S13.E13: Nice Girls Roast

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

The queens take part in a comedy roast of former Drag Race "Miss Congeniality” winners - Heidi N Closet, Nina West and Valentina. Comedian and host Loni Love (Soul Plane) guest judges; Norvina (Instant Influencer) makes a guest appearance.

Original air date: 3*26/21

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Act 1:

 

[bobbyjoe]

Least surprising thing of the episode:  The judges putting on their “oh, Kandy, you’re just so, so, so, sooooooo amazing” act.

Runner up for least surprising thing of the episode:  Utica going home.  The editing was so completely obvious in its foreshadowing they might have well had one of those scrolls across the bottom of the screen through the whole episode saying over and over “Utica gets eliminated.” 

Most surprising thing of the episode:  Symone being so lifeless in the LSFYL.  I fully expected her to own that stage but— I can’t believe I’m saying this— if Ru had genuinely judged by the LSFYL Utica would have stayed and Symone would’ve gone home.

Edited March 27, 2021 by bobbyjoe

[rlc]

My daughter was very nervous that Symone would go home. I told her that she had nothing to worry about- Ru had decided before she saw the performances that Kandy would win and Utica would leave. 

I am so completely over Olivia. She is one note, and it’s not an enjoyable one.

Kandy did well, but it didn’t matter because she would win no matter what. Though I’m not really a fan, I would have given the win tonight to Gottmik. 

Rosé is the most balanced of the remaining queens.

 

[MsNewsradio]

Agree with the previous comments that the episode was telegraphed from the beginning - at no point did I think the results would be anything other than what they were.

Kandy did well and deservedly got praise for her set, but her getting the win over Gottmik or Rose is just...no. Gottmik was basically most improved and took their notes to heart, and Rose killed in the toughest spot of the lineup. Kandy said herself if she were put last she'd struggle because she wouldn't be able to come up with stuff on the fly.  I do not understand why Kandy continues to be pushed at the audience. 

Utica...I don't even know what to say about that. For someone who all season has been so overly concerned about being offensive or appropriative, etc., she sure didn't have an issue with being offensive tonight. I know it's a roast, but there's a difference between a read and a cruel remark. I think I cringed hard enough to get sucked into my couch cushions when she was testing her material with Loni and Michelle.

 

 

Edited March 27, 2021 by MsNewsradio

[BloggerAloud]

Utica is allergic to critiques it seems like. Every time they give her one, she seems to double down on whatever they're telling her not to do. It's like if you took Gigi Goode's "I hear your concerns but I don't have those same concerns" attitude but have it completely misplaced.

[Not4Me]

Utica got on my last damn nerve, she’s so wildly inconsistent and unbelievably tone deaf that you never know if she’ll deliver something amazing or a hot mess. And it’s pretty astonishing and absurd when you realize Kandy is actually the more balanced one who actually listened to the judges compared to Utica. To get the double middle finger from RuPaul during the roast is pretty embarrassing, and pretty much says you’re done! Glad she got the boot. At least Farrah Moan no longer has to own the crown for the most cringeworthy roast. 

Edited March 27, 2021 by Not4Me

[AntManBee]

I agree that Utica was wildly inappropriate, and mean spirited... but that read of RuPaul, asking her to stand up to show off her dress.  GURL, that was next level roasting that I am surprised they left in the episode.  Ru's response may have made it all the better.  

[roctavia]

34 minutes ago, AntManBee said:

I agree that Utica was wildly inappropriate, and mean spirited... but that read of RuPaul, asking her to stand up to show off her dress.  GURL, that was next level roasting that I am surprised they left in the episode.  Ru's response may have made it all the better.  

I don’t get that one... why was it a big deal to ask her to stand up? I’m missing something there, but Ru’s response was funny...

[phoenix780]

Legend is that Ru is only in drag from the waist up. 

