COVID-friendly makeovers push the RuPaul’s Drag Race queens outside their comfort zones
TV Reviews Elliott
Fresh off of “Snatch Game,” it’s time for another Drag Race favorite, the makeover challenge. Due to COVID-19 filming restrictions, the show can’t bring people in without a two-week quarantine period, so instead the makeover gets a branding tweak and the queens make over each other. It’s an idea born of necessity, but having to work with a fellow competitor adds an interesting wrinkle to the familiar challenge. Normally the queens struggle for control during the makeovers, trying to coax, coddle, bend, or break down their drag neophyte partners, rebuilding them in their image. This time, their partners are highly motivated to collaborate, but to do so they’ll need to let go of the drag style and persona they’ve honed for years. Easier said than done.
The episode begins with the queens trudging back into the workroom after Elliott’s elimination. They seem weary, except for Utica, who is buzzing from her lip-sync win. Kandy and the other queens are at a loss as Utica gushes. It’s neat to see such a different response to being in the bottom, and Kandy’s reaction is particularly charming. As soon as they settle onto the couches, Olivia and the other queens commend Symone on her look and its message. Symone’s activism is core to her drag and it’s wonderful to see that celebrated. The queens also cheer for Mik, who’s now won two challenges. Tina’s a little disheartened, however. Despite her high profile and comedy background, she’s yet to win a challenge, even those that seemingly played to her strengths. She needs to make an impact soon, or she’ll be sashaying away.
The next day, the queens bask in having survived Snatch Game, before Denali and Kandy throw a little Chekhov’s shade at Tina for his makeup. The RuMail hints at doppelgangers and when Ru enters, in a brown suit and animal print blouse, he sends the queens off to meet with psychic Char Margolis. She throws out some readings to mixed reactions, from a more distant Tina’s emotional response to Char invoking his late father to Utica’s bubbling enthusiasm at the mention of his calf, Clara. Before Char can answer Tina’s question about who will make the top four, she sends the queens back to Ru in the workroom, pairing them up based on her readings of them. It’s a threadbare excuse to partner queens the producers think will provide drama, but the episode is surprisingly committed to the bit.
Tina and Rosé will be working together, as will Denali and Olivia, Utica and Symone, and Kandy and Mik. Ru introduces the makeover challenge and they all have a chuckle at the situation they’re in, filming during a pandemic. Everything in the already demanding show has been made that much harder, so of course that extends to the makeover. No one seems all that enthused about the twist, besides Utica, who’s still giddy. They’re very aware of how challenging it will be to replicate their aesthetic on their partners. Symone is particularly shook. How will she convey her aesthetic, steeped in black culture, with Utica?
Denali and Olivia dive in, Denali excited to channel his inner diva, now that Olivia has embraced the label. To no one’s surprise, Denali will be making Olivia an ice princess. Olivia is underwhelmed by Denali’s look, but convinced he can sell it to the judges. Rosé and Tina are slightly more contentious, shading each other left and right, but good-naturedly so, determined to make the best of their pairing. Symone and Utica have an easier time than most fitting into each other’s wardrobes, but they have such different aesthetics that Symone is quickly overwhelmed. He’s talked about his compulsive perfectionism before and this challenge will push him far outside of what he’s comfortable with. Then there’s Utica, so worried about appropriation that he made a squirrel wig rather than give Bob Ross an afro. Symone is putting him in a look inspired by B.A.P.S. and giving him even less wiggle room than Utica’s skin-as-constraint garment. Utica has to get on board, which means he first needs to accept that a white queen celebrating black culture respectfully, rather than through appropriation, is even possible. As for Kandy and Mik, who are getting along swimmingly but have the biggest logistical challenge of the group since they’re such different sizes.
When Ru comes in to meet with the teams, Kandy and Mik are still in it, doing their best to put together outfits, though at least they both have experience painting other people. Denali and Olivia seem to be on track and Rosé and especially Tina are raring to go, with Tina looking for her first win. Symone and Utica are the least confident, with Utica still uncomfortable wearing Symone’s look. Symone asks Ru for a second opinion and he agrees with Symone—if Utica comes from a place of love and respect, he should be fine. Utica is still uneasy, but he’s doing his best to get to the right headspace.
