Season 13 has some big shoes to fill when it comes to the Rusical. Season 12’s “Madonna: The Unauthorized Rusical” paid tribute to a legend and did so in style and if that weren’t enough, the top four queens crushed their final challenge, performing numbers from RuPaul’s Drag Race Live. The season 13 queens are very talented, delivering strong performances in the improv challenge, but they’ll need more than charisma for their Rusical to stand out among the show’s recent offerings. They’ll need solid material to work with. Ultimately, “Social Media: The Unverified Rusical” is more “PharmaRusical” than “Bitch Perfect,” but what the episode lacks in dynamic Rusical performances it makes up for with satisfying narrative pay-offs, fun moments, and cast shake-ups.
The episode begins with the queens returning from the main stage and toasting LaLa. She’s only the fourth queen eliminated, but the cast has had extra time to bond this season, given the non-elimination episodes, and she’ll clearly be missed. The rest of the queens congratulate Olivia on her win, but Utica is clearly still a bit sore. She’s learned a valuable lesson from her second bottom placement; she needs to stop playing nice and start advocating for herself. Rosé and Denali are both frustrated over their safe streaks and they’re determined to do what they must to break through with the judges.
The next day, RuPaul enters the workroom—looking great in a colorful black fingerprint print suit—to announce the next maxi challenge. It’s time for the Rusical! The theme this season is social media. Each of the queens will be playing a different social media platform, from Twitter and Facebook to LinkedIn. They’ll record their vocals with Michelle Visage and then learn choreography from returning guest judge and director Jamal Sims, putting the whole production together in two days.
Each Rusical has one or maybe two spotlight roles and as the singer of the group, Rosé is determined to get the lead role. Casting will be determined by group consensus, and the queens start snapping up roles. Symone plays to his strengths and takes Instagram, Tina wants the biggest role, the emcee, Olivia goes for not-so-innocent Facebook, and Gottmik is all about the Russian bots. Denali wants either Twitter or the non-platform character, Foxy, but Utica also makes a strong play for Twitter and takes it. Rosé wants Foxy as well, and when Utica won’t relinquish Twitter, it’s time for a walk-off. Or more accurately, a mini audition. Rosé and Denali perform part of Foxy’s big number, a parody of “Don’t Rain On My Parade” from Funny Girl. Rosé sounds terrific and wins the cast vote, but Denali does a good job too and will likely be wasted as Russian bot number two, the remaining role. Denali is understandably frustrated. This is not the star-making turn he was looking for.
With the cast set, the queens get to work, studying their scripts. They’re thrown by a RuMail siren, but are delighted when they’re surprised by guest coach Anne Hathaway, joining them via video call. Tina asks for advice on making the most of an on-stage death, Rosé asks about campaigning for roles—just keep fighting, she says; Hathaway was the ninth choice for The Devil Wears Prada—and Mik attempts to buck up scene partner Denali by asking what to do when you’re passed over for your desired role. Hathaway’s advice is spot on: Steal the show anyway, and make sure you’re who they remember.
This is exactly the shot in the arm Denali needs and he asks about putting on accents. Hathaway cautions Denali against thinking of an accent as a place instead of as a person. Does Denali know any Russian women he can base his character on? Coming from the world of figure skating, that’s a yes. Hathaway excitedly asks if he’ll demonstrate an axel, which he does with aplomb. It’s absolutely charming, and the editors transition from this exchange to Utica’s final question, asking what Hathaway appreciates about drag as an art form. Her answer is thoughtful and fun, citing its joy and ability to promote acceptance. Plus the fashion is amazing, the puns are great, and who doesn’t love a boob or tuck joke? It’s a shame Ms. Hathaway was unable to film in person, but hopefully she’ll return in a non-COVID year as a guest judge.