Utica was off and it was her time, but maybe Loni Love's own remarks should apply here. They're just jokes...

https://madamenoire.com/1116389/loni-love-shan-boody/

[Impalace]

13 minutes ago, roctavia said:

I don’t get that one... why was it a big deal to ask her to stand up? I’m missing something there, but Ru’s response was funny...

It has been said that RuPaul wears comfortable pants while sitting at judges table. 

[7-Zark-7]

Symone owned that lip sync.  I knew there was no way Rupaul would send her home unless she laid down and took a nap on stage, but still she turned it.  With that first shoulder shrug on "So, I'm picking it up", the song was hers.

Edited March 27, 2021 by 7-Zark-7

[30 Helens]

Well, hell must certainly have frozen over this week, because I am actually about to compliment Kandi.

There have been many reasons to criticize her this season, and lord knows I have not been a fan. However, I think she totally deserved that win. Her set was confident, consistent, and well received. Her jokes hit that sweet spot between gentle ribbing and brutally mean. In rehearsal, she actually listened when someone (finally!) told her to slow down when talking, and it made a big difference. I don’t fault Kandi for having a speech impediment that seems to make enunciation difficult, but talking too fast really makes it hard to understand her. That wasn’t the case tonight. On the runway, her look was fine despite appearing painful. (That cinch!)

Gottmik and Rosé also did very well, but I agreed with the judges that their sets weren’t as strong overall.

This was a real missed opportunity for Olivia, as her sweet personality could have been a real asset. Ross mentioned Betty White— specifically, I was thinking of Sue Ann Nivens on the old Mary Tyler Moore Show: smiling sweetly while twisting the knife. If Olivia had just leaned into that a little more, she could have killed.

Symone was not terrible, in my opinion. The jokes mostly missed, but her delivery had the same style and swagger that has helped her rise above this competition. I think she basically tied with Olivia and was possibly chosen to LSFYL because Ru thought she would do a better job. (Symone’s lip synch was understated, but she absolutely owned it.)

As for Utica... I had high hopes for her in the beginning of the season. Weird + nice is a winning combination for me. But Utica has had real problems channeling that wacky side in a way that feels charming rather than desperate. She seems insecure, but at the same time frustratingly cocky. Her failure to not only disregard the helpful criticism, but stubbornly maintain the delusion that she did well, was frustrating. Ah well. Maybe Olivia can knock some sense into her.  

[funnygirl]

Rosé is best all around queen, for me. The most consistent in style, runway, performance, personality. 

I'm beyond over the judges love fest over Kandy for doing bare minimum. They start laughing at her before she even opens her mouth - and that's not just tonight, it's all the time. 

30 minutes ago, phoenix780 said:

Legend is that Ru is only in drag from the waist up. 

Gasp! That's hilarious if true.

Edited March 27, 2021 by funnygirl

[violet and green]

1 hour ago, roctavia said:

I don’t get that one... why was it a big deal to ask her to stand up? I’m missing something there, but Ru’s response was funny...

I though it was because Ru came out in a body suit with a bit of tulle attached, as an outfit this ep.

[MsJamieDornan]

Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.

I will comment more after I calm down. I will post later.

[Glade]

I really thought Gotmik should have won, if not herself then at least jointly...she really turned it out and was the better storyline in this episode then the Kandy one they forced.  I liked Utica, she was crazy and fun, but that was horrendous roxxy-esque mean-spirited bombing.   I thought inviting Nina Mccain West this week was bad (and none of the queens thought to roast her over THAT?  Or even her endless foot-licking on stage?) but then the preview for next week includes Scarjo?  The Woody-Allen defending, 'I can play an Asian character, I can play a trans-man' is showing her face in front of the first ever trans-man contestant (and I sincerely hope the first trans winner of RPDR U.S.)?  Please roast her...

Edited March 27, 2021 by Glade

[Fake Jan Brady]

This season has been going so long that when Valentina asked in Untucked which queen took the longest to get ready and Rosé answered "She left first", I had to google who the hell that was.

