S02.E02: All Stars Snatch Game

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

The queens impersonate celebrities for a game show; and take part in a latex fashion show.

[Cosmic Muffin]

If you want to be spoiled, Wikipedia has the second episode info up already.

[Primetimer]

Are there too many tears and not enough Snatch Game?

View the full article

[MeloraH]

How much does Roxxxy want to go back in time and send Phi Phi home when she had the chance?

[denbblbg]

First impressions....not to disparage Alaska (whom I love) but is it just me or did Katya sort of throw that lip sync?

[DasFlavorPup]

About time someone did Mae West for the Snatch Game - now if we can just get a Bea Arthur and a Grace Jones in there, I'll be thrilled.  And if we can put a moratorium on drag queens impersonating other drag queens for this challenge, that'd be great.  

[annewithaneee]

I almost think the day switch is fucking up my Drag Race equilibrium. By Thursday night, my brain is at peak-churning from working all week, but it's not yet the weekend. Maybe that's why I'm dissecting this as I'm watching it instead of just enjoying it. Or maybe it's because there's so many girls here that I want good things for that my brain is fighting the inevitable eliminations tooth and nail.

I'll say this: the judging and elimination process has me fucked up. Part of this, I think, is on the girls; they seem to have separated their lipstick-picking strategy into two columns: going all strategic and Survivor with it, or being a surrogate for the judges and going based off of critique. Where's the third option, where they blatantly disagree with the judges and trust their own internal critique? Maybe that's there, but too nuanced for me to pick it up (or I'm being dense). I don't like it.

I think the fairest option would be to keep it in Ru's hands. Ru doesn't have any personal contact to speak of with any of the contestants after the reunion, certainly not forging any deep friendships with any of them, and I think in the regular seasons he doesn't let the other judges influence his decision much at all. Here, though, Michelle is a problem. She's entertaining as a reality show judge, infinitely gif-able and a likeable personality, but she's biased as all fuck. It's bad enough that Season 5 is basically a built-in voting bloc, but she's had a ton of personal facetime with the girls. This is a little dated, but I think it's proof positive that Detox and Alaska are very close to her, and she's worked closely with them for years at this point. Michelle is frequently the loudest, most opinionated voice on the panel, so I think she's having a lot more pull with the top two than she ever would with Ru. 

I'm kind of glad the Adore thing is out of the way. I think she got done dirty in week one, but I don't think she was in the right headspace to go very far regardless. And given that Raven was there for Snatch Game, I think she would have spiraled further, since Raven and Delta either sparked or perpetuated her drag style as having gotten "lazy" (I forget the specific?), which made her defensive as hell.

I'm sad Tati's gone, and whatever this RuDemption Island thing is, I hope she comes back. She definitely faltered, though I think Roxxxy did worse. It's actually kinda crazy to me that PhiPhi was a top; Alyssa bested her in Snatch Game and the runway. I'm rooting for Katya. It's too early to tell, but Alaska is rubbing me the wrong way a bit. To me, she's coming across as having one pat answer after another, and I like my queens both uber-talented and a little messy and raw. Still, I think any elimination other than PhiPhi's is going to make me a little sad.

[JakeyJokes]

19 minutes ago, denbblbg said:

First impressions....not to disparage Alaska (whom I love) but is it just me or did Katya sort of throw that lip sync?

I kind of thought that too. Absolutely no disrespect to Alaska, who TURNED IT OUT, but we know that Katya is hign anxiety (which is like watching myself on TV, btw) and I could definitely understand if the idea of eliminating someone was too much for her.

[TorrinPaige]

Yeah, I'm gonna need Ginger to teach me how to wrangle all of my junk. Her figure looked AMAZING. Sure, Roxxxy had herself wrangled to within an inch of her life, but she's not working with quite as much as I am. I'm gonna need Ginger's tips, stat.

I don't know if Katya threw the lip sync or not, but I think it's safe to say that Alaska was definitely playing to win. I actually expected HER to throw it and when that didn't happen, things got really exciting for me. Lol. I'm really liking this twist, I have to say. I like watching the two best queens of the day duke it out in the lip sync - we're not going to have any of those double elimination travesties this go round I don't think.

[kieyra]

I watched with the Reddit thread live, and jeez, so many kids still buying into the Adore "abuse" thing. Also a lot of them had no idea who the impersonations were. 

I can't believe Detox went Nancy Grace after we already had one failed Nancy Grace, although right now I can't remember who the first contestant was. Also, while Nancy Grace is good for background satire on HBO dramas like Newsroom or The Night Of, I can't think of a way to make her funny. She's a caricature, but just an irritating one. And that Casey Anthony reference--jeez. That was a long time ago now, and just depressing in any event. 

Alyssa was robbed!

Back to Adore--that was exhausting and ate the first entire third of the episode. I don't understand how she can work in this kind of business when her skin is so thin. It looks like it's wearing her down. I'm sympathetic, I really am, but the competitors usually have a certain basic toughness that Adore is lacking and it doesn't seem healthy for her to be in this environment. 

