S01.E06: It's a Five O'Clock Shadow Somewhere!

[davidcalgary29]

The queens fitfully rehash Eva's departure in the wake of the last, underwhelming lipsynch, and mutter about some things while thinking of anything but this competition. It's time for another episode of Global All Stars!

Ru maddeningly continues to channel Tyra by trolling the queens into thinking that they're going on a trip -- only to playfully announce that it's the start of another crappy mini-challenge! This one really isn't any fun, so I'm just going to replay the awesome S5 "quick drag in the dark" skit back in my mind. Done! See, wasn't that much more fun? Here, Tessa wins with her homage to Amanda Tori Meeting. Yay.

Ru then teases our queens with a bunch of alcoholic references, but the days of Jujubee drunkenly grinding to "Black Velvet" are long gone. It's time for another ball! And this one has nothing at all to do with the official episode title, so whatever.

Ru announces that the queens are going to do a fabric swap with each other to create their looks -- they all brought fabric with them -- in the hope that it will spark some fun mayhem. As with much of this season, though, she's wrong, and the segment meanders far too long over Nehellenia's endless tears over receiving Kitty's ugly fabrics. Let's skip to the runway, shall we?

The looks span the spectrum of "okay", which is a problem: no one really bombs this, with makes it boring. And Pythia's garment, which is hands-down the best of the night, is shown pretty much complete at the beginning of the episode, so it has zero drama as she walks it down the runway. Bad editors!

Alyssa, Nehellenia, and Kitty are safe. I hate Kitty's look.

Tessa, Kween, and Pythia are the tops. Pythia is immediately taken out of the running for the win by Michelle, who claims that her excellence is expected. What! Ru hates her styling, and cautions her not to accept paste jewellry from Joslyn Fox. Okay, I'll give her that one. Tessa wins, and waves her ugly boa-ed arm in victory! Whatever.

Vanity's look and styling are the worst. She's safe! Soa and Gala are left to battle it out to an energetic dance number, and it's one of the better lipsynchs this season. Soa loses because her lipsynch outfit is HIDEOUS and should be burned immediately. Congratulations, Gala! Please only do one tumble for your next lipsynch.

Next week: it's The Snatch Game! Will this be as good as S14, or perhaps Canada S4? Lower your expectations, people!

Production still hasn't fixed this season's massive flaws.

Edited September 14 by davidcalgary29

[Starchild]

11 minutes ago, davidcalgary29 said:

I hate Kitty's look.

I'm beginning to hate Kitty. She is not putting her best face on for this competition.

If you have a problem with everyone, then it's probably you that is the problem, but so far I'm not really seeing why everyone seems to hate Nellenia. So she's crying over the fabric she was stuck with because hers was taken away and she doesn't think she can do a good job with it.

So what? She's Italian, Italians are emotional (I know, my partner is Italian). God forbid she get a little emotional around the stiff-upper-lip Anglo-Saxon (I know, I'm a stiff-upper-lip Anglo-Saxon). JFC leave her alone, Kitty. Who's the cow?

[SnapHappy]

Ok, the makeup challenge was pretty fun.  Some of them did really well.  

Nehell has gotten on my last nerve.  The crying was ridiculous.  And I really didn't like that Alyssa got stuck with the crap from Tessa.  They should have made sure the queens had some decent fabric in their bags.  

I really do like Vanity, and like everybody, was surprised she made it through.  She needs to get her head back in the game.  

Pythia's gold thing really didn't say "Cocktail" to me as much as it said "Strip Club".  Or maybe "Holiday Wreath Bow".  

I really don't like Tessa either.  The preening was so unattractive.  

[davidcalgary29]

28 minutes ago, Starchild said:

I'm beginning to hate Kitty. She is not putting her best face on for this competition.

If you have a problem with everyone, then it's probably you that is the problem, but so far I'm not really seeing why everyone seems to hate Nellenia. So she's crying over the fabric she was stuck with because hers was taken away and she doesn't think she can do a good job with it.

So what? She's Italian, Italians are emotional (I know, my partner is Italian). God forbid she get a little emotional around the stiff-upper-lip Anglo-Saxon (I know, I'm a stiff-upper-lip Anglo-Saxon). JFC leave her alone, Kitty. Who's the cow?

This season is doing many things poorly, but its greatest sin is probably its failure to negotiate the queens' drag cultural differences effectively. All of the English-as-a-second (or third) language queens are behaving as they did in their original seasons, where cultural expectations were very different, but are now on this season, which is essentially being run as a US AS tideover, and are unfamiliar with this host and competition format. I don't think that the queens are necessarily at fault here: Kitty is used to being on screen with quick-witted counterparts, and Nehellenia is probably lots of fun a warmer, more supportive environment; those styles just haven't meshed well here, benefitting no one. 

