S13.E08: Social Media: The Unverified Rusical

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Queens must record lyrics and learn choreography as they perform in a tale on social media. Choreographer Jamal Sims guest judges, and Anne Hathaway makes a virtual appearance in the workroom.

Original air date: 2/19/21

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Act 1:

 

[SammyBeBop]

But why? WHYYYYYYYYY?

[DEL901]

Noooooooooooooooooo, Ru, why?   We were almost free of her.  

[phoenix780]

What in the actual fuck. I'm happy Denali and Rose got acknowledged but...I was so relieved Kandy was eliminated before I legit disliked her. Guess we know who's in the top for the season. 

[Pj3422]

I just don’t get it. There’s such a gap in  polish between Kandy’s drag and everybody else’s. I mean, on Drag Race UK, Ru was pissed at the “local” quality of Joe’s and Tia’s drag, but in the US, Kandy — who’s even worse — is saved?! Dammit, we were SO close! 

[howiveaddict]

Ru saving Kandy was a big FU to the audience.  Wonder if she thought that everyone would fall in love with Kandy.

[heckkitty]

16 minutes ago, howiveaddict said:

Ru saving Kandy was a big FU to the audience.  Wonder if she thought that everyone would fall in love with Kandy.

Likely. Ru thought the same about Silky & look how that turned out. Did y’all notice how every time the lyrics in that lipsynch got difficult the closed in on Symone’s face? Kandy is a rotten lip syncher. It looked like she didn’t know the words (again). 

[MsNewsradio]

I just...why. *sigh* 

[Adeejay]

I have a feeling Ru saved Kandy for the Snatch game.  

[Rai]

I don't hate Kandy, but girl cannot lip sync. I would say she cannot lip sync to save her life, but. Well. Anyway, severely disappointed the double shantay was deployed so early in the season and for someone kinda undeserving, tbh.

Between the save and the lockdown special next week, AND that it took three episodes before anyone was eliminated, even my patience is going to be tested. Send hos home!

[Stardancer Supreme]

Wait. I shut off the show at Symone's shantay! That's what I get for celebrating early. 

[funnygirl]

RIGGA MORRIS! A double-shantay this early? Kandy's never getting eliminated. 

Happy for Rosé's win. 

Edited February 20, 2021 by funnygirl

[CraftyHazel]

I didn’t mind Rosé winning, although I think I’d have rather had a double win in Denali and Gottmik than a double shantay in Symone and Kandy.  Kandy is sloppy...sloppy drag, sloppy performances, sloppy makeup, sloppy period.  If she becomes our first plus size winner, I might just break my RPDR addiction.  There has to be something there we’re not seeing, because it seems that many of the queens love her, too.

[Just Carol]

I *knew* it was going to be a double shantay, I knew it.  Ru isn't "ready" for Kandy to leave...  gah.

Rose comes across as mean and catty when she flirts with Denali.  Denali, on the other hand seems to be a sweetheart and does not dish back. I am concerned about this relationship.

 

Edited February 20, 2021 by Just Carol

[phoenix780]

On 2/19/2021 at 10:01 PM, Adeejay said:

I have a feeling Ru saved Kandy for the Snatch game.  

Who could she possibly play? I know Ru likes when people lean into stereotypes, and Kandy gives that character, or she's edited that way, but...in an impersonation challenge what could she bring? 

By talking about her I'm part of the problem. 

Edited February 23, 2021 by phoenix780

[violet and green]

I was all, Hallelu! The Lord has answered our prayers! Glory be, I was wrong, after all, about her being in the top four! The relief! And then, that...

This is a tiring time on the planet and we don't need this bullshit.

[stormy weather]

I am once again speechless at this show. At this point I'm wondering if Kandy saved the life of one of Ru's family members or if Ru owes her money or something because I honestly do not understand what is going on with them two. Plastic daisies, terrible lipsync(s), worst performance in the Rusical but no, I'm not ready to let you go. Well, I was. 

