RuPaul’s Drag Race opens, as always, with an ending. While mourning a friend’s elimination (this time Dusty Ray Bottoms), they can’t help but examine their own mortality in the game. The black Martha Stewart has buyer’s remorse. Last week, she was too busy playing Mother to complete a runway-worthy look. So Asia O’Hara does what anyone would do in her place: she blames. The other girls used her. They took, took, took without giving. They never call. They never write. Kinda sounds like they’re treating her like a mom. The other queens want to comfort her but they’re scared to get too close. They’re grateful for the help but no one wants to be associated with her shoddy reproduction of Shangela and Alexis Mateo’s Season 3 TwinBot costume. There are limits.
The quick drag mini-challenge honors the ongoing fight for LGBTQIA rights. The Pit Crew, in camo panties, deliver army kits that need some razzle dazzle. It’s a reboot of the Season 7 Orange Is The New Drag challenge. Aquaria steals the show but The Vixen is named winner. As I recently explained to my sister, new to the show, the mini-challenge wins never make sense. It’s almost like Production just hands it to the character that will move the story towards drama the fastest. Allegedly.
Tonight we get what I like to call a RuPaul Humble Brag Maxi-Challenge. Based on his groundbreaking 1990 appearance on Geraldo, the queens improv episodes of the Bossy Rossy Show with Ross Matthews. The Vixen assigns the scene duos, RuPaul the shows. They’re provided stories and basic costumes. Tthe rest is up to them.
The Vixen thinks she dealt judiciously with her team selections. She only purposefully set up Eureka and Aquaria (previously established foes). Unlike Shangela from All Stars 3 (or Stassi and the Choad), The Vixen should be comparing herself to Game of Thrones. She plays revenge as a long con. It seems she’s met a kindred spirit in Asia. When their Why Are You So Obsessed With Me? script gives them the opportunity to play the Cracker/Aquaria feud for laughs, they jump. Unfortunately for fans of comedy, they don’t deliver the goods. The Vixen evokes Cracker and Aquaria’s contour and face shaping, and they get extra points for removing their wigs the right way (with another wig on underneath!), but none of it makes up for the awkward, stilted acting. Great concept, strong planning, weak execution.
Blair and Monique go into I Married A Cactus as a solid team. They even create a safeword in case either gets in trouble. Vanjie! On set, Monique snatches the scene before she snatches Blair’s wig. That’s just a bonus. As if she’s Samson to The Vixen’s Delilah, Blair weakens. All she can manage are a few, timid Vanjies. In the glare of the lights, Monique is stunned. They forgot to make a post-Vanjie plan. So she Vanjies back. It’s Vanjie on Vanjie, growing louder and more syncopated with each shouting. Soon they don’t know if they’re yelling at or with each other. Ross jumps out of his seat in excitement. This is how you make daytime TV!
Kameron worries that Monét will outshine him on My Freaky Addiction Is Ruining My Life. Monét is concerned about doing a talk show with someone who doesn’t talk. But it’s all moot. They’re both terrible. The whole segment is terrible. I don’t think I even like Ross right now.
Save Me From My Deadly Fear Of Pickles stars Mayhem as Janet Jackson in Poetic Justice. Cracker is a kosher pickle with a dick in a box. Cracker’s the perfect blend of smarts and physical comedy. Looking like Sandra Dee underscores her raunchy jokes. Mayhem disappears into the woodwork.
Finally, it’s time for the disadvantaged team to prove their salt. Eureka and Aquaria star in Look At Me! I’m A Sexy Baby! as, well, sexy babys. Aquaria looks like Linda Evangelista in a diaper and bib. Please tell me those are pacifier pasties! But Eureka takes the show and sits on it when she walk out as bare as her challenge partner. It’s body positivity in all it’s finest. They both give boffo performances (Aquaria’s taking place whenever Eureka takes a breath). As can happen in competitions, the expected losers turn out to be winners. After all.
The The Vixen/Eureka drama finally eclipses the The Vixen/Aquaria drama. Mayhem brings the two together to fan the flames mend fences. The Vixen isn’t receptive. Eureka takes a break from Reality. She bares her soul to The Vixen in offering. I’m terrified The Vixen will throw it in her face. Instead, she opens a small part of her heart to Eureka. She refuses a hug but we’re applauding baby steps.