After their advice session, the queens head to the main stage to record with Michelle, as well as David Benjamin Steinberg, who composed the Rusical with Erik Paparozzi. Tina’s up first and he sounds great, going for a Broadway grande dame inflection. Olivia sounds good and surprises Michelle and the queens with a few well-executed runs. Are there any other stealth ringers in the cast? Definitely not Symone, who has his own Kahmora “rooting for us” moment, tripping on the pronunciation of ogle. Kandy isn’t great either, but he powers through his song with plenty of personality. Elliott gets rough reviews despite sounding okay, so maybe he didn’t match the track? As for Utica, the role he fought for is based on the Modern Major-General’s song from The Pirates of Penzance, which means spitting out quick lyrics with incredibly precise diction. He’s in trouble and Denali must be irritated, watching from the sidelines. Why fight for a part you’re not up to?
It’s time for the choreography rehearsal and for once, Jamal doesn’t seem to be giving the queens anything too complicated. Olivia is confident with a simple waltz-like sway, but Symone struggles with a straightforward En Vogue strut. Utica looks incredibly awkward, trying for Hamilton-inspired movements, and Kandy even has trouble with the gyrations Jamal has choreographed. Rosé nails his routine, the episode skips past Elliott and Tina, and last up are Mik and Denali. They need to match each other, which is a problem for Mik, who doesn’t have nearly Denali’s skills, and Denali, who’d rather not dumb down his part. Denali looks to be a good partner, but Mik will need to up his game or look weak in comparison.
The next day, the queens strut into the workroom, excited for the Rusical. Symone is anxious, but the rest of the queens seem ready to go, and the topic quickly goes to their experiences on social media. Kandy talks about watching Aja get harassed for years after season nine, thanks to the now-iconic dust-up with Valentina. He also recognizes the good social media can bring and brings up his viral moment with “sitting alone in the VIP,” spinning an isolating moment into something positive. Rosé asks Tina about his experience being in the public eye when he dated Graham Norton and Tina commends Norton for his ability to handle the pressures of life under a microscope. The editors include pictures of the couple—Tina is not kidding about his unfortunate hair choices—and the topic moves to celebrity crushes. Boris Kodjoe and John Stamos get shout-outs before Denali asks if he’s the only one who had crushes on animated characters like Hercules and Aladdin. The other queens lose it, but Denali is definitely not alone; he’ll undoubtedly get plenty of Twitter love for this stance.
On the main stage, Ru walks out in a fabulous baby blue coat dress, blonde hair, and silver clutch. Michelle, Ross, and Jamal all play with their phones rather than banter, but as has been the case all season, they look great doing so. Michelle’s in a white suit with wavy hair and electric purple eyeshadow, Ross has a white suit with green leaves, and Jamal’s in a black suit with red flowers. The bit wouldn’t fly with a new guest judge, but with friend of the show Sims, it works.
The Rusical kicks off with Tina as the Em-she, channeling Cabaret and introducing the characters. Olivia is Marky Tuckenberg, inventor of FaceFaceFaceLook. Olivia nails the charm and deviousness of Marky and her vocals sound great. Rosé jumps in as Foxy, Marky’s scantily-clad friend, and is exhorted to cover up before the story moves back to Tina’s Em-she. She introduces four more social media platforms, in the style of Chicago’s “Cell Block Tango.” Symone is Miss Instaglam, Elliott is Miss Toktik, Utica is Lady Tweets, and Kandy is Rev. Dr. Mrs. Linked All-the-way In. Symone’s vocals are pretty weak, but had she committed more fully, she could have definitely pulled it off. As Ross will later comment during judging, there’s something apologetic to her movements when she needs to be selling complete, delusional confidence. Utica makes it through her patter number, with what seems to be greatly pared down choreography. Kandy is rougher. Her wig immediately falls in her face, making it hard to tell whether she’s nailing her words. She also pulls open her blouse in a power move, but then later tries to hold it closed, seemingly embarrassed, undermining her character. Elliott closes the section well, thankfully, delivering her Billie Eilish-inspired Gen Z number with confidence and flair.