[Fallacy]

This is the first time all season that I fully agreed with the judges. I’m not a fan of Kandy, but she deserved the win. Still, for me, the race is between Simone and Rose. Gottmik is great, but I don’t think she’s fully baked yet, and Ru needs her on all-stars for ratings anyway. 

I was disappointed in Valentina’s appearance for the first time ever. She’s usually so stunning, but in this episode, her makeup was just off somehow, and I think it’s the brows. The brows looks too thin, and I think she should go back to how she used to draw them. 

Edited March 27, 2021 by Fallacy
Spacing

[roctavia]

9 hours ago, phoenix780 said:

Legend is that Ru is only in drag from the waist up. 

Utica was off and it was her time, but maybe Loni Love's own remarks should apply here. They're just jokes...

https://madamenoire.com/1116389/loni-love-shan-boody/

 

9 hours ago, Impalace said:

It has been said that RuPaul wears comfortable pants while sitting at judges table. 

Ah! Thanks!! I figured there was some production reason that I just didn’t know about 🙂

[theatremouse]

I still didn't find Kandi funny. Her jokes felt like less polished versions of jokes others did better later in the show. She was near the jokes, but the construction wasn't quite right. I was also surprised by how many of the contestants did basically the same joke about various guests/judges...and they left it in. It's like, really? Y'all seem to know exactly one fact about each person, so that's the only joke you've got? 

 

[ladle]

You know, when Rose didn't get the win this week I was disappointed, because I felt they were holding her to a higher standard because she *is* a comedy queen.  And I dislike when they do that; everyone should be judged equally.  But I thought, eh, okay, Gottmik was pretty funny too, I guess I'm ok with her getting the win.  But...BUT...KANDY??!?!  Honestly I'm not even annoyed at this point -- I'm just so very confused.  

Utica's interaction with Michelle and Loni in rehearsal was one of the most cringey things I've seen in all of the seasons of this show.  

Baby, I love me some Rose, but if I took a shot every time she said the word "Baby," I'd be dead by the end of one episode. 

[ladle]

Oh also... what dirty hand gesture was Rupaul making?  It was pixelated out, even in my supposedly uncensored version of the episode!

[RoxiP]

My daughter said she thought Ru had slippers on under the judge's table.  

I knew Kandy was going to win because they kept emphasizing that she was the only one left without a win.  I thought Rose was impressive (as usual), especially with no notes.  Symone spent way too much time reading her jokes, as did Olivia.  How hard is it to memorize?

It was definitely Utica's time to go.  Her self-delusion had overtaken her quirkiness.  Her need to reassurance "I'm so bad, what did you think" was truly cringe-worthy.

[CraftyHazel]

1 hour ago, ladle said:

Baby, I love me some Rose, but if I took a shot every time she said the word "Baby," I'd be dead by the end of one episode

For me, it’s as obvious as Kandy’s “biiiitch” whenever she’s trying to be funny.  But overall I adore Rosé, so I try to ignore it.

To me, the roast was pretty much horrible.  Correct top three and bottom three, but the top three weren’t all that hilarious.  Utica really screwed it up epically, though.  For someone who spent the entire season trying so hard to not offend anyone, she went full-on obnoxious in her delivery tonight.  She didn’t listen to critiques, and when the judges clapped back at her, she didn’t respond well.

There are some good queens this season, but the season as a whole just feels so dull and flat.  I feel like I might be loving Symone and Rosé almost by default.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I know that at this point in the season, I shouldn't be surprised that the show is still trying to make fetch happen with Kandy, but it is beyond repulsive that they gave her a win for that lackluster middle school level of jokes roast. Yes, she was better than Utica, Symone, and Olivia who all bombed, but she was not the best of the night. Rosé was the most professional, polished, and consistently funny during her time. Gottmik got extra points for taking Michelle and Loni's notes (unlike Utica) and incorporating those critiques to refine her performance. Kandy was a distance third and only because she was not as awful as the bottom three.

