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[sheacouleecametoslay]

All Stars 5 (2020)

And I continue to be disillusioned by the All-Stars series! The main issue with AS3 and AS4 was the twists and the controversial finales, but the casting was solid enough to elevate their rankings. AS5 doesn't have those issues. Instead, the cast just doesn't feel like an All-Stars cast, no disrespect. I was pretty meh on Cracker and Mayhem during Season 10, and somewhat neutral on Blair as well. Meanwhile, India only had one memorable on Season 3, and it wasn't even her moment. Mariah was also an unexpected pick, but she's underrated. Still, she was an early out again. I was hyped to see Ongina back after all these years, but she bombed every challenge. Derrick could've been the villain again but she was out first. Which just left Shea, Jujubee and Alexis to root for. IDC about Cracker's track record, she was beyond annoying. The season felt uneventful too? AS5 was lacking in iconic, memorable moments. Alexis got into drama with multiple queens, Derrick and India had a fight, and Jujubee talked about her cats. That's about it really. The premiere and the Snatch Game are the best episodes; the rest were forgettable. The final 4 was so boring after Alexis was gone. And Untucked was pure filler. Mayhem/Juju/Blair talking about their addictions was a nice moment though. But yeah, AS5 saw the return of Untucked to All-Stars, which seems unnecessary because the deliberation scenes in the main episodes ARE Untucked. AS5 just didn't feel like a high-stakes competition either? There was literally two quitters. No shock eliminations. A predictable winner. And the final 3 was predictable too, since they were only 3 to win a challenge aside from India. The lack of a returnee competition also contributed to the uneventful feeling. Although having said that, there was no reason to bring Ongina, Mayhem or India back into the game, so maybe it was for the best. So AS5 introduced the All-Stars new format, because of how poorly the Naomi voting Manila incident was received. From now on, everybody casts a vote, and there will be one challenge “winner” each week. Said challenge winner will face a mystery Lip Sync Assassin. If the top All-Star wins the lip sync, they individually decide who goes home. If the LSA wins the lip sync, the group vote reigns supreme. But aside from Yvie, the LSAs weren't really trying this season. The lip syncs wouldn't have changed any of the outcomes either. And aside from Alexis and Mayhem voting Shea that one time, the votes were cast fairly this season. Side note: some of the LSAs must've been for storyline reasons, like Morgan during Mayhem's elimination, and Vanjie when Alexis almost got out. The other major twist introduced this season was that, starting from the final 6, if you're not the challenge winner, you're up for elimination. Which is both ridiculous and unfair. Episode 7 also ended with a twist, where Ru got a phone call, which segued into the eliminated queens hiding behind a glory hole in the finale. As for the challenges, they were mostly lackluster. I'd say the girl groups were the best one. The Snatch Game top 3 made me laugh so much; but the bottom 3 and that awkward almost kiss between Ru and JBC... yeah. And what annoys me about the Talent Show judging is that they reward self-referential jokes, callbacks, and catchphrases. I want to see unique talents. Moreover, nobody was funny in “SheMZ”. The hotel challenge was boring - it was a failed attempt to recreate the clubs challenge from AS4. The Ball was okay, but I've never really liked those voiceovers. The stand-up routines could've been stronger. And the “Clap Back” Ru-mix was missing something too. They didn't even show the queens working on their verses... I heard this season was supposed to have a New School vs Old School theme, since the cast is evenly divided that way. But we never saw that rivalry. I kinda wish we had. Instead, we had Derrick vs India (which I enjoyed but it only lasted one episode), the Cracker vs Blair/Mayhem stuff (which was whatever), and the Alexis drama. Her and Shea having to work together was funny. And India's accusation against Alexis became a huge ordeal. It even spilled into the next episode, after India was gone. It cost Alexis a potential finale spot. And we didn't know which side to believe until the finale. I'm glad the eliminated queens returned to give that closure.

Queens Ranking: 10. Miz Cracker Cracker had THE most forced confessionals: the constant screaming (ugh), the props, the heavy breathing, the mind blown effect, the twerking, the unnecessary body movements, the corny lines, the “I hate her” about Shea. Cracker was trying WAY too hard. She even screamed in the Werk Room during the sewing challenge. It's like she wanted to avoid her Season 10 perfectionism so bad. Plus she was so concerned about avoiding a negative perception with the girls. But, like Mayhem said, it didn't come off sincere. And that negative perception persisted anyways. Blair/Mayhem didn't like working with her. She felt misunderstood. One episode, Cracker announced she was up all night because she wanted to write Ongina's name in whiteout, as if this was some hardship for her. And she proceeded to lecture Ongina about believing in herself. Like WTF? All she did was made Ongina feel bad. Then she guiltily changed her tune upon seeing Ongina give up. While next episode, Cracker said her intentions were good, it just came out wrong; while Alexis called her out for apologizing too late and calling it a mistake. Then, after Cracker listed off the queens she respected, Alexis asked why she was omitted, and Cracker rephrased what she meant. Next, Cracker accused Blair of plotting to get her out because of Alexis's comment. And lastly, she sounded like an asshole when she sabotaged everyone in the stand-up order. Cracker was so unenjoyable to watch this season. In the competition: I kept Cracker's Ball win - she had the best construction, and the second best country cousin character. But not the other two. In “SheMZ”, she had the pill bottle, the Photoshop and the slapping jokes. While in the stand-up routine, she started slow saving the best jokes for the end (“humility and love”). But Cracker's comedy was too stiff and calculated for me. Otherwise, she went for self-referential comedy in the Talent Show. She did sexual innuendos for her “I'm In Love” verse, featuring tight choreo. She had the phone bit in the hotel challenge. She showed her identity in “Clap Back”, but sang too fast. And of course, she gave the driest and most unfunny Lady Gaga impression in Snatch Game, and mistakenly responded to Alexis's prompt. Two of Cracker's lip syncs were forgettable as well, and “Make Me Feel” didn't match the vibe of the song. She had the head poke thing in “Where Have You Been” I guess. Her best runways were the 3-in-1 cocoon and the plague doctor pre-reveal. 9. India Ferrah We're stretching the term All-Star here. India probably had the most to prove, but she pulled a Roxxxy Andrews without the fun Rudemption arc. Her confessionals were bland. She snapped in that episode 3 deliberation. And while she did bring the drama, she came off too smug; like her energy turned me off. First she corrected Derrick (I was fired! Your partner did an act mocking me! My insult wasn't directed at her!) Then she informed Shea of Alexis and Mayhem's “campaign” and stuck to that story despite Alexis's denial. But the truth finally came out at the finale, where Mayhem backed Alexis up, and India admitted the “campaign” happened after the votes were cast. So basically she misrepresented the situation. India's timing was too convenient and no one backed her up on it. She told Shea when she was about to be booted. All it did was ruin her friend's chances. Otherwise, India copied someone's entrance look again (shady production). She wanted her celeb crush to be her fiance lol. She made Alexis the choreo leader when Alexis didn't understand why. She talked about her shoplifting past. And she apologized to Derrick in the finale. In the competition: India gave it her all in the Talent Show with the choreo and she made a funny reference to the Mimi incident. No one was ever beating Yvie in that lip sync though. All of India's subsequent bottoms were deserved. Her “I'm In Love” lyrics were basic and that “I felt very attacked” scream was unpleasant. She barely talked in the hotel challenge, except for an awkward golden shower joke. Then in “SheMZ”, she licked a donut and peed broken glass... yeah. While in Snatch Game, she gave one creepy impression of Jeffree Star. Also, her 3-in-1 look was just one look. I didn't like her camo runway either. 8. Mayhem Miller Mayhem “The Drama” Miller lacked fierceness and boldness for me. Sure, she kept giving facial reactions in confessional, and her confessionals weren't bland (“but somebody HMM wants it her way”). She was in generally good spirits too (“I'm still here bitch *screams*”). And her impersonation of Ongina was funny. But she was so passive about leaving. She refused to campaign against India and ultimately voted herself. Only for India to throw her under the bus next episode. Mayhem was so loyal to India for what? Otherwise, Mayhem wanted to rectify playing it too safe on Season 10. She gleefully accepted an alliance with India. She was floored and took it personally that her friend Juju voted her. She got annoyed at Cracker during a team challenge. She didn't believe Cracker's reasoning on the Ongina thing. She voted Shea because she thought that was the plan... lol? And she had an emotional Untucked moment about her drinking, and later talked about her arrests. In the competition: Mayhem had a rough start. She went soft in the Reading, then mumbled during her Talent Show song. It was my least favourite performance of the night. But after that, her “I'm In Love” verse was about Mr Rogers, which was funny. She was also in the top for the hotel challenge. And I didn't think Mayhem was that bad in “SheMZ”? She paused at one point and I didn't understand the whole licking thing, but I thought she gave more effort than others. Still, Mayhem's runways were basic this season. Her 3-in-1 look lacked variety. Weird, since she was one of the top fashion queens of Season 10. 7. Blair St. Clair Falls into the bland/neutral feelings tier. Blair showed she had Nerve towards the end, but she lacked Charisma for me. I also kept forgetting she was on the show. Her confessionals were sometimes whiny (“I promise America I'm not a young bitchy girl I'm fun”; that groan before Snatch Game). Or kinda forced (“Mr cameraman show me my mark; hold my hand and guide me gently”; that cough at Cracker's running order). Or she said confusing things like “what if we're going to voting polls?” Alexis also called her entrance cocky. In Blair's intro, she promised that “I've finally gone through puberty... well almost” and that she's a “strong independent bitch” now. Later on, Blair pitched to the final 4 that wins shouldn't matter (lol). She also talked about her DUI. She mimicked the choreo during the finale, as if she was still competing lol. And she had some tensions with Cracker, calling her difficult and questioning their friendship. Blair tried to smooth things over with Cracker during the plotting accusations though. But she was later upset when Cracker considered her bottom 2. In the competition: Blair was the most forgettable in the Talent Show, but she impressed the next 2 weeks. She had some cannibalism wordplay in her Hannibal Lecter “I'm In Love” verse, and her choreo stole the spotlight. Then she was a solid actress in the hotel advert, even if her room wasn't my fave. Blair struggled after that though. Her “SheMZ” character was annoyingly whiny. She seemed awkward as Ellen DeGeneres in Snatch Game (“Squawk to keep warm” HUH?). Also, her country cousin jokes weren't that clever, and her second look was just some fabric draped over her. Then she kept flipping her notebook during the stand-up routine. Blair was one of the top runway queens this season though – her magenta skin, her 3-in-1, her camo butterflies, and her gender-bending prom queen. 6. Ongina Finally Ongina returned!... and it was a disappointment. She completely psyched herself out after the Reading challenge, worrying if she could still compete in the modern era. The nerves got the best of her. And I think Cracker's unwarranted “lecture” got to her too (“and 3rd there's no 3rd because just STFU already!”) Then Ongina broke down during the episode 2 deliberation, saying she deserved to go home. She even voted for herself. Still, Ongina was having fun in the premiere. She kept giggling at herself. She joked with Derrick: “are you talented enough to do it”. And she was nosy about the India/ Derrick drama lol. In the competition: I didn't understand the point of Ongina's Talent Show act... it was just some basic dancing and reveals to a RuPaul medley. She had an amazing entrance look though, and I liked her feathery runway. But Ongina's “reads” in the Reading mini-challenge weren't reads or jokes. And her “I'm In Love” verse was lacking, but she was sick while recording it. 5. Derrick Barry Derrick leaving first was a misstep by production. The India drama was the best part of the premiere! Derrick went all-in on India during the Reading challenge. Then she gossiped with Ongina and Juju about it. Then she fought with India (India was fired! She called my partner “a pig in a wig”!) Then during deliberation, she acted fake nice to India to stay. Derrick was also delusional, telling the girls “I could've slayed it as Britney and won”, while crying in confessional about how hard it is to not be seen as Britney. Derrick came back wanting to prove she can do more than Britney, but that entrance was Britney. Still, Derrick was funny in her one episode (“maybe she's all good with giving fake hugs”; “you were also quick to finish on your season”; “I think you being here is going to make you feel more validated”). While at the finale, she “relicked” in the drama. In the competition: Derrick's multitude of Talent Show impressions were cringe. The idea was better than the execution. Her finale dress wasn't Britney though! 4. Alexis Mateo Alexis's inclusion benefitted the season. She came back as a confident veteran aiming to win (“it's Alexis world and the rest is f**king parking”). And she was brutally honest. She told Derrick “I thought you were doing Britney the entire time”. She criticized Cracker over the Ongina thing. She continued to poke at Cracker with “so you don't respect me?” and "it's easier for you to just talk there". Shea thought Alexis was unnecessarily butting in, but Cracker was being shady listing off the queens she respected. I'm also not sure if Alexis meant to imply that Mayhem/Blair were plotting against Cracker. Anyways, Alexis's main drama came from voting Shea. Her reasoning was to save her friends, but India claimed otherwise. Alexis gave a logical counterpoint to that, saying a campaign can't be 2 people, and the edit never showed her campaigning. Because of these events, Alexis felt betrayed by India, and gave a frosty voting confessional: “you're a liar and this is why Derrick don't like you”. I mean, this stunt ruined Alexis's game, and with the new twist, her only path was to win challenges. It didn't matter who was right, the doubt was in people's minds. Otherwise, Alexis had fun moments like: wanting Daddy Yankee to grab her like a microphone; “this bitch is into eating people? And she's that skinny?”; not knowing what camo is; blurting out “gosh I need to have sex” to break the tension. That said, it did feel like Alexis was giving others a hard time for things. In the competition: Alexis did well, but not enough to win. She came off as a professional entertainer in the Talent Show, but I'm over these dance numbers. Her Daddy Yankee verse in “I'm In Love” was great, but she barely moved.  She was fine in “SheMZ, but talked over Shea. She was hilarious in Snatch Game, especially when she roasted Cracker and India. It's probably my fave Alexis performance ever. But she kept repeating “you didn't see that one coming”. Her kiddy pool Ball look was ridiculous, but her character wasn't the best and the look was basic. She also played off that spray can mishap well in the hotel challenge. My fave Alexis runways were the camo and prom queen ones. Least fave was the circus 3-in-1. 3. Mariah Paris Balenciaga Mariah, with her many surnames, provides an underrated presence: “I wish I could've done this [vote] to a jackass”; “is she doing the Finding Dory whale call?”; “I coulda went out there in lizard skin, girl who is pu**y pink?”; “I know y'all spent the coin but I spent the mint bitch”; “my tear ducts have turned into raisins”. I also laughed when she ruined the other team's paint job. And when she took her fanny pack and left. And when was displeased at Mayhem quitting for India (“girl you just met this hoe”). Her TV persona came off natural. She was pretty honest with her opinions. And she told Cracker that she enjoyed working with her, when some other girls were getting on Cracker's case. I don't like Cracker, but that was a nice moment. In the competition: Mariah should've won the Talent Show – she voiced an important message and communicated it in an artistic way. But I guess dancing to your catchphrases is what the judges prefer. She also "went there" in the Reading challenge with the rose petals. Unfortunately, Mariah couldn't stay at that level. She looked “out of it” during her “I'm In Love” performance. Then in the hotel challenge, she made jokes about rattan furniture and girthy meats that didn't land. She also talked over Cracker at one point. Her 3-in-1 look wasn't my fave either. She looked pretty in the skin runway though. 2. Shea Couleé We all knew Shea was winning All-Stars from the second she agreed to it. It's Chad and Alaska all over again, who I don't agree were “robbed” on their seasons, but Shea lost to a new twist. Speaking of, her main storyline on AS5 was about how the rose petals affected her. Even though Juju was my fave, Shea outdid her in the finale, so I'm fine with it. Sure, Shea was hoping to cruise straight to the crown, and she acted like Alexis had such AUDICITY to vote her instead of India. She also took Cracker's side during the Cracker/Alexis confrontation (“bitch who was talking to you?”). But I get why Shea felt bitter and uneasy towards Alexis. Alexis based her vote on friendships. What if she kept doing that? And India was just playing into Shea's paranoia that was already there. I loved when Shea threw Alexis's remark back at her though: “So you didn't think that I worked hard?”. Otherwise, Shea had chances to play it strategically this season (like keeping Ongina or booting Alexis), but kept it fair. She was charming (“I know you've all missed me but it's okay”; “but were you surprised? Haha”). She helped the other queens during the sewing challenge. She had emotional moment with Ru about her dad and sister's passing. And she didn't take India's tea at face value, she had a group chat. In the competition: Shea had her ups and downs. She brought some pole dancing to the Talent Show. She ate with her “I'm In Love” verse. She was hilarious as Flavor Flav in Snatch Game (“roses are red, buses is yellow”). And her stand-up routine was consistent. But Shea was flat in the hotel challenge (“picture it”). And her “bitchy” character in “SheMZ” was whatever. Her wedding dress in the Ball was rough-looking too, but her country character had that “She Already Done Had Her Chips” joke. In the finale, Shea's “Clap Back” verse wasn't her best, but her choreo slayed. And she definitely won the “Make Me Feel” lip sync with her robot thing. Between that and her dance moves in “Neutron Dance”, Shea redeemed herself in the lip syncs. “Open Your Heart” was forgettable though. As for her runways, the skin one was a wow moment. I also liked her camo watering can. The colourful 3-in-1 was a lot though; as was the rose petal prom queen. 1. Jujubee “Gimme the crown RuPaul can I have the crown please?”; “I am the pu**y staircase”; “RuPaul what the f**k?; “If I put $20,000 in an IRA Roth, do you know how much money that is? $20,000 in an IRA Roth”; “John Stamos ahh ohh Greek yogourt”; “second language my ass”; “I could vote for Shea to leave ooh is this strategy bitch”; “what's going through my mind right now is ohh I miss my cats, they don't judge me, they do, but they have to live with me”; “it's like a Juju sandwich with two pieces of white bread... I'm aroused”; “WTF is backyard eleganza? I don't have a backyard”; “how do you unregister to vote?”; “her eyes... where do I buy eyes like that?”; “hey Ru it's Juju are you there? are you still gonna make us vote?”; “surprise! you gotta take a pink pill and a shot in the butt”; “I would wear it to the supermarket and shop for canned beans”. Juju's confessionals served stoner thoughts energy and I was living for it. I mean, she'd ramble about her cats while choosing a lipstick. She showed her cat pics in confessional at one point. She darted her eyes back and forth during the Cracker/Blair conflict and called it hot. She started a pillow fight at the final 3. She wanted an Alaskan themed hotel. And she fussed over not getting an India note. But on a serious note, Juju's sobriety story was a nice moment. And she came off perceptive. In the competition: Maybe it's just me, but Juju should've pulled a Ben/Manila. She was my fave in the Reading challenge. Her Talent Show singing was passionate. Her “I'm In Love” verse was smooth. She 1000% won the hotel challenge – the grandma mentions, the live mosquitoes, the "exotic" fruit. Her and Cracker were the only good ones in “SheMZ” (the Laganja pic!) She was hilarious as Eartha Kitt in Snatch Game (“sensually walk to the thermostat”; “... pick my cuz I love you”; “I am convincing you”). She had my favourite country cousin character (“Amberrrr”) but the watermelon outfit cost her the win. I didn't think her stand-up was that bad either; it was just the shoulders joke that didn't land. Her “Clap Back” verse felt generic and lacked bite though. And her “Juice” lip sync was disappointing for someone who survived 5 lip syncs previously. My fave Juju runways were the skin one, the prom queen, the freak, and her finale outfit. Favourite entrance look: Ongina Challenge ranking: 1. “I'm In Love” Girl Groups 2. Snatch Game Of Love 3. Talent Show 4. Backyard Ball 5. Stand-up routine 6. “Clap Back” (Ru-mix) (Shea > Cracker > Jujubee) 7. Hotel design (nearly fell asleep) 8. “SheMZ” (Improv) Lip Sync ranking: 1. India Ferrah vs Yvie Oddly ("Livin La Vida Loca") (Yvie is insane) 2. Miz Cracker vs Morgan McMichaels ("Where Have You Been") 3. Shea Couleé vs Alyssa Edwards ("Neutron Dance") (Shea was solid/Alyssa could've done more) 4. Top 3 Lip Sync ("Make Me Feel") 5. Miz Cracker vs Roxxxy Andrews ("One Last Time") (Roxxxy's reveal is the only memorable part and it didn't even match the lyrics) 6. Shea Couleé vs Vanessa Vanjie Mateo ("Open Your Heart") (Shea underwhelming/Vanjie shaking too much /cool camera work though) 7. Jujubee vs Monét X Change ("Juice") 8. Miz Cracker vs Kennedy Davenport ("Fancy") Those last 3 are all pretty boring. While the first 3 are the only ones where everyone involved was trying... Season ranking so far: 9 > 5 > 6 > 11 > AS2 > 4 > 10 > 2 > 7 > AS3 > AS4 > 3 > 8 > 12 > 1 > AS5 > AS1

[sheacouleecametoslay]

Season 12 (2020)

Most rankings seem to put Season 11 towards the bottom and Season 12 towards the top, but I feel the exact opposite. Season 11 never had a dull moment, while Season 12 is nothing but dull moments. Especially the second half of it. This is blandest season (and cast) I've encountered so far, other than All-Stars 1 which barely even qualifies as a Drag Race season. The 90-minute runtime does not help either. The Werk Room portion of the episodes go on forever - all they talk about is the upcoming challenge, or their self-doubts, or the MANY, MANY mirror stories. This is easily the worst season of Untucked too – episodes 5 and 6 are the only ones worth watching. And once again, the guest judges appear on it every week. The giant shade button was wasted on this Untucked season. Season 12 really is “RuPaul's Best Friend Race”. Everyone gave supportive words to each other at one point or another. I'm not going to criticize the cast for being good people. But there's barely any drama or storylines. The only real storyline was Brita vs Aiden, which escalated into Aiden vs everyone. And honestly that rivalry was tiring by episode 6. You just know the producers wanted them to lip sync against each other. You could also include Widow's downward spiral as a storyline. And they tried to set up Nicky vs Gigi as rival fashion queens, but that went nowhere. And that's about it. The only other drama was from Widow and Jaida having attitude during the rehearsal of their respective premieres. And the Gigi vs Heidi tiff. I think the main reason why Season 12 is praised is because of the challenge performances. Almost everyone did well in both “Gay's Anatomy” and the Madonna Rusical, for instance. But I need more than just good challenge performances to fully enjoy a season. The Snatch Game was forgettable anyways, aside from Gigi and Jackie's performances. The Debate was a let down, but I get why Ru was pushing a political theme considering how important the 2020 election was to the drag community. I also don't like how they keep shoving the Ball to the beginning of the season. 36 runways in one episode was too much. But thankfully they skipped the late-season acting challenge. And the superfan Makeover was a nice moment; including the lip sync. Also, WTF was that cat mini-challenge? Oh, and apparently they didn't air the Reading mini-challenge because it was so bad. I will say the premiere was very hype. The first group was clearly the stronger one. “I'm That Bitch” might be the best girl group song they've done. Widow gave the best lip sync of the season. And the non-elimination felt justified. In past seasons, the first challenge was almost always a design challenge, unless it was All-Stars, so this was much more demanding. The split premiere fit the political theme of the season as well, as if they're competing political parties. I could do without the Fashion Show though, and the fake celebrities watching. The A-list celebrity guest judge was Nicki Minaj. She replaced Ru in the “Cover Girl” transition thing, and she was pretty harsh with Heidi. The editors also tried something new in the premiere where the producers interacted off-screen with the queens. The second group felt like a comedown though. I don't know why they did an odd number of cast members for a split premiere. I know Tamisha Iman and Kandy Muse were supposed to be on this season, but they were actually replaced. And then the producers had to erase Sh*rry P*e from the edit starting from episode 3, and DQ her from the finale. Her track record screamed favouritism. How did they let her talk for 17 MINUTES uninterrupted in that stand-up challenge? I've seen speculation that she would've won the season, but I don't think she was ever beating Jaida in a finale lip sync thankfully. Anyways, episode 3 starts off with some manufactured drama of the two groups coming together. Followed by Ru being a s**t-stirrer by making Widow and Jaida rank the other groups. Then an improv challenge that felt endless (“World's Worst”), where the winning team just did the same joke. Heidi winning would've been a much better storyline, since Jaida ranked her last that episode. Speaking of which, why were Sh*rry and Gigi winning everything for the first 7 episodes? They were even top 2 in their respective premieres. Also, Episode 3 aired on March 13, 2020, the same day a National Emergency was declared in the US. So maybe Drag Race was a comfort show to those stuck at home, adjusting to a "new normal", scared and uncertain about the outside world. It probably helps that this season didn't have a lot of negativity either. The restrictions only affected the reunion and the finale, because the show is filmed during the previous year. They did what they could given the circumstances, but Zoom call lip syncs ain't it.  Oh yeah, Leslie Jones might be the best guest judges ever? Not only was she funny AF on the panel, but she went on Untucked and asked Aiden why she's sour and signed Widow's shoe. Vanjie's cameo on the Snatch Game episode (and that Untucked) was fun too.

