RuPaul’s Drag Race focuses on the season’s endgame with another questionable elimination
TV Reviews RuPaul
Rigga morris—Alyssa Edwards’ iconic term for judge and producer shenanigans, particularly around eliminations—is nothing new to RuPaul’s Drag Race. The competition is important, but it’s never been paramount to the producers; their focus is creating a compelling, arced piece of entertainment. This can put the editors in a tricky position when RuPaul is ready to eliminate a given queen, but the material to justify that choice isn’t readily available. Such is the case with “Pop! Goes The Queens.” It’s the second episode in a row with an elimination that feels like a foregone conclusion, rather than one merited by the queens’ actual performances.
The episode begins with the queens reacting to Denali’s elimination and celebrating Symone and Utica’s win, and with Olivia processing the fact that the rest of the cast picked her as the queen to sashay away. She’s very diplomatic, aware she needs to step up her game. As Kandy points out, this has been a season full of fluctuations. Everyone but Mik has been in the bottom at least once. Symone and Mik look to have clear paths to the finale, but any slip-up is enough to send the other queens packing.
The next day, the queens dance into the workroom, excited to have made the top seven. After some entertaining and engaging conversation—math is not Kandy’s strong suit—the RuMail siren goes off and Ru comes into the workroom, looking fabulous in a blue and black suit. He introduces the mini challenge. They’ll be playing Are You Smarter Than The Pit Crew?, answering Drag Race trivia questions posed by underwear-clad Pit Crew members. Whoever can focus, buzz in first, and answer the most questions correctly will win. This is a fun exercise in silliness and Drag Race herstory, and Kandy earns the win and a $25,000 $2,500 gift card from JJ Malibu.
Ru then introduces the maxi challenge. Fresh off last episode’s twist on the makeover, they’ll be tackling another branding challenge. The queens need to come up with a soft drink, deciding on its name, flavor, design, and even a jingle. Then they’ll produce and star in a 45-second commercial for their soda, selling the product and themselves. The queens get right to work, sketching ideas and putting together their storyboards. 45 seconds doesn’t seem like much, but without appropriate planning, their ads will feel like an eternity.
Tina has a clear concept for his soda, playing on spicing up his protagonist’s love life. Rosé is engaging with the judges’ critiques over his perfectionism. Utica is going in a decidedly Utica direction, with a lickable, flavored can. It’s strange that no one mentions the pandemic in the room, but Utica is so enamored with his concept that it probably wouldn’t have made a difference. Gottmik hits on a concept he likes with his delusion-inducing soda, but he quickly seems to be in the weeds. He needs to film his shots out of order and he’s having trouble keeping the progression clear in his mind, let alone explaining it to others.
The queens are interrupted by another RuMail siren, but as in “Social Media: The Unverified Rusical,” they needn’t have feared a twist. Season 12 winner Jaida Essence Hall has stopped by remotely to chat with the queens and share her perspective on the branding challenge. Jaida looks flawless in an orange dress and pared back makeup and hair, and the queens are excited to chat with her. She encourages the queens to have fun with their challenges, to get out of their heads and stay present. The more they worry about their missteps, the more mired in them they’ll become. Rosé in particular seems fired up by Jaida’s pep talk and the queens head over to film in good spirits, raring to go.
Ross and Carson are on set to help direct and keep the queens moving. Tina is up first and her commercial seems complicated, but she has a clear idea of what she’s doing. She stumbles over her dialogue, a bad omen this season, but otherwise seems happy with her work. Rosé is next, rocking a Jantasy robe and going broad as a hung-over and bleary morning-after version of herself. Olivia is selling positivity in a bottle, but despite Ross’ attempts to nudge her in the right direction, she struggles to keep her megawatt smile at bay until the product reveal. Symone, in contrast, knows exactly what she needs to do. She nails each of her takes and takes direction well, and both Ross and Carson comment on her confident execution.
The production team managed to get a cow for Utica, but that may not have been for the best. Apparently when her soda is fed to a cow, the cow’s milk acts as an anti-depressant? Like Olivia, Utica’s emotions are heightened, but not specific enough, resulting in a narrative that’s hard to follow. Kandy’s commercial connects to “Alone In The VIP,” with her soda making drinkers feel like they’re in the club, no matter what. Hers is the most difficult to follow shoot, but she seems confident it will come together in the edit. Last is Mik, who looks gorge but is not able to communicate her vision to Ross and Foley artist Carson. Without a stronger sense of what she’s going for, Carson and Ross can’t help her execute her concept. It’s always hard to tell from the shooting montages, but she may well be in trouble.
