Mahfouz

The most frustrating thing about this show is never knowing how the judges are going to rule. Will they call out somebody for wearing, essentially, the same outfit week after week (looking at you Bosco and Deja)? Maybe? Depends on who it is I guess. I get that Ru has her favs but the other regular judges are not consistent either. Ross was a weird color this week. I thought it was funny when Lady Camden said she was going butch because she played those absolute icons and pillars of masculinity: Bill Shakespeare and Freddy Mercury lol. I find Willow to be really awkward-seeming in any performance that requires dancing. Her lip-sync in the tourney was not good at all.

I think Jasmine suffered from familiarity in re: lip syncing. I mean, was that the SIXTH time (vs. Bosco) she lip synced? You can only have so many schticks before they start getting stale. I'm sad Daya is still around. This may be the weakest group I can remember being left this late in the season. I can't even begin to think of who the frontrunner is because they are all really mediocre. Jorgeous has no chance because her only talent seems to be lip-syncing. Also did not need to see her man nip on the runway.

I always find it a tad amusing on shows like this when the person who wins is VERY mediocre and everybody else just plain SUCKS and the winner acts as if they are just the most awesome contestant ever. LOL. Deja was not good as Lil (Did Ru keep saying LITTLE John?) John, she was just not nearly as bad as the shitshow occurring around her. The problem with Daya playing a lovable goof like Ozzy is that Daya is nowhere near to being lovable. There is a constant tinge of anger and meanness in nearly all of Daya's talking heads. I was wrong in assuming Jorgeous would play an obscure latina celeb but I WAS correct in saying Jorgeous would not do well in Snatch Game. Has there ever been a queen who started out as the runaway favorite to win the whole season and imploded as much as Angeria? Willow Pill was VERY disappointing but still, I think, the most interesting queen this season. She seems to have her own idea of what drag is and, Drew Barrymore impersonation not withstanding, is able to execute it without too much of an issue.

Also, watching the next episode reminded me that Jorgeous's runway look looked like it was on backwards. Why have the opening in the middle if there is nothing there to show off?

Can't say that after seeing these Dragcon panels on the show I am in any hurry to attend any in real life. What is the point of keeping Jorgeous and Jasmine Kennedy around for another week. Neither of them (especially Jorgeous) have any real chance of winning. I'd lay good money down that Jorgeous implodes on Snatch game next week. She just doesn't seem all that talented and I predict she will do some little-known Latina "celeb". I really feel like sometimes Rupaul pushes the contestants a bit too far to open up about really traumatic stuff and she basically said it out loud this episode: You have a better chance of winning if you really open up emotionally. Seems unnecessarily exploitative.

Now that Kerri Kolby is gone I'm selling my stocks in whatever makeup brand she used because, man, did she always have a TON of makeup on. Daya is a thoroughly unpleasant person to watch on TV. She can bounce ASAFP. Rupaul's Racial Rules Theory on Lip-Syncing is taking a HUGE hit this season. Angeria gives me serious Nom from Deep Space 9 vibes.

Certainly in the minority here but I felt like this acting challenge was just your old run-of-the-mill Rupaul acting challenge. Given what I thought was a pretty lackluster performance by nearly everybody and the absolute shit-shows (shits-show?) that were the attempts at southern accents I fully expected Ru to pull some sort of twist or double elimination or something. I just couldn't believe there wasn't a bottom two (or four). There was nothing redeemable about that script.

Chantall was the clear winner if you take into account the whole season but man was her final collection REALLY boxy. I thought Coral's overall collection was the best but having accrued no wins during the season she was a long-shot at best. These designers should take cues from their plus-sized models. They always show up looking WAY better than what the designers end up putting them in. Didn't miss Elaine. At all. Ditto for Mimi.

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when the Pit Crew were told what their contribution to the episode was going to be. I'm not buying the explanation for Kornbread's exit. Six to eight weeks off for a "woke up the next morning and my ankle really hurt"? Nothing broken. Nothing sprained (I'm just assuming because usually when people have an injury they say specifically what it is). No cast. Just a hurt ankle. It doesn't make sense. Sorry to see a fellow Mitten-stater go but man was she a black hole of charisma.

Kornbread, I think, took her criticism of Jasmine a bit too far. I get telling her to basically STFU, but I thought it was inappropriate to tell her not to take notes. It may come as a shock to Kornbread but the basis of a University education is taking notes while listening. It is possible. The Rupaul's Racial Rules Theory of Lip-syncing took a HUGE hit this week. Maddy's walk seemed a bit better this week BUT she was wearing pants so maybe that helped? Too early to call but Algeria v. Willow Pill as favorites?

Color me shocked when none of the contestants chose a plus-sized model. Also, given how much it has been talked about this season it was a bit of a surprise that none of the designers, in a challenge asking them to show us WHO they really are, chose a model with whom they shared an ethnicity. Even Coral and Chasity chose Asian and white models, respectively, and they were all about representing their heritage this episode. Overall a boring episode. I am rooting for Chantall or Coral.

I certainly don't think Bones did himself any favors with his design. However, if the model did not appreciate his feedback she should have modeled better. But clearly there was something off between what Bones wanted to see and what the infallible one was doing. It wasn't Coco's design, nor would she suffer any consequences for any of her choices. This was all on Bones. If I were on a show like this and it was my time to be auf'd I would prefer to have it come down to my choices.

There is just something missing from Maddy in re: Drag Race. Just not sure a straight guy can pull it off. His runway walk looked a LOT like a straight, manly-man makeover challenge walk.

