I’m not very active on Twitter but a highlight of my life was a retweet from Lady Bunny. Talk about drag legend. It’s not that she’s been RuPaul’s best friend since Michelle was Michael. It’s not that she forced drag into daylight with the Wigstock festival. It’s not even her uproariously dirty stand up (which only triples in value when you add Bianca Del Rio). For me, it’s all about the Pickle Surprise. We all know RuPaul loves to laugh. Maybe even more than he loves cashing iTunes checks. And nothing makes Ru laugh harder than Bunny. I’m excited to see how RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars handles her first mainstage appearance (Drag U counts as its own beast). And it doesn’t hurt that two of my favorite comedians, Yvette Nicole Brown and Cecily Strong guest judge.
We open on Manila Luzon, in full mourning for the fallen Latrice Royale. It’s been a long day. She should go home (to a sequestered 3 star hotel) and cry over her friend. But Manila is still on the clock. She swans around the lounge like a telenovela widow, bemoaning her thrown opportunity to save a friend. Monét X Change is infuriated to see her name on Manila’s lipstick. This aggression will not stand, man. But the biggest threat comes from the other queens. Manila chose friendship over report card. She’s gone rogue, officially. It’s a liability that could get her eliminated and she doesn’t even see it coming.
After a good night’s sleep (one hopes), RuPaul lets the All Stars know they’ll be roasting the inimitable Lady Bunny. It’s an honor and a challenge. Monique Heart tries to handicap the obvious frontrunner with the closing slot. Manila’s responsibly botoxed forehead doesn’t even twitch. She’s got this, girls. In the workroom, RuPaul acts like Manila is Lady Bunny reincarnated. With no bestie to save, she’s even willing to win the lip-sync. The other queens are shook. They should be.
The two queens who flubbed the season 9 roast of Michelle Visage display very different PTSD. Valentina wraps herself in a haze of delusion like a diva swathed in tulle. She’s funny, dahling. Always has been, always will be. Trinity the Tuck is fully aware stand up is the chink in her comedy armor. She tries to glean every morsel of advice from Mama Ru and guest mentor Cecily Strong. The fact that she does it looking like a tan Carmen Sandiego makes my heart flutter. If true determination were the only key to success, Trinity would have this challenge in the bag. Unfortunately, a roast needs jokes and Trinity doesn’t have any.

Before we move on, I’d just like to say, I feel bad that Cecily Strong gets buried under all the Leslie Jones/Drag Race hoopla. Leslie is great and I can’t wait to see her on the show. But Cecily is an incredibly talented comedian in her own right and, clearly, a knowledgeable Drag Race fan. She deserves better than being Not Leslie Jones.
While they paint, the queens discuss elimination criteria. Manila points out it’s getting harder to rate their performances. Some queens have been in the top and bottom, others have only been safe. It’s not so easy to hide behind fairness anymore. A snarky comment from roast-ready Naomi Smalls leads to a Manila/Monét summit. Manila apologizes. Monét (an adult human) accepts. It’s almost like some of the queens don’t have to force storylines for airtime.
The roast of Lady Bunny separates the funny girls from the comedy queens. Trinity, Valentina, and Naomi are uncomfortable to watch. Trinity is funny, she writes good jokes, but you wouldn’t know from this challenge. Naomi attempts a Millennial persona but never fully commits. It just comes off rude. Valentina makes a big deal about keeping her glasses on only to reveal unpainted eyes. I can’t even discuss her painful jokes because we have to triage her offenses. Never, ever, ever in the herstory of Drag Race has a contestant performed a challenge (or on the runway) without a full face of makeup. I‘ve been very clear about my Valentina bias but this is sacrilege.
Monét X Change leads the top performers. Her jokes are sharp, her timing precise. She enjoys stand up. It’s easier than styling a wig. Monique goes full church lady. She sings. She dances. She scorches the earth with prayer-shade. Manila Luzon concludes the challenge by roasting everyone in sight. She’s so funny, she makes her competitors roar. It’s the kind of performance that cements you in the Hall of Fame. At the very least, Manila’s club fees just went up. Just when I think my comedy thirst is quenched, Lady Bunny comes alive to show these young queens how it’s done. She’s saucy and bawdy, a giggle wrapped in a fart. She Vanjie’s her way back to the afterlife amid thunderous applause. Not bad for her first visit.
The runway category is Angelic White and it’s not my favorite. Monét can’t stay away from bodysuits but detailed stoning and a mitre make it fashion. The judges gasp out loud at her red heart reveal. Monique looks like she found the worst Project Runway unconventional materials dress and spray painted it white. It’s not Angelic White Stunning and it probably knocks her out of the top 2. It’s too bad Prince isn’t alive to see Naomi’s homage. Everyone should see themselves atop Naomi’s legs at least once in their life.