Yay Ross Mathews!

I want to follow Katya around with a camera 24/7. 

Detox feels half checked-out like in S5. 

Alaska does seem a bit ... smug? 

I think Phi Phi and Roxxy deserve each other, and that was probably the point.

Also: beware Reddit for spoilers. Someone spoiled the elimination in the middle of the live viewing thread. Won't be repeating this week's live viewing experiment. :)

[BloggerAloud]

3 minutes ago, kieyra said:

I can't believe Detox went Nancy Grace after we already had one failed Nancy Grace, although right now I can't remember who the first contestant was.

Acid Betty did it on Season 8 and Detox wouldn't have known that since the season hadn't aired when they filmed All Stars last year.

[denbblbg]

Second impressions after Snatch Game....Adore, you just lost me. I was a fan but damnnnnn....... Special Snowflake much? I'm so sick of that kind of crap! Grow the FUCK up! You are talented but I've heard better voices in the first week of the Voice...every damn time they start a new season! Embrace the opportunities you have, the children that follow you now will eventually grow up!

 

And Alyssa was rrrrrrroooooooooobbbbbbbbbbed!

[le bordel chaud]

I know Adore has a lot of fans, but that was fucked up. It seemed like he was expecting preferential treatment from Michelle due to their relationship off the show. And when that didn't happen, he was done! Which, whatever. I respect his craft but he's not a great drag queen.

I agree Alyssa was robbed and I felt Phi Phi should have been in the bottom. Her Snatch Game seemed no better than Detox's and Detox SLAYED that runway. Ru, I'm calling shenanigans!

Edited September 2, 2016 by delicatecutter

[Glaadrial]

42 minutes ago, annewithaneee said:

...Michelle is frequently the loudest, most opinionated voice on the panel, so I think she's having a lot more pull with the top two than she ever would with Ru. snip...

It's actually kinda crazy to me that PhiPhi was a top; Alyssa bested her in Snatch Game and the runway. I'm rooting for Katya. It's too early to tell, but Alaska is rubbing me the wrong way a bit. To me, she's coming across as having one pat answer after another, and I like my queens both uber-talented and a little messy and raw. Still, I think any elimination other than PhiPhi's is going to make me a little sad.

It looks to me from the first two episodes that Ru is picking the top 2 herself and then taking the judges' opinions into consideration when selecting who is "safe" from the bottom 4. It seemed less obvious in the first episode, but it's kind of what I thought at the time, and mostly confirmed by this episode to my eyes. With all the cuts to Alyssa's Joan Crawford smacking those watermelons Ru was throwing at her out of the ballpark, there's just no way that PhiPhi could possibly have been in the top 3, most especially because her runway did her absolutely no favors. I love Katya, and I'm definitely rooting for her, but I had her as a solid third place in Snatch Game (my guess is that her superior runway edged her ahead of Aylssa). 

I wish that Ru had been more graceful on the main-stage about Adore's departure. If these queens are invited as all-stars, then it's reasonable to assume that their individual aesthetics would be respected enough to keep the criticism in line with what has made them an All Star in the first place. In my opinion, Michelle was not interested in helping Adore become a better version of what she's doing, she was using this platform to turn Adore into something that she isn't and doesn't want to be. Adore was gracious enough to point out that she does not want to "fix" Michelle, she just wants to be herself and neither of them should be placed in a position where their respective visions are compromised.

[BloggerAloud]

Knowing now that Roxxy Andrews did Alaska for Snatch Game, does anybody think that Alaska's comment in episode one about how she's the only one who can do Alaska but you can try because it's fun was actually a repurposed remark from Snatch Game talk?

[Zuleikha]

Compare her to Tatianna, who really does seem to have grown up.

Tatianna seems grown up because Tatianna was always mature and nice. I feel like because Raven came back and was more likable, she's been able to rewrite people's memories of s2. Tatianna never did anything to Raven or anyone else. Raven went after Tatianna for no obvious reason*, and Tatianna did her best to stay calm and take the high road. I'm sad that Tatianna got sent home so early, although at least she had the very memorable Spare Parts spoken word from last week. 

Detox feels half checked-out like in S5.

I don't buy that Detox sandbagged herself in s5 or is sandbagging now. I think she's simply not as great as she believes she is. 

In my opinion, Michelle was not interested in helping Adore become a better version of what she's doing, she was using this platform to turn Adore into something that she isn't and doesn't want to be.

I think Michelle judged what Adore presented. Adore didn't do the talent show performance as her crowdsurfing, grunge punk self. Maybe she should have. But RPDR is also not about elevating the queen's existing persona. They all have to push themselves to do new, different things that are out of their usual. I'm not sure why Adore came back for the show or what she thought she'd experience if she forgot that.

* My personal theory has always been that Raven was jealous AF that Tati was showered with cash in the stripper contest because Tati's so naturally beautiful as a queen.

