We're not even three weeks into 2025 and it is already time to crown a queen! The final challenge of Canada's Drag Race Season 5 is upon us and y'all, are we really ready to say goodbye to this season? Every single week, the divas of the Great White North have jumped, ducked, dodged, and swerved during some of the trickiest challenges we've ever seen, and they served while doing so. We've seen ferocious lip sync battles, some Untucked moments we will never forget (and nor would we want to), and plenty of show-stopping fashion on the runway — and it's all lead up to this.
Helena Poison, Makayla Couture, Minhi Wang, and The Virgo Queen remain standing here at the finish line, and the crown is truly up for grabs. Each queen has a win (or two) on their report cards, and they've proven to be multi-talented performers. They've even honed a few talents they didn't even know they had. This quartet has been unstoppable — until now. There can be only one queen!
Ahead of the finale of Canada's Drag Race Season 5, I caught up with the finalists and got their reactions to how this iconic season has played out.
Brett White: Congratulations on making it all the way to the finale. What has the response been to this season?
Makayla Couture: We just got back from DragCon UK, so we really, really got to see the love — some international love at that.
Helena Poison: Yeah, they love to love us over there.
Brett: The stunts from production were real all season long, like, "Oh, you think you know what this challenge is gonna be? Let's just twist it around." What was the thing that made your jaw drop the most?
The Virgo Queen: I already know, and it was the moment when they told me that my fate was in the rest of these bitches' hands. I said, "Well, I guess I'm going." I already knew what was good.
Makayla: Snatch Game, yeah.
Minhi Wang: The Wooden Beaver was the worst for us but the best twist because firstly, when they announced Xana as the winner on the spot, all of us, we were just like, "What?"
Makayla: Gagged.
Minhi: The reactions that you're seeing that the camera caught, like, that's literally us. Our jaws were all dropped. That's a genuine what the fuck moment. And then when they're like, "and you get this Wooden Beaver," then it's like WTF times two. I would say that was the biggest one for me.
Brett: I was gagged by the fact that y'all checked in to the hotel and were told, "Write a verse. The first challenge is starting right now."
Makayla: I loved that. I was obsessed with it. Like I said on the show, I hadn't written music in a while, but I knew that coming into the show that was going to be the one thing that would definitely separate me from a lot of the girls. And I feel like both times it did. That's the one thing I'm most proud of.
Brett: And there were a few design challenges. Minhi and Helena — are y'all good? Is there any jealousy or rivalry there since Minhi won both of them?
Minhi: I don't have any towards her but she might resent me.
Helena: I mean, she still hasn't found my Reddit where I talk shit about her so, we're good.
Minhi: Under "Pelena Hoison."
Helena: Look up "Not Helena Poison" and see me trashing Minhi Wang. No, there's no animosity at all. Both times Minhi won over me, I looked at Minhi's garment and was like, "Yeah, absolutely. Hers look finished, and mine ... looks good from afar!"
Minhi: The one that you designed for Brooke, though, I think that could have gone either way.
Helena: Looking back, yeah, I think it could have gone either way, but it is what it is at the end of the day — and she's taking me to Punta Cana, so ...
Minhi: Yeah, she's got it on tape.
Speaking of designing for Brooke Lynn, Makayla, you turned that out.
Makayla: Thank you! Tell Xana!
Brett: On Pop Heist, we just started naming our Drag Race Gem of the Week. Last week I named you our very first Gem.
Makayla: Thank you! I hate gyms but I love that! Wait — what gym? Like G-Y-M?
Brett: Oh, no! Like G-E-M!
Makayla: Oh my god! Gem!
Minhi: It's the accent.
Makayla: Sorry, we're not American! [Laughs]
Brett: Well, I'm also Southern, so — but in that episode, you turned a look for Brooke and then in Untucked you gave the best monologue since the sugar daddy monologue in RuPaul's Drag Race Season 3. What was that experience like for you?
Makayla: Oh, my God. I mean, when you're in that competition, it really is a pressure cooker. So at that point in the competition, I think we all were pretty tense. I was just like, if Xana came for me one more time, I definitely was going to snap — and I wasn't expecting her to come at me in that moment. But when she did, I had to let her know. My name is Makayla mother fuckin' Couture. I will not take this from you. And you know what? We dealt with the issue after, we had our kumbaya moment. And to this day, she's probably one of my best friends from the cast. So if that moment didn't happen, we probably would have never been besties.