The queens head to the main stage to practice each other’s walks. Olivia is happy with Denali’s pageant presentation and Denali leads Olivia through a few tweaks to change his motions from regal stroll to skating-inspired glide. Tina and Rosé are a hoot, with Tina calling Rosé on his trademark flourishes. These two are performers and it shows; if they keep this up, they’ll be fine. Symone and Utica have the most disparate walks of the groups, but they pick up each other’s movement surprisingly easily, focusing on not letting their self-consciousness shine through. Kandy picks up Mik’s mannerisms quickly, but even by the end of rehearsal, Mik does not have the Kandy Muse attitude down. He’s trying, but he can’t make it through a complete walk without giggling.
The next day, the queens return to the workroom to paint. Tina and Rosé hand content to the producers on a platter, bantering about what they’ve learned from each other during the challenge. They’ve come a long way since their teased rivalry at the start of the season. Olivia and Denali bond over their connections to the powerful women in their families, who inspired both of their drag personas. Symone and Utica are still wary about how Utica’s look will be received, but they’re committed to the Ivory Enchantress, which has now been hyped so supremely it will need to either soar or crash to be truly satisfying.
Mik and Kandy’s conversation is the most compelling, with Mik opening up about the inspiration for his black and white paint. When he started drag, he hadn’t transitioned yet and he was uncomfortable with how feminine he was, so he hid behind his clown-like makeup. As he became more accepting of his feminine side and after he transitioned, he finally felt empowered and comfortable as himself. It cannot be overstated how meaningful it is to have kind of representation on Drag Race. It’s incredibly generous of Mik to share his journey with the audience and conversations like this one will have a profound impact on viewers at home who are going through the same turmoil. Kandy’s journey to self-acceptance and love is different, but it mirrors Mik’s. It turns out Kandy’s swagger and confidence is a direct consequence of a choice Kandy made, looking in the mirror and knowing something had to change, that he couldn’t stay as he was, insecure and filled with self-loathing. Seeing these two queens come out the other side of that kind of pain, and Kandy’s reminder that he’s still a work in progress, is inspiring.
On the main stage, Ru comes out with a fantastic beat, but wearing one of the weaker ensembles of the season, a red dress with a nude illusion chest cut-out. Michelle is in animal print ensemble and a cute bob, with a bold red lip and giant hoop earrings. Carson is in a neat, colorful suit, while returning guest judge Loni Love is in black sequins, with lovely braids and soft makeup. The first queens out are Rosé and Tina. Rosé is wearing an oversized green and yellow housewife dress with red accents, an apron, and a giant red wig. The fit isn’t great, but the dress tears away to reveal an animal print leotard with red piping. Rosé serves up some Tina energy, but it’s definitely filtered through her own style. Tina, as she anticipated, does a better job of capturing Rosé. She doesn’t quite nail the face, but Rosé’s makeup certainly helps and it’s interesting to see such a different look on Tina. Olivia is immediately recognizable as Denali in Denali’s tulle puff outfit and long white braid. As Ru will later note, the makeup could use some blending, but Olivia looks good and again, completely different from how she paints herself. Denali is more of a question mark. She looks great and she’s doing exactly what Olivia instructed her to do, but she’s in a rather generic look. It speaks to Olivia being the least experienced queen of the cast. She doesn’t quite have her brand crystallized.
In comparison, Symone is immediately and inarguably Utica. From her paint, wig, and outfit to her movement, this is a completely new feel for Symone, and it’s exciting to see. Her look—a stretchy skin-tone layer over an anatomical bodysuit—plays with volume and movement and Symone works it for all it’s worth. Utica is also completely transformed, serving fashion and plenty of attitude. She sells Symone’s animal print B.A.P.S. look with cool confidence, an overdue and welcome change. Mik is next, in a fiery jacket and a body suit that Kandy must have significantly altered. Her paint looks terrific and Mik does a solid job of capturing Kandy’s bravado. Last is Kandy, who’s immediately identifi as Mik in a black and white bodice with hip puffs, a neon wig, pasties, and black and white paint. She’s a little stiff, but she definitely conveys Mik’s playfulness. There are a few queens who stand out for better and worse, but on the whole, the cast did well.