I didn't really love the Rusical, it seemed a bit too chaotic and confusing at times but Rosé did fantastic and she deserved to win, even though that outfit really was orange. Denali and Gottmik were great too, although I'm not sure how the Russian punk rock bit fit in there. I get it they're Russian bots, but why punk rock? Maybe I missed the explanation.

Spoiler

I didn't like it that the "next on" segment spoiled all the characters in the Snatch Game, but wow, Gottmik and Paris Hilton are the same person. This should be fun!

 

 

Edited February 20, 2021 by stormy weather

[30 Helens]

This episode was everything I wanted and needed... until it wasn’t. 

The musical number was really enjoyable. I thought everyone did great. I don’t know why everyone was fighting over the Foxy role, because the MC part was much showier and gave many more opportunities to shine. (Or screw up, apparently; just ask Tina.) The Russian duo was inspired.  So I guess the Two T’s stand for TikTok! 

Despite the terrible audio mix on the runway, I appreciated several of the looks. Funny that 2 people thought yellow=taxi. I can just imagine the awkward silence when those garment bags were unzipped. Loved Denali’s Medusa headdress, and glad to see her finally be recognized. Loved that Rosé got a win. (Even though that look was most definitely orange.) 

And then... 

I feel like Charlie Brown’s football: pumped up, snatched away, then viciously punctured and deflated. Can we just pretend the last 2 minutes didn’t happen?

No regular episode next week, just a making-of special about how they managed to make the show while wearing masks and getting Covid tests. So that will make 9 episodes with only what, 3 eliminations? Just how long is this season, anyway?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2 minutes ago, 30 Helens said:

Just how long is this season, anyway?

Apparently 47 years. That's how long it feels at this point and we're only on episode 8.

[Just Carol]

With all the drama about Kandy, I almost forgot about Anne Hathaway.  She was great.  I wonder how long the segment was irl to get so much usable content for the show.  And who are the eight actresses ahead of her for the The Devil Wears Prada?

 

[Fallacy]

I’m shocked to say that I felt bad for Tina Burner. I thought she was great in the rusical. I think Ru just needed a third girl in the bottom three, and Utica, Olivia, and Elliott were too good to put there, so Tina messing up for two seconds gave them the excuse they needed. 

And of course, Ru saves Candy. Ugh! She’s going to eliminate queens like Utica and Elliott before Candy, I just know it, and that’s going to suck. 

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I thought if I took a break before posting about this episode, I would be less annoyed but I was wrong! I am so annoyed that we were almost rid of Kandy and Ru saddled us with her for the foreseeable future. I was surprised that Kandy was so, well, I don't want to say positive but maybe negative-free when she was eliminated. It made me think hey, maybe she has chilled out a little bit. Of course then I watched Untucked and saw how she thought she kicked ass at this challenge and basically gave the judges the middle finger for daring to say that they couldn't see her face because her hair was falling everywhere which made me retract my previous statement.

And for the record, I have had to perform with lots of wigs. Some of them have a tendency to fall in your face like that which is why it's imperative that you style your wig correctly based on the the cut of the hair as well as what you'll be doing in it. Wigs with very straight hair that are above the shoulders do tend to have the hair slide around your face (I have several like that) so I always use a few bobby pins to make sure that the first 1" of hair on either side of my face was pinned down in a way that would keep the hair from falling in my face. I make sure to shake my head back and forth to make sure it's really secure. It's not rocket science. It's literally two bobby pins.

I love Symone, but I thought she had the worst overall performance in the challenge. Her vocals weren't great, her dancing wasn't great, her performance/stage presence weren't great, and her outfit wasn't great. Elliott, on the other hand, wasn't a great singer but her dancing and performance were better. I thought Kandy was the worst in the challenge because I couldn't hear a lot of her lyrics, her dancing was very lackluster and half assed, her hair was in her face, and even when it wasn't she didn't seem to know the words.

Rosé did well so it was nice to see her be rewarded. I thought Denali did well too. Tina started off strong but lost steam partway through. She did have a pretty major role so she had more to do. It wasn't just that she randomly stopped moving her lips before she died. My issue was more that she didn't make her death a big death (even Anne Hathaway said to make your death as big as you can). She just laid down and stopped moving.