Foxy walks out and discovers she’s been banned from all of the platforms for overly revealing posts. She makes a plea for body positivity and against censorship, going full Broadway in an animal print spaghetti strap top, red thong, and red heels. The contrast in style and look is a hoot and the judges eat it up, along with her fantastic vocals. Then Mik and Denali crash the party as Natasha and Nikita, the Russian bots, and they rock their way through their song about sowing division over social media. This is the most energetic and fun number of the Rusical and it does a good job of incorporating the entire cast. Just as Lady Tweets realizes her grandmother is racist, the Em-she steps back in and is revealed as Friendster—a delightful twist. She brings everyone together, before dying mid-final note. Foxy rallies the group, inspiring everyone with a closing message about the importance of accountability and critical thinking online. It doesn’t really make sense, but it’s an ending, and certainly a happier one than anything looming on the horizon for these actual platforms.
On the runway, category is: Yellow Gorgeous. Tina comes out first as a taxi with a yellow off-the-shoulder dress, complete with tap light headlights on her chest. She looks cute and very Tina Burner, and gets points for not resorting to her usual palate. Olivia looks absolutely beautiful going Old Hollywood glam with a yellow fringed gown and yellow ostrich arm puffs. Symone stays more current in bright yellow suspenders connected to panties connected to boots, with a yellow coat and yellow curled up-do. Her inspiration is Big Bird as a pimp, and she nailed it. Utica goes older school than Olivia, in a 14th century sideless gown—a scandalous fashion for the time—made from strips of different yellow and yellow-accented fabrics. It’s creative and distinct, setting her apart from the rest of the queens.
Kandy is next in a look inspired by Beyoncé’s ruffled yellow dress from Lemonade. She has a long blonde wig with sunflowers scattered through her hair and while it’s not the most memorable look, it’s quite a departure for Kandy. She looks lovely. Elliott is the second queen with a taxi look. Rather than a dress, she’s in yellow vinyl pants and a jacket, with oversized shoulders of course, and a checkerboard bodice. It’s cute and, like Tina’s look, very distinctly Elliott. Next is Rosé, who goes campy and creative with her spin on Jim Carrey’s yellow zoot suit from The Mask. It’s straightforward, but polished and, continuing the theme, very Rosé. Denali also embodies a famous pop culture image, as the snake from Britney Spears’ “I’m A Slave 4 U” 2001 VMA performance. The body suit is simple, but it’s elevated by an intricate headpiece, which makes the look. Last is Mik as a yellow crash test dummy, but make it fashion. Even more volume in the ponytail would have been nice, but it’s another simple, clear, well-executed concept.
Ru gets right to business: Olivia, Utica, and Elliott are safe, and are sent to Untucked. That leaves Tina, Symone, and Kandy in the bottom and puts Rosé, Denali, and Mik in the top. All of the bottom queens are complimented on their runway looks, but dinged for their performances. The judges wanted more from Tina, particularly her death scene, Symone is read for her lack of commitment, and Kandy needed to find the camera more and hit with more precision. Rosé gets a partial read from Michelle, who considers her outfit closer to orange than yellow, but otherwise, she is heaped with praise. Denali is commended by the judges for going big and broad, bringing the laughs with her character, and Mik gets similar critiques. She went all in despite her insecurities with the choreography, which the judges appreciate.
As the judges deliberate, the results become clear. Rosé gets the win and a $5000 tip, and Denali, Mik, and Tina are all safe. That leaves Symone and Kandy up for elimination. Neither seems ready to go and neither received a final episode edit, so this really could go either way. The lip-sync song is Fifth Harmony’s “BO$$” and both queens are ready to fight. Right from the jump, the judges and the other queens are living for the performances. Both queens do well, and clearly it went over like gangbusters in the room, but to this viewer, it was a solid, competitive lip-sync with Symone edging out Kandy. However, Ru has the final say and she uses her once-per-season double shantay to save both queens.
“Social Media: The Unverified Rusical” may not be all that memorable, but it’s silly, engaging, and fun, and sometimes, that’s enough. It’s great to see Rosé and Denali finally make it to the top and receive some well-earned validation from the judges. It’s also good for some of the Winners Circle queens to be reminded of just how capable their competition is. There may still be nine queens left, but this episode’s shakeup of the standings promises a more competitive and interesting group dynamic, and a welcome win for the B Squad.
Stray observations
- RuPaul’s Drag Race will be airing a special episode next week, looking at how filming was impacted by COVID, before returning to regular episodes the week after.