Queens Ranking: 13. Sh*rry P*e Who? Didn't even notice she was there. 😂 12. Brita The inflated sense of self-importance. Brita mentioned New York City all the time. She was delusional; disagreeing with her placements, bragging about her improv skills, and saying “I am serving you looks every single time”. Aiden was right - Brita expected her NYC reputation to put her on top, but that's not how this works. Brita's confessionals had a mean vibe too. She wasn't throwing fun shade, it felt serious. She made condescending remarks about Aiden: “Aiden's like a lost little puppy”; “I don't want to babysit Aiden”; “Aiden isn't working hard enough” etc. And she borderline bullied Aiden to her face after the “World's Worst” challenge, and again on the episode 5 Untucked, and again on the red couch. Then she said “I love Aiden” after Aiden's elimination like what? Brita also thought Widow was milking her knee injury and cringed at Widow doing Ike/Tina. She called Rock M's outfit a “science fair project gone wrong”, as if hers was any better.  And then she cried on her last Untucked for being in the bottom so much. In the competition: Brita had the worst track record. She flopped 4 challenges in a row. She had no idea what she was doing in the Ball challenge; all 3 of her looks missed the mark, and the judges didn't know it was a pineapple. She also overacted in “Gay's Anatomy”. She just laughed for every answer as Jennifer Holliday in Snatch Game. And she messed up the choreo in the Rusical. She was fierce in “I'm That Bitch” though (“cause they be givin' up and I ain't even done!”), but her lyrics didn't really say anything. As for Brita's runways, meh. Frozen was her best one. Spring and Buttons And Bows were a “no”. I actually enjoyed her lip sync performances though. 11. Jackie Cox Too dry and overly professional for me. And seemingly snobbish? She couldn't believe that Aiden didn't know Mae West (“call my lawyer”). She was confused by Vanjie's Julia Roberts joke. She gave people a hard time for being “unprepared” for Snatch Game. She insisted that Jaida volunteered to go last when she didn't (“roll that tape” indeed). She questioned why Aiden was safe, but later gave Aiden a reasonable explanation for why she's getting heat. She made an issue out of Widow not making connections, but had a heartfelt chat with Widow afterwards. Otherwise, Jackie mostly talked about her parents, LGBTQ+ discrimination in her culture, and Islamophobia. She even had that speech with guest judge AOC. I respect her for using Drag Race as a platform for these important issues, but I wish she had more un-serious moments I guess? She did occasionally throw shady jabs in the Werk Room though. In the competition: Jackie placed “high” in several challenges but never won. Her “I'm That Bitch” showed her identity, but it wasn't as memorable as the others. She was a natural talker in “World's Worst”. I thought she was the funniest in Snatch Game as Lisa Rinna – how she rambled on and threatened Heidi. Her genie concept in the advert was great (“For you!”) And in the stand-up routine, she told a personal story while keeping it funny. But Jackie struggled in the latter half. She was boring in the Rusical. She kept doing Canada jokes in the Debate. And her Makeover outfits were basic. She knew her time was up at the end too. Jackie was comedic lip sync-er, but “Kill the Lights” was cringe. My fave Jackie runways were her Frozen snowflake, her Michelle Visage look, the Purple People Eater, and the hijab. 10. Nicky Doll Nicky came in as a fashion queen that will “bring you glamour without breaking my hip”. While the producers spent the premiere pointing out her mispronunciations. But ultimately, Nicky got in her head - she felt defeated by the language barrier, and didn't think she could live up to everyone else's level because of it. She even named herself to go home in episode 5. She seemed crabby too? She was unhappy about her “World's Worst” role, she was annoyed by Jan's dissatisfaction over being safe, she was relieved to work solo for once, and she was bewildered by Aiden's favouritism. She also fought with Aiden on Untucked; and told Aiden she should be in the bottom over Jaida. Meanwhile, the judges read Nicky for not showing personality. She did joke around in the Werk Room – it just didn't materialize in the challenges. Her confessionals weren't bad though (like the popcorn one, saying “are you ready?” in French, etc). In the competition: Nicky was the fashion queen that bombed the performance challenges. Her “I'm That Bitch” verse was my least fave – the lyrics were generic and she didn't sell it on stage. In “World's Worst”, she didn't really add anything to the skit, and she cut Widow off. While in “Gay's Anatomy”, she thought she tried something different, but her baby character wasn't fun. Then it seemed like she gave up in her last lip sync. But yeah, Nicky served Parisian high fashion on the runway. My faves were her Fall look, her Sparkle look, and all 3 Ball looks. My least fave was her Spring look. 9. Gigi Goode Falls into the bland category for me. Gigi mostly talked about wanting to be on top (who doesn't?) Or being excited for a Fashion Show. Or updating us on her Ball outfit. Or just hyping herself up: “I'm not just good, I'm incredible”; “I see my drag going to the cover of Vogue. Period.”; “I think this means that I'm the queen bee of this season right?” Gigi also struck me as someone who cares about her image. She didn't really give reads; aside from comparing Crystal's singing to Kermit smoking pot. She was terrified of politics. She apologized for not knowing Patti LuPone. And she only got involved in drama once – when she told Heidi that she wasn't listening to the judges; a comment that Heidi found unnecessary –  and she tried to smooth things over ASAP. She also later said “we've built a family and families fight and families get over it!” Sure. Otherwise, Gigi started showing vulnerability towards the end, when she cried over what to do in the stand-up challenge, and talked about repressing her self-doubts. She also came out as gender fluid on the show. And her mom making her outfits was so wholesome. In the competition: Gigi having 4 wins is excessive, especially 3 times in 4 episodes. They weren't undeserving wins, but there were other options: Jaida could've won the Ball, Jackie could've won Snatch Game, Jan could've won the Rusical. Gigi's Ball looks were polished but not that inventive. Her saucy robot in Snatch Game was funny but came off cocky. Her poses in the Rusical were compelling though. And her “I'm That Bitch” performance was fierce, even if I wasn't into the lyrics. I laughed when she read the audience members in her stand-up too. On the flip side, Gigi's stuck-up character in the advert didn't land. Her Debate was lacking (“why not”). Her Makeover outfits screamed safe. She was just a corpse in “World's Worst”. And her “turn it into comedy” bit in the “Starships” lip sync was cringe. Also, Gigi's runways were very well-constructed, but her style didn't excite me? The colonialism costume was a choice. My faves were the button outfit, her Black Wedding, the Daphne Blake one, and her pirate entrance. 8. Jan The blandest cast member of the blandest season. But still likeable enough. Jan was this positive, energetic Drag Race superfan who was excited to be there. There was even a complication of her chipper moments after she left. But Jan's confessionals didn't have much personality. The few Jan moments that stood out were: her being flabbergasted that Aiden didn't know her outfit was referee. When she talked about being a sports kid. When she assumed she'd win the Rusical because of her experience, resulting in the infamous face crack. And when she insisted that she was upset over Brita leaving, and not because of losing the Rusical. I call BS on that. I think Jan was moreso crushed that she didn't meet her own expectations. She later said “It's a good thing that Brita's gone because now I don't have to worry about her”, as if that was ever the issue. In the competition: Jan was highly ambitious, but I think this came off as desperation to impress the judges. The judges said she was doing too much. Jan sounded overeager in “You Don't Know Me”, but that attitude works well in a song. The point of the challenge was to introduce who you are, which she did. Her high energy was annoying in the “Droop” advert though, but I liked the Jan puns, and I understood her product better than Widow's or Gigi's. Otherwise, Jan was a solid actress in “World's Worst” and “Gay's Anatomy”. Her screaming at Sh*rry was funny in the latter. And her choreo was impressively smooth in the Rusical. Her Bernadette Peters in Snatch Game was forgettable though. As for Jan's runways, Buttons And Bows was amazing, and Black Wedding was my other fave. I enjoyed her in the lip sync too, even if it didn't match the song. 7. Dahlia Sin “I'm Dahlia Sin and I'm here to take your man”. I can definitely tell she's from the House of Aja. Dahlia was very chill in confessional, usually laughing at whatever she just said. She forgot to wear underwear in the premiere, she wanted to poke Rock M's butt, she “meh”-ed everyone out of drag, and she talked about her twin brother. Dahlia wasn't very chill during her exit, however, when she stormed off the stage without an exit line. She also had a problem with Crystal receiving encouragement on Untucked, and she was bitter that Crystal didn't lip sync. But Dahlia had the last laugh: she made cameos in the broccoli costume for the rest of the season! In the competition: Dahlia was a pretty obvious first boot. She just wasn't performing at the same level as the rest. Her girl group verse was the worst one across both premieres – her performance lacked conviction and Michelle exposed her lying in the lyrics. While in “World's Worst”, she hesitated and looked lost, playing this sensual-voiced broccoli that didn't land. Then she kept looking at the camera during the lip sync. Both of Dahlia's main stage runways looked unpolished too. Her best look was the Fall fashion show black fur. 6. Aiden Zhane I want to sympathize with Aiden. Brita borderline bullied her, and the cast tore her down, even when she did well, reaching a boiling point on the episode 5 Untucked. I'm glad she stood up for herself there. But I think Aiden was too standoffish and defensive: “I repeat I'm not a dancer”; “I guess I'm gonna have to be, aren't I?”; “well I'm not just going down there with my face painted, naked”; “when I did ask for my lines, I only asked once”; “I don't think so, I know so”. She tried to brush off their opinions, but I think they affected her. Like Leslie Jones pointed out, Aiden had this sour demeanour. She had to fight the perception she's the weakest. She felt disadvantaged for not coming from a big city. She got exposed in the premiere for calling herself an actress. And she finished her Ball outfit super early, which upset some people. That said, the only real storyline of the season revolved around Aiden so... In the competition: Aiden's “You Don't Know Me” verse gave us an idea of who she is. And she had that Mae West voice in “Gay's Anatomy”. She sold it with her facial expressions in those two challenges. But she looked unsure during “World's Worst”. While in Snatch Game, it was like she had no idea how to answer the questions as Patricia Quinn, someone she knew personally! She also gave up in the lip sync. I wasn't a fan of Aiden's simple outfits either - her Spring look, her Buttons And Bows, her Frozen one, and all 3 of her Ball looks. The referee outfit did need more time on it. Her Tulle runway was her best. Her face was what made her drag unique. 5. Widow Von'Du I'm not sure how to process the assault charges. But Widow had a presence to her during her introduction (“get into AAAAOOOOOOOOLLL of this”). In the premiere, she was voluntold to lead the choreo... until Brita and Jackie overstepped (insert deep sigh confessional). Then she gave up and gave attitude (insert “go ahead go ahead” confessional). Then they said she wasn't taking charge on Untucked. Lol. But yeah, Widow was enjoying herself so much in confessional: “I enjoy when bitches tell me what their weaknesses are”; “MF Sh*rry P*e that's my role”; “you can just taste the fakeness in the air”; “apolo-lie”; “...and now i'm laying eggs in you bitch”. She was devilish in the Rusical episode too (“Jackie, karma's a bitch ain't it”; “I got my first choice”; “well guess what bitch I'm a dancer”). But Widow was moody when she didn't get the “Gay's Anatomy” role she wanted. She was upset over Jackie's preparedness comments, and responded vindictively. And she self-destructed midseason, all because Ru pointed out she hadn't won lately. The inner saboteur took over! I think Widow felt pressured to impress Chaka Khan too. In her last episode, she got frustrated at the judges, and didn't know what they wanted. Otherwise, Widow shared stories of her mom's passing, her abusive relationships and getting kicked out. In the competition: Widow annihilated everyone in the premiere, between her side splits in “I'm That Bitch”, and her multitude of moves in the “Starships” lip sync. She then carried her disastrous team in “World's Worst” (“and this is barbecue sauce”). And she delivered personality in “Gay's Anatomy”. Her Tina and Ike in Snatch Game was whatever, but she had the cake joke. And she was great in the Rusical, just overshadowed. But Widow fell apart midseason. Her advert came off lifeless. Then the judges didn't understand her angry politician in the Debate. Maybe she played it too serious, but she was funnier than Gigi or Jackie. That said, I was disappointed by Widow's runways. Her Buttons And Bows clown, her Cape, her Frozen life-preserver, and especially her Michelle Visage look were a “no”. She was one of my least faves in the Ball too. I appreciated her Stars and Stripes message though. 4. Rock M. Sakura “Is it cultural appropriation? We'll find out”; “this song is dumb, I wanna do it like this and dress like a hot dog”; “feeling that steam [...] like some sort of hot pocket”; “you just walk down the runway and scream: high fashion”; “I want that apple!”. Rock M's high energy OTT personality was entertaining to me. She was so extra during her entrance. She loudly duct taped herself in the Werk Room. She flailed her arms in confessional. But I think this was her anxiety acting out. She explained how she uses humour to mask her insecurities. But I don't think Rock M was emotionally ready for Drag Race. She told Ru that she needed the girls for support. She had that emotional story about her mom's drug addiction. She meekly asked for that apple role. I'd love to see her growth on a future All-Stars though. In the competition: I enjoyed Rock M's “You Don't Know Me” verse. She gave us a character (the fart joke didn't bother me), but I can see how her performance came off intrusive. While in “World's Worst”, she told this joke that wasn't a joke at all... and that was the joke. I was more intrigued by Rock M's looks though. The anime outfit she drew herself was impressive. Her tulle runway was bold (I disagreed with Ross on that one). As was her Buttons And Bows. So it was surprising to see her bomb the Ball challenge. The tether ball was a gag (which is why I didn't put her bottom 2), but her second look had misshapen hip pads, and her third one just looked like garbage scraps. Then she couldn't get the skirt off during the lip sync... 3. Crystal Methyd Despite the quieter edit, and not being involved in any drama, and only having a few memorable confessionals - “I'm a little devil that likes to raise hell in Bible Belt”; “Own it baby! My husband is Harry Hamilton or something”; “I'm not too impressed that Gigi was able to make a pretty girl into a pretty girl”; “Jackie is meeping?” - there's just something about Crystal. She's so genuine and humble with a positive attitude. She was the underdog dark horse too. It seemed like Crystal was going to be an early boot. She cried in front of the judges in episode 3, and she couldn't get past her self-doubt at one point. But once she realized what worked for her, she was unstoppable. Such a good growth story. Crystal was living for the other girls during challenges too. She had a One Direction tattoo in Arabic, a language she doesn't even speak. Ru was obsessed with her mullet (cue “Rhythm of the Night”). And she talked about her conservative parents and her father's Parkinson's. In the competition: Crystal had a rough start, messing up her line in “World's Worst” and blanking on the questions, as well as her Buttons And Bows runway. The fork bit in “Gay's Anatomy” didn't land either. And the judges didn't get her Poppy impression in Snatch Game (but at least she tried unlike Brita or Aiden). Her “I'm That Bitch” verse was kinda bad, but that's why I like it (“I'll have you all screaming Crystal Methyd!”) Then Crystal slayed the second half. Her wacky comedy carried her through the Rusical (the echos; the checking of her pulse), the advert (magic mullet!), the Debate (another mullet joke!), and of course the fitness instructor. Crystal had the most interesting runways too. Her style was ugliness turned into beauty. That's exactly how I'd describe her Makeover. Her Freddy Krueger look, her Black Wedding, and her purple look were all amazing too. I also like her Capes and final 5 blue. 2. Jaida Essence Hall “Chile I'm not finna be this damn orange no”; “this is not RuPaul's excuse race”; “Antarctica's at the bottom ain't it?”; “If a robot and a Barbie and a cheerleader had an orgy...”; “dinosaur doctor”; “nobody wants the butt slice of bread”; “keep your ass right and your mind will follow”; “who is Rose Nylund?”. Yeah... Jaida's my fave winner since Bob. She was so fun in the Makeover episode too: “Let me see, run your split Jackie”; “Mic drop. Bow. Boom. Cat. Cow.”; “baby you gonna get rid of that pinky toe”. Plus there's her ball jokes in the Ball episode. Jaida came in calling herself a classy, boujee female impersonator. She was wise and didn't have time for other people's BS. She started off the season by giving attitude in rehearsal, because she wanted simpler choreo that she wouldn't mess up, and no one listened to her. She called this a “slight disagreement” next episode lol. Then she refused to give Rock M the role she wanted. She got heated at Aiden interrupting her. She schooled Aiden on making excuses. And she clarified to Jackie that she didn't have a say in going last. But Jaida also gave supportive words to Rock M. Same with Jackie about her mom. And she told Widow to get out of her head. She didn't get emotional until the end, first with her Makeover partner, then in front of Whoopi. In the competition: Jaida's only bad performance was her pee story in the stand-up, imo. Just dead air from the audience there. She was “middle of the pack” a few times, like her confrontational apple in “World's Worst”, or her Cardi B in Snatch Game, or when she struggled to say “Diver-dick-ulitius” in “Gay's Anatomy”. But all those performances were good enough. And when Jaida was on top, she slayed. Her “You Don't Know Me” verse made a confident statement (plus the booty slap!) She arguably had the best look in all 3 Ball categories. She sold sexiness in the Rusical. No one came close to her in the Debate (“LOOK OVER THERE”). No one stood a chance against her in a lip sync. And her Makeover looked opulent. My other fave Jaida runways were Tulle, Frozen, Michelle Visage, Stars And Stripes, and the purple one. 1. Heidi N Closet Whether Heidi was getting phrases wrong: “Leprosy print”; “like watching the walls dry”; “right up my avenue”; “as a political politician”; “hepiphany”; “the initialation”. Or simply joking around: “ARR MATEY”; “overall she delivered – literally because she was pregnant”; “maybe she's not the trade of the season – what if I'm the trade of the season?”; “Gigi? Cocky? I would've never guessed”; “and that was the right numbers of fingers honey”. Heidi charmed the viewers in such a cute and harmless way. She laughs with us, and at herself, and doesn't take things too seriously. In the premiere, Heidi had the trill entrance, she pushed through an allergic reaction, she made chicken noises in front of the judges, she exclaimed “I'll never eat kale again!”, and she confronted Nicki Minaj on Untucked. That critique made her so mad. Heidi would also banter with Ru during her walkthroughs, and oftentimes stole Ru's ideas. Ru hated her name too lol. Heidi also had her emotional moments: She seemed irritated during the Rusical Untucked. She felt insulted by Gigi saying she hadn't improved her make-up. And she yelled “f**k you” at everyone on Untucked to leave Aiden alone, which was iconic. But Heidi was there for Widow. She had the uncle passing from HIV story. And she proved Jaida wrong for ranking her last. In the competition: I'm declaring Heidi the Lip Sync Assassin of Season 12. She had funny and entertaining moves in each one until she faced Jaida. She was also bottom 2 in challenges where nearly everyone did well - “Gay's Anatomy” (that fork bit did not land) and the Rusical (for not emulating Madonna, but her moves were still impressive). That said, Heidi's Makeover outfits were basic, and her stand-up routine was messy. Still, she should've won “World's Worst”. And she had the Widow's shoe joke in Snatch Game, the “tears of a drag queen” in the advert, and Jackie's 5 O'clock shadow jab in the Debate. I thought she was one of the best in “I'm That Bitch” too. But Heidi's runways were kinda mediocre. My faves were her Fashion Show looks, even if the headpiece fell off. Her Ball looks weren't the best, but not the worst either. Favourite entrance look: Gigi Goode (night 1) / Rock M. Sakura (night 2) Challenge ranking: 1. “I'm That Bitch” (Girl Group #1) 2. Madonna: The Unauthorized Rusical 3. “Droop” Adverts 4. “You Don't Know Me” (Girl Group #2) 5. “One-Queen Show” (Stand-up) 6. The Ball Ball 7. Snatch Game 8. “Gay's Anatomy” (Acting) 9. “Viva Drag Vegas” 10. Superfan Makeover 11. Presidential debate 12. “World's Worst” (Improv) (this challenge felt endless) Lip Sync ranking: 1. Gigi Goode vs Widow Von'Du ("Starships") (Widow kept finding new moves to show off!) 2. Jan vs Widow Von'Du ("This Is My Night") 3. Brita vs Heidi N Closet ("Burning Up") 4. Jackie Cox vs Widow Von'Du ("Firework") 5. Heidi N Closet vs Jaida Essence Hall ("1999") 6. Jackie Cox vs Heidi N Closet ("Kill the Lights") (Jackie was cringe) 7. Heidi N Closet vs Nicky Doll ("Heart to Break") (Nicky wasn't trying, but Heidi's moves were cute ignoring the wig fail) 8. Jaida Essence Hall vs [Redacted] ("Call Your Girlfriend") (LOL at Jaida playing off the other person) 9. Jaida Essence Hall solo ("Get Up") 10. Brita vs Rock M. Sakura ("S&M") (Rock M's skirt wouldn't come off! but Brita was enjoyable) 11. Top 3 Lip Sync #2 ("Survivor") 12. Crystal Methyd vs Jackie Cox ("On The Floor") 13. Crystal Methyd solo ("I'm Like a Bird") (it's meme-worthy at least) 14. Aiden Zhane vs Brita ("Let It Go") (Brita very theatrical/Aiden looks dead) 15. Gigi Goode solo ("Take On Me") (without the set design, it's not all that) 16. Top 3 Lip Sync #1 ("Bring Back My Girls") (it's just their faces...) 17. Dahlia Sin vs Nicky Doll ("Problem") Season ranking so far: 9 > 5 > 6 > 11 > AS2 > 4 > 10 > 2 > 7 > AS3 > AS4 > 3 > 8 > 12 > 1 > AS1

[sheacouleecametoslay]

Season 11 (2019)

Many publications list Season 11 near the bottom of their rankings. Mainly because the drama felt mean, and because the judging was utterly illogical. Ra'Jah, Vanjie and especially Silky were continually saved despite their poor performances at the expense of Scarlet, Shuga and Nina, who were tossed aside. Yvie and Brooke were almost always in the top 3, aside from Snatch Game, so the final 2 was obvious. I personally think Silky only won Snatch Game because Yvie called her “talentless” on the previous Untucked. Moreover, the producers wanted that Vanjie vs Brooke Lynn lip sync so badly. Their showmance wasn't even that interesting of a storyline because they didn't let it affect their performances in the challenges. Also, Shuga’s elimination was total BS. She was so expendable. I don't think the producers cared about A'keria either, so the fact that she made finale at all is amazing. She overcame the rigging as far as she could. The other big reason why Season 11 is unpopular is because of Silky. She is the Jaremi/Phi Phi O'Hara of the modern era. And she lasted longer than she should've. The villains are rarely ever my #1 or #2 favourites, because I don't root for them. But this show is so boring without them. There's a reason why Silky, Ra'Jah and Scarlet are on AS6. I'll never understand why this fanbase wants the villains off their TV screens? While I do believe there is a difference between a fun villain and an annoying villain, Silky and Ra'Jah are a mix of both. So I appreciate what they bring to Season 11. I personally think Season 11 is a top 5 season, and probably the last season I will put in my top 5 (unless I end up doing internationals). Yes, the drama got ugly and uncomfortable at times, especially the Vanjie vs Yvie fight. But there was never a dull moment. The Yvie vs Silky rivalry was a fun one. Their personalities clashed so perfectly. There were so many villains and so many rivalries happening at the same time. Half the cast was constantly yelling at each other, while the other half was just trying to chill. In the modern era, everyone seems so concerned about social media backlash, but this cast did not hold back. Untucked was often explosive. The episode 7 Untucked is one for the ages, where three different blow-ups happened. The season does slow down after the double shantay, but it doesn't drop off that much. And the Makeover episode provides one final high point. Of course bringing back the eliminated queens was going to reignite the drama and I was living for it. I just wish Ra'Jah was a part of it. I wasn't interested in the guest judges showing up on Untucked every week though. Speaking of guest judges, Joel McHale was annoying AF. The cast doesn't quite match the levels of Seasons 6 or 9 though. Only because Kahanna and Honey are super forgettable, and Shuga doesn't add much to the episodes. But other than those 3, every one else delivered something this season. Some of the challenges disappointed too. Snatch Game at Sea is notoriously underwhelming - no one gave an all-time classic performance, but only the bottom 3 were unfunny in it. Still, writing a Rusical about Trump was a choice. The Monster Ball and the farm runways seemed like they were set up for Yvie to win, and she didn't win either. And like Scarlet said, no one was really doing iconic monsters in the Monster Ball. The Mariah team in “Diva Worship” was an entertaining trainwreck. It reminded me of “ShakesQueer” from Season 7. The 6-way lip sync was unnecessary too. It was supposed to be a shocking moment, but it feels forgettable these days? At least the worst performer in the challenge still went home that episode. The best challenges were “L.A.D.P.” (I laughed so much), the movie parodies, and the Ru-mix. I'm glad we're back on track with the Ru-mixes after AS4. I liked how this one was filmed similar to “Kitty Girl”. There were some cool mini-challenges though. Like the one where they tried to gain backstage access. Or the one where no one could pronounce “Colonel” correctly. Or the return of the slapping. Maybe not the potato sack race though. Also, Ru was such a s**t-stirrer this season. She'd go around the Werk Room and ask each queen individually who should go home. She snitched to Silky about what Ariel's team said about her. And she asked the eliminated queens in the Makeover episode who should go home. Episode 7 was weird too. The entire episode was centered around Plastique. It had the longest Ru walkthrough ever. And a pointless Alyssa Edwards lesson was tacked on. The A-list celebrity premiere episode guest judge for S11 was Miley Cyrus. She went undercover as a camera operator until Silky recognized her.

Queens Ranking: 15. S*ju Automatic last place for the SA allegations.  I now feel uncomfortable when she said “I love drag but I love boys more” and “I'm into twinks”, and when she thirsted over Scarlet. Being a Youtube Drag Race reviewer must be the only reason she was cast. Because she never made a dress before or walked in heels. And then she told the judges about her oozing cyst. And clarified on Untucked it was on her taint. Yeah... maybe Ariel was onto something about her. 💀 The Makeover episode made her look the most inexperienced drag queen to ever step foot on this show. In the competition: Her Legendary Look was a bulky shapeless mess. Those knots in the back! She couldn't move around in the lip sync either. 14. Ariel Versace “I'm gonna be a little bitch because you know what I grew up as an only child and my answer is the only answer and I'm always right so watch out bitches”... yeah okay. Ariel really thought she ate this season. She gave this irritable, “wannabe” villain vibe (“girl this is not the Silky show”; “girl oh my god you have one job”; “for them to tell me like 'oh girl it wasn't there' I'm like 'the f**k?'”; “every time Scarlet speaks it's a giant eye roll”). She shadily asked S*ju if she was a performer. She talked s**t about Silky to the other girls and informed Ru that Silky was problematic and obnoxious. Then when called out on it, Ariel downplayed what she said. She also wondered why she was getting the blame... when she was the one doing the most. Suddenly next episode, she wanted to sing with Silky. She also criticized Yvie's runway on Untucked, replying “Cute. Great. Good. Cool.” when the judges loved it. She ignored everyone's advice to make her outfit more monster, then claimed she misinterpreted the challenge. She told Vanjie in the Makeover episode “the Jersey will come out” over the wigs, but she backpedalled when the time came. At the reunion, she said she did it to protect Plastique. Otherwise, Ariel's storyline was proving she was more than an Instagram queen. In the competition: Ariel's best moments were her singing in “Diva Worship” and pulling it out in the Rusical after she gave up in rehearsal. Her Laganja look was kinda cute too. But I wasn't into her zodiac runway. Her timing was off in the “Black Panther” parody. And ultimately, Ariel's Ball looks didn't fit the themes. Her mermaid looked cheap too. I thought her needles thing was good enough to place her “low” though. Then she slipped during the lip sync. 13. Honey Davenport Honey and Kahanna are probably the most forgettable queens since Alisa Summers. Honey's intro was about not fitting into a label or a box. In the premiere, she was perplexed by Yvie, Silky, and Nina at separate points. While in the episode 2 Untucked, she went OFF on Silky for using her size as an excuse and for the “skinny bitches” comment. Then in episode 3, she had a “Milk moment” over her challenge performance. And in the Makeover episode she came back with a beard. That's Honey's entire edit.  In the competition: I liked Honey's BenDeLa look and her black fringe runway (zodiac was meh). But her unaired runways are even better. That said, Honey was forgettable in “Black Panther”. Then she stumbled over her words in “Diva Worship” and proceeded to sing out of sync with Ra'Jah. While in the 6-way lip sync, she jumped off the stage and crawling around... what cringey moment 12. Shuga Cain Apologies to the Shuga fans, but I thought she was sooo boring. Her confessionals were bland and added nothing special to the episodes. But I found her story inspiring; how she quit her corporate job at middle age to take a risk to pursue drag, which I'm sure is more fulfilling. And Yvie called her a sweetheart. Otherwise, Shuga called this season “RuPaul's Best Friend's Race” on Untucked (how out of touch). She was the one who suggested doing Mariah. She was emotional after the 6-way lip sync. She ate the materials during the farm challenge. She told Ra'Jah “well you brought it up”. And that's about it. In the competition: Shuga screamed “safe” in most challenges. Including both design challenges, her Charo in Snatch Game, and her nonsensical bottom 2 placement in the magic show. She was a good actress in “Black Panther”, but others stood out more. And she was the least bad on her “Diva Worship” team. Still, her Hillary Clinton role in the Rusical felt like the Blac Chyna spot. Plus she gave a Trump runway that episode. 💀 On the flip side, Shuga's 3 Ball looks confused me, but the second one was fine. I liked some of her other runways too - her native heritage, sequins, facekini. And her caftan had two reveals! 11. Kahanna Montrese You gotta say her name seductively!... “Kahanna”! She labelled herself as a “hip hop showgirl dance queen... but also very elegant” and I'm still not sure what that means. She misunderstood the first challenge and gave the judges this excuse of being stuck in Coco's shadow. Then she didn't know what to do with her small role next episode. And that's Kahanna's entire edit.  In the competition: Kahanna's Katya look came off as lazy. It was half an outfit with a black bra and partially stoned tights. Then her chiffon tore off during the zodiac runway. Combined with her entrance look, Kahanna didn't show her best drag this season. Meanwhile, she and Mercedes were awkward as the maids in “Get Out”. 10. Nina West Such an obvious Miss C. This season needed Nina's genuine, wholesome energy to balance things out. But she discouraged the drama, which goes against making good TV. Otherwise, she had a death threat story and a growing up Republican story. She auditioned 9 times and was in over head in the first challenge, gaining the judges' sympathy. She was enthusiastic about the performance challenges. She was a happy goofball in confessional. She respected Scarlet's unbotheredness when Ra'Jah was going off. She had a heartfelt confessional about Plastique just before Ra'Jah said the opposite LOL. She defended Yvie's drag and was supportive to Yvie on Untucked. But it was weird when Nina was upset with Brooke Lynn over “L.A.D.P.” and how she never confronted Brooke Lynn about it. She did confront Silky though for throwing her under the bus though. Also lol at Nina's reaction to Brooke Lynn and Vanjie kissing. And to her kissing Silky. In the competition: Nina is a natural public speaker, so no surprise she won the magic show. Even though she botched the trick, she played it off well. She was also funny in “Black Panther” (but not a scene stealer), the Rusical (but her choreo wasn't the best), and the Draglympics. She was a charismatic host in “Diva Worship”. And she should've won Snatch Game. She was too nice for the Reading mini-challenge though. But Nina's runways were too “costumey”, including her Ball looks, the Ohio flag, the facekini, and her Makeover pride outfits. The mop and the viking did not work either. And her Thorgy look had those hideous circles. But her corn husk outfit deserved some credit. 9. Mercedes Iman Diamond “Where I'm from we didn't have Rachel Maddow but we did have a goat”. Mercedes was timid and stuck in her shell. She was unresponsive when people addressed her. She had this story of being on the no fly list and having a stroke, and not feeling pretty because of it. She was uncomfortable discussing her religion with the other queens, but later had a growth moment and opened up about it. And she volunteered for the lead role in the Rusical and they had to steer her away from it. Mercedes was sweet and I sympathize with her, but you have to be outgoing to succeed on RPDR. Yvie was right: sad to see her go but she wasn't a strong contender. Still, her ululation entrance was iconic. In the competition: Mercedes' runways looked unpolished and weren't elevated enough. Her Sagittarius one in particular. Which is weird since her entrance look was amazing. Still, she was flat in the acting challenges; although “OPPALANCE” became a meme. She was lucky to be on the winning team in “Diva Worship”. And her Rusical performance had zero personality. The first 4 boots were not very good at this competition were they? 8. Plastique Tiara Plastique's confessionals served “go on girl give us nothing” energy; like her robotic “I hate her – no I'm just kidding” quote. She was written off as just pretty. Michelle said she had no personality. She told the judges she found out about pop culture 3 years ago. When Silky grilled her over Ariel's wigs, she didn't own up to the “those girls need it” comment at first, before admitted to it after (but the comment wasn't even that bad so who cares?). She just made a wrong assumption that the wigs were meant for her. Then came Episode 7, where Plastique cried in front of Ru, opened up about hiding her drag from her family, got a hug from Ru, received a visit from her drag mother, got an Untucked video message, and won her first challenge. Ra'Jah called this out as favouritism. While A'keria didn't think Plastique's stories added up. I don't see how though? She then comforted Ra'Jah when Ra'Jah came for her. And she was at peace in her final episode. But lol at Plastique confidently saying “I know that my look will be safe no matter what”. In the competition: Plastique kept using corsets and accents! But her runways were beautiful regardless – her Sasha look, the Ariana fringe, the MILF, the golden angel, her farm junk design, the sequins. Her facekini wasn't a facekini though, and the Playboy bunny was basic. Initially, her accent was praised in “Blank Panther”. But soon she was criticized for it. She kept changing her voice in “Diva Worship” (“ARIANA GRANDE”) and she seemed uncomfortable in “L.A.D.P.” Still, she had the “throw the TS Madison” joke in Snatch Game. And she served Melania Trump facial expressions in the Rusical. 7. Ra'Jah O'Hara Ra'Jah brought the drama, made nasty remarks, and would fly off the handle. She said Vanjie already had her shot. She saw Yvie as the instigator in episode 2, and took it personal when Yvie shaded her make-up. She dismissed Yvie's drag (her “ugly bitch” and “do you bathe” remarks were uncalled for). She was bitter about Scarlet naming Ra'Jah to go home, because Scarlet was getting in Ra'Jah's way in the challenge. She didn't want to read Scarlet's mirror message. They made her look two-faced during one of her confessionals. She accused Plastique of stealing her tree bark. She thought Plastique's sob story was manipulative. And she flipped out at Plastique because of A'keria's gossip. But Ra'Jah was just having a tough time in the competition. Otherwise, Ra'Jah was feeling herself going into the challenges: “I see a lot of myself in Omarosa”; proceeds to show no Omarosa. Brags about her dancing skills; confesses that she danced 15 years ago. Also, Ra'Jah's confessionals were ruthless: “have you ever seen somebody finger paint with their feet?”; “bitch I'm not from Denver, I'm from f**king Dallas, the big D”; “bitch you are one of the oldest bitches here, why are you always needing approval?”; “oh yes this about to be your Last Dance.” In the competition: I'm curious to see how Ra'Jah wins CvTW because... she did not do well on S11. Her earrings wouldn't even stay on during her entrance! Her Kennedy pride look was near the bottom for me. She sang out of sync with Honey in “Diva Worship”. She didn't embody Omarosa in the Rusical. She looked “over it” during the Draglympics. And while her farm outfit had a concept, the execution was poor. Still, I loved two of her Ball looks (the witch not so much). Her other runways were underwhelming aside from the gold one. She was great in the “Living In America” lip sync though. 6. Silky Nutmeg Ganache I loved and hated Silky at the same time. She is integral to S11. She annoyed everybody in the premiere with her “attitude checks”, not giving Plastique the trunk she wanted, complaining about insufficient fabric, acting foolish for attention, and lifting Miley Cyrus. She did it for screen time because she wanted her own spin-off. Throughout the season, Silky had endless excuses and no self-awareness: “had I gone home today I will probably be on Season 12”; “my body fluctuates, some days I'm heavy some days I'm small”; being uncomfortable worshipping Britney Spears; “I'm actually a registered Republican”; painting her eyebrows with a Sharpie; “I'm not fond of Halloween”; “I was in the bottom for being beautiful”; “I got a wonderful cornbread recipe [to] make your t*tties grow”; “America's gonna love me”; predicting Yvie will go home during the farm runway; saying she doesn't need to improve; only doing her lips for the Facekini runway; “had I come back I wouldn't said a damn thing negative to any of you all”. She was unafraid to lip sync, and when she finally did it was that. Then she said the song wasn't her genre. It wasn't until final 6 that the critiques finally got to her. Moreover, Silky got so offended and worked up every time someone came for her; as if she was always right. “I WAS MOTHERF**KING READY” is iconic though. She clashed with Yvie the most. She constantly dismissed Yvie's drag. She told Ru that Yvie should go home because of her injury (gross), then got upset when Yvie said her name back. She didn't buy Yvie's apology either. But she finally made up with Yvie at the final 5. Silky also grilled Plastique over Ariel's wigs. And she thought Brooke Lynn was being fake at the final 6 Untucked. Silky had her funny moments too like her cookie entrance; “Charmin to the runway!”; “Celine ya done”; “that bitch gonna give you pretty all day everyday in 3 f**king corsets”; “ho you must go”. Plus she was hilarious in the Makeover episode (“the bitch that came in week one looking like Ronald MacDonald”). In the competition: Neither of Silky's wins were iconic performances. She looked like Oprah in the Rusical but that was it. And she repeated the same joke in Snatch Game. I enjoyed her in “L.A.D.P.” at least and she carried her team in the magic show. But Silky's runways were unpolished in every design challenge. Her “roach” and golden looks weren't much better. And her Ball looks were basic, even with The Wiz reference. Her best runways were the orange, sequins and caftan ones. Moreover, Silky's choreo was sloppy in the Draglypmics (the baton twirling saved it), the “Queens Everywhere” video, and the lip sync that she “won” (those splits... her tripping over her outfit as it fell apart...) She was funny in the mini-challenges though (“what the hell is col-oh-nel”). Except the Reading one, WTF was that. 5. Brooke Lynn Hytes I gotta root for my fellow Canadian! Brooke Lynn seemed like the most well-adjusted queen of S11. She was a professional that didn't have a big personality, and was dry at times. Her early confessionals were meh (“not only did I survive the first elimination I thrived the first elimination! *finger snaps*”). And she didn't know how to be funny. But Brooke Lynn grew on me as the season progressed. Like her dumbfounded reactions to Silky's Sharpie or at Plastique comforting Ra'Jah. But my favourite Brooke Lynn moment was her hiding under the couch cushions during the Yvie/Vanjie fight. She also developed a rivalry with Silky towards the end, peaking in the Makeover episode when she paired Silky with S*ju – “Putting Silky with anybody would've been a bit of a struggle for her”. Brooke Lynn was shady! She also pointed out Scarlet's holes, and joked “Dollar Tree to the runway” to Silky. Her reads never felt personal though, and she tried to deescalate tensions this season. It makes sense why she's a judge now lol. In the competition: Brooke Lynn's runways were polished but unexciting. My fave was the Pisces one. She won 3 design challenges though – all 3 of which I disagreed on. Her Detox look was well-constructed, but the colour contrast was unappealing. Her Ball looks were kinda overrated, but she was more consistent in that challenge than anyone else. And then there's the Makeover. She also had the judges gagging over the sequins reveal. But yeah, Brooke Lynn was bland in the comedy challenges early on. Her “Black Panther” character was annoying and her Celine Dion in Snatch Game went nowhere. Also, her “Queens Everywhere” lyrics felt cliche. But she turned things around in “L.A.D.P.” by being ridiculous AF. She won the slapping mini-challenge. And her dancing experience was a major asset in the choreo challenges and the lip syncs. 4. Scarlet Envy Scarlet had this conceited, cocky, snooty, and sometimes delusional persona. She meh-ed Brooke Lynn's entrance look. She didn't like that Vanjie got a second chance, then stuttered when Vanjie rebutted her arguments. She acted like she should've won the first challenge, despite the holes. She was flabbergasted at being picked last because she's “Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman”. She basked in the glory of Ru praising her casting decisions (cut to Ariel saying Scarlet didn't do s**t). She wasn't a fan of Yvie's approach. She flaunted her outfits in the Werk Room. And in the Makeover episode, she was shocked to see Silky and Vanjie still there. When Silky asked why, she hesitated, then said Silky received assistance. Even though Scarlet froze when called out, she was the fun type of villain for me. In the competition: Scarlet's Violet look would've been top 4 if it weren't for the holes. I liked her Pisces, fringe, and golden runways too. And she should've won the Ball – I thought her looks were the most interesting overall. Otherwise, her episode 2 win was well-earned. And her Betsy DeVos in the Rusical made me laugh. But “Diva Worship” was rough, where she forgot her lines/cues. She should've won that “Last Dance” lip sync though. 3. Yvie Oddly Yvie felt it was important to share her honest opinions at every. single. opportunity. Even if no one wanted to hear it. Her approach was serious and unsympathetic, so it didn't sound like it came from a place of love. I can understand why some queens felt attacked, or like Yvie was kicking them while they were down. But she was usually right. She defended Vanjie to Ra'Jah and Scarlet. She told Ariel's team to own what they said to Ru about Silky. She called out Silky's BS multiple times. She disliked Ra'Jah lip syncing her way through. She came for Vanjie using the same silhouette. She fought A'keria to have structure in the magic show. And she was frustrated that Silky still had issues with her at final 6, when she apologized and tried to be nice. But Yvie's fight with Vanjie was so unnecessary. Her point was that sisters aren't fake to each other. And she was totally criticizing her magic show team to the judges, despite her defensiveness on Untucked. Whenever someone fought Yvie back, she flipped out in this stressed and vicious way. She felt misunderstood in her intentions. And she was trying to grow. Yvie's comebacks were hilarious though: “Bitch we do know you girl, you've been shouting who you are at us every f**king second”; “pats on the back to mediocrity and beans”; “that's because Sasha Velour was talented”. Or when she showed off during Alyssa's lesson to stick it to Silky. She eventually made up with Silky at final 5, admitting she was jealous of Silky's big personality. Otherwise, I love that Yvie didn't let her disease be a disadvantage. In the competition: Yvie having one win is silly, where she nailed the psychotic character in “Get Out”. But she made a mockery of KAC in the Rusical in the best way. And she ate in “Queens Everywhere”. Also, Yvie's flexibility was an asset in every choreo challenge and lip sync. She's one of the best lip syncers ever. But Yvie's Snatch Game and magic show characters were uncomfortable to watch. That was one weird interpretation of Whoopi Goldberg. Still, Yvie's runways were the most exciting. Turning trash into art can have mixed results. I wasn't super into Alaska plastic, the Leo, or the MILF. And I still don't know what to think of S&M T-Rex. But her jellyfish was a “wow” moment. The caftan was gorgeous. Sequins was another fave. She used her cane in that one runway. And I dug her Makeover despite what the judges said. 2. A'keria Chanel Davenport She's a Davenport alright. A'keria's confessionals were so funny,  because she's this proud pageant queen reacting to the tomfoolery around her: “a couple of us is getting Elvis”; “it just still looks like a flapping duck”; “girl fish turned into a demon”; “overall I think our team is umm headed to the gate and it ain't of heaven”; “Iunno where this is leading to it's just a snake wrapped around her head”; “I think the chicken had more air time than Shuga did”; “Silky is like a walrus out of water”. Moreover, A'keria was the voice of reason in group chats – like saying Vanjie can only use what she brought, or explaining how Yvie's comment to the judges came across. She also built Ariel up on Untucked. But A'keria was such a s**t-stirrer. She spilt the tea on Plastique's wig comment on Untucked. Then told Ra'Jah that Plastique's stories didn't add up. Then played dumb with Plastique after Ra'Jah was gone. I don't know why A'keria was obsessed with Plastique - it all started with the whole not knowing pop culture thing. A'keria was at it again in the Makeover episode, where she called out Ariel and Scarlet. No one ever noticed that A'keria instigated all this drama until the reunion, where she didn't own up to it! Not cute. In the competition: A'keria was slept on. She gave character, confidence and twerking in the Draglympics. And again in “L.A.D.P.”, where she kept the scene going to steal the spotlight. I also cracked up at her taser bit in “Get Out”, and when she pointed Ra'Jah to the door during the “Strut” lip sync. She was forgettable in the Rusical though. She messed up Mariah Carey's movie title in “Diva Worship”. And she cut Yvie off during the magic show. But A'keria's only justifiable bottom 2 placement was the farm runway, and that's because she had to redo it. You could tell it was made last minute. Otherwise, I loved her Bebe look. Her fringe and gold runways were stunning too. Her poker dealer in the Ball was creative, although her other two looks missed the mark. Her Makeover was boring though, and her Pisces runway was tacky. 1. Vanessa Vanjie Mateo What I love about Vanjie is her spontaneity. Her confessionals consist of shouting, shoving in references, and stalling mid-sentence. It's great TV: “you just did two steps Mary”; “inflamed to the size of Guantanamo Bay”; “I'm looking at this script like it's the Da Vinci Code or some s**t”; “you gotta pick a struggle, you can't struggle in everything”; “bitch what” (at Mercedes wanting the lead role); “it's real fresh out the womb”; “this ain't America's best dance crew right here”; “bitch Scarlet is still in the parking lot jumping in the van”; “ain't nobody tell Michelle to put her t*tties away”; “she's looking for her tumbleweaves”. Vanjie started the season by hiding during the entrances (and getting spooked by Mercedes). She butchered the words “humiliated” and “sophisticated”. She had to look at a card to remember her name in one mini-challenge. She clocked Silky for saying the big girls always falter. She corrected Yvie in front of the judges. She had a comeback for Scarlet in the Makeover episode. And she left with another iconic exit. Vanjie scared me during her Untucked fight with Yvie though. She felt hurt that Yvie was nice one minute, then reading her the next; calling it multiple personalities (lol at “whatever I feel like repeating bitch”). But Vanjie admitted that Yvie was right and apologized next episode. In the competition: Vanjie's track record is meh. Her spontaneity needed structure in the improv challenges and Michelle criticized her for giving the same silhouette. Still, Vanjie deserved 2 wins: she was the star of “Diva Worship” and there's the Makeover. She also started strong with her Valentina look, she was funny in “Get Out”, and she was the best on her Draglympics team. Her Libra scales look was amazing too. And I liked her orange feathers, her first two Ball looks, and her caftan runways. But Vanjie looked unsure during the Rusical. Her farm runway design was basic. She was ill-prepared for Snatch Game. Her and Plastique were directionless in “L.A.D.P.” And her “Queens Everywhere” performance was lacking – although her lyrics saved it. Favourite entrance look: Mercedes Iman Diamond Challenge ranking: 1. "L.A.D.P." (Improv) 2. "Black Panther" / "Get Out" parodies (Acting) 3. "Queens Everywhere" Ru-mix (Yvie > A'keria > Vanjie > Silky > Brooke) 4. Legendary Looks (Design #1) 5. The Draglympics (Choreo) 6. Returning queens Makeover 7. Snatch Game At Sea 8. Monster Ball 9. "Diva Worship" (Improv) 10. Farm runways (Design #2) 11. "Dragracadabra" (Magic show) 12. Trump: The Rusical (almost everyone did well but nobody asked for this) Lip Sync ranking: 1. Brooke Lynn Hytes vs Yvie Oddly ("Sorry Not Sorry") (the acrobatics!!!!) 2. Shuga Cain vs Vanessa Vanjie Mateo ("No More Drama") 3. Mercedes Iman Diamond vs Ra'Jah O'Hara ("Living In America") (despite the wig troubles) 4. Brooke Lynn Hytes vs Yvie Oddly ("The Edge Of Glory") 5. Ra'Jah O'Hara vs Scarlet Envy ("Last Dance") 6. A'keria C. Davenport vs Yvie Oddly ("SOS") (I love Yvie in this but A'keria looked defeated) 7. Brooke Lynn Hytes vs Vanessa Vanjie Mateo ("Pride: A Deeper Love") 8. Brooke Lynn Hytes vs Silky Nutmeg Ganache ("Bootylicious") 9. Kahanna Montrese vs Mercedes Iman Diamond ("Work Bitch") (oof at Kahanna's botched flip) 10. Kahanna Montrese vs S*ju ("Best of Both Worlds") (S*ju was so awkward but Kahanna served choreo) 11. A'keria C. Davenport vs Ra'Jah O'Hara ("Strut") 12. Plastique Tiara vs Vanessa Vanjie Mateo ("Hood Boy") 13. Ariel Versace vs Shuga Cain ("I'm Your Baby Tonight") (oof at Ariel's slip; otherwise ZZZZ) 14. Bottom 6 Lip Sync ("Waiting For Tonight") (a bad idea and LOLWTF at Honey) 15. Nina West vs Silky Nutmeg Ganache ("No Scrubs") (in what world did Silky win this?) so many wig troubles, clumsy moments, and randomly going off the stage in these Season ranking so far: 9 > 5 > 6 > 11 > AS2 > 4 > 10 > 2 > 7 > AS3 > AS4 > 3 > 8 > 1 > AS1