Carrie Preston from Nails (my favorite actress on a really good show) and Shania Twain (gay icon à la Stevie Nicks) join Michelle Visage and Carson Kressley at the judging panel. RuPaul welcomes them wearing bubble wrap.
In what must be a nod to the Real Housewives of New York, the runway category is Denim and Diamonds. Kameron is ready for a mountaintop Renaissance Faire. Blair goes modern. She’s 1980’s mall Barbie (that’s modern for Blair). There are 3 versions of chaps: hospital gown (Monét), mermaid (The Vixen), and boots (Monique). Mayhem is the first to eschew denim so her pink and diamonds stand out. Miz Cracker is a country Pippi Longstocking, buck teeth and freckles aplenty. But it takes a Texas queen, honoring a Texas Queen, to show them how it’s done. Asia O’Hara, as Leeanne Locken, is everything that’s right with this world.
Top three: Eureka O’Hara, Monique Heart, and Miz Cracker
Bottom three: Monét X Change, The Vixen, and Mayhem Miller
Judging aside: Michelle brings RuPaul to tears (again) whispering a simple, “Vanjie…. Vanjie…”
Winner: Eureka. She gets pride, money, and two tickets to the Cirque du Soleil show Nene was in.
With a stacked bottom three, it’s going to be a fierce lip-sync regardless of configuration. Monét X Change and Mayhem Miller are tapped to perform Man! I Feel Like A Woman by Shania Twain. Here’s the thing. Both of these queens have been in my top 3 since the cast was announced. I expect greatness. Monét opens with a wig under a wig. It’s in response to RuPaul’s workroom shade but neither wig is impressive. Monét plays dirty. She rides a Harley. She smokes. She has props. Mayhem is a country princess. She struts around the stage in her cowboy boots, rhinestones winking at the cameras. Mayhem sees Monét working her magic on the judges and gets shook. She perseveres as western Barbie but keeps one eye on Monét at all times. Monét feels the energy shift as a power surge. She takes a final swing and knocks it out of the park.
Monét X Change, shantay you stay. Mayhem Miller, sashay away.
Next week: The big hat is back. RuPaul challenges the queens to create DragCon panels. For extra drama, they have to pick their own teams. The Big Sick’s Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon guest judge.
Great recap Lady C. Can’t wait for next week’s episode!
Thanks, Radchick. It takes many hours of devotion to write this. Your appreciation (and my drag obsession) make it all worthwhile…
I have a crush on boy Miz Cracker. I think I’ll apply to be her sugar daddy!
I am not sure why I got to record both hours this week but I did. And I was disappointed.
The first time I was ever really WOWED by DragRace was HERE.
http://tamaratattles.com/2016/09/09/rupauls-drag-race-all-stars-recap-herstory-of-the-world/
I get it was All Stars, I was new to it. And this is a regular series, but I just feel like the show is becoming a parody of itself.
I want to see the glam, I want to see the untucked scenes. As someone from Atlanta who has lived in Savannah and seen Lady Chablis (God rest her soul) http://tamaratattles.com/2016/09/08/much-beloved-georgia-icon-the-lady-chablis-has-passed-away/# and other southern queens perform, I’m disappointed in this season. It’s more vulgar than it needs to be. In my opinion some of the challenges are stupid. Rossy Bossy was horrible. I was falling out of love with Ross early on and I love him. I did not see naked Eureka as “body positivity.” I DID see Eureka on the runway as “body positivity.”
I feel like we are veering into the exploitation of the queens. Some of this crap seems below their dignity. I can’t imagine Valentina being told to pretend to eat butt pads or be an adult baby or so much of what we see lately. My Valentina would. not. do. that. shit. At least in my head. And maybe my whole issue is VALENTINA WAS VOTED OFF AND I AM STILL NOT OVER IT.
I just can’t. Let’s never mention that again.
I want more shows that have great challenges that allow the girls to sink or swim like Snatch Game. and fewer challenges where they are assigned tasks I find beneath them. I’m bordering on being that person offended on behalf of people who are perfectly capable of standing up for themselves, my biggest pet peeve, but I just want them to be in control of their own destiny rather than having to read really shitty scripts they didn’t write.
