RuPaul’s Drag Race UK: Fierceness Across the Pond

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm rooting for Bimini to win next week. She has been consistently good throughout the season and I like that she has stayed true to her aesthetic but still fulfilled the runway requirements.

[hatchetgirl]

Yeah I'm totally team Bimini. They struggled starting out, but they have come a long way!  I love their positive spirit and the way they don't seem to hold grudges.

Lawrence sucks. Far too insecure and unable to take criticism. I wish she'd home home. 

Tayce just bugs. Entertaining, sure, but seems to need too much attention.

Ellie - she really is a diamond. She is not the next drag superstar yet... But she will be. 

 

[heckkitty]

On 3/12/2021 at 9:49 PM, Fake Jan Brady said:

Current standings on DragRaceUk twitter -

• Team Ellie: 1748 likes, 299 retweets
• Team Lawrence: 5192 likes, 1380 retweets
• Team Tayce: 6884 likes, 1293 retweets
• Team Bimini: 34300 likes, 9864 retweets

That's bananas.  Lawrence really screwed herself by being petty the last couple weeks.   I can't see how Tayce outpaces Lawrence, even though I like Tayce better.  and to think that early on everyone was sure this was Lawrence's to lose.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Apparently the reason we had Mickaaaaaaaaay the mannequin at the judging table during the Beastenders episode is Rita Ora drama.

[xander874]

Well congrats to Lawrence I guess. I was rooting for Bimini but Lawrence was my second. I just thought Bimini really brought it in the back half and deserved the win. Oh well.
 

A pretty good season. Loads better than US which feels like it has been on for months with no end in sight. 

[DEL901]

1 hour ago, xander874 said:

Well congrats to Lawrence I guess. I was rooting for Bimini but Lawrence was my second. I just thought Bimini really brought it in the back half and deserved the win. Oh well.
 

A pretty good season. Loads better than US which feels like it has been on for months with no end in sight. 

Agree on all points.  

[Pj3422]

1 hour ago, xander874 said:

Well congrats to Lawrence I guess. I was rooting for Bimini but Lawrence was my second. I just thought Bimini really brought it in the back half and deserved the win. Oh well.
 

A pretty good season. Loads better than US which feels like it has been on for months with no end in sight. 

Yeah, I hear ya. I would’ve been happy with any of the UK queens (something I can’t say about the US version). I finally came around to Bimini after her performance in the Snatch Game and subsequent challenges. I’m kinda figuring this is like Season 1: The Vivienne was the official winner, but most people remember Baga Chips. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I didn't think Lawrence deserved to win after her performances this week. Her performance in the group challenge was fine but she made visible mistakes. Her LSFYL was fine but not great. Same goes for her final runway look. I thought both Bimini and Tayce were better than Lawrence in all three areas.

[Fake Jan Brady]

Well, that ruined a perfectly good season.

😡

[stormy weather]

what. just. happened.

I was already a bit upset when Ellie didn't make it to the top three. I agree she wasn't ready for the crown but I would've FOR SURE put her above LC. Tayce and Bimini were the only true contenders for the crown, and I wouldn't have cared who won between them two, I love them both. But Lawrence Cheney?! Why? Well I guess Ru has been enamoured with her since day one, set her heart on it and refused to see anything that happened afterwards. I hope this doesn't mean we're (slowly, very slowly) heading for a Kandy win in the US race. 

Other than that, I loved this season and the fact it was so drama free the best thing they could fabricate was the endless commotion about the performance order in the comedy challenge (really, A'whora? Still?) I'm glad Michelle Visage reassured Ellie about it during their talk. 

[violet and green]

A good winner and a great season. But I am a bit stunned that Bimini did not win. I guess Lawrence is an easier sell for fronting whatever this WOW show is that supposedly goes with the win, or something.

I hope they all do well out of their appearances on this season. Highlight of the freaking pandemic!

[Orwelll1984]

I read an interesting comment on Reddit that WOW/Ru may have preferred Lawrence as the winner, as it looks like in lockdown the London queens had the opportunity to work which enabled them to "improve" on some of their looks they had prepared.  They speculated that was one reason why some of Biminis pre-lockdown were rougher.  Just food for thought!

