RuPaul’s Drag Race UK: Fierceness Across the Pond

[Ms.Lulu]

I thought Starlet, Sminty and Jonbers should have all been in the lip sync. The right person went home.

So far this season is lacking lovable queens. Cheddar is my favorite. Danny is giving me The Vivienne vibes out of drag (not a good thing). I'm slightly warmer to Baby and indifferent to the rest.

[Stardancer Supreme]

I tell you, Baby and Peppa was hotter than fish grease after their girl group performance. Thankfully they decided not to go into the Angry Black Queen box.

Peppa chose her group based on aesthetics instead of actual talent.  Didn't Starlet say she had never performed before? Sure she is stunning, but RuPaul expects queens to be more well rounded, not just giving out lewks. Starlet looked like a deer in headlights when she forgot the choreography and she was smack in the middle! Sminty girl, it's bad enough to forget to lip sync the words in the midst of a performance, especially if it is lyrics you wrote!

Jonbers cold have saved herself if she didn't bomb the runway lewk.  her face card was revoked! 

I knew Starlet wasn't going to last long. We were spared the judges going, "Stop relying on your lewks!"  

[davidcalgary29]

Aw, I think that Starlet actually lives her persona instead of merely performing it. She's stunning, but this was not the venue for her.

I'm still not getting much from Danny Beard; even the confessionals are generic. I like Black Peppa, but my current underdog favourite is my girl from Walnut Grove, Dakota Schiffer. More confessionals! More screentime! More!

[Mahfouz]

Second on Danny Beard giving The Viv vibes, same voice, same accent, same rock-hard face. 

Starlet was so boring/bored. She makes Pearl seem as charismatic as, The Rock? A rock?  I thought it was hilarious how proud she was of her performance. It was almost a literal black-hole of charisma when she was performing. If she is what's best of South African drag please Rupaul no Drag Race S. Africa. 

[TVbitch]

Aw, I'm bummed. Starlet wasn't going to be the winner but I was enjoying (looking at) her. Why no push from the judges? God knows Ru has done a lot more coddling of other shy young looks queens. (Starlet deserved it more than Beverly Kills!) Maybe Ru just wanted a bit of elimination drama. 

I think Dakota might be my favorite, though.  

[Wonderlad71]

17 hours ago, Mahfouz said:

Starlet was so boring...If she is what's best of South African drag please Rupaul no Drag Race S. Africa. 

LOL as a South African not sure if I should be offended :P but yes she seems typical of many Johannesburg twink lewk queens (there's really not much of a scene here) although she apparently moved to the UK at 17 (?). Cape Town queens have alot more performance drive so we'll see if it ever happens. 

Meanwhile - here are some exit interview: 

Edited October 4, 2022 by Wonderlad71

[Mahfouz]

Also, calling a team of five "Triple Threat" is likely the worst name of a non-existent girl group in the history of the world. Not saying it was the reason they lost but it surely didn't help. It just set a stupid tone. 

[davidcalgary29]

I can't believe that Danny and Pixie's hideous sheath dresses weren't immediately punted off to the bottom, especially when taking into account their gruesome paint jobs. Was this a tribute to Penny Tration's elimination episode? The fix is in! 

I didn't get "Bingo" from any of these looks. Did I just hallucinate that part of the instructions?

[Rai]

The winners were clear as day for the fashion challenge. Wow, Baby and Dakota Schiffer looked fantastic. My hands-down favorite is Cheddar Gorgeous, of course. The wit, the aesthetic, the confidence -- queen of my heart and the deserving final winner, IMO.

I also love Danny Beard. I'm all in on bearded queens these days, and I enjoy how he keeps changing it up. That's what the judges will want to see. Le Fils is another top fave. Their handling of Sminty was so good -- indulging Sminty's breakdown while also giving the tough love needed to push their team forward. Sminty is hilarious and stunning in drag, so she may go far. But good god, girl, get a grip.

Black Peppa is a lip sync assassin, especially for the UK edition. I can see her a top contender. Baby is fun and more polished than I expected. Pixie Polite is definitely a fun contender. Really, the only one who I see as filler is Jonburr Blonde. I can't believe she escaped lip synching, and although she was great against Starlet, nothing about her impresses me in comparison to the other dolls.