I was fine with Utica deciding she HAD to have that part. Sometimes you have to be selfish and fight for the part you want instead of giving in because someone else wants it. And I'm always here for a parody of I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General.

Was it just me or did we get better runway looks when the theme was color based? Since we just had Chip-gate over on Drag Race UK, I loved that Elliott's taxi look was even cuter than Tina's.

55 minutes ago, Just Carol said:

With all the drama about Kandy, I almost forgot about Anne Hathaway.  She was great.  I wonder how long the segment was irl to get so much usable content for the show.  And who are the eight actresses ahead of her for the The Devil Wears Prada?

Rachel McAdams turned down the role so that leaves seven more actresses between her and Anne!

[Ananayel]

I remember when I used to enjoy this show. 

[Stardancer Supreme]

Ru is emotionally abusing all of us.  It's amazing when he has a favorite Queen that the viewers just don't like. No matter how many shenanigans Ru (and production) pulls, I just am not here for Kandy Muse.  One main reason is that she is not that great of a lip syncer.  Hon, we can see your face when you don't know the words... That in itself is too sloppy for me.

Michelle's face after Rose tried to play off that orange outfit for a yellow runway...

[Ananayel]

I mean, I yelled out "Yes!!!!" when Kandy Ganache was set to sashay away. Only to yell out "What the fuck!?" when she was told to shantay. Last season was such a joy, I watched reruns whenever they turned up, and would seek it out On Demand. It was easy enough to ignore [redacted] since production was helping with that. This one is a damn chore. I'm not even sure who I am rooting for, since all my energy is focused on trying to manifest a boot for a truly, truly subpar queen who should never have been cast in the first place. I guess Olivia, Symone, Rose and Denali for top 4? Utica for 5th place? I don't even know. The casting just seems way off, perhaps due to some alternates moving up due to first choices either having covid or thinking better of putting themselves in this position, the stupid Pork Chop division got things off on the wrong weird foot, and a loudmouth booger dominating the airtime. I will say, Tina Burner dating Graham Norton I did not see coming!

[ClareWalks]

I'm not a big Kandy fan but the main reason I loudly groaned when she stayed was THIS SEASON IS TAKING FOREVER. This is the 8th episode and there are still what, nine queens?! UGH. I don't mind a long season when it's a great season, but this one has been disappointing, especially compared to the incredible DRUK2.

[Not4Me]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Tina started off strong but lost steam partway through. She did have a pretty major role so she had more to do. It wasn't just that she randomly stopped moving her lips before she died. My issue was more that she didn't make her death a big death (even Anne Hathaway said to make your death as big as you can). She just laid down and stopped moving.

I felt the same. Tina looked like she was taking a big nap.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Tonight I realized that my other big issue with Kandy is the blank faced open mouthed look she always has on the runway. She looks like a goldfish staring at a wall.

[853fisher]

I'm in no hurry to see her again once the season is over, but I don't actively dislike Kandy as much as others do.  The double-shantay annoyed me less because it benefitted Kandy than because I would rather that option had been saved for another queen if necessary, but most of all because this season really is dragging.  No elimination this week and, apparently, a whole damn week off to discuss COVID will not help it gain momentum.  The UK show did a 35min version of that in addition to the usual show last week.  It was sweet but a little dull IMO, and I like those queens a whole lot better than these.  It's important to talk about these things, but nothing new has been said about our collective experience in several months now, so I'm kind of tired of hearing about it, and I definitely don't want it in place of light entertainment.

I thought the performances were generally fine but the Rusical itself was execrable.  I know it's not usually high art, but those were really terrible pastiches trying oh so terribly hard to be clever.  I hated it from top to bottom.  The yellow outfits were mostly OK but really not all that.  This episode just wasn't for me.  Blech.

[Pallida]

I try to compartmentalize my like/dislike for a personality from performance, especially when there are horrible shenanigans like the Pork Chop group at the start. I’m not good at it, but I try. 
 

I don’t understand why the judges gushed over Kandy’s runway makeup. I thought it was way too orange on the main stage. There was a later shot under different lights where it looked better though. 