Ru announces that the queens will be judged in teams—the main flaw of the challenge design, it’s too hard to separate out queen A’s painting versus queen B’s performance—and then proceeds to give all of the queens feedback. The judges are happy with Rosé and Tina’s looks and performances, with critiques that all but ensure they’ll be safe. Olivia and Denali aren’t as lucky, clearly positioned as the bottom team. Denali’s feedback is lukewarm, but Olivia is dinged for choosing a look that isn’t distinct enough to her personality. Symone and Utica get raves from the judges for their looks and performances, and are immediate frontrunners. Loni’s note about the pair connecting to each other’s energies is spot on. The judges also love Mik and Kandy, complimenting their makeup and personalities and noting that they excelled in the challenge despite having to contend with having such different body shapes.
It’s time for a little pot-stirring, so Ru asks the queens who deserves to go home. Olivia picks Utica, specifying that she’s judging based on the whole season, and Denali, not wanting to choose her partner, says Kandy, but everyone else says Olivia. Kandy swipes back a bit after being named, but it’s a surprisingly sedate cast poll. Olivia is clearly the weak point this episode, and she takes her lumps like a champ. Ru sends the queens off to Untucked, but pretty quickly they’re back. Symone and Utica are the winners, Mik, Kandy, Rosé, and Tina are safe, and Olivia and Denali are up for elimination.
They take their positions, both determined to fight it out. The song is a bit of a change of pace for Drag Race, the 2000 gospel hit “Shackles (Praise You)” by Mary Mary. Olivia goes for a few broader, more comedic bits, but both she and Denali mostly stick with straightforward interpretations, conveying the movement and scale of the song. This is one of the weaker lip-syncs of the season, but Denali does get a couple good moments later in the performance. Given Denali’s stronger showing in the challenge, she should have an advantage here, but Ru gives the win to Olivia, telling her to shantay and sending Denali home. This is a bit of a surprise exit for Denali, who was finally picking up steam before this episode. That being said, it’s not a bad time for her to sashay away. Some tiers have developed among the cast and unfortunately for her, while Symone and Mik seem like a lock for the top four, Denali’s chances were looking slimmer and slimmer. She’s done well, and she should be proud. She’ll be remembered for two terrific lip-syncs—including in her ice skates—and a strong Snatch Game, and she goes out potentially earlier than she deserved to, which primes her for an All Stars comeback. As for the rest of the queens, that top four is starting to solidify, and with only a couple spots looking particularly competitive, it’s time to start throwing elbows.
Stray observations
- There are lots of great reaction shots this episode, as the queens watch the other groups interact and plan their looks.
- Denali’s mom is a sixth-degree black belt? Damn.
- After these makeovers, I want to see some of these queens make over the entire cast. Rosé and Tina both go on this episode about Rosé’s pronounced brow, for example. What would Gottmik do with it?
- I still can’t get over Utica’s makeup. She had the biggest transformation on the stage, by far.
- The judges are pretty harsh on Tina’s makeup and aesthetic during deliberations—not a good sign for her prospects.
75 Comments
Really liked this episode and I honestly would love to see this challenge come back. Honestly so cool to see a queen do her distinct look on another queen with her own distinct look. Some great interactions and amazing results came from this.Very sad to see Denali go… I don’t think she deserved that rug to be pulled from under her.
Minus the psychic bullshit.Char Margolis: “I’m sensing someone is wearing clothes…and has lived in a house! I am amazing!”. That apppearance was just so weird and random.The show should have just repeated S4’s amazing “I Do it Better Than You” lie detector framing device.
That psychic “reading” was pathetic. Like did she just start doing it? Because those questions were so basic. What a shock, out of 8 people one grew up on a farm and one has a dead parent? Bringing up Tina’s dad felt like a low blow, like they wanted to have a big emotional moment of Tina crying but she wasn’t having it. Good for her.