[SFoster21]

The panel and Ru kept laughing at "Joan Crawford" but that queen looked like Liza Minnelli and was not like JC at all!

[denbblbg]

Now that I've watched the episode for a 2nd time....I stand by saying Katya threw that Lip Sync but Alaska did a great job! Again Alyssa was ROBBED! She was awesome! Phi Phi top 3? HELL NO!!!!! And she has learned nothing. Adore? Wow, over you so big time. I know Bianca loves her but I hope she throws in some tough love that Adore desperately needs. I get the "kids" coming up and loving you and blah blah blah, but they grow up quickly and move on. You are better than that! At this point, I just want PhiPhi to go bye bye!

[Cosmic Muffin]

Everything else aside, Adore isn't the first queen to quit the show; in season one Chanel chose to leave. No one here is saying that, but I've seen it elsewhere.

[rags]

Roxy should have been sent home. Her Snatch performance & runway look.... much worse than Tatianna's.  I can't shake the feeling that Alaska saved both Detox and Roxy because of their close friendships. I don't buy her speech about how she made her decision.

And of course, Phi Phi is back to her old tricks. That didn't take long.

 

I hope Tatianna comes back for revenge.

Edited September 2, 2016 by rags

[kylies-lips]

Roxxxy should have been eliminated purely for that awful Alaska impersonation and for coming to All Stars 2 unprepared for Snatch Game. How in the hell did she manage to let Phi Phi of all people scare her away from doing her intended character? Yikes. 

Why does everyone keep acting like Tatianna was on Drag Race decades ago and that drag has changed so much it would be impossible for her to keep up? She was on season 2, the same damn season as Raven and Juju for crying out loud! I guess the fact that she has kept a low profile since her season and not been super involved in the machine that is RuPaul's Drag Race is probably a major reason people seem dismissive of her.

I was really sorry to see her go, I've been a Tati fan since her season and I hate to see people still underestimating her. She's naturally gorgeous (one of the few queens not to have any work done btw), witty, clever and spunky. She could use some help in the style department but that's neither here nor there! Ugh, I was just so disappointed to see her go so early. 

#justice4tati

I still think Michelle's comments were over the top last week but Adore's reaction was ridiculous. Why did she even bother coming back on the show at all? I'm glad she left because I really didn't want to listen to anymore whining about her "aesthetic" --girl you are wearing cut off shorts and flannel. Calm down.

I could sit and watch Alyssa all day long so I was living for her Snatch Game and she was totally robbed and should have placed in the top instead of Katya. I'll take Alyssa tongue popping and casually putting a face mask on looking like Hannibal Lector over Adore crying about her grunge aesthetic any day of the week.

I agree with others that Alaska seems rather...smug. She is certainly more confident and self assured than when she was on the show the first time. There is nothing wrong with confidence but I do kind of miss the goofy Alaska of season 5.

I keep forgetting Ginger is on this show...so there's that. And Phi Phi has gone from being a loud, obnoxious bitch to being quieter but still incredibly obvious shady bitch.

I seriously love Detox and I'm still so fascinated by the way boy Detox looks.

[Granimal]

Huh. Surprised to see that people see Alaska as smug. I guess that's what hanging out with Willam will do to a person! Jokes aside, I don't see it, but I'm a fangirl so I may be biased. She's definitely more polished, self-assured, and mature than she was in S5. I also think getting out of her relationship with Sharon really helped her grow as a person and an artist. I loved Alaska's snatch game and really loved her runway. That's polish (and money) that she didn't have in S5. I'll take an Alaska "so do I" quip about having better shoes rather than an Adore sobfest at a critique. I like my queens fierce and confident! I wish I had lines like that at the ready to use at work!

 

On to the worst- Tatiana's Ariana was awful. The donut thing wasn't funny, and if she used that she should've riffed off of Ariana's BS "caring about obesity" apology. Or her purported demands to only be photographed from one side a la Mariah Carrey. She had a decent Ari look (though I miss the cat ears), but I thought that the queens had learned better than doing a popstar with no flamboyant personality for Snatch Game. Amateur mistake. Also, her runway was meh- that wig was not sitting right. Detox's Alaska wasn't enough. Didn't she appear in the video footage for "This is my hair I don't wear wigs"? Or am I thinking of another video? I think I am, but still. Detox's runway reminded me of Violet, and I see Detox as being a little lazy and not super- competitive.

I do believe that Alaska has grown out of the Rolaskatox crap. She seems embarrassed by it (references on this show and other places) , and she's now confident enough to stand on her own two feet IMO. I hope she wouldn't save Detox or Roxy from horrible performances, but who knows. 

Why didn't they make Katya reveal who she would've picked to go home? Didn't they make both queens show their cards on E1? Speaking of Katya, her Bjork did nothing for me, as I have no idea who Bjork is aside from a swan outfit. I don't get Katya's aesthetic, but I love her personality to bits.

