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Kornbread Shares Her Recipe For Success + "Big Opening No. 2" Recap (Issue #2)

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The RuPaul's Drag Race Official Newsletter

In this week’s newsletter, we look back at “Big Opening # 2,” unpack the latest Untucked, and share an exclusive interview with Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté. Don’t forget to subscribe so you can stay tuned for all of the latest Drag Race updates!

You know what they say: Behind every “Big Opening” is another opening that’s… just as big! That’s right, it’s the second half of our Season 14 split premiere, “Big Opening # 2,” introducing us to seven more exciting queens from across the country vying to be America’s Next Drag Superstar. Cameron Scheetz here, thrilled to be back, back, back, back again to break it all down for you.

In retrospect, these dual premieres have been a total delight, letting us get to know this diverse crop of queens on their own terms. With part two, Drag Race tweaks the previous week’s formula just a bit to keep us on our toes. For example, the Lip Sync For The Crown Wheel heads back into storage (for now) in favor of a massive bowl of orange Tic Tacs, and it’s hilarious to watch the queens writhe around in it as they play to the camera for the Mini challenge photoshoot. The CNTs return as our Maxi challenge—once again a branding task as much as it is a talent show—this time with the lovely Alicia Keys on hand to guest judge and lend her breakout hit “Fallin” to a more mid-tempo Lip Sync For Your Life than usual.

Last week we recapped the premiere by discussing first impressions of the newest RuGirls, so join me again as talk season 14 episode 2, queen by queen…

First Impressions: More Queens Of Season 14

Jorgeous

“I might be small but I do pack a big punch”

Okay, Jorgeous is legit gorgeous. At 21, the vivacious Nashville-by-way-of-San Antonio showgirl may be this season’s youngest competitor, but she boasts she’s been doing drag since she was 16 (for those who hate math: That’s five years of drag), and the stage experience shows. Mama, this is a performer, one who set a high bar this episode, both in terms of Werk Room entrances and in the CNTs with her scorching Dua Lipa dance number (“Yes bitch!,” said RuPaul—I agree). As Michelle Visage correctly noted, Jorgeous delivers everything with a flourish, but it never feels like a put-on—there’s a natural sparkle to this dazzling queen that just feels, well, legit.

DeJa Skye

“I’m here to let you know: Embrace the curve, people”

Though she may hail from Fresno, “the armpit” of California, DeJa Skye brings a bright and bubbly energy to Drag Race; she’s the pastel princess, after all! As the first up for this week’s photoshoot Mini challenge, DeJa handled herself well opposite Ru’s Tic Tac Tirade (which goes from horrifying to perplexing to hilarious—you’ve gotta love when Ru commits to a bit!), and that patience may stem from her other gig as a cheer and dance choreographer for kids. The day job also informed her unique routine for the CNTs that, unfortunately, left the judges wanting more. Thankfully, DeJa was serving in her cerulean and lace runway piece, which looked even better in motion during the LSFYL as she found a dynamic way to interpret the power of “Fallin’,” earning her keep in the competition.

Jasmine Kennedie

“Oh this, y’all, is just the entry look”

Cue Yuhua Hamasaki: “Five One New York girls!” In a rare turn, this season’s cast features just a single queen from NYC, one who—thanks to a strong premiere—seems to be representing her city just fine on her own. Jasmine Kennedie exudes confidence, from her matter-of-fact Werk Room entrance line (one of the most memorable from the group) to her jaw-dropping, leg-throwing dance routine set to Fifth Harmony’s “I’m In Love With A Monster” (I’m cackling that she made a song originally written for Hotel Transylvania 2 this sexy). And the judges just ate it all up, lauding her with comparisons to Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls’ Edy Williams, The Queen, and the dancing queen Alyssa Edwards. That’s some high praise!

Maddy Morphosis

“I don’t feel the need to clarify my sexuality. I really want the first impression that the girls have of me to be my drag.”