I think Tina needs to work on proportionizing.  There are times her outfits make her look like she’s 50 pounds more than she is. Her MC outfit worked well for her and then her taxi outfit doubled the size of her legs.

Mr Pallida made a comment about Ru’s nose makeup looking like an attempt to make it disappear on the main stage. Now I’m going to have to watch for it. 

[Just Carol]

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Tonight I realized that my other big issue with Kandy is the blank faced open mouthed look she always has on the runway. She looks like a goldfish staring at a wall.

I think she is a mouth-breather.

[aussieinsydney]

For fuck's sake Ru. WHYYYY??????

[lyric]

I love Rose but I thought she hit an off note (literally) in the rusical. Otherwise, she sounded great and I'm glad she won. Tina has a strange vibrato for a boy bander. I just knew no one was leaving as soon as it was Symone and Kandy. When she was sashayed away, I thought "wow...shocked...impressed she went through with it", then she calls out to her and my eyes went into the back of my head. Lame.

Where are folks in the US watching DRUK? The season is getting raves - would love to see it.

 

[kicotan]

8 hours ago, Just Carol said:

And who are the eight actresses ahead of her for the The Devil Wears Prada?

According to IMDB Juliette Lewis and Claire Danes also auditioned for the part, as well as Rachel McAdams.

They also state that Jennifer Aniston, Kim Basinger, Cameron Diaz, Heather Graham, Angelina Jolie, Lisa Kudrow, Helen Mirren, Tatum O'Neal, Gwyneth Paltrow, Michelle Pfeiffer, Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, Alicia Silverstone, Hilary Swank, and Naomi Watts were considered for the role of Miranda Priestly.

Perhaps some of those that didn’t get Miranda’s role were offered Andy’s and turned it down?

[Pj3422]

1 hour ago, lyric said:

Where are folks in the US watching DRUK? The season is getting raves - would love to see it.

 

It’s on the streaming service Wow Presents Plus. New episodes air Thursday nights. You can also see all the foreign iterations of Drag Race, and just about every side project from every queen. 

[scruffy73]

5 hours ago, Pallida said:

I try to compartmentalize my like/dislike for a personality from performance, especially when there are horrible shenanigans like the Pork Chop group at the start. I’m not good at it, but I try. 
 

I don’t understand why the judges gushed over Kandy’s runway makeup. I thought it was way too orange on the main stage. There was a later shot under different lights where it looked better though. 

I think Tina needs to work on proportionizing.  There are times her outfits make her look like she’s 50 pounds more than she is. Her MC outfit worked well for her and then her taxi outfit doubled the size of her legs.

Mr Pallida made a comment about Ru’s nose makeup looking like an attempt to make it disappear on the main stage. Now I’m going to have to watch for it. 

I have said that Ru’s runway makeup this season has been too much. Her nose looks like Michael Jackson’s.

[Fake Jan Brady]

I just this past week read Graham Norton's 'The Life and Loves of a He-Devil' and while he speaks well of Tina he also admits they were a terrible match [mostly to Tina being almost twenty years Graham's junior]. They met in New York and tried living together in London but it was short lived and tumultuous. Graham did get a new dog out of it, though.

Edited February 21, 2021 by Fake Jan Brady

[Stardancer Supreme]

6 hours ago, lyric said:

Where are folks in the US watching DRUK? The season is getting raves - would love to see it.

I got my coin together and bought WOW Presents Plus.  I'm happy with that purchase.

[Vermicious Knid]

Who does Kandy have blackmail on?!

Other than that now I kind of do want to see Tina and her linebacker shoulders doing the M.C. role on Cabaret.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

19 hours ago, Pallida said:

I think Tina needs to work on proportionizing.  There are times her outfits make her look like she’s 50 pounds more than she is. Her MC outfit worked well for her and then her taxi outfit doubled the size of her legs.

I agree. I get that she's padding her hips to make her waist look smaller and give her an hourglass shape, but I agree that sometimes she ends up looking bigger than she is. I thought she looked surprisingly good in her MC costume.

