S08.E07: Shady Politics

[heckkitty]

Thorrrgggyyy!!!! Noooo!.  Love Chi Chi too though, and she deserved the win. Thorgy totally knew it too, I loved how she held up ChiChi's hand at the end.  She knew.  It makes sense now why they've been trying hard to edit Thorgy as a bitter bitch, but I've also been noticing that they'll show her bitching about Bob or someone else, and then in the corner of the screen i' see her offering support etc. to the same person she was just slamming.  One of the few times when you can really see the editing at work.

[sugarbaker design]

Tom and Lorenzo point out that this isn't really a reality competition show, it's a variety show. RuPaul is the only judge and chooses his winner based on his own logic, not rules that have been posted and agreed upon.

 

 

I didn't know reality competition show criteria lies in the number of judges?  It's still a reality competition show, even with one judge, despite what Tom and Lorenzo say (I have no idea who they are!).  Is it fair and impartial?  Absolutely not!

 

I loved Thorgy, but her shady ad had no shade and ChiChi killed AIATYING!

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

RuPaul's Drag Race Votes On A Queen of America
And she has a better wig than Donald Trump.

[Dirtybubble]

Derrick Who Is Too Famous To Fail, to me. Snore.

 

I can tell you I am not looking forward to next week listening to Derrick strut around like a peacock, thinking she is threat simply because she won the previous challenge.  And I am not getting the love for her runway look.  She turned a black dress into a white dress.  So what?  She had the same bland makeup and hair.  *yawn*

[cpcathy]

I have a heavy heart. I'll miss Thorgy. Thorgy, please come back when Ru brings yet another contestant back to the competition, and then come in second to Bob, because we all know that's going to happen.

[OnceSane]

Chi Chi killed it in that LSFYL! I could see Throgy trying to upstage her, but Chi Chi brushed her off and kept slaying. I had tears. Just wonderful.

And as much as I'm not a a Derrick fan, he and Bob deserved that win. Their ads were the best of the bunch, and far superior to the rest.

I want Double Chi & Bob as the final three.

[DearEvette]

I can tell you I am not looking forward to next week listening to Derrick strut around like a peacock, thinking she is threat simply because she won the previous challenge.  And I am not getting the love for her runway look.  She turned a black dress into a white dress.  So what?  She had the same bland makeup and hair.  *yawn*

 

Then save yourself some agita and don't watch Untucked.  Derrick was insufferable in her smugness.  It is so funny how she is bitter when she is threatened or was nasty to Bob or Chi Chi when she thought she'd be in the B2 the past weeks.  But when she wins then she can be magnanimous as hell and TeamBob!. 

 

But the other queens were super shady on her dress.  So maybe, do watch it.  LOL.

 

Bob also won Untucked, imo.  First she was hysterical telling a Thorgy story about a time when they were working together.  And then she became the Lip Sync whisperer, telling Kim Chi the story of Effie's emotional state  from Dreamgirls and how to sell the song. 

 

Really impressive is that Chi Chi didn't think she'd be B2, not really, so you don't see her  practicing the song.  So that makes her Lip Sync all the more epic. 

 

Thorgy's exit was great.  I think she tanked it, but I will miss her and am super sorry that Derrick is still here.

[Nerdlove]

@sugarbaker design -- I could have been more clear in my comment. I never meant to say that the number of judges is directly proportional to the fair-ness of a competition. What I meant was this: 1. More judges makes it at least a tiny bit more fair, because it has a way of smoothing out little dips and valleys caused by favoritism and random antipathies. Ru being the only judge of this competition is a key element of how subjective and arbitrary it is. 2. In a real competition, there should be a pre-explained rubric. You know what you need to do to win, you understand why you lose. The only rubric on RuPaul is Creativity, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent, but that is all so inherently subjective. Ultimately, it's a show in which the queens strut their stuff to get Ru to like them, and Ru picks the one he likes best. There is no rubric other than "what does Ru like?" End of story. I used to get frustrated with some of Ru's decisions because they seemed unfair. But I mean, is it unfair when someone prefers strawberry ice cream to butter pecan? It's just a preference, and that's fine. So Ru's preferences happen to carry a lot of weight, but it's his show, and the purpose of the show is to a) promote Ru and his career b) promote drag culture c) promote individual drag queens who Ru likes and d)have a lot of fun, maybe even in that order! :) So ultimately, I think you and I do agree on the main points. We agree that the concept of fairness doesn't quite apply here. That's the reason that I don't think "competition" is the best name for what's going on.

Also, I didn't mean to hold out Tom and Lorenzo as authorities -- I just didn't want to steal their analysis and present it as my own, even though I agree with it thoroughly. And while I'm surprised that anyone who reads this forum doesn't know about them yet, I'm so glad that I can introduce you to them! Tom and Lorenzo are a pair of lovely, funny bloggers who I've been following for over a decade now. They got famous blogging about Project Runway, then branched out into fashion and reality TV in general, then just TV and fashion in general, then honed in on fashion. They also wrote a book, if anyone is interested in that sort of thing.