Teresa Caputo was okay, but should've incorporated more of her mannerisms and "Spirit". Nancy Grace was not as hard as she needed to be to win. Still, I think that Roxy should've done Vergara, and I still put Ariana as the worst. Oh, and Tammy Faye was barely shown. I thought Ginger would've had this comp in the bag.

BTW, if Sharon could win S4, then Adore could've kept her "values" and still been a threat. Just sayin! Though, I think there is more going on there than what we know. Some kind of personal thing. I think Adore realized she wasn't mentally fit to compete, and did what was best for her mental health. Which your health comes before anything, so no shame in that game for me. If she truly left because a fan told her blah, blah, blah, than that was...ill conceived.

Edited September 2, 2016 by Granimal

[Xazeal]

I honestly thought I'd be bored by this season because I expected Alaska and Katya to just steamroll the fuck out of everyone, and although I like them they've never really been all-time favorites of mine. Well, Alaska and Katya are steamrolling the fuck out of everyone, and I'm really loving it. I will say that it takes very little effort and wit to make Björk funny and Katya could probably do it in her sleep, but her runway more than made up for her taking the easy road. Alaska deserved to win for her Mae West alone, though.

I love that Phi Phi is still playing mind games like she did with Jiggly. We've had too much RuPaul's Best Friend Race recently and it gets a bit old. Phi Phi isn't as messy anymore, but she's clearly still shady. I hope she sticks around.

Adore, meh. I sympathize with her, but clearly she wasn't ready to do this again. If you don't want to be there, don't be there. I'm glad she actually quit instead of spending the rest of the episode moping about. 

Overall, I actually thought this was one of the best Snatch Games ever. Roxxxy and Tati were the only ones who truly tanked and everyone else did good to great. Detox was in the bottom by default, and honestly her look was amazing enough that it should've saved her. 

I'm really, really feeling this season. I'm surprised.

Quote

Also: beware Reddit for spoilers. Someone spoiled the elimination in the middle of the live viewing thread. 

I think we're now past the point where spoilers are abundant. Coco's early exit and Adore quitting was pretty widely known way back in October, and until this week I'd heard nothing of Tati getting eliminated this early. But I'd avoid the live viewing thread anyway - the crowd that only comes in for the actual episodes tends to skew younger and generally less interested in the drag scene.

Edited September 2, 2016 by Xazeal

[CaioF]

First of let me also get rid of the Adore drama: what sent her home? Combination of laziness (people that know her from Idol and from youtube would know it better, she admitted it alot) and fear. It took Michelle´s harsh critics for her to realize that people will judge her even harsher at home and that she can´t deal with it?!!! For me, that why she couldnt stay, she started to think on critics, she realized she wouldnt have a free pass like she had on her season and would need to work hard to do well on the show and shes not into it.

Anyway, Snatch Game was great to solid for most queens except Tatianna and Roxxy that totally went spiral down from last week. Detox maybe took her character too serious tho, not funny too... Alaska was the clear winner, with Katya and Alyssa on 2nd/3rd.. PhiPhi had the easiest character with made easier for the judges to co-relate her interpretation with the character different from Alyssa that wasnt so spot on but was more funny.

Runway looks Detox stood out the most, with Alaska comming close. Katya had the most original take on latex tho, and funny as always. Actually, I have to point out on why I like this bitch so much: SHE MADE THE DAMM COUCH CONVERSATION FUNNY!!!!! Such a breath of fresh air, specially after Alaska trying to pretend she would consider send home anyone else but Tatianna.

Edited September 2, 2016 by CaioF

[le bordel chaud]

I also must say that I love how serious all the queens are taking the responsibility of being in charge of the eliminations. So far, at least, they seem very intent and respectful of voting out who has truly done the worst and gotten the worst critiques. This could have turned into a real fuckery, but so far the fairplay has been refreshing. Still won't make me miss Tatianna any less though. :(

[Xazeal]

Oh, lord, yes, the deliberations. I can't even properly put into words how much I loved the deliberations in this episode. Everything is so serious, the queens are sad, you have the dramatic music playing... and then you have Katya, in her vibrant retro toddler swimsuit fantasy, saying "Tell me why you should be America's Next Top Model". Honestly, in unscripted environments off the show, Trixie has kind of outshone Katya to the point where I've forgotten how legitimately funny she is, but it works so well here in contrast to how serious the rest of the queens are.

Later, the retro toddler does a dramatic walk down the runway alongside futuristic S&M executive bitch Alaska, ready to lip sync for their legacy and eliminate one of their fellow men in wigs. Why is the entire world not watching this?

[Kaboom 2.0]

I'm feeling for Tatianna for being eliminated but can't wait to see (I'm assuming) her return once Ru announces whatever the twist is. I always love Snatch Game, Juju & Raven looked fab and Shangela's return was something most people didn't want to see. I laughed SO hard when Alyssa as Joan Crawford yelled at Christina to get her the ax, hee! I was trying to picture Roxxxy as Charo in Snatch Game, I don't think anyone has before, right? Phi Phi can go anytime now, I just don't see her, still, as on the same level as many of the other All Star queens.

