S05.E02: I'm in Love!

[OnceSane]

Quote

The All Stars form 3 competing girl-groups to compose lyrics, choreography and perform the new, pop crush anthem "I'm In Love!"

Airs June 12, 2020.

[bobbyjoe]

This was one of those episodes where you could predict who they’d be sending home before the episode even started.   And I like Ongina, but she might as well have had “canon fodder” tattooed across her forehead this season.  
 

That being said, Shea looked amazing; I’m glad she got double the cash for LFYL.  Jujubee also looked great in both the show and the runway; she’s so good with comedy I forget she can do glam so well when she wants.

[Lyinfait]

Not only predict who would go but if Ongina didn't go, it would have been uncomfortable. Ongina had a pass last week, this was the week to blow us away and it sadly did not happen. I did not need Miz Cracker to add input though. Wow, she went from one of my favorites to not. I appreciated the hindsight awareness but it was too late. 

Alyssa Edwards! Nothing but love. Shea was unbeatable tonight, though. Did not miss a beat from lyrics to performance to that runway and then the lip sync. No contest. 

[7-Zark-7]

Cracker is a piss poor villain. Her heart isn't in it. If the producers wanted tension, they shouldn't have put Derrick up for elimination last week.

I think Alyssa's leg straps and boots made it hard for her to move around much. She seemed to be phoning it in.

Shea was stunning.

[violet and green]

God, I love Alyssa Edwards. The Joan Collins of drag. Always and forever a star. Her heart to heart with Ongina in the workroom made it all worthwhile.

Shoulda left Derrick out of the bottom two last week if they wanted some fireworks. Untucked was so drama/interest-free they filled it out with shots of the crew! I appreciated the extra Alyssa footage, though.

Shea has great legs. Jujubee was robbed, again. This season is leaving me quite despondent so far.

[PhoneCop]

I Googled "Peter Lupus nude." Not my type/era, but I can see the appeal.

Shea's runway look was fantastic. And thank God, because I'd rather remember that in the long run than Mayhem's bukakke dress.

[Corgi-ears]

I'm shocked that the show was not shady enough to bring on Sasha Velour as this week's assassin.

[CheetaraThunder]

Just get to the Shea vs Jujubee finale. We all want it.

but, Ho estate, this is Shea’s world and I love it.

[MsJamieDornan]

How many times is Ru going to bring Ongina back? The outcome is always the same!  Just a personal opinion but bald has no place in drag.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

One of my favorite things about this episode was finding out everyone's celebrity crushes.

Usually I don't like the musical challenges but I enjoyed this one. I wonder if it's because the two guys who wrote the song weren't hampered by trying to parody a specific tv show and stuffing a bunch of pop culture references into it.

India's runway look was okay. Her Justin Timberlake were okay but not great. I didn't get her shiny leotard though. The India/Jujubee/Alexis Matteo girl group didn't have enough of a unifying look in their costumes.

I loved Jujubee's mermaid dress on the runway. She looked so elegant. Her performance was good but I didn't like that red leotard with red boot covers look (it was very low rent Burning Man costume to me). Her John Stamos lyrics were okay (the best one was about wanting him to fill her house) but she is a great dancer and performer so she was very confident and fun to watch.

Alexis Matteo's leather runway dress had this flappy ruffle part on the bodice that I didn't like. Her performance was good. The lyrics about Daddy Yankee were funny.

Blair's pink latex dress was cute but I wasn't sure how it fit the challenge. She was cute in the song performance. Her Hannibal Lechter lyrics were funny and she had a cute look/outfit. Of all the queens, she did the best embodying a member of a girl group. I thought of the three groups, Blair/Cracker/Mayhem had the most unified girl group look with their costumes and hair/makeup.

I hated the sneezeguard on the top of Cracker's runway dress. Her Sylvester Stallone lyrics were okay.

I didn't like Mayhem's runway dress because the amount of beading made it look like the person who ordered it wanted beading but couldn't afford a lot. Her Mr. Rogers lyrics were funny.

Shea's faux nude unitard was awesome. Loved it! Her Chadwick Boseman lyrics were good. I liked their group choreography the best.