Here is one post they wrote up on this season: http://tomandlorenzo.com/2016/03/rworking-rupauls-drag-race-season-8-episode-3/. But they don't usually write posts about RuPaul anymore (they explain that after a decade of writing about reality TV they kind of ran out of words) but they still talk about the show in their podcast. Here is a link to the podcast -- they usually talk about RuPaul for the first 15 minutes of most episodes, it's kind of random. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id980669909. And here is a link to archived posts they wrote up about RuPaul http://tomandlorenzo.com/?s=RuPaul . If anyone out there is like me and ends up spending more time talking/reading/youtube-watching about each episode than you do actually watching the actual show, this should be a treasure trove. I have a bookmark folder called "RuPaul rounds" that is a link to every place I visit after the show. It's kind of absurd. :) (I love the recaps and forums on this site too, obviously! This forum is so nice and the recaps are fast, fun, and smart.)

Edited April 19, 2016 by Nerdlove

[Ananayel]

I adore Thorgy, but that was the right call. And she knew it too. I'm sure we'll see her again though, so I'm not worried.

 

Before the season started, either Logo's or World of Wonder's Youtube channel had clips of all the girls from a bus tour they had them do to promote the season. It was clear that Thorgy and Bob are very good friends, and they all got along quite well. So I side-eye the heavy-handed editing, but if everyone gets along, what else are they going to do?

 

This challenge was genius, because in order for each person to make their ad the best it could be, they had to give their competitor a real chance to shine, something to sink their teeth into. Bob/Derrick excelled at it, Naomi/Kim Chi got the gist but couldn't quite carry it off, and Thorgy lost it all inside her head. We saw Derrick eating babies, Bob robbing terrified nearly-naked people cartoon villian-style, and Chi Chi handing out food to the less fortunate - that's it! That's not shade, or even shade-adjacent.

 

This time last year, I was sure Ginger had it in the bag. So while I think a Bob win is likely, I'm not sure enough to wager on it. Ru could still throw us a curveball.

[Dirtybubble]

 

Before the season started, either Logo's or World of Wonder's Youtube channel had clips of all the girls from a bus tour they had them do to promote the season. It was clear that Thorgy and Bob are very good friends, and they all got along quite well. So I side-eye the heavy-handed editing, but if everyone gets along, what else are they going to do?

 

Well you also have to remember that this was filmed last year.  There probably was some grumbling from Thorgles about BOB but holy cow there has to be some serious hate to hold on to that this long.  If I had to take an educated guess I would say yeah Thorgy was probably miffed and add lack of sleep with stress of the competition along with screw editing you get what we saw.  As someone on Project Runway once said you can only edit OUT a bad behavior never edit in so enh.  Water under the bridge now so it's all good.

 

I could have been more clear in my comment. I never meant to say that the number of judges is directly proportional to the fair-ness of a competition. What I meant was this: 1. More judges makes it at least a tiny bit more fair, because it has a way of smoothing out little dips and valleys caused by favoritism and random antipathies. Ru being the only judge of this competition is a key element of how subjective and arbitrary it is. 2. In a real competition, there should be a pre-explained rubric. You know what you need to do to win, you understand why you lose. The only rubric on RuPaul is Creativity, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent, but that is all so inherently subjective. Ultimately, it's a show in which the queens strut their stuff to get Ru to like them, and Ru picks the one he likes best. There is no rubric other than "what does Ru like?" End of story. I used to get frustrated with some of Ru's decisions because they seemed unfair. But I mean, is it unfair when someone prefers strawberry ice cream to butter pecan? It's just a preference, and that's fine. So Ru's preferences happen to carry a lot of weight, but it's his show, and the purpose of the show is to a) promote Ru and his career b) promote drag culture c) promote individual drag queens who Ru likes and d)have a lot of fun, maybe even in that order! :) So ultimately, I think you and I do agree on the main points here. We agree that the concept of fairness doesn't quite apply here. That's the reason that I don't think "competition" is the best name for what's going on here.

 

To also quote TLo you take comfort knowing that ALL these queens are going to see their careers advance because of this show.  How many queens have we seen in past seasons become more popular and in turn more successful than the winner.  The $100,000 is nice I'm sure but everyone for the exception of maybe the first 2 or 3 eliminated are going to get pay raises cause of this.

Edited April 19, 2016 by Dirtybubble

[OldeMillennial]

 

Thorgy stumbled, but he's been getting the "bitter" edit for a while now, since Acid was let go. So now we have a final 5 made up of Bob and a bunch of other queens who rely really heavily on looks or on performing as one specific person. I think that's not terribly exciting. Kim Chi is an absolute sweetheart, but she honestly is 1000% about the runway looks and everything else is meh, to me. Naomi is gorgeous, but she's very low energy. Chi Chi has more excuses than Robbie and Thorgy put together, but she has the "girl from a small town" storyline going on, and you know nothing beats a good story. So it's The Bob Show Starring Bob and Derrick Who Is Too Famous To Fail, to me. Snore.