Can you imagine what this season could have been like if Nicky had hosted? Or even Brooke Lynn v. 4.0? Ru's just collecting a paycheck here, and it shows.

Edited September 14 by davidcalgary29

[Starchild]

I'm glad Queen didn't win, not because I don't like her, but because the girls of the Ru-trio are really starting to show their entitlement.

[davidcalgary29]

1 minute ago, Starchild said:

I'm glad Queen didn't win, not because I don't like her, but because the girls of the Ru-trio are really starting to show their entitlement.

Kween and Kitty are entitled; Alyssa is just terrifying as The Converted. Can we test her to see if she hasn't been replaced by one of those creepy "lifelike" animatronics making the rounds in Memeworld? 

She's probably the only reason that I'm sticking around this season at this point. None of the other queens look like they're having any fun. 

[Starchild]

Oh, I adore Alyssa, always have.

[violet and green]

I found that really upsetting when Kitty was repeatedly haughty and incensed with Nehellenia over the fabric, as if she should have been incredibly grateful for inheriting three difficult to sew fabrics, as someone with minimal sewing skills. Contrast with the good-natured exchanges when Alyssa was dismayed by her inheritance of Tessa's sparkly scraps.

I'm not sure why Nehellenia is getting such a hard time from some of the other queens this season, but it is really unpleasant to watch.

The intense expression on Vanity Vain's face as she knelt on the floor and desperately flung together that creation moments before the runway, all bunched up overwhelm and terror, was one of the most human things I've seen on this show in a long time - so it was heartwarming when she escaped the bottom two. 

It's all a bit paint-by-numbers, apart from that, this series. I can guess who'll be leaving each week at the start of the episode, if not before.

[Madding crowd]

Alyssa’s dress was the only one I really liked. I like the queens well enough but this whole season has been boring and I usually fall asleep before the end.

Edited September 14 by Madding crowd

[davidcalgary29]

17 hours ago, violet and green said:

It's all a bit paint-by-numbers, apart from that, this series. I can guess who'll be leaving each week at the start of the episode, if not before.

Gala and Nehellenia are the only remaining contestants who have not won a challenge...and have the weakest English language skills. I've not read any spoilers, and will not do so, but I'd guess that they'll be the next to go based on the decisions Ru has made so far this season.

Edited September 14 by davidcalgary29

[bluvelvet]

I have sympathy for Nelly, I don't know why the other girls treat her like some untalented and unwanted presence.  

Kitty who I really liked in the beginning really turned me off in regards to her comments about Nelly.  Alyssa was also not happy with her fabric but no one got on her back about it. I will admit that Nelly was crying but keeping to herself but Kitty just kept nagging at her.

Very sad to see Soa go, I would have sent Gala. 

I would have given the win to Kween Kong though.

[Kaboom 2.0]

I'm so bummed that Soa is gone, she seems like such a sweet, funny person. I actually liked the mini challenge, was it Kitty that said Tessa looks terrible whether she has ten minutes or two hours to do her makeup? I LOL'd at that.

The expressions on Kitty's face and reactions to Nellehenia opened Kitty's suitcase were hilarious. Nellehenia just seems like a drama queen about everything, not just your taste, Kitty.

I think Alyssa got the shaft wrt the suitcase she ended up with. There is no way Tessa would've won with any other suitcase. I'm hoping Tessa gets the chop next week. 

[nicepebbles]

Kitty is a cow. I liked her at first. Now, not so much. Nelly said she was upset because of her skill level and the type of fabric. No one also considered that it's stressful and she was in her head. During the same episode when Vanity was in hers. All the sympathy she got. Maddening. She was no different from Alyssa that complained multiple times about what she got. I guess because Alyssa is funny it went down better. As well as I think the girls are holding grudges against Nelly from  her comments about some of them not liking her. The emotional intelligence of some of these girls is lacking. 

I liked/loved all the looks. I think Alyssa could've done better. I didn't love it but wanted to. I knew Tessa was going to win as soon as she came out. (Not sure how she won the mini challenge. Maybe I missed the point of it. She looked crazy AF. Maybe that was the point.) I'm so surprised considering her pink dress was terrible. I really liked Vanity's look. I can see why she wasn't in the bottom. To have made that in an hour is crazy. I thought Gala looked good but it was basic to me so I'm not surprised she was in the bottom two.