I didn't get Ongina's feathered dress for the skin assignment. It was a memorable look though. Her Henry Cavill lyrics were fine but forgettable.

Mariah's dress had a similar silhouette to Jujubee's (not that I'm complaining). She looked so beautiful in it. Her Jason Momoa lyrics were okay.

In the challenge, my favorite performers were Shea and Blair. They both looked great on the runway, but I chose Shea as this week's winner. She was such a standout on the runway and in the performance.

Ongina looked so tiny standing between Shea and Mariah on the runway.

99% of the time I know who the guest judges are so I am not going to feel bad that I don't know who the fuck Madison Beer is.

Shea killed it in the LSFYL but I'm always happy to see Alyssa.

I am so disappointed that Ongina was eliminated. I have loved her since her original season. She brings such a different look and energy (and let's be honest - we have only seen a handful of Asian contestants over 12 seasons). She is so beautiful and she seems very sweet. She just didn't seem to have her heart in the competition though. She was lackluster two weeks in a row. I could tell she tried to step it up this week but her performance in the girl group was just okay. She needed to either have amazing lyrics or a really powerful performance and she didn't have either.

[Keywestclubkid]

3 hours ago, MsJamieDornan said:

How many times is Ru going to bring Ongina back? The outcome is always the same!  Just a personal opinion but bald has no place in drag.

this was her 2nd time after 11 years she was brought back to compete  ...and what? there are bald queens out there .. what are you talking about bald has no place in drag?

Edited June 13, 2020 by Keywestclubkid

[DEL901]

Love Jujube...when she was apologizing, she stopped herself, said “this isn’t a real apology “ and did it right and sincerely.   What a great person.  

[gorgy]

Alexis Mateo gives great reaction faces. I hope that continues for the rest of the season.  

It was interesting how they didn't have India reveal which name was on her lipstick like in past seasons. I guess every knew she'd pick Derrick and just moved on. Speaking of lipstick, this might be the first time Mayhem showed me some personality, and I even liked her runway look, so I'm glad her lipstick wasn't chosen last week.

The editing did Ms Cracker absolutely no favors this episode, but if you're supposedly being told something, ie you're difficult, by numerous people and you have a problem with that, maybe some self-reflection is in order. As I stated last episode, I've never really warmed to Ms Cracker, so it's no surprise that she has this presumptuous streak in her. Some people don't work well with others. I'm basically a misanthrope, but at least I can read a room. 

The Challenge was fine. Never been the biggest fan of musical numbers, but it didn't drag (no pun intended) and was amusing, if forgettable. I don't think anybody did bad, but Ongina and India's were the weakest. The right person went home in the end. It's a shame because I really like Ongina's runway looks so far and was waiting to see more. I don't care if she looks swallowed up by her outfits, as I think that's part of her look. Ongina is like a fabergé egg.

Shea's runway was simply breathtaking. Tasteful nudes done right. I hope her and Jujubee are the final two.

I was a underwhelmed by Alyssa Edwards. Although I appreciate her Ultimate Warrior cosplay, she didn't really bring it to the level I was hoping, especially after lasts week's high energy lipsync. I'm still waiting for producer shenanigans to suddenly appear and we have a tie, which sends two queens packing or they have to lipsync for their life. 

 

 

Edited June 13, 2020 by gorgy

[Not4Me]

So part of me feels like Alyssa threw that lipsync. It’s a campy Pointer Sisters song, how could she NOT ham it up and serve? I smell a rat (producer)! That said, her moments in Untucked were just beautiful, she’s indeed Drag Race’s all-time Sweetheart. 

Shea gagged me all night with her beautiful nude outfit; it was very Josephine Baker, and was of course she was on point with her lip sync. I will be thrilled to see her JuJubee fight for the crown, though I’ll be pleased if Alexis Mateo gives them a great fight.

Was I the only one who got Blair’s runway? The hot pink leather outfit was a runoff of her hot pink skin, I’m really surprised Michelle couldn’t see that. I thought it was great twist on the theme.

 

[Blakeston]

So why did Ru narrow it down to a bottom two last week, when she didn't this week?