I liked that Kandy was very cinched (for the first time all season?) but her dress, hair, and makeup were basic and boring, especially compared to what everyone else looked like, so giving her a win based on that blah look plus her blah performance is just ridiculous.

[howiveaddict]

Kandy would have had to stand on the stage, throw excrement at the judges, and only say Fuck and other bleepable words, during her set, to not win this week. I knew she was going to win when Rose commented on her not having a win, at the beginning of the episode. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Utica and Symone LSFYL to "No Tears Left to Cry"

Whatcha Packin': Utica

The Pit Stop: Trixie Mattel & Monét X Change

 

[Dewey Decimate]

Learning that Ru only wears the top half of her outfit while at Judges' Table gives Utica one more lol from me. (For a grand total of one.) The bloom has long been off the Ru rose for me after learning that

Spoiler

he leases his massive WY property to frackers. Gross and greedy.

Glad to see Utica go home (and wonder how much more entertainting Tina would likely have been). Making fun of someone's weight can be very funny if done right, but there was absolutely nothing clever about what Utica had to say.

Do the queens get assistance on their routines, beyond the vague comments from Michelle and Loni? Gottmik's line about Ross climaxing from a porno when the pizza gets delivered was hilarious. I might have given the win to her if it weren't for what appeared to be holes/tears in the underside of the mesh fabric on her dress. Kandy was fine - this has been the least offensive of the questionable choices regarding her placement - though I wish she'd popped in some cutlets so the breast area of her dress wasn't so empty. IMO, none of the fashion this week really popped (though at least Rose stepped away from the bath loofahs) and I wonder why did they not have a separate runway? Unlike many of the things lost due to covid-era filming, packing one more outfit is not - totally doable and would have distracted a bit from some of the awful roast routines.

[RoxiP]

Oh, and I wanted to comment on the excellent work done by the corset in Kandy's outfit - that thing must be made of Kevlar!

[Blissfool]

I don't buy Gottmik's I don't know how to do a roaast..." She's always got the mean girl snark loaded and ready to shoot. I expected her to be a natural at the roast, which she was. She had even won the reading challenge earlier in the season 🤷🏻‍♀️

[phoenix780]

9 minutes ago, Blissfool said:

I don't buy Gottmik's I don't know how to do a roaast..." She's always got the mean girl snark loaded and ready to shoot. I expected her to be a natural at the roast, which she was. She had even won the reading challenge earlier in the season 🤷🏻‍♀️

She's protecting herself, same as with Snatch Game, by not claiming to be good at things. Saying what you're good at on a reality show is begging for trouble. Maybe it's just because she's from LA that I think she's trying to play the show that way. 

This may be the first season I just turn off. Symone seems primed for the win, which is fine, but the journey is not fun for me anymore at all. So the opposite of last season, which I thought was them shifting to be more like the international versions and less...this.

[roctavia]

Ugh... not surprised but a bit disappointed. I will echo a lot of what others have said... Kandy was funny, though it helped that she got to open the show. I do think she is good at some of the conversational stuff- the Hey, how ya'll doin' " with being able to introduce the roast and stuff.... She did have some good jokes, but definitely relies on the "bitch" as a filler instead of the uh and um sort of deal. Mik was also pretty funny and I thought Rose was great, especially after following everyone else and having to keep her jokes fresh. Did Kandy come up with comparing Nina West's shoulders to Tina Burner on her own, or did she overhear Rose? I mean, at least she didn't repeat the joke word for word, but still... it meant Rose had to have a new joke...   I think Rose should have been the winner. Her look was also great for the "runway" especially when you compared to Kandy and her flat hair.... I do appreciate her changing up her look a little. And for once I didn't think Kandy belonged in the bottom.

I have no complaints about Utica going home. She was terrible... Yes, it's a roast so it can be "mean" but also you can't just pile on, like she was doing in the rehearsal... she was so bad during the rehearsal.  Her joke with Ru about standing up was good, now that I understand it... and the whale thing could have been funny, but that's about all she had. Her attitude also wasn't great and like others have pointed out, she couldn't hear what the judges were trying to tell her. Yes, Symone and Pumba is a funny pun, but you have to sell it right, which she didn't, but wouldn't let it go.  I didn't mind her quirkiness some, but I was ready for her to go. 