I guess my anxiety about whether or not Bones would drip some armpit sweat on his or somebody else's design is moot now. Saying that, I appreciate how Bones went out. I feel as if I have the best idea of who Bones is as a person compared with the rest of the designers and I absolutely cannot fault him for taking control of the photo shoot. It's his design, his aesthetic, his vision, AND he has the experience of being a part of photo shoots AND, most importantly, the temerity to demand what he wants. Coco is ONLY a tool and, frankly, should keep her mouth shut about what Bones wants out of his design/photo.

It's unfortunate that people with actual talents (ballet dancing and guitar playing) don't fare well because Rupaul is looking for something a little more weird with a little less talent? Straight guy doing drag seems disingenuous to me. For now.

The whole premise behind these "real" client challenges is inherently designed to cause drama. You must absolutely listen to your client AND it absolutely must be your voice ringing through. If this were a real situation the client would go elsewhere if the vibes were off. Lesson: Make a really great outfit and EFF what the client has to say. I doubt anybody has gone home for making an objectively fashionable look that the client didn't like. I am trying to think of a professional situation where it is appropriate to work shirtless. Bones, my dude, put your shirt back on when you're at work. I believe Andy Cohen is a fellow Deadhead so not surprised that Coral's hippie-vibe look appealed to him. I am glad Chasity apologized for shrieking in Mood but man was that cringey to watch. I almost found the hooting and hollering coming off as a little condescending. Like when you cheer your 1st grader as they galumph around the track. Nobody thinks their child is fast but they have to be supportive.

I do not tune into RPDR to see Rupaul "dance" and/or perform her songs. They are, in general, not very good. Especially given the utter lack of energy Rupaul showed. I was totally disappointed in June Jumbalaya's dance routine. The way she was talking she was going to blow everybody out of the water and I was expecting something AMAZING. It was mediocre at best. I thought Ru looked a little put-off by a few of the performances. I think it's a cop-out to have lip-syncing as your talent. We already assume that. Like, what's next? Your talent is tucking? As a citizen of the greatest state in the Union I was happy to see somebody from Michigan on the show but was disappointed to see her go so quickly. I think her skit could have been funny but it needed a LOT of work. It is my belief that if one is to LSFYL and they, as opposed to their opponent in the lip sync, are the same race as the singer they will win the LS. I call this Rupaul's Racial Rules. As I have watched/re-watched RPDR I kept an unofficial running count and I think that if you were to go over the winners/losers of all the seasons you would find that holds true about 90% of the time. It's not always applicable but when it is it is almost always the case.

Halfway through the finale I figured my hopes for an ABK (Anybody But Kendall) rested solely on Pythia so was pleasantly surprised that Icesis got the win. Well deserved from a season with no real standouts. I don't know what it is with Drag Race but I always feel as if I am seeing some of the eliminated queens for the first time when they bring them back for the reunion/finale. Even the dude who got dumped in the forest was mostly forgettable (sorry). I advocated for the firing of BLH's wig person/people a few weeks back and though I still feel the same way her hair stylings have been much improved over the last 2 runways. Queen of the North was, dare I say it, the WORST song I've heard on any of the Drag Races. My wife and I were walking out of a play once and the people in front of us said "There was nothing redeemable about that script". Both Mrs. Mahfouz and myself used the same phrase for the song: Nothing redeemable about it.

I have never seen a less-sexy sheer top with nipple pasties look in my life. What was even the point, Kristina? Re-watch the episode and check out Anna's model walking into the workroom. A vision of stackedness. Then check her out when she walks down the runway, frumpy, disheveled. A really great unconventional challenge. There seemed to be less whining about the materials than on past seasons. I wonder if the contestants are more game than the usual pack? I really don't feel like Elaine has a concrete fashion paradigm she works within. I feel like I can guess what Brandon will think about a design (also M. Kors and Nina for the most part) but Elaine's viewpoints seem to flit from here to there depending on, well who knows?

I will always remember Alyssa telling Coco Montrese; "Bitch, look how orange you fucking look". That shit still cracks me up to this day.

I thought the reunion was a bit cringe-worthy. Seemed as if the queens (and Brad) were given directions to laugh uproariously at the most innocuous of comments. Pythia reminds me of, for the life of me I can't remember the queen's name, the queen that Rupaul always called El Debarge. Minus the most endearing smile ever. I don't see any real standouts (good or bad) in the Top 3 so if I am choosing who I want to win based upon who I would most like to drink a few beers with I would say my way-ahead favorite is Icesis, followed closely by Pythia, and my no way in hell 3rd is KG.

One positive for me from this episode was that the unwarranted love for Mimi has limits. Not even her awesome presence and stony gaze were enough to pull Mean Mr. Mustache's creation out of the poop pile. Good riddance MMM. I think one of the issues the designers face, especially when it comes to larger models, is that most of them, frankly, don't look at a woman as being sexually attractive. I know the idea of the male gaze is a not-positive aspect of society but it's odd that for a large portion of the contestants they make their models (esp. plus-sized ones) look LESS attractive than when they were walking into the work room. Obviously fashion does not always equal being attractive to the opposite sex (or anybody for that matter) but when I watch this show I judge the designs by how attractive I find the models before/after.

I think that at the point when Aaron was critical of Bones as an artist (taking it beyond the realm of this challenge) that Bones would have been more than justified to slap Aaron in the face. Not punch, that sends a different message. Slap. Especially given the BS apology we saw. How am I to take seriously Elaine's legitimacy as a fashion judge when she criticizes an avant-garde look for not being wearable. No shit Elaine, that's the fucking (sorry Anna) point.

Adriana was never going to win so she could have bounced at any point in the season so good for her for sticking around for so long. Has anybody else noticed that sometimes the name Pythia is pronounced with the accent on the 1st syllable and lately BLH and some other judges have been saying it with the accent on the 2nd syllable. Which is correct? PITH - ee - Ah or Pi -THEE - Ah I thought all of the self-anointing as inspirations was REALLY weird.

Areola Borealis