S07.E05: Draguation Speeches

[Keywestclubkid]

The queens deliver inspiring and irreverent commencement speeches for draguates around the world

Edited June 10, 2022 by Keywestclubkid

[Keywestclubkid]

The Vivian’s face sitting through that lipsync for your legacy killed me cause she was just bragging how she will always be in the top to not be blocked again 

But they are really framing these first episodes as Jinkxx game to lose .. it’s very when Ben da did all stars and kept winning … 

oh and how could I forget … congrats for Raja and her first pin ..

who do we think they will each give the 2nd badge to? 

Edited June 10, 2022 by Keywestclubkid

[7-Zark-7]

If I were Raja, I'd turn to Jinkx and say "If you give your second star to me, I'll give my second star to you." (If this is possible. I'm not sure that it is.)

I think it's like the running from a bear strategy: you don't have to be the fastest runner, you just have to outrun the slowest person.

There are but so many challenges left and with two stars, Jinkx is already a lock for the top 4 tier.  So the strategy now should be to let Jinkx get all the stars she wants and focus on stopping other queens from getting that second star.  In fact, no matter who Jinkx gives her second star to, it's still in Raja's best interest to give hers to Jinkx just to stop other queens from getting that second star ahead of her.

If they can't give their stars to each other, I'd give one to Yvie (since she doesn't have one), and then one to whomever seems like less of a threat, though I'm not sure who that is. Even though she hasn't performed the best so far, I don't think I'd give both stars to Yvie and risk having to lipsync against her in the finals - 'cause that's where Miss Bendy Bones shines.

Speaking of lipsyncs, this one seemed tragic. Trinity didn't even clap and The Vivienne's clap was belated and half-hearted. I know they were worried about being blocked, but no one seemed moved by that performance.

Edited June 10, 2022 by 7-Zark-7

[Brynnjk]

Love, love, love!  So happy Raja got a very well deserved star.  And I'm so on the Jinkx train.  Love her so much.  Loved her in her season, love her now.  I am not a Vivienne fan and I think the drunk thing is overdone & too predictable.  I didn't enjoy her performance at all.  Also, Monet seems kind of outclassed to be honest.  I don't really find her on the same level as everyone else.  She fades into the background for me.  

I can't wait to see who each of these will give their extra stars to.  This season is so worth the Paramount plus subscription which I didn't want to get but really didn't want to miss this.  

[SemiCharmedLife]

6 hours ago, 7-Zark-7 said:

If I were Raja, I'd turn to Jinkx and say "If you give your second star to me, I'll give my second star to you." (If this is possible. I'm not sure that it is.)

This is exactly what I was thinking!  

If this is not allowed, I would also give a star to Yvie.  I thought she did great last week and this week.  I loved her runway look this week.  All that beading over that print- breathtaking.  I thought The Viv's dress was gorgeous, too.  I loved the look more without the veil and ball gag.

I think the queens are just slaying the challenges.  Everything is entertaining and enjoyable to watch.  I love seeing Raja get her first star after being overlooked a few times.  

[Fake Jan Brady]

In Ru's own words: "Jinkx and Raja, all of the other six queens are eligible to receive your Legendary Legend Star".

[Ms.Lulu]

Monet made it clear she was going to hustle one of the stars.  I hope not.

[davidcalgary29]

2 hours ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

  I think the queens are just slaying the challenges.  Everything is entertaining and enjoyable to watch.  I love seeing Raja get her first star after being overlooked a few times.  

I thought that was especially true in this episode, where all of the queens killed the challenge, and that must be a first for the franchise. I'd have given them all a star!

I think that the runway's the only real thing that could be used to determine a winner. I thought that Yvie's garment looked stunning, but it didn't fit the category. That was even more true for Monet -- where was the veil?! And I agree that the Viv could have lost the ball gag, even though it would have weakened her overall concept.

[Impalace]

8 hours ago, Brynnjk said:

Love, love, love!  So happy Raja got a very well deserved star.  And I'm so on the Jinkx train.  Love her so much.  Loved her in her season, love her now.  I am not a Vivienne fan and I think the drunk thing is overdone & too predictable.  I didn't enjoy her performance at all.  Also, Monet seems kind of outclassed to be honest.  I don't really find her on the same level as everyone else.  She fades into the background for me.  

I can't wait to see who each of these will give their extra stars to.  This season is so worth the Paramount plus subscription which I didn't want to get but really didn't want to miss this.  

I like Monet but have always thought her 2nd tier. 