- Symone and Kandy seem to have joined Tina in raising an amused eyebrow to Olivia’s aww-shucks innocence. It’s a fun thread to follow.
- I would have sworn “ogle” is pronounced “ahh-gull,” not “oh-gull,” so I felt for Symone, getting stuck on “ooh-gull.”
- Rosé is shady, though entertaining, in the talking heads this episode, gleefully in his element while some of the other queens struggle.
- It’s probably not intended as such, but I loved Ru’s runway look as a drag version of Buffy’s fantastic coat from the season two finale of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
54 Comments
A fun and perfect episodeuntil the last 30 seconds
Say what you will about Kandy as a person but I think she beat Symone in the lip sync and she makes great television. They really said Symone wait we r gonna save you this season
Yeah I was really unhappy with the Double Shontay, especially considering it’s already a season with so many no elimination episodes. This is something that’s gotten worse and worse with both RPDR and All-Stars over the years. Ru just can’t seem to make decisions and send people home anymore.
I just wanted Kandy gone – she’s grown on me but not enough that I want more of her – but it’s clear she’s Ru’s project contestant for the year so I have to just accept her being around longer, however much that ends up being.
“I’m recreating Beyonce’s iconic look from Lemonade.” Well no, honey, but you did recreate Holly Hobbie’s iconic look from my sister’s lunchbox in 1978. but it’s clear she’s Ru’s project contestant for the year It’s clear RuPaul has a few more weeks to work off her community service imposed for slapping Asia. Sadly, it looks like we’re going to lose a few talented queens (Utica and Gottmik are my guesses) before her time runs out.
Ru wants to shove her down our throats similar to Vangie.
Vangie was brought back because she squeezed her lemons and created a moment and became interesting to the general public. And publicity and fame are things that RuPaul respects above little else. But she then went pretty far into S11 (and should have won a challenge or two) because of her talent, annoying as she can be at times. Kandy, though, hasn’t shown any sort of that range this season. And she looked like she painted with glittery barbecue sauce again tonight.
I was gleefully gulping down Vanjie. I can’t even bring Kandy anywhere near my lips.
I’m resigned that she’s going to be there at least until the final elimination episode. Blah
It’s a tough balance when the queens are clearly investing more and more money in polished, conceptual runway looks to appear on this show—and the show is making it clear (no fucking H&M) that this is the expectation. Ru and the producers want to give them more of an opportunity to highlight all the looks that they’ve paid for.I thought Symone and Kandy might have deserved the double shantay, but that the overall pace of the season is a sign of decay in the whole Drag-Race Industrial Complex. It’s nine weeks into the season and there are still nine queens left. I literally watched an entire season of Kids Baking Championship in the time it’s taken Ru to eliminate four queens.
“the overall pace of the season is a sign of decay in the whole Drag-Race Industrial Complex. It’s nine weeks into the season and there are still nine queens left. I literally watched an entire season of Kids Baking Championship in the time it’s taken Ru to eliminate four queens.” Exactly
I’ll have to disagree with you on this one, especially as we’ve already been treated to the vastly superior “Rats: the Rusical” on UKDR within the past few weeks. I frankly did not understand the styling and choreo for this show: what the heck has the Weimar Republic got to do with social media — and by invoking Cabaret, why did the show then immediately ruin expectations by not giving us Fosse and not putting Tina in hotpants? Why were the Russian bots heralded by the Soviet hammer-and-sickle? Why weren’t the songs really any good?It’s disappointing (along with Utica’s “safe” placing) given the fact that we have good singers in this group. What a wasted opportunity.
Utica stole the show and stepped her pussy up big time. Also holy fuck can Eliott dance, I never can separate the trained ones from the not trained ones really, until this season.
On one hand, I get where you’re coming from. It’s a competition, this isn’t fair to those who have been properly eliminated in the past or to those who have to keep competing with her, etc.
On the other hand, it’s Ru’s show and we’ll keep watching anyway so he can do what he wants. Besides, if the contestants were happy with the decision (and they sure looked like it) then who are we to say that it’s wrong.
