S07.E10: Prancing Queens

[Tara Ariano]

The queens are challenged to perform a choreographed routine in a live drag dance spectacular; guest judges Alyssa Milano and comedian Rachael Harris.

[editorgrrl]

If the prize this week is Wen cleansing conditioner (Alyssa Milano does their "I'm a Wen girl!" infomercials), at least it's something the winner can use. Unlike Kennedy Davenport's three-year supply of diapers & organic nipple cream from Jessica Alba's "Honest Company."

[Blakeston]

Trixie was better than Ginger in the challenge, on the runway, and in the lip sync.

 

If the rule is that past performances can save you even when you're the worst, then why didn't that apply to Max?

 

Ru should have made this a non-elimination if she was that desperate to save Ginger.

[snowblossom2]

Trixie was better than Ginger in the challenge, on the runway, and in the lip sync.

 

If the rule is that past performances can save you even when you're the worst, then why didn't that apply to Max?

 

Ru should have made this a non-elimination if she was that desperate to save Ginger.

I agree that Trixie was better than Ginger in the challenge and on the runway, but I did think Ginger did better in the LSFYL. I also thought they got the worst dances - country and robot? *rolls eyes*

[Aerobicidal]

I've seen R. Kelly videos more subtle than Pearl's (second!) redemption arc. For that matter, the Chappelle's Show parody of an R. Kelly video was more subtle than Pearl's redemption arc.

 

And if Are You Hot is now a criterion for judging, can we please have Lorenzo Lamas as a guest judge? At least he'd bring train wreck entertainment, although I doubt he'd point out that Michelle's hair is gradually aspiring more and more to serve Christopher "Kid" Reid from Kid and Play realness.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Aerobicidal

[emilyj]

Trixie was better than Ginger in the challenge, on the runway, and in the lip sync.

If the rule is that past performances can save you even when you're the worst, then why didn't that apply to Max?

Ru should have made this a non-elimination if she was that desperate to save Ginger.

I feel like she was desperate to save Kennedy/Pearl (see Michelle's comment about Pearl's redemption or some such - she and Kennedy seemed the same level of bored/boring they always are) and Ginger had a sob story, so Trixie was sacrificed. I can't with this season anymore.

[BloggerAloud]

The only thing less settle than Pearl's redemption arc is the one that they crafted for Violet. But at least this episode she and Katya really turned the party. I was surprised they didn't get as much praise for their voguing because they both really brought in that regard.

 

I feel like Trixie and Ginger were already hamstrung with a terrible mash-up. Plus people always joke that doing the robot on this show always dooms you (Manila, Pandora).

[SteveAC10]

That was one weird episode. All of them were actually pretty good given the parameters of the challenge and the comments and decisions felt arbitrary. Sort of we can't really pick a winner and a loser, so we're going to send the one contestant without a win of her own home and even up the win tally a bit for the rest of them. Part of me thinks it was to fuck with the statistics keepers over at Reddit (who were butt hurt Trixie was eliminated the first time. Were pissed she stayed last week and now are butt hurt she's been eliminated again). I was OK with Violet and Katya winning - but they were the only pair with one win. Now everyone has at least two. They're obviously working extremely hard to avoid telegraphing the final three. I kind of think Violet will shockingly stumble next week and land in the bottom two - since she's the only one who hasn't lip-synced yet.

[JakeyJokes]

If ever there was an episode to not do an elimination, this was it.

 

If I wasn't so RPDR-savvy, I would be hoping someone is paying for Trixie's therapy. However, even before this season started airing, she and Ginger were sharing bills with queens like Detox, Adore, et al. I saw Bianca perform last night and she made a point to tell the audience, "Yes, I won, but we *all* won, because we're all working." Trixie is working because of this show, and that makes me feel better for her.

 

This episode also proved that Kennedy deserves a strong finish (not only did the bitch SLAY, but she kept Pearl in good spirits), Katya/Violet was a surprisingly engaging duo (shoutout to whomever posted that Katya had never joined a clique between the Old Lady Brigade and the Pretty Girl Mafia), and Pearl is really, really good-looking as a dude to the point that it exhausts me.

 

ETA: Willam once, obviously with bias, opined that 6th is the best spot to get cut in because you get ample screen time but don't have to do the music video or get a possibly harsher edit. He name-dropped names before and after him (Jessica Wild, Carmen, Alyssa Edwards, Joslyn Fox). He might not be wrong.

Edited May 5, 2015 by JakeyJokes

[Guiaoshi]

Such a hard challenge, I get why Ginger got overwhelmed with it (play both guy and girl and dance those crazy dance styles).. I was expecting it to be a non elimination taking that no one bombed and on how good wax Ginger X Trixie lip sync. Pearl, for me, is still all about looks.. She looks great but still not performing as well..Would be more fair a double elimination last week and a non-elimination this week. Trixie, once again, went home on a really good lip sync, thats sad. In other hand, shes was still getting outshined on the funny department by other queens like Katya and Ginger so..