Copper Top gave me big Pandora Boxx vibes: Hilarious, beloved, and overlooked by the judges. That said, that was an Alexis Michelle-level look, and the white boots were all wrong. If she'd worn black, maybe she could've squeaked by. I get the Barbarella homage, but then it needs something more structured, like a Gaultier cage dress element or something. Cheddar Gorgeous was, well, gorgeous, and her look could've been adjusted into a gown very easily. They could've just gone for rich bitch eleganza and again, probably would've squeaked by.

Anyway, Copper Top will be missed by me. I can't believe she went home over Jonburrs first. But that's the way the game is played.

[7-Zark-7]

Copper Top: How dare you all give me the fading into the background trophy? I'm as big a contender as any of you.

Every other contestant: Do you hear something? Is she still talking? I don't know, girl. I stopped paying attention.

Judges: I ordered Cheddar Gorgeous, and I got this other one.  

Ru: The one that's not Black Peppa, sashay away.

Edited October 7, 2022 by 7-Zark-7

[violet and green]

I am still angry that Starlet is gone. I thought Sminty Drop should have been in the bottom two that week instead of Starlet, but seeing how Ru admired Sminty's ass this episode cements that we are stuck with it for a lo-o-ong time. Bummed Copper Top went out so early.  Dakota is lovable, and Cheddar Georgeous is really interesting to watch, so there's that. 

[Stardancer Supreme]

I am amazed that Copper Top didn't gain more inspiration from Cheddar's look. She looked ... wrong standing to the ethereal goddess CG!

Sminty just wanted to be naked. I want her and Peppa to cover those nipples better.

I also expected a lot more of Danny and Pixie's lewks. They were so plain! 

Not a fan of tonight's lip sync song. Did Peppa land that cartwheel on her knees? That looked painful! 

Copper Top sashays away.

[TVbitch]

Why does Ru hate Jonburr Blonde's name so much? I don't get what it means. I don't get what most of their names mean!

I miss Starlet too! 

[7-Zark-7]

I’m fine with Jonbers Blonde’s name too. There is a rumor that it’s related to JonBenet Ramsey, which if true, I’d hate it too, but that’s not what her wiki name origin story says.

[Wonderlad71]

[Rai]

She refused to vote in the silly awards thing? Oh gurl, if you're not going to play the game, of course you're going to get booted. Sorry, that's not integrity, that's just posturing.

[TVbitch]

Danny is bringing it, but do we have to get rid of all the "best dressed". I like to know there will at least be something sparkly and pretty to look at on the runway if the rest of the show is flopping! 

[Wonderlad71]

These interview format improv challenges are often not that great. It was hard for me to pick a winner but the bottom 2 were correct . Sminty had a great runway though ( Unfortunately no it's apparently not 50% of the mark) 

[Ms.Lulu]

This week's Rusical was great! I'm glad this was such a strong episode. And Danny's runway was amazing.

Sad about the self elimination.

Edited October 21, 2022 by Ms.Lulu

[7-Zark-7]

The timing of Baby's self elimination was done at the apex of drama. Now there will always be the question, who would Ru have sent home? Or would this have been a double shantay?

For me it was even and both should have stayed, but if I had to choose, I would have given the edge to Dakota. Baby gave a great performance that would have worked well for many different songs, but Dakota's was specific to that song. She knew that she wasn't a dancer or a gymnast (and even if she were, she couldn't move much in that dress) so she figured out how to work with the lyrics. Very smart. Good for her. I don't see her winning this, but she's won me over and I'd like her to make it to the finale.  

I appreciate Baby going through with the whole performance and giving it her all before leaving, even though she was having doubts. It was much better than just standing still and mumbling or walking out, which is probably what Ru was thinking when she said "I can respect that."

Edited October 22, 2022 by 7-Zark-7

[Rai]

It seemed like it could've been a well-deserved double shantay. They killed it. Dakota couldn't keep up with Baby, but the fake-out exit was perfect. Girl, you could do some more theater!

Legit shocked though that Le Fil was safe. Everyone did pretty well in this challenge, so it was hair-splitting, but I'm with Alan that Le Fil didn't quite connect for me. A shame because I adore him and that outfit. That outfit probably saved him.

Also, I agree with Michelle -- personal best makeup on Baby. Keep doing that! Her runway was fantastic. I liked them all, even Jonburrs. I've been counting that queen out from the start, but the bird girl was amazing. Possibly the best performance up there, tbh. But I can't argue with Danny Beard. Great job, showstopping runway.