Plus one to this analysis.  I was so impressed with this group during the first half of the season but I've found the past few episodes to be a snoozefest.  Thorgy psyched herself out.  Someone made a spot-on comparison between Chi Chi and Adore in that both were charismatic queens who needed more seasoning in their respective seasons.  I find the two to be extremely entertaining/likable in their talking heads but I don't particularly care for their drag.  I think Chi Chi will have a storyline similar to Trinity K. Bonet.  She'll gain some self-confidence and, if she lets go of the edginess in time, she'll be Final Three.  If not, someone like Derrick will take her place.  Naomi seems too similar to Violet to be a contender.  For some reason, I'm really starting to dislike Kim Chi.  Sweet girl, for sure.  I don't see any performative chops there -- just looks (and she is exquisitely painted).  And she still seems to coast in the competition.  Then again, I mainly root for comedy queens and homegurl is just not that.  

[goodbyeglittergirl]

I"m so sad to say goodbye to Thorgy. I think both Derrick and Naomi should have gone before she did. Derrick benefited from being Bob's partner - anyone else and Derrick would have had to lip sync. I also hate that they've tried to paint Thorgy as a bitter betty. I love her and perhaps a competitive reality show was not her best environment. I hope Drag Race boosts her career hugely and that she has a lot of success. 

[Ananayel]

On Untucked, Bob said he's known Thorgy for years, and doesn't take her competitiveness personally, because it has nothing to do with him. It's just the way she is - always in her head and obsessive about her craft. It's fairly easy to edit that into Bitter Betty, so that's what they did.

 

I couldn't stop looking at Kim Chi, either on the episode or Untucked. She's a remarkable makeup artist. When she was so upset on the runway after her critique, I almost cried, and I realized that the makeup amplified the appearance of her distress to an uncomfortable degree for me. I couldn't see the contours of her face to gauge her expression, so her body language and the makeup combined to create an avatar of ineffable sadness.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Being from the South (and having a whole lotta family where the family tree doesn't fork), I totally understood what Chi Chi was saying. People do tend to treat folk with country accents as if they are stupid, so I love it that she tore it up on the LSFYL.

I totally get Chi Chi trying not to sound as country during her initial takes. A vice president at the company where I used to work is from Arkansas and he said that despite everything else about him (his job title, his professional clothing, his knowledge about the industry), every time he spoke to someone from outside the south (at conventions, etc), people just assumed he was a dumb hick based solely on his accent. He knew it and Chi Chi knew it, so I understand her trying to speak more neutrally during a presidential ad (and again that's why I'm so glad that both Michelle and Ru said to just be herself).

 

I can tell you I am not looking forward to next week listening to Derrick strut around like a peacock, thinking she is threat simply because she won the previous challenge.  And I am not getting the love for her runway look.  She turned a black dress into a white dress.  So what?  She had the same bland makeup and hair.  *yawn*

But she had DARK Britney hair this week instead of blonde Britney hair this week! She looked totally different!

 

That has been one of my biggest criticisms of Derrick. He doesn't even try to look the least bit different from week to week or challenge to challenge. Every look is a Britney look which to me says there's a lack of versatility.

[belligerent]

That lip sync, though...

 

The fact that Thorgy knew there was nothing she could do with like a minute left. Wow. I didn't think I would like Chi Chi so much and yet here we are. I'm not sure I've ever yelled at my tv so hard for a drag queen to put their competitors away. I feel like I'm watching march madness or something.

 

Also BOB stealing from the pit crew was one of the funniest things I've seen on this show.

 

I'm not sure who is really competition for BOB at this point. Maybe nobody. However, if he and Chi Chi ended up in the bottom for some reason, I am not sure he'd be able to win the lip sync.

 

How tall is Naomi that Kim Chi is 6'4" and Naomi is still significantly taller? I noticed during the mini challenge that they all seem fairly tall aside from Derrick.

[DriveInSaturday]

This was an excellent episode. A good challenge and twists and turns everywhere.

 

-Redemption arc for Derrick! Will he go home next week? I hope so because there are now officially two queens who are clearly overall stronger than he is out of the competition. But he appears to be able to slay a lipsync reliably. I wouldn't count him out in a lipsync against any queen remaining, and I'd favor him over all remaining queens but Bob. So there's a real chance he makes the top three. I'm sure WOW loves that they might have a villain in the finale. I liked to see the "growth" he experienced working with Bob, but ugh, he's basically awful. His smugness in Untucked was so offputting.

 

- Naomi's redemption arc continues. I think she may even make top three at this rate, especially given the prevalence of visual challenges. She's the personable, mature and friendly fashion queen we've been waiting for for seven seasons. If she doesn't make the top three, she has my vote for Miss Congeniality. People often act like's it's a given that it'll be Cynthia or Thorgy, but Cynthia wasn't around very long, and Thorgy wasn't congenial. Naomi suffers from the sort of a Courtney Act-esqe lack of the kind of star power that shouts over other people's star power. I just can't see her winning, even though she compares favorably to many other members of "Team Look." If Season 7 REALLY didn't exist, it would be a different story.

 

- Speaking of people with star power, Bob's runway look this week was excellent. I actually thought he was Thorgy when he first came out, the makeup was so stunningly different. And of course he nailed the challenge and is the presumptive winner. HOWEVER, I have noticed that Ru doesn't seem to have much personal warmth towards Bob (at least compared to Kim Chi and Chi Chi, clearly his pets this season, along with Robbie Turner), so it's always possible that Bob ends up in the bottom and gets summarily bounced in a shock elimination, like his NYC brethren. I think there is a shorter leash for established queens, because Ru gets less credit for their success, and WOW has less influence over them. Bob's edit is basically that he's super loud and annoying but basically also harmless and nice, which is a weird edit for a winner to have.