Talking about Katya, well deserved win from both Katya and Violet, they did great.

[buttercupia]

I was also hoping against hope for a nonelimination because nobody actually sucked and they all worked their asses off.  Violet was the clear winner because that runway, omg.  Took me back to the original La Cage aux Folles. But it was a super tough challenge and IMO even the justifiable bottom two did well enough to stay.  That must have been an Ongina/Bebe level tough decision, especially since they both slayed the lip synch.

IMO, this season started off badly but has improved steadily since Snatch Game. The challenges are tough, really tough.

[Kaboom 2.0]

I'm bummed that Trixie went home again, I thought Pearl was the worst and this is from someone who posted in the episode one thread something like "I love Pearl! she had me at her deep voiced greeting 'sup'!" Oy. She needs to GO already. For me it seems like RPDR's TPTB want Ginger to win with Pearl or Violet as runner-up.

 

Glad Katya and Violet won the challenge, I thought they slayed it and the runway.

[obagines]

And if Are You Hot is now a criterion for judging, can we please have Lorenzo Lamas as a guest judge? At least he'd bring train wreck entertainment, although I doubt he'd point out that Michelle's hair is gradually aspiring more and more to serve Christopher "Kid" Reid from Kid and Play realness.

 

Kid 'n' Play guest judges please and thank you.

Edited May 5, 2015 by taicraven

[Egg]

Once again Trixie is eliminated when she does the better lip sync. Boo.

 

But I'm glad Katya is still in. I shouted when she and Violet was announced as the winner.

[Blakeston]

 

ETA: Willam once, obviously with bias, opined that 6th is the best spot to get cut in because you get ample screen time but don't have to do the music video or get a possibly harsher edit. He name-dropped names before and after him (Jessica Wild, Carmen, Alyssa Edwards, Joslyn Fox). He might not be wrong.

I know Alyssa and Carmen are getting lots of attention in their post-Drag Race careers. But are Jessica Wild and Joslyn Fox doing especially well? I hope so, because I loved them both.

That must have been an Ongina/Bebe level tough decision, especially since they both slayed the lip synch.

It definitely would have been a tough decision for me to make - almost impossible. But honestly, I doubt Ru considered getting rid of Ginger even for a second.

[shimarella]

This was an interesting concept for a challenge style-wise although I thought the mashup dance concept didnt work quite as well, especially for Trixie and Ginger. They were clearly the bottom two compared to the other two pairs, and even though Trixie brought everything she had to the LSFYL just like the last time, the other girl just nailed the style required much better. I could tell that Ginger ( all purported bias aside) was going to win it. Its too bad. 

 

I thought that Katya, Pearl and Violet were all quite stunning in their looks. They all really stepped it up. 

[Primetimer]

The queens are tasked with choreography and boy drag this week, both of which prove to be more difficult than they seem. Good thing Pearl has a nonsensical mantra to stay chill.

Read the story

[zulualpha]

I was also hoping against hope for a nonelimination because nobody actually sucked and they all worked their asses off.  Violet was the clear winner because that runway, omg.  Took me back to the original La Cage aux Folles. But it was a super tough challenge and IMO even the justifiable bottom two did well enough to stay.  That must have been an Ongina/Bebe level tough decision, especially since they both slayed the lip synch.

IMO, this season started off badly but has improved steadily since Snatch Game. The challenges are tough, really tough.

I don't know what you mean by the original La Cage as I've only seen the Robin Williams/Nathan Lane version, but I thought Violet and Katya were channeling  Victor/Victoria.  It's been a while but I seem to remember a night club scene from that movie where they did a half and half thing very similar to what Violet and Katya did costume wise.

 

This is the first time in forever when I would be happy with any of the remaining 5 queens winning, and I think any one of them could win  They're all special in their own way and they're a nice group together.  Even Ginger won me over with her one liners this week.  Trixie: "I got this, I do yoga", Ginger: "I do frozen yoga" and - Kennedy: "Pearl is like James Dean" , Ginger:"I'm Jimmy Dean, the sausage".   Love all these queens.

 

That said, they're going to have to create a new category for Pearl, Miss QueenEverybodyWantsToHaveSexWith.  Check out untucked to watch Kennedy totally cop to lusting after Pearl, since day one no less.  She's only saying what everyone else is thinking.

[goodbyeglittergirl]

Sorry to see Trixie exit again. I thought she was honestly better than Ginger in every way this week. This is the first season ever, though, where I really don't give a damn about who wins. 

