mini-Challenge Winner : Alexis Michelle
• Mini-Challenge Prize: $1000 from FierceQueen.com
• Maxi Challenge: Perform in Kardashian: The Musical
• Maxi Challenge Winner: Shea Couleé
• Maxi Challenge Prize: A cruise for two with free airfare from AllOutVacations
• Runway Theme: Faux Fur Realness
• Bottom Two: Cynthia Lee Fontaine and Farrah Moan
• Lip-Sync Song: "Woman Up" by Meghan Trainor
• Departed: Eureka O'Hara (due to injury)
• Farewell Message: "Well sluts! Biggie is out but this is NOT the last of Me!! I need all of :) you to ALWAYS #beyourselftofreeyourself ♡ Eureka!! :P"

Musical Roles

Queen	Character
Peppermint	Britney Spears
Sasha Velour	Lindsay Lohan
Trinity Taylor	Paris Hilton
Cynthia Lee Fontaine	Kim Kardashian
Alexis Michelle	Kris Jenner
Nina Bo'nina Brown	Khloé Kardashian
Aja	Kourtney Kardashian
Valentina	Kendall Jenner
Farrah Moan	Kylie Jenner
Shea Couleé	Blac Chyna
Eureka	North West

Episode 6: "Snatch Game"

Airdate: April 28, 2017

Synopsis: The Queens impersonate celebrities in a TV game show. Candis Cayne and Denis O'Hare guest judge.

Summary: In episode 6, the 10 remaining drag queens were asked by RuPaul to impersonate any character or celebrity for the series' on-going challenge, the Snatch Game; subsequently, the runway theme was Night of 1000 Madonna's, which was repeated for Season 9 due to the criticism it attracted for its first appearance on season 8. During the judges' critiques, Aja, Shea Couleé, Trinity Taylor and Valentina were all declared safe. Alexis Michelle, Nina Bo'Nina Brown, and Sasha Velour were praised for their performances and runway looks, though Brown was criticized for having the same theme-based outfit as Trinity Taylor's. Moreover, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Farrah Moan, and Peppermint received negative critiques for their performances, while Moan was the only contestant out of the three to have received positive remarks about her runway outfit. Moan was declared safe from the bottom two, while Cynthia Lee Fontaine and Peppermint lip-synced against each other to Madonna (entertainer)'s "Music"; Peppermint won the lip-sync, and Cynthia Lee Fontaine was sashayed away by RuPaul. Fontaine finishing in 10th place made her the only contestant to compete in two seasons and be placed in the same position after being eliminated.

• Guest Judges: Candis Cayne and Denis O'Hare
• Maxi Challenge: Snatch Game
• Maxi Challenge Winner: Alexis Michelle
• Maxi Challenge Prize: $2,000 prize package from Sparkle
• Runway Theme: Night of 1,000 Madonnas: The Shequel
• Bottom Two: Cynthia Lee Fontaine and Peppermint
• Lip-Sync Song: "Music" by Madonna
• Eliminated: Cynthia Lee Fontaine
• Farewell Message: "Don't stop believe in you!!! Love you. CUCU xoxo"

Snatch Game Characters

Queen	Celebrity
Peppermint	Nene Leakes
Sasha Velour	Marlene Dietrich
Trinity Taylor	Amanda Lepore
Cynthia Lee Fontaine	Sofia Vergara
Alexis Michelle	Liza Minnelli
Nina Bo'nina Brown	Jasmine Masters
Aja	Alyssa Edwards
Valentina	Ariadna Gutierrez
Farrah Moan	Gigi Gorgeous
Shea Couleé	Naomi Campbell

Episode 7: "9021-HO"

Airdate: May 5th 2017

Synopsis : The queen's act in a classic '90s high-school drama directed by original "Beverly Hills 90210" stars Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth.

Summary : In episode 7, the 9 remaining drag queens were asked by RuPaul to act in a 90210 parody spin-off, titled 9021-Ho; as a result of contestant Peppermint falling in the bottom two the previous week, RuPaul had given her the authority to choose the roles towards the show. The runway theme of the week was Big Hair Everywhere. During the critiques, Alexis Michelle, Farrah Moan and Peppermint were declared safe. Shea Couleé, Trinity Taylor and Valentina received positive remarks for their performances and runway looks, with Trinity Taylor eventually winning the challenge. However, Aja, Nina Bo'Nina Brown and Sasha Velour were all criticized for their performances yet praised for their runway. Sasha Velour was declared safe from the bottom two, while Aja and Nina Bo'Nina Brown lip-synced against each other to CeCe Peniston's "Finally"; Nina Bo'Nina Brown won the lip-sync, and Aja was sashayed away by RuPaul.

