We’re late again and we promise we’ll try and get these recaps up in a timely manner, but awards season must take precedence! This week, the queens were tasked with paying homage to the pop culture of RuPaul’s youth once again. The top girls from last week, Nini and Vita, were tasked with picking their teammates for a girl group challenge, with the leftover girls making up a third group. Athena didn’t get picked and she spent the rest of the episode being a bit sour about it.
There was the usual jockeying for song choices, with most of the queens wanting the disco track, to absolutely no one’s surprise. Vita claimed she was playing some form of four-dimensional chess by letting the other team have the disco number, but we’re not entirely sure we believed her. Still, there’s no denying it paid off for her team.
With the Studio 50-Whores, the judges sort of danced around a criticism that really should be made more consistently across the board with the song challenges: you can’t rap your way through every style of song. There’s way too much talk-singing going on in these challenges in recent seasons. This group had one of the more egregious cases of chronic talk-singing, and it made for an especially bad fit for a disco track, but we’d like to see more queens taken to task for trying to talk their way through a singing challenge.
The Go Go Go Glam girls had probably the worst track of the lot but they were saved by Mia’s choreography, which kept the group unified and really set the tone for the number. The costumes looked great and the performances were pretty strong across the board, except for Nini’s whisper-singing. She should have just gone for a full on whiskey-and-cigarettes rasp and made it funny, but we think she’s too concerned with being pretty and perfect.
The Cherries had a lot going for them. First, a punk song is the best choice for a bunch of performers who can’t sing or dance, so it makes a great cover for any deficiencies in those areas. A punk-inspired number requires the one thing all drag queens have: attitude. It also helped that their costumes were the best of the bunch (even if they weren’t very punk), and that several of the queens, Jane foremost among them, understood that the number was ripe for comedy.
Category Is: Your Neck, Your Back, Your Pussy, and Your Crack! Which runway are you shaking and popping for? #DragRace pic.twitter.com/Fk9eHcIsWR
— RuPaul’s Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) January 10, 2026
Athena’s look was gorgeous, but we had to laugh at those bitchy editors who made sure to show her back rolls while she was bragging about not having any. Darlene’s white trash princess look was a big cliche that’s walked that runway a dozen times or more. It was well done, but unoriginal. Mandy’s idea was cute, but awkward and hard to parse. DD’s look came off like an amateur attempt. Mia’s look was dramatic and it was clearly made in response to the category, but it came off so dark and serious, which doesn’t seem like her style. Kenya’s look seemed kind of generic. Her beat was gorgeous but we didn’t understand the point of the cape. One thing about Ciara’s drag: you can’t claim she half-asses it. This was outrageous, but we know it’s only a matter of time before Michelle calls out her makeup for being ugly. The construction on Nini’s dress is damn impressive and she managed to interpret a brain through fashion, which is also damn impressive, but we thought her dress was kind of ugly. Myki’s look was a little too gimmicky for us. She just carried a billboard while wearing a bodysuit. Discord’s look was okay, but her walk is going to get her eliminated. Vita’s was pure stunning, the best of the lot. Briar’s look was very polished, but kind of forgettable. Jane’s was hilariously weird and well executed. Juicy looked gorgeous, but again, the look was kind of generic and forgettable.
To Athena’s eternal annoyance, the Fifty-Whores were all up for elimination, but it was the right choice. They all fought so hard to get that disco song and then they failed to do anything good with it.
Condragulations to Jane, who deserved her win and looks like a major contender going forward.
You know, if you’d asked us at the start of the lip sync — at the start of the challenge, basically — who was going home tonight, we’d have mentioned Mandy immediately, but damn, did she ever prove herself with this track. The bitch can dance and a lip synch is a perfect showcase for her manic energy. DD didn’t stand a chance and she acted like she knew it.
We don’t think we need to say anything to defend this choice — not that it’s our job to do so — but one look at that screenshot and all we can think is “That’s the beat and costume of a Pork Chop.” She’s just not on the level the show requires. This is brunch drag
Girl, if you ever thought we were going to stop plugging our book, you weren’t paying attention: 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 (like at this link)! It’s also available in Italian and Spanish language editions, darlings! Because we’re fabulous on an INTERNATIONAL level.
[Still Credit: MTV]
Previous post:
Golden Globes 2026: IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU Star Rose Byrne in Chanel Next Post:
Golden Globes 2026: HACKS Star Jean Smart in Tony Ward Couture
Golden Globes 2026: IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU Star Rose Byrne in Chanel Next Post:
Golden Globes 2026: HACKS Star Jean Smart in Tony Ward Couture
-
Pop Style Opinionfest: Bad Bunny’s America, Catherine O’Hara’s Genius & Margot Robbie’sTheme-Dressing
-
RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE: The Rate-A-Queen Talent Show, Part 2
-
RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE: The Rate-A-Queen Talent Show, Part 1
Please review our Community Guidelines before posting a comment. Thank you!