The next day, the queens prep for the runway and talk about their brands outside of Drag Race. Rosé and Tina spar about being New York comedy queens—both consider themselves much funnier than the other—but the more interesting conversation is from Kandy, who opens up about being bullied and gay bashed when he was in middle school. He still has a big scar from where three guys beat him and broke his arm, resulting in his needing surgery. Rosé remarks on how vulnerable Kandy has been over the competition, letting his more emotional side through. This has been essential to his success on Drag Race. Without that willingness to emote, Ru would not have saved him.
On the main stage, Ru comes out looking fantastic yet again in a black dress with lace-like designs and cutouts. Michelle is downright subdued in a powder blue blazer and makeup to match, while Carson and Ross are in dark patterned suits, Carson with white flowers and Ross with dusty rose palm trees. Category is: Beast Couture. This is the most adventurous theme of the season so far, and the queens (mostly) do not disappoint. Utica looks glamorous in a black fur gown with tufts of burgundy and yellow. Kandy’s look is befuddling, dressed as an alien in a neon green body suit with a green fur bikini and bright paint, and carrying a purple shipmate on her back. Tina for the fourth runway in a row steps away from her red, orange, and yellow aesthetic for a patchwork monster look, part doll part creature. Her proportions look good andwhile it’s not couture, the beast part of her design comes through clearly.
Symone takes Tina’s fur idea a step further, coming out in a complete fox suit with thigh high boots, gloves past the elbows, cut-off jean shorts, and a white cut-off tank. She’s rocking some gold jewelry and working her tail, and she looks great. Mik plays to her strengths with her purple monster look, experimenting with shape and proportion. She looks completely distinct from the rest of the queens and blends camp and silliness with beautiful paint and a fun up-do. Olivia’s look is the most expected for the category, a blue and lime green beast that looks like a fashion take on Where The Wild Things Are. Her makeup is great and her suit has plenty of texture, giving interest and dimension to her look. Rosé’s look is similar, but even more dramatic. She’s all in red with striking paint and twisted red horns made of hair. Her prosthetic ears look great and her furry suit incorporates long, thin feathers that give movement and extend the reach and impact of her look. This is Rosé’s best runway yet.
Ru goes down the line of queens, showing their commercials before giving their critiques. Utica’s commercial is disjointed and doesn’t work to sell her product, though it does capture her personality well. As for her look, Michelle damns her with faint praise: “It’s pretty.” Ouch. Kandy’s commercial isn’t much better than Utica’s, but at least it’s direct. Her soda is a milky party in a can. The judges love her personality, so they’re willing to go with her for the commercial. Not so much for her runway. Tina’s commercial has the opposite problem—she over-explains her setups and over-hypes her soda’s catchphrase while all but ignoring its actual name. The judges like her runway, but they’re tired of her brand and are looking for something new from her.
Symone’s ad is a hit with the judges, simple and direct but with plenty of personality. Her branding is clear and memorable—her soda will rot your teeth, so you get a free gold tooth with proof of purchase—and the judges love her runway too. Gottmik is less successful. Her video is overly complicated and doesn’t land as it should, failing to clearly demonstrate the soda’s selling point. At least the judges love her look. Olivia’s in a similar position. Her runway is terrific, but her commercial needs a clearer narrative and more emphasis on the purpose of the drink. Rosé doesn’t have this problem. Her commercial is the only one besides Symone’s that captures what the judges were looking for: Plenty of personality and a clear brand. Plus the judges have nothing but praise for Rosé’s devilish runway.
Based on the critiques, Symone and Rosé are the clear top two, Kandy is safe, and the rest are all about even. Ru gives the win to Symone, then surprises everyone by naming Rosé a winner as well, giving both of them $5,000 cash tips. They both did much better than the rest of the queens, but this double-win feels like a stretch, motivated by the producers’ desire to not give Symone an insurmountable lead. Olivia is safe, buoyed by her strong runway and past performance, and that leaves Utica, Tina, and Mik in the bottom. Of the three, Tina had the best commercial, but it’s not enough to save her. The judges are tired of her, so she’s up for elimination, joined by Utica.