Oh a positive note. I know they go back in and post all the witty shade about the runway, but that is my favorite part of the episode. The snarky comments and pun are BRILLIANT comedy.
But here is the thing. I’m attached to these queens. I didn’t want Monet (boy Monet reminds me of one of my exes) or Mayhem to go home. The other best part of the show is getting to know the queens and the guys on Untucked and in the workroom. I suffer through the stupid shit for those parts. I thought Mayhem won the lip sync. Monet’s costume malfunction with pants around her ankles was enough to send her home. Mayhem was gorgeous and her lip sync was quite good.
Untucked is still kind of weird this season but I love that it is on my DVR so I can go through my emails while watching rather than having to watch online.
Sorry, I had a lot to say and was waiting to process it today.
Also, literally everyone I know is as I say “in the hole” lately. This means it’s harder to comment and muster the energy to do a damn thing. But if you can I’d love to hear more feedback, and I know Lady C would too.
In the meantime, I keep saying Vanjie! as my safe word but life just keeps delivering the hits.
Thanks for the recap Lady C, and I’m sorry I wrote a book.
Mayhem is one of the prettiest queens I’ve ever seen!
While there aren’t filler queens this season it is disappointing that it is so lackluster. This episode was especially so. I missed the Ru walk through the werk room and those interactions. I do appreciate the extra time for the runway but I prefer Untucked being unaired and viewing it here. Mostly no commercials and less production feel; we have more “fly on the wall” feel.
The lip sync felt flat and I hope it was because of the slower tempo. But between the desperate and sad Mayhem cartwheel and the pants around the ankles look for Monét I was prepared for a double elimination.
I still don’t see how Money won with the pants around the ankle thing while signing “I feel like a woman” while looking like a male.#MindBlown
While I agree with many of the points in that novel ↑ you wrote, Monét pissed all over that stage and called it lemonade. Her attitude, mugging, personality mixed with her amazing lip-sync skills = a well deserved win. Yes, she needs to polish her details if she wants to win the whole race but with Mayhem performing below expectations, she’s my top choice to take the crown. At this point, I’d be happy to see her, Miz Cracker (my favorite Season 10 queen) or Blair (long shot) win it all.
It’s a two hour show, I had a lot to talk about! I don’t know how you recap a two hour show every week. I hate when I have back to back shows!
I don’t see what you see in Monet, but I really like most of the girls. I haven’t been fond of Miss Cracker’s looks but I like her.
I don’t have a favorite to win yet. Who are everyone else’s favorites?
Monet’s lip sync the week before was so much better. I had to Google to get her name but for me there is some of the magic of Dida Ritz’s lip sync to “This Will Be”. She can perform but I don’t see her making it to the end.
I don’t have a favorite to win yet but I do see Miz Cracker & Blair in the top; probably with Aquaria. Even with the longer format it is hard to see the split between tops and bottoms.
One day I hope to see Wintergreen reign as queen. Rock and Rule.
Between her being from New York and her first walk being called an homage to my favorite movie, Paris Is Burning, I’ve had an affinity for Monet since episode 1. As the competition progresses, I have to agree with Aquaria that Monet needs to step up her looks. I was all for her to take the win but Monique Heart & Miz Cracker are growing on me.
Monique is clearly very talented and I loved how she collaborated with Blair on a successful skit. She also compared herself to Pepper LaBeija from PIB so she got my attention.
I love Miz Cracker’s back story and I have a bias toward her because she’s Bob’s drag baby. Bob is my favorite winner and I’m sure he sprinkled some of his charismatic fairy dust on her.
Despite the horrible taste All Stars 3 left in my mouth, I’m enjoying this season and hope this platform propels the queens to much more success. Especially the ones that left early. I get a lump in my throat when I think of how hard Kalorie Kardashian & Miss Vanjie cried in their exits.
Thank you for a great recap Lady C.
Drag Race what has happened to you ? You are on a downhill slide. You are becoming unnecessarily vulgar. The show is not as likeable as it once was and the talent is not as deep . You are becoming like Teen Mom, I watch out of habit not because I enjoy it . Snap out of it ! Don’t disappoint me on Cher night !