Straight outta Flavortown, Maddy Morphosis entered the Werk Room with an ode to King Of The Straights, Guy Fieri, making a bold statement for her community. Pitching herself as a southern-fried camp and comedy queen, Maddy opted to sit on her secret and not reveal her sexuality, only to be “outed” by Ru later during Walk Throughs, which prompted a shocked but warm reception from the other girls. It’s one of many surprises she had in store for the episode, including some bluesy, live electric guitar playing and a total gag of a runway look that had the judges’ heads rolling. It’s an intriguing start, and we’ll be excited to watch her bring that level of inventiveness throughout the season!

Angeria Paris VanMicheals

“If it’s drag you want, then I’ve got lots of it.”

Miss Angie was not lying when she said she didn’t come here to play! There’s a real finesse to this Atlanta doll’s drag as she shows that being a proud pageant queen doesn’t mean you can only serve stately glamour. She kept it funny and fresh all episode long, wooing us with her Southern charm, making that giant Tic Tac bowl her bitch in the Mini challenge, and wowing in that wine-colored runway gown. Ultimately, it was the electrifying CNT performance that secured the bag for Angeria, a non-stop barrage of drag excellence (that lyrical “check”-list, in particular, was brilliant—almost immediately encouraging Ru to sing along). Look out, girls: With a Mini and a Maxi win under her belt, Angeria Paris VanMicheals pulls ahead as our early frontrunner.

Lady Camden

“When I’m in drag, I sort of live in my 90s pop princess fantasy. There’s always something that’s a little tacky, but just tacky enough.”

Well Bing Bang Bong, there’s a proper UK hun on Drag Race “original recipe!” No, this isn’t an ambitious Ru-verse crossover—that’s coming later this year in the form of Drag Race UK Vs. The World—Lady Camden is a North London-born queen who now calls Sacramento home (again, cue Yuhua: “Two Northern California girls!”). Almost immediately, she sparked up some flirty chemistry with her season 14 sisters, and she brings that same effusive sense of fun to her drag, which is colorful and eclectic, like a candy-coated Spice Girl. Lady Camden really showed us what she’s got in the CNT performance, a Center Stage-inspired ballet number that manages to be high energy, sexy, funny, and technically proficient. This dancer’s got the legs to go far.

Daya Betty

“Daya’s a rockstar and she’s the rockstar’s girlfriend, shoved together with a safety pin shoved through it.”

Daya Betty strutted into the Werk Room with a fine-tuned aesthetic and a magnetic presence that felt comfortably familiar. Why might that be? Because she’s the drag sister/daughter of season 12’s beloved Crystal Methyd (during this reveal, the show couldn’t resist an El DeBarge “Rhythm of The Night” needle-drop). The two Springfield, MO dolls share an artful eye—and even a shockingly similar way of speaking—so Daya knew she’d have a lot to live up to. But as RuPaul warned her, Daya’s energetic lip-sync performance for the Maxi challenge just didn’t tell the judges enough about her, and she was sent home after the LSFYL. And it’s a damn shame; considering the way Crystal really hit her stride in the second half of her season, we imagine Daya still had plenty of killer drag to offer.

Burning Questions

Candy Bar Watch

Another week, another sashay! It definitely feels strange—and more than a little sad—to say goodbye to these queens so quickly, especially distinctive talents like Orion and Daya. But my gut says it’s not the end of the road for them, not yet at least. Again, I’m just your dedicated newsletter writer and I’m watching along with you, so I don’t know any more than the rest of the world. But, given that the two premiere groups are set to merge together next week, I can’t imagine anyone would be sent packing without the opportunity to meet all of their season 14 sisters. It’s a hunch!

So what twists could possibly await us? We’re on Candy Bar Watch, as we wait to see how those teased “one-of-a-kind” treats might shake up the competition this season. Given the long-delayed reveal of All Stars 6’s game-within-a-game, I’m not necessarily expecting them to appear any time soon, but you never know! Could the candy bars offer Orion and/or Daya a way back into the competition?