Weird that Pixie Polite gave up the lead role though. Talk about an inner saboteur?

[davidcalgary29]

23 hours ago, Rai said:

I liked them all, even Jonburrs. I've been counting that queen out from the start, but the bird girl was amazing. Possibly the best performance up there, tbh. But I can't argue ith Danny Beard. Great job, showstopping runway.

This was the standout performance for me. Jonbers won the challenge; Danny won the runway.

I didn't think that I'd like Cheddar Gorgeous as much as I do; she's smart and incisive without being arrogant and mean-spirited. I don't think that she has the ambition to win the season, but I'd certainly like her to see her in the finale.

Baby's exit was all class. I'm happy that Dakota stayed, as I'd like to see our Nellie stick around for awhile. But this is the first time in quite a while that I am enjoying the entire cast.

[TVbitch]

Watching the lip sync, I also kept thinking this HAS to be a double shantay. Baby was good, and Dakota was adorable and clever. I was going to be soooo pissed if Dakota got booted. This is proving to be a good season. I hope Ru hasn't already picked the winner, and will just let it play out based on merit. 

[davidcalgary29]

4 hours ago, TVbitch said:

 I hope Ru hasn't already picked the winner, and will just let it play out based on merit. 

Maybe not, but they're certainly pushing Danny. Hard. 

I have a soft spot for Dakota, but you could tell from Ru's expression tonight that she's a Dead Queen Walking at this point. Apparently Dakota knows this as well, as she looked like she was going to keel over at a number of points in the episode. I predict an exit in the very near future.

Question: WHY are Peppa's enemies Dakota, Danny...and Jonbers? I mean, it's clear that RuPaul keeps forgetting that Jonbers is on this season, so I can't imagine that anyone really sees her as a threat. Did I miss some drama?

[Wonderlad71]

Yeah Jonbers was the best performance in Lairy Poppins overall - too bad the runway was wonky.

Thrilled that Dakota is still in this- her performances give me life.

For some reason I am not connecting with Danny Beard (amazing runway though) and he seems like the frontrunner at this point. I am expecting Black Peppa to pull ahead soon. 

[TVbitch]

I like Danny, and cannot deny the talent there, but for whatever reason I'm not enchanted. Peppa came on strong but has kind of faded back. Ru seems to be getting rid of all the looks queens this season and maybe she figures that is all Dakota is, but I think she's been clever and enchanting. Maybe Ru needs her to break down or have a growth moment or something. 

[Rai]

I've loved Danny right from the start, but her runway hasn't been on the level it needs to be until this challenge. Legit surprised Danny won the improv challenge considering Ru basically laughed at her runway -- and not in a delighted way. So strong contender, yes, absolute winner, no.

Cheddar Gorgeous is still my pick for the win, although that's partly big favoritism. The smart money would be on Black Peppa, I think. Young and fierce with good instincts that Ru can polish up. However, Cheddar keeps pulling out spectacular looks and hasn't underperformed, even when it's not her wheelhouse. Glam weirdos forever.

[akr]

7 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Ru seems to be getting rid of all the looks queens this season and maybe she figures that is all Dakota is, but I think she's been clever and enchanting.

I think Dakota, Starlet, and Sminty were all competing for one or at most two spots (too similar for all of them to stick around long term) and Dakota won it. Whether she can take it further is up to her. She's very personable and easy to root for, and I think a good snatch game, for example, could keep her in it for a while.

[violet and green]

That is the very first Rusical of any DR series I have actually enjoyed! So good to see Jonbers shining. I enjoy Danny Beard's commentary and humour so much, ditto Cheddar Gorgeous, and am glad Dakota got to stay. It's a really strong cast.

[Ms.Lulu]

Just watched the snatch game episode and I agreed 100% with the tops (and winner) and bottoms (and the queen sent home).

Overall, I don't think there were many surprises. Pixie was worse than I expected. Dakota was better than I expected. And the winner gave exactly what I was waiting for them to deliver.

It is a strong cast this season and I am enjoying it more than seasons 1 & 3. 

[akr]

I was surprised at how strongly I reacted to Cheddar's runway - I actually cried a little. Took me back. Clear winner overall, and at this point my favorite. I appreciate a queen of substance.

I'd have had Dakota in my top two (surprisingly funny in the Snatch Game, and a gorgeous, though not particularly surprising, runway look). 