Rusicals are more fun when it’s about a diva, not a commentary about…Mark Zuckerberg? Russia? kindness? I didn’t quite get why it kept going as long as it seemingly did.Something about a meh challenge, another non-elimination, and now a COVID special next week just amplifies the differences between US and DRUK. Some of the judging has been just as questionable, and I haven’t enjoyed any of the UK’s eliminations so far, but it beats dragging along queens that are clearly not going to win.
UKDR SPOILER:Thank god for Bimini, because the entire rest of the Snatch Game was terrible.
I love a weird Snatch Game hence I loved A’Whora
Ew, jesus. Gross.
Dang it! They were expecting Kandy on Monday morning to protect road crews on the Major Deegan. NOW what are they going to do?
Although this means my prediction of a Snatch Game crash-and-burn is still alive, I wouldn’t have minded being wrong. And who thought Beyonce with Mama Cass hair was a good runway look?
(Um, Rose, that was orange. Under the lights onstage, I thought maybe Michell was wrong, but Untucked showed beyond a doubt.)
I’m beginning to think Denali’s name has nothing to do with Alaska, and was a typo of Denial, because that’s where she’s been until Anne Hathaway gently kicked her right in the ego.
Right now, Mik is playing everyone. And I’m so here for it.
(Um, Rose, that was orange. Under the lights onstage, I thought maybe Michell was wrong, but Untucked showed beyond a doubt.)But I loved Rose’s Alexis Michelle tribute look!
I saw it as a mustard yellow
Wow… this is the first time I’ve ever thought a season of Drag Race was taking too damn long to get to the finale; and that double shantay at the last minute was some straight up production/Riga-morris bullshit.
This season also suffers from the fact that DRUK is so superior by comparison; the would-be heel/villain of that series, Awhora, actually has me liking her more with each episode (rather than less, like PhiPhi, Silky or Kandy) and I’m flat out LIVING for Biminy. Her Snatch Game and her runway were everything this week.In fact, I like all the remaining UK queens, except maybe for Sister Sister, who has been underwhelming to me from the start.Every week, I actively look forward to seeing the UK queens, while my enthusiasm for S13 has been waning due to how needlessly drawn out the competition has been… which is ironic, because the American version isn’t the season where production was temporarily suspended for months, due to Covid.
O_oLast week someone made a point about how the show’s move from Logo to Vh1 seems to have had some negative impacts on the show despite it’s commercial success, and I think they may be on to something there.
It may be fair to say they’re dragging out s13 because during covid, vh1 may not have much else to air and drag race is cheaper to produce. I’m actually here for it because this is a talented cast. With bookings limited these days, I welcome more episodes because it gives the queens more exposure
Considering my favorite queen went home this week in DRUK, and yet I thought it was fair and I’m still looking forward to the rest of the season, is a testament to how good DRUK is this year.
UKDR SPOILER:I’m glad that Tia went home this week…because I was tired of some of the queens (translation: Tayce) being unrelenting bitches to her and ruining the generally joyous vibe of the show for me. I truly don’t get it: Tia was never going to be real competition, and she wasn’t coming for anyone, so why go after her, week after week? I’d be happy to see Tia return to the screen in the future, but I’ve had my Tayce and it certainly hasn’t been good enough to want another.
I was tired of some of the queens (translation: Tayce) being unrelenting bitches to her and ruining the generally joyous vibe of the show for me. Excellent point; as much as I like Tia, it was clear she was no real threat this season, and Tayce constantly being bitchy about it only made me like her less. Meanwhile, A’whora has unexpectedly grown on me.Did anyone even bother watching the documentary they aired for the US version last night, or am I the only one who thinks that airing such a doco before the pandemic is even over is horribly self-absorbed and tone deaf on the part of production?
Word to whomever it was that made the comment that Vh1 is intentionally drawing S13 out artificially, and that is ruining the show’s usual momentum.
Kate did a recap, and we’ve voicing our appraisals (spoiler: it sucked) in the comments section that follows. You can find it under the “Latest” subheading, as it was inexplicably placed under “Specials” and not here.I’m thinking of starting a petition to ask Kate to officially recap UKDR and leave S13 for the strays. If things don’t pick up quickly, I’m going to nominate this for the Worst Season Ever.