Also, last week, did India have a chance to change her outfit for the lip sync, the way that Shea did this week?

Edited June 13, 2020 by Blakeston

[853fisher]

I like Ongina but there really was no other choice. I think the show as it is today doesn’t play to her strengths but I would still love to see her at a club sometime.

I did honestly expect Sasha to be brought in the moment Shea won. Maybe she wasn’t available for this tape date so Shea will win again soon. 😉

It was fitting that the exciting lipsync to the Pointer Sisters aired the week Bonnie died at 69. May her memory be a blessing.  Time to go play that again.

[swanpride]

Honestly, I was more annoyed about Mayham...she was basically suggesting that it was Crackers fault that she ended up in the bottom and went out last season, but the issue was more that her performance was completely one-note and her runway didn't really read as denim, not anything what Cracker did. It was an improvisation challenge after all, and Cracker actually worked really well with her partner, while others, like Eureka, acted as if they were alone on stage. I also don't get why Cracker suggesting a different lyric is a big drama, but India suggesting a different lyric is okay. The only difference was that in one case the lyric was picked up and in the other it wasn't, but it is not like Cracker made a huge drama out of it.

I just don't have any patience for queens who always blame someone else if they don't shine in the challenges. Cracker might or might not be difficult to work with, but at least she never acts as if someone else is responsible if she fails in an assignment.

Otherwise I think Cracker has simply learned how to play the game: Be part of the narrative, always, so that you get as much screentime as possible. But she has to be careful that she doesn't shot herself in the foot in the process. Otherwise...I hate to say it, but she was right. Yes, she shouldn't have said it (and its good that she realises this herself), but Ongina got a hard to understand pass last week and she utterly failed this week. And I am not talking about the singing, she obviously had some sort of cold. Honestly, she should have gotten a pass for singing and be allowed to speak instead. But remember that she mostly got by with her personality in her own season. Drag Race has changed a LOT since then. Personality isn't enough anymore. (And I really like Ongina, but I think she knew herself that she wasn't on a level with drag queens which came after her).

 

 

[Blissfool]

Why was Michelle Visage so confused with India's "Justin/Britney/I feel attacked" reference. I thought it was smart and funny. She sent Britney home last week because she's her Justin competition. "I feel attacked" is not a LaGanja-only reference. It's a common phrase used by millennials.

Shea looked amazing!

[7-Zark-7]

14 hours ago, violet and green said:

God, I love Alyssa Edwards. The Joan Collins of drag.

Kind of like Joan Collins through the Carol Burnett funhouse.

"Neutron Dance" was surprisingly timely, considering one of the founding Pointer Sisters, Bonnie, died this week.

Edited June 13, 2020 by 7-Zark-7

[kieyra]

I’m watching the I’m in Love number right now, and I feel like this is the most engaged I’ve been in RPDR in years. Really enjoying this cycle of All Stars.

Edit: and I agree with @Not4Me that Alyssa threw that lip sync. She mostly just strutted around. 

[belligerent]

11 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

99% of the time I know who the guest judges are so I am not going to feel bad that I don't know who the fuck Madison Beer is.

I think she's more well known as her drag persona, Coral Fixation.

I didn't like the song this week for whatever reason. I tried to watch the episode three times and my computer kept rebooting and I didn't pay attention to the episode very well any of the three times. It seemed like they did a ton of editing/autotune/timing/something to get some of those takes to fit the song.

[rippleintime17]

I loved Alyssa's look so much. 

The slight issue with this concept of competition is that if they're going to be bringing in these popular past contestants, they're going to be expected to win. But the new rules would be boring if the assassin wins every week. So now and then, the legend brought in is going to have to lose. It seems like having Alyssa lose to someone like Shea works better, Shea was awesome and even if Alyssa had done better, it's possible Shea would have won. There will be weeks where the assassin is the clear winner, and they can play the popular vote/hold the tip card then.

[Blakeston]

Honestly, I thought most of the queens did a terrible job with their song lyrics. The only things that made me laugh at all were the "fill my house" line about John Stamos, and Shea's "dreamin' about Wakanda life we'll lead" pun.

