S16.E14: Booked and Cursed

[davidcalgary29]

As our contestants return from the last elimination, everyone pretends to care about Morphine, and the queens manage to think up some nice things to say about her. It's called caring, people! Meanwhile, Sapphira reminds everyone that the last five episodes have been pretty much pointless in altering the trajectory of the season, and that the writers have already written her into the Finale. Brava!

A truly dumb mini-challenge segues into a listless maxi-challenge in which the queens are tasked with performing in a cute photoshoot to sell their autobiographies, which seems nice of WoW until we realize it's just a framing effort to flog Ru's new book. It's an okay concept, I guess, but S2's sister challenge was really a lot more fun.

Despite some teases during some rather dull interviews with a rather blank Matt Rogers, we actually don't get any of the queens' anecdotes -- this could have been a spoken-word showdown! -- the episode trudges its way to a rather uninspired runway in which most of the queens miss their category, and Q makes the tragic mistake of reminding everyone of Sapphira's Raggedy Ann Schmatte from last week with an orange number that makes her look like a giant party favour. Nymphia is tossed a win despite presenting the most cliched and off-topic look, leaving a defeated Q and a blank Plane to squirm around the stage a bit.

Q wins her lipsynch, and is promptly booted from the season, clearing the Finale of Sapphira's only real competition. Boo! I'll type it again: BOO.

Next week: Nope, still not the Finale.

Edited April 6 by davidcalgary29

[Starchild]

I have to disagree, I think Jane won the lipsync. She brought the funny that Ru loves.

As for the looks this week, nothing topped Nymphia's book cover look. The house was truly booted down.

[davidcalgary29]

11 minutes ago, Starchild said:

I have to disagree, I think Jane won the lipsync. She brought the funny that Ru loves.

As for the looks this week, nothing topped Nymphia's book cover look. The house was truly booted down.

Nymphia looked great for her cover, but that runway was not a winner for the category.

Ru's laugh has replaced all other sound cues as a harbinger for success (or lack thereof). Yes, yes, Sapphira's great -- but her schtick is just not that funny.

Whether she deserved to leave or not, Q's elimination just leached all remaing tension out of this season. Nymphia is not going to win -- nohow and noway -- and Plane has a shot only if Sapphira's tiny boobs decide to get their revenge and eat her Finale costume and makeup, forcing her to be styled by Amanda.

Next week's lipsynch "smackdown" could be fun, but I hope we're not just heading to a $50,000 paycheck for Mhi'ya who -- despite her considerable skills in dance -- just didn't add much to the season.

Edited April 6 by davidcalgary29

[SemiCharmedLife]

I would love to know how Sapphira's breastplate grew six sizes during the competition.  Sometimes the judges give advice to the queens that they can't take due to the fact that they have already brought their luggage and don't get to go out and shop for something new.  Maybe the rules have changed...  or maybe DoorDash delivers size 44 DDD breastesses.

[7-Zark-7]

I do want to get into the mystery of Sapphira’s boobage. Michelle said she “fixed” them, and I need to know how that’s possible.

Nymphia crushed that magazine cover with her look and her pose.

I knew Q’s time was nigh, no matter what happened. So I was basically waiting for the inevitable. I feel the real surprise will be the finale. Sapphira seems to have it in the bag but bitchy queens have won in the past, so it may not be over for Plane Jane. 
 

The LollapaRUza for $50,000 for the eliminated queens is inspired. I am looking forward to it.

Edited April 6 by 7-Zark-7

[SemiCharmedLife]

12 hours ago, 7-Zark-7 said:

I knew Q’s time was nigh, no matter what happened. So I was basically waiting for the inevitable. I feel the real surprise will be the finale. Sapphira seems to have it in the bag but bitchy queens have won in the past, so it may not be over for Plane Jane. 
 

The LollapaRUza for $50,000 for the eliminated queens is inspired. I am looking forward to it.

Why don't they just write the check out to Mhi'yah now?

Q's Xwitter rampage several weeks ago pretty much confirmed that she didn't end up in the finale.