[SFoster21]

I don't know what you mean by the original La Cage as I've only seen the Robin Williams/Nathan Lane version, but I thought Violet and Katya were channeling Victor/Victoria. It's been a while but I seem to remember a night club scene from that movie where they did a half and half thing very similar to what Violet and Katya did costume wise.

This is the first time in forever when I would be happy with any of the remaining 5 queens winning, and I think any one of them could win They're all special in their own way and they're a nice group together. Even Ginger won me over with her one liners this week. Trixie: "I got this, I do yoga", Ginger: "I do frozen yoga" and - Kennedy: "Pearl is like James Dean" , Ginger:"I'm Jimmy Dean, the sausage". Love all these queens.

That said, they're going to have to create a new category for Pearl, Miss QueenEverybodyWantsToHaveSexWith. Check out untucked to watch Kennedy totally cop to lusting after Pearl, since day one no less. She's only saying what everyone else is thinking.

I sure am and I'm an elderly female without a hope.

[Guiaoshi]

Wow, they really seem really clueless about who was in the bottom 2.. Katya totally thinking it would be her, Trixie thinking the Katya would be in the bottom with Ginger and that she could win the challenge! 

[SteveAC10]

 

Trixie thinking the Katya would be in the bottom with Ginger and that she could win the challenge!

For some reason Trixie seems to have limited self awareness when it comes to judging her own performances. Truly, she has rarely passed competent. That said - I think the placements last night were largely determined by the dances they were given. Trixie and Ginger had no chance at all to wow on the runway having to dress for a hoedown - and You can vamp up a Charleston or a tango and make it entertaining pretty easily (and both can go with Deco glam for both the male and female sides).

[Kat]

 

I thought Violet and Katya were channeling  Victor/Victoria.  It's been a while but I seem to remember a night club scene from that movie where they did a half and half thing very similar to what Violet and Katya did costume wise.

Katya and Violet's dance performance totally brought to mind the nightclub act from Victor/Victoria!

 

I thought the judging and the results were spot on this week,  which is rare. And I have adopted "Flah - Zay- Dah" permanently into my daily speech. I even used it in a meeting this afternoon.

[CraftyHazel]

 That said, they're going to have to create a new category for Pearl, Miss QueenEverybodyWantsToHaveSexWith.  Check out untucked to watch Kennedy totally cop to lusting after Pearl, since day one no less.  She's only saying what everyone else is thinking.

Pearl is a good looking man, but as a queen, she leaves me cold. And if I was going to grab one of these queens to have a little fun with, Katya is more my type. Something about boy Katya (not wearing that dreadful jacket in talking heads, though!) melts my butter. She's a gorgeous queen, too.

[editorgrrl]

Something about boy Katya (not wearing that dreadful jacket in talking heads, though!) melts my butter. She's a gorgeous queen, too.

Don't you mean "floods your basement"?

When did they start requiring the queens to look exactly the same for every TH? I know it enables the editing monkeys to mix & match with abandon, but I am so sick of Katya's technicolor dreamcoat—and Violet's man-bun.

[vrocotamy]

Don't you mean "floods your basement"?

When did they start requiring the queens to look exactly the same for every TH? I know it enables the editing monkeys to mix & match with abandon, but I am so sick of Katya's technicolor dreamcoat—and Violet's man-bun.

 

I think it was in Season 5.

[micat]

I thought that Trixie's look was really bad tonight, and I think it was because the way she does her lashes. Since she places the bottom lash the way she does, it made her girl eye appear to be about a half inch lower on her face than her boy eye. Everyone else appeared more symmetrical, and therefore better IMO. I thought the challenge was great, and the looks, while unnerving, were intriguing. Except for Trixie IMO.

 

To me, Trixie had no chance in hell of ever taking home the crown, whereas Ginger definitely does have a chance to win, so I am okay with the result.

Edited May 6, 2015 by micat

[whyjoshua]

ETA: Willam once, obviously with bias, opined that 6th is the best spot to get cut in because you get ample screen time but don't have to do the music video or get a possibly harsher edit. He name-dropped names before and after him (Jessica Wild, Carmen, Alyssa Edwards, Joslyn Fox). He might not be wrong.

Honest question: why would it be better not to do the video?

[Pallida]

I thought that Trixie's look was really bad tonight, and I think it was because the way she does her lashes. Since she places the bottom lash the way she does, it made her girl eye appear to be about a half inch lower on her face than her boy eye. 

 

Thank you for posting this!  I knew something was really irking me, and this was exactly what was going on.

[djlynch]

I'm glad to see I wasn't the only person who thought it should have been a non-elimination this week, but it seemed pretty obvious that they couldn't do that because they already burned their opportunity for that kind of a gimmick by saving Trixie the first time.