Thanks; I’ll read the review & comments but there’s no way I’m actually watching that filler bullshit.
I’m thinking of starting a petition to ask Kate to officially recap UKDR and leave S13 for the strays. I’ll totally sign it if you do.
I loved A’Whora from the start. You can see that behind the shade there is a very nice person – and it is telling how other queens support and admire her from the beginning.
The show’s becoming overproduced, plain and simple. Drag Race is/was at its most charming when it’s got some crunch to it, and the main show has slowly and surely removed most of the rough edges that made it so entertaining in the first place. The international versions of the show, which have little to no production budget, do not suffer from this problem.These musicals are always tough going, but the vocal sweetening we get now makes it very difficult to gauge success, and is very unfair to the actual singers in the group. I heard several autotuned runs in Kandy’s lyrics, and Symone’s verses were smoothed out as well, and that made Rose’s win seem to be less impressive than it actually was. Compare that to S5’s “Can I Get an Amen”, which was awful, but much more fun.This is RuPaul’s fault, as she clearly wants to morph Drag Race into some form of her Vegas show with nothing but polished, perfected performances on the main stage; all sizzle and no steak. Emotion, depth, and character growth are supposed to be revealed only in carefully choreographed werkroom walkthroughs: “winners” will have a breakthrough, and that will be translated into success in the main challenge. Argh.
The early seasons of RPDR were clearly meant to be a parody of the slicker higher budgeted reality competition shows, but over time RPDR itself has taken on the self-seriousness and manufactured drama of those shows.
S2 Ru: “We’re going to move on from this (drama).”S3 Ru: “I must say that made me very uncomfortable (to watch that).”S7 Ru: “It doesn’t count unless it’s on camera.”S13 Ru: “Tamisha’s about to reveal that she’s wearing an ostomy bag? Can we force her to confront Kandy? Quick! Bring in another camera!”
it’s funny that this whole batch of queens is in competetion with the UK, and the UK queens are slaying. I actually have a hard time recollecting who is in this drag batch a few days after I finish an episode, but can name all the brits.
UKDR: entire group sighs sadly and fondly at funny farewell message written on mirror.USDR: (collectively): “Aww…”(fakely). (talking head, trollishly:) “That’s one less bitch in the competition” (talking head snaps fingers and claims to be a star and the winner, again fakely and most probably, incorrectly)“A Day at the Beach” was one of my all-time favourite runways. S13’s runways have disappointed.I know Kate looked favourably on the fact that Tina “switched it up” in her runway, but I will politely point out that SHE DID NOT. Yellow is squarely in her Burger King pallette, and I find her constant branding has become extremely aggravating. Yes, yes RuPaul, I know it’s “smart”, but it hasn’t made me like her drag any more than what I saw in that interminable premiere.
omg that fact that Tina is getting applauded for this terrible runway lol. It’s like best of the worst of her looks, and it’s frustrating because she deserves to get called out for it so she’ll actually elevate it.
I don’t mind the double shantays if they are justified Nothing Kandy did in the challenge, the runway, the lip sync or the season justifies it. So a big meh to this outcome Glad Denali got top placement but the show is just setting his hopes up to crush them. Am in the only one finding Olivia to be really fake? And getting the same vibe from Gottmik Rose and Symone are still the top 2 for me
I don’t think Olivia’s niceness or personality is fake – and that, largely, Tina is projecting – but I do think she’s more competitive than she lets on in that same way a lot of the NY queens have shown themselves to be. I mean, was she not laughing away right alongside Mik during the casting process? It seems more likely that she knows to lay low and play the middle vs. being ‘fake’.
I think this is exactly right. We’re getting Olivia largely filtered through the unreliable narration of Tina Burner like it’s a goddamn RuHollywood story from S7, and I’m not buying it. She’s a consistently top perfomer (even if she’s not my favourite), and I’m not sure why she’s getting this edit. Although I’m sure we’ll find out in random tweets and TMZ exposes at the end of the season!
That’s fair assessment. Doesn’t make me like her any better.