[editorgrrl]

I agree with so much of the recap: http://previously.tv/rupauls-drag-race-all-stars/every-queen-has-a-sorry-story-on-rupauls-drag-race-all-stars/

Quote

Roxxxy wipes downs Coco's mirror message—nice touch that the bitch who sends you home has to clean up your mess.

Adore's fans will understand if she throws a corset on if it means staying in the game. Adore has committed to this trashbag aesthetic as a way to salve her insecurities. She's keeping it cheap so she doesn't have to face her fears about getting fancy. Which is sad!

Since the Snatch Game has traditionally had eight players, I wonder if Adore was ALWAYS supposed to leave the show early. 

So much for Phi Phi becoming a sweetheart. She's just learned to be an undercover bitch. Compare her to Tatianna, who really does seem to have grown up.

Frankly, I think the only reason Detox is in the bottom three is because it forces Alaska to consider both of her former clique-mates. Phi Phi's runway look isn't nearly as good, and her Snatch Game wasn't that much better. She should be up for elimination.

Katya pretends to snort coke throughout her performance, which is perfect for the song's references to Studio 54. And Alaska finds the power in stillness, striking crazy poses with her legs in the air and holding them until they're hilarious.

[buttercupia]

I wish Ru had called for a non-elimination because of Adore's quitting.

Alaska and Katya are killing it.  They both dominated the snatch game and the runway.  I think it was the best snatch game ever with no horrible duds. Tati and Roxy were definitely the weakest though I would have put Phi2 in the bottom 3. My guess is production doesn't want her eliminated yet. On performance + runway I would have booted Roxy. Her snatch was the messiest and her runway wasn't up to her usual standards. At least Tati looked like AG.

On another note I love how the other queens were actively trying to help Roxy and Tati do better in snatch game.  There were several times queens fed them lines, not just Ru feeding them lines as usual.

[operalover]

Alaska's horrid voice and affected speech is SO easy to impersonate, even if you are not good at that kind of thing. Roxxy missed the whole thing --with the last word of every sentence being said in a lower non-voiced octave and dragged out all whiny. How did Roxxy miss that? She never did that! That stupid valley girl voice is Alaska's whole thing!!! Roxxy is an idiot, I wish she would go home.

 

Phi phi also sucked as Teresa Caputo but that is the kind of character you need for Snatch Game, not Ariana Grande, so she got away with it.  Phi Phi it's Spirit not Spirits.....oy I hate the Long Island Medium but there another basic thing she is always like "spirit told me this"....

[annewithaneee]

10 hours ago, Glaadrial said:

 

11 hours ago, annewithaneee said:

...Michelle is frequently the loudest, most opinionated voice on the panel, so I think she's having a lot more pull with the top two than she ever would with Ru. snip...

It's actually kinda crazy to me that PhiPhi was a top; Alyssa bested her in Snatch Game and the runway. I'm rooting for Katya. It's too early to tell, but Alaska is rubbing me the wrong way a bit. To me, she's coming across as having one pat answer after another, and I like my queens both uber-talented and a little messy and raw. Still, I think any elimination other than PhiPhi's is going to make me a little sad.

It looks to me from the first two episodes that Ru is picking the top 2 herself and then taking the judges' opinions into consideration when selecting who is "safe" from the bottom 4. It seemed less obvious in the first episode, but it's kind of what I thought at the time, and mostly confirmed by this episode to my eyes. With all the cuts to Alyssa's Joan Crawford smacking those watermelons Ru was throwing at her out of the ballpark, there's just no way that PhiPhi could possibly have been in the top 3, most especially because her runway did her absolutely no favors. I love Katya, and I'm definitely rooting for her, but I had her as a solid third place in Snatch Game (my guess is that her superior runway edged her ahead of Aylssa). 

 

I was really being vague here, accidentally, so just to further explain:

Compared to normal seasons where the "who's going home" question is (at least in theory) answered by Ru and Ru alone, after the lipsynch, I don't think the other judges' critiques aren't much of a factor in the final decision. However, when you make the lip synch for your legacy duo the deciders, and they're heavily weighting critique in their decision, Michelle has more sway in that situation than she would otherwise. And for me that's a big problem when there's no way for her to be impartial.

[BloggerAloud]

The whole thing about Adore just seemed so meh in the grand scheme of things. She came into this competition fully well knowing that her aesthetic was controversial and that Michelle would probably have some things to say about it so she either had the choice to 1. have a strong answer back in her own defense or 2. step her game up in other areas. She really didn't do either. If she had wanted to make a real point, in the first episode she should've gone out during the talent in full riot grrrl aesthetic and done a real uptempo punk song to say this is who she is, like it or not. To sort of collapse under the weight of being called lazy is a bit much, given how other Drag Race girls spent their seasons being told to kill themselves and whatnot.