Also, was anyone else having trouble watching the end of the episode? I really liked the boy drag (butching it up in full-on boy drag ought to be a challenge sometime) and the half and half effect was really interesting for a little while, but it was kind of breaking my brain seeing two different faces on the same person for the entire last fifteen minutes.

[Zuleikha]

This was a hard one to watch because no one did poorly. But I thought Ginger/Trixie were clearly the worst ones. Ginger's nerves showed on her face and Trixie, unfortunately, just seems blah. Kennedy really helped elevate Pearl's game (although Pearl brought it with her performance quality... man, she gave great face when she showered the money!), but Trixie was just sort of there alongside Ginger.

 

Katya/Violet were the obvious standouts to me. They were smart with how their outfits coordinated and probably a little lucky that the tango/vogue meshed so well. I was mesmerized by them and did not want their dance to end.

 

I think Ginger won the lipsync the moment she crawled in between Trixie's leg. It reminded me of the Raja/Carmen lip sync when Raja planted the kiss on Carmen. Obviously, the vibe was different, but it was the same kind of just taking control of the stage and the moment. 

 

The general sentiment seems to be that this season is lacking, but I have to say I am invested in all the remaining queens. There is no one I want to see go home. The next elimination is going to suck. I don't even have a top 3 much less a winner. I want them all to win. 

[luckyroll3]

The dance challenge was awful. I kinda of wish every team had to do the tango, because I would have liked to see each of their takes on the male/female tango drag combo.

[Sile]

 I really liked the boy drag (butching it up in full-on boy drag ought to be a challenge sometime) 

 

They had a challenge in Season 2 where they had to marry themselves.  So they got dressed as both the bride and groom and the pictures were photoshopped together.  I think this might have been the week when Tyra hot glued lace directly on to her leg.

 

I seem to recall most of them making much more convincing brides than grooms.  But I suppose you have a lot more freedom to create with makeup, it always amazes me how some men whose faces are kind of painful to look at are absolutely gorgeous when they slap on some paint (Chad and Alyssa are the standouts here).

Edited May 6, 2015 by Sile

[vrocotamy]

So...we get one of the few (if perhaps only) challenges - and perhaps the most difficult performance challenge ever on the show - with only good to great results in RuPaul's Drag Race's worst season yet? This makes me think that either the queens this season are simply prepared to try harder or that the issue with S7 is the hitherto terrible challenge design, not the cast. Seasons 2-6 were more entertaining than S7, but just imagine how bad some of the results would have been if this challenge were executed with the final six in a few of the previous seasons. The closest challenge I could think of to this one was the sister-act challenge with the final six in S4; none of the teams were terrible in that challenge, but only Latrice and Willam stood out, and that whole episode was a set-up for the suspense around a Phi Phi-Sharon elimination.

 

I do agree that the form of the tango gave Violet and Katya an advantage and Ginger and Trixie got the short end of the stick with the country-robot. Visuals are an important part of any choreographed dance, and the linear, lateral forms of the tango really dramatized the male-female split effectively. I think Ginger and Trixie were only as campy or jokey (or whatever they were) as their material called for. Trixie is a former alt-country singer as a boy and Ginger is from the "country", so perhaps production thought it would be fitting...or a good trap, in that they would be tempted to go for low camp and then dinged for it? Violet and Katya had the clear advantage insofar as they're the only two queens who sew all their own garments and insofar as they both have experience with kinetic expression, as an (amateur) aerialist in Violet's case and an (amateur) gymnast in Katya's case.

 

I agree with the many who said Trixie was eliminated less on the quality of her performance - given the uniformly high quality of the performances - than on having the overall weakest record in the competition. And I hate to agree with Violet, but if you're sent home and return, you really need to prove to the judges that you were worth their investment...and Trixie didn't. To be perfectly honest, Trixie seems perfectly nice and all, but I don't get the fuss over her. She talks incessantly about herself as a sewing, dancing, acting, riotously funny triple (or quadruple threat), but the most she's ever delivered was in the Glamazonian Airways challenge, which was entirely lip-syncing. There's a lot of outcry on Reddit right now about how Trixie's elimination this week was the "most unfair ever" - they believe Ginger was both worse in her performance and her lip-sync - but I'm not sure why they expect fairness from RPDR (have they been watching the same show as me for seven seasons?), and Ruduction was clearly not going to send home Ginger at this stage in the game, not with three wins and a virtually flawless track record up to the Conjoined Twins challenge. And Trixie really had no record to speak of. Trixie's slavish fandom puzzles me even more than Pearl's, frankly. Also, I think Ginger's lip-sync to "Show Me Love" was very good. Sometimes, less is more in a lip sync, when it's consistently high energy and focused.  

