Second shift, step up. The middle bracket came into the competition and once again, we have to point out that the format isn’t serving these girls particularly well. But first, let’s assess their entrance looks.
CRYSTAL METHYD
Fabulously over the top, unlike anything else you’re likely to see on the main stage. It’s always good to have at least one weird girl in the mix.
SALINA ESTITTIES
And it makes for a nice change of pace to have one really loud girl in the mix. Just kidding. There are at least three in this bracket alone. Still, Salina looks great.
VIVACIOUS
Vivacious looks amazing and she’s right to point out that Ornacia has become one of the most iconic characters in Drag Race herstory. It’s nice to have a seasoned girl in the mix, especially one who isn’t all that well-versed in the competition.
APRIL CARRIÓN
It’s a good thing they do those montages to re-introduce each queen because some of these gals have not stood out in our memories. Sorry, April. You look stunning, though. You also seem like kind of a bitch.
AURA MAYARI
Sorry, Aura. We also needed the montage to remind us of who you are. Stunning entrance look, though.
SILKY NUTMEG GANACHE
Of course we needed no montage to be reminded of Silky, who always makes a lasting impression. She is very clearly in it to win it and she won’t be pressured into making herself more likeable. Should be interesting! Her entrance look was an all-time. This has to be the best costume she’s worn in the competition.
One of the many problems with the bracket format is that we’re forced to watch pretty much the same scenarios play out that we watched with the previous group of queens. We certainly don’t mind sitting through similar scenes of “It’s my sister!” hugging and catching up, but the conversation about alliances and points got boring in like three seconds. It’s not their fault. It’s just that every bracket is going to react to the format in exactly the same way and the production is pretty checked out at this point.
Similarly, we were treated to an extended debate on who got to perform which song, something never before seen in the history of Drag Race. Yes, we sound bitter. These girls deserve a better showcase for their efforts. This format is stale as hell.
We got to see a little bit of their prep work for their numbers, but for the most part, the show is content to just follow them around the Werk Room for the bulk of the episode. We don’t mind this as much, because it’s always fun to watch the queens just be themselves, but it’s hard to escape the sense that the producers just aren’t putting much effort into this season.
Each duo did a passably good job with fairly awful numbers. Vivacious was a little stiff, but Silky’s energy kept them on point and the number was legitimately entertaining.
April couldn’t sing, which made her jockeying for the number that called for singing skills a bit annoying. It’s a shame, because Salina actually can sing and it might have been fun to see her paired with Aura, the other singing queen in this group. Once again, the format tends to result in a lot of queens just trying to get through the challenge instead of trying to deliver something amazing to the judges.
Like April, Crystal couldn’t really sing but was paired with someone who could. Unlike April, Crystal met Aura’s energy and even elevated it. It helped that they had the best number and choreo.
Category is: You Butter Ask Somebody! 🧈 Which runway look was your fave? #AllStars11 pic.twitter.com/D9OmFe5mt4
— RuPaul’s Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) May 22, 2026
The category was “Butter” and we don’t think we could provide a better illustration of how little work and thought is going into the production of this season. Some of the queens actually embodied the category, but most of them just put on their favorite yellow costume.
Vivacious’s look was gorgeous, but Michelle was right to point out that her makeup is a little clowny. We loved that Silky embodied the theme and that her costume was polished and stunning, but that stick of butter on her head needed some sort of support.
April’s look was drop-dead gorgeous but she was only wearing it because it’s predominantly yellow. Salina and Aura both wore very pretty yellow gowns.
Crystal’s look was flawless: both high camp and high fashion with just a bit of weirdness to it. Her pussy has been stepped up.
Aura and Crystal faced off for the lip sync, and we have no issues with that choice. They were the most energetic duo and they benefited both from Crystal’s weirdness and Aura’s vocal talent. Personally, we would have given the win to to Aura, but we could tell Ru was responding really well to Crystal’s antics.
So condragulations to her. Silky’s gonna have a fit in that Werk Room.
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: Paramount Plus]
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