The discourse about this episode is already fucking rancid.Anyway, your daily reminder that placements do not matter, and that Denali does not know you exist.
Denali likes to go in about how much a skater he is. But I have been a skating fan for a while now and I don’t recall having ever seeing him in a competition. Maybe he went to Nationals once but finished in the bottom of the pack because he didn’t have quads or something. Maybe he was never a amateur skating and just skated in shows. Or maybe I should use Google and see what comes up.
Denali was a pewter medalist at Pacific Sectionals in 09 – 011 and was at Juniors 3 times followed by Senior Nationals twice, but has never suggested he was an Olympian or a champion. He did work professionally as a skater with Cirque du Soleil and cruise lines. Outside of drag, he choreographs for skaters in Illinois. So in terms of his profession being a skater, it does track.
Let’s not judge people given what is in the episode, let’s not mix up empathy or sympathy with eager to fuck, and let’s talk about people always assuming they are in front of you, listening.
Given that Olivia has two wins its hard to argue with her staying over Denali but whatever initial charm she was throwing out there has worn off. She’s pretty generic imo. Oh well, too bad for Denali. They could not have telegraphed her bottom two placement any harder. She should be primed for an All stars appearance either as a contestant or if they do the lip synch assassin deal again. “ judges are pretty harsh on Tina’s makeup and aesthetic during deliberations”I can’t recall a worse collection of runways since I started watching this thing. Tina’s looks are always pretty rank
I don’t know if it’s Olivia being “generic” more so than it is her being very new to drag and not having a strong identity. Calling someone who has done drag for barely a year and one pageant a “pageant queen” is a stretch. It does feel a little sore for Denali to go home this episode, because Olivia did an objectively worse job and imo lost the lip sync, but realistically it’s probably good for her in terms of fan outlooks (being a robbed queen instead of being an underwhelming runner up, because Denali was never winning this season). Olivia is on borrowed time but I wouldn’t be surprised if she survived another week or two.
Olivia has a good energy though, I can see her really stepping it up after this. Denali is a snooze, I caught one of her insta lives and it was so boring lol.
I agree Olivia’s drag is pretty generic. I actually can’t even figure out what her aesthetic is supposed to be. Early on she seemed to be going for this soft old Hollywood glamour thing (which is what Denali as Olivia tried to do) but she’s kind of moved away from that to the point that it’s hard to say what her “brand” is. Tina just has really terrible aesthetic and taste level and has since the beginning
I thought Denali was stunning! I mean, not Shuga Cain stunning, but that was still a great look for her. Plus, she clearly won that lipsync. I think Ru gave Olivia the save as a consolation prize for having to wear clown makeup on the runway.I’m glad that Michelle FINALLY called attention to Tina’s terrible paint. And did Tina really call her partner “Rose”? Was that supposed to be an insult? Ugh.
Ru’s decision to judge the challenge as teams robbed Tina of a long-overdue trip to the bottom, and a lipsync. Rose’s “makeover” was clearly the worst.
Still… so… MANY… queens… left.Anywho, let’s get into it:
I hate, hate, HATED the ‘psychic friend’ schtick this week as a segue to the main challenge; this season is already stretched out to all hell – enough filler content, already!
I could not agree more with the win this week, Symone and Utica nailed each other’s signatures styles, flawlessly.I feel bad for Denali getting Jan’d – they really need to stop doing that shit to deserving queens. And I say ‘they’ because producer manipulation seems like it’s at an all time high this season; it’s not just Ru making these choices, IMO.I agree that whatever charm Olivia had to begin with has worn off by now, and I’m just left underwhelmed.Rosé in Tina’s god-awful paint was a tragedy (while Rosé’s obvious facial reaction to it was pure comedy) and I’m so glad the judges are FINALLY mentioning it.I have yet to see even one look from her yet that I’ve actually liked, and in any other season, Tina would have been sashayed away, long ago.And lastly, my least favorite S13 queen, Kandy Muse:It turns out Kandy’s swagger and confidence is a direct consequence of a choice Kandy made, looking in the mirror and knowing something had to change, that he couldn’t stay as he was, insecure and filled with self-loathing. I hate to break it to you, Kate… but Kandy is still clearly insecure as all fuck.