Edited May 6, 2015 by vrocotamy

[vrocotamy]

They had a challenge in Season 2 where they had to marry themselves.  So they got dressed as both the bride and groom and the pictures were photoshopped together.  I think this might have been the week when Tyra hot glued lace directly on to her leg.

 

I seem to recall most of them making much more convincing brides than grooms.  But I suppose you have a lot more freedom to create with makeup, it always amazes me how some men whose faces are kind of painful to look at are absolutely gorgeous when they slap on some paint (Chad and Alyssa are the standouts here).

 

Chad has been mutated by plastic surgery, including botched plastic surgery. He was a rather ordinary looking guy prior to all that, so it's not quite a fair comparison. Alyssa, conversely, has extremely strange features for a man that read as very pretty on a woman. He (Justin) has huge eyes with a broad forehead and virtually no chin or lower face bone structure to speak of, but it all works out well when painted. Jinkx is, quite frankly, a very homely man as Jerick who makes a stunning, delicately feminine woman. All that said, it's a truism that conventionally good-looking men don't make good-looking queens, but there are a few counter examples, most notably Raven. 

[EmZeeGee]

I think Ginger won the lipsync the moment she crawled in between Trixie's leg. It reminded me of the Raja/Carmen lip sync when Raja planted the kiss on Carmen. Obviously, the vibe was different, but it was the same kind of just taking control of the stage and the moment.

Hmmm..... the leg crawl sort of rubbed me the wrong way. I got a much more Mimi vs. India Farrah vibe than a Carmen vs. Raja vibe from it. It looked like Trixie was interrupted. Her flow was broken by Ginger's intrusion. I thought Ginger won the lipsync before that moment and she has a much better track record than middling Trixie, so I didn't care, but I definitely thought it was taking control in a rude way than a pussy on fiyah! fashion.

[SteveAC10]

 

There's a lot of outcry on Reddit right now about how Trixie's elimination this week was the "most unfair ever"

I find it's best to keep out of there for a day or two after one of their favorites is eliminated (or even places low). Many of the posters over there treat viewing Drag Race like my younger brother views football. It's a life or death situation that must be analyzed, surveyed, tabulated and discussed ad nauseum - 24 hours a day 365 days a year. They stalk the queens' social media and slo-mo promos and episodes for both GIFS and clues. By Wednesday or Thursday they have largely moved on to some other outrage and have calmed down about the episode itself.

Edited May 6, 2015 by SteveAC10

[xingcat]

 

And I hate to agree with Violet, but if you're sent home and return, you really need to prove to the judges that you were worth their investment...and Trixie didn't. To be perfectly honest, Trixie seems perfectly nice and all, but I don't get the fuss over her. She talks incessantly about herself as a sewing, dancing, acting, riotously funny triple (or quadruple threat), but the most she's ever delivered was in the Glamazonian Airways challenge, which was entirely lip-syncing.

 

Yeah, I kept waiting for Trixie to do....something...anything to prove just how hilarious and talented she is, and she just kind of didn't. She's a decent enough middle-of-the-road queen, but with Katya and Ginger being so whip-smart and quick with their comedy, Violet's ability to move and Violet and Pearl's great looks, the only real slot open would be for an out-there type of queen (Max) or someone who just consistently gives it her all, even if she's not suited to most of the challenges (Kennedy).

 

I went on YouTube to try to find evidence of Trixie being an amazing queen off the show, but she doesn't seem to shine any brighter than anyone else, especially if you look at the consistently wonderful "RuGrets" and "RuFlections" from Katya. Trixie should be milking her elimination for all its worth by shutting down the house on YouTube, but she doesn't even really do anything there.

[Dirtybubble]

 

All that said, it's a truism that conventionally good-looking men don't make good-looking queens, but there are a few counter examples, most notably Raven.

 

And Raja & Courtney as well--both attractive as a men and women.  But I guess it depends on what kind of queen you are and your makeup skills.  I'm not an makeup artist but I've read there are lots of ways to conture and shade a strong jawline or masculine nose to make yourself appear more feminine.  *shrug*

So...we get one of the few (if perhaps only) challenges - and perhaps the most difficult performance challenge ever on the show - with only good to great results in RuPaul's Drag Race's worst season yet? This makes me think that either the queens this season are simply prepared to try harder or that the issue with S7 is the hitherto terrible challenge design, not the cast. Seasons 2-6 were more entertaining than S7, but just imagine how bad some of the results would have been if this challenge were executed with the final six in a few of the previous seasons.

All good points!  This challenge just seemed more difficult to me.  I can't imagine anyone, except a professional dancer, being successful at a Charleston/Twerk dance or a Country/Robot dance--I mean what in the hell does those styles of dancing have in common much less asking a queen to perform this with very little prep time?