[davidcalgary29]

I thought it was interesting that our only two bona fide existing Draguates, Shea and Trinity, were deliberate in their choices not to reprise their very successful characters from S9. Thinking about it, though, I'd have to say that it was  probably for the best, as we likely would have ended up with a Tasha Salad moment instead of the very good speeches we actually did receive.

Edited June 11, 2022 by davidcalgary29

[SemiCharmedLife]

3 hours ago, Ms.Lulu said:

Monet made it clear she was going to hustle one of the stars.  I hope not.

After getting so upset last week, I'm just fine if Monet doesn't talk her way into receiving a star.  She was the only queen so far who was vowing revenge (although the Viv is none too happy this week, either, though she should have expected it after having shared her strategy with the group).

[SemiCharmedLife]

1 hour ago, davidcalgary29 said:

I thought that was especially true in this episode, where all of the queens killed the challenge, and that must be a first for the franchise. I'd have given them all a star!

I think that the runway's the only real thing that could be used to determine a winner. I thought that Yvie's garment looked stunning, but it didn't fit the category. That was even more true for Monet -- where was the veil?! And I agree that the Viv could have lost the ball gag, even though it would have weakened her overall concept.

I may be wrong, but I thought Yvie's look had a beaded fringe that came down over her face (apart from the blue beads that draped across her face).  I would consider that a veil, as in the Middle East, some of the veils are made of different materials and even beads.  I didn't see a veil at all on Trinity.  She had a fascinator and a train for miles, but no veil...

[Glade]

Jinx and Raja definitely deserved their wins: brilliant performances and fashions, by far the best of the night! Its kind of sad though that Raja can't be gifted a star and win the one from this challenge...she deserves to be in the 2-star club, she's a whole constellation!

It seems likely Raja will give her star to Yvie since she's now the only starless queen, and given that line about their growing friendship, I could see Jinx giving hers to Viv as a consolation after blocking her; it's also a very smart move competition wise to block first before giving another queen their 2nd star.

Edited June 11, 2022 by Glade

[30 Helens]

I was surprised that Yvie was not even in consideration for the top. Her speech had a great balance of humor and heart (not to mention excellent advice), and her runway look was stunning. I hope somebody gives her a bonus star, at least.

I knew nothing about The Vivienne before this season, but I’m really enjoying her. Her talking heads are charming, and she’s clearly very talented. Stop targeting my Jinkxy, though. There is a line, and I’m ready to cut a bitch who crosses it.

So happy to see Raja get some recognition. Although she would not have been my choice for the top this time, it was frankly a toss up and she is well past due. I think I would have given her the lip synch, though. Jinkx was more animated, but it didn’t look like she knew the words. Raja was just regal, as always.

It’s so fun to have a season where everyone is bringing it, and there are no dud performances. I’m going to have a hard time readjusting to regular Drag Race after this.

[Sbeetle]

5 hours ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

she should have expected it after having shared her strategy with the group).

I was yelling “what are you doing?” At the TV. Of course Jinx would go after you since you said you’d block her. 

[theatremouse]

 I was a bit underwhelmed by most of the speeches. None was bad, which is a nice change of pace. But to me, none really blew it out of the water either. They were all fine. I laughed outloud at least once at everyone. But, I donno. No super obvious heads above the rest winner here for me. I don't disagree with the actual winners, but this challenge didn't seem as clear cut as some of the others. For the first time, to me it felt like the runway really did help put people over the edge.

[gorgy]

I was worried the speeches would devolve into one of those 'talk to your 5-year old self' thing they've done before finals, but they were all pretty good. Surprisingly, I think I liked Trinity's speech the best.

Ru had some interesting looks this episode. The werkroom look was much different than her usual colorful suit, which was a nice change of pace. I can only assume her runway look was inspired by the graduation challenge, since it looked like an ugly prom dress - but she made it work. 

This is somewhat blasphemous, but I didn't like Raja's runway choice. I love the concept, but the execution was off. The magazine aspect was kinda lackluster and the dress what over-the-top, which is fine, but it came off messy and not in a good way. I did love her lip-syncing ensemble. She looked like a million bucks.

The more I looked at Shea's outfit, the more I like it. For a gardening inspiration, it grows on you.

Speaking of Shea, she once said something about Alexis Michelle, where she could walk down the street and see 100 other Alexis Michelles, and that's how I feel about Monet. 

[rollacoaster]

2 hours ago, gorgy said:

The more I looked at Shea's outfit, the more I like it. For a gardening inspiration, it grows on you.

Heh!

[SemiCharmedLife]

6 hours ago, Sbeetle said:

I was yelling “what are you doing?” At the TV. Of course Jinx would go after you since you said you’d block her. 