[sheacouleecametoslay]

All-Stars 4 (2018/9)

I'm becoming disillusioned by the All-Stars series. AS2 is obviously a classic, but AS1 was D.O.A. from the moment the teams twist arrived. AS3 fell apart at the finale, or maybe it was after Ben self-eliminated. While AS4 had too many episodes and it ALSO fell apart at the finale... or maybe it was when Manila was eliminated. This season can be split into three parts: Episodes 1-3: The Gia Gunn experience Episodes 4-6: Three episodes where effectively no one is eliminated Episodes 7-10: The unsatisfying conclusion I'd say those first 3 episodes were the high point. Gia departing so early on was a major blow. Whether you love her or hate her, she provided the most entertainment. But there was just no way to justify keeping her any longer lol. Meanwhile, the middle portion of AS4 had serious pacing issues – Latrice was eliminated, then no one eliminated, then Latrice came back... so basically nothing changed in 3 episodes. This section is still enjoyable though, mainly thanks to Valentina being Valentina, Manila trying to shake things up, and the LaLaPaRUza episode. But episodes 7-10 have other issues. Valentina was the other big source of entertainment, and she's gone before final 6. Latrice overstayed after she returned. I would've preferred to see Gia back, but she would've been re-eliminated immediately. The final 5 was so thrilling that there was a suspenseful rock-paper-scissors match... yeah. And the last 2 challenges are major letdowns. The late-season acting challenges always feel like an afterthought. But the bigger crime is the ru-mix. “Read U Wrote U”, “Category Is...”, and “Kitty Girl” were my favourite challenges of their respective seasons (and “American” wasn’t bad). But “Super Queen” is so underwhelming. The verses were too short and lacked energy, and the lyrics weren't as good. But let's talk about the two elephants in the room. Firstly, Naomi eliminating Manila. Which is one of the most shocking moments in the show's herstory. A decision so unpopular that it caused production to modify the All-Stars format permanently. But I don't get the backlash. The twist was designed for exactly this to happen. I wish more queens had been open to the idea, actually. If everyone is going to vote based off of merit anyways, it's boring television, and you might as well let Ru make the decisions. Some of the votes felt personal this season anyways. Secondly, there's the double crowning. I've seen comments that the producers wanted to diversify the All-Stars winner list. But also; Trinity had the better track record, while Monet was better in the “Super Queen” challenge and she “won” the final 2 lip sync. The finale performances have to account for something right? But Mo should've been in the top 2 instead. Both of Mo's bottom placements were bulls**t, and if you take that into account, she would've (and should've) had the best track record. Also, the editing of the double win was so blatantly stitched together in post-production, with Ru's voice over and the queens not looking shocked at all. I think the producers had wanted a double crowning for a while and were just waiting for the right moment. But it didn't feel like a satisfying conclusion to this season. The other big twist of AS4 was the first ever LaLaPaRUza. The idea was definitely flawed, since all 4 eliminated queens could theoretically replace the 4 currently in the competition. Production would never allow that though. But it was a fun twist. As for the other challenges: the Talent Show wasn't as good as the previous 2, and the high placements were questionable. I want to see something unique in those Talent Shows. But I guess it's more about selling your brand. I also didn't like how they changed the Snatch Game format. The Roast was rough at times too; Lady Bunny was funnier than half of them. But I enjoyed the girls groups challenge and “Jersey Justice”. The clubs challenge looked taxing (they actually had to paint their own sets), but it was nice to see something new. “Club 96” lives in my head rent-free now. And I liked the Stacy Layne Matthews cameos. The Best Judy Makeover allowed for some meaningful moments too, like revisiting Latrice's prison story. As for the casting... a few of my faves went down in my ranking. While Valentina and Manila grew on me the most. Honestly, I liked the AS3 cast better. Manila and Latrice were the surprise entrances of AS4, going to an ad break with a teams twist fake out. They came in as legends and had totally different trajectories. Meanwhile, Mo and Monet came back immediately after Season 10. Maybe not the best idea, but I won't say no another season of Mo.

Queens Ranking: 10. Farrah Moan Farrah's intro mentioned growth, but she went right back to crying again. And this cast wasn't having it. Her whining turned into annoying self-pitying in AS4: “I never once felt like I could be a winner”; “it's gonna take me a really long time to get over it”. Farrah took the competition too seriously. She was insecure and wanted to prove she had talent. But Trinity was right – your Drag Race placement doesn't define you. She also had attitude over Mo's choreo. Then in the LaLaPaRUza episode, Farrah cried about Valentina eliminating her. She thought Valentina believed in her. That said, I was gagged when Farrah fought back against Gia (“Some of us don't have to force storylines to get their airtime”). Gia brought up this past drama out of nowhere, and Farrah didn't want any part of it. She didn't think Gia's intentions were genuine. Then on her way out, Farrah told Gia “you actually don't love me”. Otherwise lol at Farrah not knowing the veterans were LGBTQ. In the competition: Farrah wasn't funny in the Reading mini-challenge, then she fell over in the Talent Show and you can see the panic and disappointment in her face. Her glittery outfit was great though. But oh boy, Farrah's dancing in “Everybody Says Love”... 9. Latrice Royale Yeah... I wish Latrice never came back. She came off entitled on AS4?; bringing up this “unfulfilled prophecy” and saying she should stay because she's respected and beloved. The girls were hesitant to eliminate her, but Latrice shouldn't get a free pass just because she's Latrice. She had her moments like: “this ain't the first time I'm looking at your bald head” or commenting on Valentina's flat ass or “we back at Season 4 with the romper room f**kery” or “baby we don't talk about All Stars 1” or “she made her bed, lie in it... at home” or laughing her ass off while putting on the smock. She was supportive to Valentina too. But I'd rather watch Season 4 Latrice. Otherwise, she got annoyed by Gia in Snatch Game and told the judges Gia was unsportsmanlike. Then she got annoyed at Mo and Monet during the team planning. She was delusional about her “Jersey Justice” performance. And she called Mo's elimination reasoning disingenuous. Latrice claimed to have no hard feelings towards Mo, but she kept talking about it that episode. In the competition: Latrice started strong, between her flag waving in the Talent Show and her surprisingly decent flow in “Don't Funk it Up”. But then didn't bother keeping character in Snatch Game after Gia pissed her off. She also had this “I'm over it” expression during “Jersey Justice” and just stood there not talking. However, Latrice gave a lip sync worthy of returning. After that, she was a good host in the Clubs challenge. But her Makeover outfits looked like vomit. She was the obvious one to go at the Final 6. Ironically, she wasn't the worst at the Final 5 when she actually left. Also, Latrice's runways were basically the same all season. Her Plastique one was creative though. 8. Trinity The Tuck Trinity had a tough, cold, insistent way of talking (ie. “You a big ass bitch. Make it known. Honey”), just like on Season 9. But she was so bothered by everything on AS4? Every week, she was adamant about who should go home, and had a “BE GONE” attitude about it. Just no sympathy for the flops. She kept complaining about Gia, then acted nice to Gia's face during deliberation. She “ugh”-ed at Valentina's telenovela speech. She called out Monet's wardrobe. She insinuated that Manila didn't have morals for playing strategically, which was so judgmental, and yelled “ALERT ALERT” in confessional. All because Trinity wanted to beat the best. She then condescendingly told Manila “you restored my faith”. But later gave Manila recognition after the clubs challenge. Also, Trinity was bothered by the eliminated queens returning. She acted superior whenever someone came for her. And she resented working with Latrice (“...to pull my weight AND THEN SOME”). I agreed with Trinity a few times though, and she makes sense as a winner, but not a rootable one. In the competition: Did Trinity deserve her 4 wins? Snatch Games yes – she overshadowed everybody as Caitlyn Jenner and had funny interjections. “Sexy and the Kitty” sure – there wasn't much competition there. The Clubs maybe – her Spelling Bee stuff was funny. But the Talent Show no. She also wasn't funny in “Jersey Justice” and forgot her character name. She was mean in the Roast and tripped over her words. And she served nursery rhyme counting in “Super Queen”. Moreover, despite being involved in 6/13 lip syncs, I only enjoyed her in two of them. “You Spin Me Round” had the worst reveal ever. Trinity tries too hard sometimes. Her runways were polished though – After Dark, Curves and Swerves, Angelic White, and the cheetah. 7. Jasmine Masters I like Jasmine but her AS4 stint felt pointless. She was there for a good time not a long time lol. She wasn't playing to win and she didn't have much of a storyline. Even in the LaLaPaRUza episode, she wasn't doing much. I assume Jasmine was brought back because of her famous memes, since she didn't last long on Season 7. On AS4, she laughed a bunch in confessional. She decided to “wing it” with her stand-up routine, which unsurprisingly bombed. Then she got defensive during deliberation, thinking she actually was funny, and saying she had great reviews at the Laugh Factory. While in the return episode, she said she wouldn't do anything differently. Still, Jasmine had a couple funny moments like “over some balls getting pushed up” and not being able to twerk against Trinity in the lip sync. In the competition: Jasmine gave a stand-out routine about ass breath that received no laughs. And then she couldn't twerk in the lip sync. 6. Monét X Change Monet didn't show as much growth as Mo did within the same time frame. Her runways didn't improve and her track record was just as inconsistent. And I'm getting tired of the sponge references. She also annoyed me when she flip-flopped on Manila. First she vowed revenge, then she reluctantly cooled off after hearing Manila's reasoning, but then she decided to be a “petty bitch from Brooklyn” and vote Manila anyways. Monet can be opinionated at times – calling Seasons 7 and 9 boring, saying “oh s**t no” during Valentina's entrance, or thinking she'd outdo Trinity's “Sex and the Kitty” role because she knows the show. While her confessions tend to be “middle-of-the-road”, with some jokes here and there (“she might send RuPaul home!”). But she had her fun moments like asking about alien drag queens, admitting to crashing funerals, and sneaking into clubs at 12-13 years old. And her WTF face at Valentina's latest delusions was hilarious. In the competition: Monet was very hit or miss. She sold her performance in “Everybody Say Love”, and she knew how deliver a punchline in the Roast. But her voice cracked in the Talent Show, she kept referencing Whitney Houston song titles in Snatch Game, she rambled on in “Jersey Justice” (but at least she had more jokes than Trinity), and she was criticized for her characterization in “Sex and the Kitty”. Oh yeah, and I didn't understand her top 2 placement in the Makeover. Monet's runways and lip syncs were underwhelming this season as well. Her finale look was by far her best. The wine glass on her ass was funny though. 5. Naomi Smalls Naomi had the smallest edit of this cast, but she had her shady moments like: “you're my Lady Bunny” to Manila, “you have her old nose” to Monet looking like Nene Leakes, “are they your best friend” to Manila listing reasons to eliminate someone, “Did they teach you that in jail too?” to Latrice. But more importantly, Naomi is responsible for the most iconic/shocking moment of AS4 – eliminating Manila. She eliminated the queen she grew up watching, and the queen who leant her the moustache. Naomi was so unapologetic about it too - “I sent Manila home because I wanted to”. Just zero f**ks given. And the fan backlash she received was ridiculous. Naomi had the balls to do it and I love her for it. Also lol at Naomi repaying Latrice then throwing Latrice to the wolves later that same episode. And lol at her flirting with a backing dancer. In the competition: There was a perception that Naomi was just “there”. But she gave a fierce performance in “Everybody Say Love”, she was great as Wendy Williams in Snatch Game, and her Sonny & Cher inspired Makeover stood out. She also had two incredible lip syncs, and some of the best runways – the boots, the housewife, the Prince one, and she had my fave finale outfit. But Naomi stumbled towards the end. She played this snobbish host in the Clubs challenge. And she just played Naomi in “Sex and the Kitty” after pushing for the lead role. Her “Super Queen” verse was the shortest too. 4. Gia Gunn Gia was the star of the first 3 episodes. Her energy was so unwelcomed that nobody would've saved her. She was blunt and ruthless: “But her being an old white bitch with a lot of plastic surgery is maybe even more appropriate”. She mostly targeted Farrah and Trinity though. Gia basically called Farrah untalented and just an Instagram queen. She brought up some one-sided outside drama with Farrah. She coaxed Mo into saying that Farrah was the weakest link, then snitched to Farrah. And she interrupted Farrah's 1-on-1 with Monet to apologize. Meanwhile, Gia told Trinity that tucking isn't a talent. She tried to override Trinity in directing the choreo. She fought Trinity to do Cailtyn Jenner in Snatch Game. And she called Trinity bothered and nervous. Gia was accused of playing mind games and bullying, but she acted innocent throughout all this, even in confessional; like she honest intentions. She said that being on Drag Race again brought back her old Season 6 habits. And during deliberation, Gia had this tearful moment with Manila about processing a being trans drag queen. Whatever her intentions were, she brought the entertainment. In the competition: Gia showed off her heritage in the Talent Show, which was completely overlooked. But she was harsh in the Reading mini-challenge. Her flow in “Don't Funk it Up” was not it (she should've been bottom 2 for that). And her Jenny Bui in Snatch Game made me uncomfortable; talking about big dicks and insulting Latrice. And then she underestimated Naomi when picking her for the lip sync. 3. Valentina Valentina dropped the pretenses in AS4, and it made her more enjoyable. She lived in a fantasy where she slayed every challenge (“all of those judges were laughing at my jokes”; “oh girl I was hilarious”). She posed in the Werk Room at the start of every new day. She interrupted others to make speeches about herself. She told Latrice no one wants to send Latrice home... during the episode Latrice went home. She didn't pull her weight in one challenge because her “process is different”. She rejected a deal from Manila, being wise to not trust her. She eliminated Farrah after repairing their relationship. She called Mo's pants disrespectful to Aaliyah. She told Trinity she'd send her home over Latrice. And she refused to beg because it wasn't fierce. But Valentina's emotions finally cracked in her last deliberation. Meanwhile, she still gave meticulous confessionals - “*gasp* my eyebrows”, “luces! cámaras! acción!”, the applause sound effects, making a face at Manila, “Oh my god there's so much going on in my head”, drinking her French Vanilla Fantasy, calling the other clubs “tacky ugly ew” - while using the same confessional look as Season 9. Ultimately, Trinity and Latrice didn't honour their finale pacts with Valentina. In the competition: Valentina served choreo in the Talent Show, and she embraced her weirdness in the other challenges. It worked well in her “Don't Funk it Up” verse, and as the fake Snooki in “Jersey Justice”. I didn't think she was that bad as Eartha Kitt in Snatch Game either. Sure, her jokes didn't land but she was fully in character the whole time. Nor was she the worst in the Roast, but not finishing her make-up was inexcusable. Otherwise, Valentina Ru-deemed herself in the Ariana lip sync. While my fave runways were After Dark and LaLaPaRUza. The sewing one and Plastique did not work for me though. 2. Manila Luzon Manila was the BenDeLaCreme of AS4: the overdog who didn't make it. She also went against the groupthink by suggesting voting strategically. She didn't believe that the “report card” policy was so cut and dry. She ended up selecting Monet's lipstick, and the girls turned on her because of it. After explaining herself, she stood up and the girls just... started at her awkwardly. I get why Trinity called her unpredictable and Valentina called her untrustworthy. But Manila was right – there is no rule book to this. Moreover, Manila defended Gia after Gia's exit, and appreciated Gia when no one else did. On the other hand, her loyalty to Latrice probably got in the way. She was so emotional about Latrice leaving and wanting to make up for AS1. Otherwise, Manila seemed the most chill and natural in confessional? She'd jokingly self-correct (“Naomi and I are topping tonight... not each other”; “...that sounds like she died”) and explain things in a down-to-Earth way. In the competition: Manila was robbed in the Talent Show – she painted that fruit bowl UPSIDE DOWN. In the following week, she had the weakest lyrics, but her After Dark runway was stunning. Then Manila dominated the middle of the season. She was chosen by Keiynan in Snatch Game. Her dog character in “Jersey Justice” was funny. And her reading of the will during the Roast was clever. Plus she played a character in her lip syncs. But her Makeover concept just didn't translate in the final product. Otherwise, I liked her fruit basket runway, the S&M one, and her LaLaPaRUza outfit. I did not like Angelic White. 1. Mo(nique) Heart Mo repeated her catchphrases a lot this season (“America”, “stunning”, “gooped”, “chopped”, etc.) in a brown cow confessional look. But her personality still shined: “I peed all over that damn floor”; “So Latrice is back *long dead silence*”; “booty do”, her wig flying to the rafters, fainting at the Double Shantay, pranking Monet with her lipstick choice, bringing up church plays as her acting experience, and her cartwheel attempts. Plus her facial reactions killed me. Mo had this unaware edit though. SLM commented on her leadership, she was impatient to do 1 on 1s, she half-listened to Cecily Strong, and she asked Ru “can I go now?” Also half the cast got on Mo's damn nerves lol. She straight-up told Farrah that her crying is annoying. Then Farrah was difficult to direct in rehearsal. She called Gia out for bothering Farrah (“Oh my gosh sis that is fake as f**k dot com”). And later said Gia was “annoying and rude and picking on other contestants”. She put Manila last in the Roast to sabotage her. And she had to deal with Latrice calling her reasons disingenuous, and Valentina trashing her Roast. In the competition: Mo showed the most growth. I could've realistically put her top 3 in every challenge. Both of her bottom placements were BS - she sang really well in “Everybody Says Love”, and she was miles ahead of Naomi/Trinity/Valentina in the Roast. Meanwhile, “Brown Cow Stunning” was fierce in the Talent Show. Her Tiffany Haddish in Snatch Game had funny moments. Her “Jersey Justice” character was well-defined (“Objectify!”). Her eyes Makeover was cool. And she was the best in “Sexy and the Kitty”. Sure Mo had the worst finale outfit, but who cares? Aside from the banana outfit, Mo Ru-deemed herself with her runways – After Dark, the exaggerated cow, Puss in Boots. She had the funds this time! She also Ru-deemed herself in the lip syncs, aside from the first one. Favourite entrance look: Manila Luzon's roadkill thing Challenge ranking: 1. "Jersey Justice" (Improv) 2. "Queens of Clubs" 3. "Henny" Girl Groups 4. LaLaPaRUza 5. Talent Show 6. Lady Bunny Roast 7. Snatch Game of Love 8. Best Judy Makeover 9. "Super Queen" Ru-mix (Mo > Monet > Naomi > Trinity) 10. "Sex and The Kitty, Girl 3" (Acting) (....why did they become clowns at the end?) Lip Sync ranking: 1. Gia Gunn vs Naomi Smalls ("Adrenaline") 2. Monét X Change vs Valentina ("Into You") 3. Manila Luzon vs Monique Heart ("The Bitch Is Back") (could've been the double win, but that would've made zero sense with the storyline) 4. Manila Luzon vs Trinity The Tuck ("How Will I Know") 5. Monét X Change vs Naomi Smalls ("Come Rain Or Come Shine") 6. Latrice Royale vs Monique Heart ("Sissy That Walk") (kinda messy?) 7. Monique Heart vs Trinity The Tuck ("Emotions") (Mo's wig mishap was more funny than cringe + the whistle notes were funny) 8. Jasmine Masters vs Trinity The Tuck ("Peanut Butter") 9. Monét X Change vs Trinity The Tuck ("Fighter") 10. Manila Luzon vs Monét X Change ("Jump To It") (the scatting parts are funny but it's low energy... and this was a double win) 11. Monique Heart vs Trinity The Tuck ("When I Think Of You") (forgettable) 12. Farrah Moan vs Valentina ("Kitty Girl") 13. Latrice Royale vs Trinity The Tuck ("You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)") (worst reveal ever) Season ranking so far: 9 > 5 > 6 > AS2 > 4 > 10 > 2 > 7 > AS3 > AS4 > 3 > 8 > 1 > AS1

[sheacouleecametoslay]

Season 10 (2018)

So Season 10 starts off like a 9/10.... I truly thought it was going to be one of the best. But, after The Vixen left, the last four episodes are like a 4/10, which drops the average down. The Werk Room/Untucked scenes become boring. "Breastworld" and "Evil Twins" are two of the worst challenges in the show's entire herstory. Especially the latter, which forced the queens to reveal their insecurities on TV, and were put in the bottom if they weren't cruel enough to themselves. Not to mention the cringe worthy editing to make it seem like the Good Twins and Evil Twins were on the stage at the same time. AND SHOWING THE GOOD TWINS WATCHING BACKSTAGE. Really...? Also, Ru is as high as kite during his walkthrough with the social media influencers in the Make Over episode, which is actually unintentionally funny. And then the finale has such disappointing lips syncs compared to Season 9, between Asia's dead butterflies, Aquaria's trip being edit out, and "Bang Bang" being a complete clusterfuck as the top 3 try to outdo each other with their stunts.   The Vixen is responsible for like 90% of the drama this season. She had a major intense fight in 3 different Untucked episodes. First she battled Aquaria, then Eureka, and finally her friends. 9% of the drama comes from Aquaria being conceited and Asia going on random rants. The final 1% is Kalorie and Yuhua having an attitude, but it's minimal and they aren't around for long anyways. The premiere also sets up this pre-season feud between Aquaria and Cracker because they apparently look alike. We've already been there with Alyssa vs Coco, and this "rivalry" didn't amount to much after episode 2. As for the other challenges, PharmaRusical might be the worst Rusical. It was so disappointing they did a second Rusical to make up for it! - the Cher one, and it wasn't much better. The Snatch Game was mostly funny, but Asia and the Vixen playing Beyonce and Blue Ivy, respectively, was rough. Bossy Rossy was a solid challenge, but the adult babies creeped me out. The Last Ball on Earth had some good looks though. And the Drag Con panel was a nice new addition. Plus the mini-challenge where they had to sit on items and identify them was stupid enough to be funny. Season 10 continues this new trend of having a big name celebrity guest judge. This time it's Christina Aguilera, who walks the runway pretending to be Farrah Moan as a fake out. I'm not sure when the trauma stories during the make-up sessions became more prominent, but I definitely noticed them more in Season 10. Probably because Season 10 is when production switched the episode length to 60 minutes (90 with commercials). Say what you will about Season 15 episodes being too short, I never had an issue with Seasons 1-9 being only 40 minutes long. I never felt like I was missing anything important. I get exhausted when I try to binge watch these longer episodes, and there's definitely some filler towards the end of this season. Also, Season 10 has 6 main characters (Aquaria, Eureka, Asia, Monet, the Vixen, and Mo) plus Vanjie being iconic, and the other 7 queens don't stand out as much. The unofficial Lip Sync Assassin title kept changing hands - from Monet to Vixen to Kameron, which was pretty cool. I got sick of all the New York mentions though. And the Double Shantay was such obvious riggory in Eureka's favour. I imagine production planned for Kameron to leave at the final 6 instead, but she slayed the lip sync.

