And the Winner of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 16 Is...

We have a winner, baby! After 16 episodes in the 16th season, RuPaul has finally crowned the 16th Next Drag Superstar. The season was an exciting and well-regarded one that kept fans on their toes until the final minutes of the finale. Fourteen queens entered the Werk Room back in January and slowly but surely they've been sent packing each week, narrowing the contenders down to the final three: Nymphia Wind, Plane Jane and Sapphira Cristal.

After several seasons that felt either predictable (like the Sasha Colby meet-n-greet and Symone's slow walk to the win) or lacking in strong contenders (looking at you, Season 14) it was thrilling to have a season that felt like it fielded multiple winner contenders. From Nymphia's runways and Plane Jane's witty reads to Sapphira's star quality (and dare I mention Q's costumes), Season 14 was never lacking in talent. Thankfully it also never lacked in drama. The exciting immunity twist, Plane Jane's feud with Amanda Tori Meating, Plasma's surprise exit and Dawn's shady commentary kept us entertained week after week. And then of course there were the legendary confessionals and lip syncs from Morphine Love Dion (who you KNOW is going to eat an All Star season in the near future).

Related: Everything You Need to Know About 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Season 9

Tonight in the finale, the final three queens each performed a new musical number (ala the Season 8 finale), before Ru narrowed the field one last time to the top two. Those two queens returned to the stage for one final lip sync (to "Padam Padam" by Kylie Minogue because OF COURSE) before the winner was crowned.

Oh, and we also got our new Miss Congeniality, a stunning performance by Sasha Colby, a new song from RuPaul herself and one last giant banana costume for the season.

Here's everything that went down during the finale of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16:

Who won Miss Congeniality for RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16?

Xunami Muse and Sapphira Cristal

For the first time in the history of RuPaul's Drag Race, there are two Miss Congenialities. While this award was originally handed out as a "fan favorite" prize with the audience voting, since Season 10 it has been voted on by the queens of the season itself. Season 15's winner Malaysia Babydoll Foxx returned, dressed as a giant owl, to bestow the prize to both Xunami and Sapphira. With only 14 votes, it's not too surprising that a tie would happen eventually. Both received a cash prize.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16

Who finished third in RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16?

Plane Jane

In a fairly shocking move, Plane Jane, who had served as a frontrunner for much of the season, was eliminated first of the three finalists. Plane Jane, Sapphira and Nymphia each performed a lip sync to an original track early on in the show, and based on those (and presumably their entire run this season), Ru winnowed down the finalists to two. Plane Jane seemed a bit surprised and disappointed that she was edged out by Nymphia going into the finals, especially given that with four challenge wins each, many had been predicting a Plane Jane vs. Sapphira showdown. However, I think it became clear during the Q&A portion of the finale that Plane Jane isn't quite able to deliver the earnestness that Ru desires. Two weeks ago, she floundered during the podcast challenge, and she wasn't able to articulate a reason why she should be the Next Drag Superstar aside from looking great. If you compare her uncomfortable awkwardness with Sasha Colby's demeanor, you can see how Ru might not want to send Plane Jane to a Kamala Harris event. But Plane Jane still earned a $25,000 consolation prize and seems destined for another run on All Stars after she hopefully has a little time to mature.

Who is the runner up of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16?

Sapphira Cristal

In a shocking turn of events, neither of this season's four-challenge winners took home the crown. While Sapphira seemed poised to snatch the title after Plane Jane was eliminated, she too was sniped by Nymphia Wind. Sapphira's final lip sync gave us more of what we've seen all season, and while she fought valiantly, all of Nymphia's tricks were new and fresh. Sapphira did, however, earn $25,000 for her troubles and becomes the first finalist to perform a whole lip sync with vampire teeth in.

Who won RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16?

Nymphia Wind

After a whole season downplaying her successes, Nymphia Wind will no longer be able to hide her talents while wearing that massive crown. While she came into the finale with only three wins, compared to her competitors' four, her consistently stunning runway looks and exceptional lip sync performances put her over the edge. She also represents a side of drag we haven't seen win the crown before. She's the first Asian winner since Raja and the first fashion queen to take home the crown since Aquaria. She represents the international scope of the Drag Race franchise and hopefully opens the door for more global queens to compete on the original stage.

Has RuPaul's Drag Race Been Renewed for Season 17?

Yes ma'am! Drag Race with its many international iterations and fervent fan base seems in no danger of being cancelled anytime soon. Casting for Season 17 began earlier in 2024 and the new season will begin filming in the upcoming months.

Next, Everything We Know About 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 17