 

- Speaking of established queens, I've soured on Thorgy since the first three episodes or so (the halcyon days of Frieda and Empire!). She just hasn't been performing well, and she really has been petty and bitter. It's obvious that she's a huge talent but it's clear the competition was beating her rather than the other way around. Somehow I found Robbie Turner's bitching more amusing and relatable because he wasn't as passive aggressive. Also Thorgy's fans can be kind of annoying in trying to deny the fact that she was obviously super shady and competitive. Like, that's part of her personality, deal with it. I'm sad Thorgy's leaving, though, just because she's one of the most interesting and talented queens left. And I still had hope she'd turn a corner. But to be honest, I didn't think she was a real threat to beat Bob.

 

- I'm over Chi Chi, as well. She just seems very resigned, like she's decided her storyline is over even though Ru and the judges don't want to give up on her yet. I might just be misreading her body language and behaviors (and clearly she brought it to the lipsync), but all the other contestants are so thirsty to win and Chi Chi's just kind of still there. Her ad could have actually been funny if she had been intentionally butch (I really laughed the first time she did it, unintentionally gold), but she's basically like "I'm not creative and I have no resources." Okay, then go home.

 

- Kim Chi's this season's Adore. Clearly a real star and brimming with talent in some departments, but unforgivably deficient in others. I just don't think you can crown a winner that can't walk in heels, perform a lipsync, dance or sing. It's clear she's been given tons of passes not given to other queens because Ru has such a soft spot for her. People don't just want to look at her (as some of her critics say). She's also hilarious and charismatic and I could totally imagine her playing well off another queen on a video series. But she's not even at Violet/Raja/Tyra's level of versatility at doing the things outside of the things she does well. It's frustrating because Kim Chi seems like the only possible legit winner besides Bob, but...she also doesn't seem like a proper winner because of her limitations.

Edited April 20, 2016 by DriveInSaturday

[Kostgard]

Well, there goes my prediction for the top three. But it was the right call. Thorgy was never able to completely pull off what she was shooting for.

Derrick did step up and properly channeled her competitive feelings toward Bob into the challenge. However, she is still completely delusional. In a talking head she was all "No one's video was better than mine." Actually, Bob's was better than your video, and half the reason why your video worked was because of Bob's performance in it.

I still love Kim Chi. I loved that she cracked up over Ru's Perth-onality pun. I love a queen who loves a good pun. I felt for her when she got upset - it feels like her speaking voice has been something of a tender spot for her for a while. But right now she's coasting in her runway looks and natural charm. She's going to have to step it up.

I don't know about the top three now. I just hope it isn't Derrick, but I suspect because she's the closest thing to a villain this season has, she might slip in. Bob is a given at this point unless she really implodes. Naomi really has been improving, so I think she's got a good shot. For Chi Chi, it depends on whether or not she can get her second wind. She's been hitting the wall and feeling frustrated. But if she can stoke the fire, she might pull it off. For Kim to make it, she needs to pull off a good performance, not just a good look.

I still appreciate how supportive the queens are of each other, like Bob and Derrick telling Kim the story behind the song so she'd know the emotion she needed to bring to it. It's not as exciting as non-stop bickering, but I appreciate it.

Edited April 20, 2016 by Kostgard

[thomasbday002]

KIMCHI`s function is to gain ASIAN AUDIENCE which means shit loads of more viewers = $$$$

 

Now is just way too obvious. 

And the judges are olympic assholes ( can you imaging how stupid your critique has to be to steal the show out of man dressed up as woman on a runway??) .. a lot of nonsense on my opinion. if not is this is that, in order to make sense of the pretense.  

 

I`m just sorry for the other guys who take that experience as something serious. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Derrick did step up and properly channeled her competitive feelings toward Bob into the challenge. However, she is still completely delusional. In a talking head she was all "No one's video was better than mine." Actually, Bob's was better than your video, and half the reason why your video worked was because of Bob's performance in it.

ITA - without Bob's b-roll shots, Derrick just looked like the dead-eyed version of Britney when she was being forced to do interviews during some of her troubled years so she resorted to being fake peppy. Bob's ad, on the other hand, would have been hilarious even without Derrick's dead baby business.

[Xazeal]

[Kim]'s also hilarious and charismatic and I could totally imagine her playing well off another queen on a video series. But she's not even at Violet/Raja/Tyra's level of versatility at doing the things outside of the things she does well.

Now that you mention it, it reminds me a bit of her friend Trixie. Trixie was never able to really shine in the rehearsed, structured format of RPDR, but on stage and in Youtube videos she's really witty and charismatic (arguably outshining Katya), similar to what we see from Kim in Untucked. I think the reason Kim is making it further is that she's really giving it her all in every challenge, whereas Trixie seemed to be holding back despite being more comfortable with performing.

 

Yeah, I don't see Kim beating Bob. At this point I'd argue that Naomi has a better shot at it. I still don't think Chi Chi can be a serious contender considering her track record - she's a great lip syncer, but she's only been in the top once. She's basically Coco Montrese or Darienne Lake.