[davidcalgary29]

19 hours ago, akr said:

I'd have had Dakota in my top two (surprisingly funny in the Snatch Game, and a gorgeous, though not particularly surprising, runway look). 

Dakota should have won! I uttered some choice words when Ru declared her to be "safe". She was funny and charming and unexpectedly so; c'mon! I thought Cheddar and Jonbers' take on their respective characters were predictable.

I didn't think that anyone was terrible, but the bottom four were all boring. I did like the "contestants"; I've noticed that dancers and models have made surprisingly good Snatch Game appearances over the years.

[Rai]

I think Dakota and Jonbers were tied for second, and Dakota edged out Jonbers for the runway, so a bummer there. But Cheddar Gorgeous is my queen, and this week she really proved it. I don't think she was an hall of snatch game famer, but everything she said made me laugh. Nailed it.

I would've switched Pixie and Danny because I think Pixie's runway was better, but they both bombed surprisingly hard. I have no idea why Black Peppa didn't even have a lyric or two to quote as Little Nas X, but I hope someone else does him soon because great choice. I wish I'd seen Le Fil as Posh Spice, but he probably would've struggled there too. I will miss Le Fil! Hilarious interviews and stunning runways. But this cast is pretty strong by now, so each loss will be tough to call and tough to bear.

Cheddar Gorgeous remains the one to beat, IMO, but Danny might rebound. Pixie really does get in her head a little too much, which is surprising but very clear by now.

[davidcalgary29]

6 hours ago, Rai said:

Cheddar Gorgeous remains the one to beat

Production is grooming the audience very carefully for a top placement for Cheddar They're showing her in the best possible light; she's featured in or instigates most of the big emotional moments that we've seen on the season; she is shown to be a mentor/teacher for the younger gays, and is politically savvy; she is undeniably smart. All of this makes me grouchy, as she deserves the win on her own merits, and not as some carefully curated WoW Presents Super Queer to be trotted out to the General Public as a Drag Exemplar.

[TVbitch]

Queens, queens, queens. What part of "the final decision is mine to make" do you not understand. If Ru makes it known she doesn't like your Snatch Game choice, CHANGE IT. I didn't think Jonbers was all that funny as Patty, but Ru went out of her way to laugh because she took Ru's suggestion. Meanwhile (and granted they were terrible) Danny, Pixie, and Le Fil got the total crickets, side eye, "moving on" treatment.

[Wonderlad71]

Overall a very average Snatch game with a clear Top3 - Cheddar, Jonbers and Dakota. I'm finding the season losing steam a bit at this point.

I'd have put Pixie in the bottom 2 opposite Le Fil and Le Fil may have sent her home ( I thought she won the lip sync). Oh well. 

Yes Cheddar is the clear fave and is outstanding in so many respects.. Some of her runways have been phenomenal-  like this week and her social awareness and intelligence are unquestionable. Nevertheless, I just find her talking heads a bit dull. 

Here are Le Fil's interviews: 

[Mahfouz]

Cheddar Gorgeous seems like she is already a complete entity. I don't really see any sorta growth storyline coming from her which may hurt her chances at winning the whole season. While I appreciated the message behind her runway look I thought it was a bit too simple. Message > Fashion in this case. 

[davidcalgary29]

While that elimination was hardly unexpected, it was still really sad. Especially since she belonged nowhere near the bottom in the first place. 

Spoiler

Goodbye, Dakota! I think I'll miss you most of all.

I'm guessing that this means that Danny and Cheddar are going to be our top two queens. Everyone else seems to have too many strikes against them at this point. I just can't imagine them giving Pixie the Crown since they're showing her to be unpleasant in her confessionals.

On 11/2/2022 at 7:48 AM, Mahfouz said:

Cheddar Gorgeous seems like she is already a complete entity. I don't really see any sorta growth storyline coming from her which may hurt her chances at winning the whole season. While I appreciated the message behind her runway look I thought it was a bit too simple. Message > Fashion in this case. 

I think that this would definitely take her out of the competition in the main US franchise, but the contractual obligations of the UK winners are much different -- WoW can't use them strictly as a cash cow -- and therefore not fatal to the chances of a seasoned, professional queen like Cheddar in winning the title. 

[TVbitch]

I wonder why Ru couldn't be there. Love it when Raven has a larger role. And Boy George is always a delight. The queens were so excited to be working with the team of women who look after them, and it was nice to get some behind the scenes on all that. 