• Guest Judges: Jennie Garth & Tori Spelling
• Maxi Challenge: Act in the classic 90's high-school drama, 9021-HO (Acting Challenge)
• Maxi Challenge Winner: Trinity Taylor
• Maxi Challenge Prize: $2,000 gift card from Fabric Planet
• Runway Theme: Big Hair Everywhere
• Bottom Two: Nina Bo'Nina Brown and Aja
• Lip-Sync Song: "Finally" by CeCe Peniston
• Eliminated: Aja
• Farewell Message: "Love u guys, please don't be too messy without me! XOXO AJA ♡ PS. Ur all gay :)"

9021-HO Characters

Queen	Character	90210 Character Parodied	90210 Actor
Peppermint	Brandi Shmaltz	Brandon Walsh	Jason Priestly
Sasha Velour	Lunch Lady Kat	N/A	N/A
Trinity Taylor	Nelly's Mom	Jackie Taylor	Ann Gillespie
Alexis Michelle	Mirror Monna Dartin	N/A	N/A
Nina Bo'nina Brown	Blenda Shmaltz	Brenda Walsh	Shannon Doherty
Aja	Bethani Glamber Gliessen	Valerie Malone	Tiffani-Amber Thiesson
Valentina	Monna Dartin	Donna Martin	Tori Spelling
Farrah Moan	Nelly	Kelly Taylor	Jennie Garth
Shea Couleé	Grandrea Zuckerwoman	Andrea Zuckerman	Gabrielle Carters

Episode 8: "RuPaul Roast"

Airdate: May 12th 2017

Synopsis : The queens perform a comedy roast on Michelle Visage in front of a live audience. Singer Tamar Braxton and Fortune Feimster (The Mindy Project) guest judge.

Summary : In episode 8, the 8 remaining drag queens were asked by RuPaul to insult each other for the season's second mini-challenge, often referred as "Reading is Fundamental"; Valentina won the challenge, and was given the authority to assign the line-up for the comedy roast of judge Michelle Visage. During the judge's critiques, Nina Bo'Nina Brown and Valentina were declared safe. Peppermint, Sasha Velour, and Shea Couleé were praised for their performances, with Peppermint winning the challenge. However, Alexis Michelle, Farrah Moan, and Trinity Taylor were all deemed the worst during the comedy roast, although Taylor received positive remarks for her runway look. Trinity Taylor was declared safe, while Alexis and Farrah lip-synced against each other to Dolly Parton's "Baby I'm Burning"; Alexis Michelle won the lip-sync, and Farrah Moan was sashayed away by RuPaul.

• Guest Judges: Tamar Braxton & Fortune Feimster
• Mini-Challenge: Reading is Fundamental
• Mini-Challenge Winner: Valentina
• Mini-Challenge Prize : Decide the order of Roast and Trip for Two to Saguaro in Palm Springs for 4 days.
• Maxi Challenge: Perform a comedy roast of Michelle Visage
• Maxi Challenge Winner: Peppermint
• Maxi Challenge Prize: Five-year partnership with Squarespace
• Bottom Two: Alexis Michelle and Farrah Moan
• Lip-Sync Song: "Baby I'm Burnin'" by Dolly Parton
• Eliminated: Farrah Moan
• Farewell Message: "Hey ladies! I LOVE YOU ALL SOOO MUCH. YOU ARE ALL superstars and it's so special to finally have a REAL family. Good luck! DON'T FUCK IT UP ♡ , Farrah Moan"

Order	Contestant
1st	Shea Couleé
2nd	Sasha Velour
3rd	Valentina
4th	Trinity Taylor
5th	Farrah Moan
6th	Peppermint
7th	Nina Bo'nina Brown
Last	Alexis Michelle

Episode 9: "Your Pilot's on Fire"

Airdate: May 19th 2017

Synopsis : The queens create, write, and star in their TV pilots. Noah Galvin (The Real O'Neals) and QVC queen Lisa Robertson guest judge.