Maddy Antoinette

Certainly Maddy’s bloody good regal runway look was one of the most memorable of the night—Michelle praised it as “so stupid” and “full on crazy drag.” It’s also an impressive technical feat, leaving me wondering how the “mechanics” of it work underneath the dress. Is she crouching while walking down the runway? Is she holding her arms up above her chest? She appears to be kneeling during critiques, which you can spot in wider shots, but I still don’t get it: Maddy, how are you pulling this off?

Guest Judge Favorites

Do I sense a trend? In the first two weeks of the competition, each of our winners were shown to have established something of a connection with the guest judges. Week one saw Kornbread—the self-proclaimed Number 1 Lizzo impersonator in LA—wow in a Lizzo-inspired runway, coupled with an incredible original number that earned respect from the musician (“Don’t be comin’ for my girl Kornbread!”). This week, Angeria gets emotional sharing how much Alicia Keys inspires her, while Ms. Keys later heralds the queen as one of her favorites: “There’s a spirit there that I really can connect to, there’s a polish that feels very exciting.”

Both of our winners turned it out in their respective weeks and really deserved the top prizes, so this is merely a coincidence, but it’s a fun parallel to make note of! Personally, I’m going to keep an eye on who clicks best with the guest judges moving forward though.

Next Week: Bring It To The Ball

All 12 remaining queens meet for the first time to compete in one of Drag Race‘s signature challenges, the ball (the longest running challenge in the show’s herstory). That means they’ll be serving looks on looks on looks, as it’s likely we’ll see 36 different runaway presentations across three yet-to-be-revealed categories. The episode should also highlight this season’s craftiest queens as they’re often tasked to create their final looks on the spot, so fire up those sewing machines!

The Other Half Of The Story

You know the drill: If you’re not watching, Untucked, well, you’re missing out, babe! Let’s shout out a few of the most notable moments form this week’s episode.

The curse of high expectations! During Walk Throughs, Ru told DeJa how much he enjoyed her audition tape, singling her out as a queen he knew could excel in the competition. That made the Maxi challenge critiques hit that much harder for DeJa, and she got emotional while reflecting with the girls in Untucked, sharing her fear that she disappointed Ru. But she received a nice pep talk from her Northern California sister, Lady Camden, who knows audiences at home are going to fall in love with DeJa.

When the conversation turned to the queens’ childhoods, Lady Camden and Jasmine both shared memories in which they were afraid to be themselves, or had to fight for acceptance, especially as young queer kids. It’s a touching moment that allowed them all to feel a sense of accomplishment just to have made it into the competition—regardless of any individual’s critiques this week—and be proud of the people they’ve become.

A funny thing happened with the music during this chat about queerness, where it got slightly more dramatic every time the camera cut to Maddy, who of course has had a different experience as a straight drag queen. But she showed she’s really put the work in, acknowledging her privilege, and sharing how drag has made her a better ally. And it was a nice reminder that her journey hasn’t been a walk in the park either, saying, “There’s like a million different ways to be queer, but then growing up you’re taught there’s only one way to be straight.” It’s sweet to watch them all find some common ground.

The Serve-ey: Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté

Each week, we’ll get to learn more about one of the queens of season 14 when they take our brief questionnaire, a.k.a. The Serve-ey. They’ll all get the same six questions, and then we’ll throw in one final “wildcard” question just for fun. First up: We hope you’re hungry because it’s our conversation with Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté!

1. In keeping with the season promo’s board game theme: What was your favorite game growing up and why?

Hands down, Uno. I am extremely competitive when it comes to games. Everybody always says Uno makes or breaks a friendship, it can make or break a family, and I am brutal when it comes to Uno, I am on a mission. One of my friends—I call them Japan, that’s his nickname—we’re like super competitive to this day when it comes to Uno. So, then and now, it’s Uno, one-hundred percent.

So you’re saying you have lost friends to Uno before?

Everybody wants to be my friend, so I think they just accept their losing streak at this point.

2. How would you say the city you’re from helped define your drag?

Honestly, Los Angeles—like, I’m a born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, and I definitely didn’t do drag there. I didn’t know what drag was when I was in South Carolina. I had encountered many drag queens, but just never thought about it.