[molotovcupcake]

I thought they were all deserving, but that edit was really pointing toward Bimini! I was shocked. I always feel like the runners-up are the real winners, though. They get to go on All-Stars, they're not bound into a contract and all that. I'm hoping for a US vs UK vs Canada season!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

5 hours ago, molotovcupcake said:

I thought they were all deserving, but that edit was really pointing toward Bimini! I was shocked. I always feel like the runners-up are the real winners, though. They get to go on All-Stars, they're not bound into a contract and all that. I'm hoping for a US vs UK vs Canada season!

I'm trying to look at it that way too. And since the UK winner doesn't get the $100K cash prize like on Drag Race in the US, they're not REALLY losing out on much. I know it's still a point of pride to win just on principal but hopefully Bimini and Tayce realize that all they missed was a WOW produced web series. They won loads of fans so hopefully that makes up for the disappointment of not getting the title.

So how many seasons of DRUK before we get an All Stars season?

[Machiabelly]

Every episode, I tried to figure out who Tia Khaffi reminded me of. It finally came to me tonight. The character Cheyenne on Superstore, played by Nichole Sakura

[phoenix780]

Loved the finale. Loved the top 3. As a Lawrence, happy that a Lawrence won, but any of them could have taken it and I'd have been satisfied. Can't wait to see Tayce and/or Tia on international all stars some day. It's crazy to watch this after the dumpster fire of the US version. 

[Wonderlad71]

Not mad that Lawrence won - but thought that Bimini had it in the bag. Oh well. It was a fun episode and great to see the returning queens. 

Somehow I don't think an All Stars is too far off but I'm thinking it's going to be an international All Stars once the pandemic eases off with UK, Canada, Holland, Down Under - not sure about Spain and Thailand due to the language barriers but we'll see

[hatchetgirl]

I'm beyond pissed. Damn it Ru - why ya gotta do me this way.

Bimini had it all, confidence, poise, comedy, stretchy bits, maturity... 

Lawrence who?

[imnoangel129]

You knew that Lawerence was going to win when they focused on him so much.  He can’t dance, he was bullied. What little like I had for Lawerence vanished when he went after Ellie so hard. Bimini’s transformation was amazing and she should have won.

[Cigale]

Bimini said that she was lost in drugs once upon a time...
 

Completely unfair, of course, but maybe a red flag for the producers?

[DEL901]

Congrats to Tayce, Bimini and A’Hora.

https://www.out.com/drag/2021/3/24/drag-race-uk-finalist-tayce-now-face-coca-cola

https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/bimini-bon-boulash-death-becomes-her

Edited March 27, 2021 by DEL901

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ru can't let a cash cow go unmilked so there's the original version of UK, Hun? with Lawrence Chaney, A'Whora, Tayce, and Bimini Bon Boulash:

A few weeks ago, this version of the song was released with the S1 Frock Destroyers and S2 Lawrence Cheney:

There's also a video of Lawrence and the FD doing choreography for the song:

And in case you missed it, Her Majesty by the Frock Destroyers

 

[TVbitch]

Just got around to binge watching this season. While she made a good initial impression, Lawrence went way downhill for me after the COVID break. Meanwhile Bimini skyrocketed. Lawrence tanked Match Game and the comedy show, could not dance at all, her acting amounted to shouting at the top of her lungs, and her outfits and lip syncs were not as good as Bimini's. In conclusion....  WTF?! 

It really annoys me when Ru takes a shine early on to a certain queen and then ignores the actual challenge/runway results and other judges opinions and just keeps pushing that queen through even to the point of giving them the crown. I can only hope she wants to save Bimini for an All Star win, but I don't like having predetermined winners there either. 

PS. Bimini deserved the crown, but I would most like to go to the pub with Tayce, such a fun personality!

[Grischa]

I believe Lawrence won because they ultimately cast the host of a web show and as great as Bimini is I think for WOW Lawrence is a better fit. Without a cash prize being the winner is almost meaningless anyway.