[Red Bridey]

10 minutes ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

Why don't they just write the check out to Mhi'yah now?

Q's Xwitter rampage several weeks ago pretty much confirmed that she didn't end up in the finale.

Do tell. I am not on whatever it is! What did she say???

[luckyroll3]

29 minutes ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

Q's Xwitter rampage several weeks ago pretty much confirmed that she didn't end up in the finale.

Oh really?!?! She was clearly pissed when Nymphia was announced as the winner and Plane took the lipsync. 

[SemiCharmedLife]

32 minutes ago, Red Bridey said:

Do tell. I am not on whatever it is! What did she say???

She was upset that some fans found her "annoying" and started name calling and fat shaming them.  The fans weren't even being nasty, but Q took it there plus some.  There is actually a funny meme that came out of it all- an insult generator by Q (Q didn't come up with the generator, just the insults.)

[Red Bridey]

Well, I didn't think I gave a rat's ass about the Final Three until Q was eliminated. I really don't like Plane. Really don't like her. While neither Plane nor Q executed the challenge correctly, in reviewing the season, I preferred Q to her and am not interested at all in whatever she presents to us. She's marginally more funny than Morphine, but her comedy is not clever or interesting and her drag is pretty basic. I hated the stripping of the dress off during the lip sync. As bad as whatshername who Pulled.Off.Her.Wig many seasons ago. Especially as it took several lines of the song to do it and not gracefully either. So stupid.

[violet and green]

I have warmed somewhat to Plane. And I loved her body shape once she stripped off. What an excellent breastplate! And lovely body-contouring.

[cpcathy]

3 hours ago, violet and green said:

I have warmed somewhat to Plane. And I loved her body shape once she stripped off. What an excellent breastplate! And lovely body-contouring.

I’m a married straight woman but I thought she looked really hot.

[Blissfool]

22 hours ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

I would love to know how Sapphira's breastplate grew six sizes during the competition.  Sometimes the judges give advice to the queens that they can't take due to the fact that they have already brought their luggage and don't get to go out and shop for something new.  Maybe the rules have changed...  or maybe DoorDash delivers size 44 DDD breastesses.

I wondered the same thing. Could one of the eliminated queens have left it behind 🤔 

 

Imo none of the remaining queens are worhy of the crown. Sapphira turned me off in the first episode with her small breastplate.  C"mon, you're gonna be on national tv and you came on with those?! PJ turned me off with her rudeness and her whiny "Sisterrr" and "Momma" every episode. Nymphia was ok, but I'm fed up with the banana shtick. And Q annoyed me with her constant Joker-grin. She also had whiny "momma" as part of her vernacular. 

This is the first season ever that I'm not rooting for anyone 😕

[Christine]

I miss Plasma.

[davidcalgary29]

1 hour ago, Christine said:

I miss Plasma.

Bring back Salina and Marcia!

Oh, wait -- wrong season.

[Kaboom 2.0]

I loved Nymphia's book cover with Sapphira's next. I love Q but didn't like her cover either. As much as it annoys me I knew Q was next to sashay away, the final 3 were chosen long ago.

I'm not on social media either and it saddens me to read here about Q's not nice posts. 

Can't wait for next episode's lipsync spectacular because I can't wait to see some of the queens I like. 

[SemiCharmedLife]

I'm looking forward to seeing this season's queens return for the lip synch episode, too.  I bet they will bring their A game! 

I've been rooting for Nymphia since MTQ and am hoping she wows us with her final lip-sync.  I can see her pulling off a Sasha Velour- type surprise.  We haven't seen her lip sync on Drag Race, though I've caught a few videos on the web and she is good.  

Sapphira will probably take home the crown, though.  The edit seems to be telling the story of her eventual queendom.  I would be happy with this outcome, too, because it is well deserved.

[bluvelvet]

I like Nymphia - I think she has been very strategic this season and smarter than most think.  She definitely played a game.

Sorry to see Q go as I thought her and Plasma was a shoo in for the finale, but as I think about it, I wouldn't spend money to see Q on stage, she is a superior look queen but she's not funny, she can't dance and she can't sing.  So in my opinion, she isn't an entertainer.