 

Enh to Trixie leaving again.  She was a much better choice than previous seasons like Carmen or whatever that queen's name was from S4 and certainly a better choice than someone like Kandy Ho coming back so I can't be too upset with it.  But yeah I think the viewing audience got whipped up into a frenzy when she was eliminated so early and expected so much from her when she came back.  I to don't remember anything particularly great about her performance skills while she was there the 1st time but she was a nice enough queen and a pleasure to watch so no harm done. 

 

[zulualpha]

This season is entertaining as hell to me.  For once I don't have the winner figured out, love all the queens and untucked is great! as is boot and toot with Raja and Raven.  It seems like the producers have taken a step back from creating artificial drama and storylines.  Not saying there's no editing for effect but the show seems to be letting the queens be themselves and let the chips fall where they may.  More like seasons 1-3, less like seasons 4-6.  No amped up "rivalries", no Jinxx falling asleep once and having the show make a trope of it, and not as many "tender family moments" on untucked.  Just a lot less producer driven shenanigans and I love it. 

[vrocotamy]

 

 

And Raja & Courtney as well--both attractive as a men and women.  But I guess it depends on what kind of queen you are and your makeup skills.  I'm not an makeup artist but I've read there are lots of ways to conture and shade a strong jawline or masculine nose to make yourself appear more feminine.  *shrug*

All good points!  This challenge just seemed more difficult to me.  I can't imagine anyone, except a professional dancer, being successful at a Charleston/Twerk dance or a Country/Robot dance--I mean what in the hell does those styles of dancing have in common much less asking a queen to perform this with very little prep time?

 

Enh to Trixie leaving again.  She was a much better choice than previous seasons like Carmen or whatever that queen's name was from S4 and certainly a better choice than someone like Kandy Ho coming back so I can't be too upset with it.  But yeah I think the viewing audience got whipped up into a frenzy when she was eliminated so early and expected so much from her when she came back.  I to don't remember anything particularly great about her performance skills while she was there the 1st time but she was a nice enough queen and a pleasure to watch so no harm done. 

 

 

I think there were a few queens this season who generated a lot of excitement because of their look, concept or quip - namely Max, Mrs. Kasha Davis, and Trixie - who either turned out not to deliver what they seemed to promise (or in Trixie's case, explicitly promised), or be pushed out of the way for walking memes like Miss Fame or Pearl. As said, I like Trixie (and her look), but I'm even more puzzled by her cult-like following than Pearl's.

 

Ginger drawing herself into a corner this episode demonstrated, for me, what this season's queens share in common to differentiate them from those of other seasons, with the exception of Katya and maybe Kennedy. Their consistency is in their conviction to being one-sided, or their anxiety in departing from areas they know themselves to have expertise in. To be clear, I've generally been against "Aryan Airlines" and the preeminent importance they place on look for look's sake, and I think performance talent is the basis of a great drag queen. That said, Ginger clamming up and portending her own failure in dancing and design challenges ironically reminds me of Miss Fame's complaints about the performance challenges this season, or Roxxxy, Coco, and Alyssa complaining about all the "comedy" challenges in Season 5. Ginger has presumably seen six seasons of the show and knows that styling, design, and dancing are all part of the competition, particularly in the last few challenges. I wasn't able to articulate it completely until this episode, but what puts Ginger just below the mature low-camp comedy or shock queens who slayed in the past three seasons - Jinkx, Alaska, Bianca, and Sharon - is a lot of reticence (or fear) around attacking challenges outside her wheelhouse and the lack of an ability to use striking costume and styling to communicate character. The visual component is important in drag, as much as in low-camp comedy or shock drag as in high-camp pageant drag. Ginger seems to avoid really embracing the visual component of drag out of a lack of confidence in her body, although overweight queens like Delta or Darienne who use costume both effectively and spectacularly to communicate character should prove to her body size doesn't have to be a limit. Honestly, Katya is the only queen this season who uses costume in a clever way to communicate her particular "80% sexy, 20% disgusting" character. My favorite queens from the show have been able to convey their character(s) as much visually as through performance, and Katya's really the only one this season who satisfies that criterion. It's arguable with Kennedy, but I think Kennedy's strength is really all in performance.

Edited May 7, 2015 by vrocotamy

[Blakeston]

I really wish Trixie had just made it to the final 5 or 6 without the whole kicked-off/brought-back business.

 

There was no way she should have been in the bottom 2 in the episode where she first sashayed. And I'm more convinced than ever that she slayed Pearl in that lip sync, now that we know that standing there and waving her arms is just what Pearl does (rather than her intentionally displaying a punk rock mentality).

 

I was glad they brought her back. But with her being brough back, it led to this mentality of, "When is Trixie going to prove how supposedly brilliant she is?"