LA’s drag scene is very intense in the best way possible, I would say. It’s a lot of hard work. In order to stand out in LA, you definitely have to put in the work for it. A lot of people don’t know: Before I started drag, I went and I watched shows for a year just to study, to see what LA had and what LA didn’t have, and what can I hone in on myself to bring to it? There’s so many drag queens and are so many drag shows in Los Angeles—there has to be something that makes you stand out. So I had to make sure I had my own spin on things. And there’s two parts to LA: There’s the West Hollywood scene, and there’s the downtown Los Angeles scene, and I’m lucky to be a part of both of those places—I do the same exact thing in both places, which is pretty rare here. I get to do both, I do what I want to do and how I want to. So I think LA’s drive and the amount of people here forces you to change your outlook on drag and makes you try a lot harder.

Now I have this image of you in the corner of a bar at a show with a notepad, just writing down everything you see…

Basically! Because I would just record all the performances. And I was like, “OK, this girl performs Top 40, this girl is a dancing queen, this girl is comedy…” But I was like, “No one is incorporating full storytelling moments.” I’m a musical theater major, so the science to my numbers is always to find a musical theater number that I enjoy, and I’ll use the beginning of the song to, like, map everything out. But then I’ll find Top 40 songs—or just songs in general—that have the same meaning as the song I’m using. In that way, it appeals to the audience as well as to my musical theater people. That’s how I make my mixes and stuff. There’s a science!

3. With this season’s candy bar twist, I’m curious: If you were a piece of candy, what kind would you be?

Oh, now that’s a complicated question—I eat so much candy. Honestly, let’s just do it like this: I’d be a magic candy, call it The Mood Bar. So, when you bite into this candy bar, whatever mood you’re in at that moment in time, that’s what it tastes like. Because there are some days where I’m like, “Ooh, I’m feeling my chocolate fantasy,” or, “You know what? I’m feeling real fruity today!” So I would be a mood bar; you bite into it [and it’s] whatever you’re feeling that day, like a mood ring, you know?

4. What can you tell us about your “confessional” interview look? How did you decide what to wear? What do you think it says about your style out of drag?

A lot of people didn’t know, but, before I came to Drag Race, I was not open about it, but I started my transition before I came to Drag Race—a very, very short [time] before I came to Drag Race. So I was like, “I refuse to sit in these confessionals, these interviews, without some hair on my head!” Y’all not going to get me bald, honey, unless it’s on the runway for a look. So I had to get me a good old head wrap because, if I’m not wearing me a nice little piece of wig, it’s going to be a head wrap.

And then I was like, “What makes me look like a sweetheart?” Because, you know, this mouth of mine is very sassy, so I needed something to offset the words that are coming out of my mouth. So I was like, I’ll go for the very much vintage, “oh she goes thrifting” moment—with a little touch [of that.] So that’s where I got this shirt from.

And, fun fact—I won’t get in trouble for this, I promise—but the fried chicken necklace that I wore for the first episode was actually my interview confessional necklace that I was going to wear, for my outfit. But the way things are set up—obviously we wear a microphone and stuff—and the necklace just kept rubbing it. So they were like, “Kornbread, you can’t wear this necklace!” I was like, “Okay, cool, I can’t do it but I’m getting this necklace on this episode somehow.” I threw it on last minute for that challenge and it ended up working.

5. What’s a fun fact you can share about one of your season 14 sisters that might surprise the fans?

Ooh, okay: She may be a demon—she calls herself the devil of drag, the demon queen Bosco. Obviously everybody knows Bosco is like super shady and has a smart mouth, and I’m pretty sure you’ll see more of that this season. But Bosco is actually one of the sweetest people I have ever met in my life, who checks on me 24/7, and is great. That’s another person who, like, always talks to me about my transition and stuff, and just has conversations and asks the right questions, and is very sweet. So, she may wear horns and she may be shady when she opens her mouth 99-percent of the time, but Bosco is the sweetest person on the planet.