People who are genuinely strong and secure can take constructive criticism without getting upset and needlessly confrontational, and they can have a bad day without breaking down into rivers of crocodile tears, every single time…
I have to admit that the episode was a lot better than I feared it would be. And Tina even seemed to show some character growth! And then she ruined that illusion by talking. And by putting Rose in that godawful schmatte. Symone’s wonderful, deserves every win she gets, and gets kudos from me for pushing out of her Disney princess sidekick comfort zone into something more interesting. I still think Utica’s gone in the next week or two, but this was a very nice change for her.
I feel Symone knows she’s out of everyone league by a far shot at this point.
Symone’s too smart to let everyone else know that no one else is in her league at this point.
Yes, I could definitely feel it this episode, and not in an arrogant way but kind of “lets get this crown and keep going”.
Tina would have been sashayed away, long ago.And lastly, my least favorite S13 queen, Kandy Muse:The only remaining queens who have not won a main challenge are Tina and Kandy. Not a joke, just a fact.
Not a joke, just a fact.I admit, I probably say this way too much in my everyday life now; interchanging the word ‘joke’ with another whenever the situation calls for it, like:
And sho’ you right. As excessively drawn out as this season has been, still neither one has won a challenge yet. I still think Utica’s gone in the next week or two, but this was a very nice change for her.I think Utica might make top five, but probably not much further than that. I totally agree that seeing her do a different sort of drag than her usual gimmickry was really cool.
Would have liked one if the queens call out what a crock of shit physics are. But in one of the taking head interviews because it would have been rude to call her out in front of her face.
No, that “psychic” deserved to have her boring bullshit called out to her face. Someone…was raised on a farm? A cow…was once a calf? And it can be bottle fed? Inconceivable! I just wish Utica had said “actually, it was during an improv scene. I was working on an interpretative dance routine featuring farm animals, squirrel wigs, and a baby bottle. I was worried about culturally appropriating Laura Ingalls, but I worked through my fears and let the audience know that it came from a place of love”. I think we all know that “Clara” is going to be the next “Rosebud”.
“Did you feed the cow?” “No, I let it starve to death.” I mean, really…
Ha! I’d give this comment extra stars if I could.
You must be a flat-earther.
The psychic bit was one of the worst things in Drag Race Herstory
I concur.
there’s a massive place in my heart for the expressiveness of Roy Haylock’s face.
Is it me or do the boys look kinda cold in that studio?
the expressiveness of Roy Haylock’s faceBianca gifs are my jam, for that exact reason.
“crocodile tears” yikes. It’s reality TV, you don’t have context, you can dislike Kandy without invalidating her feelings. At least take 3 seconds to acknowledge that the show has consistently done a shite job of portraying larger + minority queens in a more evenhanded light.
Poor poor poor poor Rosé. Tina did her a hate crime.
How can I “save” this comment more than once? I mean, LOOK at that Hindenburg Titanic freakshow of a paintjob! It’s Horchata’s sister! It looks like I did the makeup! I also want to say that the entire ensemble reminded me of one of Sherry Pie’s concept rejects.
“Sherry Pie’s concept rejects” is PERFECT.
Oh, who am I kidding. This is Homer’s makeup gun set to “whore”.
This is Homer’s makeup gun set to “whore”.You’re not wrong, though.
Tina did her a hate crime.But no one is going to call the Po-Po for assault; as NO mugs were beaten…Oh ma’am Miss Pam… that is some TERRIBLE paint; how has Tina not had ‘an Alaska’ moment yet?
I think the main determinant in the lip-sync was Denali fighting with her dress a few times during the number, pulling it up more than once. In a tight contest, that could be the difference.
That said, her sniping that “I’m being sent home because my partner screwed up” is a well she went too WAY too often this series. Sometimes, Sk8tr Girl, you fall on your own ass too much for the judges to ignore.