Summary : In episode 9, the 7 remaining drag queens were asked by RuPaul to form two groups of two, and a group of three, to write, produce and star in their own TV show pilot; the teams were: Sasha Velour and Shea Couleé as team one, Nina Bo'Nina Brown and Valentina as team two, and Alexis Michelle, Peppermint and Trinity Taylor as team three.[Subsequently, the runway theme for the main stage was Club Kid Couture. During the judge's critiques, Sasha Velour and Shea Couleé won the challenge for their runway looks and performances, becoming the first duo to win more than one challenge in the same season. Elsewhere, Peppermint and Trinity Taylor received positive reviews for their runway looks and performances, whilst team member Alexis Michelle attracted contrasting results. Nina Bo'Nina Brown and Valentina received mixed reviews for their pilots and runway look.

Alexis Michelle was declared safe from the bottom two, while Nina Bo'Nina Brown and Valentina lip-synced against each other to Ariana Grande's "Greedy". However, the lip-sync was stopped by RuPaul because Valentina had a veil (which was part of her runway look) covering her mouth, effectively hindering the lip-sync performance; she subsequently removed it per request by RuPaul. Later, it became clear that Valentina did not know the words to the lip-sync, which automatically made Nina Bo'Nina Brown the winner of the lip-sync, while Valentina was sashayed away by RuPaul.

Show	Queen	Role
Teets & Asky	Sasha Velour	Natasha Asky
	Shea Couleé	Teets McGee
Nina & Tina	Nina Bo'nina Brown	Nina
	Valentina	Tina
Mary, Mother of Gay	Alexis Michelle	Freda Phelps
	Peppermint	Shaquita Bryant
	Trinity Taylor	Sister Mary Koont

• Guest Judges: Noah Galvin and Lisa Robertson
• Maxi Challenge: Create, write, and star in a TV pilot
• Maxi Challenge Winners: Shea Couleé and Sasha Velour
• Maxi Challenge Prize: $1,000 for The Spa on Rodeo and a supply of hair care products by Aquage.
• Runway Theme: Club Kid Couture
• Bottom Two: Nina Bo'Nina Brown and Valentina
• Lip-Sync Song: "Greedy" by Ariana Grande
• Eliminated: Valentina
• Farewell Message: "LADIES I LOVE YOU WITH ALL OF MY HEART! IF EVER YOU NEED ME, I'M YOURS. CON AMOR, VALENTINA"

Episode 10: "Makeovers: Crew Better Work"

Airdate: May 26th 2017

Summary : In episode 10, the 6 remaining drag queens were asked by RuPaul to give make-overs of themselves, and six crew members of RuPaul's Drag Race. During the judge's critiques, Trinity Taylor won the challenge alongside her partner, with Sasha Velour receiving high critiques. Peppermint was declared safe, while Alexis Michelle, Nina Bo'Nina Brown and Shea Couleé were criticized for their make-over looks. Alexis Michelle was declared safe from the bottom two, while Nina Bo'Nina Brown and Shea Couleé lip-synced against each other to Demi Lovato's "Cool for the Summer"; Shea Couleé won the lip-sync, and Nina Bo'Nina Brown was sashayed away by RuPaul.

• Guest Judges: Kesha and Zaldy.
• Maxi Challenge: Makeover crew members and perform a lip-sync of "Click Clack(Make that Money)" by RuPaul.
• Maxi Challenge Winner: Trinity Taylor
• Maxi Challenge Prize: 2 custom gowns made by David Meister, drag sister won $2,000 gift certificate to Klein Epstein Parker custom suits.
• Bottom Two: Shea Couleé and Nina Bo'Nina Brown
• Lip-Sync Song: "Cool for the Summer" by Demi Lovato.
• Eliminated: Nina Bo'Nina Brown
• Farewell Message: "Debbie Downer is gone. SUE ME! Shae Coulee hope you struggle cleaning this LOL. Love you all ♡ "

Queen	Crew Member	Drag Sister
Peppermint	Sarge	WinterGreen
Trinity Taylor	Rizzo	Glittafa Dayze
Sasha Velour	Duncan	Dunatella Velour
Alexis Michelle	Brady	Rye Anne Stardust
Nina Bo'nina Brown	Aaron	Ariana Bo'nina Brown
Shea Couleé	Josh	Bae Couleé

Episode 11: "Gayest Ball Ever"