Brett: And Virgo — your response to having Shea Couleé judging the Slayoffs was so moving. What was that like? Does production whisper to you, "Make sure you tell Shea you love her"?
Virgo: No, absolutely not. I don't think production even knew I had those feelings. I don't think I even knew I had those feelings. Those moments are really just natural, and when you get emotional about things, you don't really have of complete control over how it's going to come out or how it's going to look or how it's going to be received. But I was pleasantly surprised. I thought I was really corny and weird about it, like, "ohmygodI'masuperfanIloveyou."
But it was more just like, I see her and I saw her seeing me, and I just wanted to acknowledge that. And when you're on set, you don't really have opportunities to go and just say whatever you want. You have to really just take the moment. So I was like, "I'm not leaving the stage without saying something to you. I love you."
Brett: Helena, you got to serve so many amazing looks all season. Did you make everything you wore on the runway?
Helena: I made everything except two looks on the runway.
Brett: What has it felt like to see these looks week after week, and the reception to them?
Helena: I mean, I'm your stereotypical moody artist, so I'm never happy with what I do. So like, I see them and I'm like, "Okay, wait, that looks better than I thought ... But like ... [pointing] this, this, that." The only one I'm like, "this is perfection" was my statuesque runway from last week's episode. It was the epitome of what Helena Poison is.
It was creepy and cool and sexy and completely hand-crafted and made from junk that you usually don't see on a runway. I was really, really, proud of that one. And I've loved watching everyone else get to love it as well.
Brett: We had the return of the Pit Crew this season. Minhi, as a former Pit Crew member, were you whispering advice in their ears? Like, "It's just some 301 lashes, put them on ..."
Minhi: I don't want them coming for my gig! I was upset that they all came back after four years, actually. We got to have something to look at.
Brett: I'll admit that I was shocked when I saw there was a Pit Crew member on this season. I didn't know you'd go this far, because it seems so crazy. But look at you now! You've proven everyone — proven me — wrong.
Minhi: I think that's actually been the sentiment. People thought, "Oh, it's a bit of stunt casting, let's just bring her in for the storyline." And people didn't really think that she would last long. But lo and behold, she actually has some skills and talents.
Helena: However ...
Makayla: However ...
Minhi: She's not an early out. So you know what? I think that's actually been very much to my benefit, because I feel like I really, actually had to work hard to earn their respect. I didn't come in with people really knowing who I was. So then if you didn't really think that I was going to last, well, too bad. Now you love me.
Brett: For all of you, watching this season back, what moment have you most loved seeing on TV?
Minhi: I would say, we all came to win, so I think winning a couple of challenges is definitely a highlight. I'm actually kind of a competitive person, so that really fed my soul.
Makayla: Mine would probably have to be watching the music video back, because that was one of my proudest moments. But my second favorite would have to be getting to wear my '90s runway on on the runway. It honestly is the look that I had to wear, or I would have screamed and burnt the building down.
Virgo: The first thing that came to mind, I saw this little montage clip of me and Sanjina seeing each other when we walked in the Werk Room, and then all these little moments. It literally makes me tear up because it was just such a moment, a magical, and special thing that I could never compare to anything else. I think we all feel that. She's a really important part of the season.
Brett: And watching Shea Couleé live for your drag daughter.
Virgo: Also just watching all the queens live for her. She doesn't get those experiences often. It's not like she just like moves through life and people see her and appreciate her. So I think her being surrounded by so much love and support, and me being able to witness it — in a selfish way, it made me proud of myself for always being there for her and never giving up on her and supporting her. I mean, there's just so much that she needs, and I can't give her everything she needs, but the cast and the crew and everyone, really, really, did. She's special. She's a special one.
Helena: it's funny that you brought up Sanjina because I was going to say my favorite moments watching back the season were the moments I wasn't there for. When Sanjina asked [Makayla] if you had cancer? And also Sanjina thinking that I didn't know how to lip sync and called me a "bingo bitch sitting on a chair"? That took me out. I almost fell off my stool laughing at the bar. Everyone was so mad about it, but I was like, "Y'all, this is the funniest thing I've ever heard."
All seasons of Canada's Drag Race are now streaming on WOW Presents Plus.