[ForumLou]

Oct 11th on Logo!  Woohoo Happy Birthday to me!

[ForumLou]

1 minute ago, ForumLou said:

Oct 11th on Logo!  Woohoo Happy Birthday to me!

Oh shit I just saw the date.  2019.  For fucks sake.  Yeah right detail oriented..  hee.  Sorry peeps. Will we get season 2 here in America?

[Fake Jan Brady]

That was fast - I'm still fuming Bimini didn't win Season 2.

[violet and green]

22 hours ago, Fake Jan Brady said:

That was fast - I'm still fuming Bimini didn't win Season 2

Flipping hell! They're shooting the seasons out like frisbees now.

Looking forward to Chorizo May after seeing that.

[Fake Jan Brady]

On 8/20/2021 at 3:33 PM, violet and green said:

Looking forward to Chorizo May after seeing that.

"Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful, hate me 'cause I'm an immigrant."

Love.

[Ms.Lulu]

I like the queens.  Initial thoughts:

The good

• Victoria Scone is fun and light 
• Kitty Scott-Claus is someone I didn't know I needed in my life
• River Medway had RuPaul laughing harder than anyone
• Chorizo May is so authentic and a favorite

The meh

• Krystal Versace seems so plastic.  I think she is a British Aquaria.  She will do well and I will be rooting for others
• Charity Kase, not that interested, I hope they don't cause too much drama

The maybe

• Ella Vaday, Scarlett Harlott and Vanity Milan I was to see more
• Veronica Green seems scared of the talent this time
• Elektra Fence had a good lip sync, but otherwise not memorable

Edited September 24, 2021 by Ms.Lulu

[violet and green]

I really like the British queens, they're so witty and irreverent - particularly like Chorizo May, River Medway, Scarlett Harlett, and Kitty Scott-Claus. I thought the wrong one went home.

[TVbitch]

Lots of fun, interesting queens. For the most part, was impressed with that runway. 

Okay, I had to google AFAB and cisgendered. Am I incorrect, or does that mean Victoria is a female who identifies as a female? I watch pretty much all the Drag Races, and have actually been thinking, we have AMAB males, transgender males, and transgender females competing, so, why leave AFAB females out.

Looks like it could be a really good season. To me, it seems like Ru enjoys herself more with the UK queens.  

[Rai]

You are correct. Victoria is a ciswoman drag queen, and she's clearly here to play hard. Her costumes were just fantastic.

I think I'm ready to admit out loud I might like the UK edition overall more than original flavor drag race. Don't get me wrong -- love me some drag race here too, of course -- but there's something to the British approach that is really invigorating. I don't know if it's because they're more shady and irreverent or because you can track the growth more or because the judges are better or WHAT, but I'm here to save these queens all day long.

I don't know that Chorizo May will go all the way, but she's pretty much my favorite right now just in general. Vanity Milan seems to have the goods, Victoria Scone is great, and bless her plastic face, Kyrstal Versace is clearly polished and can even perform. I would've put Vanity in the top three over Scarlett, although Scarlett's hometown look was quite good, I won't lie. Unfortunately, I can't remember the other theater queen's name, but I liked her factory workers strike outfit a lot.

Veronica Green came in last season understated and then grew on me. Hoping for a repeat of that journey here because I was still a little underwhelmed. I do like an openly nerdy queen though, and she more than qualifies.

I don't love River Medway super much, but her hometown look was really funny even without the reference. That traffic cone wig was terrific. Still, she's got a long way to go on the polish front, and I'm uncertain about her snatch game potential.

Charity Kase, Dragula is calling you. You would be perfect there. You would probably enjoy yourself more there. No shade, you seem very nice, but they will want to see glamour at some point, and you need to be willing to provide that. So, uh, yeah. Dragula, girl.

I didn't see All-Stars 6 except for the lip syncs, basically. I have yet to watch the Holland edition. So I've actually been a little Drag Race deprived since Espana wrapped up, and I'm just delighted that through Chorizo May, that joy has been carried over so far. Her art look reminded me so much of the art runway from that edition. Overall, this looks like another amazing cast, and I can't wait to see where the season goes!