It's reminiscent of Jinx telling the other queens that the design challenge Is her only weakness, so get ready!  Hmmm, could Jaida have had this in mind while choosing who to block??  You can really tell who are more strategic players and who just put it all out there! 😂

[DisneyBoy]

Last week's episode aside, I can't get over the amazing looks this season. Even the looks they all slip into for the lip synch...like Yvie's colorful outfit and braids! Yowsa! So cool...and yet we only get to see these looks for all of 2 seconds before they go sit down...they're putting in ton of effort and I love it.

Glad Raja finally won - her speech was great and a win was long overdue - but I also thought Yvie looked great on the runway and would have liked to see her dance.

Here's the thing though - as much as I'm enjoying Jinx, if you need to win a series of lipsynchs to win the season, I can't see that happening for her. That worries me. She performs well enough, but Yvie or Viv or Trinity or really any of the other girls could easily out-stunt her.

She's more of a Ginger in terms of ability.

I can't see her winning against Yvie in a finale lipsynch...can you?

[Keywestclubkid]

2 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

Last week's episode aside, I can't get over the amazing looks this season. Even the looks they all slip into for the lip synch...like Yvie's colorful outfit and braids! Yowsa! So cool...and yet we only get to see these looks for all of 2 seconds before they go sit down...they're putting in ton of effort and I love it.

Glad Raja finally won - her speech was great and a win was long overdue - but I also thought Yvie looked great on the runway and would have liked to see her dance.

Here's the thing though - as much as I'm enjoying Jinx, if you need to win a series of lipsynchs to win the season, I can't see that happening for her. That worries me. She performs well enough, but Yvie or Viv or Trinity or really any of the other girls could easily out-stunt her.

She's more of a Ginger in terms of ability.

I can't see her winning against Yvie in a finale lipsynch...can you?

Depends on the song and what they are looking for at that point 

[DisneyBoy]

3 hours ago, gorgy said:

This is somewhat blasphemous, but I didn't like Raja's runway choice. I love the concept, but the execution was off. The magazine aspect was kinda lackluster and the dress what over-the-top, which is fine, but it came off messy and not in a good way. I did love her lip-syncing ensemble. She looked like a million bucks.

Couldn't agree more. I felt like Courtney Act or Manilla would have done the same concept but made sure the magazine framing them was stiff and stayed in place and that the lettering was clear (I couldn't read it) and that the dress looked less like Alaska's garbage bag ensemble.

[Impalace]

7 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

I was surprised that Yvie was not even in consideration for the top. Her speech had a great balance of humor and heart (not to mention excellent advice), and her runway look was stunning. I hope somebody gives her a bonus star, at least.

I knew nothing about The Vivienne before this season, but I’m really enjoying her. Her talking heads are charming, and she’s clearly very talented. Stop targeting my Jinkxy, though. There is a line, and I’m ready to cut a bitch who crosses it.

So happy to see Raja get some recognition. Although she would not have been my choice for the top this time, it was frankly a toss up and she is well past due. I think I would have given her the lip synch, though. Jinkx was more animated, but it didn’t look like she knew the words. Raja was just regal, as always.

It’s so fun to have a season where everyone is bringing it, and there are no dud performances. I’m going to have a hard time readjusting to regular Drag Race after this.

So true. This has been a great season. 

[30 Helens]

18 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

I can't see her winning against Yvie in a finale lipsynch...can you?

No, I can’t. But has it been stated that a lip synch will determine this season’s winner? 

Currently, lip synchs only decide who gets to hand out the plunger. (An honor I’m not sure I would want— it just builds resentment.) (And what a weird sentence.) Stars determine who becomes a finalist, and Jinkx should easily be in contention for that.

No matter what the stated “rules” for the finale, I expect it will come down to Ru’s own calculations or personal preference, as always.

[Madding crowd]

I liked this episode a lot better than the last one which was a little flat IMO. The speeches were all good and most of the outfits were interesting. I’m still wishing for a tiny bit of criticism as it would help the queens know what Ru is looking for in a winner. Jinkx is my all time favorite so I am thrilled she is doing so well. I don’t think a winner has ever really been decided on the lip synch but rather Ru’s opinion on overall performance and runway. 

[The Mighty Peanut]

I think part of the issue with MIonet is the challenges have been primarily acting, which isn't her strong suit. When it's singing and dancing she's great. Shea hasn't won a star either since the one she got in episode 1 with Monet, and she was heavily favored to win the whole thing. I've enjoyed Mo's runways aside from her very questionable shoe choices (timbs and the combat heels with the yellow shoelaces).