It should have been pretty easy to come up with sex puns for celebrities. I wish they had done this challenge in AS2 - I can only imagine how much fun Katya, Alaska, and Alyssa would have had with it.

Also, Hannibal Lecter doesn't count as a celebrity crush. Blair should have chosen Anthony Hopkins, and played it as if he actually eats human flesh. That would have been funnier.

[Just Carol]

Regarding Cracker's confusion as to why the others think she is difficult to work with -- did she forget that her own tag line is that she is "salty?"  

Regarding the guest judge (I don't know her name) who said that one of her crushes was Jeff Goldbloom -- I wonder if it was "Earth Girls Are Easy" or "The Big Chill" or Jurassic Park."  Because it surely was not Apartments dot com Jeff Goldbloom as was shown in the picture.  

[swanpride]

Blair's group deliberately picked "celebrities" you would normally not consider material for celebrities crushes. It was a huge joke (hey, they had Ru laughing multiple times just because of this) and I am pretty sure that if not for Shea (predictably) slaying the challenge, their group would have won, despite all the sniping they did at each other.

Also, yes, in most cases the lip sync assassin will win the round, but Shea is an assassin in her own right, so she was the obvious candidate for slaying one of them. Frankly, I was kind of surprised that she got Alyssa Edwards...from a dramatical point of view, it would have been even better if she had some sort revenge round against someone from her own season. And yes, you could have planned that, because she was the most likely winner of a dancing challenge. It's her thing after all.

[MsJamieDornan]

16 hours ago, Keywestclubkid said:

this was her 2nd time after 11 years she was brought back to compete  ...and what? there are bald queens out there .. what are you talking about bald has no place in drag?

It's an opinion, we are entitled to have one.

[gorgy]

20 hours ago, MsJamieDornan said:

How many times is Ru going to bring Ongina back? The outcome is always the same!  Just a personal opinion but bald has no place in drag.

It's All-Stars... they're all brought back. 

[swanpride]

Ongina hasn't been brought back more than some other queens. We had two who had two all-star runs just last season.

 

And not only have bald queens a place in the competition, they can also win it. See Sasha.

[Gothish520]

4 hours ago, Just Carol said:

Regarding Cracker's confusion as to why the others think she is difficult to work with -- did she forget that her own tag line is that she is "salty?"  

Regarding the guest judge (I don't know her name) who said that one of her crushes was Jeff Goldbloom -- I wonder if it was "Earth Girls Are Easy" or "The Big Chill" or Jurassic Park."  Because it surely was not Apartments dot com Jeff Goldbloom as was shown in the picture.  

Apartments.com Jeff Goldblum would be fine and dandy over here, please and thank you! 😉

[Keywestclubkid]

7 hours ago, MsJamieDornan said:

It's an opinion, we are entitled to have one.

Yes .. and opinions get replayed to. I’ve had opinions that people didn’t agree with.. not everyone is going to agree .. 

[ClareWalks]

With the exception of Shea, I think everyone who picked a "real celeb crush" made an error. Ru does love comedy above all else, so Blair's team was on the right track by picking weirder crushes. Hearing the queens sing about having crushes on popular crush choices (especially someone so BASIC like Justin Timberlake?) was boring. There were plenty more unconventional choices. Danny Devito. Carrot Top. Gilbert Gottfried.

[swanpride]

Yep...Violet commented on the episode and she said that she would have picked Bezos...simply because she could have done so many puns with double meanings about him (you know, all related with the concept of "delivering packages" or "filling up her floor"). This was not one of those "reveal something about yourself" challenges, it was all about doing something memorable. So it didn't even have to be weird, it just had to be something you can milk for all its worth.

I noticed that a lot of queens also make the mistake when picking celebrities for Snatchgame. They still haven't understood that you either have to pick a celebrity nobody really knows but you can make funny just by being you, or even better, pick one which has a lot of quirks and memorable lines. This is why Aquaria's take on Melania Trump is still my favourite performance, even though Aquaria herself is a decent actor at best and not particularly good in being spontaneous. But she didn't HAVE to be, She just used her probs and otherwise just waited patiently for the right moment to throw out good one-liners. I am ready to bet that she planned the "no wonder my husband is complaining about China all the time" line the moment she learned that someone had picked Chyna as a character, nor do I think that the "every hole is a goal" line wasn't pre-planned. It was perfect because it could be thrown out after any wrong question.