Airdate: June 2nd 2017

Summary : In episode 11, the 5 remaining drag queens were asked by RuPaul to create puppets of each drag queen, and impersonate them in the season's third mini-challenge; Sasha Velour won the challenge and was given the authority to choreograph a special dance routine, resembling the elements of the LGBT community. Additionally, the contestants were asked by RuPaul to create three runway looks; the first influenced by the traditional LGBT rainbow flag, the second incorporating unicorn aesthetics, and the final being a homage to American male group The Village People. During the critiques, Shea Couleé and Sasha Velour received positive critiques. Shea Couleé was criticized for her rainbow look not matching the category, but was declared the winner of the challenge as Sasha Velour's looks were considered too high fashion. Alexis Michelle was criticized for all three looks, while Peppermint and Trinity Taylor received mixed reviews. Trinity Taylor was declared safe from the bottom two, while Alexis and Peppermint lip-synced against each other to The Village People's "Macho Man"; Peppermint won the lip-sync, and Alexis Michelle was sashayed away by RuPaul.

• Guest Judges: Andie MacDowell (Groundhog Day) and Joan Smalls
• Mini-Challenge: Everybody Loves Puppets
• Mini-Challenge Winner: Sasha Velour
• Mini-Challenge Reward : Be the leader of the rhythmic gymnastics performance.
• Maxi Challenge: The queens must participate in the Gayest Ball Ever and create three different outfits based off three categories: Rainbow-She-Betta-Do, Sexy Unicorn and Village People Eleganza Extravaganza.
• Maxi Challenge Winner: Shea Couleé
• Maxi Challenge Prize: 2 VIP tickets to Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity: an Erotic Thrill Ride!, including air fare and deluxe Las Vegas accommodations.
• Bottom Two: Alexis Michelle and Peppermint
• Lip-Sync Song: "Macho Man" by The Village People
• Eliminated: Alexis Michelle
• Farewell Message: "Wishes come true, not free. You're my sisters always. -miss Dickpig continental, 2016 :P"

Queen	Village People Role
Peppermint	Leather Biker
Sasha Velour	Cowboy
Trinity Taylor	Police Officer
Shea Couleé	Construction Worker
Alexis Michelle	Native American

Episode 12: "Category Is"

Airdate: June 9th 2017

Summary: In episode 12, the remaining four remaining drag queens were asked by RuPaul to write, produce and choreograph an original verse for the remix of his song "Category Is"; additionally, each queen were asked to guest star on RuPaul's podcast What's The Tee? featuring panel judge Michelle Visage. During the critiques, each contestant received positive critiques about their runway looks—which was their best drag style—and for their longevity in the competition. All remaining drag queens were asked to lip-sync to RuPaul's single "U Wear It Well"; for the first time on the show, no contestants were eliminated on the final challenge, and all four advanced into the grand finale.

• Maxi Challenge: Write and perform a rap on RuPaul's new single and guest star on RuPaul's podcast with Michelle Visage. (Final Challenge)
• Lip-Sync Song: "U Wear It Well" by RuPaul
• Top 4: Peppermint, Shea Couleé] Sasha Velour, and Trinity Taylor

Top Four of Season 9

Queens	Challenge Wins	Up for Elimination
	1 (Ep. 8)	2 (Eps. 6, 11)
	2 (Eps. 4, 9)	0
	4 (Eps. 4, 5, 9, 11)	1 (Ep. 10)
	3 (Eps. 3, 7, 10)	1 (Ep. 4)

Episode 13: "Reunited"

Airdate: June 16th 2017

Summary : In a reunion episode, the contestants reminisce over the season. Miss Congeniality was announced; previous Miss Congeniality and season 8 and 9 contestants Cynthia Lee Fontaine announced that fellow contestant Valentina won the title, which sparked criticism amongst all other queens. At the end of the episode, RuPaul announced that the final four contestants would have to lip-sync in groups of two to see who advances to winning America's Next Drag Superstar.