I feel like Jinkx is so good that everyone is basically fighting for the 2nd top spot and only one person can get it, so it's creating this sort of big middle tier of queens even though everyone is super talented. I love Raja and think she should have been in the top 2 for snatch game and Fairytale Justice...I'm glad she finally got a star but felt Trinity's speech was a bit better (sorry, love the Viv, just not a fan of the drunk shtick). I think at this point Ru is trying to switch it up so it doesn't seem like there are bottom or less talented queens.

Jinkx seems like the most likely to win the whole thing, my question though is if it comes down to lipsyncing against queens who are basically professional dancers while Jinkx is...not...does everything go out the window? 

Regarding who gets the charity stars: 

Spoiler

Raja gives hers to Yvie and Jinkx gives hers to Jaida, according to spoilers.

Edited June 12, 2022 by The Mighty Peanut

[Blakeston]

11 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

No, I can’t. But has it been stated that a lip synch will determine this season’s winner? 

Currently, lip synchs only decide who gets to hand out the plunger. (An honor I’m not sure I would want— it just builds resentment.) (And what a weird sentence.) Stars determine who becomes a finalist, and Jinkx should easily be in contention for that.

Ru said in episode 1 that the four with the most stars will participate in lip syncs that will determine who the big winner is.

10 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

 don’t think a winner has ever really been decided on the lip synch but rather Ru’s opinion on overall performance and runway. 

I think Sasha Velour won based on the lip sync. I can't imagine she would have been chosen the winner of season 9 if she hadn't killed it in the finale lip syncs.

9 minutes ago, The Mighty Peanut said:

I think part of the issue with MIonet is the challenges have been primarily acting, which isn't her strong suit. When it's singing and dancing she's great. Shea hasn't won a star either since the one she got in episode 1 with Monet, and she was heavily favored to win the whole thing.

Shea was heavily favored to win the whole thing? That surprises me. I mean, she's good, but most of the speculation I saw was that Jinkx was the frontrunner.

[The Mighty Peanut]

1 hour ago, Blakeston said:

Shea was heavily favored to win the whole thing? That surprises me. I mean, she's good, but most of the speculation I saw was that Jinkx was the frontrunner.

That was the impression I got during the promos and lead-up to the show, and several podcasts hosted by other queens. At this point though it seems like Jinkx's game to lose.

[CraftyHazel]

30 minutes ago, The Mighty Peanut said:

At this point though it seems like Jinkx's game to lose.

I hope you’re right.  I love Jinkx beyond all reason, and after the shit she took in Season 5 from her fellow queens, and the crap people talked about her being an undeserving winner, seeing her win again would make my day.

[davidcalgary29]

On 6/11/2022 at 10:08 AM, DisneyBoy said:

I can't see her winning against Yvie in a finale lipsynch...can you?

Yes, if they can give her a song in which she can -- as she said about about Yma Sumac -- "play up a schtick". Give her a show tune, or anything that favours performance over rhythm, and the lipsync is hers to lose.

Edited June 12, 2022 by davidcalgary29

[The Mighty Peanut]

12 hours ago, CraftyHazel said:

I hope you’re right.  I love Jinkx beyond all reason, and after the shit she took in Season 5 from her fellow queens, and the crap people talked about her being an undeserving winner, seeing her win again would make my day.

I love Jinkx too. She's incredibly talented, smart, and there's a sensitivity and emotional intelligence about her that can get a little lost or undervalued among all the big, brash personalities. I like that her runways are whimsy focused and less concerned with high fashuuunnn. I'd love if she won it all.

[DisneyBoy]

12 hours ago, The Mighty Peanut said:

I love Jinkx too. She's incredibly talented, smart, and there's a sensitivity and emotional intelligence about her that can get a little lost or undervalued among all the big, brash personalities. I like that her runways are whimsy focused and less concerned with high fashuuunnn. I'd love if she won it all.

Well said. Yeah, I need her to win too. I just hope Raja gets some glory too because she's worked so hard over the years (Top Model) and has such a good sense of style. And I'm sick of the old age jokes.

[RoxiP]

Oddly enough I wasn't that impressed with Jinkx's speech.  I think she delivers stuff well but as far as content goes I just didn't care for it...I would have put Yvie over Jinkx...but the name of the game is making Ru laugh and she does do that so my opinion doesn't count...LOL!  I do see how talented she is but she just isn't a favorite for me.  Glad to see Raja getting a star though - she is so fascinating to watch.

[Mahfouz]

I think Jinkx could win a lip sync against any of the other queens....depending on the song. The older the song is, the more chance she would have of winning. 