Gutted that Dakota went. Her girl looked amazing, but as soon as I saw she was doing a 60's look again, I knew she would be toast. She could really do some modeling work. 

Not sure who I am rooting for now. 

[7-Zark-7]

Dakota did not deserve to be in the bottom this week. I'm bummed. Clearly, production wanted to get rid of her, so now was the time. They do this every now and then with "nice" queens who aren't providing a story for them. This is why I consider Kameron Michaels to be the patron saint of this crew. They tried to kill her off so many times, but she out-lip synced everybody. All the way to the finale. She was not going down due to production shenanigans. She was unsinkable.

Unfortunately for Dakota, this was a really disappointing lip sync to a danceable song in which neither queen even tried to dance [not even a shimmy] so I would have sent both of them home.

Edited November 7, 2022 by 7-Zark-7

[Glade]

I love that Cheddar won 2 weeks in a row!  The looks she brought were reminiscent of Dune; chic vintage scifi. 

[Wonderlad71]

yes with Dakota gone I feel like the season is circling the drain. A fairly fine but unexciting Top 5. Cheddar will probably take the win.

[7-Zark-7]

I could not get into this episode. The sketch annoyed me to the point of fast forwarding.

I was surprised that Rupaul went on and on about Jonbers' gown when it was a bodysuit with fabric, which is usually a no no. I also thought Black Peppa looked like a denim chicken and Ru liked that too.

I think I'm tapping out for the season. I hope Cheddar wins.

[violet and green]

Oh, my stars! I thought Jonbers look was ravishing, and I was growling at the screen at her winning that lip sync and then getting the sashay away... Jonbers won't win the season, but I love her talking heads and great good-humoured guffaws in the workroom, and that was a divine runway and embodied lip sync performance.

[davidcalgary29]

Episode grade: "Meh". Terrible skit, no tension, and Cheddar's confessionals were the only fun thing we got to see. 

The lipsynch should have been triumphant moment for both queens, but I just didn't like it very much: JonBers didn't do much to deserve the win, and the camera moved around too much to let me see if Peppa was really making out all the words -- it looked like she missed a few of them. It just felt overproduced. 

Edited November 11, 2022 by davidcalgary29

[TVbitch]

I guess it was a pre-planned double shantay? I thought Jonbers was going to kill the lip sync but then noticed that she just kept doing the same sequence of movements and hand gestures over and over. 

The last couple series I've watched have had trouble keeping momentum and interest all the way to the end. Maybe it's cuz they eliminate my favorites too early or it seems to scripted or I just have Drag Race fatigue from all the global versions plus all stars. 

I am looking forward to another series of Raven's makeup competition.

[Wonderlad71]

I thought Jonbers won the lipsync because it was hard to make out anything with Peppa's facekini. 

But Ru's hyperbole this season - now with Jonbers lewk being one of the best ever ?(and I really like Jonbers)

And Ru has been following Pixie's career over the years???! LOL she can't even remember the names of her own winners. 

[Rai]

I don't know why I can't connect with Jonbers, but it's just completely bizarre to me that she's in the finale. Well, good on yer, girl, but I don't think you'll be a winner. I did enjoy her connection to the roast coach, and she definitely had some great jokes, so she earned her safe spot. Just...weird that she earned her safe spot into the finale.

Smart money is on Danny Beard, I guess, and I would be super happy with that. Except I think Cheddar Gorgeous is a more polished queen in looks, and I love everything about her. The brains, the dry humor, the advocacy. Cheddar's my fave, in short, and I hope she wins. But a gender-bender like Danny Beard is overdue (plus more big girls), and they're incredibly charming and talented and personable. If Cheddar wasn't here, I'd be team Danny all the way.

Black Peppa is a delight and should slay on a future all-stars. Her confidence and presence came through that lip sync, She kept getting sexier and punkier with each strip-down too. I can see how she underdogged herself into the finale a lot more clearly than I can Jonbers, we'll put it that way. I just don't think she'll be a winner either.

Uh, that's all I can sum up, the end!

[Wonderlad71]

Overall this episode was better than the last couple of bummers and it was good to see the eliminated queens (Baby I guess really took time off).  Onto the finale and Canada vs the World.

[Mahfouz]

Pixie had the best joke of the episode. Maybe if she had said Michelle was the 9000 year-old skeleton it would have gone over better? 

The longer Jonbers is in the competition the more chance she'll finally learn how to apply makeup.