I think the main determinant in the lipsync was the fact that Olivia won two challenges where a contestant was eliminated and Denali has won none . We’ve seen Ru save a queen with a better track record than her competitor even in the face of a strong lipsync, so this wasn’t a total surprise, although it was disappointing. Denali hit more of the song’s emotional notes than Olivia, and gave a better performance, and should’ve stayed.
Well, that’s what makes horse races. I thought they were mostly even, so Denali fighting her dress was a small but telling difference. The recapper though they were both blah, and gave it to Denial based on her challenge look being better (it was). You thought she was clearly better, which I don’t see, but whatever floats your boat, right?
I agree she was “fighting her dress” but I’m not sure what her alternative would have been. She didn’t pick the dress and had to fight it to avoid giving a Kahmora stand and point performance. Even so, it wasn’t possible to give a Denali performance. And it wasn’t her dress so I’d imagine she was also “fighting” to not damage a really lovely (and likely expensive) dress that wasn’t hers that she didn’t want to ruin.
From day one it’s clear to me that Simone, Gottmik, and Rosé will be in the top 4. The other queens are fighting for that last spot. I think it’s gonna be either Tina or Utica who will be filling it.
After seeing the judges love Kandy’s childish reaction to being named as the one who should go home (compare and contrast to how Olivia handled it) and the sympathetic edit / backstory it’s pretty obvious her annoying loudmouth ass is going to be in the finale. She’s just grating.
After seeing the judges love Kandy’s childish reaction to being named as the one who should go home […] and the sympathetic edit / backstory it’s pretty obvious her annoying loudmouth ass is going to be in the finale.I hate to agree, but I do; she’s ‘Silky 2.0.’(And I hope she crashes and burns just as hard as Silky did in the S11 finale.)I swear I really miss plus sized queens who were NOT insufferable assholes; Miss Latrice Royale needs to give classes in that shit. Let’s talk about the UK version. Aside from the fact that it’s so clearly superior to S13, you mean?My thoughts on the final four:
I need Lawrence Chaney to get her head out of her ass; she’s a talented queen whose own insecurity continually gets in her way.I genuinely did not expect like Bimini as much as I do; she’s only grown on me as the season has gone on.Tayce often gets a bit bitchy with her competitiveness, but overall, I like her as a queen. She definitely earned her place as DRUK’s first lip sync assassin.Ellie’s level is amazing for someone so young; just imagine what that queen will do with more experience and resources.Lastly, I’m going to be SO sad when this season of DRUK is over, and the US version will still have 18,000 eps left to go…
Lawrence Chaney: “I miss Veronica Green”As do we all, Lawrence. Coincidentally, that statement was about the last time that I really enjoyed Lawrence on this season. Bimini for the win! I can’t see anyone else for MC than Tia Kofi, although it would make me cackle to see that title go to A’Whora.
Personally, I still like Lawrence; she just needs to get some confidence and a better sense of self awareness.I agree that Tia is a lock for Miss Congeniality UK.
I’m not upset that the show is showing us a softer side of Kandy at this point. She hasn’t used her time on the show at all wisely — she should be branding (and not in a crassly Tina Burner type of way) and building up her fanbase so that she can get better booking fees — but the show is still largely using her as a punching bag for the fanbase and they owe her something for the hate she’s going to get from this. And, even at her most obnoxious, I wouldn’t want that for her. Being robbed and booted early gets you sympathy, but everyone dislikes a queen who’s carried through the season on the kindness of the producers. I can only think of a few of these queens — Crystal’s one of them — who have risen beyond their edit and really given something unique to the season.
Note that I don’t want anyone to hate on Kandy; no one, not even Tyra Sanchez, deserves to be the target of harassment, be it online or in person.
Personally, I just don’t care for her as a queen; she’s too one-note for my tastes, on top of the abrasive personality. She’s the kind of queen that I would just automatically bypass if I ever went to a Con ( and if Covid ever gets under control.) Frankly, I resent Ru/the producers for consistently pushing through competitors who are obviously not up to par, just for the sake of drama or some stupid contrived narrative.And that includes the habit of ‘shafting’ queens who clearly deserve certain wins, like they famously did to Jan.