Edited April 20, 2016 by Xazeal

[Fake Jan Brady]

Before the season started, either Logo's or World of Wonder's Youtube channel had clips of all the girls from a bus tour they had them do to promote the season. It was clear that Thorgy and Bob are very good friends, and they all got along quite well. So I side-eye the heavy-handed editing, but if everyone gets along, what else are they going to do?

 

If everyone gets along, show that. I'd much rather watch people support one another than all the unnecessary drama that's prevalent in every other reality show!

 

KIMCHI`s function is to gain ASIAN AUDIENCE which means shit loads of more viewers = $$$$

 

 

Not sure how successful that's been; Kim's own mother isn't even watching. :-(

[zulualpha]

 

 

Well pooh =(  I was afraid this was going to happen; Thorgy was really getting a weird angry vibe this episode.  Honestly I can understand her frustration.  For awhile now this season has been the BOB show and everyone else has been supporting actors/players.  Yes bob is talented and deserves his praise BUT he ain't the only ho at this hoedown!  If I was on this season I would be bitter as well.  BOB is happy and enjoying the process of the show but it's easy to be this way when everything is going your way--when the judges are kissing your ass and you've been successful at every challenge....sooo IDK while I still like BOB it's blaringly obvious that he is going to win this season.  Surely this is a frustrating idea to everyone else.

 

Preach.  It's boring as fuck when one queen wins or is in serious contention for every challenge.  Bianca.  Bob's talented but there has to be a c**** in the armor somewhere and I sure as hell hope they find it and Bob has to lip synch.  Not only do I enjoy a Bob lip synch (as seen on youtube) but a little drama would be nice.  

 

Totally agree Chi Chi slayed.  Best LYFYL in a long while.  Makes me wonder what would happen if it was Bob vs Chi Chi.  

[DearEvette]

At this point unless either one of them royally fucks up, I think it is Bob or Naomi's to win. 

 

The Chis are there to gain exposure and for Ru to help their careers along.  They are young drag queens that need the support of the drag community to keep going.  Kim Chi needs emotional support and Chi Chi needs material support.  Also they are both very talented and charismatic.  I think Ru may believe that fostering that young talent it would also help keep Drag as an art form growing in new directions.  Think of all the different types of drag that Ru has featured over the years of Drag Race and even so Kim Chi's brand of Drag is very exciting to see.  But even so i don't see her giving the win to one of them.

 

Derrick, imo,  is there to add exposure.  He has a following and is a celebrity in his own right and by being an acknowledged impersonator, drags along some of Britney's celebrity as well.  But his range and look are so severely limited.  And while he's got nerve aplenty and he's talented in his own way, the C and the U part of C*** are wholly lacking.

 

So yeah. I am going with Bob or Naomi.

[Dirtybubble]

Bob's talented but there has to be a c**** in the armor somewhere and I sure as hell hope they find it and Bob has to lip synch

 

The only weakness that has been shown so far for BOB is his fashion sense.  It's not terrible but not all that great either.  I wonder with next week being the Book Ball challenge (all about fashion) will he be in B2?  If he is I'm sure he'll be fine--there is NO WAY Ru is going to send him home now. 

 

Chi Chi reminds me of Adore on her season.  The green/underrated qween with a heart of gold.  Enh I like her a lot and would be happy with her in the top 3 similar to Adore. 

[planetofapes]

I do feel that Kim Chi has been given a pass this season, to be honest I'm totally baffled as to why. I always thought Pearl was given loads of extra chances but she had to LSFHL at least twice (my old lady memory - cut me some slack). Ru Paul actually said YES that her ad was political because obviously the no fat, no femmes and no asians comment must actually ring true to a lot of ears in the community. (As a straight lady I'm not too clued up about this part.) Maybe she is the token Asian I don't know. All I know is that even Michelle looked slightly panicked when Kim Chi started crying onstage and she said listen don't take this personally cos there were no bad ads! To me clearly Kim Chi should have been in the bottom 2. I guess Ru Paul wants to keep her about for a while longer cos she would definitely have lost the LSFHL.

I want to give massive fucking props to Bob in Untucked. I felt his little speech about the song was really for Kim Chi, he was trying to give her some tips for winning the lip sync with her performance and he wasn't giving her a bum steer, he was genuinely trying to help her. It was super sweet - nice one Bob!! At least I know he will be in the final 3 and I would deffo be cool with him winning. He has been great to watch.

I wanted Derrick to go because she has been giving me the shits for a while but her ad was great (a big boost from Bob's energy I'm sure of it) and while her outfit was a bit dull I don't understand why Thorgy wore an outfit that Mallory Keaton would wear to school in Family Ties. It was so fucking BORING. Thorgy is many things but boring is not one of them and I felt really let down with that look. It should have been Thorgy and Kim Chi doing the lip sync but of course Chi Chi NAILED IT and I hope she stays around longer than Derrick! If Derrick is in the final 3 I don't know what I will do!!!!

[RCharter]

^^Pearl never gave two shits, and stayed around far longer than she had any right to be (IMO).  Kim Chi, on the other hand, is always taking the critiques into account and is always trying hard to get over whatever difficulty she may have with a challenge.  And most of the time she is shown rising to the occasion.