Top two: Manila Luzon and Monét X Change
Bottom: Everyone else

No one thinks they should go home. Valentina is completely delusional about her performances, past and present. She’s in legitimate, justifiable danger. Monique is bitter she’s lumped in with the losers so she mopes instead of lobbying. Trinity has no such problem. She throws Valentina under the bus with such wild abandon, Manila wonders if the Tuck needs cutting now. There is much drama as Manila and Monét select their lipstick. It’s a turning point in the game and they feel the weight of their decision.
Manila and Monét perform Jump To It by Aretha Franklin, an odd song choice that somehow fits both of them perfectly. It’s comedy queen vs comedy queen, professional vs professional. If I had any suspicion about Manila throwing her lip-sync last week, this performance clinches it. She’s ablaze, setting fire to all doubt that she’s a winner.
RuPaul names Manila and Monét co-winners. They’re splitting tonight’s ten K, trust. The bottom queens panic. When there were two winners in All Stars 2, whoever was on lipstick went home. In that case, they both named the same queen but it left the door open to a double elimination. After letting them stew long enough for the perfect tense edit, RuPaul announces there will be no elimination. Instead, he’s suspending All Stars rules. That means no lip-sync for your legacy. No $10,000, no lipstick. Until further notice, Mama Ru is back in charge.
The queens head back to the workroom, completely confused by this new turn of events. Much like Alyssa Edwards before her, Lady Bunny appears as a specter in the mirror. She warns the true danger lies behind them. They gasp as if this doesn’t happen every season, as if they didn’t pack their own comeback outfits.
Next week: The eliminated queens are back for blood. RuPaul gives them special lipsticks for a very special, first-time-in-Drag-Race-herstory vote.
In short Valentina laid a Cadbury Egg as homage to Lady Bunny. Trinity served Welsh Rabbit. Thanks for calling the face as VH1 doesn’t give a black jelly bean if we can watch or not.
I always read your comments as Haiku.
The face crack for me was that Ru co-signed Valentina’s delusions of doing well and saved her from being sent packing when its so obvious its her time to go.
LOL at next week when Latrice and Farrah appear to feel some kind of way about getting (rightfully) booted. Soz luvs, you were shite so were flushed. Still love ya 😘
It makes me sad when queens come down with delusions of grandeur. The only unfairly eliminated queen is Shangela. Everyone else earned it honestly.
You say that… BUT… Nicole Paige Brooks deserved better 😝😝😝
I love Valentina..I do….how the heck does she come out without her eyes done? That is on par with not knowing the song in the lip sync. The delusion is strong in this one. Trinity is one of the strongest performers….she is a fully realized person who knows their strengths and area of opportunity. Manila TOTALLY threw it last week.
Still looking forward to additional racing next week.
Thank you, SaraK. You’re the only other person who admits Manila threw last week. It’s been lonely on this high horse alone. That being said, I don’t judge her for playing strategically. She’s my presumptive winner right now.
I have to agree also. After seeing this week’s lip sync it totally looks like Manila threw the last one. I can see her winning or at least making top 3 🙂
What in the holy hell have they done with the real Valentina and who is this fucking impostor?
See, it’s um DRAG RACE, darling and the first responsibility is to get your DRAG together? This is actually WORSE than lipsyncing behind a mask. I do not understand or like this season.
I am so glad to see Farrah back, I didn’t want her gone in the first place. I feel like Gia will be sent right back out the door.
I thought the lip sync challenge this week was one of the best ever. I thought Monet won by just a hair. They deserved to both win even though it was a predetermined verdict by production.
Naomi Smalls was fantastic as Prince.
It’s hard for me to enjoy the good parts of this show when Valentina is throwing away the crown. Manila is my new Valentina and I feel like she had Valentina’s name on her lipstick this week.
Thanks for another fabulous recap.
Um, I have a dumb question. Michelle Visage is trans? Sorry, don’t laugh at me, everything I know about this show I learned from Lady C and I don’t recall that information coming up before. Or was it a joke?
Sorry, Tamara. Michelle Visage considers herself part of the LGBT community but she’s a cis woman. It’s a corny Drag Race joke (maybe from her roast) and I couldn’t help myself.
The BEST episode ever! I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard between Monet’s, Manilla’s & Bunny’s roasts.
As sure as I was she was going to take the crown, I have to admit Valentina isn’t looking so strong. I’m happy to see my Monet improving her chances. From the way it looks now, Manilla deserves to win.
I’ll never forget my first experience at Wigstock.
It was in my neighborhood park and Deee-Lite was the headliner. It was a great vibe. Everyone had fun and danced their asses off all afternoon. When Deee-Lite opened up with “What is Love” the crowd went crazy. By the time they performed “Groove is in the Heart”, the euphoria in the air was palpable!
I’m living vicariously through your Wigstock story!
You would have loved it! Something however tells me you have some fun stories to share as well! 😁
A chorus of angels singing Hello Dolly.