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RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE GLOBAL ALL STARS: International Queen of Mystery Ball

Posted on August 25, 2024

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The international girlies continue to be put through their paces with this week’s ball challenge, making this the second recap in a row featuring over thirty looks! Not that we mind, really. The production doesn’t always make it easy to get screencaps, but we’ll never be bored by the spectacle of drag queens doing what they do best. It’s certainly less painful than watching them struggle with improv or choreography.

 

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We’re happy to see the return of several things after the stultifying non-drama of Drag Race All-Stars: real judges’ critiques, actual eliminations, and possibly our favorite of all of them, the unsheathing of claws in the Werk Room. Even better, the various bits of sniping and shade felt organic, rather than a case of savvy queens jockeying for more camera time.

 

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Tessa didn’t think Vanity deserved to win her lip sync and was happy to blurt that out, just as Athena was more than happy to call Tessa’s dress shit. More of this, please. There’s a tendency among the fandom to get upset over the queens getting shady with each other, but it’s an essential component of drag culture and sometimes all the sisterhood stuff feels a little forced.

 

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Tessa also thought she could come for Alyssa in front of Ru and that is just hilariously delusional on her part. We’re looking forward to seeing her read for filth in the days ahead.

 

 

 

Category is…Boss Lady in Charge!

Pythia’s surveillance drag was witty, but the suit was kind of ugly. Eva’s look was okay, but kind of generic. So was Queen Kong’s, for that matter. Athena’s suit was pure high-fashion. Kitty’s Patsy Stone drag was cute, but like most of these looks, it was just a generic look slotted into the category. Miranda’s look was stunning. Nehellenia’s look was cute, but like a lot of her drag, rough. Alyssa’s look was exactly what the other queens were talking about in the Werk Room when they said that opening a wallet isn’t a talent. It’s jaw-dropping costume design, but it also represents a clear advantage over queens like Miranda, who’s been very open about the lack of resources available to her. Vanity looked great, but it wasn’t memorable. Soa’s look was gorgeous and the wig really made it. Gala was…kind of a mess? Tessa’s look was fantastic.

Category is… She-Vil Villain!

Loved Pythia’s hair and makeup, but the dress was meh. Eva’s second look was a huge improvement over the first one. Queen’s look was striking, but it felt like somewhat basic drag with leaves added. To be clear, we’re less concerned with the finishing on some of these looks (unless it’s really bad) as we are with the creativity of concept. For instance, we loved Athena’s look, which might not have been impeccable, but it was creative and clear in its concept. Kitty’s look was cute, campy, and like a lot of her costumes, looked expensive. Miranda’s look was gorgeous and very Brazilian. It was dumb of Ru to ding it for being off-theme. Nehellenia’s look was still a little on the craftsy side, but it was really strong and we loved the wig. Alyssa’s look was gorgeous, but it felt like a pre-existing costume she shoved into the category (although that was true for a near majority of the looks this challenge). Vanity’s look was strong, but she seems to be serving the same thing over and over again. Soa’s look didn’t have a concept behind it. Gala served body fabulously and wittily. The back of the coat was fantastic. Tessa’s look was well done, but felt stale.

Category is… International Queen of Mystery!

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This was the handmade part of the challenge. Pythia’s might not have been the most original design, but it was shockingly well done. Eva’s look wasn’t exciting, but she executed it fairly well. Queen’s look was ambitious and her styling did a lot to help it along, but the proportions were way off. There’s too much volume on the shoulders and back. Athena’s look was bad. You could see the lack of a design and how she tried to cover it with styling choices. Kitty’s look was a big nothing and we think she falls back on the same type of look too much. Miranda’s look was also kind of obviously low-effort. Nehellenia’s design was ambitious, but unflattering and a little bit ugly, if we’re being honest. Alyssa’s was okay, but the color didn’t do much for her. Vanity looked gorgeous, but she wears black too much. Soa’s design was barely a design. Gala’s look was pretty impressive. Tessa’s design was basic and the execution was rough.

 

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Pythia, Miranda and Alyssa were in the top, and Athena, Soa and Tessa were in the bottom. We agree with some of these choices. Others seem random or arbitrarily chosen, but that’s fairly unavoidable this early in the competition.

 

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Pythia won it handily and it was the right choice.

 

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Athena and Soa faced off for a fairly epic lip sync, although we think it should have been Soa and Tessa facing off. Athena clearly thought so as well.

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We never would have predicted that she’d be the first one to go and we can’t say we’re in agreement with Ru on this one. Shenanigans have started.

 

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.

 

[Photo Credit: Paramount Plus via Tom and Lorenzo]

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