Frankly, I resent Ru/the producers for consistently pushing through competitors who are obviously not up to par, just for the sake of drama or some stupid contrived narrative.And pretty baldly, too! Ru isn’t even trying to suggest that she likes Kandy, or think that she’s a strong competitor. She’s the cat to Kandy’s mouse, and isn’t willing yet to put her out of her misery like she does to queens who were never going to win but who have talent she respects, like Tamisha and Denali. That’s pretty goddamn cruel, if you ask me, especially when the queen isn’t doing anything with their run that would help them after the show ends.Production is doing the same thing with Tina, who has been equally rudderless this entire season and has proven to have neither narrative function or, it must be said, much entertainment value. I saw the ghost of the Rose/Tina plot gasping like a dying fish (in a Utica improv number, of course) in the last episode, but that’s been about it.
Yes it was bad. Despite the makeup, Mik and Kandy did not embody each other in the slightest on the runway. Mik was doing a lot of their own poses that they always do, it’s weird when the judges don’t give criticism to obvious shit.
It’s clear that there is a narrative to push Utica to the top as long as she plays sexy not goofy, which makes the result of this episode very obvious. It was also the easiest match and “so different styles” was bullshit: Symone and Utica are both slim queens who make statements with their fashion and they both understand each other well. Very wise of Symone to get Ru’s approval as well.The editing on this episode was awful (the head pieces of Tina were out of order), Ru’s runway had to be fixed mid time because it was ROUGH, Kandy did a great job with the Gottmik aesthetic and I don’t know, I had way more fun with Rosé and Tina than Denali and Olivia. It was a very good episode once you remove the cringey horrible psychic part. And the editing. Why does the UK version look more expensive?
Kandy did a great job with the Gottmik aesthetic And Gottmik’s makeup was actually decent! I feel like this needs to be an entire episode on Unsolved Mysteries: how did that happen? But then again, if Kandy really wanted to give Gottmik a family resemblence, she would have made ‘Mik a little more pug, a lot bronzer, and a little uglier. Maybe that’s why they didn’t win. Also: I did not need to see Kandy’s nipples given the ol’ starburst effect.
Absolutely. And good morning! I love when you american commenters wake up and start the star giving and the quote commenting. Every star is like a subtle bird tweet while the Peer Gynt morning is playing on the background, at the pace of your fingers on the phone/tablet/keyboard. Oh, see my poetry. You are my muse, davidcalgary29.
And you are too generous, and kind, as always. But I’m Canadian.
But I’m Canadian.Lucky you!(No shade; I’m serious. Living in the US as an intersectional POC is often nightmarish.)
My mans had “Calgary” in his username and still got called an American… I’m shook.
idk what to think of Utica, I actually like her runway looks for the most part, but she is definitely not as kind as she appeared. And saying she loved her lip sync was so weird and desperate, a lot of rage seething below the surface in that one.
Utica: Raging Bull. Or rather Cow, as we all learned from this episode.
Let’s talk about the UK version. Bimini’s path for world domination is unstoppable, and I am fine with it. It will be a victory for The Cause, a victory for Adonis, a victory for Princess Julia, one of us, ONE OF US. And all the world has a crush on Bimini as if they were Julia Roberts in the 90s. Again, fine with it… but my favourite on the Beastenders challenge was Tayce, who embodies the soap opera like few others. Anyway, it was a good opportunity to see the lip sync Jason Vorhees in action. Do I complain about the end result? Nope. Let’s go with it. After all I don’t think A’Whora – who I love to death for what I have seen in this season – would have fared as good as the rest overacting. What a season. Quality. Tension. Beauty.
Fair enough. I think A’Whora would be doubly-pissed at this week’s result, and there’s certainly an argument that it’s not fair on her or any of the other eliminated queens, but it’s Ru’s show and clearly we’re here for it.