Queens Ranking: 14. Eureka A whole season of Eureka... including a sympathy edit, crying in front of the judges, and bringing up trauma stories when she flopped. Just look at everyone hugging her in episode 2. Furthermore, she acted like the Vixen was the problem, claiming that the Vixen verbally attacked her and disliked her for no reason, while Eureka did nothing wrong. Which was BS. Eureka admitted to Mayhem afterwards that she was testing Vixen's reaction. She then lied to the Vixen about the "y'all"/"you" thing and used abuse trauma to excuse her big personality. She also pressured Kameron to sing and accused Asia of overreacting. She took over in every team challenge. Her confessionals were extra ("...buttholes are clenched", "pussies on fleek"). She thought she was judged at a higher standard. She was oddly defensive about her Make Over. Her friendly supportive chats with everyone felt so phony. She walked off on Untucked because they didn't give her attention. Her comments that the Vixen wants power over others, that Asia was jealous of Cracker, that "[the girls] always second guess every time I'm doing well" rubbed me the wrong way. Eureka came off superior, smug, and condescending. The only time I agreed with her was when the Vixen criticized her Snatch Game. But good for her finding body positivity in the baby challenge. In the competition: Eureka flopped in week 2, when she looked "out of it" during PharmaRusical and didn't know the words. But she became a contender soon after. From the "yeah we know girl" line in the End of Days advert, to playing a baby in Bossy Rossy (whatever), to being the audience favourite in the Drag Con panel ("proportionizing!!"), to her Honey Boo Boo in Snatch Game (even if she kept repeating the drawing pictures joke). She's already done Drag Con so no wonder she won that. But then Eureka was tentative in the Cher Rusical, and the hairdryer bit in "Breastworld" fell flat. I didn't like her Best Drag, Silver Foxy and Good Twin runways either. Glitterific was probably her best one. Also, Eureka just did the splits and high kicks in every single lip sync. And so many outfit reveals in the finale. 13. Dusty Ray Bottoms I don't have much of an opinion on Dusty. She gave me Milk vibes. She always had this creepy smile/eyes. She labelled herself as "dark, glamorous and trashy" with a punk style, but I wasn't into her drag. She thought she would've won PharmaRusical if she wasn't on the losing team. But seemed reasonable when explaining her views on situations in Untucked. Like when she called Aquaria standoffish lol. She also had that gay conversation therapy story. Otherwise, Michelle didn't want Dusty doing the dots on her face all the time, which left her feeling torn about it because it was her signature look. In the competition: Well, I did NOT like the dots on Dusty's face. I didn't like her runways either. Dusty's Drag on a Dime Tin Man outfit looked scrappy. While her Martian outfit didn't follow the theme. Her episode 2 runway wasn't bad though. As for the performance challenges, I thought Dusty was fine in both of them. Not top 3 worthy though. 12. Kameron Michaels Kameron brought a unique aesthetic as a tattooed, masculine, muscled queen. But she's too dry and matter-of-fact for me to care about. She didn't have much screen time in the early episodes either; aside from being labelled "the trade of the season" and mumbling while brainstorming. She was a quiet queen, who was conditioned to not show emotion. Her later moments include: not celebrating prematurely, keeping her desire to win the challenge a secret, and saying being eliminated would've been easier than eliminating someone. Meanwhile Asia/Cracker/Monet acted like Kameron was crazy for saying she was terrible in "Breastworld"... when she clearly was. And they didn't understand why she walked off on Untucked. Kameron is an introvert, so just let her be? She also flipped out at the final 5 Untucked. Otherwise, Kameron was one of Eureka's besties. In the competition: Kameron was the unexpected Lip Sync Assassin, beating the production faves in the endgame. She won the Cher Rusical by focusing on the mannerisms, and she was one of the better ones in Bossy Rossy. But she was too exaggerated in PharmaRusical, she was a dry narrator in the Fibstr advert, and I didn't agree with her "high" placement in the Ball - I thought her Martian look was junky. Her "Breastworld" character had the most annoying whiny voice too. Her Make Over was basic. And I didn't like her Evil Twin outfit. My fave Kameron runways were the elaborate feather one and Silver Foxy. 11. Miz Cracker Cracker had a bigger edit than I remembered. Her confessionals came off too self-controlled - like every word was carefully planned out... or corny ("...not even a partridge in a pear tree!"; "Dr Dill is Jewish!"; "American Horror Story: Cher Edition"). Asia even called her robotic. It's because Cracker came from a sheltered, poor childhood with high expectations. She felt dread in challenges, even talking to herself during one of them. And she was vocal in group chats. She slammed her drink down at the Vixen. She gave a learn to love yourself speech and an appreciate what you have speech on Untucked. She built Monet and Mo up. She hard criticized Eureka's Make Over. She confronted Aquaria about her overconfidence in this very indirect way lol. And she disputed Asia's claims of being used. Also lol at Asia and Mo's reactions to Cracker's name in the premiere. As for the Aquaria copycat thing, I don't believe Cracker intended it. In the competition: Cracker's Pickle character in Bossy Rossy was her best moment, but she became a comedy queen who couldn't excel in comedy challenges. She sounded mean in the Drag Con panel and neutral toned in "Breastworld". Still, she tried something with her Ball looks. Her Make Over was beautiful (she waited so long for that win too). And both of her hair headpiece runways were cool. In the end, Cracker's Evil Twin outfits didn't match and she went soft in the self-critiques, but that challenge was stupid anyways.  10. Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams Kalorie was known as a "twerk queen", but her twerking fell into "one trick pony" territory. She didn't have a ton of content on the actual episodes either, aside from her story about being bullied for her weight. She was quite bitter on Untucked though. In the first one, she was upset that some of the safe girls didn't use as much stuff. She proceeded to criticize Monet and Aquaria's outfits, while throwing Blair under the bus. Then in the second Untucked, she took issue with the group not asking her about her critiques. But she had a sweet goodbye after that at least. In the competition: Kalorie's Drag on a Dime money outfit looked sloppily put together. While in PharmaRusical, her foot slipped off the chair lol. Her second runway was basic too. But she was fun in the first lip sync, where she twerked and pulled out dollar bills into the splits. 9. Mayhem Miller Mayhem was the timid and sensitive one. She waited so long to get on the show, and then she cried on the first Untucked because she finally felt validated. She comforted her bestie Eureka on Untucked. She played peacemaker between Vixen and Eureka after their massive fight. And in her final Untucked, she gave this big speech about being grateful for the opportunity. She was at peace with her growth. That said, I don't agree with Mayhem saying that her voice wasn't heard in the team discussion. Mo gave her an opportunity to claim the narrator role, but Mayhem didn't want to be seen as aggressive. I understand that, but this is a cutthroat competition and being passive won't get you far. Indeed, Kameron snatched that narrator role and Mayhem was left with one line. In the competition: Mayhem was solid with runways. She won the first challenge thanks to her black gloves outfit. I also thought she was the second-best overall in the Ball. Her pink cowgirl runway was cute too. But the acting challenges caused Mayhem's premature downfall. She didn't appear in the Fibstr advert until the very end, where her character was confusing. And she was the most forgettable in Bossy Rossy. But she slayed that "Celebrity Skin" lip sync - it was intense in the best way. 8. Yuhua Hamasaki Yuhua had fun responses during the entrances - "you’re not a real woman either!" Then she couldn't differentiate the black queens.💀In episode 3, she offered bad ideas while brainstorming with Monet, and didn't realize their ad already had a name. Then she snapped at Aquaria and Monet for not letting her use a fake nose, while saying "nobody asked for Aquaria's opinion" in confessional. Monet did sound bossy tbf. She also kept giving excuses to the judges - from saying she had something better during the second runway, to feeling rushed during the advert challenge. She still had one of my favourite entrance looks though. In the competition: Yuhua seemed like a strong competitor at first - with her yellow caution tape ankh and her underrated PharmaRusical performance. But she wasn't funny in the Butterface advert and she misunderstood how to be ugly for it. And then she had to go against Mayhem's impressive lip sync. 7. Blair St. Clair The twinkiest twink to ever twink on Drag Race. Blair had the most UTR edit of the Season 10 cast. She had the "so dot dot dot fill in the blank" confessional, she said "yeah I'm a little sneak attack" in this cute voice, and showed her stats notebook. But her personality was kinda... bland (no offence). She was just happy to be there. When Kalorie threw her under the bus, she avoided the drama and told Aquaria she loved the concept. She was sweet to Mayhem in Mayhem's last Untucked. And she missed her mom a lot, so it was nice when she got that video message. In Blair's final episode, she shared her sex abuse story to the judges. And again on Untucked, where she explained that she needed to be a happier person after that experience. I'm glad she was able to move on from it. In the competition: If PharmaRusical wasn't based on teams, I'd mark Blair as "safe" every single week except the round she left. She's a Broadway queen and can act... but she just wasn't funny. I did like her Drag on a Dime sun protector thing, her Ball looks, plus her Best Drag runway was pretty too. But ultimately, Blair's teammates overran her during the Drag Con panel, when she was trying to moderate. And then she had to lip sync after sharing personal trauma. 6. Monét X Change The narrator of Season 10. Monet had these "high horse" or unaware moments. Particularly in the first Untucked where she thought the judges loved her sponge dress, was surprised that the queens didn't get the concept, defended Cracker to Vixen, told Kalorie "mine looks good and yours doesn't", and said that Kalorie is just bitter. Even after that, she sounded bossy to Yuhua, she acted like Aquaria didn't deserve to win Snatch Game, and she called the Vixen immature and combative. But most of the time, Monet interjected with a congenial approach when there was conflict. Like saying she appreciated the Vixen's realness. And she had fun in confessionals, like she was just hanging out backstage. I also liked her "sweep up the competition" entrance. And she was there for Eureka and Cracker when they needed support. Her English accent story was funny too. In the competition: Monét was Lip Sync Assassin #1. The "nope" wave in "Pound The Alarm" and the hairspray cans and smoking in "Man! I Feel Like A Woman" were fun moments. She wasn't bad in "Good As Hell" either, even breaking a stage light. But, aside from the crossed-eye bit in PharmaRusical, Monét had a rough start. The sponge dress was not couture. The Martian outfit looked unprofessional (the cut; the black marker). That cake bit in Bossy Rossy was confusing. And her neon winter, Denim & Diamonds and Glitterific runways were a mess. She was read for her pussycat wigs too. The sagging boobs runway was creative though. But then Monét found Ru-demption. Her Maya Angelou in Snatch Game was good enough to win. And she had those ad libs in "Breastworld". But of course another design challenge ended her run, with that cheap-looking Make Over. 5. Vanessa Vanjie Mateo "MISS VANJIE... MISS VANJIE... MISS VANJIE" is the most iconic exit line in the show's herstory. It was repeated in practically every episode after. Even without the meme, Vanessa had protentional to be a great TV character. She had this very uhhh... vanjie... way of talking that came off as an authentic personality. She compared RuPaul to the Loch Ness Monster, she said "What the- bitch are we on Big Brother?" when they were de-dragging, and she made a "cleaning crew" comment about Monet's sponges. I loved listening to her talk. So I'm glad Vanjie was given a Shangela-style second chance, even though I haven't watched Season 11 yet. In the competition: Vanjie's Drag on a Dime Barbie doll outfit wasn't in my bottom 3, although her entrance look would be. I get it though - it was like her entire upper body was bloated into a clump of clutter. She held her own against Kalorie in the lip sync though. 4. The Vixen Polarizing but Season 10 is empty without the Vixen. Her entrance line "I'm just here to fight" was right. She immediately called people out, and didn't beat around the bush. She said Cracker "faked it to Season 10", and questioned Monet's pushback over that comment. She exposed Aquaria for acting different to Cracker's face. She clapped back at Aquaria for the borrowed wig remark and the "negative" label. While on Untucked, the Vixen raised an important point about the "angry black woman" stereotype, since Aquaria came for her first and now Aquaria's crying over it. Next, the Vixen tore Eureka to shreds after the "can I go smoke" comment ("you are exactly the girl I did not like on Season 9"); while Eureka made the Vixen look like the aggressor (ugh). Then the Vixen criticized Eureka's Snatch Game performance and called her unprofessional to the judges. But she went too far on Untucked, calling Asia and Mo fake and disloyal for saying she should go home, because friends don't do that. Since the Vixen named Eureka for personal reasons, she assumed everyone else made it personal. She also said she wouldn't let them take away her dream. Finally, in her last Untucked, she called out the non-glitter outfits. The Vixen was passionate about doing bold political drag, and that hurt and anger stayed with her on the show (as she said: "It is impossible being a black gay drag queen in America"). The Vixen refused to change for others; saying you should know how she is, so don't "poke the bear". Otherwise, she paired Eureka and Aquaria to sabotage them. She suggested playing Cracker/Aquaria in the challenge lol. She gave facial reactions at Eureka (the air violin lol). She didn't listen to what roles her teammates wanted in episode 2. And she was supportive to Blair after the sexual assault story. In the competition: The Vixen was Lip Sync Assassin #2. I enjoyed her stunts the first time, but it felt repetitive the second time. She was also the star of PharmaRusical; starting things off with that chair kick. But she really struggled during the middle. Her and Asia were a disastrous duo. She broke character during improv. Blue Ivy in Snatch Game was a bad idea. And she didn't emulate Cher in the second Rusical. Also, her 3 Ball looks could've been executed better. Same with the Drag on a Dime pool noodles. My fave Vixen runways were the peacock, the hats and the glitter construction paper. 3. Aquaria Conceited, self-absorbed, and poised in confessional, but in a non-serious way? "Not only am I great at being myself, but I can also do a stupid silly job of being another great celebrity... catch that?" She delivered some WTF quotes too: "keeping your lip-sync straight, your choreography gay, and your characterization bicurious", "I'm like Gandhi", "I'm the Joan of Arc of this challenge, I'm the martyr to Breastworld", "if you pee clear cheer", the "winning" sport response, and confusing seminary school with semen. And she struggled to form a coherent sentence in the Werk Room. Aquaria was off-putting at times. Like acting unbothered to Cracker's face after sharing the yellow dress story. Acting nasty towards the Vixen for interjecting. And her whole anti-Double Shantay rant because it was unfair to HER (lol at her minimizing the double splits though). Aquaria was portrayed as overconfident, and only caring about her own success. Asia called her unsportsmanlike at one point. But Aquaria made an effort to change after everyone confronted her in episode 3 Untucked. She took the last claimed role for "Breastworld". She had this respecting elders moment. She apologized for the Double Shantay rant. And she was sweet to Asia at the final 4 judging. In the competition: Aquaria delivered unique runways all season - the giant nose rings, the bleeding arrows, the bunny ears, the oil slick mermaid, the glittery angel, and her 3 Ball looks. Her final 4 dress was great too. But Aquaria wasn't just a fashion queen. She stole the scene on the losing team in PharmaRusical. She was underrated as the rival baby in Bossy Rossy. She kept delivering jokes as Melania Trump in Snatch Game. She was a believable robot in "Breastworld". And her Evil Twin sounded evil. Plus she was fierce in the "If" lip sync (from what we saw). The Make Over was the only challenge that Aquaria flopped imo. And Silver Foxy was the only other runway that was a miss, because it didn't match the theme. 2. Asia O'Hara The other narrator of Season 10. Asia's confessionals offered insightful observations on the other queens. She had some funny ones too: ie."And I'm not gonna be no part of it, my teeth were too expensive *smiles*"; "SHE DON'T KNOW THE WORDS"; "I'm not done *puts down drink*". Asia was the mom of the cast, but a brutally honest kind of mom. She clocked Aquaria's anti-Double Shantay rant. She called out Eureka for hounding Kameron to sing. And she had that meaningful conversation with the Vixen. Asia always spoke with this determined conviction. Which sounded harsh when she wasn't "wowed" by Mayhem or when she told the judges that Cracker wasn't a star. At least she apologized for the latter. But lol at her random rants - claiming her team had the harder number, feeling used for helping everyone during the Ball, that her Cher role was set up to fail, that she couldn't get through to Kameron, and hating glitter. Still, Asia threw fun shade ("and your talent is in the bottom 2", "you need to take your make-up up an octave"). I loved her reactions, like during Monet's sponge dress delusions or when Ru slapped her. And she had a sweet moment with Aquaria at the final 4. Also lol at "Girl we don't do that no more ain't you seen the Help?" In the competition: Asia had her highs and lows. Her Drag on a Dime outfit was too much, but she was a stand-out on the losing team in PharmaRusical, and she won the Butterface advert by making faces. But then her first two Ball looks weren't flattering, she was oblivious to the Vixen's cues in Bossy Rossy, she played a hostile Beyonce in Snatch Game, and she forgot her lines in the Cher Rusical. Fortunately Asia recovered in the endgame - playing "Parah Salin" in "Breastworld" and slaying the last two design challenges. She had some of my favourite runways too - the Tweety bird, dandelion, mermaid mask and the glitter clown. But then dead butterflies happened... 1. Mo(nique) Heart The bug eyes. The cartoonish laugh. The screaming whenever shade was thrown. The head/hand movements and voice shifts in confessional to give emphasis to everything. The odd confessionals: "She is gonna give you the ooh ah ah sensation honey", "the kind of trade that will throw you on the wall and you be like 'ohh I think I'm into it'", "America, my face is saying everything you need to know dot com", "Miss Aquafina", "Vixen handed Aquaria her ass in a gift bag gift wrapped there you go Merry Christmas", "RuPaul... thank you... but AHHHH", "I surely picked up them little chicken nuggets honey; dipping sauce; hot mustard", plus her reaction to Monet's English accent thing. She'd often address her confessionals to America too. She mistook giraffe print for brown cow. And she always spoke her mind on Untucked. I agreed with her on Mayhem needing to speak up, and it being fair to say Vixen should go home. Her suspicions of Mayhem throwing her under the bus were correct too! Her "pray the gay away" coming out story was memorable too. In the competition: I'm shocked at Mo having ONE high placement (for the wig snatching in Bossy Rossy). Her Drag on a Dime playing cards outfit was the best. She was funny in the Fibstr advert. She was only bottom 3 in PharmaRusical by default. And she was the funniest in the Drag Con panel. I'm not shocked at Mo's Ball outfits being basic though. She made all her outfits in the Werk Room due to lack of money. Her hats runway was also rough, but I liked the Cookie Monster one. Ultimately, Mo didn't have much depth as Maxine Waters in Snatch Game ("reclaiming my time!") and broke character. And then she forgot the words to the lip sync and took her wig off. Favourite entrance look: Aquaria Challenge ranking: 1. The Last Ball on Earth 2. Snatch Game 3. Drag on a Dime (Design) 4. The Bossy Rossy Show (Improv) 5. "American" Ru-mix (Asia > Aquaria > Kameron > Eureka) 6. Dating App Adverts 7. Drag Con Panel (Branding) 8. Cher: The Unauthorized Rusical 9. Social media kings Make Over 10. PharmaRusical 11. "Breastworld" (Acting) 12. Evil Twins Lip Sync ranking: 1. Monét X Change vs Dusty Ray Bottoms ("Pound The Alarm") 2. Mayhem Miller vs Yuhua Hamasaki ("Celebrity Skin") 3. Eureka vs Kameron Michaels ("New Attitude") (Kameron won this btw) 4. Kameron Michaels vs Monét X Change ("Good As Hell") (should've been the double shantay) 5. Blair St. Clair vs The Vixen ("I'm Coming Out") 6. Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams vs Vanessa Vanjie Mateo ("Ain't No Other Man") 7. Asia O'Hara vs The Vixen ("Groove Is In The Heart") 8. Mayhem Miller vs Monét X Change ("Man! I Feel Like a Woman") (I'd like this more if Monet left her outfit and wig on) 9. Aquaria vs Eureka ("If") 10. Eureka vs Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams ("Best Of My Love") 11. Aquaria vs Eureka vs Kameron Michaels ("Bang Bang") (so chaotic) 12. Top 4 Lip Sync ("Call Me Mother") 13. Kameron Michaels vs Miz Cracker ("Nasty Girl") (I remember nothing about it) 14. Mo(nique) Heart vs The Vixen ("Cut To The Feeling") (second-hand embarrassment part 1) 15. Asia O'Hara vs Kameron Michaels ("Nasty") (second-hand embarrassment part 2) Season ranking so far: 9 > 5 > 6 > AS2 > 4 > 10 > 2 > 7 > AS3 > 3 > 8 > 1 > AS1

[sheacouleecametoslay]

All Stars 3 (2018)

So the first 4 episodes, plus the returnee episode, were fun. But episodes 5 and 7 had lame challenges and the story felt boring. And then the finale is a complete and utter trainwreck. Seriously, the finale has a 4.3/10 on IMDB, which is the second-lowest rated finale after AS4 (that'll be fun to review soon). Why? Because the producers decided to have the 6 eliminated queens vote on who the final two would be. The two finalists would then face off in a lip sync for the crown. It was an awful twist, made even worse by the jury basing their votes on who needed it the most; thereby rewarding the underrated queens and punishing the front runner. I'm sorry, but I don't agree with that reasoning at all. This isn't Survivor or Big Brother. This is a show meant to reward performances. Yeah, I was in favour of the all stars format during AS2, it's a very juicy twist, and I do think the eliminations are more interesting in AS3, but it shouldn't be extended into the finale. Kennedy had more jury points than Trixie too! And the cast wasn't told they needed to manage a jury either. Those group interviews with the jury looked so intimating lol. I can accept the Lip Sync For The Crown format of Seasons 9 and beyond, but the jury twist doesn't sit right with me. Also, the Handmaid's Tale references went way over my head. At the end of each episode, Chad Michaels and Alaska creepily stood behind every eliminated queen in red cloaks. Just why??? The cast is the main thing that saves this season from bottom tier. While the cast isn't as iconic as AS2, many of my favourites are back including Shangela, Ben, Chi Chi and BeBe. Meanwhile, some others grew on me considerably - namely Morgan, Aja and Kennedy. The challenges were a mixed bag though, and this feels like one of the more "rigged" seasons. The Ball had one of the worst concepts (the soup cans), and the "My Best Squirrelfriend's Dragmaids Wedding Trip" skit felt like an afterthought. The Bitchelor was kinda cringe too. And I was disappointed that the Rusical used RuPaul songs instead of incorporating songs from the respective artists. But I guess they didn't want to pay for the licensing. On the flip side, most of the queens did well in the Talent Show. And "Kitty Girl" is one of the best Ru-mixes. I liked that they filmed the whole thing in one take. Otherwise, there was a couple of great runway themes - the Ru-demption and the wigs on wigs on wigs. Much like AS2, the returnee revenge episode was a high point of the season. It included a long segment where the eliminated queens each had their moment to confront those who eliminated them - Shangela vs Thorgy, Morgan vs Ben, Milk vs Kennedy, Aja vs Bebe - and it's probably the best drama of the season. The other memorable drama moment came from a note Thorgy left behind. Otherwise, Ben's self-elimination is one of the most shocking moments in the show's herstory.   Just like AS2, the runtime flips back and forth between 42 minutes and 60 minutes (without ads). It's the first All-Stars season to air on VH1 as well. And the finale is the last 42- episode until... the one that just aired two days I believe.

Queens Ranking: 10. Milk Milk received a non-stop "delusional edit" in AS3. She was smug, arrogant, egotistical, and always smirking. Did her post-Season 6 fame get to her head? Or was she was playing it up for the cameras? Milk thought she was amazing in every challenge, and had a breakdown when she was "safe" because she wanted the judges to praise her. Then in her boot episode, she disagreed with Shangela thinking Milk would be in the bottom. She said "Ben you're still alive?" and "grandma sit down" (about BeBe) in this disrespectful tone. She thought her song would be a bigger hit than "Supermodel". She claimed Celine Dion's event planner loved her Celine impression. She pissed off Kennedy by preferring Thorgy's drag - and Kennedy felt like this wasn't the Milk she knew outside the show. She had that Myspace stalking story. She called her elimination "bogus" in her mirror message. And she later blamed others for not telling her she was a "douchebag". She wasn't fond of Shangela's antics in the Rusical rehearsal either, and acted childishly in response (ie. opening a fan in her face and saying "shush Valentina"). In the competition: I disliked all 3 of Milk's performances. The Velcro bit in the talent show was dumb. Singing into a shoe and wearing a peanut butter jar necklace didn't emulate Celine Dion. And her stalker character in the Bitchelor was too real; and she bulldozed Trixie in that challenge. I didn't like her wig runway either. 9. Thorgy Thor Thorgy was so bitter and spiteful this season. I can understand feeling cynical after the riggory, but it got annoying. She spent all of episode 2 openly talking about production sabotaging her. She asked Todrick to put her in the background of other people's solos. And she said Stevie Nicks isn't a gay icon to the judges. I've also heard that Thorgy wasn't given the props she asked for, despite other queens clearly using props. But aside from that, Thorgy kept bringing up Bob (Chi Chi was right - Bob isn't here). She kept rolling her eyes in confessional - at everyone doing the same talent show performance, at Ben getting emotional about eliminations, at Shangela's response. She said BeBe needs to "shut up" with her introductions. She accused Shangela of having a secret deal with Kennedy. She trashed Ben after she self-eliminated. She was put off by BeBe's jury speech. It's like Thorgy just hated everybody and everything. I was not expecting a dick drawing in her mirror message either. In the competition: Thorgy impressed with her violin playing in the Talent Show. But she was infamously given a bad role for the Rusical (as Stevie Nicks), which only had one joke (the dizzy one), and she didn't even sell it. 8. Trixie Mattel Even Trixie looked shocked when Morgan announced the top 2. She only won because of Ben's self-elimination and the jury disliking Shangela. She tried so hard to make funny confessionals, but they were too forced, self-aware, and dry. It felt like she was telling dad jokes all season. Also, her excuses for posting Thorgy's note on the wall made no sense - why post it if you don't want Shangela to see it? She thought Thorgy should be blamed instead, and she seemed annoyed about the whole conversation. Her relationship with Shangela improved afterwards though, with them saving each other. Anyways, Trixie came in believing that she did lousy on Season 7, and she continued to struggle for the first half of AS3. I don't get why everyone was expecting her to be top 2 for the Bitchelor, but whatever. She reached a mental low point after bombing the Snatch Game, and then went on to win two challenges afterwards. Which were the two worst challenges of the season. Otherwise, Trixie didn't hold back from criticizing BeBe and Kennedy to the jury. She had this segment about being standoffish and Morgan calling her "grand". And she gave attitude during recording. In the competition: Trixie's talent show country song was boring. Her RuPaul in Snatch Game was so stiff and cringe... with all those awkward catchphrases interjections. And I didn't find Trixie's math character or the "fake bitch" in the Bitcherlor funny. She had the most memorable soup can though. Plus the book outfit and the rollerblade entrance were cute. And I'll admit she had the second best "Kitty Girl" verse. But she was only top 2 in bad challenges. 7. Chi Chi DeVayne (R.I.P.) I still love Chi Chi, but her AS3 run was disappointing. She promised her drag was together this time, but was still read for her looks. Chi Chi also felt like she wasn't on the same level as the other queens and that she came back at the wrong time. It was sad to see her in her head like that. She accepted defeat by the episode 3 deliberation and basically told Ben to send her home; but Kennedy had other priorities. I'm glad she wasn't dragged as far as Roxxxy Andrews though. When the eliminated queens returned, Chi Chi was the only one to not be bitter about it. She also told the top 2 to not bring her back. But at least we got to see Chi Chi be brutally honest again - like calling out Milk's Talent Show performance - and see her smiling in confessional again. Lol at her spelling "Mya Angelou" wrong. In the competition: Chi Chi was read for her shoes and wig in the Talent Show, but apparently she dropped her baton as well. She was in the bottom for the Rusical for her runway as well. And then it felt like she was mentally checked out during the Bitchelor and the Snatch Game. The wig runway was good though. 6. BeBe Zahara Benet I'm fine with BeBe getting a second chance, since winning Season 1 isn't as prestigious. But despite the intimidating entrance quote ("Mother, another day, another slay. Who's first?"), BeBe fell under-the-radar for the first 4 episodes. And then she got the "lack of self-awareness" edit for the other 4 episodes. She eliminated Aja after Aja helped make her outfit; even getting emotional when revealing the lipstick. And when confronted about it next episode, she made an excuse about not talking much on the runway. BeBe also wouldn't let Aja plead her case during deliberation because she went on a rant praising Aja. Otherwise, BeBe thought the eliminated queens would be their dancers (lol). She was scared of heights during choreo. She refused to reveal her second lipstick choice, even refusing to the tell jury later on. She didn't understand why she was given the queen role, and thought her negative critiques were soft. And she didn't know who Ornacia was. Ben called BeBe "poised and regal", while Shangela called her "boogie". BeBe does have this fabulous aura. She was also shy around sex talk (lol at that description of Thorgy's penis drawing). But yeah, BeBe knew the jury wasn't going to give her a second win. In the competition: BeBe showed her Cameroonian culture via reveals in the Talent Show. Her whacky Grace Jones in Snatch Game and "Rrrrra-ka-ta-ti-ti-ta-ta" in the girl groups were highlights too. And lol at her wanting to do "achoo" soup. But on the flip side, BeBe's bashful virgin in the Bitchelor was whatever. Her queen character in the wedding skit fell flat. And she struggled with the lifts in "Kitty Girl". I liked most of her runways though, aside from her final 4 outfit. 5. Morgan McMichaels Morgan knew that she wasn't a fan favourite, so she didn't care about fan perception at all. I can get behind a villain like that. I enjoyed Morgan more in AS3 than Season 2, actually. She had this ruthless way of talking. She straight-up told the Werk Room she was going to eliminate the strongest competitors, which is ballsy. She didn't want to be fake about it, but it wasn't the wisest thing to say. In the revenge episode, Morgan confronted Ben about not sticking to her policy, even calling Ben a "coward" and a "hypocrite". I mean, Morgan wasn't wrong. Ben was punishing her for not "playing by the rules". Morgan later made up with Ben, admitting she was too confrontational, and then Ben selected her to return. Despite Morgan disliking Ben's quit in confessional. It ended up being a pointless return though. Trixie and Shangela displayed sympathy with the returnee curse thing, but not enough to save her. "I look pretty good for a dead bitch" was a good entrance line though. In the competition: I didn't think Morgan was bottom 2-worthy in the talent show. The quacking swan on the other hand... yeah. Morgan even gave herself that role! Her kilt runway (with the crotch flashing) was fun though. 4. Aja Aja grew on me this season as well. She was under pressure in Season 9, but was much more easygoing in AS3. It reminded me of Detox's growth in AS2. She was having fun in confessionals. She seemed chill when she returned as an eliminated queen - well other than calling out BeBe for not giving Aja credit on stage for the outfit. The show tried to make it look like Aja was becoming overconfident with her Ball look (insert Kennedy confessional saying just that and Trixie calling her soup idea "crazy"), but I didn't understand that bottom 2 placement at all. Even Trixie called it the most beautiful outfit. Aja was doing so well before that challenge too. Her elimination reeks of riggory. She should've returned instead of Morgan. Otherwise, Aja lead the jury interrogation by asking bigger picture questions. In the competition: Aja had Ru gagging with that death drop stunt in talent show. Her Amy Winehouse in the Rusical and her Crystal Labeija in Snatch Game were highlights as well. She held her own in the "Anaconda" lip sync too. And I liked her anime wig runway and the princess redo. But Aja was annoyingly whiny in the Bitchelor. And she was read for her soup can not representing her brand... ehh whatever, her outfit was one of the best that week. Also, Aja's girl group verse was fire and should've been what brought her back to the game. 3. BenDeLaCreme The most dominant track record in Drag Race herstory. Ben had a hard time eliminating queens, and she had to do it nearly every week! There was so many confessionals from the other queens not having patience for Ben's turmoil though. They felt like Ben was concerned about maintaining a congenial image. And Kennedy pointed out that Ben plays to win and then complains about the responsibility. Ben even came up with a formula at one point so she couldn't be blamed for eliminations. She wanted to win with "kindness and integrity". She said she stole Trixie's win. She suggested repeating the AS2 group consensus, which others weren't into. She was relieved to finally lose a challenge. While in episode 6, after Morgan called her out for not following her own policy, Ben wasn't here for the drama. I guess she brought Morgan back out of guilt. Then, Ben had reasons to keep all 3 queens in the bottom, so she fell on her sword and eliminated herself instead. Which is the most congenial thing she could've done. Ben was taking the eliminations too seriously, but her storyline was interesting to watch. In the competition: I agree with all 5 of Ben's top 2 placements. The tassel bit in the Talent Show was funny (as was her "Anaconda" lip sync afterwards). Her Julie Andrews in the Rusical stood out with the microphone bit. And then she imitated Shangela in the "Jump" lip sync lol. She had the banana bit in the Bitchelor. Her Paul Lynde in Snatch Game was as good as Maggie Smith. And she sold the goth verse in the girl groups. It felt like she was throwing the challenge in episode 5 though (the soup cans). My fave runways of hers were the flower and the jewels redo. 2. Kennedy Davenport Kennedy grew on me the most from this cast. AS3 made me appreciate her lack of filter. She's just so unpleased by everything and always gives her opinion, but she's less mean-spirited this time. For example: interjecting to say "no we should look at the whole picture", disliking Thorgy's dick drawing, getting offended by Milk calling Thorgy's drag more exciting than hers, refusing to do one-on-ones, taking Shangela's side in note-gate, calling the return twist a "crock of s**t", giving Milk like 4 different reasons why she eliminated her, making Milk cry by calling her ingenuine and self-centered, and saying it's "BS" for the jury to feel animosity. Also lol at her pronouncing meme as "mimi". I guess Kennedy wanted Ru-demption for her Season 7 perception. She wasn't a popular queen, and that seems to be why the jury voted her into the top 2. She needed the recognition the most. And Thorgy felt that her answers came off sincere. But Kennedy had the worst track record of the final 4 . In the competition: Kennedy landed on the box in the Talent Show, and she was the funniest in the Bitchelor. But she was either middling or struggling in the other challenges. She missed the words in the Rusical. While her lyrics in both the girls group and "Kitty Girl" were kinda basic. But I liked Kennedy's finale lip sync more than Trixie's. I didn't care that she gave another rainbow dress at the finale, it looked great. That entrance look with all the shimmering coins was... something though. 1. Shangela AS3 solidified Shangela as one of my all-time faves. She improves each season. She's an amazing confessionalist. She's charming in how she aims to impress. And she hustled for this win that was stolen from her. Maybe her jury answer wasn't what they wanted - she mainly talked about how much work she put in. She eliminated half the jury too. And I guess her diva attitude in the Rusical rehearsal was indicative. But she killed it in the challenges. And I actually thought she handled situations tactfully? Like the Thorgy note debacle. She also encouraged Ben to smooth things over with Morgan. Lol at her saying she won't overtalk Thorgy and Thorgy not getting a chance to respond though. Anyways, the All-Stars format was perfect for Shangela's strategic mindset, since she was already doing that in Season 3. She kept whoever she could trust to save her in a later episode. That's why she eliminated Thorgy and built an alliance with Trixie. She thought Ben and BeBe were being strategic in their own ways too. And she gave so many Games of Thrones references. In the competition: Shangela's Talent Show performance was fierce and gave variety. She killed it as Mariah Carey in the Rusical. She was confident as Jenifer Lewis in Snatch Game. She was the only one in the wedding skit that made me laugh ("she did that"). She had the best "Kitty Girl" verse. And she had fun lip sync gimmicks - the jump rope, the notebook, the fat suit and sunglasses. Her cornstalk/popcorn runway was one of my faves too. But no surprise Shangela flopped the design challenge - those discs were horrible. The pregnant flower and the red spike runways were OTT as well. And her girl group verse was a little basic. Favourite entrance look: BeBe Zahara Benet Challenge ranking: 1. "Kitty Girl" Ru-mix (Shangela >>>> Trixie > BeBe > Kennedy) 2. Talent Show 3. Girl Group battle 4. Snatch Game 5. VH1 Divas Rusical 6. The Bitchelor (Improv) 7. Andy Warhol Ball 8. "My Best Squirrelfriend's Dragmaids Wedding Trip" (Acting) Lip Sync ranking: 1. Aja vs BenDeLaCreme ("Anaconda") 2. BenDeLaCreme vs Shangela ("Jump (For My Love)") 3. Shangela vs Trixie Mattel ("Freaky Money") 4. BenDeLaCreme vs Shangela ("I Kissed A Girl") 5. Kennedy Davenport vs Trixie Mattel ("Wrecking Ball") (Kennedy should've won this lip sync) 6. BeBe Zahara Benet vs Trixie Mattel ("The Boss") 7. BeBe Zahara Benet vs BenDeLaCreme ("Nobody's Supposed To Be Here") 8. BenDeLaCreme vs Kennedy Davenport ("Green Light") (borrrrring; the song doesn't really work as a lip sync) The top 4 lip syncs are all very memorable and funny. Season ranking so far: 9 > 5 > 6 > AS2 > 4 > 2 > 7 > AS3 > 3 > 8 > 1 > AS1

[sheacouleecametoslay]

Season 9 (2017)

I've now entered the "VH1 era" of Drag Race, or what I consider to be the "mainstream era", since VH1 is a bigger network than Logo TV. I believe this was around the time Drag Race started winning Emmys too. It's also the last season to have a 42-minute runtime. And it's the first season to introduce the current finale format - the Lip Sync For The Crown. Which I have mixed opinions on. I do like the high stakes nature of it, and I understand that lip syncs are meant to be the deciding factor of who goes home every week anyways. But it renders the challenges pointless. A strong track record will get you to top 4, but if you want the crown, then lip syncing is the only skill that matters. Which can lead to the frontrunner being "robbed", and that's exactly what happens this season. The producers got lucky that Season 9's finale lip syncs were good, because that won't be the case every year. It's become all about the reveals. Despite how that finale turns out, and despite Sasha being one of my lower ranked winners, I'm actually going to declare Season 9 as my favourite Drag Race season ever. Yes, I would be a happier with a different winner, but how could you not crown Sasha after those rose petals? I live for that moment because it's so shocking. And it's become the single most iconic moment in the show's entire herstory. If the producers hadn't switched things up, then the finale would've just been a boring formality for Shea's obvious crowning. But Sasha wanted it just as badly and she gave a jaw-dropping performance to overtake the frontrunner. That's a pretty great story. Moreover, this is a stacked cast. The final 4 has three winners in it. And I'll argue that there isn't a single forgettable queen in this cast. Also, the premiere has LADY GAGA in it. I kinda love that fake out when they think she's going to be the 14th queen. And I was excited to get a Gaga-themed runway! The premiere also ends in a cliff-hanger. I would've preferred a different someone other than Cynthia to return, but there's worse options. Incidentally, this begins a three-season stretch of one returning queen being added to the cast. Season 9 has plenty of drama too, despite this being one of the nicest final 4s. Untucked was entertaining for the most part. There's Aja vs Valentina, Trinity vs Eureka, Alexis vs everyone, Nina vs Shea. This is probably the most memorable reunion too, with the whole "Fan Favourite" debacle. As for the challenges, the Gay Ball might be my favourite ball. This is just before they start shoving the ball to the beginning of the season as well. The Snatch Game is underrated; Alexis, Shea, Nina, Valentina, and Sasha all did well. Trinity had a laugh or two as well. The Kardashian Rusical went smoothly too. Alexis could've won that; and the Sasha/Trinity/Peppermint trio was a highlight. The "Category Is" ru-mix is the best ru-mix. It would've been unfair to eliminate anybody after that one. The only bad challenge was the cheerleading one since it lead to injuries. I couldn't keep tracking of what was going on it either. The morning talk shows were underwhelming too. This was not a great season for lip syncs though, although the bad ones (Charlie and Valentina) were certainly memorable. "I'd like to keep it on please". I've decided to reorganize my notes and separate my personal thoughts from the competition summary.