Utica and Tina take their positions, prepared to put on a show to Black Eyed Peas’ “My Humps.” Tina jumps into action, taking advantage of her oversized outfit to emphasize her movements while Utica plays into her look, going spooky with her performance. Utica does well and peaks in her energy toward the end of the song, but once Tina pulls out the Funky Chicken, she seems to have this in the bag. It’s a genuine surprise when Ru tells Utica to shantay, eliminating Tina. Like Denali last episode, this elimination feels much more driven by Ru’s dwindling interest in Tina than anything specific Tina did this episode. Ru can still imagine Utica surprising her, so she lives to slay another day. As for Tina, she’s had a surprising journey this season, from front-runner to also-ran. It will be interesting to see how her experience on Drag Race shapes her drag moving forward and how she adjusts her style and brand should she return for All Stars. A lot can still happen, and goodness knows Ru loves a twist, but the season appears to finally be entering its endgame. If Ru and the producers are this focused on building to their preferred finalists, regardless of challenge performance, the sooner we get there, the better.
Stray observations
- I enjoyed the Rosé, Tina, and Kandy shade at the top of the episode. Their banter will be missed.
- Hello there, Sarge! It would have been great to hear from him during the COVID special to get his take on how filming season 13 was different from past seasons.
- Am I the only musical theatre fan who went to an Into The Woods place with Utica’s commercial?
- It was fun watching the queens paint for the runway not knowing the category, particularly the more extreme designs.
75 Comments
I liked roses commercial better and her look was the best imo. Poor Tina, I warmed up to her she deserved a little better
I agree completely. I was not a Burner fan at the start, but I def warmed up to her. Its a travesty that she and Denali are gone and Kandy is still around. The rigga is strong this season, and I am not a fan.
Gone are the days of at least semi fair advancement in the competition, they’re just producing for them Emmys sis and kandy is a reality TV juggernaut I guess
Honestly this was a decent week for Tina, but I saw everything she had to offer in week one, which is just a weird love of fire engines or smth? At least Utica always serves a good look. Mik had a very funny concept, it just didn’t work. And Kandy should have been seriously called out for that alien shit, but it should make some good memes.
Tina going home for a branding challenge? Priceless. Ru: “Gottmik, irony is hard to translate for the audience. You have to spell it out for them. And now, I’m going to show you how it’s done!”
With the exception of Utica and, possibly, Rose, all of the runway looks missed the mark (and some of those were hard misses). If the theme of the runway was “Beast!” — then fine. But this was beast couture, and that latter element was missing from most of the looks. And most of the paint was underwhelming, to say the least. I can’t help but compare Symone’s look, which was highly praised by the panel but more representative of furry cosplay, with Ellie Diamond, who pulled off a much more elevated concept with her seagull look in UKDR.
Utica must have stolen all the Michelle Visage’s wigs and abused all her cats or something horrible to deserve that critique for the second best runway of the episode. I love Symone as well but that runway was cheap and looked like it was going to burn fast at any moment.
I’m in the Symone bandwagon but that was a pretty basic attempt that was way over praised. If anything I think Rose’s runway earned her the co win although the narrative is that they don’t want Symone to run away with it
You didn’t think Gottmik’s look fit the brief?
It was the best of the rest, but I was still getting “costume”, and not “couture”. I had thought that the “beast” was going to be a point of departure –and not the final destination. I think that the “Monster Mashup” runway of UKDR (and specifically, Veronica Green’s runway) showed more of the fashion that I was expecting.
Surprised Olivia wasn’t in the bottom after another safe, bland performance. She couldn’t even sell the bedraggled look at the beginning, ffs.
So, Mik makes an ad that is an ironic statement about how stupid these kind of ads are, and no one gets the point? Mik’s whole brand is and has always been subtly calling out the b.s. in these set-ups, BECAUSE IDENTITY IS AN ARTIFICIAL CONSTRUCT. I’d think that to a drag queen, that’d be easy to get, but maybe someone needs to use small words and explain it to Michelle.
Olivia and Utica are both under the gun next week, because the rigga morris is strong for Kandy, and Rose, Mik, and Symone are clearly better. They’re also trending the wrong way at the wrong time.
I’m sure she was being diplomatic, but Olivia shouldn’t have been that excited to see Jaida: there’s no way that Ru is going to give back-to-back titles to a pageant queen, and Jaida was more versatile. I don’t see either Olivia or Utica doing well at all in a roast, and I don’t need previews to tell me that.I liked Utica’s commercial, even though it was a complete, incoherent mess. It was punk! I didn’t like her runway, but I’m still glad Symone got a win this week.