 

And I don't think it's fair to expect her to be at the same level as, say, Katya and Ginger. People seemed really disappointed that she was only the fourth best in the John Waters challenge. I'd say that coming in fourth out of the top seven is pretty great for someone who originally didn't even make the top nine.

 

If she had just stuck around longer and then sashayed around this time, I think people would be a lot less inclined to see her as a disappointment. I'd say this was right around the time she deserved to go - talent-wise I'd put Katya, Violet, Ginger, Kennedy and maybe Max ahead of her.

Edited May 6, 2015 by Blakeston

[vrocotamy]

I really wish Trixie had just made it to the final 5 or 6 without the whole kicked-off/brought-back business.

 

There was no way she should have been in the bottom 2 in the episode where she first sashayed. And I'm more convinced than ever that she slayed Pearl in that lip sync, now that we know that standing there and waving her arms is just what Pearl does (rather than her intentionally displaying a punk rock mentality).

 

I was glad they brought her back. But with her being brough back, it led to this mentality of, "When is Trixie going to prove how supposedly brilliant she is?"

 

And I don't think it's fair to expect her to be at the same level as, say, Katya and Ginger. People seemed really disappointed that she was only the fourth best in the John Waters challenge. I'd say that coming in fourth out of the top seven is pretty great for someone who originally didn't even make the top nine.

 

If she had just stuck around longer and then sashayed around this time, I think people would be a lot less inclined to see her as a disappointment. I'd say this was right around the time she deserved to go - talent-wise I'd put Katya, Violet, Ginger, Kennedy and maybe Max ahead of her.

 

It's a good point that people wouldn't have been as disappointed with Trixie (or had as high expectations) if Trixie had been eliminated at the proper place in the competition. It's entirely possible Trixie might have combusted at another point during filming, but I think that talent-wise she's around 6th, behind the queens you mentioned. I listened to Michelle and Ru's most recent podcast, and they discussed the "Justice 4 Trixie" phenomenon extensively. Apparently, Ru and Michelle thought Pearl embodied Debbie Harry. However, the night after the elimination, Ru talked to Debbie Harry and Mark Stein (who wrote "Dreaming"), who are both super-fans of RPDR, and they far preferred Trixie's interpretation. I think Ru's story about the elimination is only a half-truth and Pearl was saved to create a story arc (something of which Pearl seems very conscious in saying "the story has come full circle" and whatnot), but that's a whole other gig...

 

I think that due to the poor challenge design of the first half of the season - resulting in challenges where no one did specifically well - and an overall rise in the cast's talent level, there have been a number of eliminations that didn't seem to make any sense. This explains, for me, why Kandy Ho stayed so long. Miss Fame and Pearl were saved for storyline purposes, and Max didn't play the reality TV game well and made a number of very, very bad decisions. For the first half of the season, you can re-think the logic behind the bottom two for any given episode pretty easily, which then would change the elimination order for the whole season. Here's a brief exercise in it.

 

1. Born Naked: Kandy Ho vs. Tempest. Tempest eliminated.

2. Glamazonian Airways: Katya vs. Miss Fame. Miss Fame eliminated. This, of course, would mean that producers didn't want to protect Miss Fame and her inability to perform...

3. ShakesQueer: Jasmine vs. Kennedy. Jasmine eliminated.

4. Spoof! There It is: Pearl vs. Trixie. Pearl eliminated.

5. The DESPY Awards: Sasha Belle vs. Kandy Ho. Sasha Belle eliminated (this is pure speculation, of course...)

6. Ru Hollywood Stories: Jaidynn vs. Kandy Ho. Kandy Ho eliminated.

 

This would leave Max, Mrs. Kasha Davis, Jaidynn, Kennedy, Trixie, Ginger, Violet, and Katya as Snatch Game contestants. My guess is that Max would still be eliminated in the Snatch Game, and then might have returned in the next episode, with Jaidynn eliminated.

 

You could also re-do the eliminations from Snatch Game onwards by having Miss Fame lip-sync against Max and Miss Fame being sent home (the invariable result of Fame lip-syncing). Trixie would still probably have returned in Conjoined Queens. The big difference would be that Pearl would have been eliminated in Divine Inspiration if Miss Fame had no longer been present, probably in a lip-sync against Violet, leaving the final six as, as you said, Max, Violet, Trixie, Katya, Ginger, and Kennedy.

[Kostgard]

And I hate to agree with Violet, but if you're sent home and return, you really need to prove to the judges that you were worth their investment...and Trixie didn't.

Exactly. Bringing someone back is inherently a little unfair because unless they were just eliminated, they've been taking a break at home or in a hotel somewhere, recharging their creative batteries while everyone else is still stressed from hustling straight through all the challenges that happened while the returnee was taking a break. So middle of the pack isn't going to cut it. You need to blow the judges away, and Trixie didn't.