 

Although -- I may be biased, because I will never in my life forgive Pearl for being rude to Ru.  That bitch can kick rocks with her socks off.

[Pallida]

I loved that Kim Chi brought in the "no fatties, no femmes, no Asians" line in her ad. planetofapes, you might be interested in this Savage Love letter that brings it up: http://www.thestranger.com/columns/savage-love/2016/01/13/23413123/savage-love

Kim Chi doesn't shy away from the controversial topics (see also Snatch Game). She has an awkward sense of humor, but I still like it.

I wonder if Chi Chi benefitted from Bob's breakdown of the LSFYL song.

I also wonder what Acid Betty would have done for the runway. I think her artist side would have led to something great.

[BarneySays]

I was so impressed with this group during the first half of the season but I've found the past few episodes to be a snoozefest.

 

I have to agree.  It seemed like this season would really deliver, but, frankly, there is a serious deficit of wit in this group.  (That abominable snatch is the prime example.)  Kim Chi comes the closest, but she's so reticent to speak that she can't deliver.  Bob is a great mimic, but I get nothing from him but recycled (albeit legendary) lines and gags.  (As a side note, it's strange to think that Bob's experience of Paris Is Burning is as artifact- that world was before he was born.  Yikes.)  I think he can be funny, but is not sharp enough.  I do, however. love those 70's looks and wigs.  I'm like, I know that girl. 

 

I find Chi Chi tiresome.  I simply cannot stand people who constantly make excuses for their own cowardice or inability.  She's like the kid who refuses to play a game if they're not already good at it.  I learned to avoid that type by age 10.  I also was completely underwhelmed by that lipsynch.  It was as if I had walked into some backwater country gay bar and, of course, the local queen is giving the full LaBelle treatment to the tired, overused Holliday classic.  It was a terrible choice of song.  But if you are going to do it, please do something original.  I would bet good money that Chi Chi has performed that song on numerous occasions, always going for the cheap and easy overwrought approach.  With a song like that, you have to do something different with it.  Who wants to be just another backwater bertha churning out the same tired old overblown performance every week?  (I don't know why you're surprised.  She bring it to you every week.)   

 

So, I give credit to Thorgy for not defaulting to the obvious approach.  But she was off all around this week, so it's not surprising that she was sent packing.  I'd rather see more of her than Chi Chi.  I just wish there was at least one trenchant, wise-cracking observer to bring the laughs.  I haven't had a good laugh out of this show for the past few weeks. 

[Skylark]

I have to agree.  It seemed like this season would really deliver, but, frankly, there is a serious deficit of wit in this group.  (That abominable snatch is the prime example.)  Kim Chi comes the closest, but she's so reticent to speak that she can't deliver.  Bob is a great mimic, but I get nothing from him but recycled (albeit legendary) lines and gags.  (As a side note, it's strange to think that Bob's experience of Paris Is Burning is as artifact- that world was before he was born.  Yikes.)  I think he can be funny, but is not sharp enough.  I do, however. love those 70's looks and wigs.  I'm like, I know that girl. 

 

If you watch YouTube videos of Bob's performances, there's a lot of off-the-cuff interactions with the audiences where Bob really slays and can react instantly. Bob is *sharp* and can hold his own with Bianca (there are a couple of videos showing them hosting together and it's wicked). It looks like there will be no stand-up or RuPaul roast-type challenge this season, but Bob would probably blow everyone out of the water if there were.

Edited April 20, 2016 by Skylark

[SteveAC10]

 

Ru doesn't seem to have much personal warmth towards Bob (at least compared to Kim Chi and Chi Chi, clearly his pets this season, along with Robbie Turner

Bob is *sharp*

 

Ru quit crowning her pets after season 2 (although at least one makes the final 3). Since then she's crowned the smartest queen in the room. The one who knows the references and touchstones of late 20th century gay and drag life - and can think on her feet. Bob fits the bill.

Edited April 20, 2016 by SteveAC10

[itainttippithebird]

 

Before we get to the main challenge, let me note that Naomi is wearing an Alaska t-shirt this week, just as Derrick wore a (slightly altered) one last week.

 

Derrick was wearing a shirt for her boyfriend, aka Nebraska Thunderfuck, the one Alaska made over. (Apparently he now actively performs drag as Nebraska.)

 

 

And yet a part of me wondered if the pearls broke on their own, and that took me out of it a bit.

 

From the slo-mo they showed on Untucked, I think she did break them on her own. (I'm not sure if you thought that was a good or bad thing, but to me it kind of made it more genius - she pulled it off rather flawlessly in terms of dramatic effect.)

 

 

I keep getting this sneaking suspicion that Derrick is actually sarcastic, but the other queens sail right past it.

 

That's very generous of you. :)

[snakenax]

I feel kind of bad for Thorgy that the point where she really loses the lip sync completely is when Chi Chi's pearls break and she stops to make sure Chi Chi is okay, they try to edit around it but you can see her fussing with Chi Chi just barely in frame and before she does the cartwheel it's clear she's collecting herself back to performance. So even if she did lose the lip sync, she's a great person who cared more about the other person on stage than winning.