Painting Rose’s win as an attempt to dampen Symone’s frontrunner status downplays her performance this episode. Her commercial was as good as Symone’s, and her look was much better IMO. It at least fit the challenge. If anything, giving Symone the joint win signals her as an obvious favorite. She did great but there was nothing elevated about that furry costume lol. Side note – I’ve been waiting for Tina to go for a few weeks now as the show clearly wasn’t going to have her go to the end, but she didn’t deserve the bottom this week. Now, of all weeks, they decide to mention her having the same colour scheme, when she isn’t even wearing it on the runway? Y’all could’ve just put her in the bottom last week and let Denali continue on.
They’re gonna drag goddamned Kandy Muse across the finish line even if it kills all of us in the audience.Jesus motherfucking Christ.
I called it last week. Top 4! ArghI sympathize with his trauma of being bullied. That shit sticks with you forever, from personal experience. But at some point you need to be accountable for your behavior
I get that they really want a plus size queen to win but they could’ve atleast gotten someone that’s actually good.
UKDR SPOILERWell, they certainly have one now…My bet is that Kandy’s (recent) edit is priming her for a MC title. All the queens will clap politely, if not enthusiastically, at this announcement.
Nah… maybe top 4, but there’s no way she is winning. I called a Top 3 of Symone, Mik, and Rose at the beginning of the season, and i havent seen any reason to change my mind yet.
I’m not a big Kandy fan, but the other contestants do seem to be helping by blowing it in certain moments.
Yeah…I’m surprised they let Kandy off the hook considering her ad suffered from the same lack of clarity as Utica’s. The main thing was Kandy’s was FUNNIER than Utica’s but it didn’t feel like it was Kandy’s ‘brand’ if you like. Kandy’s commercial was like a Vic Berger fever dream…but that’s not what I think of when I think of her.
The Pit Crew talked more in this episode than the entire 13 seasons combined.
Bryce was super cute and looked to be having a blast.
Based on his performance in this episode, Bryce should place higher than Kandy this season.
Okay, but if the queens are trying to prove they’re smarter than the pit crew, shouldn’t the pit crew have gotten to answer questions?
I agree there were shenanigans afoot; but I think it should have been Olivia lip-syncing against Tina, whose time should have already been up long ago.That it took this long for the judges to mention her bad paint or how she’s been so one-note all season is the true testament to the producer manipulation, regardless to how Tina did in this particular challenge. Ru’s “tired of Tina?’ Well, join the damn club.That’s more than enough of reason to finally send a subpar competitor home, and I am here for it.As for the other girls;Maybe it’s just me… it seemed like Gottmik went with impersonating Paris again, but it just didn’t translate well for this challenge.Rose and Symone both did really well, and frankly, I’m not mad at the double win, as long as there are no more unearned double-shantays. Utica didn’t do well in this challenge, but she was more interesting to watch than Olivia… even if it was out of morbid fascination. ( I do wish someone had mentioned the pandemic, and possible contagion, but maybe they’re not allowed to.) Lastly there’s Kandy Muse, still skating by. That runway was AWFUL; I don’t care what Ross says. Her commercial wasn’t the worst of the lot, but it wasn’t good either.And then there’s this:
When asked about her ‘brand’ Kandy gave two predictable adjectives (‘firecracker’ and “sensitive”) and then completely changed the topic to being bullied and how she was once the victim of gay bashing.Now, contrary to popular belief, I’m not exactly heartless*, and I do feel sympathy for Kandy, in that no one should ever be targeted or hurt because of who they are. That’s some bullshit, and no one ever deserves to be mistreated or abused. I can understand feeling overly defensive because of a problematic past.That said, I also kind of feel like Kandy tends to use her history as an excuse for her behavior, and IMO, that’s going to be problematic for her in the long run.*It’s cold, black and hard, but it’s there.
When asked about her ‘brand’ Kandy gave two predictable adjectives (‘firecracker’ and “sensitive”) And Symone’s brand is “excellence”. Period. Let’s also note that she summarized everything that Utica is doing wrong in the competition in ten seconds in one talking head. Which is something that no one on the panel has been able to articulate in the entire competition.I don’t think that I’ve ever seen anyone run away with a competition before aside from Bianca. She’s Bimini-ing the season! And speaking of which…UKDR SPOILERNOOOOOOO!!!! Just. No.