[dolphincorn]

My favorite part of the episode was when RuPaul introduced Raven as a "stay-at-home mom."

[Ananayel]

I think Roxxxy looks gorgeous this season, but Snatch Game was a fail, and the runway was meh. She should have gone, but that wasn't going to happen. I think Tati broke character when Detox asked what she did with her dog's body, and she never quite got it back - not that it would have made much difference. Phi Phi needs to now sit down and shut up about how she's changed, when the only thing that's changed is she's a hair more subtle about being a manipulative beyotch. Ginger is not wowing me so far, I thought her Tammy Faye was way off the mark.

Adore showed more backbone as a teenager facing Simon Cowell. Assuming this wasn't planned to gin up controversy and viewers, I felt bad for her, but dang.

Was Katya wearing crocs during the lipsync? And why did Alaska change into granny pumps?

[AntManBee]

I did not get the love for Detox's runway.  Rather, it struck me as reductive of Violet Chachki.  The pants were too short as well.

I get why Alyssa wasn't in the top two.  Her Joan Crawford was visually spot on, but she was in her own world ... spouting off the best lines from Mommie Dearest ... without really interacting with the other queens or coming up with clever responses to the questions that weren't more Mommie Dearest quips.  At least Alaska's Mae West was a updated, raunchier, version of the Mae West shtick. 

I could have used Alyssa in the lip sync though, as I found Alaska and Katya's lip sync ... dare I say... boring. 

What is going on with Phi Phi's makeup?  Shes been looking very brickish around the jawline.

[ClareWalks]

Ross was so right about Alaska's Mae West. I was LIVING for it, and I will say everything like that from now on. If I get Pita Pit for lunch, I'm gonna ask 'em "how about you stuff those tomat-uhs deep down in there, ya see?" and wiggle my shoulders a bit. I would pay cash money to see Alaska and Jinkx on the road as Mae and Little Edie. Also, Alaska's runway look was stunning. I couldn't take my eyes off the bitch.

Agree with the elimination, since everyone else had at least one semi-humorous moment and Tati just brought NOTHING to that. I mean, she didn't even TRY to answer the "where's the dog's body" line. She could have come up with SOMETHING. "I've commissioned a size-XXS fur vest," "I traded it for hair extensions," SOMETHING, shit. 

Katya definitely could have done better in the lip sync, she didn't even bring her amazing dance moves. This song was begging for some contortionist stuff. I agree that she probably threw it a bit.

[okerry]

Without reading the other comments - I was truly disappointed that Adore left. I would have enjoyed seeing a different style of drag and seeing how that works. I mean, all that matters is that he complete the illusion of being female, right? DRessed As Girl?

I never cared for Alaska much until last night. Love the Mae West (she needed a little more bosom cuz Mae was really stacked, but that's okay) and the runway was one of best ever. Very Daryl Hannah in Blade Runner, and just beautiful.

I've got nothing for Alyssa. The Joan Crawford looked pretty good, but there's something about her that just grates. No, thank you.

Katya, I love you but that catsuit was making my eyeballs bleed. I didn't even see You during that lip synch - all I saw was that hideous outfit. Maybe next time. But I do like how she seems more confident this time and while the others are trying to show how sweet they really are, she wants to show that she's "become a monster" LOL. 

[okerry]

P.S. That's the second time somebody's done Nancy Grace for Snatch Game and never once yelled, "Bombshell Tonight!" How is that possible???

[le bordel chaud]

Well I do think Detox did a lot better than Acid Betty at least (and before Season 8 was televised also).

[OnceSane]

I was over Adore's SSS (Special Snowflake Syndrome) last week, I didn't need to see it again.  At least she's gone and I couldn't be more thrilled.  Adore knew what she was coming into and thought her new relationship with Michelle somehow made her immune to criticism.  "Lazy" isn't a style, it's a decision.  No free passes, go play with the other Milleniials suffering from the same "illness".

Alyssa, Alaska & Katya slayed the Snatch Game…too bad Alyssa went too basic for the runway.  I wish she had a different outfit so the top 2 decision was more difficult for Ru.

Phi Phi should be gone.  Still terrible.  Though out of the choices, I think Tati actually was the right one to go.  Tatiana's runway wasn't anything special and her Snatch Game sucked.  Detox bit the big one on the Snatch Game, but her runway was on point.  And Roxxy was similar to Tatiana, but her runway was slightly less boring.  And I hate saying even semi-nice things about Roxxy.

So great to see Jujubee!  She looked gorg.

[Glade]

Tati actually landed a joke and got a laugh during snatch game, unlike detox, pp' and roxxy, so she was NOT the worst one, and did not deserve to go home.  I really wanted to see more of Tati, while I already know exactly what i'm going to see from roxxy's one-note drag to her shitty attitude.  Two non-S5 queens went home tonight, and that is a big disappointment.   Alaska was so full of shit trying to claim that she wasn't going to act based on her yotoxicrasha clique when of course she fucking did.  And that is what the producers wanted; clearly they're slanting this season is slanted toward S5/the yotoxicrasha bitches, which was evident from casting.  If they wanted Alaska to be likeable, maybe seperating her from the clique would have been better.  I was living for Katya tonight, from her Bjork to the lipsync, but then the camera follow Alaska because she ripped off some clothes and of course the results of every episode must be ultra-predictable.   