Queens Ranking: 14. Eureka O'Hara I sympathize with the medical evacuation, and when she cried in front of Lady Gaga, but Eureka was unbearable this season. Even during the entrances, it's like she always had something to say ("is this all fake or is it real... I meant your personality"). She openly blamed Trinity's leadership for their challenge loss, just because they had outside drama. She wanted to do ghetto accents and was immediately shut down. She got all passive aggressive about raising her hand. She constantly talked over people and interrupted them. She acted like she was always right. And she made an eating disorder joke to Valentina, and when Sasha called her out on it, Eureka had the nerve to play the victim; saying that Sasha made her look like a bad person. Sure she apologized next episode, but whatever. In the competition: I will begrudging admit that Eureka is a capable performer. She didn't let her injury stop her in the cheerleading or the Rusical. Her trashy runways weren't my thing though (the Hometown one and the sewage princess). Her faux fur was unappealing too. I liked her Gaga "Telephone" look though. 13. Charlie Hides Aside from her infamous lip sync "performance", Charlie is the least memorable Season 9 queen. She had a heavy moment talking about the AIDS epidemic too. But we never got to see the "rude crude socially unacceptable over the top" celebrity impersonator she teased in her intro. It just seemed like Charlie wasn't even trying this season. She had a defeatist attitude because of her age, even muffling it in her intro. She tried to micromanage Cynthia during the talk show planning, even directing Cynthia while it was being filmed. And lol at her telling Eureka to shut up in Untucked. In the competition: Charlie thought she was too old for cheerleading; plus her "Boozy" intro was half-hearted. She tripped over her words in the talk show and awkwardly tried to end the interview. While during the lip sync, she just stood there and did nothing, because they don't lip sync in London. She gave 0 effort. She later blamed it on a cracked rib from the cheerleading, but she got called out for her excuses at the reunion. I liked Charlie's looks though  - the big glasses entrance, the Gaga one, and I think she was overlooked in the princess challenge ("cunning linguist!"). 12. Jaymes Mansfield Jaymes' puppet entrance with that puppet voice was an instant "no" from me. I guess I'm not into campy queens. But I felt bad for Jaymes. Her storyline was about being unsure of herself. Even the other queens didn't have faith in her. Nina called her an "underdog" and Cynthia said picking her for a team was "community service". Jaymes was then taken aback by the negative critiques, and let it all out in Untucked. She explained how drag is her outlet to be more confident, but it wasn't materializing on the show. I relate to what she was going through, but performing requires confidence. In the competition: Jaymes switched roles with Alexis after fumbling rehearsal. She then looked anxious during the cheerleading performance and her somersaults didn't impress. I also didn't like her cow and sleepy Gaga runways. 11. Valentina Valentina was a contender until "I'd like to keep in on please" happened. Although I think she was praised in the wrong challenges. And at the reunion she was exposed for being fake and not taking responsibility for her toxic fans. During the show, she acted like a "nice girl" to the other queens and was a friend to Farrah in Untucked. She played a character in confessionals too - as this soft-spoken, pretentious artist. Her confessionals were so forced though - like smiling during cheerleading, praying to Guadalupe, the "I'm focused" hand motions, and blowing her nails. I rolled my eyes at the whole Guadalupe candle thing. She also wore sunglasses to cover her shaved eyebrows. Valentina had complete control over her image and composure on the show. It felt deceptive. In the competition: Valentina had gorgeous runways - the mariachi Hometown, the wedding dress, the faux fur, and the hair flowers. The Madonna censorship one was unique too. But I think her drag inexperience storyline is why she was an early favourite. Although she did maintain high energy in the cheerleading and gave reaction shots (+"I'm also corny"). It's the princess challenge placement I disagree with. But I liked her Miss Colombia in Snatch Game and her weird Roast jokes. And she surprised in the Reading mini-challenge. But then she wore a mask to cover up not knowing the words to "Greedy" and that was that... 10. Farrah Moan Farrah was known for constantly whining with that whiny voice. Like when she felt helpless looking for a work station in the premiere. Or when she had to sew an outfit. Or sobbing in Untucked after her negative critiques. Or crying when Eureka left. Or groaning with "Oh don't say that Ru." But her whining seemed harmless and nontoxic to me. They also showed her staring off into space in confessional lol. And freaking out over Gaga. And filling Valentina in on the Kardashian gossip. While at the Reunion, Farrah exposed Valentina for being a fake friend. I didn't mind Farrah though. In the competition: Farrah's runways were often polished - the Hometown headdress, the nightie, the Superbowl Madonna. I even liked the Gaga Alejandro one. But she struggled in the challenges. The princess outfit looked homemade and she looked down at a script. She messed up the handclaps in the Rusical. She was forgettable in Snatch Game. And she sighed a lot during the Roast and her jokes were too obvious. Although, she was underrated in 9021-Ho, where she got to play a whiny character lol. 9. Cynthia Lee Fontaine Shangela being brought back made sense - she proved herself the second time around. Cynthia, however, didn't really improve in Season 9? She's the same high energy chatterbox we saw in Season 8. Except this time, she inserts her "cucu" catchphrase as many times as possible. Almost like she's promoting her brand. That got really annoying. But her Season 9 stint is more memorable at least. Her origin story of "cucu" was funny. As was her speech about Eureka's broken chair. She went through a lot too, between surviving cancer and missing the night of the Pulse club attack. And she always had a positive and fun spirit on the show. In the competition: Cynthia's issue was playing Cynthia in every challenge. It worked for the cheerleading (where she had good energy) and the talk show (with the ESL grammar). But her impersonations of Kim Kardashian and Sofia Vergara were... yeah. Her Rusical lip syncing was something. And she just rambled on in the Snatch Game. 8. Aja Aja came in very confident, but she turned out to be overhyped. Shea made a comment about social media queens without the filters. And yeah, Aja was read for her make-up. Despite having a high fashion mindset and making her own outfits, she flopped a runway challenge too. Which lead to her spiraling mentally, because she was so confident about it. She had to come to terms that she wasn't a top contender. She then nastily lashed out at Valentina and Farrah on Untucked out of nowhere. She really resented Valentina's favouritism. And she threw another fit over her originally assigned role in 9021-Ho. While at the Reunion, she questioned Valentina's Miss C win. I think Aja took things too seriously and put too much pressure on herself. She got annoyed about Nina's attitude at one point too. While Sasha/Farrah confronted her early on about being loud and ignoring. In the competition: Aja's princess concept was lost on the judges (I thought Farrah was worse though). She was forgettable in the Rusical. Her and Valentina's segment in the talk show was a mess. And her acting in 9021-Ho was lacking compared to everyone else. I was let down by her runways too. The hoop skirt was the best one. She slayed both lip syncs though, including the one that sent her home! 7. Sasha Velour Imagine winning an entire season because of rose petals. Sasha sure made a memorable entrance with that scream. Her eating disorder story and being a bald queen because of her mother's cancer are both touching moments. But I mostly like Sasha for her runways and finale lip syncs. Outside of that, she comes off highbrow, creating overly complicated concepts. Like "deconstructing" the rainbow flag or putting a birdcage on her head or her intellectual humour. She's so serious outside of the challenges too. Every time an important real life story came up in the Werk Room, it would cut to a Sasha confessional where she'd talk about it. Still, she stuck up for Nina until the final 6. She also supported Aja in that one Untucked (despite calling her "loud" in the previous one). And she does have her own style. In the competition: Is Sasha the only winner to have 0 solo wins? Both of her wins are shared with Shea. She didn't even win design challenges, although I think she should've won the Makeover. Her Gaga "Applause" look, Erotica Madonna, punk rock hair, the house under the hat, and the unicorn runways stood out the most to me. The basic cowboy outfit cost her the Ball win. As far as the comedy challenges go, I just didn't get why her Marlene Dietrich in Snatch Game was funny? Her Roast had the "the thrill of just standing there" joke, but she bombed a couple jokes. She had the self-doubt story in the princess challenge, but the outfit cost her there. And her one low placement was trying too hard in 9021-Ho. 6. Alexis Michelle Alexis overstayed, but she was so ridiculous that I can't even take her seriously. She was so hungry for a challenge win and she got the delusional edit. Shea convinced her she could pull off any role. She fought Jaymes for "Floozy" and later fought Peppermint for an announcer role. She disagreed with the top 3 in almost every Untucked. She called a meeting to blame everyone for her bad outfit (annoying Farrah in the process). She gave unsolicited pointers during the 9021-Ho challenge. She got offended by fat jokes, and Ru called her out for dishing it and not taking it. She asked Tamar Braxton if she watches the show. She insinuated she was the producer for her team's pilot and took credit for Trinity's character name. She even picked a fight with Sasha at the final 5. And thought Sasha/Shea said her name to go home because she's competition. Alexis just had this very blunt, firm, assertive way of talking. Even Eureka had issues with her. But I value the entertainment she brought. In the competition: Alexis had basic runways - the Hometown handwritten messages, the faux fur, the Makeover, all 3 Ball looks. Even if she "nearly went blind" stoning the Native American one. She was definitely a stand-out in the Rusical as Kris Jenner and in the Snatch Game as Liza Minnelli. And I almost put her high for 9021-Ho. But subway/tadpole fish princess... really? And she painted herself green with a Jersey accent in the Roast. The little hat in the lip sync was fun though. 5. Trinity "The Tuck" Taylor Trinity wanted to disassociate herself from pageant queen stereotypes, and she succeeded. She was super competitive and gave off this cold, stern, firm, standoffish demeanour. She blamed it on the Botox lol. She was unsympathetic for the eliminated queens, and when she told Nina that lip syncing is her job/obligation. She got riled up when Aja came for her Madonna look. She said "whatever" to Valentina's win. She was called a dictator as team leader; with how she assigned roles and made people raise hands. I don't think it's fair to blame team leaders for other's bad performances though. She wanted to punch Eureka and later shut her down in Untucked. And she was over Nina. Trinity claimed that her bluntness came from kindness/helpfulness, but I'm not so sure. Lol at her not knowing what edges are though ("like when you mow grass?"). Still, Trinity was strong in challenges. She only cared about winning, but unapologetically so? In the competition: Trinity was multi-talented, excelling in both design and comedy challenges. She had memorable expressions during the cheerleading lifts. She had fun with the princess challenge. She stole the scene in 9021-Ho. I thought Sister Mary Koont was the funniest character in the pilots. Her America Horror Story Gaga and cop outfit were great runways too. On the flip side, Trinity was robotic in the talk show and her roast had few laughs. But she fought hard in the "I Wanna Go" lip sync. 4. Kimora Blac "Kimora Blac is everyone's sexual preference"; "what's a bloomer?"; "stoning is for ugly girls"; "what's an adjective?"; "Thank god I'm pretty"; "American's Next Top Sweatshop" 💀Kimora had this conceited and elitist persona; like she's above everyone else. And she talked so much s**t in confessionals; like about Aja's bragging or Eureka's sewer princess idea or Cynthia's "cucu". She thought cartwheeling went out of fashion after the 80s. She had other people make her outfits for her. She had a sob story about padding. And she was shocked to be marked as low as Jaymes. But the thing is - Kimora was a completely different person on Untucked. She gave a sweet goodbye to the entire group, and to Farrah in particular. So clearly Kimora was just playing a character for TV, and I found her hilarious. In the competition: Kimora had weak tumbles in the cheerleading. It felt like she would rather be doing anything other than that funky monkey. And I didn't like her sailor runway either. 3. Nina Bo'nina Brown Nina's negativity - her depression, self-doubt, and defeatism - was a major focus of the season. She thought others were against her, and it became this conspiracy theory. She had an attitude when she didn't get Blac Chyna in the Rusical and when Jennie Garth directed her in 9021-Ho. She blamed herself for Valentina's exit. She didn't feel the need to unpack her stuff. She overheard other conversations and assumed they were talking about her. She accused Shea in Untucked for doing that when we never saw it happen. At the reunion, she said they edited out. She kept mentioning how Shea was the frontrunner. The entire final 6 got tired of Nina. Their help wasn't working and she wouldn't stop being negative. Farrah also asked if she wanted to be there. Nina just wouldn't believe other people's positive words. Partly because Trinity and Peppermint (in separate episodes) hesitated to pick her for teams. I get it through. When I see myself negatively, I assume others see me the same way. And I get how Nina's unwillingness to change became draining to others. In the competition: Nina brought a unique style, even if it was arts and crafts at times. She impressed instantly with the Georgia peach and the VMAs Gaga runways. I also liked her Mickey Mouse entrance, the alien princess, the naughty nighties, and the Mary J Blige faux fur. But she faltered with the bunny Makeover. Otherwise, Nina carried her team in the talk show, she channeled Jasmine Masters in Snatch Game, and her church lady in the Roast was fine. But the TV pilot with Valentina made no sense, and her 9021-Ho acting was bumpy. She pulled through in the lip syncs until she gave up in the last one - she knew Shea wasn't losing, so why bother? 2. Peppermint The true congenial queen of Season 9. Peppermint served likeable, friendly, genuine energy. She seemed well-loved by the other queens. She tried to talk rationally with Alexis after the latter's Untucked rant. She had a heartwarming coming out as trans moment. Her story about being detained in Russia was scary too. She tried to give everyone the role they wanted in 9021-Ho, even if Aja was unhappy with hers. And Peppermint's confessionals were filled with personality, from reacting to Sasha's scream to imitating duct tape sounds to "I... can... not believe... what... they are asking us to do" to "Now you look like a bitch, playing a bitch, in the last scene." She also wasn't hesitant to speak up either, like when she disputed Alexis's producer claim. In the competition: Peppermint had the rockiest track record of the final 4. Her lows included stumbling over words in the talk show (that basic nightie should've put her bottom 2), being unable to keep character as Nene Leakes in Snatch Game, and her first two Ball looks. The leather one was great though. Her highs included using the pilot light story, embodying Britney Spears in the Rusical, and nailing the set-up/punchline format in the Roast. She kinda ate in "Category Is" as well. And Peppermint was the Lip Sync Assassin of Season 9 - both "Music" and "Macho Man" were fun. 1. Shea Couleé The narrator of Season 9 and one of the strongest competitors in the show's herstory. Shea was robbed by the new finale format. She exuded so much natural confidence, while never seeming overly stressed over the competition either. She was chill for the most part... until Nina accused her of talking behind her back. Shea denied it and shut the conversation down. She had built Nina up multiple times by showing tough love, so she felt hurt when Nina came for her. I get Shea's frustrations - it's draining when someone isn't receptive to your help, and I do believe she had the right intentions, but maybe the wrong approach. But yeah, Shea's main storyline was her relationship with Nina. She defended Nina to Farrah too. She also defended Sasha in fights and gave Alexis some constructive criticism about the green thing. In the competition: Shea slayed almost every challenge. She has 4 wins - two of which were for having good chemistry with Sasha; while her two solo wins include Blac Chyna in the Rusical, and the Gay Ball. Her construction worker outfit is probably my fave look of the season. The rainbow graffiti was good too. Shea was also one of the top performers for the cheerleading, as Naomi Campbell in Snatch Game, the older lady in 9021-Ho, that Nina joke in the Roast, and the quick rapping in "Category Is". The hotdog headpiece in the premiere was memorable too. I also liked her faux fur, the club kid, and final 4 runways. Her one time in the bottom was for her Makeover partner's floppy wig. Favourite entrance: Shea Couleé Challenge ranking: 1. "Category Is" Ru-mix (Shea > Peppermint > Sasha > Trinity) 2. Michelle Visage Roast 3. Gayest Ball 4. Snatch Game 5. Kardashian: The Rusical 6. Hometown/Lady Gaga Pageant 7. "9021-HO" (Acting) 8. TV pilot adverts 9. Crew member Makeover 10. Fairytale Princess/Sassy Sidekick (Design) (so weird) 11. Morning Talk Shows 12. Cheerleading (unsafe) Lip Sync ranking: 1. Sasha Velour vs Shea Couleé ("So Emotional") 2. Aja vs Nina Bo'nina Brown ("Finally") 3. Cynthia Lee Fontaine vs Peppermint ("Music") 4. Peppermint vs Trinity Taylor ("Stronger") 5. Alexis Michelle vs Peppermint ("Macho Man") 6. Aja vs Kimora Blac ("Holding Out For A Hero") 7. Sasha Velour vs Peppermint ("It's Not Right But It's Okay") 8. Alexis Michelle vs Farrah Moan ("Baby I'm Burnin'") 9. Charlie Hides vs Trinity Taylor ("I Wanna Go") (Trinity killed it) 10. Nina Bo'nina Brown vs Valentina ("Greedy") (iconic) 11. Top 4 Lip Sync ("U Wear It Well") 12. Jaymes Mansfield vs Kimora Blac ("Love Shack") 13. Shea Couleé vs Nina Bo'nina Brown ("Cool For The Summer") (both could've done more) 14. Cynthia Lee Fontaine vs Farrah Moan ("Woman Up") Season ranking so far: 9 > 5 > 6 > AS2 > 4 > 2 > 7 > 3 > 8 > 1 > AS1

[sheacouleecametoslay]

All Stars 2 (2016)

Look up any Drag Race season ranking online, and most of them will put All-Stars 2 at #1. I don't personally agree with that, but it's still in my top 5. Maybe I just like the regular seasons more? Or maybe my expectations were too high for this? Or maybe the Alaska rigging is too obvious. I mean, the producers cast all of Ro-Laska-Tox together, plus two more from Season 5, and they introduced the lipstick twist. You can't tell me that wasn't indented to help Alaska out. Literally half of this cast is from Season 5. And she's just not the most exciting winner to me. The lipstick twist changed the entire format of the show. Instead of the bottom 2 lip syncing for their lives, the top 2 lip synced for the win. The winner of which chooses which of the bottom queens to eliminate. They do so by revealing the lipstick that has that person's name written on it. The AS2 queens collectively agreed to base their decisions off of the judge's critiques. Except Tatianna and Alyssa who went with their own way. I mean, I don't care what criteria they use. The twist is meant to spice things up. If they want to be strategic about it, or save their friends, or look at the track record, they're free to do whatever. But it's funny how that agreement to stick to critiques didn't matter when Alaska was in the bottom. So why is AS2 so highly rated? Well, maybe it's because AS1 was so disappointing that this season gave the fans what they wanted. I also think it's because of the casting - these are some of the biggest names to ever compete on Drag Race. I don't dislike anybody here - even Ginger and Roxxxy improved. It's probably the most talented cast they ever had as well. The challenges were great too. Although I think the Snatch Games is overrated - only Alaska, Katya and Alyssa were funny. But other than that, the Talent Show and the Ru-mix make their first appearances. I love the Talent Show because it's the perfect opportunity for the queens to show who they are. I can understand why Adore and Coco got so emotional about being in the bottom for it - this is their livelihood being judged. The Ru-mix is also a welcomed change from the music video challenges. Furthermore, the Rusical didn't have a single bad performance, although I've seen people say Katya was screwed over with her role. And the family Makeover lead to some emotional moments. I guess the Shequels and the stand-up routines were the most disappointing. The other big twist from AS2 is the return of the eliminated queens. At the end of episode 4, Jaremi talked s**t about Alyssa, and then the mirror lit up to reveal the eliminated queens staring back. It's definitely an iconic moment. Then the next episode continues with the biggest fight of the season, between Alyssa and Jaremi. I'm glad we got one more episode with the early boots. And I'm glad Tatianna and Alyssa re-entered the game - they were eliminated too soon. I was bummed out when Coco left first too. Otherwise, the latex runway was my fave runway. And we're now in the Todrick Hall era of Drag Race. I can't think of a reason why he isn't there anymore. 🤔 But yeah, this season is still missing something for me to put it head of Seasons 5 and 6.

Queens Ranking: 10. Ginger Minj Ginger wanted to disprove Season 7's lousy reputation, but she couldn't keep up with the All-Stars from other seasons. Her comedy wasn't as good this time. In the Talent Show, she knew how to properly sing, even if I didn't love the song. But she was invisible in Episode 2. And then she got frustrated for being "safe" in the first two challenges, thinking she slayed the runway and the Snatch Game as Tammy Faye (she didn't). While in the Rusical, she made the same faces she always does. But I think she was put in the bottom 2 because of her bad runway. She also thought Alyssa felt threatened by her lol. Still, Ginger was fun at times - "Come on All-Stars let's get this... over with", throwing shade at Violet's win (the corsets remark), and mistaking Tatianna for Morgan McMichaels. But then her storyline became all about her BFF Katya and she contradicted herself over it. She didn't want to send Katya home, but then said Katya didn't show enough fight. While in the revenge episode, she called Alyssa's reasoning "bulls**t", but then said she wouldn't have let Katya go home... 9. Jaremi Carey (FKA Phi Phi O'Hara) Jaremi spent AS2 addressing his Season 4 backlash. He explained that he felt threatened by Sh*ron's style. But as the season went on, it became clear that he wasn't getting redemption. His storyline was that he hadn't changed at all. He played mind games again by making others doubt themselves. He refused to do one-on-ones (which annoyed Detox). He refused to "beg". And he feuded with Alyssa, like he once did with Sh*rn. He didn't like Alyssa's Werk Room antics, that the judges were showing favouritism towards her, or her decision to save Katya (since it went against the group agreement... and that he'd be eliminated by her reasoning). Jaremi was firm in his stance to eliminate queens off of critiques. And then there's the revenge episode, where he accused Alyssa of "acting like a child" and "playing the victim" during their fight, when she did neither. He also refused Alyssa's hug after being eliminated. Post-show, Jaremi has blamed the edit, but I still didn't like him that episode. Otherwise, he kicked off the Reading challenge savagely. His Future of Drag cosplay runway was amazing. His rockstar Helen of Troy in the Rusical was fun. And he slayed the acting challenge with those body movements. His Snatch Game was overrated though. And he brought back that cringe Latina character for the stand-up. 8. Adore Delano Adore's meltdown sure took up a lot of screen time. We got to see her entire thought process on the matter. It stemmed from Michelle's harsh critiques, and apparently guest judge Raven-Symoné crossing the line. The edit only showed the critiques on her outfit, and nothing about her singing performance - which improved once the chorus hit. I was indifferent about the outfit. Adore was very disheartened about being in the bottom right away though. It shook her confidence. It was a step backwards for her growth. It felt personal because she wrote the song. Her "90s grunge" drag style was already being misunderstood. And the power dynamics between Adore and Michelle had changed. Michelle defended her words as pushing Adore outside her comfort zone. But maybe that's a flaw with the show - why not let the queens stick to their styles, even if Adore's is seen as "messy" or "lazy". I got her entrance look. And if she needed to quit for her mental health; if she was unhappy being on reality TV and would rather do her own thing; I don't blame her for it. 7. Roxxxy Andrews Unlike Jaremi, Roxxxy got her redemption edit. She's actually kind of chill in AS2. She tried so hard to not be that evil person from Season 5 again. She claimed she did it to sabotage Jinkx. Roxxxy started strong by winning the first episode thanks to her burlesque reveals. She then stuck to the critiques agreement at the expense of her friend Coco. She also did well in the Rusical. But... Roxxxy was in the bottom in literally every other episode, usually being saved by Alaska or Detox. And almost every time, she didn't believe she was the worst in the challenge. So about that... her Alaska impression in Snatch Game was a choice, she didn't stand out in the Shequel, she wasn't even trying in the stand-up (stumbling over words and repeatedly saying she sucks), the wig glue ad could've gone further, she outshined her mother in the Makeover, and she had the weakest "Read U Wrote U" verse. Still, Roxxxy's latex and Two Outfits in One runways were good, and her Top 4 outfit was beautiful. 6. Alaska Chad Michaels Pt II. Alaska was so focused on winning AS2... to the point where she was only entertaining in the challenges. And then she threw a fit after finally flopping one, sounding entitled over it ("I NEED IT"). She also got paranoid of Katya being another Jinkx lol. She did deliver in the challenges though, even if she kept using that voice. Her Mae West in Snatch Game was so natural. She knew her character for the Baby Jane skit. Her delayed one-word responses in the stand-up were funny. Her patronizing tape ad was a good concept (even if Alyssa's ad was funnier). Her "Read U Wrote U" verse was well-written. And she started the season strong, with the memorable trash bag entrance and by winning the Reading mini-challenge. Alaska should've been bottom 2 in the Rusical though for missing the words. Oh, and she always had a gimmick for the lip syncs - the leg in "Le Freak", the doll make-up in "Got to Be Real", the US flag in "Cherry Bomb", smearing her make-up in the finale. Not to mention that "HIEEE" banner in the Makeover ugh. Otherwise, Alaska's storyline was not letting Sh*ron or Ro-Laska-Tox be her pitfalls this time. She can say saving Roxxxy wasn't favouritism, but I don't buy it. The borrowed top thing sounded like an excuse. Anyways, my favourite runway of hers this season was the latex one. 5. Coco Montrese I still love Coco, even if she didn't do much in AS2. What we got is a toned down version of her Season 5 personality. Partly because her elimination was overshadowed by Adore's meltdown (which I know isn't Coco's fault). But she wasn't starting drama this time. She also flopped the Reading challenge. Her dance routine in the Talent Show was dull. And while she had some fun moments like the Doritos pocket mirror in her entrance, shading Roxxxy's make-up, saying "girl find the note" or "that hug was like Obama hugging Donald Trump"... I was left wanting more. Otherwise, Coco counted on her friendship with Roxxxy to save her, which didn't happen. And then she didn't choose Roxxxy to be her partner in the comeback challenge lol. The cheesy chips joke was the only thing that stand-up routine had. 4. Detox I liked Detox more in AS2. She seemed to be enjoying herself more, and had a better sense of who she is. There was a personal reason for that change, which she explained in the Makeover episode. But yeah, Detox can throw some fun shade. At least she owned up to saving Roxxxy out of friendship, unlike Alaska. And her latex and silvery robot runways were two of my faves this season. She had some meh challenge moments though - giving another unfunny Nancy Grace in Snatch Game, but at least she was committed to being abrasive? Aside from Alyssa making her break character at one point. The trash can advert was a weak concept. And I didn't get why the judges were living for her glow paint Talent Show; although I imagine that's what you'd see at a Detox show. Still, her Marie Antoinette expressions put her in the top 2 for the Rusical. She was decent in the zombie skit with Katya. Her Makeover looked creative. And she did all those alliterations in the stand-up. Detox sure loved to show her ass this season too, even bringing back the corset in the "Step It Up" lip sync. 3. Tatianna Tatianna's time in the competition felt too short. She was top 2 in the first challenge thanks to that erotic spoken word monologue. But in the next episode, her timid Ariana Grande in Snatch Game was messy; even breaking character at one point and singing silently... although that's still better than Roxxxy's Alaska impression. Tati said she was nervous about her fellow Season 2 queens being there. As for her second elimination, her tea advert had a solid concept (even Marcus Lemonis said so), she just needed more conviction. But of course Alaska sent her home over Roxxxy. Anyways, I love how Tatianna just calls like it she see it. Like saying "Oh you mean everyone thinking you're a bitch" to Jaremi. Or when she disagreed with the entire room to say she'll use her own reasoning to eliminate someone, and pointing out the strategic side. Or knowing full-well that Alaska wouldn't save her (both times). Tatianna also felt the pressure to live up to the modern standards of the show. Like don't just disregard someone for being old school. She broke down after the Snatch Game because of it. Otherwise, her T-Boz runway was great. And she had that "I used to have braces" (manly voice) punchline in the stand-up. 2. Katya The narrator is back! F**k Alaska's track record, Katya should've won AS2. She can just throw out comedic responses so effortlessly. Bjork was the perfect character for her in Snatch Game. I enjoyed her in the zombie skit (she didn't need to be bottom 3 for that). In the advert, the demonic voice and passed out poses were hilarious. I thought she had the best Makeover. And her "Read U Wrote U" verse was fire. Sure, Katya flopped the Rusical as an aggro Princess Diana (and for cutting the train), but what could she have done with that role? She accepted defeat afterwards, but I'm glad Alyssa saved her. Katya's storyline was about letting go of the anxiety from Season 7. And yeah, I felt like she was free and fearless this season, even relishing in the idea of eliminating others. I liked that she showcased her Russian character more this time as well. And she would've eliminated Roxxxy at the end! Twice! I wish Katya could've won a lip sync though. She had some fun moments like air guitaring her leg in "Cherry Bomb" or the "henny" part in "Step It Up". As for her runways, the underwater latex one was my fave. Also: "Party" caught me off guard. 1. Alyssa Edwards The walking catchphrase machine is back! "I need, I need, I need, I need..."; "girl we have buried the hatch"; "rigga morris"; "you can be a monster, a gila monster or a beast"; "rowdy rowdy and think you're a bowdy bowdy bitch"; "the rooster has done cock-a-doodle-doodle-doo woke us wide awake"; "5th alternate/4th runner-up". I just love the way Alyssa talks. She ran wild this season. Her Talent Show performance was so Alyssa. Ru was laughing hysterically at her Joan Crawford in Snatch Game (how was she not top 3?) She stole the show in the Rusical as Annie Oakley ("BANG BANG"). Her stand-up killed because of her delivery and expressions ("Buffoonery, riggory, and straight-up tomfoolery!"; "BEAST!") And her energy drink ad was funny, with how she zoomed across screen. I'm just sad she missed the Ru-mix. She only flopped the Baby Jane skit, giving flashbacks to her Season 5 telenovela. Also, I thought Alyssa was the best lip sync performer of AS2. She had an emotional moment in the family episode. And she ignored the group agreement by basing her eliminations off of consistency. I don't think she was "playing the victim" with Jaremi either, but she might have misunderstood his intentions. My fave runway: maybe the latex kisses. The flashing cameras were a cool idea too. Favourite entrance: Adore Delano (it works for me) Challenge ranking: 1. "Read U Wrote U" Ru-mix (Katya > Alaska > Detox > Roxxxy) 2. Talent Show 3. "HERstory of the World" (Rusical) 4. Merchandise adverts 5. Snatch Game 6. "Family That Drags Together" Makeover (mostly for the family interactions) 7. Stand-up routine 8. "Drag Movie Shequels" (Acting) Lip Sync ranking: 1. Alyssa Edwards vs Tatianna ("Shut Up And Drive") 2. Alyssa Edwards vs Detox ("Tell It To My Heart") 3. Alaska vs Jaremi/Phi Phi ("Got To Be Real") 4. Alaska vs Katya ("Le Freak") 5. Alaska vs Katya ("Cherry Bomb") 6. Detox vs Katya ("Step It Up") 7. Roxxxy Andrews vs Tatianna ("Shake It Off") (it's the most forgettable one) 8. Top 3 Lip Sync ("If I Were Your Woman") Season ranking so far: 5 > 6 > AS2 > 4 > 2 > 7 > 3 > 8 > 1 > AS1

[sheacouleecametoslay]

Season 8 (2016)

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I preferred Season 7 over Season 8. I just don't care about 50% of this cast, although luckily they're the first 6 boots. The fact that there was a Double Sashay Away says it all. Naysha Lopez didn't need to be brought back either. Plus Acid and Robbie don't come across as natural villains, although Derrick definitely does. Also, this is basically just Bob's coronation season. The runways were stronger the previous year. The Shade Tree twist was a gigantic flop. Untucked was pretty boring aside from a few moments, like Naysha getting annoyed at Chi Chi. And I think Season 8 suffers from being too short - it feels like a mini-season. And it's kind of a forgettable season. On the bright side, I will say that the judging seems fairer this time. The only challenge winner I disagreed with was the Book Ball. Speaking of that Book Ball, the baby and the mama themes were whatever, but the last category had some strong looks. The challenges were better overall though, and there's some talented queens here. The "Empire" parodies were so funny. "Bitch Perfect" was one of the better Rusicals. The Snatch Game wasn't my favourite, but Bob saves it. It's also the Snatch Game where Ru got mad at the celebrity guests' answers. The Final 6 once again forces the pairs with the most drama to work together for the policital advert. We really gotta do these political challenges every 4 seasons huh? So the cast size was shrunk down because the producers needed exactly 12 more contestants to reach a series total of 100; with Derrick Barry being that 100th queen to enter the Werk Room. The premiere was also the 100th episode, so it was a milestone episode. To commemorate this, the photoshoot incoperated the previous winners, excluding Bianca who was replaced by a clown. While the first maxi-challenge was a greatest hits collection of all the past design challenges. The rollerskate runway was interesting. The Madonna runway was a notorious flop. Season 8 had some drama too. Episode 5 starts off with Bob and Derrick trying to out-read each other. The Final 5 involves an explosion between Derrick and Naomi. Thorgy becomes fixated on Bob as the season progresses. And Acid tries to undermine Chi Chi in Episode 2. But once Derrick was gone, that final 4 was so friendly with each other lol. Also, "Rectangle girls of the world" is now stuck in my head.