I enjoyed it- what the hell happened to Tina? From a commanding presence and sure winner to that ending?- Rose’s face when Ru says her name as a winner <3- been several weeks wondering the same; why do people think that Utica reminding Thorgy is a negative thing, negative enough to overlook or eliminate Utica? What kind of bullying bs is this? She looked great btw- The Jan curse fell definitely on Denali I see- I was really surprised it was not a double shantay, then the ending. This was either a Symone elimination or double shantay.- Druk is great. The Lawrence Chaney trainwreck was incredibly amusing to see. A'Whora not being in the top, weird. Ellie Diamond and Sister Sister being safe, weirder. But the super cool intelligent and beautiful Bimini is on the road to domination.
what the hell happened to Tina?This sounds like the title of the sequel to last season’s Nightmare on Drag Street! And I’m not talking about Crystal’s Freddy tribute. Okay, Tina’s nowhere near as bad as Sherry, but you know that, theatrically, they come from the same place.And good god this is going to be a long season if we’re now stuck with her as the show’s narrator through her talking heads. It wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t constantly spelling everything out every five seconds. Wasn’t anyone else available? How about Gottmik? Symone? A random chair?
So it’s bullying to not like a queen now? I remember someone saying this last season too. Things have really gotten out of hand
No, but there is a bullish trend underground that reminds me too much of some of those gaslighters I came across in my life who love to kick people when they are most vulnerable.
But you seemed to be saying that if anyone anywhere said they didn’t like Utica or said that she reminded the of Thorgy (who they also implicitly don’t like) that this was somehow tantamount to “bullying bs”
Most of the blame for what’s happened with Utica should be placed directly at the feet of the editors. She’s produced some great looks, has had quite a few memorable performances, and seems pretty likeable, but her edit has been shit and the show doesn’t know what to do with her, so she’s usually portrayed as “delusional”. While she’s not exactly Jimboing the competition for me, she brings a spark of real joy to the show, and that’s something in short supply this season. Her delighted explanation to the panel that she was dressed just like her earrings was amazing. She’s like a Care Bear! After it’s been squeezed into a pasta press and made into something seven feet tall and thinner than a piece of paper!
Also: STOP THE PANEL REACTIONS during a performance. Jesus! It’s the laugh track of Drag Race and so completely unnecessary. I think we can all tell what’s crap at this point, and zooming into Michelle’s unsmiling face isn’t going to distract me into not understanding that the real problem was that the songs — and not the performers — largely sucked.
Thank you for mentioning Jimbo-one of my favourite CDR performers!
It’s clear that they are determined to drag this season on as much as possible but the umpteenth episode without an elimination is just too much. It’s especially tiring since the double shantay involved a tiresome queen.
We’re almost two months into this season and… four queens have gone home. This is some dragged out nonsense. Pun unintended. And now we don’t even get a new episode next week! Why are we getting a behind the scenes special less than halfway through the season?This double save- particularly how teased out it became- was bad. Symone clearly won, and Kandy has really not shown anything compelling enough to keep her around. I think most of the queens on this season are great, but the hand of the producers seems to be growing ever tighter and more obvious. Thank god we have UK to deliver the goods!
Exactly. The “Double Shontay” should be saved for times when it’s a truly amazing lip sync where both queens are so great that it would be a shame to send either home. Cleary this time Ru just did it due to her affection for Kandy and the narrative need to keep her around
Thank god we have UK to deliver the goods!Even the US queens agree – look at how many have added their own verses to UK Hun:
Bob Slays a Verse
Is it me, but did the queen’s kind of look like they were in quick drag for the Rusical? They just didn’t look polished and it was off-putting.
yes, Visage was also pronouncing “ogle” wrong. It’s ah-gle
The he/him pronoun choices in these reviews continue to confuse me. The queens are using she/her constantly on the show and on social media; this is the one site that seems to swap it up.
A pretty good episode until the last minute, almost literally. If Ru was going to save them both, say Kandy won the lipsync, then keep frontrunner Symone. This wasn’t a super impressive lipsync that demanded both to stay, and it wasn’t a Ben DeLa Creme situation where one has been slaying all season and got edged out of the lipsync. Kandy’s outfit was very basic and her performance a hot mess. Blech.