[cpcathy]

I thought Tati's makeup as Ariana was spot on, I'm not sure why she didn't do the ponytail, unless you can't do that with a wig. Her Britney, I recall, the makeup was also on pointe, like perfect, it's too bad she couldn't have put the funny into the Ariana impersonation. Tati will be missed!

[rustyspigot]

"Barbara, PLEASE!?" While it wasn't Joan Crawford to a T, it was Alyssa's version of it which I think is kind of the point. When Alexis Mateo(?) was "butch lesbian" Alicia Keyes that was a broad interpretation to say the least, but still funny.

Was rather disappointed in the Ginge, but they hardly showed her so who knows.

Edited September 2, 2016 by rustyspigot

[violet and green]

I was accidentally spoiled by reading a Reddit thread, and so knew it was coming - but I was still really bummed out and hoping Adore would change her mind. God, how depressing. Her outfit in the first episode talent show was a bit Liza Minnelli meemaw in  a retirement home/snazzy cruise ship entertainer - but it was 'trying' a whole lot harder than Detox's plain black bikini. Michelle's face as she watched Adore perform was sheer punishing fury - so I do not doubt the energy behind her words in the judging critique was pretty toxic. (And Katya who was there has apparently described it as 'bullying' and 'abuse' so I doubt it was at all pleasant to experience.) But even so, I wish Adore could have sucked it up and just had fun for a few episodes, or even turned it out and stayed on to near the end, as I am not enthused by most of them.

Phi Phi is horrible, and should have been in the bottom three; her runway outfit was dreadful. As others have said, Alyssa's slightly wonky but at least funny Joan was much better, as was her runway look - I thought she should have been top two. I am not as old as Mae West, but I am way old and that was a shit impression. Katya was disappointing in the lip sync, but I vaguely recall her not having much oomph in her lyp sync in her season, so don't think she did throw it. Who'd throw 10,000?

Now that Adore's gone, I guess I'll be watching for Alyssa's faces and candid comments, and Katya.

[hoosier80]

While the critique may have been nasty, show business overall is not a place for those with thin skins.  Adore needed to suck it up, at least for one more episode.  I was honestly wondering did he think they were going to favor him since he was in the top 3 of his season?  If anything, the rough critique would make me want that person to eat their damned words the next time.  Then, if I were done, I'd leave after I had done a spectacular performance. 

Why don't the queens have a solid impersonation in hand because they know Snatch Game is part of the show?  Even with All Stars, they had that stupid Laugh In style competition where they had to impersonate celebs.  I'm not sure how to make Ariana funny, maybe sit like you're posing, take lots of selfies, have a little puppet that looks like the brother, maybe work song lyrics into responses/answers?  The donut was a one trick pony; she needed more schtick.    I think with the right person Nancy Grace would work, but you have to go full out maniac - and BOMBSHELL TONIGHT!!!  Bring out dolls representing the twiiiiins - and the accent - heavy southern accent, then you have to act all somber and preachy fake.  Oh and dismiss someone when they're talking, like if Ru said oh that answer's not a match?  What do youuuuuu mean it's not a match, then turn to someone else or act like you're talking to someone in the production booth.   Ginger disappointed me because I don't think her Tammy Faye was 'big' enough.  It was good, but not great.  I thought the Joan Crawford, Mae West, and Bjork were all excellent.   Alyssa got in all of the JC catchphrases that are well known from Mommie Dearest; she could've tried for some things from her movies or bring in Bette Davis - like oh you're like that bitch Bette.....but she did well.  You could get away with doing a lot with Bjork; Mae West was good, the look wasn't 100% on and the voice was more Alaska than Mae.   Mae was a little chunky and bustier, but it was still good.

They need to stop impersonating other queens.  The only one who did ok with that was whomever parodied Alyssa.  Someone did Sharon Needles (awful), and Roxxy's Alaska was really bad.  

[heckkitty]

Jeez. Add me to the "Alyssa was robbed" chorus.  Phi Phi should have been, at best, safe. Alyssa should have been top 2. 

[rozen]

There you go, power alliance deploy. If they were going to do stupid shit like this, they should have at least made it battle of the seasons and cast queens evenly across them. 

Yea, I think Katya didn't want to touch that decision with a 40ft pole. I think maybe she was debating up till the last minute, because she came out in those godawful clogs that are both hideous and have great traction for moving around in. It would suck even more if she objectively thought 1 part of the rolaxatox member's was the worst, because the other 2 would hate her for the rest of the show. Her Snatch Game and runway were so perfectly her, I loved it.