[Wonderlad71]

After the excellence of Season2, I was prepared to be disappointed by Season 3 but again a great cast and Ru and Michelle seem to genuinely be having a ball and not just going through the motions (see Season 13).

We have yet another Scarlett, Elektra and Krystal/ Crystal in the competition - so hard to keep track.

I'm rooting for Veronica to do well - her runways have been pretty hit and miss (there was that excellent robot look in S2) but she'll do well elsewhere. 

Chorizo May is my fave drag name this season (like Tia Kofi last season) and she seems like lots of fun.

The judging seemed pretty fair - yeah Charity Kase may be a better fit for Dragula but i could have seen her in he Top 3 here with her attention to detail. 

Scarlett Harlett  and Kitty Scott Claus seems to be the narrators of the season. Ella Vaday is the trade of the season. And yay for Victoria Scone - a real sweetheart. For me Vanity and Kitty were a bit forgettable on the runway.

Both lipsyncs were rather good by DRUK standards. I think Krystal Versace deserved her win. Impressive to see someone so self-actualized by 19. Let's see if she's got the chops to be an allrounder.

I think Anubis will be a great drag queen one day. She should have dug more into her Egyptian heritage  for the runways, but oh well she was a great sport. Her and River's sad stories of losing their parents tugged my heartstrings for sure.

 

[Neeners]

I loved the first episode, but the second one I found underwhelming and didn't like the challenge.

My favorite queen is Choriza May, which means she probably won't win because I can never have nice things. 

Spoiler

I wonder why they didn't do the top two lip sync again the second episode? Also, I'm pretty worried Victoria is going to get Eureka'd.

 

[Rai]

Justice for Choriza! She should've totally won.

[Wonderlad71]

A bit of a mess of a main challenge indeed.

The tops in the challenge for me were Choriza, Kitty Scott Claws and Veronica Green. That said I did not care for Veronica's makeup (the 80s look was good though) and Choriza's look didn't seem great for the theme.

Krystal Versace is going to either Vivienne her way to the win or Gigi Goode her chances due to fan backlash.

Electra Fence sure is a fire cracker (loved Michelle's "WTF") - between her and Anubis, both are really memorable early outs.

[rlc]

Chorizo May is absolutely charming, and no way she should have been safe. Krystal did not deserve a second win. I would have put Chorizo and Veronica as top two. Zero issues with Electra being gone other than I would have sent her home last week for desperation. 

Scarlett out of drag reminds me so much of Blue Hydrangea. I really like Victoria Scone- hope she’s able to continue in the competition. I really liked the mature way she handled Krystal’s shadiness.

 

[TVbitch]

I'm a bit bummed Electra went cuz her lip sync had me wondering what on earth she would do next time.... a double layout with a twist? A slip leap over the judges? 

I'm glad Krystal apologized to Victoria. I can see how the queens would try so hard to be extra catty and funny when Ru is around, and it would be easy to go too far. 

[Mahfouz]

I don't understand all the rah-rah surrounding Victoria.

First, because it is unclear to me what sort of tangible barriers she is breaking through in order to perform in drag. I certainly don't have any sorta horse in the drag game so cannot even begin to speak of the culture but from the standpoint of a viewer of a competitive reality show it seems as if part of the process of the competition is to take something masculine (ymmv) and turn it into something feminine (ymmv). If the whole group ends at the same place but one contestant doesn't have to do makeup, nor pad, nor tuck I am not sure how that, for me as a viewer, rings fair. 

Second, I am of the opinion that there are two types of people in the world. Those, on one hand, who will proactively give you excuses as to why they are going to fall short in their upcoming endeavor and, on the other hand, there is everybody else. 1st thing out of Victoria's mouth to the choreographer was about how her knee was hurting and she was hoping to have an easy go of things. Also, did I hear correctly that she says she couldn't go forward in her dancing career because of fatphobia? I certainly wouldn't think the dance industry (or whatever you call it) is all that friendly to the non-lithe (ahem) but I've seen dancers of all shapes and sizes. Given what I know of her this sounds like mere excuses. 