And all the world has a crush on Bimini as if they were Julia Roberts in the 90s. I’m totally on board with this if we can celebrate them on the Symone Bon Boulash World Victory Tour. Is anyone else even in the competition any more on both DR shows? SPOILER:I’m with you on liking Tayce a little more each week. What’s happening to me??? Then again, I’m liking Lawrence less and less. I really don’t understand her extended bitchfest about Ordergate 2021 (and why she thinks we need to keep hearing about it) and passive aggressive treatment of Ellie IN EVERY EPISODE. And we haven’t seen her do anything great in weeks, although everyone was pretty entertaining in the “Beastenders” final edit.
The Lawrence bit is insecurity: what he keeps on thinking is why there was a need to pick a specific strategy that was harmful to EVERYONE (reason: because it makes great tv), and done by someone that Lawrence believed to know (spoilers: it is the same person, but just taking the Drag Race bar as “validity of my drag” a bit lower). I mean, I cannot blame him. Probably I would be a monster on reality TV.
But he wouldn’t have known how to pick a better lineup unless he had seen them all perform those particular routines before, or that insistent persistence just comes across as condescending and a little arrogant. I mean, the entire kerfuffle is kind of funny in a cringey, “are they really doing this?” type of way, but you know something’s seriously out of whack when, suddenly, Tayce is the voice of reason.
I feel Ru must have had a face lift in the UK lol, always in those weird hats.
I enjoyed this episode so much, I shaved my ass for it.
I will say that the panel’s “raccoon” banter bit was awful and cringeworthy and should have been left on the editing floor. NO.
Oh, and Denali does it again.
People can say what they will, but Denali stays having production value for days…
Some “psychic” named Shar, short for charlatan. Denali shouldn’t have gone home. I think Utica had more of a case of appropriation fear this week than last week, but at least he had a Black man looking at him in the face saying, “I want you to embody all the swagger and Blackness that I infuse into my drag, but as an Ivory Queen (I think he said “ivory queen?”). If only Bob Ross were alive to tell Utica it was okay to wear an afro. I wonder if there’s more of a story behind Utica’s oversensitivity in this realm. Racist relatives? Maybe a personal journey and evolution of some kind? Or maybe no story, and it’s just who he is.
I think Utica is just a kindly, loving, adorkable person…who’s also kind of insufferable and priggish about certain closely-held values and will let you know it. Still: I wanted to clap and cheer when Utica climbed aboard the Appropriation Train this week. She got it right this time! Her concerns were valid! I’m not trying to make fun of her, but I’m dying to know how often the words “cultural appropriation” come out of her mouth. Actually, I’m pretty sure that I know the answer to that question.
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one annoyed by the “psychic” bullshit. Look up the Last Week Tonight episode about psychics (It’s on YouTube) to see how much real damage these frauds can do.
On the one hand, Denali’s look was one of the worsts of the night, but that’s Olivia’s fault, not Denali’s, so it doesn’t seem fair to clock her for that. On the other hand, Denali didn’t sell Olivia at all. Her runway was so staid and serious, she barely smiled. Hello, Olivia is beaming at all times, so show us some teeth! But I also don’t know to what extent that was Olivia’s coaching as well.
Tina also did Rose dirty. That was some ugly ass paint, and that dress swallowed her. But it was “on brand” so I guess she gets to escape the lip sync?
So next week we get some draaaaamaaaaaa after several weeks of “Meh” content? I’ll stick to the UK Drag Race. Far more fun to watch (and Bimini to win!)
I loved this challenge so much more than the family resemblances before. You get to see a queen painted completely differently, and everyone is skilled and totally motivated. I’d love for this to be a new mainstay. This explains why Kandy was saved last episode. They needed an even number of queens.
How come no one is talking about how impressive that psychic pulling “one of you drag queens had a truck-driving dad that wasn’t supportive” out of the ether was?Phew. If that doesn’t convince you that there’s something happening out there in the cosmos… I don’t know what will.
MARY’S BACK! Oh and take it from a Proper Scot – nane o’ ye’s “ma granny wiz three times removed frae some lazy inbred fuckwit” shite (you’re from Boise, hen, no’ fuckin’ Bonnybridge. Yer no’ fucking Scots!) – this accent is perfection.