[RoxiP]

21 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Tonight I realized that my other big issue with Kandy is the blank faced open mouthed look she always has on the runway. She looks like a goldfish staring at a wall.

Yes!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Symone and Kandy LSFYL to Bo$$ by Fifth Harmony

The Pit Stop: Trixie Mattel & Jan

 

[ClareWalks]

Unpopular opinion but that taxi outfit was I think the BEST Tina's body has looked. Her shoulders matched her hips for once.

[Juneau Gal]

I am always astounded that after all these years, Ru either still cannot read her audience correctly and/or doesn't give a fuck about her audience. Either way, it's eventually gonna bite her in the ass as we all quit watching due to Silky/Kandy/etal shenanigans.

[marinite]

On 2/19/2021 at 8:17 PM, Stardancer Supreme said:

Wait. I shut off the show at Symone's shantay! That's what I get for celebrating early. 

That’s funny because I did the same thing! I didn’t want to hear that Dollar Store drag marble-mouthed pig complaining about being eliminated. I didn’t find out until later that she was saved. So frustrating!

[MsJamieDornan]

11 hours ago, Juneau Gal said:

Ru either still cannot read her audience correctly and/or doesn't give a fuck about her audience.

Ru doesnt give a fuck. Big ego.

I'm  starting to think the end is near for Drag Race.

[BarneySays]

This show is dreadful.  Everything is so plotted and planned it is not only dull, but enervating.  What the purpose of the faux conflicts for the musical parts- when it became obvious that the parts were already decided beforehand because of the costuming?  It's this kind of shit that makes the show unwatchable.

The tops and bottoms apparently are chosen to spur social media commentary, not provide a critical/artistic assessment.  Symone, who shone as a star at the outset, clearly belonged in the bottom, with Candy.  But I would have put olivia there with them.  She's far too twee and really does not impress (except her $1 mm smile).  Tina was put in the bottom simply for drama.  I think Elliott's dance in the musical number was a, if not the, highlight.  And her runway was well done too.  But she will never get the love.  It's in the script.  I will say this was the first time I found gottmik appealing.  She really made you watch her in the musical, without stealing focus.  Really love RoZAY, but either she has lost the spark or is being edited that way.     

The show has degenerated into a drag version of american idol.  Whereas the latter was nothing but hollow and dull vocal pyrotechnics, these lipsynchs have become the performative equivalent.  They all pull out the same set of moves, throw every trick in the book (regardless of its appropriateness) and ru guffaws like a dimwitted hyena.  That lipsynch was a complete mess.  Neither of them were compelling and the camera work is so horrible (intentionally, I would argue) that the viewer can never assess who is truly performing better.  Very few of them have handled the lipsynch element- especially this week- so we are reduced to watching overindulged children careening around their living room while mommy encourages them.  Booring.

[MsJamieDornan]

3 hours ago, BarneySays said:

This show is dreadful.  Everything is so plotted and planned it is not only dull, but enervating.  What the purpose of the faux conflicts for the musical parts- when it became obvious that the parts were already decided beforehand because of the costuming?  It's this kind of shit that makes the show unwatchable.

Thank you. Thank you. Plotted and planned and poorly acted.

 

[slaterain]

On 2/20/2021 at 2:26 PM, Pallida said:

I think Tina needs to work on proportionizing.  There are times her outfits make her look like she’s 50 pounds more than she is. Her MC outfit worked well for her and then her taxi outfit doubled the size of her legs.

 

On 2/21/2021 at 9:47 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I agree. I get that she's padding her hips to make her waist look smaller and give her an hourglass shape, but I agree that sometimes she ends up looking bigger than she is. I thought she looked surprisingly good in her MC costume.

 

YES!!! This bugs me every time - she should know better by now. She also keeps doing these boob adornments that are too small - the headlights (and her horrible mardi gras cones last week) don't blend into the costume. They just look tacked on at the last minute. Its almost as if she is letting them create the boobs instead of wearing a bra/cutlets or whatever padding. If they were bigger and matched her proportions, her shoulders and her waist would seem smaller and help the silhouette.