Queens Ranking: 12. Acid Betty Acid was too deliberate as a villain... I want reality TV conflict to at least *seem* believable. She was just a villain for the sake of being a villain. She called the previous winners "wannabe drag queens", she disliked Trixie's make-up, she said Snatch Game sucks, she talked back to the judges, and she played mind games in the singing challenge. She also fought with team leader Chi Chi in episode 2 because Chi Chi wasn't prioritizing the choreo. The funniest part was Jamal Sims saying she's a team player. But it just felt like Acid was stirring the pot because she could; while displaying this devious smirk all season and being condescending. In her final episode, she talked about being ostracized in the drag scene, but Thorgy's comments at the start of the season made it sound like she brought it on herself. Anyways, Acid was actually a contender here. Her Money Ball look was well-made, she gave all those faces in the Rusical, and her multiple personality acting in "Empire" was good. She also brought a unique acid trip aesthetic to the runway, as seen in her neon and roller girl looks. The spider headpiece one was memorable too. But then she had no jokes as Nancy Grace in Snatch Game, and that was that. 11. Naysha Lopez Should've stayed a first boot. Naysha was both bland and unhappy. In the premiere, her intro didn't tell us who she is, she whined about having to do a sewing challenge, and she talked about pageants. Her Drag on a Dime look was horrendous too, and it was the first garment she ever made. Upon her return, she initially miscast roles as a team leader. She was fine in that "Empire" sketch though. Then next episode, she came up with the shapes idea, got mad at Acid for giving an opinion on the shapes idea, and got annoyed at Chi Chi interrupting her judges critique. While in the actual performance, one of Naysha's "rectangle girls of the world" was out of sync. In the lip syncs, she did a bunch of clapping for "Applause" and a bunch of cartwheels for "Call Me"; with her wig falling off in the latter. 10. Robbie Turner I was ready to rank Robbie down here before I even knew about the Uber driver hoax. She spent the season giving these vicious remarks in confessional ("I'm gonna tell you a story about flats. No."). She also tried to come for Sh*ron during the photoshoot. But she lacked charisma to pull it off. Her drag style was inspired by old Hollywood, but none of her looks wowed me. She wore some lingerie in her entrance and she bombed both design challenges. She forgot to pick a theme for herself in the first one and in the end, her Bitch Ball look had no shape - she should've been bottom 2 for that. While her Cowardly Lion Makeover just looked like a bunch of fabric slapped together. As for the performance challenges, Robbie was up and down. She was funny in the Rusical, but her multiple personalities in "Empire" were off; despite her being an actress. Then her punk rock voice won the singing challenge, but her Diana Vreeland in Snatch Game was forgettable. She also lip synced on rollerblades; breaking a light and falling off stage in the process. While in her second lip sync, she made the game-ending mistake of taking her wig off. 9. Laila McQueen Laila's "gothy rockstar" style could've been interesting, but her storyline was that she lacked self-confidence. She basically crawled into a ball for the photoshoot. I didn't think her first runway was that bad though? And she showed fight in the first lip sync with the sexy poses on the floor and headbanging her wig around. In the next episode, she was salty about being in the bottom 2 over some other queens. So she needed to prove herself in the Rusical to stand out from the pack... which she completely failed to do. Her role was pretty forgettable. I also didn't like her green sea Movie Premiere outfit. And then her second lip sync performance didn't match the song, where she stripped down to "I Will Survive"... CRINGE.   8. Dax ExclamationPoint Much like Laila, I had hopes for Dax's cosplaying, superhero inspired looks. But she never delivered. That Hello Kitty thing looked tacky and her Movie Premiere dress was whatever. In the Rusical, Dax overthought in rehearsal and didn't practice overnight, and she wasn't even trying in the final performance. She "won" the lip sync, but her removing the yellow part of her dress and twirling it around was pointless. As if she was thinking "oh Laila did a tearaway I should do one too!" 💀 Otherwise, Dax found her confidence through drag. She was shady when commenting on Derrick's runway and shady when forgetting Laila's name. She also got upset that no one told her that her butt padding was bad! That's about all I got. 7. Cynthia Lee Fontaine "Her landmark verdict of legalizing sex" lol. I was surprised that Cynthia won Miss C since she left so early. I guess that's why they brought her back for Season 9. She had a smaller presence on Season 8 though. From the start, I got the impression that she was this high energy chatterbox that keeps saying "cucu". But then on Untucked, Bob and Naomi commented on how likeable Cynthia is, and yeah I agree she's likeable enough. Her runways weren't the most polished though. In the first episode, she glued some candy to a bodice and it looked messy at the bottom. And her basic cowgirl outfit in episode 3 was picked apart by everyone. Still, Cynthia had good energy in the Rusical... and kicked her shoe towards a ceiling light. But then she didn't understand her characterization in the "Empire" challenge. She fought in that lip synch against Robbie though. 6. Thorgy Thor She's a talented queen, she's an artist, and she was an early contender. But Thorgy kind of spiraled as the season went on. She had a very strong start - that red cake dress should've been top 3, she was a stand-out in the Rusical, and she would've 1000% won the "Empire" challenge if Bob wasn't on the season. And it was that challenge loss in particular that got to her. Thorgy was obsessed with Bob from that point on, feeling like she was playing second fiddle to her. It happened again in Snatch Game, where Thorgy threw out some dark jokes as Michael Jackson, but it wasn't enough to beat Bob. She also clashed with Bob in the singing challenge, believing that she knew what she was doing with songwriting. And towards the end, Thorgy got annoyed at Chi Chi slacking off in the Makeover, and was confident that Chi Chi and Derrick were the next to go. I think Thorgy was a little too serious and pushed the bar too high for herself. Her ultimate undoing was the political ad, where she was too scatterbrained and the end result was lacking. Otherwise, Thorgy's mother's death story was emotional. 5. Derrick Barry Delusional and oblivious. Derrick was the villain, but a cringey one at times. She thought twerking would give her soul. She gloated about Blondie wanting to take her on tour. She said "whassup" to Faith Evans. Her Laura Bell-Bundy was cringe. Her "Empire" singing was disconnected. She was proud of her floppy shoulder Makeover because it was sewn. She asked Kim Chi if she was from North or South Korea. She acted like her ugly book outfit could go in the "RuPaul museum". She drew on Tammie Brown eyebrows after being told to change them. And she thought she was named as someone who should go home tonight because the queens were threatened by her. Derrick needed to prove that she was more than just a Britney Spears impersonator, but she refused to do a style that wasn't her. She did a Britney-inspired look for the first runway, where she trimmed a crotch wreath and that somehow put her top 3. Her neon runway was Britney-esque. And she did Britney in Snatch Game, but I didn't laugh that much. Derrick also had this way of inserting herself into conversations to make herself the center of attention. She got into arguments with Bob, Chi Chi, and Naomi. Her ultimate undoing was the Book Ball, where she was the worst. My fave runway was the Madonna sleeve one. 4. Naomi Smalls Naomi was friendly and chill, with this sort-of smitten-like personality? Idk if that's the right word. She was one of the quieter presences in the cast until she got pulled into a huge fight with Derrick at the Final 5, where she tried to give Derrick a reality check. But I wouldn't call her "dry" necessarily - she threw some shade. Naomi had an interest in supermodels and knew how to sell sex on the runway. She did exactly that in her lip sync that sent Acid Betty packing. She also copied Willam by stepping out of the Pride Boat to show herself off lol. And she looked fierce in the Rusical. Naomi could construct high fashion too - the scarecrow (which 100% deserved the Makeover win) and the crumpled book (which should've won the Book Ball). I also liked her Raven-inspired runway. During the season, Naomi wanted to prove she was more versatile. That she wasn't just a model. I mean, she didn't embody Tiffany Pollard at all in Snatch Game. But I thought she did good in "Empire" and the political ad (where she played a stereotypical model). 3. Kim Chi "Donut come for me". She's just so sweet, sensitive and soft-spoken. She had this gentle way of talking. She was finding her self-confidence. And she was scared of letting her mom down, who didn't know she did drag. On the runway, Kim Chi served artistic looks with a story behind them. Her cat Hair Ball thing won the first episode. She did that whole broom/slapping routine in the Makeover. And she won the Book Ball with a flower analogy. She also had the toucan feathers on rollerblades, the face paint in neon, the mime in black-and-white, the black feathers at the top 4. And whenever there was a challenge that wasn't up Kim's alley, she still kept a good attitude and tried her best. She camped it up in the Rusical to cover up her lack of choreo (she was even falling in rehearsal). She gave a very weird performance in "Empire" (those tongue pops) since she didn't have acting experience. She was funny in Naomi's political ad, while basing her own ad around things she's discriminated for. And her Kim Jong-Un in Snatch Game was good but glossed over. 2. Bob The Drag Queen "Walk into the room purse first." The sheer amount of confidence is off the charts. Bob never took things seriously - she was having the time of her life on her favourite TV show. Right from the start, Bob walked in with the "UNT" outfit and swam on the table. She talked her way into getting the "party" song for her team. She constantly gave observations about the other queens in confessional. She got into conflicts with Thorgy, Derrick, and even Luciane Piane at one point; where she didn't understand Luciane's notes and insulted Lorde. She gave a fun lip sync at the Final 5. And Bob hogged the spotlight in every comedy challenge. Her "Empire" performance might just be the funniest thing in Drag Race herstory; that's when her winner's edit came alive. She did two characters in Snatch Game. And the humour in her political ad was well-delivered; she also a goofball in Derrick's ad. As the season went on, the other queens wanted Bob to fail. She did stumble... in rollerblades. And in the design challenges. Well, the curtain one was good, but the Makeover was rushed, and the Book Ball outfit didn't use books. The power suit was also meh. My fave runway of hers is the black-and-white joker. Otherwise, she had an emotional moment about his mom. 1. Chi Chi DeVayne (RIP) The Lip Sync Assassin of Season 8. She gave EVERYTHING she had in both of them; between the stunts in "Call Me" and the intensity of "And I Am Telling...", culminating in that bead explosion. Chi Chi brought charm. She was genuine. She was the type to say whatever was on her mind. She'd read a queen with a smile on her face. She was a "broke queen" who survived gangs. She even wore garbage bags in her entrance. Throughout the season, Chi Chi had to learn to not let her lack of funds be an obstacle on the runway. Michelle gave her advice in a touching moment. Chi Chi was also ashamed of where she came from and how she talked. But there was nothing to be ashamed of! In the challenges, she was the star of the Rusical thanks to the upside down lip syncing. Her Eartha Kitt cat jokes in Snatch Game were so weird that it worked. Her political ad had jokes, even if she was too soft on Thorgy. Her Bob puppet was hilarious. And she proved she could deliver a great runway with the shredded book look. Her Top 4 outfit was pretty too. Chi Chi's roughest moment was the singing challenge, where she distanced herself in the Werk Room, her team wasn't crazy about her shape costumes idea, and her/Naysha gave a messy performance. Favourite entrance: Kim Chi Challenge ranking: 1. "Empire" parodies (Acting) 2. "Bitch Perfect" (Rusical) 3. Presidential campaign adverts 4. Book Ball 5. Past season design challenges 6. Snatch Game 7. New Wave girl groups 8. "The Realness" Music Video 9. "Little Women: L.A." Makeover Lip Sync ranking: 1. Chi Chi DeVayne vs Thorgy Thor ("And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going") 2. Chi Chi DeVayne vs Naysha Lopez ("Call Me") (very nearly put this #1) 3. Cynthia Lee Fontaine vs Robbie Turner ("Mesmerized") 4. Bob The Drag Queen vs Derrick Barry ("You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)") 5. Laila McQueen vs Naysha Lopez ("Applause") (doesn't get good until the bridge) 6. Acid Betty vs Naomi Smalls ("Causing a Commotion") 7. Derrick Barry vs Robbie Turner ("I Love It") 8. Top 4 Lip Sync ("The Realness") 9. Dax ExclamationPoint vs Laila McQueen ("I Will Survive") (when they bump into each other... when they start tearing their clothes off...) Season ranking so far: 5 > 6 > 4 > 2 > 7 > 3 > 8 > 1 > AS1

[sheacouleecametoslay]

Season 7 (2015)

With just about every competition show I've followed, whenever there's a highly praised season, the one that follows it is almost always disliked. And Season 7 of Drag Race is no exception. It has a pretty bad reputation. Is it warranted though? I think to some degree it is. On paper, this should be a strong cast, but they quickly divide between the younger queens vs the bitter older queens, and the latter group is pretty unlikeable. Actually the younger are pretty unlikeable at times as well, including the winner. One of the biggest issues with Season 7 is the challenges. There's so many acting ones. There's SEVEN team challenges for some reason. And the producers tried to add twists, but a lot of their ideas didn't pay off. The premiere ditched the photoshoot and replaced it with the first ever Fashion Show, which ate up so much time that we didn't really get to know much of the cast. The first runway was the Nude Illusion, which was a flop. The Merle Ginsberg skits had such weird writing. The whole Conjoined Twins Makeover was weird too. As was the half-man/half-woman design. And the Hello Kitty Ball was a disappointment too. Plus there was TWO singing challenges! The second one even involved a sketch about poo. On the other hand, the award show was something new, and I think that one worked. I laughed at Kathy Griffin tearing apart everyone's banter. The Snatch Game was one of the best; it's also the first instance of queens impersonating past contestants. And the Rusical was good but had too much screaming. I also really question the judging throughout the season. I disagree with so many challenge winners. Pearl shouldn't have won the lip sync against Trixie. Pearl shouldn't have made Final 3. It seemed like they were protecting Fame and Violet from lip syncing. Max was done really dirty. And Katya was robbed. Also, the returnee twist came back. But I'm glad that a challenge was used to determine the returnee instead of the producers just handpicking whoever they wanted. Although I think Trixie was the favourite to return either way. Pearl being her partner in the Makeover really played into that storyline. Another reason I lose interest in this season is because my top 3 favourites get knocked out at 8th/7th/5th, and while I don't hate the Final 4 necessarily, it just feels like an underwhelming ending. I think Ginger was supposed to be the winner too, but the audience wasn't behind her, and that's what matter these days. There's some production changes in Season 7 too. Santino was replaced by Ross and Carson alternating, since Santino's knowledge didn't apply to where the show was headed. The Untucked location was moved to the backstage area. It's the first season where the eliminated queens take home a participation trophy at the end of every episode. It's the first time that Ru shows the childhood photos during the final critique. And the "She-Mail" videos were thankfully changed to "she done already done had herses". They also kept "Sissy That Walk" for the runways, proving that it is the best runway song. Season 7 definitely has its share of drama. From Sasha vs Pearl, to Tempest vs Kandy, to Kennedy vs Violet, to Fame vs Peal. There's also the infamous Pearl vs Ru stand-off. As well as Ru yelling at the losing team in "ShakesQueer". This season goes off the rails at times doesn't it? But I don't think it's as bad as its reputation says.

Queens Ranking: 14. Frisbee Jenkins (FKA Sasha Belle) A superfan who did her homework! But it didn't do her any good. All of Frisbee/Sasha's looks were pretty unpolished - the orange harness in her entrance, her wig in the Spring look, the crab design in her Fall look (where she also tossed a fan lol), her raggedy Jetset Eleganza, and of course the Nude Illusion where she misunderstand the assignment. I still don't understand how she wasn't in the bottom 2 in that first episode. She also said Pearl should go home because she's "standoffish" and lacks charisma, which lead to some tension between them. And then in the Rusical, she didn't like her role; while during the performance, she unclipped her hair for whatever reason. 13. Kandy Ho "Right on my alley". Kandy only made it as far as she did because of her lip sync moves. She got quite into it during "Lovergirl", which I enjoyed more than "Geronimo". But then Jaidyn outdid her in "Break Free". That elimination was long overdue. Kandy started the season commenting on Tempest's age, basically saying that her style is passé. She shouldn't have been bottom 2 in the first episode, but I guess production wanted to play up the storyline. Her fashion show looks were pretty bad though and she was read for contouring a beard. However once Tempest left, Kandy was kind of just... "there" for the next 5 episodes. She had some sexy hand movements in the Rusical, but her other performances were pretty boring. While her acting as RuPaul was too hammy, and not in a fun Max way. She wasn't nice about Fame in the Conjoined Twins episode too. 12. Tempest DuJour Despite Tempest being a costume designer, I wasn't a fan of any of her looks. She popped a baby in her entrance, her Spring outfit should've been left behind in the 60s, her Fall outfit was that black poncho thing, and her Nude Illusion involved golden crabs around her waist. But I loved her message about not letting age stop you from reaching your dreams; her weight loss story and her dealing with conversion therapy were also personal moments. Otherwise, Tempest had some conflict with Kandy, and I guess that's why they were bottom 2 together. And her squiggly arms in the lip sync lacked conviction. But I end up not caring about Tempest that much. 11. Ginger Minj Ginger was a contender from the start, but I liked her less and less as the season went on. She just seemed fake and two-faced? She constantly talked s**t about other queens in Untucked, basically stirring the pot, but acted so congenial and defensive at the same time. She said Fame wasn't a "performer performer" and claimed she didn't mean to start s**t. She became Pearl's friend in the episode 11 Untucked, then threw her under the bus next episode. And towards the end, Ginger got in her head whenever there was a sewing or dancing challenge. She wound up in the bottom 2 twice because of it. The conjoined boobs didn't even look like boobs; she also got annoyed at Sasha during that challenge. She overcame it in the Rusical though, which she actually won. She stood out as the center role during her team's section, but I wouldn't call it a winning performance. Otherwise, Ginger excelled at the comedy challenges - the award show, playing a demonic Michelle Visage, Adele in Snatch Game, her bit about the eggs in the John Waters film. I'd say she had the best "Born Naked" skit too. She was good at giving comedic faces and brought that comedy to the lip syncs. But her runways weren't all that either. Her glittering red Spring look is probably my fave. 10. Trixie Mattel Overrated. Trixie was "meh" in Season 7. She has a signature make-up style and she brought some campy looks - the tennis Nude Illusion, the plane on her head for Jetset Eleganza (which Jasmine and Ginger did not get on Untucked). And her Rusical performance was her best challenge moment. But she left early because she didn't deliver on initial expectations of being a comedy queen. She was kinda flat as the narrator for "ShakesQueer" and she wasn't funny in the tanning music video. She then lost a lip sync to Pearl that every fan agrees was the wrong result. She was justifiably given a second chance a few episodes later, but she didn't do much with her second run either? She was okay in the John Waters film, while the campy dancing with Ginger didn't win me over. Trixie was also pretty dry in confessional to me. She's a nice person though, and I liked that she turned an abusive insult into her drag name. Maybe I'm not into campy queens. 9. Jasmine Masters Everything about the cocoon runway - her describing it to Ru in the Werk Room, Ross and Carson's reactions, the fact it wasn't resort wear - is hilarious. But Jasmine rubbed me the wrong way whenever she looked down on the younger queens, namely Fame/Trixie/Pearl/Violet. She thought what they did wasn't real drag, just because her generation was different. She'd bash them with her friend Kennedy. She criticized Trixie's look in Untucked, and when Trixie asked how Jasmine's look fit the theme, she got annoyed at Trixie running her mouth. Projection much. I wasn't so into her crop tops either. And then her "ShakesQueer" acting was so bad and she wanted to give up if she had to lip sync against Kennedy. She ended up doing some squats in that lip sync, so she didn't really give up. Otherwise, her episode 3 runway gown and her Rusical performance were Jasmine's better moments. 8. Mrs. Kasha Davis My initial reaction going into this re-watch was "who?" But I've realized that Kasha was underrated this season. She was a good performer. She probably should've won the Rusical - that's where she danced around the pitcrew and blew the whistle at the end. She was good as Lady Cappuccino in "ShakesQueer". Her Cowardly Lion voice wasn't the worst thing? And her Joan Rivers bit in that mini-challenge was funny. But then Katya overshadowed her in the awards show opening (why were they standing so far apart?) Still, Kasha held her own against Kandy in the lip sync. I wish she had lasted until Snatch Game. The green money dress was my fave look of hers. And she was the only member of the "Bitter Old Lady Bridge" that didn't annoy me. I can understand why she got frustrated at Pearl and Jasmine for not trying when she applied for 7 years. She didn't have much tolerance for bad attitudes from the other queens lol. 7. Violet Chachki Violet had a stereotypical pageant girl attitude. She was vain, rude, and a diva. Almost all the other queens didn't like her. She retorted "no one says [Hotlanta]" to Jasmine. She disagreed with Michelle's critiques. She passed blame onto the directors in rehearsals. Kennedy and Max called her a "bitch". Trixie and Kennedy shut her down as team leaders in two episodes (lol at "I'm not not a dancer but I'm not a dancer"). But Violet had an awakening moment in the Episode 5 Untucked. She made a conscious effort to grow afterwards. Then at the Final 4, Ginger and Kennedy beat her down, so her ultimate win proved them wrong. Obviously Violet is known for her runways - the tartan reveal, being totally naked in Nude Illusion, the pink dress in Bearded and Beautiful, the super cinched waist in Death Becomes Her, the S&M Leather and Lace, and her Hello Kitty headpiece. But I prefer winners who are more comedic. She was praised for the seatbelt bit in the Rusical, but meh. Her award show banter didn't land. She'd often have these pauses when acting. She fumbled a line in the "Poo" skit. Her "ShakesQueer", Michelle Visage and Alyssa Edwards in Snatch Game were all towards the bottom for me. But I liked her Adore impersonation in the music video. And she aced the tango dancing. She had the best look for that too. 6. Kennedy Davenport "The struggle is real". Kennedy slayed the comedy challenges, but she was so condescending towards the younger queens, with no respect for what they do. Like in this disdainful, sour, "I'm tired of them" way. It's like she always had a problem with Pearl or Violet, culminating in that Final 4 episode. She criticized Pearl's runways. She said Violet was too young for the crown. She was also a terrible team leader for "ShakesQueer"; miscasting roles, dismissing Violet's request to practice, then blaming her on Untucked. But anyways, Kennedy's best competition moments are: her wings in the Nude Illusion, her "I Got Paid" character, the wall clock joke in the award show, her Little Richard in Snatch Game, and getting violent with Katya in the John Waters film. As well as giving the best lip sync of the season to "Roar". I think she did better than Pearl in the F4 challenge too. But Kennedy's misfires were the Rusical (messy), the bearded look, the infamous chicken outfit (including her explanation of it LOL), and being the worst in the Hello Kitty Ball. Meanwhile, my fave looks were Leather and Lace, the green theme, and the F4 pride dress. But at least Kennedy was more unapologetic about not liking people than Ginger was. 5. Max Max had this pretentious theatre accent, and she wasn't that well-liked by the other queens. Lol at Fame ripping up her newspaper after her entrance. But Max was a solid actress and brought high fashion runways - her Fall look, her Jetset Eleganza, her bearded look, the cut-out heart in a box. The crutches Nude Illusion was creative too. Her Spring look was shoddy though. But yeah, Max benefited from Season 7 having so many acting challenges. She had the exaggerated oxygen mask bit in the Rusical. She 100% deserved that win for playing Juliet in "ShakesQueer". She played off of Pearl well in the awards show. Even her bizarre Merle Ginsberg impersonation was funny. Max also promoted positive energy. She got read for wearing grey wigs all the time (c'mon it's her style!), and she disliked vulgarity (lol). But then the Snatch Game came up, and she tried to play a "Disney version" of Sh*rn N**dles which bombed (like that confusing "temper tantrums" answer). Then during the judge's critiques, she needed to loosen to corset to breathe and sang to relax... and the shady producers made her look like an attention-seeker. 4. Pearl I love Pearl, but her making finale is questionable. She's a classic 4th boot archetype. She entered with the chinstrap and labelled herself as a "robotic Stepford Wife bitch", which is accurate. She had a lot of white/beige runways, usually in a lingerie style, or with a "diaper" on. I was into her Spring look cuz it was fresh. But her headphones Fall look and her devil Bearded and Beautiful look were my faves. And I think her Makeover win was earned. However Pearl was often flat as a pancake in the acting challenges. Her "ShakesQueer" character was confusing. Her singing was awful. She looked lost in the "Poo" skit. And her intense lip syncs were probably Sashay-worthy. But she surprised everyone by being the funniest in the award show. Her Big Ang in Snatch Game was underrated. And she had fun with the dancing duets, bad twerking aside. Otherwise, Pearl was known for her chill attitude. She was definitely annoyed at people - she had to withstand so much s**t from the judges and her fellow queens - but she never raised her voice. She came off personable and mostly reasonable. Obviously her most remembered moment is her stand-off with Ru ("Is there something on my face") and walking out of the Werk Room. She knew the show was a sham and Ru was fake, so she didn't give a f**k. 3. Jaidynn Diore Fierce "No ma'am, no ham, no pam, no cauliflower, no corn bread, no green beans!" I just loved Jaidynn's energy. She was so genuine and heartfelt, giving hashtags along the way. She just wanted her family to accept her. She gave her best, even if she often struggled in rehearsals ("I FORGOT MY LINE"). Despite her bad knee, she still gave a funny (albeit a little messy) sexual performance in the Rusical. She broke down during "ShakesQueer", but I thought she did good in the end. She should've won the music video challenge - her Bianca impersonation was spot on. But she couldn't recover a third time when playing RuPaul (they didn't have a better take?). It did lead to Jaidynn giving a classic lip sync performance to "Break Free" though, and being the one to finally send Kandy Ho packing. Her barbed wire look was fun too, despite what the judges said. Her Raven-Symone in Snatch Game was "one note", but she had more laughs than Fame and Max. The Makeover is what ultimately ended Jaidynn's game - but Tempest was difficult to match with. The execution didn't really work. 2. Miss Fame Fame started off as a contender - she had the spiky alien entrance, she had the best Spring look, and the second best Fall look. She could've won that first episode. And she continued to be a top runway queen (Death Becomes Her was my fave). But Season 7 had so many acting challenges, and Fame lacked performance experience. She was stiff in the Rusical, she was the worst on the winning team for "ShakesQueer", she insisted on doing Donatella Versace in Snatch Game and did nothing with the character. She had to work with Pearl 4 times, and Violet 3 times; AKA the bad acting trio. She also gave a very subpar lip sync against Pearl. Production probably wanted them to be bottom 2 for the storyline. Pearl was Fame's arch nemesis. She didn't respect Pearl's chill attitude and acted cold towards her. It felt unwarranted and Fame harped on it too much. Fame was too dismissive and serious; and overly bossy in team challenges. She wasn't fond of Jasmine "giving up" either ("Nobody wants to pop the corn"). Still, Fame was there for Katya, she was Violet's only friend at one point, the chicken farm thing was funny, and she was emotional. Like about her grandfather, her breakdown during rehearsal, or crying over Ginger's video message. Fame's thing was that she couldn't stop talking. And she kept missing the "how's your head" joke. 1. Katya The best narrator in the show's herstory? Katya is who I wanted to win this season, and she probably had a good shot it weren't for Kennedy's impressive lip sync. Sure she had that early hiccup in the Rusical, where she completely bombed the lip sync. But she had super solid track record afterwards. She was funny in every comedy challenge - the tanning lady, her acceptance speech (which was the best one), playing Merle Ginsberg, Suze Orman in Snatch Game, the Conjoined Twins characters, her character in the John Waters film. She was also the best on the losing team in "ShakesQueer". And sure, she had the worst Hello Kitty look, but her dialogue in the first part was my favourite. Katya also delivered on the runway - the Abe Lincoln look, the green dress stomp, the shark on her leg. I liked all 3 of her premiere looks too. She also fought for her spot in that first lip sync with the jump splits and slow splits. Otherwise, Katya had this intense way of talking to emphasize things. She battled anxiety and her sobriety. She was very candid. She was naturally funny both with words and goofball body movements. The Russian thing is her brand. And she never came off malicious.  Favourite entrance: Violet Chachki Challenge ranking: 1. Snatch Game 2. RuPaul music video parodies (Singing) 3. DESPY Award presentations 4. "Glamazonian Airways" (Rusical) 5. John Waters film parodies (Acting? Singing?) 6. Hello Kitty Ball 7. "ShakesQueer" (Acting) 8. "Conjoined Twins" Makeover 9. "Born Naked" Music Video 10. Half-man/Half-woman dancing (Choreo) 11. "Whatever Happened to Merle Ginsberg" (Acting) 12. Nude Illusion tearaway Lip Sync ranking: 1. Katya vs Kennedy Davenport ("Roar") 2. Jaidynn Diore Fierce vs Kandy Ho ("Break Free") 3. Kandy Ho vs Mrs. Kasha Davis ("Lovergirl") 4. Katya vs Sasha Belle ("Twist of Fate") 5. Jaidynn Diore Fierce vs Max ("No More Lies") 6. Ginger Minj vs Trixie Mattel ("Show Me Love") 7. Ginger Minj vs Jaidynn Diore Fierce ("I Think We're Alone Now") (great until they cut the boobs off) 8. Jasmine Masters vs Kennedy Davenport ("I Was Gonna Cancel") 9. Pearl vs Trixie Mattel ("Dreaming") 10. Kandy Ho vs Tempest DuJour ("Geronimo") 11. Top 4 Lip Sync ("Born Naked") 12. Miss Fame vs Pearl ("Really Don't Care") Season ranking so far: 5 > 6 > 4 > 2 > 7 > 3 > 1 > AS1

[sheacouleecametoslay]

Season 6 (2014)

Season 6 is often regarded as the best Drag Race season ever. A part of me thinks Season 5 was better, but that season also had Roxxxy Andrews on it. There's no one that I truly can't stand on Season 6; the worst I can come up with is Magnolia having a bad attitude and Milk's style not being for me. Even Darienne Lake had her moments, which caught me by surprise on a rewatch. But I felt like Season 5 had more classic moments and classic characters ya know? Still I think I'm going to give both seasons the same grade. I think it's because Season 6 serves as the transition between the early years and the middle era; before the Untucked format changed, before Santino left. It's also when the show switched-up the "Cover Girl" transition. It's the first season where the queens are required to wear the same outfit in every confessional. And the term "She-Mail" is about to be axed from the show (finally), all thanks to that awful mini-challenge. This season has a strong set of challenges. The only ones I didn't like were the Chaz/Georgia interview and the wedding Makeover. Both of which had uncomfortable moments. Especially the latter, since one of the grooms was forced to do it by his fiancée, and he was visibly uncomfortable with the whole experience. Also, the design challenges in the double premiere had some lackluster runways in them. But other than that, Season 6 has one of the best Snatch Games. For once, more than just 3 queens are funny. We have the first ever Rusical, and this one involved live singing. It pitted the two singers Courtney and Adore against each other, and while some other queens fumbled their lines, and the April/Josyln/Laganja trio was a mess, it's often regarded as one of the best. The body painting mini-challenge was a cool idea too. The 90s Rap Battle was fun. Bianca killed the stand-up. And "Scream Queens" was a decent acting challenge. Episode 7 felt very contrived though. It was giving me flashbacks to the duets in Season 4. The pairings were obviously done on purpose - Adore & Laganja were having their friendship tested, Bianca & Trinity already had drama, Darienne & Ben also had tension, and Courtney & Joslyn had a celebrity/fan dynamic. The producers just put all the drama pairings together. In a way I'm glad that was the Double Shantay episode. Least of all because Darienne won that lip sync against Ben, and I doubt production wanted Ben gone so soon. It also affected the schedule, meaning that someone actually Sashay'ed in the final regular episode of the season. It also helps that the main song of Season 6 is "Sissy That Walk", which is probably Ru's signature song. It wasn't my favourite finale music video, but those weird poses in the photoshoot were... something. The double premiere is another factor that helped this season. It helped the audience get to know the queens better when it wasn't 14 people competing for screen time. It made the early boots feel less forgettable than usual. Untucked had Bianca asking Trinity "What do you do successfully", Laganja saying "I feel very attacked", Laganja breaking down in general.