UKDR SPOILERNOOOOOOO!!!! Just. No.It’s a reality, hon; trust, I was just as surprised as you seem to be.
UKDR… I think Ru thought the Purple Reign was a brand/act ready to go and just needed the launch. Our Cis-tem offender will do fine.WTF does it matter who wins UK in the end, there’s NO $$$$$ and they all get exposure
Oh, but they’re supposed to be awed at the opportunity to fly to Hollywood, the past century’s entertainment mecca, for an all expense paid production of a streamed show starring the winner! Since production costs are notoriously high in southern California (the main reason why other cities/countries have become focal points for many shows and films the past few decades) even a short web-based series will likely exceed $100,000 US dollars, especially in these financially unstable times, which have impacted the entertainment industry the most.
WTF does it matter who wins UK in the endWhile I hear you on the lack of real, tangible prizes; I’m pretty sure it matters quite a lot to the queens who are competing.At least this year, they got awarded a crown & sceptre.
From Ru herself: Losing is the new winningEven wrote a song about it!
“I don’t think that I’ve ever seen anyone run away with a competition before aside from Bianca”You forgot Bob The Drag queen! But yes, despite a couple of stumbles Symone has always looked as the winner. Rosè getting the co win may keep things a bit interesting. Gottmik is not as well rounded as the other 2 and will stick in 3rd place. 4th place… Kandy? Who cares?
Kandy? Who cares?The tagline for the season! I was thinking about the remaining queens myself (and there are still SIX OF THEM) but yeah, the only thing interesting about the next two episodes is likely to be the order of eliminations. Which won’t matter at all, as long as we get to a Symone/Rose/? (probably Gottmik, but could be Kandy) F3. Symone’s still performing at such a high level, though, it’s like she’s on a completely different show. I’ve come to like Rose a lot, but I just don’t see her winning this.
I totally forgot about Bob! Kim Chi is one of my absolute favourite Drag Race contestants, and I thought she had a chance when I watched S8 for the first time, but looking back now…nah. I think that the only contestant who could have given her a run in the end was Acid Betty, and she took herself out of contention with her attitude and that dreadful Snatch Game performance.
I dont see the Symone-running-away thing. Mik has had almost as much praise, and Rose has a ton of momentum over the last few episodes.
Any other queen wearing a fucking body suit with a blow up doll sewn to it would’ve been read to filth. I cannot believe they just shrugged it off. It was the laziest Halloween costume I’ve ever seen.
MEANWHILE on UK Drag Race…I don’t know if you lot have seen it yet? Best queen won!
I wouldn’t have complained for any win to be honest. I preferred the Ellie D runway (and her Wizard of Oz explanation made me have something in my eye) but I am ok with the winner.What I am really going to miss is Tayce narration. I need Tayce’s voice in my life. I need Tayce to read the Lidl offers and the weather forecast.
Follow Tayce on Instagram! She’s brilliant!
And I must admit I’m loving the Heinz & Tayce love-in with the beans. Michelle Visage even got in on it with her cheesy bean bake (which I made for Mr Biblioteca as I find baked beans to be Satanic in smell and look)!
Are you Spanish as well?
No dear, like Ellie and Lawrence I’m Scottish!
Oh sorry, I was confused by your accent!
What’s funny about Tayce is that the judges would read her (rightly so) for some of her looks – but irl Tayce the guy has really amazing style and personality. It’s always funny when that’s the case and why it somehow doesn’t connect right to their drag persona.
I think Bimini is probably the coolest queen that’s ever walked the stage. It’s a new direction for drag to go.
UKDR SPOILERI would be sulking less about the winner if Lawrence’s edit hadn’t let me down. She’s been built up as the season’s winner since the first episode, and established herself as the front-runner in the first half of the season…and then faded away. She’s also come across as aggravating and entitled for the last three weeks, and I didn’t like her final lipsync. I really needed her to have some type of redemption arc in the last few weeks for this win to feel satisfying, and she didn’t get one. Also: Ellie Diamond is “amazing” at 21 and will be “unstoppable” as she matures, but “isn’t ready”? Lawrence is only 23! *Cue for joke about queens aging in dog years*Bimini is amazing and certainly my favourite queen to have appeared on UKDR.