I wasn't all that impressed with any of the speeches and I can never tell what is good or bad based on Ru's reactions because Ru doesn't seem to have a guiding principle of what she actually likes. 

I thought Raja's runway look was creative but if you need to explain it (It says Veil in French) it wasn't executed as well as it could have been. 

The Viv continues to underwhelm. Her drunk woman was routine and uninspired.  Insipid. 

At this point, strategy-wise, Jinkx and Raja should give their stars to the queens who have the worst chance of earning them on their own. 

[Kaboom 2.0]

I've said this before but I love all these top tier queens and am just relishing seeing them week after week. I couldn't wait for last season to finally be over and don't want this AS season to end. Glad Jinkx got her second star, I thought all the queens did well this episode. 

I suspect Yvie is getting a star but not sure from who. Could she actually get both?? 

[Not4Me]

I only saw the draguation speeches on YouTube as I don’t have Paramount+. I think each one of the queens brought something delightful to their speeches. Raja’s was my favorite followed by Viv’s fascinating drunk, jaded and very dark monologue.

Points to Monet serving up Tempestt Bledsoe’s wild high top from Season 5’s The Cosby Show during her speech.

[Rai]

I also watched them on YouTube. They were more fun than I expected. I think both Yvie and Jaida did better than I'd heard. I guess the criteria is were there any unexpected jokes? And did they get genuine laughs out of everyone? Raja definitely delivered in that regard. I would've been fine with anyone else in the second slot, probably. But Yvie and Jaida both have special places in my heart. Yvie for being from Colorado like me, and for being the bright spot of a not-great season, and Jaida for being unfairly diminished by the pandemic. I think Jaida keeps surprising everyone because she was pretty much forgotten due to circumstances outside her control.

I don't doubt Jinkx will win again. But in my heart I wish it was Raja who was destined for the crown. She's just naturally regal. Even when she's yelling at people to get out there and smash as often as possible.

[Keywestclubkid]

13 minutes ago, Rai said:

I also watched them on YouTube. They were more fun than I expected. I think both Yvie and Jaida did better than I'd heard. I guess the criteria is were there any unexpected jokes? And did they get genuine laughs out of everyone? Raja definitely delivered in that regard. I would've been fine with anyone else in the second slot, probably. But Yvie and Jaida both have special places in my heart. Yvie for being from Colorado like me, and for being the bright spot of a not-great season, and Jaida for being unfairly diminished by the pandemic. I think Jaida keeps surprising everyone because she was pretty much forgotten due to circumstances outside her control.

I don't doubt Jinkx will win again. But in my heart I wish it was Raja who was destined for the crown. She's just naturally regal. Even when she's yelling at people to get out there and smash as often as possible.

I think viv didn’t win because although her speech was hilarious they were also asking for uplifting and or inspirational ie have a message with the jokes .. 

[7-Zark-7]

13 hours ago, Keywestclubkid said:

I think viv didn’t win because although her speech was hilarious they were also asking for uplifting and or inspirational ie have a message with the jokes .. 

She also did Joanna Lumley's Patsy character from AbFab again, only better this time than in The Snatch Game.

[Not4Me]

9 minutes ago, 7-Zark-7 said:

She also did Joanna Lumley's Patsy character from AbFab again, only better this time than in The Snatch Game.

Yes, I felt she was channeling the darkness  of AbFab in a bitter one-woman dramedy of a performance, which is what made it brilliant. Sometimes the best speeches aren’t inspiring, but instead conveys a cautionary tale to the audience.

Ironically other than a few funny lines I thought Jinkx missed the boat on what Viv achieved.

[Keywestclubkid]

8 hours ago, Not4Me said:

Yes, I felt she was channeling the darkness  of AbFab in a bitter one-woman dramedy of a performance, which is what made it brilliant. Sometimes the best speeches aren’t inspiring, but instead conveys a cautionary tale to the audience.

Ironically other than a few funny lines I thought Jinkx missed the boat on what Viv achieved.

The mind forgets trauma the body remembers … or I’m drunk and gonna make references Monet and 3 other girls did before viv got the chance .. they both were funny just with the criteria givin I can see why she didn’t win 

Edited June 15, 2022 by Keywestclubkid

[Rai]

On 6/14/2022 at 11:33 AM, Keywestclubkid said:

I think viv didn’t win because although her speech was hilarious they were also asking for uplifting and or inspirational ie have a message with the jokes .. 

I agree. I was talking about Yvie though, not the Viv. I would've definitely put Yvie in the top three.