Queens Ranking: 14. Magnolia Crawford In her intro, Magnolia kept changing her mind on how to label herself, before settling "glamorous trash queen". A description that didn't really apply to what we saw. She then metaphorically threw her hands up in the air after seeing the materials she had to work with. And that sour attitude is why she did so poorly. Her first runway was that basic cow-print, with the bow on her ass, and the unflattering dark nose contour. The judges read her for it and she got really defensive and irritated in response. She also blamed everything on the materials. I think Ru was done with Magnolia the moment she talked back lol. She said on Untucked she was just there for the exposure anyways. Did she even know the words to that lip sync? 13. Milk The original quirky queen. Milk was committed to doing her own weird thing and defying the accepted norms of RPDR; without a single regard for what the judges, or anyone else for that matter, thought about it. Her entrance look had toilet paper on her shoe. Her runways included a white beard, a Pinocchio nose, a baby bump, and of course Werk Room RuPaul in boy drag. That last one is why I put her bottom 3 for Snatch Game over Trinity. Milk is someone you either love or hate, and she definitely has her fans, but her style is not for me. In the challenges, she was okay in the beginning. But her Julia Child in Snatch Game was boring. And her rap verse included the line "if you're looking for a dude or in the preggers mood"; alongside some rather cringey dance moves in the video. Ironically enough, the round she left was the only time she did a "normal" runway. Also her lip sync moves to "Whatta Man" didn't match the song. 12. Kelly Mantle Kelly's whole story was that she had 17 years of drag experience, along with some acting experience, but it didn't materialize on the show. Her first runway was that horrible bacon dress with the red wig. She also started the season off with a subtle dig at Willam. She later made a dig at Vivacious's age. And... that's about all I got. A hint of shadiness to her personality but she's the one S6 queen I could consider "forgettable". 11. Darienne Lake The annual RPDR cockroach. Why she lasted until Final 4 just to be the most obvious final elimination this side of Alexis Michelle remains a mystery. I guess cuz she brought the drama? But Darienne delivered basic runway after basic runway. Her St Patrick's Day outfit landed her in the bottom 2 in her debut episode. The elephant outfit was tacky. Her goth Makeover didn't work out so well. And then there's the Glitter Ball!, where she had 3 of the worst looks of the entire season. That was not Executive Realness. Those dropping topaz jewels! She was also really bitter for some reason? She made comments on Milk's outfit, she said "why not just give her cement shoes and throw her in the water", and of course she had a random feud with Ben because Ben was gloating about her wins. Darienne also overestimated her challenge performances, even thinking she was top 3 in the Rusical when she was out of step with Gia. Moreover, her rap verse didn't describe who she is. And her interviewing was awkward. But Darienne had some comedic moments - she won as a talking head in a box, she interjected a bunch as Paula Deen in the Snatch Game, her stand-up was suprisingly solid, and she even won the Reading mini-challenge. Plus that lip sync where she grabbed the tips was fun. 10. Laganja Estranja The annual RPDR trainwreck. "OKURRRR"; "YASS GAWD". Laganja's death drop entrance is iconic, but she spent the entire season embodying this forced, phony, exaggerated weed-smoker persona. It's like she was trying to be someone that she's not, and it got really annoying. She had this posh voice in confessional. She'd come into the Werk Room with things on her head and Bianca would call her an attention-seeker. She got upset when her friend Adore outperformed her. And she wrote her stand-up routine underneath a desk. Speaking of which, that stand-up routine was such a WTF moment ("it's very dry, it's almost kinda like your vagina"). That was her persona cranked to an 11; the outfit was a choice too. Moreover, her Rachel Zoe in Snatch Game was robotic and unfunny. Still, her rap verse was alright; probably my 4th place. She pulled out the splits and death drops during her lip syncs. And her Best Drag runway was good. Laganja also got emotional in Untucked a lot; from Bianca joking about her parents video, to the iconic "I feel very attacked" episode, where she lashed out after being confronted about her persona. Even Adore was saying that isn't the Laganja she knows. 9. April Carrión April spent the season metaphorically burying her head in her hands, feeling doubtful in all 3 challenges. She wasn't happy with the Duck Dynasty box in the first episode, but she turned it out in the final product. It was the second best outfit from her group. In episode 2, she didn't know how to play a butch queen, but she delivered one of my favourite runways of the season - that umbrella with the blue string rain. But then the Rusical was another messy performance from April, and that was end of her run. She didn't have a big personality anyways. 8. Vivacious Vivacious is mostly this high for Ornacia. The way she struggled to unzip her outfit during her entrance lol. I think she was too old-school for what RPDR is looking for, especially by Season 6. She had 21 years of drag experience and labelled herself as the last original NYC club kid. That's era that she wanted to represent on the show and she wasn't going to change or compromise her style to adapt to the modern era. But I didn't like that black cone outfit either way. Also her Game of Thrones runway look sloppy. She even wanted to put a baby dragon on it and Ru was not won over lol. As for her performance in "Scream Queens", the producers could've edited out that long awkward pause, but her lines still lacked energy. 7. Courtney Act Courtney had great runways - the waitress outfit, the spreading bird wings, the Australian/aboriginal flag combination, the Ruby look in the Glitter Ball. But she's like Raja or Detox; I respect their craft but find them hard to root for. She came off like one of those celebrities who can't relate to non-celebrities. The lifestyle is so different. Her main criticism was that she lacked humanity. And she won the talk show challenge because she made an effort to rectify that. She also won the Rusical because her big vocal moments stole the show. She could've been top 3 in "Scream Queens" too if it weren't based on teams. But the rest of her challenge performances were very safe/mid. She seriously resorted to singing in her stand-up. I think the producers were giving Courtney a villain edit as well. She was pretty patronizing to Joslyn, who idolized her. It made it seem like she doesn't treat her fans well. She upstaged her Makeover partner. She spent her confessionals poking flaws in her competitors. And she showed off her body multiple times on the runway, giving Carmen Carrera flashbacks. Her entrance is still one of my faves though - when she pretended to walk into the wrong room. 6. Joslyn Fox "Keep it Foxy, wonk wonk". The utter lack of self-awareness with this girl. "I do like to eat at IHOP"; "I have house numbers" (Bianca: "it's your age"); "I've finally narrowed down my fabrics" (camera shows a giant pile of fabric); "I plan on being the black horse"; "I wanna lick Santino's head"... and that's just from her debut episode! She also gave us "not my cup of soup"; the "jumbo shrimp" joke and "I like gumbo". Joslyn had this giddy, smiling approach to everything. She was average in most challenges, and her runways were subpar (two episodes in a row of those straps; that overly busy Quinceanera outfit; that checkered thing in the stand-up), but her cluelessness was weirdly endearing. Her Teresa Giudice in Snatch Game was funny too ("Cumin!"). Her rap verse was good. She kinda slayed that P!nk lip sync. And her getting married in the finale was a nice moment. But Joslyn really crashed and burned in the latter half. She had one good joke in the stand-up. She wasted time choosing an outfit instead of preparing for the interview. She then asked Georgia Holt about abortion (and somehow thought that interview went well). And her demise was the Makeover, where production screwed her over by getting rid of the dark toned make-up after Trinity left. She was the obvious queen to go though. 5. Gia Gunn When Gia entered the Werk Room with that hula hoop purse, I thought she was going to be a top contender. She gave main character energy; between her rude reads in confessional and just being clueless - "What's a Tony?"; "I'm feeling my oats"; "Darinne, you know... my god... there's room for everybody let's just say that"; "well you girls... look good"; "I've never heard of a Delorean, for all I know it's a f**king ancient dildo"; "...if it's not giving it, maybe it's just not for you". Or even saying "absolutely" 3 times in a row to the judges. Or how poorly she sold her ideas to Ru in the Werk Room. Gia impressed with her first runway, even if I thought it was generic. But then came the performance challenges and... yeah, Gia was not a good actress or singer. Her ultimate downfall was the Snatch Game. Her Kim K was rough to watch. And she originally wanted to do Selena lol. BTW, can someone please tell Gia to get off of Twitter? Even on this season I get the vibe that she thinks she knows what she's talking about when she doesn't. But I don't think she crossed a line on this season? Unless I missed something. 4. BenDeLaCreme Ben should've stayed over Darienne, and it should've been a 4-person finale. I think the judges were too harsh on her. I mean, yeah the rapping challenge proved that she lacked versality. Her verse was so cringe ("Creminem!") and I would've put her in the bottom 3 for that. I also wasn't fond of her showgirl drag voice at first. But her down-to-Earth, mild-mannered out-of-drag voice balanced things out. She had one of the best Snatch Game performances ever as Maggie Smith ("excuse me we originated the language"). She won the first challenge with that cheesecake thing. I liked her Chaz/Georgia interview better than Courtney's. She could've won the "Scream Queens" challenge, but was stuck on the losing team. She was top 3 in the Rusical. And I almost gave her the win for the Makeover. Ben was strong this season. She came off professional and well-trained. Her bug and her fur runways were great as well. Her low points were the stand-up routine, where she just rambled on and on and got heckled. The cosmetics ad, but I think her and Darienne were set-up; and I don't know why they aimed it at plastic surgery users. And of course the Glitter Ball, where her first two looks were disappointing. 3. Adore Delano "Party". Adore is weirdly charming for someone who was unprepared and unprofessional for many challenges this season. The first few episodes were a wake-up-call that she couldn't skate by. She had no sewing skills, and it showed in that horrible Honey Boo Boo dress. It was even stuck to the mannequin! Next episode she was team leader and rushed through assigning the roles, which ended in disaster. Her acting wasn't the worst though. She was also read for not cinching her waist early on. The Rusical began her redemption arc, where she stood out as the star of her group. After that, she was funny as Anna Nicole Smith in Snatch Game. And she embodied 90s rap the best. But then she stumbled again - her stand-up routine was messy (but at least she had jokes), she was unprepared for the Chaz/Georgia interview, and her wedding Makeover was rough. She bounced back a second time by winning the Glitter Ball, but her 2nd look wasn't as good; and I only liked the 3rd one for the presentation of it. Adore knew how to work the runway. I thought her Aretha lip sync was too intense though. Adore had this casual approach to the show, while still wanting to prove herself. She kinda came off as someone that I'd want to be friends with? and I think that's why her charm worked. 2. Trinity K. Bonet Introvert queen! That entrance was so awkward when she was waiting with Bianca lol. Trinity's story was her reluctant attitude in the challenges. She let her acting  inexperience get in her head and it put her in the bottom 2 three times. It reached a boiling point during the Rusical episode, where she was very grumpy during rehearsal and later lashed out in the Werk Room. Still, I felt there was worse offenders each time she was in the bottom 2. Sure Trinity tripped over a line in the Rusical, but at least she was in sync with Bianca. Her rap verse lacked conviction, but she had better writing than some others. She kept calling Chaz Bono "Chad" in the interview, but how is that worse than an abortion question? Her Nicki Minaj in Snatch Game wasn't great either. But at the same time, those bottom 2 placements lead to Trinity becoming the Lip Sync Assassin of Season 6. She was the best lip syncer in the cast, and one of the top runway queens too - the Princess Party, the hippie, the domino dress, the bird feathers. I think she should've won the cosmetics ad with Bianca (that was a missed storyline opportunity), but her stand-up routine the next episode was even better redemption moment. Otherwise, her HIV confession was an emotional moment. And I didn't like when her enunciation was criticized. 1. Bianca Del Rio As if anyone else was going to be #1. This season was a cakewalk for Bianca - no one else stood chance. It was almost unfair to the other competitors. She was never in the bottom 3. She never flopped a challenge. She was cracking remarks in her entrance. She never stopped hurling those insulting remarks or reality checks at her fellow queens in the Werk Room or Untucked. And not only is Bianca one of the best comedy queens in RPDR herstory, she had strong runways too. Two of her wins were actually design challenges. She won her debut episode with the Hawaiian Luau dress, which is my favourite look of hers. The black-and-white one and the Best Drag one are up there too. Her Judge Judy in the Snatch Game came so naturally to her and it would've won in another season. Her rap verse was good. And her peak moment was the stand-up routine; she absolutely killed it. She also won the Makeover challenge (that wedding dress looked well-made) and she probably should've won the Glitter Ball too. Bianca's relationship with Trinity was a major part of the season as well; she was like a frustrated drag mother showing tough love. They were paired together in the cosmetics ad and pulled it out. Bianca also helped Adore with her outfits. Bianca had a soft side and she wasn't serious with the insults; that distinction makes all the difference. Favourite entrance: Gia Gunn (episode 1) / Trinity K. Bonet (episode 2) Challenge ranking: 1. Snatch Game 2. 90s Rap Battle 3. "Scream Queens" (Acting) 4. Shade: The Rusical 5. Stand-up routine 6. Glitter Ball 7. Cosmetics adverts 8. "Sissy That Walk" Music Video 9. Party box couture (Design Pt 2) 10. TV shows couture (Design Pt 1) 11. The RuPaul Show (Talk show/Improv) 12. "Drag My Wedding" Makeover Lip Sync ranking: 1. Adore Delano vs Trinity K. Bonet ("Vibeology") (should've been the Double Shantay) 2. April Carrión vs Trinity K. Bonet ("I'm Every Woman") 3. Milk vs Trinity K. Bonet ("Whatta Man") 4. Joslyn Fox vs Laganja Estranja ("Stupid Girls") 5. BenDeLaCreme vs Darienne Lake (1) ("Point of No Return") 6. April Carrión vs Vivacious ("Shake It Up") 7. Adore Delano vs Joslyn Fox ("Think") 8. Gia Gunn vs Laganja Estranja ("Head to Toe") 9. Kelly Mantle vs Vivacious ("Express Yourself") 10. Darienne Lake vs Magnolia Crawford ("Turn The Beat Around") (messy but Dari was fun) 11. Top 4 Lip Sync ("Sissy That Walk") (zzzz + fake split screen editing) 12. BenDeLaCreme vs Darienne Lake (2) ("Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)") (zzzz) Every season has had an obvious #1 lip sync so far Season ranking so far: 5 > 6 > 4 > 2 > 3 > 1 > AS1

[sheacouleecametoslay]

Season 5 (2013)

Season 5 is a turning point for RPDR. It's when the show shifted focus from fashion queens to comedy queens, with Jinkx's win signaling that shift. Indeed, Seasons 2/3/4 had a secondary design challenge following the Snatch Game, but Season 5 removes that. Instead, another acting challenge (the telenovela) appears in the latter half. This is also the last time immunity is given out. It's the last season to use the old "Cover Girl" transition (where the marquee and the judges panel are shown). And that Hollywood tour bus in the premiere has to be the last time the queens leave the studio for a challenge right? Meanwhile, we get our first rapid-fire runway during an overly long maxi-challenge; although the Roast didn't have one. And the Roast makes its first appearance. There's a couple other new challenges. Episode 2 involves lip syncing to iconic Untucked moments (they sure loved to do odd challenges in episode 2 back then). But it was a fun challenge, and multiple queens did well in it. The other new one is the Ballet, which I also thought turned out well despite initial low expectations. As for the returning staples, I only found Jinkx, Alaska and Roxxxy funny in the Snatch Game. I didn't like the singing challenge format this time (the whole group charity single). The Dumpster Diving design challenge had some rough runways. And the children's TV show was kinda cringe. The Fragrance Ad was probably the best branding challenge we've seen so far though (ignoring Aubrey O'Day's involvement). And the courtroom scenes for the finale music video were fun. I liked the make-up done in the dark mini-challenge too. The water tank photoshoot in the premiere maybe wasn't the best idea though. Makeover uncomfortable moment watch: Jinkx's partner saying he killed Judy Garland... uh... Otherwise, Season 5 probably has the most understandable boot order of any season. Just about every queen went home when they should've. Which left a star-studded top 6 (I mean 2nd-6th place all returned in AS2 and the winner... will eventually win a second time). It might be the most famous top 6 from the regular seasons. This year also has the first ever Double Sashay Away, which was a shocking moment. Especially since it's only happened one other time (I'm not counting Season 14). This season seems to have the most drama too. There's two main sources: the Alyssa vs Coco past-history rivalry, which was a fun feud. It all started with that dramatic music during Coco's entrance lmao. Jinkx vs Roxxxy is the other rivalry, which was more annoying than anything. Serena and Jade had their squabbles too. And it was an explosive year for Untucked. The Serena ChaCha vs everyone and the Alyssa vs Jade ("backrolls") fights being the most memorable. The Ro-Laska-Tox clique is another defining aspect of this season. They're the villain clique, but Roxxxy is the only member who annoys me. Overall though, I do think this is one of the best seasons. The cast is entertaining. The acting/comedy challenges feel more significant. There's some great lip syncs. And Jinkx is such a satisfying winner.

Queens Ranking: 14. Penny Tration Imagine being voted onto the show by the fans only to be the first boot. Penny must've had a good campaign because she did not deliver. That Dumpster Diving runway looked very uhh... sloppy and inexperienced. That front slit. That uneven padding. That make-up. And then she gave some amateur moves in the lip sync and kept turning around because she didn't know the words. I also didn't really get a sense of who she is or what her drag style is. 13. Vivienne Pinay She just seemed to complain in every confessional, particularly about her fellow contestants like Serena and Roxxxy. She had this uptight attitude about it. She also had basic runways every week. She wasn't selling it in the kid's TV show. She looked basic playing American's Next Drag Superstar in the Ballet. And she was the worse one in that Britney lip sync. 12. Roxxxy Andrews The Villain of the Season, but too toxic of a Villain to get behind. She was so upset that the show was steering away from fashion queens towards comedy queens. She had this relentless, tiresome resentment towards Jinkx because of it. She kept wishing Jinkx would fail and even gave an empty apology. She also went on this ridiculous rant in the final 3 episode. I thought the judges were overpraising Roxxxy at times too. Her Tamar Braxton in Snatch Game was great, and Tasha Salad was fine, but I'm not sure if "where my people at" and her facial expressions in the telenovela are *that* outstanding. Her Roast, meanwhile, started off mean and ended unconfident. And then she had Ru gagging over the wig reveal in the lip sync. Her runways were solid though - the pink theme, the licorice outfit, the top 3 dress. I almost gave her the win for the Sugar Ball, but I didn't like the Sweet 16 marshmallows. The Makeover win was mainly for the double reveal and padding. 11. Honey Mahogany Utterly forgettable. The Double Sashay was deserved and welcomed - it got rid of the two most "meh" queens on the cast. Honey's runways were all in the same style with that overflowing caftan. Her entrance was my least fave too. And her Diana Ross impersonation in the Ballet wasn't anything like Diana. I didn't feel like I got to know Honey that well either. I do think she "won" that lip sync though. And her best moment was playing Mystique Summers Madison in the Untucked challenge. 10. Serena ChaCha What a delusional trainwreck. Serena had half the cast SEETHING at her. She randomly during their make-up session. She clapped back at Penny, Vivienne and Jade all in one go. She screamed again in Untucked to get attention ("I request the floor ladies"), and was at the center of an iconic Untucked fight. She then called "ghetto" a language and yeah... that's not okay. She was pretty bad in both challenges too. For someone who just graduated art school, her Dumpster Diving look has to be one of the worst runways I've ever seen. Meanwhile her Raja impersonation was very weird and she acted like it was an artistic interpretation lol? Her Panama Carnival in episode 2 was better, but Michelle was right about the panties. She also did the same splits position for both lip syncs. 9. Jade Jolie Her fashion choices were... choices. Her entrance look was too busy, her first runway had that tacky NBC peacock logo, and her last runway had multi-colour hair attached everywhere. While in the 4 episodes in between, she mostly gave passable acting/comedy performances that avoided the bottom. Her Taylor Swift in Snatch Game was at least believable even if it wasn't funny. But ultimately, I think the judges didn't want to lose Coco or Alyssa in episode 6, so they put Jade in the bottom 2 as a sacrificial lamb. Either way, it was her time to go. She had the smallest role in the singing challenge and she didn't really sell it. Personality-wise, Jade was this giggling, sneering, passive aggressive s**t talker, who got into a bunch of drama with Alyssa (culminating in the whole "back rolls" thing). She was also cheering when Serena left. She got snarky with Coco for not picking her. And she had some attitude over her assigned role in episode 2. 8. Monica Beverly Hillz Monica wasn't that visible but that's because her head wasn't in the game at all. She came out as transgender in front of the judges and it was such an emotional moment. She pulled it out in the following lip sync too. But then she looked defeated during the next episode's lip sync. I mean, I didn't like her Dumpster Diving look. She didn't embody Jiggly Caliente that well. And she stumbled over her lines in the kid's TV show. But my heart was rooting for Monica just the same. 7. Detox I have neutral feelings on Detox - don't love her, don't hate her. She shared two personal, emotional traumas, but she had this snobby "I've had it" attitude. She seemed the most invested in Ro-Laska-Tox. She paired up Alyssa and Coco to sabotage them; and then denied doing so. And her track record underwhelmed - she was only top 3 in two challenges - her rooster character and the "HEROINE" perfume ad; both of which were funny. Her Roast was too, but she was flustered during that. Otherwise, her Kesha in Snatch Game was raunchy (peeing on stage really?) She was dropping flags in the Makeover. And her telenovela character changed voices at one point. Still, she gave us those jaw movements in the Cher lip sync while twirling in the jellyfish outfit. She had my second favourite entrance. Her black dress that showed her ass when she turned around was well-played. Her Best Drag runway was great too. But not all of her runways landed - she was worst in the Sugar Ball for me. 6. Ivy Winters Ivy sure had a low-key edit for a Miss C winner. Were the fans shipping her and Jinkx? I mean, she was super nice, she had amazing sewing skills, and RuPaul said her name in a memorable way. But she wasn't the most telegenic. There's a reason why I said star-studded Top 6 and not Top 7. She was the odd-one-out there. But yeah, Ivy's Dumpster Diving Couture looked well-made. The butterfly on stilts, her Divalicious look and her black-and-white photo dress were among my fave runways of the season too. And she made those herself! As for the challenges, she was fun as Lady Bunny in the Ballet. But she missed the president prompt while playing Marilyn Monroe in the Snatch Game, her Roast was tame, and her Fragrance concept was flimsy. I also didn't agree with her winning the singing challenge. 5. Lineysha Sparx An initial front-runner who crashed and burned mid-season. She could've (and probably should've) won the first two challenges. I thought her Dumpster Diving Couture - the wallpaper dress with the shoe in her hair - was better than Roxxxy's. She did win in episode 2 though with a spot-on Tyra Sanchez impersonation. But then she faded after that. She translated everything into Spanish for the kid's TV show, and she had to play Diana Ross in the Ballet... without knowing who Diana Ross was. It seemed like the edit was setting her up for disaster, but both performances were comfortably "safe". Her ultimate demise was the Snatch Game. She practiced Michelle Obama in front of Ru and it was flat as a pancake. She then switched to Celia Cruz, but she sounded unsure of herself in the game show. Also, despite the early exit, Lineysha was one of the top runway queens of the season. She didn't give much negative energy either. 4. Coco Montrese Sometimes I live for Coco's reads and being a drama-magnet, other times I found her unlikeable. Like when she dismissed Jinkx's style. But I laughed when she got snippy at Detox during the singing recording. Maybe it's the editing. I didn't care whether or not she was playing the victim, the Alyssa feud was fun. As for the challenges, I thought Coco's Dumpster Diving Couture with all the movie set junk was creative. She was very expressive playing Lashauwn Beyond. And she went in a unique direction for the Roast by playing Ru's cousin which paid off. Her telenovela runway was one of my faves too. Plus she was a top tier lip sync assassin, even winning 3 of them. But she had an "over it" attitude in the team challenges; particularly the ventriloquist dummy and singing with Alyssa. Her Fragrance Ad had too much leopard as well, and her lines with Wilmer in the telenovela were shaky (they could've edited out that awkward pause). In the end, Coco's story was over the moment Alyssa left. Her make-up on her Makeover partner was pretty busted. 3. Alaska I was conflicted on whether to push Alaska down because of her association with Sh*ron on that cruise, but I'm going to be a hypocrite I guess. Alaska excelled at the comedy and acting challenges, and she worked hard to be a top-rated queen. Her story was feeling the pressure to live up to Sh*ron's legacy. She wouldn't let Ro-Laska-Tox distract her from it. And she delivered most of the time. If Jinkx wasn't on the cast, Alaska would've been a solid winner. The season started with her walking out on the mini-challenge, but then she turned it out with her recycling bag Dumpster Diving Couture. I didn't care that she was in boy drag for the kid's TV show, she was a good host. Her opening act in the Ballet was overlooked. Her Lady Bunny in Snatch Game was funny; as was her Roast. I think she could've won the Dumpster Diving and the Roast as well. I also enjoyed her bloody pink outfit, the red perfume runway, and her cotton candy couture in the Sugar Ball. We'll see how I feel about Alaska in AS2 though. 2. Jinkx Monsoon FINALLY, a winner I can get behind again. Despite having to overcome an entire clique at the Final 4, Jinkx is actually an obvious winner based on track record. She was highly praised in all but two episodes - the first and last ones. Actually, Jinkx could've realistically won 6 challenges this season and I wouldn't have questioned it. The Snatch Game is her peak moment - she managed to make an obscure celebrity funny; and she played it smart by interjecting. Her other win was the telenovela where she stole the scene. In fact, Jinkx stole the scene in the singing challenge too, but I guess the judges wanted Ivy to have a win. She could've won the Roast, the perfume ad, and the Makeover as well. She just understands acting. Her characters are fully realized. She uses schtick, but it's never cringe. I also didn't agree with Michelle's constant criticisms over her runways. I didn't think her early ones were that bad. Jinkx would later shock me with her dia de los muertos look. Her Candy Couture turned into a mess though, but of course the Final 4 lip sync was switched to save her. Otherwise, she was so sweet with her Makeover partner. And "Water off a duck's back" is relatable to anyone with anxiety. 1. Alyssa Edwards My new all-time fave. Alyssa may have been in the bottom a lot, but she gave many memorable quotes - "Oh she really came that way? Alright"; "Girl look how f**king orange you look girl"; "Alright. Oh I see where this is going"; "What the hell are you squirping like a chirping like a bird outside the window?"; "Backrolls?". It's just the way she talks; and it doesn't sound contrived. Her Coco rivalry was fun, and she even had a side rivalry with Jade. She openly read people at every opportunity, but it didn't feel mean-spirited. In the competition, Alyssa gave a great Shangela impersonation and an impressive Ballet performance. But then the Snatch Game began a downward spiral. Her Katy Perry was so bad that Ru got rid of immunity for good and told her to tweet an apology... which was a bit much. Her singing was half-hearted, save for her mannerisms. Her Roast didn't get the audience laughing. Her "Alyssa's Secret" concept didn't make sense as a perfume. And her telenovela performance involved weird facial expressions and bad orgasms. Alyssa had resigned herself to lip syncing to the end by that point though; which isn't an ideal strategy. Her runways were mid at best as well. She even reused her entrance look in one of them. But her personality outweighs her track record. Favourite entrance: Ivy Winters Challenge ranking: 1. RuPaul Roast 2. Sugar Ball 3. Untucked re-enactments (Lip Syncing) 4. Ballet about RuPaul's life (Choreo) 5. Snatch Game 6. Fragrance Advert (Branding) 7. "The Beginning" Music Video 8. Telenovelas (Acting) 9. Dumpster Diving Couture (Design) 10. "Super Troopers" Makeover 11. Children's TV Shows (Improv) 12. "Can I Get An Amen?" group singing Lip Sync ranking: 1. Alyssa Edwards vs Coco Montrese ("Cold Hearted") 2. Coco Montrese vs Jade Jolie ("I'm So Excited") (love watching the Pointer Sisters bop along) 3. Alyssa Edwards vs Roxxxy Andrews ("Whip My Hair") (Roxxxy won btw) 4. Detox vs Jinkx Monsoon ("Malambo No. 1") (WAW AH WAW AH WAW) 5. Detox vs Lineysha Sparx ("Take Me Home") 6. Coco Montrese vs Monica Beverly Hillz ("When I Grow Up") 7. Coco Montrese vs Detox ("(It Takes) Two to Make It Right") 8. Alyssa Edwards vs Ivy Winters ("Ain't Nothin' Goin' on But the Rent") 9. Monica Beverly Hillz vs Serena ChaCha ("Only Girl (In The World)") 10. Top 3 Lip Sync ("The Beginning") 11. Penny Tration vs Serena ChaCha ("Party In The U.S.A.") 12. Honey Mahogany vs Vivienne Pinay ("Oops!... I Did It Again")

Season ranking so far: 5 > 4 > 2 > 3 > 1 > AS1

[sheacouleecametoslay]

All Stars 1 (2012)

Yeah... I'm gonna go ahead and say this is the worst Drag Race season I've watched so far (I've yet to see Down Under). I blame the format not the cast though; since this is a cast worthy of being called All-Stars. I felt hyped when the queens were walking down the street doing the intros in the premiere. But then the teams twist was introduced and the season was ruined from that moment. Part of the issue is the judging - what happens if one half of the team gives a stand-out performance and the other half flops? What if another pair delivers two equal but average performances? You could make arguments either way on which is better or worse. I think the twist also hindered group interaction since it pushes the queens to mostly talk to their partners. Plus the season only has 6 episodes with double eliminations every week, so we barely get time with the cast. Furthermore, the challenges were unfamiliar and poorly executed. It was a bad decision to replace the usual staples. The premiere was a photoshoot instead of a "make an outfit out of a junk" challenge, which is what the first 4 seasons all started with. The Snatch Game became the Gaff-In; a challenge so unfunny it becomes ironically funny. The Makeover turned into lip sync choreo with a celebrity; where all 3 teams were even. The Ball turned into this superhero/supervillain story; where one team talked about melanin and the other talked about vaginas and nipples.... yeah. There's also an outdoor basketball game for a mini-challenge. And the finale is a series of public appearances instead of a music video. Oh, and there's one episode where the queens had to prank people in the streets... WTF was that? Talk about CRINGE. It felt like I was watching an entirely different show. It's so awkward trying to convince strangers to do embarrassing things. And it took up 15 minutes of the episode. I also wasn't a fan of the red siren twist for the lip syncs (ie. where the partner could tag themselves in). It was such a mess when Yara Sofia pressed it. Speaking of lip syncs, the final 4 face-off between Jujubee and Raven was a very emotional one, and one of the few good moments of the season. The Latrice vs Tammie lip sync was good as well. But the rest were meh. The other issue with AS1 is the winner's story. I love Chad and all, but I don't feel like she did anything to warrant a win here? It's like this season was treated as a formality or a rubber stamp or a means to end just to give her a crown.   All in all, this does not feel like an All-Stars season. I'm glad that most of this cast got their chance at a real All-Stars season in later years.

Queens Ranking: 12. Pandora Boxx She spent the entire premiere complaining about having to be paired with Mimi Imfurst, and that defeated attitude is what sent them both home first. 11. Raven Here she goes again, being an asshole to Mimi in Untucked; all mad because Mimi was 3rd in the fan voting. And then next episode saying Mimi didn't deserve to be there. I did enjoy Raven's stand-up routine though, and her Supervillain look was one of the top runways this season. Her getting naked in the photoshoot was a bold decision too. But I do think Raven was the weaker half of "Rujubee" in other challenges. 10. Nina Flowers I still love Nina, but she had the smallest edit of the 12 All-Stars this season, and she didn't really do anything memorable in those two episodes. 9. Chad Michaels It's funny how I wanted Chad to win Season 4, but I couldn't care less if she won AS1 or not. Talk about a boring winner's arc. I don't mean boring because it was predictable, it was boring because she didn't do anything memorable this season. Sure, she won 3/5 challenges with Shannel, but those wins didn't feel notable. Part of that is bad challenge design, but at the same time, I can't think of a funny quote or an iconic runway she delivered. I didn't laugh once at her Bette Davis in Gaff-In or her vaginal rejuvenation story in the superhero challenge. 8. Mimi Imfurst Mimi was calmer this time... until everyone ganged up on her on Untucked, but can you blame her? She was the bigger person and tried to make things work with Pandora though, even when Pandora was resistant. And I actually liked her lip sync better than Chad's, even if she was overdoing it and getting into Chad's personal space and giving an underwhelming reveal. "Mandora"'s photoshoot and runway weren't great. Both photos were just expressions of their tense partnership in an uncomfortable way. While on stage, the blue outfits with the lime green fur weren't visually pleasing. 7. Alexis Mateo More or less the same Alexis as Season 3. She had outside beef with Mimi on Untucked, and she made points about the Latina queens being discriminated. Otherwise, she played off of Yara well in the Gaff-In. And "Yarlexis" had good chemistry in general. But I felt like Yara was the more prominent half of the pair. 6. Shannel Shannel was this stern workaholic and she took charge in a lot of the challenges. She was frantic in the pranking, and she lead the choreo twice - in the girl groups and the F4 superhero number. If anything it felt like Shannel was the stronger half of "Shad". Her premiere and finale runways were great too. But she fumbled the finale challenges; where she had the worst stand-up routine and overtalked in the group interview (which is just classic Shannel). I don't think she was making Final 2 either way though. "Shad"'s photoshoot came off pretentious. Their Gaff-In impressions weren't funny. And their superhero stories about vaginas and nipples felt juvenile. They had the tightest choreo in the girl groups, which is why I gave them the win for that one, but their outfits were the least matching. 5. Latrice Royale Latrice is still one of my all-time faves, but all the things I love about Latrice were kind of missing from this season? She played Oprah in the one comedy challenge and it wasn't funny. She was then shown digging in that trash can in the next episode. And her runways weren't the best this time. 4. Jujubee I'm probably going to like Jujubee less with each appearance, but she was my favourite of the Final 4, so there's that. Her Fran Drescher laugh carried her team in the Gaff-In and she had the best stand-up routine in the finale; although she was swallowed in the group interview. "Rujubee" had my second fave photoshoot in both categories. But they suffered from poor communication in the pranking. Jujubee had a stand-out lip sync in girl groups, but the pair just repeated the Season 2 choreo. The superhero stories were... okay. 3. Tammie Brown AS1 cemented Tammie as an icon, with the show fully embracing her weirdness as everybody kept commenting on it. "I'm from Planet 15, we have two moons"; "I CURED MY GRANDMOTHER"; "HA! HA! I'm acting"; "Well come on Teletubby, teleport us to Mars!"; "We have to sniff the Flowers" (as she sniffs Nina Flowers); "She likes to wear grass... grass underwear because it's always green"; "Sexy orangutan shake it and do your thing". 💀💀💀 Her Gaff-In "jokes" were so confusing and dumb, but she sold them with such conviction that I actually would've saved their team from the bottom 2 lol. "Brown Flowers" surprised me in the photoshoot though. Tammie looked great in the Opposites Attract, and I liked the pair's sensitive embrace in Half Baked . 2. Manila Luzon This season made me appreciate Manila more. She could've been a decent winner, and she carried confidence here. I was impressed by her Cruella de Vil entrance look. The Teletubby was... an idea. And I liked her runway with the black high heel and feather on her head. Her Madonna in Gaff-In was fine but not really funny. And then she gave us a creepy lip sync to "Nasty" and that was that. "Latrila" looked high class in the Opposites Attract photoshoot, but Half Baked was weird. As for the pranking, Latrice revealed post-show that they actually had the second most points but were put in the bottom 2 anyways. Shady producers. I mean, I thought Raven and Yara were the least effective on the street anyways. 1. Yara Sofia Yeah, she remains my favourite from the first 4 seasons. Her Charo is one of the few things I enjoyed in AS1. I loved her hair clothes line runway look, despite what Michelle said. And I liked her 60s Glam look including the reveal. She really didn't need to tag herself into the lip sync against Raven though; I face-palmed during that. "Yarlexis" were the only funny team in the Gaff-In. Their sinister Half Baked photoshoot was my fave, but their role reversal in Opposites Attract didn't quite work for me. They had the best outfits in the girl groups, but their choreo wasn't as good. And Yara seemed too pushy with the strangers in the street in the pranking. Teams ranking: 6. Mandora 5. Shad 4. Rujubee 3. Brown Flowers 2. Latrila 1. Yarlexis Favourite entrance: Manila Luzon Challenge ranking: 1. Finale public appearances 2. Photoshoot 3. All-Star Girl Groups 4. RuPaul's Gaff-In 5. Superhero vs Supervillain 6. Pranking in the streets Lip Sync ranking: 1. Jujubee vs Raven ("Dancing On My Own") 2. Latrice Royale vs Tammie Brown ("There's No Business Like Show Business") 3. Chad Michaels vs Mimi Imfurst ("Opposites Attract") 4. Raven vs Yarlexis ("Don't Cha") 5. Chad Michaels vs Raven ("Responsi-T-slur-ty") 6. Jujubee vs Manila Luzon ("Nasty") Season ranking so far: 4 > 2 > 3 > 1 > AS1

[sheacouleecametoslay]

Season 4 (2012)

Well, this season feels somewhat uncomfortable to watch in 2022 after everything that's been exposed about the winner. She should've been disqualified instead of Willam. I feel sick every time she appears on screen. And I've decided to ignore her in my judging. But if you ignore the stain she leaves on this season, this is a strong cast! Season 4 seems to be when Drag Race finally settled into the show that is today. I noticed a shift in the cast's vibes. The first 3 seasons were filled with these dry, toneless confessionals, but the personalities shined more this time. The production has improved somewhat too. There's now an open doorway for the queens to enter. The finale is now filmed in front of a live audience. And the bar was raised on runway looks last season. The Apocalyptic Couture design challenge, the first runway of the season, proved that. But there's still scenes of the contestants waking up in their hotel rooms. They still wear different outfits in confessional. And the "Cover Girl" transition starts differently than it does today. The challenges need some improvement too. I'm glad there's more variety. But the Snatch Game was a mess (Chad and Willam somewhat saved it). The RuPaul's albums adverts were kinda cringe. The Presidential Debate was PAINFUL... it's like none of them wanted to talk about politics. Sh*ron's partner in the Makeover challenge gave me the creeps. I wasn't a fan of the pregnant twist either. And the whole "Frenemies" episode felt very contrived to create more drama between Sh*ron and Jaremi (FKA Phi Phi O'Hara), and then they went through a pointless lip sync when the producers were going to remove Willam anyways. Their duet felt so awkward in that challenge too. Although the announcement of Willam's removal is one of the most shocking moments in the show's history. The prison sitcom was good though; mostly for Latrice's performance. And the wrestling challenge surprisingly turned out well? Maybe because I'm a wrestling fan, but I thought the trash talking and the moves were fun. Willam's team was definitely the sloppiest though, and I didn't like how they cut Chad's team's match short. The finale music video is SOOOO camp that I kinda love it. And the pride boats turned out better than I expected based on the concept. I don't think Willam should've won that though, especially when the judges read Milan for doing the same thing (making it about herself.) Oh great, Billy B is still occasionally filling in for Santino... I do not like Billy B. And once again someone is brought back at the Final 5 for no reason just to be eliminated in the same episode. Untucked had the iconic Lashauwn vs Jiggly fight, Jaremi telling Willam how much he disrespected her for breaking the rules, and a very heated Jaremi/Sh*ron fight at the final 4. The Jaremi/Sh*ron drama largely drove the season, reaching a boiling point with that "go back to party city where you belong" quote. Otherwise, Dida, Milan, Jiggly and Latrice gave great lip syncs. And the Shangela box fake out during the premiere made me laugh.