 

Scarlet Harlot did a great job in both challenges and deserved the win. 

[Ms.Lulu]

This episode reminded me why I love this show.  The queens are fiercer, the conversations feel more genuine, and the drag is flat out better.

I thought Veronica out lip-synched Vanity Milan, even though I prefer Vanity.  I love that the UK version doesn't seem to have filler queens.

[molotovcupcake]

11 minutes ago, Ms.Lulu said:

 

This episode reminded me why I love this show.  The queens are fiercer, the conversations feel more genuine, and the drag is flat out better.

 

The conversation between Charity Kase and Kitty was so important and honest. 

[Wonderlad71]

12 hours ago, Mahfouz said:

I don't understand all the rah-rah surrounding Victoria.

I do understand the criticism of AFAB queens having an advantage, but I do think that a bio-woman can fairly be a drag artist. The key is to have a distinctive drag persona (eg.Lady Gaga vs Stafanie Germanotta). Sure Victoria may not have to tuck but there is a whole lot of make up / costume artistry going on - where would a girl like her get to show her skills off except on Drag Race.

That said with Victoria out, a frontrunner is out of the race. Even with Krystal's 2 wins it seems like a more even playing field than last season. I'm liking this cast but compared to last season it is feeling a tad lightweight.

Overall I enjoyed this episode more than last week and thought that Scarlett Harlett rightfully won - she looked great. 

I thought River Medway could have been in the Top as well. 

Something is just not clicking with Charity Kase and the judges. I think if she padded a bit she'd have a better chance. Her storyline though was heartwarming this week.

I really felt bad for Veronica Green - thought she's stomp her way to the finals this season. That look was not good. I did think she was giving a great lipsync but she was behind Vanity most of the time. It could have been a double shantay -... oh well. (and next week is a singing challenge where she'd have done well).

 

 

Edited October 9, 2021 by Wonderlad71

[violet and green]

I thought Veronica Green lacked oomph in her lip sync. Getting stuck behind Vanity for so much of the time didn't help either. Really tragic to effectively oust yourself by being helpful to someone ultimately ungrateful for your help and dismissive of the sacrifice made.

Rather hope Victoria Scone doesn't come back next season, though expect she will. It's just getting silly now. Drag is more than makeup; they may as well invite Baddie Winkle to compete as well at this rate, for the underrepresented elderly female contingent.

[vibeology]

Raven coming out a darker shade than Ru was shocking. Her blackfishing is out of control at this point. 

[Rai]

In regards to the AFAB discussion, representation is important. We have seen so many fierce queens eschew padding, especially the coveted "body" queens, that I feel that argument doesn't really have merit. The "advantage" argument was used to keep trans AMAB queens out for a long time. The amount of makeup, cinching, taping, probably still some strategic padding, character work, talent, and costume design Victoria clearly does to be a cis-queen performer is on par with any of the male queens in the room. In some cases, I'd say it's more than some of them are doing.

I think it clicked into place for me when Tom and Lorenzo's blog pointed out that Elvira is essentially a cis-female drag queen. To be Elvira requires a lot of work and persona crafting on par with any drag performer. And maintaining it all these decades? A legend. Hell, Drag U essentially created female drag queens out of the everyday ladies. Most women aren't naturally glamorous and facially don't have any distinct advantage. I think the comparison to Lady Gaga's visual output is very apt in that regard.

I think what's transgressive about AFAB cis drag queens is that they are taking expected feminine presentation and beauty requirements and blowing them up into ridiculous proportions. It hits differently from AMAB queens, sure, but it's no less powerful. For someone like me, a cisgender woman, it's a pleasure to watch someone poke holes in unrealistic beauty standards or be overly performative with them. The idea that Kim Kardashian is NOT a drag queen is hilarious, given her body shaping and contouring and signature lewks, but it's also sad. It's sad because the work she's putting in is expected of glamorous celebrities at a bare minimum, and I feel AFAB queens can hold up a specific mirror to that on a very personal level. It's the response I have to it.