Frankly, I each season kind of confused that nobody has tackled Kelly-Ann Conway yet. She would be so easy. You could just claim that you answer is a match and as soon as Ru says it isn't, you can throw our in an extra-sweet tone "oh, don't be so cynical. This answer is certainly a match." I am sure Ru would play ball and give you a line which would allow you to claim that you are just presenting "alternative facts". Originally I was wondering if it wasn't happening due to it being so politically, but that idea went right out of the window when they allowed both Maxine Walters and Melania Trump.

[Ananayel]

My tinfoil hat theory is that the lip sync assassin is given a heads-up as to what will make the best teevee, especially since TPTB knows which lipsticks were chosen/voted on by that point. Ep 1, obviously India would pick Derrick so no suspense, Yvie is instructed to go all out so that it is legit when Ru picks her as the winner. Then there is at least a small amount of suspense as to who they all voted on.

This week, it could have gone a couple of different ways, but it was clear Ongina was not doing well and likely to get more and more fragile. Once Shea picks Ongina, Alyssa is given the note to non-slay - though I think Shea would have won even if Alyssa was going full-steam. Alyssa walked around a lot, kept turning her back and walking to the back of the runway, and had very few dance moves. This also keeps the "pot" from getting too large, but still large enough to motivate (will be less likely for a Top2 to "throw" so they don't have to be the bad guy and boot someone.) If they all voted Ongina as well, it's kinder to just have one person "vote" for her, rather than the majority voting for her.

Alyssa is an epic sweetheart though, and one of my absolute faves.

[swanpride]

Nah, Alyssa did the whole walking around a lot in her own season, too. She has the reputation as a lip sync assassin, but that is largely based on her being the first who survived multiple times with impressive performances and the fact that she has training as a dancer. But personally I think that pretty much every queen who got the title after her could easily outdance her. And that includes Shea, who only doesn't got the "title" because she barely had to lip sync at all.

[Blissfool]

8 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

 Hearing the queens sing about having crushes on popular crush choices (especially someone so BASIC like Justin Timberlake?) was boring. 

I'm gonna give India the benefit of the doubt and believe that she only chose Justin Timberlake so that she could use that line about Britney Spears/Derrick.

[WhineandCheez]

I think Alyssa definitely threw that lip sync. I adore Alyssa and that was not good. Also I hated her outfit. Shea's outfit made me stammer, blink and have those google eyes coming out of my eye sockets on springs. What a stunning costume. Speaking of costumes why do India Ferrah's costumes look so expensive but they're so ugly? They also make her look heavy set and she does not look heavy set as a boy.

[violet and green]

13 minutes ago, WhineandCheez said:

Speaking of costumes why do India Ferrah's costumes look so expensive but they're so ugly? They also make her look heavy set and she does not look heavy set as a boy.

Poor gal suffers from hog body.

Edited June 14, 2020 by violet and green
quote

[le bordel chaud]

On 6/13/2020 at 2:03 AM, Corgi-ears said:

I'm shocked that the show was not shady enough to bring on Sasha Velour as this week's assassin.

I heard they tried, but Sasha didn't wish to participate. Unfortunately. The gag factor would have been off the charts!

On 6/13/2020 at 4:27 AM, MsJamieDornan said:

How many times is Ru going to bring Ongina back? The outcome is always the same!  Just a personal opinion but bald has no place in drag.

This was the first time he's been brought back LOL.

[le bordel chaud]

I have hated Cracker since Season 10 and I really hope he is left exposed, broken, and humiliated. What he said about Ongina was just so unnecessary. She was already feeling bad enough as it is, he didn't need to rub salt in the wound. It was so poorly played on so many levels. First, the producers probably wouldn't even have let him do it. Second, even if he whited-out Ongina's name, it would have had zero effect on the elimination outcome. She would have just looked petty for petty's sake. I can't believe that Cracker is 35 years old and has yet to learn that you don't have to say every thought that comes into your head. Also, people hate bullies and the fandom loves Ongina. So he really fucked up that whole situation. He just plain sucks, period.