Queens Ranking: 13. Sh*ron N**dles Another problematic winner. Bye. 12. Alisa Summers I can't remember anything that she said or did on this season. Her first runway didn't look appealing anyways. 11. Madame LaQueer I'm noticing a trend of big girls being picked on in the early seasons. LaQueer was always picked last in team challenges and Kenya didn't respect her. But she defied expectations by winning a physical challenge with a bad ankle (even if her wrestling character wasn't my cup of tea). And she won a mini-challenge with Willam (I did like the blue die mugshots). This is a storyline I can get behind, but I just end up feeling indifferent about her? I'm not sure why. Her Platinum & Gold outfit was pretty bad. And she missed the mark in a couple of acting challenges. It probably wasn't fair to criticize her using Spanish, although her segment wasn't memorable anyway. In the end, she had no hope against Milan's OTT lip sync. 10. Kenya Michaels Kenya came in with a fierce attitude (that slow-mo entrance!) She was fun in the wrestling challenge and her Nicki Minaj look was good. But she had this weirdness in her acting performances. It worked in the album advert (even if I wasn't *that* crazy about it... it's just that almost everyone else sucked). She was overdoing it as the prison guard (the clapping!) And her Beyonce in Snatch Game was strange too. I don't know why she didn't like LaQueer either. And then she came back at the final 5 just to flop in the Makeover (with those unhappy faces) and give us THAT ill-fitting lip sync to Aretha Franklin. 9. The Princess Not just one, but two queens who were in the "top" in episode 1 ended up being early boots. The Princess's personality wasn't *that* memorable to me, but she had some solid looks. Her nautical theme was in the "top" for a reason (even if it's not in my top 3) and I liked the Platinum & Gold outfit. But it was the acting challenges where The Princess stumbled. She was almost invisible in the wrestling one. Then in the next episode, she went the opposite direction by taking on a lead role... which also fell flat. And just like LaQueer, she had no hope against Dida's energetic lip sync. 8. Dida Ritz Dida made it really far for someone was never in the top 3 in any challenge. Her entrance look is so bad it's now a meme. Her runways weren't much better. Her "Main Event" joke didn't land. Her pride boat shirt was not a good choice. Her chicken Dragazine cover was "blah" ("chicken... chicken... chicken") And her debate had no substance. But as far as RPDR cockroaches go, I didn't mind Dida sticking around. She's likeable enough, and both of her lip syncs were great. She was the only one on her team that did well in the prison sitcom as well, so there's that. Her ultimate downfall was being uncomfortable with politics. She felt out of place in that final 5 anyways - the other 4 are such big characters. 7. Milan Milan's storyline was about being oblivious. She took over as team captain when no one really asked her to... twice... in back-to-back episodes. She brought up her acting degree and proceeded to flop in the acting challenge. Her Diana Ross in Snatch Game was off. And then she went bonkers in the lip syncs for three consecutive episodes. She had some impressive moves, but her third lip sync felt tired. I liked her Janelle Monae look though, despite what the judges said. I also liked her Apocalyptic Couture and Platinum & Gold. And she was entertaining. She struck me as someone who followed her true self in the competition, regardless of what the judges wanted. Ultimately though, her pride boat looked amateur (especially the handwriting). 6. Jaremi Carey (FKA Phi Phi O'Hara) The most hated queen at the time. All that drama because he took credit for Sh*ron's character in that one challenge lol. Anyways, Jaremi had some of my favourite runways of Season 4. I thought the judges underrated his Apocalyptic Couture. I almost gave him the win for the pride boat. His Dragazine cover was the most effective. And I actually liked his Bitch Ball looks. But damn, Jaremi was ruthless on this season. He went off on people constantly; it's like he always had a problem with other people. Was it the edit? I don't know, because his tone sounded hateful. He also manipulated Jiggly into taking the Dragazine seriously and tried to get Latrice to sabotage Willam in the singing. But as a Survivor fan, dirty tactics don't bother me lol. His Lady Gaga in Snatch Game (even if he had the look down) and the Republican character in the debate were misfires though ("the help"... really?) His Latina character in the advert was cringe too. He certainly brought the drama though... 5. Chad Michaels She KILLED it as Cher in the Snatch Game. It's one of the best Snatch Game performances of all time. But she's not just a Cher impersonator; Chad is an experienced professional at doing drag. I'll never understand why the judges read her for being too professional and being old school. Like do they expect her to dress like a 20 year old? She seemed like a natural in the acting challenges too. Her wrestling character was good. I thought she should've won the albums advert. Her debate character wasn't fully in character though; she kept going "YELLOW. RED."; but she had the best inauguration runway that episode. Speaking of which, I think Chad had the best runways this season? There's the Apocalyptic Couture, the Florence Welch look, the leopard print as well. And I thought her Bitch Ball looks were good, aside from the daytime park one. 4. Jiggly Caliente Jiggly had this vulnerability while still carrying self-confidence at the same time? I was rooting for her, aside from her comment about how dating another drag queen is "disgusting". It seemed like she was dealing with a lot of past trauma though. She got emotional a few times on Untucked. And production were also such assholes for sending her that hotel letter. But I liked her poses on the runway. She was a great lip sync-er (until she was given a country song). And she carried her team during the wrestling challenge (even openly blaming The Princess for their flop). But the creative challenges really weren't her thing. Her baked potato Apocalyptic Couture was... something. The cape in the pride boat wasn't flattering either. And she looked sad in that Dragazine cover, where she was read for taking it serious instead of funny. It's clear the producers wanted her gone that round regardless though. 3. Willam Willam had this snooty, conceited, spoiled, Valley Girl-like persona. She even won the pride boat challenge by plastering her face all over it and then stepping out to show off her body. It's a win that I don't agree with, but it was such a Willam thing to do. And she constantly bragged about the TV shows she was on. The thing is though, Willam's attitude came off as an act. She's funny because there's a sense of self-awareness to it. I GAGGED at "Is the carpet comfortable?" She was quite obnoxious in that pride boat episode though. Still, her Jessica Simpson in Snatch Game was comical (they should've left the cardboard cut-out joke in). Her reads in confessionals weren't exactly wrong. And some of her runways looked expensive. The crying on stage had to be fake right? But of course Willam's most memorable moment was her shock removal. I fully believe that she wanted to get kicked off to be in another show - that sounds like her. Willam was just a complete troll, but in a fun way. 2. Lashauwn Beyond Probably my favourite early boot of this entire series? With quotes such as "Post apopalopic", "Badonk a donk donk a donk donk", "Bubblegum yum-yum", "And kikikikikikiki, NO!", and of course "THIS IS NOT RUPAUL'S BEST FRIENDS RACE"... Lashauwn really went OFF on Jiggly during that first Untucked. She had this lovable aura when she spoke (if that makes sense). And I loved her style on the runway and how she made everyday objects look fashionable - the globe hat, the bubblegum machine. But yeah, her performance in the wrestling challenge was lacking. 1. Latrice Royale Obvious #1 is obvious [2]. Latrice brought a warm presence. She had that distinctive laugh in the Werk Room. Her prison guard character is hilarious and iconic ("get those nuts away from my face!") It went with her backstory of spending time in prison herself (for drug possession, so nothing problematic). She made a good heel in the wrestling challenge. And she had the only funny line in the debate. She was clearly checked out at the end of Snatch Game though, and then she proceeded to scold the queens afterwards for their unprofessionalism (I mean, she wasn't wrong). Moreover, Latrice looked gorgeous in the pride boat. Her Red Carpet and Dressed to Impress looks are up there too. Her late-season runways weren't as good though, and I do think she was the worst in the Bitch Ball. But she also gave two soulful lip syncs towards the end... until she was screwed over by a country song like Jiggly. Favourite entrance: Lashauwn Beyond Challenge ranking: 1. Wrestling 💀 2. Apocalyptic Couture (Design) 3. Prison sitcom (Acting) 4. Pride boats (Design) 5. "Glamazon" Music Video 6. Bitch Ball 7. "Frenemies" duets (Singing) 8. Snatch Game 9. RuPaul's albums adverts 10. Dragazine covers 11. Presidential debate 12. "DILFs" Makeover Lip Sync ranking: 1. Dida Ritz vs The Princess ("This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)") 2. Dida Ritz vs Latrice Royal ("I've Got to Use My Imagination") 3. Kenya Michaels vs Milan ("Vogue") 4. Jaremi Carey vs Sh*ron N**dles ("It's Raining Men (The Sequel)") (double shantay worthy but also an unnecessary lip sync) 5. Kenya Michaels vs Latrice Royal ("(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman") 6. Madame LaQueer vs Milan ("Trouble") 7. Alisa Summers vs Jiggly Caliente ("Toxic") 8. Jiggly Caliente vs Milan ("Born This Way") 9. Top 3 Lip Sync ("Glamazon") 10. Chad Michaels vs Latrice Royal ("No One Else on Earth") 11. Lashauwn Beyond vs The Princess ("Bad Girls") 12. Jiggly Caliente vs Willam ("Mi Vida Loca") Season ranking so far: 4 > 2 > 3 > 1

[sheacouleecametoslay]

Season 3 (2011)

I'm not as big on Season 3 as other fans seem to be. The challenges and the runways have improved from the previous year, and Michelle Visage is a welcomed addition to judging panel, even if I don't agree with her critiques a lot of the time. Merle Ginsberg (who judged the first two seasons) kind of faded into the background for me. Michelle's debut puts us one step closer to the modern era. But we're not quite there yet. The finale is still filmed in the studio. The Werk Room still has a closed door (which makes an annoying squeaking sound every. single. time. someone opens it). The first acting challenge still involves like 2 lines of dialogue for each queen (and it wasn't even that funny). And the Snatch Game is still underwhelming. But my main issues with Season 3 is the lack of big personalities (except for Shangela) and the pacing. The drama was driven by the "Heathers" clique vs the "Boogers" divide. But I found the whole clique war annoying, and it's been confirmed that it was mostly fabricated for TV anyway. Although on the plus side, it's a diverse group that makes it far. Untucked, meanwhile, had the iconic Mimi vs Shangela fight and Tulle-gate. Still, Season 3 REALLY drags from the final 6 onward. It takes 4 episodes to fully eliminate two people. There's the first ever Double Shantay in the show's history. Carmen was brought back for no reason. And there was TWO Balls in the span of three episodes, with a Makeover in between. No wonder Alexis and Yara were burnt out at the Final 4, I was too from watching it. The final stretch of Season 3 just feels never-ending. And the finale music video was kinda boring compared to other seasons. It's also the worst season for lip syncs. There's only a handful of "good" ones - the rest are either trainwrecks or bland. There's Venus shoving Shangela around, Mimi picking up India, Carmen kissing a judge, Carmen and Raja doing soft core porn, and Yara breaking down on stage. You don't see stuff like this anymore.

Queens Ranking: 13. Delta Work Ughhhhhhh. Well, she did give Shangela the phone call. But otherwise, Delta was such a mopey, projecting "Debbie Downer" who never believed in anything she was trying to sell us. She was tentative in every acting/comedy challenge, including the stand-up routine that finally sent her packing. Her Cher in Snatch Game was terrible. Her runways didn't impress me. And she overstayed in the competition - top 7?!?! She just marginally escaped being in my bottom 3 in some weeks. Moreover, she was so sour about the people outside her clique. 12. Venus D-Lite She shoved Shangela around in the first lip sync while also throwing her ponytail into the audience. She had plastic surgery to look more like Madonna. Her Christmas outfit looked like arts and crafts. And she seemed to have a bitter attitude? 11. Carmen Carrera The annual RPDR cockroach who makes it inexpiably far in the competition for no reason. Carmen was so "one note". I got so tired of the same bathing suits on the runway. She was pretty lifeless in the acting/comedy challenges, but she somehow scraped by. Her J Lo in Snatch Game had zero laughs and should've been in the bottom. The fat suit in the stand-up routine didn't work for me. Her personality reminded me of the Plastics in Mean Girls. And then the producers brought her back at the final 5 just to be eliminated again in the same episode! Yeah that Makeover was trash. 10. India Ferrah Despite being picked up by Mimi, she is actually the most invisible queen of season 3. She showed off her boobs in most of her runways... and that's about all I remember. 9. Phoenix Also forgettable. Her whole storyline was about how she copied other people. She had the same entrance look as India (which had to be set up by production right?) She was accused of stealing Venus's idea to smash ornaments. And then she copied Gaga's moves in the lip sync. I didn't like either of Phoenix's outfits - the skirt was off in the Christmas one and her headpiece looked tacky in the Sci-Fi one. She was lifeless in the acting challenge too. 8. Mimi Imfurst What an utter trainwreck, but still an enjoyable experience to watch. She was a ball of nerves the entire time. She brought cookies in her entrance. She had a breakdown in the first episode. She overacted to the extreme in the episode 2 and 3 challenges - her acting was ridiculously over-the-top. You can see her face drop on stage when she didn't win the Sci-Fi skit. Her Holiday outfit surprised me, but then her next runway didn't work. And then there's the lip sync! Where Mimi stood in front of India and lifted her up like it's WWE. Oh yeah, and Mimi accused Shangela of having a sugar daddy on Untucked. 7. Alexis Mateo "BAM!" Alexis had some strong moments, but there's something holding me back from placing her higher. I didn't think her Fitness instruction was the best and I didn't get her stand-up routine either. But I liked her Alicia Keys in Snatch Game and she had the tone right for the PSA when no one else really did (well I liked Shangela's as well). But also, Alexis's runways were very hit or miss. She really just wrapped a blanket around herself for Cake Couture and called it a day. The military uniform one was on point though. Otherwise, Alexis was catty at times, but I didn't mind it much. Her walking out of the Werk Room at the Final 4 is understandable with how overworked the queens were. 6. Raja I have mixed feelings on Raja. She had this stuck-up/entitled attitude. She talked a lot of s**t about Shangela in particular; mostly resenting the fact that Shangela was doing so well despite being inexperienced and needing help with her runways. And there's also that Untucked episode where Raja mocks Shangela's way of talking which is... problematic. Like, yes Raja's runway looks are impressive (Christmas Couture, Marie Antoinette, Chocolate Cake), and I'm glad she made an effort in the acting/comedy challenges too. Her Tyra Banks in Snatch Game was weird, but her delivery made it work. Her stand-up routine was decent. And she was shockingly the best in a singing challenge. The PSA fell flat though. But geez I find it difficult to root for Raja as a winner. Not every look was a win for me either - I didn't like the "tulle" one, the birthday party one, or the leopard Makeover. There's also the Native American cultural appropriation look, but I think her intentions were in the right place since it was a statement about patriotism. 5. Mariah "I saw the fishnets and they were ripped". Mariah has this underrated personality in her confessionals, but that personality never really materialized in the challenges, which was her undoing. Mariah lacked energy whenever it came to the acting ones. And then she bombed the Snatch Game and fumbled the words to her lip sync. Oh, and she wrote "Congratulations Raja" in her lipstick message which was suspiciously erased. 4. Manila Luzon Hot take, but I think Manila's runways were better than Raja's. The pineapple! The bee! The money outfit! She should've won the Hair Ball too - all 3 looks were solid. She may have stumbled at the mid-point, but she gave us the best lip sync of the season, and then she was the strongest in the final episodes; even outperforming Raja in design challenges. Manila was my favourite of the final 3. But having said that, her comedy came off forced. I didn't really understand her winning the news reporter one over Shangela. She bombed the stand-up routine by talking about Sesame Street... yeah. And her PSA was crude, but it at least had a concept. Her Imelda Marcos in Snatch Game was my 4th favourite though. Otherwise, Manila was called "two-faced", but I actually thought she was the most likeable Heather *shrugs* 3. Stacy Layne Matthews "I DON'T WANT TO SEE NO MORE MOTHERF*****G CAKE". Stacy is just so genuine and endearing. She was picked on for no good reason. One of my favourite moments of season 3 is when Stacy surprised everyone by winning the Snatch Game. Her Mo'Nique was hilarious and she smartly followed Ru's (and Shangela's) advice on not doing Anna Nicole Smith. But my heart wept every time Stacy fumbled a challenge. Her cake outfit was really basic and she totally deserved to be bottom 2 for that. And then she started pulling out her hair onto the floor during the lip sync... 2. Shangela Shangela is the star of season 3 from the moment she popped out of that box. Everything seems to revolve around her. It's like watching a Drag Race fan stumble onto the show and making the most out of every moment. She was there to have fun and intentionally start drama whenever she could, but she wanted to do well too. She played strategically, even if tricking Carmen into giving her country didn't exactly work out. She never hesitated to call someone out. She had the Heathers FUMING because she was getting help on her runway looks. And she had a whole rivalry with the winner. Moreover, Shangela was a natural at the comedy challenges but... the runways were her downfall. The Christmas outfit wasn't together in the back, the cake outfit looked dirty, and the Hair Ball wasn't good. Oh yeah, and on Untucked she said transgenders shouldn't be competing... yikes. This was 12 years ago though, and I hope she's grown from that. 1. Yara Sofia Obvious #1 is obvious, but damn Yara had me laughing all season long with her craziness - the fitness advert, the weather reporter, the stand-up routine. Even the ridiculous Amy Winehouse impression in Snatch Game. I get why she was in the bottom for the PSA though - she misunderstood the tone for it. Also, Yara isn't just a comedy queen; she delivered some stunning looks on the runway too. The strawberry shortcake! The outfit made of hair! And I think Yara would've (and should've) made finale if she hadn't broken down at the F4 lip sync. But I can't blame her for that. The season was so long with so many design challenges at the end. I'd be burnt out too. And her money outfit had too much going on. But yeah, Yara Sofia is my favourite queen from the first 3 seasons. Favourite entrance: Raja Challenge ranking: 1. Fitness Video (Advert) 2. Stand-up routine 3. Hair Ball 4. Cake Couture (Design) 5. Holiday Thrift Store Drag (Design) 6. Snatch Game 7. Money Ball 8. Singing 9. "Jocks in Frocks" Makeover 10. Morning News Show (Improv) 11. "Champion" Music Video 12. "Queens in Space" (Acting) 13. Patriotic message (PSA Advert) Lip Sync ranking: 1. Delta Work vs Manila Luzon ("MacArthur Park") 2. Alexis Mateo vs Shangela ("Even Angels") 3. Carmen Carrera vs Shangela ("Believe") 4. Manila Luzon vs Raja ("Champion") 5. Alexis Mateo vs Stacy Layne Matthews ("Knock on Wood") 6. Alexis Mateo vs Yara Sofia ("I Think About You") (so emotional) 7. Carmen Carrera vs Raja ("Straight Up") 8. Delta Work vs Phoenix ("Bad Romance") 9. India Ferrah vs Stacy Layne Matthews ("Meeting in the Ladies Room") 10. Delta Work vs Mariah ("Looking for a New Love") CRINGE CRINGE CRINGE 11. Carmen Carrera vs Yara Sofia ("Mickey (Spanish Version)") 12. Shangela vs Venus D-Lite ("The Right Stuff") 13. India Ferrah vs Mimi Imfurst ("Don't Leave Me This Way") Season ranking so far: 2 > 3 > 1

[sheacouleecametoslay]

Season 2 (2010)

This was the first Drag Race season I ever watched, which was about 2.5 years ago. I remembered Season 2 as this high-drama trainwreck. On second viewing, it's not as crazy as I remembered it being, but there is a fair amount of drama still. I called it a trainwreck because of the final 2. The edit does not shy away from showing how obnoxious Tyra is, while Raven seemed like she was going to be an early boot. But this isn't an underdog F2 either. Actually, I'd go as far as to say this is the most unlikeable F2 in the show's history. Moreover, Tyra's win has aged pretty poorly and it casts a dark shadow over the season. Otherwise, this is the first season that actually feels like I'm watching RPDR. Say goodbye to the Vaseline filter and the tiny Werk Room! However, the early seasons have an underwhelming feeling to them? There's very few acting or comedy challenges (there's only 2 of them here), and when there is an acting challenge, the queens are only given like 2 lines of dialogue each. This season also has the first Snatch Game, but it's clear that most of them didn't know they had to be funny in it. Additionally, the runway looks are just so... basic by today's standards. Untucked was on fire back then though. Season 2 definitely peaks in the wedding dress episode. Them all calling out Tyra on the main stage is one iconic moment. Challenge-wise, the Burlesque show is something they'd never do today lol, and it's so strange to see the queens in a different venue from where the show is filmed. The dancing was fun, but selling pies in the streets was pretty cringe. The book covers were mostly blah too. The Makeover continues to have the worst judging.  And the finale music video dance scene got pretty violent. Jujubee's eye got poked!

Queens Ranking: 12. Tyra Sanchez I have to put Tyra last for her problematic behaviour after the show. But even if that never happened, she'd probably be around 9th for me?, so it's not like she was one of my favourite winners anyways. She had the most impressive runways this season, and she was funny in the Disco Shorting ad, but her attitude is AWFUL. It's so odd to see someone this negative actually win. She acted overconfident and bratty. She annoyed everybody with her singing. She took a nap in the Werk Room. She put in 0 effort when she had immunity. But it's not just that. While I do think her 3 wins are justified, I actually think she could've been bottom 3 in 4 other challenges, including both her immunities (her Beyonce sucked, her Rocker Chick wasn't rock, her book title was wordy and she forgot the drink name, and her partner's make-up in the Makeover was bad). But she knew exactly what the judges wanted from her on the runway and she delivered there. Although it did feel like pandering at times. Still, the kind of drama she brought isn't the kind I stan someone for. 11. Raven And the runner-up is right down with her. Raven is the mean and cold-hearted one of season 2. She looked down on her competition and she just seemed so... unpleasant to be around. Her sour attitude is what landed her in the bottom 2 twice at the beginning of the season. She did not want to play that chicken, and it showed during her performance. And she could've been bottom 3 (again) for the Snatch Game with that boring Paris impersonation. Granted, she had some of the more polished runways, and she improved in the latter half of the season. But I'd enjoy Raven a lot more if she didn't have a stick up her ass for the entire season. She just kept talking s**t about Mystique or Nicole or Tatiana about how they didn't deserve to be there. 10. (Kylie) Sonique (Love) Lip sync gymnastics aside, Kylie is pretty invisible on this season. I would never expect her to win a future All Stars season based off her original run. 9. Morgan McMichaels Maybe a controversial ranking. Morgan was the initial frontrunner who crashed and burned mid-season. She had one of the more famous lip syncs too, but I did not like her in Untucked. Yeah, she deserved the curtain design challenge win, but that's mostly because... I disliked most of the outfits from that challenge. Otherwise, she totally bombed the Snatch Game as P!nk, and then got outshined by Sahara in the episode 5 lip sync. 8. Nicole Paige Brooks She's so aloof. It feels like she's playing a character the entire time. I laughed during her Werk Room entrance, but she didn't deliver much after that! 7. Pandora Boxx Pandora was one of the best performing queens this season. She was in the "tops" for many of the challenges, but she always got overshowed by someone else and she could never get a challenge win. I liked her Carol Channing in Snatch Game though. But the issue with Pandora is that she comes off... dry? I don't know, there was just something missing with her. She might be my least fave Miss C winner - I'll have to wait and see. That said, I did feel emotional when she talked about her attempted suicide. And I didn't agree with her being in the bottom for the Makeover challenge. 6. Sahara Davenport (R.I.P.) Maybe she was a bit forgettable on this season, but she seemed so sweet, warm, and down-to-Earth. She shouldn't have been bottom 2 in the first episode either, but it lead to an energetic (albeit messy) lip sync to kick off the season. She was decent in the Disco Shortening ad too. And then she did a ballet performance in her Swan Lake outfit for that episode 5 lip sync. 5. Mystique Summers Madison Mystique got picked on and she gave us "BITCH I AM FROM CHICAGO" but she was so out of her element in the competition. Her runways were pretty bad, especially the Curtain Couture one with the headpiece and the Country Realness one that was sooo plain. But the way she did the splits during the first runway was a LOLWTF moment. And then she won an eating challenge, which the other girls immaturely laughed about. 4. Shangela Her inexperience really showed in that first runway (why was there corn?!), but I wanted to see more of her, and I'm glad we did! She left the first ever lipstick mirror message which is iconic. And what she lacked in experience, she made up for in charisma. It felt like there was missed protentional when she went out first. I'll have more to say in her future appearances. 3. Jessica Wild I wasn't expecting to rank Jessica this highly, but she really gave her best effort despite the language barrier. She did a much better job than Raven as the chicken. I think she should've been top 3 in the Snatch Game as Ru. And her hairflips during the Rocker Chicks challenge was fun. The thing about Jessica is that she felt isolated from the rest of the queens; as if she existed in her own space. I don't think she was ever involved in the drama? Ultimately, she went home for not speaking well in a speaking challenge when she's ESL... but I didn't like the cover anyways. 2. Tatianna She was so good as Britney in Snatch Game and she called out Tyra on the main stage during wedding dress episode ("I don't think that you're seeing that Tyra is a complete bitch"). In other words, Tatiana is responsible for my two favourite moments of the season. She was constantly picked on, mostly notably by Raven, and she still held her own. She stood up for Mystique. And she stood against Tyra at Tyra's peak annoyance. Sure Tatiana also had some un-confident moments... like how she flopped the Reading challenge... and her runways were usually not that great. But I loved her just the same. Maybe she was better suited for a later season that relied less on runways. 1. Jujubee Jujubee was my favourite the first time I watched this season, and that hasn't changed on my second viewing. I just wish she had a better challenge track record. It's hard to argue that she should've won because she had to win THREE lip syncs to make finale. Still, I love her aesthetic and she truly earns the title of lip sync assassin. She sold the hell out of "Black Velvet"; while "Shake Your Love" was camp. She didn't win any main challenges, but she did win the Reading mini-challenge! And I think she should've won the book cover too ("Memoirs of a Gay-Sha" is a great title and she was fun in the interview.) I thought her 1st and 3rd Ball looks were good as well. Her Makeover was the worst, but I kinda hate the Makeover challenges anyway. Favourite entrance: Jessica Wild Challenge ranking: 1. Wedding dress (Design) 2. Diva Awards Ball 3. Snatch Game 4. "Jealous Of My Boogie" Music Video 5. Disco Shortening (Acting) 6. Rocker Chicks (Singing) 7. Gone with the Windows (Design) 8. Burlesque show (Choreo) 9. "Golden Gals" Makeover 10. Autobiography (Branding) Lip Sync ranking: 1. Morgan McMichaels vs Sonique ("Two of Hearts") 2. Jujubee vs Sahara Davenport ("Black Velvet") 3. Morgan McMichaels vs Sahara Davenport ("Carry On") 4. Nicole Paige Brooks vs Raven ("My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)") 5. Raven vs Tyra Sanchez ("Jealous Of My Boogie") 6. Jujubee vs Pandora Boxx ("Shake Your Love") 7. Jujubee vs Tatiana ("Something He Can Feel") 8. Sahara Davenport vs Shangela ("Cover Girl (Put the Bass in Your Walk)") 9. Jessica Wild vs Tatiana ("He's the Greatest Dancer") 10. Mystique Summers Madison vs Raven ("I Hear You Knocking") Season ranking so far: 2 > 1

[sheacouleecametoslay]

Season 1 (2009)

Yeah, this season has certainly aged like milk. There's very little about Season 1 that resembles Season 14. Everything feels so low budget here. The show looks a vintage 1970s porn movie that was filmed in Ru's basement. The challenges are meh - especially that Destiny's Child one. I mean the first mini-challenge involves the queens doing glamour shots against cars, and it looks like it was filmed in a Wendy's parking lot. Also the Vaseline filter makes it hard to appreciate the runway looks. Ru has this serenely calm voice compared to modern seasons that makes the whole thing feel like a fever dream. And the Werk Room is so small. Not to mention the season is painfully short, so it doesn't feel like I got properly fall in love with the queens. The Makeover had the worst judging imo, but what else is new. Queens Ranking: 9. Jade Just something about her attitude was off-putting to me. She was the most forgettable in the Oprah challenge. And then she got was eliminated because she touched Rebecca during the lip sync. A shame since Jade probably should've won that one. 8. Victoria "Porkchop" Parker She's an icon in the community to this day for being the first person ever booted from the series. And she seemed nice enough on the show. But that runway look in the premiere was terrible - she really brought a bucket of what looked like cream corn??? and then she stumbled around stage during the lip sync. Tragic. 7. Rebecca Glasscock How she made final 3 is still a mystery to the fandom. I understand the reasoning for why she won the Makeover challenge, since her and partner wore the exact same outfit, but those outfits were so basic! I felt for her when she got emotional talking about HIV in that one challenge though. But then she walked off AGAIN during the F3 music video challenge and I was over it. 6. Akashia What a trainwreck. She was so bad as the team leader during episode 2. She fumbled the choreo. And she fell over the runway. But I guess she was the first ever lip sync assassin, even if she beat two people who weren't really trying. 5. Tammie Brown Quite possibly the strangest person I've ever seen on this show (which will be reflected even more in my AS1 ranking). The way she talked back to Ru during the reunion was certainly a moment. But that lip sync was so bad and her costume was falling apart during that challenge... when she was the one in charge of costumes. 4. Shannel She seemed cold, serious, competitive, and overconfident. But I can appreciate what she brought to the season. I liked some of her looks, especially the one in episode 3. And her juggling on the runway to save herself from the bottom was LOL. Her "quitting" the competition was a memorable moment too; as was her headpiece falling off during her lip sync. Also lol at her talking too much in those challenges. 3. Ongina My favourite in the early season and the first ever "shock" elimination in the show's history. It took being in the bottom 2 against the eventful winner for her to leave (it was the episode where Ru had to walk off stage to think over the decision). It's always the Makeover challenges that create a speed bump for the front runners. But yeah, loved her style on the runway. She had some of my favourite looks this season. 2. Nina Flowers She grew on more and more as the season went along. I love her aesthetic, it felt very unique for the season. She had my favourite entrance look too. Her confusing "Hit TV" with "HIV" was certainly a moment though. 1. BeBe Zahara Benet Season 1 got it right with the winner. Ongina might have been my initial fave, but Bebe really sold me by the end. She's fabolous. She had the best runway looks, including the episode 3 Ru-veal, which was my favourite look of the season. And her verse in the "Cover Girl" rumix kinda served? I think she helped elevate the runways for future seasons too. And she won the Oprah challenge, which was the only comedy challenge this season had. I don't think she should've been in the bottom for the Makeover either. Favourite entrance: Nina Flowers Challenge ranking: 1. Drag on a Dime (Design) 2. Channelling Oprah (Improv) 3. Mac Viva-Glam (Advert) 4. "Cover Girl" music video 5. Absolut Ball 6. Makeover 7. Destiny's Child girl group battle (Choreo) Lip Sync ranking: 1. BeBe Zahara Benet vs Ongina ("Stronger") 2. Akashia vs Shannel ("Greatest Love of All") 3. BeBe Zahara Benet vs Nina Flowers ("Cover Girl (Put the Bass in Your Walk)") 4. Jade vs Rebecca Glasscock ("Would I Lie To You?") 5. Rebecca Glasscock vs Shannel ("Praise You") 6. Akashia vs Tammie Brown ("We Break the Dawn") 7. Akashia vs Victoria "Porkchop" Parker ("Supermodel")