[Cosmic Muffin]

And when Kim Chi was getting emotional on stage Naomi asked her if she was ok. This a caring group that seems to have bonded really well. I expect great colaborations from them once the season is over.

[Dirtybubble]

Speaking of established queens, I've soured on Thorgy since the first three episodes or so (the halcyon days of Frieda and Empire!). She just hasn't been performing well, and she really has been petty and bitter. It's obvious that she's a huge talent but it's clear the competition was beating her rather than the other way around. Somehow I found Robbie Turner's bitching more amusing and relatable because he wasn't as passive aggressive. Also Thorgy's fans can be kind of annoying in trying to deny the fact that she was obviously super shady and competitive. Like, that's part of her personality, deal with it. I'm sad Thorgy's leaving, though, just because she's one of the most interesting and talented queens left. And I still had hope she'd turn a corner. But to be honest, I didn't think she was a real threat to beat Bob.

 

Agree, agree! I finally watched Untucked last night and yeah Thorgy was all kinds of bitter.  And she had the audacity to say Acid Betty complained all the time.  And I didn't like her exit speech either, she still feels that Ru made the wrong choice--really ho??   Denial, denial, denial.  Before this aired I was sure she would be a shoe in for M.C. but now not so much.  My vote is going to either Kim Chi or Naomi because in my eyes they are the ones that have risen above all the pettiness.

 

Oh and that LSFYL is now my #1 favorite.  That was the house down best LS I have ever seen on this show. 

[gryphon]

Dang, I liked Thorgy.  Not a fan of Chi Chi or Naomi....*sigh.* I figure Bob is going to win it but I am hoping someone really steps up to give her a run for her money. 

[Couver]

This elimination makes me wonder how much the other challenges and runways factor in to the judges decisions. Thorgy has basically been top 2 or 3 in challenges and runways since the season started. Derrick had one good week and yet another blah runway and avoided the bottom? I will give him props for finally getting the stick out of his behind and having some fun. But his drag is mediocre at best and he doesn't really seem to realize that. Sadly I think he is going to make top 4 which means yet another more talented queen will go before him. 

 

Kim Chi's ad was lacking in shade but I loved that she poked fun at the no fats/fems/Asians and I was thrilled Ru picked up on that and mentioned the hypocrisy and racism that sadly plagues the gay community. 

 

Thomas Roberts was a very poor guest judge. And was the show shading him with all the cut aways during panel where he was barely speaking? Vivica was great and seemed to have had fun. 

Edited April 21, 2016 by Couver

[Pallida]

I feel kind of bad for Thorgy that the point where she really loses the lip sync completely is when Chi Chi's pearls break and she stops to make sure Chi Chi is okay, they try to edit around it but you can see her fussing with Chi Chi just barely in frame and before she does the cartwheel it's clear she's collecting herself back to performance. So even if she did lose the lip sync, she's a great person who cared more about the other person on stage than winning.

 

I appreciate this perspective and now want to do a rewatch.  While watching, I thought it seemed like Thorgy was desperately trying to make Chi Chi perform *with* her (see also the holding her arm at the end) with Chi Chi wanting to perform solo.

[TheLukeP]

So many things to say about this topic.  Lets start with my "hope there's no comment about 'the help' this year" ... It was worse... I"m not sure that Brit Brit realized how politically tone-deaf she was when she suggested Bob put on a hoodie to rob people... and michelle and bob made the remarks about the skittles and iced tea.. i'm 90% sure that on second watch, Brit Brit didn't get the reference. Thankfully bob played along masterfully.  Both smear campaigns were pretty awesome.

 

I saw an interview last night with Kim Chi where she kept saying "I'm just here to disappoint..." and while she was doing it with a wink wink, I think that there's still a large part of her that believes that.. which made me sad... almost as sad as she looked all alone practicing the words to the LSFYL in that sad clown makeup.

As part of gay culture, yes, there is a majority of people you see on grindr/scruff/jack'd/zrbrt/wtever that is looking for their clone to bone.. I've even seen it crassly put as "I'm on a sexual paleo diet, no chocolate, rice, beans, or fruits"  and I'm glad that she pointed it out, but I don't know that it was near acerbic enough.

 

The LSFYL was amazeballs... watching the slow-mo in untucked, I don't think that the broken beads were intentional.. I"m not sure she realized she had them caught when she was down on one knee... but intentional or not, it was a thrilling moment.. .. at the end, I didn't see Thorgy as much holding Chi Chi's hand in a triumphant gesture.. I saw Chi Chi trying to put her hand in front of Thorgy's face a la Miss Ross and Thorgy wasn't having it.

[Dirtybubble]

Thomas Roberts was a very poor guest judge. And was the show shading him with all the cut aways during panel where he was barely speaking?

 

IKR?!  I kept thinking that Anderson Cooper would be PERFECT as a guest judge for this kind challenge!

 

 

[TheLukeP]

IKR?!  I kept thinking that Anderson Cooper would be PERFECT as a guest judge for this kind challenge!

 

If they're going to bring Anderson Cooper, I better get basement insurance....

[rozen]

Then Thorgy should've stopped following her around on the stage trying to get her glory!