And Trixie basically blaming Ginger for her elimination? Uh, no. If you were as awesome as you thought you were, they would have saved Ginger because of you, not the other way around. We've seen high-performing contestants declared "safe" rather than winning because they were paired with a crappy partner, and we've seen crappy contestants survive because they were teamed with a strong performer, but we've never seen a stellar performer go home because of their partner.

I can't decide who should go next. I think Pearl is the weakest, but RuPaul/the show/all the contestants have a boner for her, so she may stay. But of the young, pretty girls, I think Violet is the stronger performer. Ginger keeps shooting herself in the foot, but she's still one of the stronger performers. Same with Katya. Kennedy still doesn't do it for me, but she has been consistent.

[JakeyJokes]

 

The visual component is important in drag, as much as in low-camp comedy or shock drag as in high-camp pageant drag. Ginger seems to avoid really embracing the visual component of drag out of a lack of confidence in her body, although overweight queens like Delta or Darienne who use costume both effectively and spectacularly to communicate character should prove to her body size doesn't have to be a limit.

 

This is a good point. Darienne was fourth in a VERY GOOD top four (if not five), but I don't think she gets credit for never using her weight as an excuse. She never had any hang-ups about it and was always comfortable presenting a sexy, feminine character.

[rozen]

Honest question: why would it be better not to do the video?

 

Willam is all about her money, and I doubt the cut from shooting a Ru video for the show is very good. And she can actually sing, so it's not like it's her only chance at a youtube hit, etc. 

 

Country/robot gives you basically nothing to work with. There are no easy, iconic, moves you can do with either of those like you can the tango or vougeing. Twerking has higher camp factor, which is what Pearl should have been going for. Over-the-top stiff white bitch trying to twerk would have had the judges rolling. I liked Ginger's lip-sync better because she pretty deftly switched between Latrice-feelin-this-shit and Manila-crazy-eyes. Trixie stayed goofy just about the whole time, it just showed less range (to me). Imo, Trixie is pretty clearly a mediocre queen who got eliminated a few spots too early. It's quite possible that if she'd been around for Snatch Game, she would have killed it and been able to ride that high for a few more episodes. But they didn't afford her that opportunity. Mrs Kasha Davis showed more spunk during her Joan Rivers impersonation for the mini challenge than Trixie ever did. 

 

I guess RuPaul is feeling the S1 throwbacks. Poor Katya. The judges refuse to get her, it's like Tammie Brown all over again. Well, not quite as bad, since they've actually given her a win. And Pearl is the reincarnation of Rebecca Glasscock. 

 

I thought the judges' dinging of Kennedy was stupid. She was pretty clearly reigning herself in to make the team more cohesive so they'd have a better chance of winning. I thought she walked the line between keeping at least a little in step with Pearl and turning it out.

 

I totally understood the "hot douche" comment for Katya's drag. And Violet's comment that he was the dude you wouldn't admit having sex with. I didn't think he had it in him.

Edited May 7, 2015 by rozen

[snakenax]

Personally, given Trixie was going to do Rupaul for Snatch Game I doubt she would have done well. Probably not crashing and burning. But the top four of the Snatch Game this season were all fairly strong and very realized. I have severe doubts about Trixie's ability to do the same with Rupaul, who is a hard choice to begin with and really requires quickfire wit, which IMO seemed to be missing from Trixie's toolbox. Honestly with what i've seen of Trixie off the show on Youtube, she's not really as comedically talented as she claims, but then drag comedy trends towards the extremely edgy and she seems very stuck on a 'pure as driven '50s snow' kind of character.

[snowblossom2]

Personally, given Trixie was going to do Rupaul for Snatch Game I doubt she would have done well. Probably not crashing and burning. But the top four of the Snatch Game this season were all fairly strong and very realized. I have severe doubts about Trixie's ability to do the same with Rupaul, who is a hard choice to begin with and really requires quickfire wit, which IMO seemed to be missing from Trixie's toolbox. Honestly with what i've seen of Trixie off the show on Youtube, she's not really as comedically talented as she claims, but then drag comedy trends towards the extremely edgy and she seems very stuck on a 'pure as driven '50s snow' kind of character.

She was going to do RuPaul? Where did you read that? I thought she was going to do Anne Frank

[snakenax]

She was going to do RuPaul? Where did you read that? I thought she was going to do Anne Frank

Her post-show interview with Michelle Visage, Anne Frank was her original idea the producers slapped down.

[zulualpha]

In what universe is Anne Frank a good choice for a comedic performance.  I'm starting to think Trixie is not the sharpest tool in the shed.