(The flip side is it can also feel aspirational while acknowledging the hard work it takes to bring out an otherworldly glamazon, something which the beauty industry tells you isn't really hard to do, you're just not doing it right.)

As for Victoria somehow making excuses that fatphobia drove her out of dancing professionally, that's a pretty unsympathetic take. Given that eating disorders plague many, many dancers with more standard dancing builds, the pressure on anyone who does not have that build has to be incredibly harsh. Just because a handful of larger dancers exist, it doesn't mean the industry as a whole isn't toxic AF, and that most people -- regardless of size -- do not thrive, let alone survive, in toxic environments. There would be so many more Victorias in dance if the cultural atmosphere acknowledged their worth and talents.

Anyway, I hope it's not the last we see of Victoria, nor the last we see of AFAB cis queens in general. Drag is such an amazing spectrum of presentation, and everyone contributing to it is what keeps it fascinating and performative.

I do feel bad for Veronica Green, although she was always a weirdo in her looks, so I don't know why Michelle was saying otherwise. I also am glad someone other than Krystal won. I was about to riot when Choriza May looked in danger, and Ru's criticisms were more pointed than usual (dirty tights, lumpy padding, ouch). I think Choriza's in real danger, girl. And that would be heartbreaking.

And speaking of heartbreaking, I am TOTALLY bummed we didn't get to see Victoria's findr profile. I bet it would've been great. That said, everyone else's was pretty hysterical although I didn't love Charity's farmer dude. I did find it hilarious how many construction workers there were though. Is this a Brit fetish, or is a construction worker just the butchest archetype of all time?

[violet and green]

5 hours ago, Rai said:

nor the last we see of AFAB cis queens in general.

Do you mean women?

[Wonderlad71]

16 hours ago, violet and green said:

Do you mean women?

"AFAB cis queen" - yes is an Assigned Female at Birth - cisgendered woman in this instance. Sometimes called a "BioQueen".

Dragula Season 3 had an AFAB queen (Hollow Eve) as well as a Drag King (Landon Cider).

I'm sure Victoria Scone will be back and will be the first of more to come.

[Rai]

And I specifically use AFAB/cisgender woman to designate that kind of female queen from a transwoman/AMAB queen. It's helpful to know these designations when discussing the intersection of drag and gender. I hope she'll be back! And not do a Veronica Green!

[stormy weather]

On 10/8/2021 at 10:25 PM, Mahfouz said:

I don't understand all the rah-rah surrounding Victoria.

First, because it is unclear to me what sort of tangible barriers she is breaking through in order to perform in drag. I certainly don't have any sorta horse in the drag game so cannot even begin to speak of the culture but from the standpoint of a viewer of a competitive reality show it seems as if part of the process of the competition is to take something masculine (ymmv) and turn it into something feminine (ymmv). If the whole group ends at the same place but one contestant doesn't have to do makeup, nor pad, nor tuck I am not sure how that, for me as a viewer, rings fair. 

Second, I am of the opinion that there are two types of people in the world. Those, on one hand, who will proactively give you excuses as to why they are going to fall short in their upcoming endeavor and, on the other hand, there is everybody else. 1st thing out of Victoria's mouth to the choreographer was about how her knee was hurting and she was hoping to have an easy go of things. Also, did I hear correctly that she says she couldn't go forward in her dancing career because of fatphobia? I certainly wouldn't think the dance industry (or whatever you call it) is all that friendly to the non-lithe (ahem) but I've seen dancers of all shapes and sizes. Given what I know of her this sounds like mere excuses. 

 

Scarlet Harlot did a great job in both challenges and deserved the win. 

THANK YOU, I couldn't agree more. I feel like Ru is pushing for her to get ahead in the competition exactly like she did for Gottmik last year. And I'm sorry but while we're at it, in episode 2 Electra clearly deserved the win in that lipsync against Vanity Milan. I sometimes feel the judges' decisions are based more on other factors than on how well the queens actually perform in the show. 
Anyway, I haven't agreed with the judges much in the past seasons, but I'm starting to think this one takes the cake. Two wins in a row for Krystal Versace?! I thought she'd be the first one to go home! Are we watching the same show?