Lawrence was definitely a marketing choice as Ru and the producers are trying to update their brand/respond to detractors. Especially those who’ve rather rightfully noted the most talented plus size queens could only hope in the past was the MC title at best, with the crown reserved for the physically fit, picture-’performance perfect’ queens who does the best hyperactive, Cirque du Soleil defying lip sync while remain perfectly coifed or breaking a sweat.Plus Scotland holds a significant historical place in UK LGBTQ+ rights, being the first to repeal the discriminatory Section 28. Ru seemingly had a self-congratulatory smile on his face when Lawrence declared continuing making Glasgow, not relocating to London, the home base of his drag career.But stating his ‘grit’ being the strength which gave him the edge came off contrived. The editors made great attempts in showing his human nature to endear him to viewers that came off awkward. Often reminding us he’s there represent the plus size brigade – one reason he lacks the dance skills and physical dexterity of his more slender competitors and often shown panicking from stage fright as a result (which have otherwise sent many of them packing). Yet somehow he always perseveres in the final performance and lives to compete (and win!) another day. As emphasized ad nauseam in all DR iterations, no one can just ride on past good work; you have to step up to the plate each performance, especially the finale. But honestly Lawrence’s finale look/lip sync were mediocre compared to Bimini’s and Tayce’s. No, a hyperactive, back-flip, split, death drop performance isn’t always necessary to capture attention – Manila Luzon’s iconic “MacArthur Park” lip sync is a prime example of how one can practically stand in one place and create something truly legendary. Yet Lawrence’s LS was ‘meh’ at best, while the other two’s came off increasingly desperate. The song selection was mostly to blame for that; though Elton John’s song is a worldwide anthem in the LGBTQ+ community, it can be rather clunky for an ad hoc solo performance with no props (e.g. a piano and mike). Doing floor length slides, voguing or the Boogie-woogie to “I’m Still Standing” just didn’t fit either its title or lyrical message.
I do want to emphasize the fact that I think that Lawrence is a worthy winner; my problem is that her edit showed her in an increasingly unfavourable light in the latter half of the season, from being an unforgiving bitch to Ellie to just whining about, well, everything, and that’s fair to precisely no one, and especially the viewing audience. The “coronation” is supposed to be a triumphant conclusion of the victor’s ascent to the top of the heap; instead, Bimini was shown to be both the better queen at challenges and much more pleasant to watch. Someone in production must hate Lawrence.
I do want to emphasize the fact that I think that Lawrence is a worthy winner; my problem is that her edit showed her in an increasingly unfavourable light in the latter half of the season, from being an unforgiving bitch to Ellie to just whining about, well, everything, and that’s fair to precisely no one, and especially the viewing audience. The “coronation” is supposed to be a triumphant conclusion of the victor’s ascent to the top of the heap; instead, Bimini was shown to be both the better queen at challenges and much more pleasant to watch. Someone in production must hate Lawrence.
I’m the same. Bimini was underwhelming to me at first, but she really did grow on me, especially when they came back from the lockdown break — she had clearly found a new fire and edge, and just blazed the competition after that. I had started the season thinking it was clearly Lawrence’s race to lose, but even though she did win in the end I was no longer sure exactly why anymore.I mean, how does the season’s supposed comedy queen pick the hysterically funny Miriam Margolyes for a Snatch Game character and fumble it? By getting into her head, for starters, but also possibly by not being quite as funny as she thinks she is to begin with.To be clear, I still don’t hate Lawrence, who was still in the upper half of my rankings. But she did lose that #1 spot in my heart to Bimini over the course of the season, no question.
The judges read her for her first football look – but at the time i was like, ‘Wow, she is HOT’. She’s like the David Bowie of drag queens.
Good morning all:- Olivia got all the props while Tina got just one dumb suggestion. – Symone got praised for looking like a Disney world mascot while Utica was “fine’??- Gottmik was super fun. Much better than Kandy’s mess- I liked Utica’s commercial and it was 100% her. Could be bottom though. What I disagree is on the Runway: the look, the presentation and the moves where the second best today.- Olivia looked in the runway as hired as entertainer for a rich kid’s birthday. And it looked too similar to Crystal Methyd blue genie runway. – Still better than that piece of crap that Kandy Muse was wearing. Oh God. I feel Kandy Muse now knocking on my door and shouting shangelisms on how sickening she is because judges love her and clapping every sound from her mouth and then turning back and raising the arms asking for approval and calling on every neighbour’s door to recruit validation. Week after week I see more fake, more manipulation, more narcissism and more shouting from Kandy Muse and less sincerity. I know this is a reality program but KM has chosen that narrative and is proud of it, so I can be sure that is what KM really is, and I cannot have any more if it.- that lip sync was better than what that song deserves.- So Utica’s gone next week, right?