Symone and Olivia.... eh... they were there, they tried.... they both didn't have a good flow to their jokes and definitely didn't make it work. I would have put Olivia in the bottom over Symone, but I guess since Symone got to stay it doesn't really matter.... 

[7-Zark-7]

You know they only put two squirts of Windex in that spray bottle. Just enough to smear everything and make everyone wonder how that queen won a lip sync when she can barely wave her hand across a mirror.

[DisneyBoy]

I was shocked at Utica getting confrontational with Ru. I really was.

I knew about the sweatpants thing, but just thought it was crazy stupid to take a moment where you're insulting judges and bombing and then try to put Ru in your crosshairs. You were being mean and rubbing it in their faces, U. Ru giving you middle fingers isn't a triumph, you dolt. It means you're done.

And I was rooting for Utica.

Honesty she was acting a bit deranged this episode. It wasn't cute.

 

....and now I'm kind of feeling badly that because of the show's success, Ru gets to deal with Queens being entitled or confrontational or trying to make a moment happen.

[Madding crowd]

My nephew is friends with a lot of the Midwest queens and swears Utica is the nicest person. I’m sure she is but she crossed the line between roast and mean and was circling the drain anyway. I’m a fat person but there is a line between saying Ross likes pizza so much it makes him come, and saying Loni and Nina are sub-human and need to be bellowed at like an animal.

And I’m sure the queens know Ru wears sweatpants at the table and asking her to stand up is just not done. Rose is still my favorite but either Symone or Gottmik will win. I thought Kandy, Rose and Mik were on the same level so I was fine with Kandy winning.

[Blakeston]

I'm at the point where I don't want to hear Ru laugh ever again. I'm so, so over the completely phony "laughing so hard I'm screaming!" thing that she usually reserves only for the contestants she's hyping.

Kandy did fine in the roast, but there was no reason for the judges to act like she was hilarious. Wasn't "I told her to act her age and she died" a joke that's been used on Drag Race before? Rose and Gottmik were significantly better at this challenge.

And of course Kandy's team won the mini-challenge so that she could get the best placement, even though Mik and Utica were much funnier.

And of course "you were better in the rehearsal" was used to criticize Rosé, when it should be a compliment that she not only did great at the show but also was great at the rehearsal.

And of course next week is another comedy challenge, because it's the only way to keep Kandy out of the bottom two.

The terrible judging has really sucked the joy out of this season.

Edited March 28, 2021 by Blakeston

[Blissfool]

14 hours ago, roctavia said:

. Did Kandy come up with comparing Nina West's shoulders to Tina Burner on her own, or did she overhear Rose? I mean, at least she didn't repeat the joke word for word, but still... it meant Rose had to have a new joke...

I side-eyed kandy's Nina West joke for this reason. Her joke about Valentina/Rent was also suspect as Gottmik did a similar one during rehearsal 😏

 

1 hour ago, Blakeston said:

Kandy did fine in the roast, but there was no reason for the judges to act like she was hilarious. Wasn't "I told her to act her age and she died" a joke that's been used on Drag Race before? Rose and Gottmik were significantly better at this challenge.

Yes! I didnt think Kandy's roast was the funniest...and I don't even hate Kandy!

 

1 hour ago, Blakeston said:

And of course Kandy's team won the mini-challenge so that she could get the best placement, even though Mik and Utica were much funnier.

This too!

 

[stormy weather]

5 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I'm at the point where I don't want to hear Ru laugh ever again. I'm so, so over the completely phony "laughing so hard I'm screaming!" thing that she usually reserves only for the contestants she's hyping.

Kandy did fine in the roast, but there was no reason for the judges to act like she was hilarious. Wasn't "I told her to act her age and she died" a joke that's been used on Drag Race before? Rose and Gottmik were significantly better at this challenge.