Edited June 15, 2020 by Victim Noises

[harrisonjames]

I didn't view Alyssa's performance, as throwing the lip sync. I saw it as, her not having anything to lose and just having fun with it. Plus, that song...can you get down to the Neutron Dance and have it become a memorable and epic lip sync? It appears not. Sort of reminds me of Jaida and Heidi's lip sync to 1999. I don't know what I was expecting, but in the end it was just...fine. 

[MsJamieDornan]

3 hours ago, Victim Noises said:

This was the first time he's been brought back LOL.

So, his 2nd time on the show.

[violet and green]

4 hours ago, MsJamieDornan said:

So, his 2nd time on the show.

It's All Stars, so everyone on the cast is brought back.

edit to add: Oh, I see someone has already said that. It apparently needs to be said twice!

Edited June 15, 2020 by violet and green

[30 Helens]

Ongina was my very first Drag Race fave, so I was sad to see her exit so early. And even sadder to not be surprised about it.

So which is it, Ru, two bottom queens or 3? Frankly, I think if the queens are casting the deciding vote, they should not be limited to a bottom anything— let them pick who they think is weakest overall.  That would have allowed for the correct exit last week.

On 6/13/2020 at 11:20 AM, Not4Me said:

So part of me feels like Alyssa threw that lipsync. It’s a campy Pointer Sisters song, how could she NOT ham it up and serve? I smell a rat (producer)! 

It definitely looked like Alyssa was told to hold back.  But I’m not sure it even mattered— Shea SLAYED that dance. I doubt anyone could have topped that performance.

[le bordel chaud]

41 minutes ago, 30 Helens said:

Ongina was my very first Drag Race fave, so I was sad to see her exit so early. And even sadder to not be surprised about it.

So which is it, Ru, two bottom queens or 3? Frankly, I think if the queens are casting the deciding vote, they should not be limited to a bottom anything— let them pick who they think is weakest overall.  That would have allowed for the correct exit last week.

It definitely looked like Alyssa was told to hold back.  But I’m not sure it even mattered— Shea SLAYED that dance. I doubt anyone could have topped that performance.

Who was the correct exit last week? I think Mehhh-hem was the weakest, and she was in the bottom and eligible to be eliminated. Letting the queens vote for anyone is a horrible idea. It would be very easy to get an alliance together and conspire to vote out the strongest competitor who didn't win the week. 

Ru has always not had a fixed number of queens in the bottom. Sometimes it's two, sometimes it's three. I think one time it might have even been four (but don't quote me on that lol).

Edited June 15, 2020 by Victim Noises

[swanpride]

I think the record is six...you know, from this one challenge when a whole team ended up in the bottom and had to lip sync against each other. Hopefully THAT will never happen again.

[le bordel chaud]

8 hours ago, swanpride said:

I think the record is six...you know, from this one challenge when a whole team ended up in the bottom and had to lip sync against each other. Hopefully THAT will never happen again.

I was talking about All-Stars. I apologize for not being more clear.

[swanpride]

Even at All stars you have sometimes more than two in the bottom. Usually it happens towards the end, at which point everyone who isn't the top too is automatically in the bottom.

[RoxiP]

Are my daughter and I the only ones who are rather underwhelmed by this cast?  Honestly I thought last season's Drag Race was overall a better cast, and I also thought Nina West was supposed to be on All Stars this season.  I just think it seems kind of rushed and thrown together.  Not that I will stop watching, but I'm hoping that it gets better.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Performance:

Shea Couleé & Alyssa Edwards' “Neutron Dance” Lip Sync

The Pit Stop: Bob & Violet Chachki Recap I’m In Love!

Whatcha Packin’: Ongina

 

Edited June 16, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[theatremouse]

6 hours ago, RoxiP said:

Are my daughter and I the only ones who are rather underwhelmed by this cast? 

Nope, but I was underwhelmed as soon as I saw the cast announcement. Consequently, I guess it doesn't bother me too much when I'm watching because I had very low expectations.