6. Here’s a chance to shout out another drag performer, designer, hair & makeup artist, etc… who really helped inspire you or prepare you for your journey on Drag Race.

Honestly, there’s so many gazillions of people that I can name. But I would say obviously my Haus Of Jeté, my drag family—every last one of them: Calypso Jeté, Kyra Jeté, Hershii LiqCour-Jeté, and my drag daughter. They’re all phenomenal people. Danny Godoy, who makes the majority of my stuff, is a phenomenal person. A sickening drag artist as well, but a phenomenal seamstress. And, honestly, everybody that’s been in drag, in general, or just drag artists that are out here trying it. Putting yourself in front of people, with your art and your creativity, is a lot. It’s a lot to do that, and I say kudos to everybody because nothing comes easy, it all comes with hard work, and to sit there and expose yourself for work is a lot! So, to all drag artists that are out there doing it: You know, keep doing it and enjoy yourself, obviously, because it’s a lot of work.

7. Wildcard: Your original number for the CNTs was one of the most fire tracks to ever hit the Drag Race main stage. Can you share a little bit about writing it and pulling the whole performance together?

A lot of people don’t know: I studied classical music all my life, I’m an opera singer. So I was like, “Oh, I could do that,” then thought, “You know what? I think I’m going to rap for it” My friends and I got together—my friend Brandon Armstrong and I wrote this literally sitting at the Tesla charging station, like, eating some terrible drive-thru food, how we usually do everything. He’s a phenomenal writer, he’s a genius. And then, after we wrote everything, we hit up our other friend Jordan [Michael], and we’re like, “Jordan, you got to lay this down!” So Jordan helped produce everything, and it was a 24-hour process.

They know me, they know how I am as an artist and how particular I am with stuff. So I was like, “We need a storyline,“ and they’re like, “Well, what are you going for?” I wanted it to seem like I am the neighborhood person that everyone knows, and I’m coming from the grocery store, and then some kids go, “Miss Kornbread, do that thing you always do!” And then that’s when I burst out with the rap, and then I grab my grocery bag and I go about my business. So that was the whole theme of it all. And freaking Drag Race is amazing with everything they help us out with, so [they were like,] “What kind of set do you want?” I said, “Nothing! I want to walk like I’m going up the street in the neighborhood, and I just want to deliver a full performance, and that’s it.” I didn’t want any gimmicks, or anything to like that.

And then, the girl who made my bag—Jocelyn Knobs in Oregon—was like, “So what do we want on this bag?” And then I explained to her that it needs to say “Ru Mart” because I want them to know that I’m coming from the store. And then, if you look inside of the bag, it’s the ingredients to make cornbread. So it was a story from head to toe that I wanted to portray. So, yeah, it was a science! There was a whole mood board. Twenty-four hours in a Tesla charging station, sitting in the car, eating tacos or something.

Great art can come from anywhere!

Especially the Tesla charging station!

Gagatrondra! It's The Tweets Of The Week

We wrap up every newsletter with a rundown of some of our favorite reaction tweets of the week, so use #DragRace and you may find yourself here!

Rud

@RudyCastilloNY

Someone please make a better version of this meme I made with haste on Snapchat I #DragRace https://t.co/NjmxAWCcKT

8:34 PM - 12 Jan 2022

Jaida Essence “Deck the HALLs”

@jaidaehall

Remember when Tyra made them girls think she was dying? That! Lmao #DragRace

8:22 PM - 14 Jan 2022

wil justice ミ☆ // euphoria era...

@spideywil921

i love tonight's guest judge... #DragRace https://t.co/v57MlJEVO8

8:40 PM - 14 Jan 2022

Aliza | Fever Dream🖤

@alizahatesppl

Brooke Lynn Hytes when Ru called ballet a boring talent #dragrace https://t.co/BZPQcKaGL1

9:21 PM - 14 Jan 2022

Want More?

The Pit Stop gets an extra helping of gorge this week when special guest Gottmik joins our host Monét X Change to recap season 14’s second premiere and discuss the mystery of the nude illusion. Check it out below!