Still better than that piece of crap that Kandy Muse was wearing. Oh God. I feel Kandy Muse now knocking on my door and shouting shangelisms on how sickening she is because judges love her and clapping every sound from her mouth and then turning back and raising the arms asking for approval and calling on every neighbour’s door to recruit validation. Week after week I see more fake, more manipulation, more narcissism and more shouting from Kandy Muse and less sincerity. I blame the show for this, and not specifically Kandy. They’ve been trolling us for years by dangling obnoxious characters in front of the audience as clickbait, drawing us on to the next episode in the hope that we’ll see them get kicked off, and using their eliminations for a cheap emotional payoff instead of spending time on building an entertaining show.I like Utica, but she’s been on borrowed time since the fourth episode. No way is she making it to the finale unless another scandal emerges or someone gets flattened by that statue of Clara.
No one gave ANY side eye to the Kandy’s K Special white soda that you do in a club? ahem
If Kandy skates into the top 4, then fuck the finale.
A lot of my fellow NYC gays are fuming that Hell’s Kitchen staple Tina Burner was sent packing, but it was truly past her time. Middling performances and McDonald’s runways do not a winner make. And she even managed to be outshone by the pit crew in her commercial, which is almost impressive. As soon as Symone said, “Is your blood sugar low?” her win was in the bag. She’s just it. Star quality and charisma from every inch of her. Kandy once again delivers… Kandy. There are no fluctuations or variations to what she does. It’s all one note. Yet the judges seem to be giving her free pass after free pass. And her runway, which was objectively, unironically, sincerely terrible, merely garnered some playful laughter! I just don’t understand why she is being allowed- encouraged even- to skate by, when other queens do not get that luxury. Tina gets sent packing for running on a limited wavelength, but Kandy is praised for the same thing. Make it make sense!
Middling performances and McDonald’s runways do not a winner make. Her runway this week was executed particularly poorly, although she had stiff competition from a number of the queens for ugliest outfit. We saw both Jan and Sherry pull off superior looks with a similar concept (“buttons” and “doll” looks, respectively) last season, and Tina’s makeup looked like the type of crappy face paint you’d get at a local fair (or, in my area, the local rodeo). And to think that Shuga Cain got ripped a new one for her merely mediocre Troll Doll! I did feel a bit badly for Tina when she was eliminated, but she just wasn’t bringing the goods.
I felt bad for Tina too only because she was so transparently obviously desperate for validation which she wasn’t getting
Kandy is obviously this season’s pot stirring villain with a brick on her shoulder. But honestly, if she were eliminated, most of the Werk Room and judges’ panel tension would evaporate because most of the other contestants are easy going in comparison, including Tina who came off more obnoxiously arrogant rather than a fight picker. She also fills multi-demographics – a plus size, Gen Z, Latina. So again, if she’s chopped, RPDR risks significant portions of its audience immediately dropping off.
It seems obvious to me that Olivia (I’m betting around 70%) or Utica (like 25%) is the probable Miss Congeniality, which means she has to be in the Race long enough to make an impression – leaving really only as the season endgame solidifies. On a normal length season, the eliminations we’ve seen would only represent the “were cast with the intention that they have no chance” queens (Kahmora, Joey Jay, Tamisha, LaLaRi, Elliott with 2 T’s) and have only recently moved into the “maybe they will be competitive, if something amazing happens” tier (Denali, Tina).
I think they basically cast seasons with these intentions, and use information like social media presence, pre-season fame or infamy, and outrageousness to plan how the rough outline of elimination order will work. We also add in a dash of “who needs representing?” and “who did we just crown?” to determine who makes finale. Granted, I think everyone is talented and stands on their own merits and it’s not these things that GET them the title, like Gottmik’s trans identity has nothing to do with his talent, how much work he’s put in, or his taste level…but Ru has never crowned a trans winner of any kind and has actively said transphobic things in particular about transwomen competing. If managing the brand of the person running the show is important, they’d put Gottmik in the finale no matter what – because it would seem to “undo” some of the shitty, transphobic rhetoric Ru has spouted over the years.