I like PJ for some reason - I know she hasn't been the nicest but she has talent.

I would be happy with a Sapphira win ..or even Nymphia to be honest.

[Mahfouz]

Q and Nymphia were the only two remaining queens who have something fresh to present on the show.

Plane Jane is your typical blonde bimbo that we've seen many many times on RPDR. Villian-for-the-Season-wise she is a great fit. But not when it comes to giving us something new. Also, her drag seems to mostly consists of spangly one-piece bathing suits. 

Saphira is WAY overrated. And her drag is not up to par with previous winners. Forget about her horrible titties (Saphira can thank Mhi'yah for having even WORSE boobs, taking away some of the spotlight) many of her looks remind me of queens who haven't been in the biz for very long. Also, I am tired of the whole "Motha is here children" thing that she gives. Reminds me of Qween Kong from Down Under.

I am rooting for Nymphia.

[joanne3482]

Do y'all know, does 2nd and 3rd place win anything? If not it seems a bit unfair that someone who went out in the first round has the potential to win $50,000, but 2nd and 3rd get nothing. Except, I suppose, the extended exposure of being on the show. I dunno. Exposure doesn't necessarily pay the bills. 

[Lethallyfab]

I need someone to explain to me how and why for an ostensible writing challenge, we never ever heard any excerpts from the *actual writing* just heard talk *about* said stories without ever *actually hearing* portions of the stories themselves?  Like, that is a very interesting editorial choice.  As Tatianna would say, “choices.”  (Was the writing just bad across the board?  Why hide it!?)

I don’t know how Q has such strong looks on the runway and showed up in that outfit for the book cover.  I could see it on a throwback queen like, say, Plasma, but even she would have been clocked for not dragging it up a little.  It was a deserved elimination for that heinous look alone, IMO.

I may stand alone in this but I am not a fan of the lip-sync La-La-Pa-Ru-Sa format.  There was plenty of drama this season so they could have enough material to do an actual reunion.  And if, as pointed out, runner-ups get nothing, it would be irksome to me if an eliminated queen got a cash prize and I didn’t.

I don’t think she has a genuine shot at a win, but Plane Jane is going to be a meme queen for a while and I’m okay with that - I am *dying* at all the corporate drag jokes at her expense on Twitter.

[SemiCharmedLife]

9 hours ago, joanne3482 said:

Do y'all know, does 2nd and 3rd place win anything? If not it seems a bit unfair that someone who went out in the first round has the potential to win $50,000, but 2nd and 3rd get nothing. Except, I suppose, the extended exposure of being on the show. I dunno. Exposure doesn't necessarily pay the bills. 

It is a very strange strategy that they have done before-- In AS7, there was a title that Raja won- even though she wasn't in the finale for the Queen of Queens crown.  So, she earned more prize money than the two other finalists.  

I  always love a reunion.  I hope they will give us a bit of that next week, along with the lip sync battle.

[Wonderlad71]

I feel for Q. I know she's been a mess on social media - but being Top4 in the finale has been guaranteed since season 9 (except Season 12 by default). Season 14 even had a Top5. Still she will be booked and blessed as a designer and am sure she is a shoo-in for All Stars. 

Actually looking forward to the Lalaparuza (but hope there is an actual reunion as well. I hope my girl Mirage brings it (Hopefully her flubbing of Dark Lady was a once off) but it may be a case of Mh'iya doing a Silky and dominating (even though IMO she's a messy lipsyncer).

[vibeology]

On 4/7/2024 at 12:06 AM, Blissfool said:

I wondered the same thing. Could one of the eliminated queens have left it behind 🤔 

My best guess is that they were provided with additional breastplates for the makeover challenge in case any of the queens wanted the option for themselves and their sister and Sapphira kept the one intended for her.

I didn't see anyone use one this year but in past makeover challenges, we've seen the baby queens trying them on. The queens don't know the skin tone of their potential makeover partner and wouldn't be expected to bring one to match in that case so I'm guessing production has many.