And of course Kandy's team won the mini-challenge so that she could get the best placement, even though Mik and Utica were much funnier.

And of course "you were better in the rehearsal" was used to criticize Rosé, when it should be a compliment that she not only did great at the show but also was great at the rehearsal.

And of course next week is another comedy challenge, because it's the only way to keep Kandy out of the bottom two.

The terrible judging has really sucked the joy out of this season.

I couldn't agree more with all of this. When Ross Mathews said during the critiques that Kandy set the standard for everyone that followed her and "no one topped that" I wanted to cry. 

I think what happened is the judges decided beforehand (like 5 episodes ago) that Kandy needed to win a challenge because she was the only one who had never won, so they said "ok, the first time she doesn't blatantly suck we're going to give her a win." So when this roast came about, they were like "ok you guys, this is our (only) chance" and then tried to laugh as hard as they could to give the impression it would be plausible for her to win.

What I don't understand is, do they think they're doing Kandy a favor by keeping her on? Because I'm sure more people would like her now if she had been sent home on episode, like, 3. I mean, what is Ru's ultimate goal here? 

Edited March 28, 2021 by stormy weather

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The roast:

 

[violet and green]

I liked Utica's look finally. The upswept Patsy from Ab Fab hair, the lilac, the prettier makeup. But that was meaner than mean and not funny. Kandy was surprisingly good, very relaxed in her role, and her joke re Ru being so old when told to act her age, "She died," was well-timed and physicalised. I've forgotten Gottmik's, but to my mind she's a fraud in whatever she does and says, somehow, so it stand to reason she'd be all no, I can't roast... and then kill it. I'm baffled as to why the Symone who did that on point commercial the week before was so terrible in the roast and pretty low-key average in the lipsync. This season is going to limp to a predictable end, I guess. 

[MsJamieDornan]

19 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I'm at the point where I don't want to hear Ru laugh ever again. I'm so, so over the completely phony "laughing so hard I'm screaming!" thing that she usually reserves only for the contestants she's hyping.

Phony bitch.

[Blakeston]

14 hours ago, stormy weather said:

What I don't understand is, do they think they're doing Kandy a favor by keeping her on? Because I'm sure more people would like her now if she had been sent home on episode, like, 3. I mean, what is Ru's ultimate goal here? 

I don't think there's any chance that Ru and the other producers want us to like Kandy. They've gone out of their way to make her look bad, editing-wise, over and over again. 

I think they knew from the moment they cast her that she would fit the same role that Silky did - someone who would stir things up in the workroom, who could easily be depicted as the villain of the season. There's a whole school of thought among people in the reality show industry that a designated villain will keep people watching the show, because they'll be eager to see that person lose.

[stormy weather]

8 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I don't think there's any chance that Ru and the other producers want us to like Kandy. They've gone out of their way to make her look bad, editing-wise, over and over again. 

I think they knew from the moment they cast her that she would fit the same role that Silky did - someone who would stir things up in the workroom, who could easily be depicted as the villain of the season. There's a whole school of thought among people in the reality show industry that a designated villain will keep people watching the show, because they'll be eager to see that person lose.

Although I understand the concept of a pot-stirrer who keeps the audience watching, I still don't understand why the judges would agree to go out of their way and look this phony and incompetent just for the sake of pleasing the producers. I mean, if needs must they could still keep Kandy on without acting so fake! In any case, I still prefer to watch queens loving and supporting each other (see: RuPaul UK) than someone creating drama for no reason and being undeservedly kept on the show when someone else (see: basically everyone who was eliminated before Kandy) who deserved it more was sent packing. 

[Kaboom 2.0]

Seeing Heidi again only made me miss her and many of last season's queens even more. 

I can only say ITA with many of your posts with this meh episode and who won the main challenge. I don't see Nancy as the token reality show villain, she's just annoying and not worth getting overly pissed off that she's still there. 

Still cheering on Symone and Rose.