The REAL race, the only one that will matter in the end, is Gottmik v. Symone, they’re both making finale and it doesn’t really matter who else you put from the cast up against them. And on some level, they’re not competing as “who has more talent,” it’s “which story does that show want to tell with its winner right now?” (and a little “who is the better bet that audience’s want in an All Stars?”)
The REAL race, the only one that will matter in the end, is Gottmik v. Symone, they’re both making finale and it doesn’t really matter who else you put from the cast up against them. I’d love to think that RuPaul would actually consider a trans contestant as a front-runner to win this competition, but I don’t think that she’s ready to admit her past wrongs, and it just ain’t gonna happen, at least not for awhile. There’s also the fact that no one else is really in the same league as Symone this season. I think Rose could win a Symone-less season, but Gottmik is tracking in Jackie Cox territory. The season’s race for me is still Symone v. Symone.
Super fair. I think, based on what’s being telegraphed by the edit, it’s Symone and she is excellent. We haven’t had a “absolutely run away with it,” winner since Bob. But I’m also not sure whether All Stars figures into how they build a narrative, so I don’t know if we’re in “Shea Coulee from Season 9″ (“robbed frontrunner”) or “Shea Coulee from All Stars 5″ (“getting her beyond earned recognition”) territory.
I’m sure enough that Rose will make the finale, but I think the show mostly traffics in broad caricatures / archetypes, and it doesn’t usually reward Rose’s (NYC musical / comedy queen). Jinx might be the closest to this, but she also had “underdog” in the profile, and Rose doesn’t have that benefit.
I think they basically cast seasons with these intentions, and use information like social media presence, pre-season fame or infamy, and outrageousness to plan how the rough outline of elimination order will work.Ding, ding, ding! Willam speaks to this and I believe him. I queued it up to the relevant part, 5:54, but the whole interview is a treat.
I’m hoping Tamisha Iman for Ms. Congeniality.
Yall will gag at who wins the roast next week
Phi Phi O’Hara? Heidi? The chairs? I just hope that the answer is, for once, “the viewing audience”. Ultimate plot twist!
Oh noSounds like we will gag and vomit if it is who I think it is. Fml
LAWRENCE CHANEYHaha I kid. But seriously it’s gonna be a gag
The reason Tina didn’t win the lipsync was that her lipsynching was terrible. Her dancing was tons of fun, but she didn’t bother to mouth the words half the time.
I know my little viewership ain’t gonna hurt WOW, but I’m done watching this show. Tina was clearly the better lip syncer, all Utica does is writhe around and stretch her mouth open so wide, I can see her uvula. And I refuse to pay for another streaming service to watch the RPDR-UK. Not gonna happen.
You just reminded me, I need to cancel my Wow Plus now that UK is over. Thanks!
I think it should have been a triple elimination with Olivia, Tina, and Utica. I mean, they have the double chantay in the bag, so a double sashay wouldn’t be out of order. I was thinking Rosé was going to win outright, but I’m happy with the 2x win.
I don’t see Symone as skating through like Bianca like you claim as if you look at her record, she has a lot of tops but a lot of lows too. According to Bucy on YouTube who does a weekly point score, Rosé is in the lead as only low was with Tina and all the rest were highs, safe or wins. Symone had a cute costume on but it wasn’t elevated like Rosé’s or some of the UK queens’ looks like Veronica’s. Rosé has had a growth arc. However, the last few seasons queens with the most wins such as Gigi or Brook Lynn don’t get the crown. Why? Is it for some predetermined decision of the producers as Willam suggests? Fans will say that certain queens will do well because “they want a ____ queen” with Trans, Big and various races mentioned. It’s frustrating for fans to see queens who deserve to stay around (Jan, Shuga, Denali) be booted while others like Silky or Kandy get kept around for “personality” and potential for beef with others with subpar runways and applauded for playing themselves in acting challenges. That is not to say those queens aren’t talented. They are but he other queens had more elevated looks consistently. Come on, that chandelier dress of Denali’s was amazing and Ru was just “meh” as didn’t fit their predetermined narrative.
ketamine. kandy’s commercial was about ketamine, not “making drinkers feel like they’re in the club, no matter what.”why do these reviews feel like they go out of their way to pretend we’re watching a PG-rated show?
ketamine. kandy’s commercial was about ketamine, not “making drinkers feel like they’re in the club, no matter what.”why do these reviews feel like they go out of their way to pretend we’re watching a PG-rated show?