• Discussions : Charlie's lip-sync, Valentina's fans attacking queens and her elimination, Shea and Nina, Nina making fun of Kimora, Aja, and Valentina during Untucked, Toot or Boot outfits, crowning Miss Congeniality, Never Before Seen Footage, Valentina ignoring Farrah, Valentina not being congenial, Finale twist.
• Queens Returned: All
• Miss Congeniality/Fan Favorite:Valentina

Episode 14: "Grand Finale"

Airdate: June 23rd 2017

• Finale Theme: Britney and Whitney
• Lip-sync Pairings: Peppermint vs.Trinity Taylor; Shea Couleé vs.Sasha Velour
• Lip-Sync Songs:
  • "Stronger" by Britney Spears (Peppermint vs. Trinity)
  • "So Emotional" by Whitney Houston (Shea vs. Sasha)
  • "It's Not Right, but It's Okay (Thunderpuss Mix)" by Whitney Houston (Peppermint vs. Sasha).
• Lip-sync Finalists: Peppermint vs. Sasha Velour
• Winner of Season 9: Sasha Velour
• Runner-Up: Peppermint
• Third/Fourth Place: Trinity Taylor and Shea Couleé

Lip Sync for the Crown Bracket

"Stronger"/"So Emotional"

"It's Not Right, but It's Okay (Thunderpuss Mix)"

✓

Peppermint

WIN

✗

Trinity Taylor

LOSS

✓

Sasha Velour

WIN

✗

Peppermint

LOSS

✓

Sasha Velour

WIN

✗

Shea Couleé

LOSS

Gallery

Press Released Logo

Smoke Themed Logo

RuPaul's Promo Look

Check out the lookbook gallery to see the contestants' looks from each episode.

Videos

The Pit Stop Recap Show

The Pit Stop S9 E1 with Alaska

The Pit Stop S9 E2 with Katya

The Pit Stop S9 E3 with Delta Work

The Pit Stop S9 E4 with Gia Gunn

The Pit Stop S9 E5 with Mariah Balenciaga

The Pit Stop S9 E6 with Laganja Estranja

The Pit Stop S9 E7 with Ginger Minj

The Pit Stop S9 E8 with Bob The Drag Queen

The Pit Stop S9 E9 with Violet Chachki

The Pit Stop S9 E10 with Raven

The Pit Stop S9 E11 with Ongina

The Pit Stop S9 E12 with Manila Luzon

The Pit Stop S9 E13 & E14 with Luis (Bob's Assistant)

Trivia

• Season 9 is the first season...
  • ...(and only) to have 3 crowned winners (Sasha Velour, Trinity The Tuck on All Stars 4 and Shea Couleé on All Stars 5).
  • ... to be entirely aired on VH1.
  • ... in which no contestant was eliminated in the first episode.
  • ... to air on Fridays.
  • ... to use Instagram stories for advertisement.
  • ... to show cartoon cut-out edits with the main stage as background.
  • ... to not show the main stage in a whole episode (prior to Rucaps, reunions and finales).
  • ... to have a queen go home due to injury.
  • ... to have RuPaul stop a lip-sync before it ends.
  • ... to have two contestants win two different dual-win Maxi Challenges (Sasha Velour and Shea Couleé).
  • ... where RuPaul wears her promo dress in an episode.
  • ... where all of the queens without a Maxi Challenge win get eliminated before the ones who won one.
  • ... to have a Reunion episode separate from the finale episode, instead of calling the finale "RuPaul's Drag Race Reunited".
  • ... to have four contestants compete in the finale.
  • ... where the winner of the season won fewer Maxi Challenges than another contestant.
  • ... where a queen who won four Maxi Challenges didn't end up winning the season.
    • This later happened to Gigi Goode in Season 12.
  • ... where only the running contestants are shown speaking in the finale.
  • ... to not have a finalist music video to one of RuPaul's songs.
  • ... where RuPaul has Raven as her makeup artist for the show.
• Season 9 is the second season...
  • ... to feature a returning contestant in a non-All Stars season (Cynthia Lee Fontaine) after Season 3 (Shangela).
    • Season 10 (Eureka) and Season 11 (Vanessa Vanjie Mateo) will have been the third and fourth season to have a contestant from a previous season return.
  • ... to reuse a lip-sync song.

• Interestingly, the top 4 queens were assigned the four non-Kardashian roles in Kardashian: The Musical.
• Season 9 has the fewest mini-challenges of any season, with only 3.
• This season has the oldest average age of any non-All Stars season, with an average age of 30.4.
• The lip-sync assassin of Season 9 is Peppermint. She sent home Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Alexis Michelle, and Trinity Taylor.
• Season 9 is the first season to have two queens go on to win All Stars, with Trinity The Tuck winning All Stars 4 and Shea Couleé winning All Stars 5.