Deep down, we’re simple country blogger folk whose needs and wants are easily met. Give us a Drag Race episode with a fun mini-challenge, boys in speedos, RuPaul actually existing on the same set as the contestants during a challenge, and a lip sync that came as close to epic as we’re going to get this season and we’re happy simple country blogger folk.
We don’t think we’ve ever seen a Top Four where the Top Three were so clearly self-evident. Anyway, here:
Happy now?
The mini-challenge was fun and stupid with no clear winner, which is exactly how mini-challenges should be. To be fair, we sincerely doubt the shooting of this scene was nearly as fun as the highly edited package with a sound track of Ru laughing maniacally made it seem.
The main challenge was a branding one, because if you’re going to be a drag queen in the RuPaul mode, you better be able to sell swimming pools in Alaska and space heaters in Arizona. In that vein, Ru managed a plug for her memoirs and tasked the queens with writing their own. With two books under our belts and the current work we’re doing on two more, we found the challenge adorable, as if handing someone a pen and asking them to stare thoughtfully into the middle distance will result in a book.
But let’s face it: the challenge wasn’t about writing. After all, we never saw or heard anything they wrote. The point wasn’t the writing, it was the selling. It was a really cute idea to bring Matt Rogers in for the podcast interviews and he did his best with it, but there were times that it was pretty clear he didn’t really know the queens he was interviewing. The other important aspect of the challenge was similarly something that came straight from Ru’s definition of drag: modeling.
The RPDR graphics team could use some fresh blood, it would seem. None of these covers look all that great, but Saphirra has charisma to spare and Nymphia’s stood out because she listened to Ru’s coaching. Plane’s and Q’s were ugly, not just because of the design, but also because they just didn’t take great pictures. As noted by the judges, Q’s outfit wasn’t photogenic and Plane’s hair was limp and unflattering. Still, it was nice to see Ru on set, interacting with the queens and giving them real, actionable practical advice instead of “You need to release your inner saboteur” or whatever nonsense he’s spouting that week.
The runway category was fan-based and the results shook out pretty much as we would have expected.
Earlier in the season, we thought Q was impossible to beat on the runway, but her costumes have gotten worse over the season and her makeup has been stuck on the same unflattering face the whole time. He’s got perfect features for drag, but you wouldn’t know it from that mug. The dress is okay, but it feels like he blew his costume wad early in the season.
Pure stunning. We would have given her the win over Nymphia this week, This was our favorite look on the runway.
As we predicted, he busted out (pun intended) the high glam looks late in the competition. It’s gorgeous, but it’s not making us forget the endless succession of body suits.
As per the usual, Nymphia’s costume was stunning, but as Michelle noted, a Marie Antoinette look has been done way too many times on this show. We’ll give her credit for offering a slightly unique take on it, though. As for her win, we think it was probably pre-ordained because they didn’t want a five-time winner in the finale. We don’t entirely believe her when she said she wasn’t strategizing all season, but her insecurities about her looks were real and well-stated.
There wasn’t even a question here. Actually, that’s not true. The only question was whether or not the producers felt like having a top three or a top four. The editing made it look like Ru was considering a double shantay, but we never believed it. They’ve been quietly shuffling Q toward the exit for the last few episodes.
She was a little too wrapped up in keeping score and a little underwhelming in most of the performance challenges, but she’s clearly a very talented queen who’ll make a great All-Star someday soon.
Legendary Children: The First Decade of RuPaul’s Drag Race and the Last Century of Queer Life, a New York Times “New and Notable” pick, praised by The Washington Post “because the world needs authenticity in its stories,” and chosen as one of the Best Books of The Year by NPR is on sale wherever fine books are sold! It’s also available in Italian and Spanish language editions, darlings! Because we’re fabulous on an INTERNATIONAL level.
ALSO: We will be doing a talk and Q&A at the National Arts Club in New York during Pride, where the topic will be drag queens, Drag Race, and queer cultural heroes of history. The details are here. See you there!
[Photo Credit: MTV via Tom and Lorenzo]
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