 

 

Right? I couldn't figure out if she was tailing Chi Chi around the stage to try to force her to collaborate, or deliberately getting in front of her while she was serving. The entire lipsync I was growling "Get. Out. Of. The. Way!" at the screen. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

There were definitely some moments during the LSFYL when I thought that Thorgy was just straight up trying to stand in front of Chi Chi or otherwise block her from the judges. That always bothers me because I think you should win based on your lip sync skills, not because you prevented the judges from seeing someone else. The only other reason to block someone during LSFYL is to be a dick which is also not how you should win. Blocking someone reeks of desperation.

[Jesse]

I really thought Thorgy was holding up Chi Chi's hand at the end like presenting the winner of a boxing match. So I was surprised at her last TH. 

[Dirtybubble]

There were definitely some moments during the LSFYL when I thought that Thorgy was just straight up trying to stand in front of Chi Chi or otherwise block her from the judges. That always bothers me because I think you should win based on your lip sync skills, not because you prevented the judges from seeing someone else. The only other reason to block someone during LSFYL is to be a dick which is also not how you should win. Blocking someone reeks of desperation.

I too got the feeling that Thorgy was trying to block Chi's spotlight.  If you watch closely Thorgy is the first to move towards Chi's area of the stage so she in turn walks to the opposite side of the runway with Thorgy following her after that.  Grrr bugged me a bit too.  I can't comment on the beads breaking if it was intentional or accident or if Thorgs was trying to help her in that moment but it doesn't really matter. Chi OWNED that F'ing stage and that stupid cartwheel Thorgs was doing..grrrr!

 

I'm sounding way to harsh b/c I do still like Thorgy despite all that's happened but IDK all those things bugged me and then her exit interview....and was she really complaining that Bob didn't leave her a goodbye letter??  Sometimes it's difficult for me to tell the difference between sarcasm and serious with her--maybe a bit of both *shrug*

 

If they're going to bring Anderson Cooper, I better get basement insurance....

IKR?! Meeeooow.  W.O.W. probably couldn't afford him =) but it would be fun to see him on the show

[Egg]

I do feel that Kim Chi has been given a pass this season, to be honest I'm totally baffled as to why. I always thought Pearl was given loads of extra chances but she had to LSFHL at least twice (my old lady memory - cut me some slack). Ru Paul actually said YES that her ad was political because obviously the no fat, no femmes and no asians comment must actually ring true to a lot of ears in the community. (As a straight lady I'm not too clued up about this part.) Maybe she is the token Asian I don't know. All I know is that even Michelle looked slightly panicked when Kim Chi started crying onstage and she said listen don't take this personally cos there were no bad ads! To me clearly Kim Chi should have been in the bottom 2. I guess Ru Paul wants to keep her about for a while longer cos she would definitely have lost the LSFHL.

I have the opposite view:  I was shocked in Untucked to see Kim Chi so sure that she would be lip syncing--and everyone else was sure of it, too! She had an amazing look, her B-roll really buoyed Naomi's ad, and while her own ad may not have been perfect, her 'no fats, no femmes, no asians' line had me applauding and waving my finger. One or more of those is on every other Grindr profile, and it was brave of Kim to a) call it out as a gay issue, and b) own it of herself.

[RCharter]

^^see, this is interesting, because I thought they would have known that they were going to be judged as a duo and not as individual competitors.  Kim Chi may not have had the strongest ad, but Naomi's was hilarious and so Kim Chi/Naomi as a team were stronger than Thorgy/Chi Chi.  But it sounds like they didn't know that, or maybe Ru just decided she would do that at the last minute.  

 

How many more episodes until Ru's lunch and learn?  I'm always tickled by what she has for lunch....a jelly bean....a tic tac.....did she try to juice something a few years back?  it was hilarious!

 

And of course I always get a little verklempt at all the stories that come out.

Edited April 22, 2016 by RCharter

[ElectricBoogaloo]

How many more episodes until Ru's lunch and learn? I'm always tickled by what she has for lunch....a jelly bean....a tic tac.....did she try to juice something a few years back? it was hilarious!

I can't wait to see what tiny thing she serves this year. Here's one chia seed!

[RCharter]

I can't wait to see what tiny thing she serves this year. Here's one chia seed!

LMAO!  That would be HILARIOUS!  Is there anything Ru can't make better?

[Couver]

IKR?!  I kept thinking that Anderson Cooper would be PERFECT as a guest judge for this kind challenge!

Anderson Cooper would be a great guest judge. He's very serious when he does his usual thing but he can loosen up a lot when the occasion calls for it. TR just seemed very stiff. But he sure is purdy. 

 

They kind of made fun of him when he kept using the word "gravitas" and I think after that he was a bit butthurt and kept a bit quiet?!

 

 

 

 

Good point. I don't think he really understood how the panel works and that shade is thrown. But if he's a fan of the show he should know better. 

[ClareWalks]

 

How many more episodes until Ru's lunch and learn?  I'm always tickled by what she has for lunch....a jelly bean....a tic tac.....did she try to juice something a few years back?  it was hilarious!

 

Oh man, when Ru put that single orange TicTac in the blender full of water and just went *wsssshhhhhh* with that beaming smile to camera, I DIED.