Detox is one of those people who's spent so long feigning cool and idgaf that she's uncomfortable when she has to earnestly do something.  

I think Phi Phi edged Alyssa for top because she had a shtick, rewriting her answers, and Alyssa just focused on delivering random catch phrases as comedically as possible. After a while, Alyssa just stopped trying to do anything related to the questions, and had minimal interaction with the other queens. Snatch Game is funniest when they play off each other, and Phi Phi did at least a little of that.

Dude, that Mae West!! Alaska came here ready to destroy everyone, like damn! Alaska is so incredibly polished and well-balanced, and I'm sure her tour as an American Apparel girl has helped her learn how to present herself to larger audiences and social media. So far, it looks like it's going to be the Battle of the Blondes, I'm living for it! They are both so insane in their own very unique ways, it's great.

Roxxy deserves to go just for falling for that half-assed attempt to throw her off her game. What a mess. 

I buy Adore's chili-pepper tear exit about as much as Willam's "illegal videos/sleeping with husband/checking her email" scandal exit. 

I'm sure Raven's lizard self was eating up Tati bombing at Snatch Game. I wonder if having her there threw Tati off? Either way, that was awful and her runway look was basic.

Edited September 3, 2016 by rozen

[JakeyJokes]

So I watched this episode twice in one night, first at a viewing party and then at my friend's house on his Chromecast at 3 in the morning. In hindsight, I at first thought Tatianna was robbed -- and so did an unnamed Season 7 queen who saw me at the next bar and said "I noticed your reaction; I had the same one" -- but the second time I realized she did the biggest "don't" of Snatch Game, which is completely biff when the other queens and RuPaul are setting you up for punchlines. She was still funnier than Roxxy though.

Quote

I buy Adore's chili-pepper tear exit about as much as Willam's "illegal videos/sleeping with husband/checking her email" scandal exit. 

Interesting take. I thought she probably came in with baggage and was in the midst of a mental breakdown, and sometimes you just can't get out of those, especially when you're in your head so much AND surrounded by competitors AND you don't have a cell phone so you can't call your mama or your bestie to get you through it.

***

Katya's "Total Ru-Call" is out again and it's rather refreshing.

-She thinks Adore should not have come and that it wasn't for her, but defends Adore's decision as still being "punk rock". She says Adore uses drag as a platform to promote her music career and that's totally fine, and not really what AS2 is about. Also, Adore is incredibly talented so there's a feeling of relief when a strong competitor leaves so soon.

-No one was really laughing at her Bjork and she was nervous about it but also happy with her performance. At one point a light bulb fizzled and they had to stop filming and leave the room (and no one was allowed to talk to each other).

-Her mind was blown that Roxxy switched from Sofia Vergara to Alaska (she curiously doesn't mention the Phi Phi shenanigans, but I also think she hasn't seen the episodes). Roxxy is not a comedian and that's fine, but what does she do very well? Drag. Roxxy as Sofia wouldn't have won, but it might not have put her in the bottom, either.

-She's kind of a comedy nerd and explains that Alyssa was hilarious because it was "unintentionally layered" -- Alyssa Edwards as Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford AS ALYSSA EDWARDS. Also, Alaska's "Why don't you come upstairs and fuck me in the ass sometime?" worked because Mae West's whole shtick was about innuendo, and Alaska using vulgarity was unexpected.

-So I might need to eat my words a little bit when I wondered if she threw the challenge. Katya explained that she had just done a bunch of flips/twirls in the talent show, and also that such moves do not necessarily make a great performance. She said she would have voted off Tatianna based on her performance and runway, because Roxxy "burned the runway" and Tati was lackluster at both. She compliments Tatianna a lot, though.

Edited September 3, 2016 by JakeyJokes
the katya stuff

[CraftyHazel]

First off, I still love you, Adore!!

I am of two minds about her leaving though.  I honestly think the whole "But I'm so punk, I don't give a fuck" attitude is a defense mechanism because she really is quite young and pretty interested in having people like her.  Yeah, she has fans by the legion, but she also really does seem to want the other queens and the judges to like her and respect what she does...and some of the queens and Michelle, at least, really don't.  I am plenty old enough to be Adore's mother and I just outgrew those feelings a few years ago, so I know what it's like to try and please someone, all the whIle knowing you never really will. It's frustrating and it hurts your heart, but you keep trying anyway. So in that respect, I think she was quite right to leave and save herself from those feelings.

BUT...

She's in show business, so she really needs to get a thicker skin.  And she just went through all this a couple of years before, so she had to know what to expect. Besides which, she's been on tour with Michelle, and knows that Michelle really does not care for her aesthetic,  even if she loves Adore personally.  And honestly, I think she could have put in some serious effort to promote that 90's grunge girl look as a valid choice to the judges, instead of appearing the word she so hates...lazy...by throwing on a sparkly sack dress for the talent show.  She said "I can't wear a corset while crowd surfing", but she wasn't crowd surfing, so throw on a corset and some Avril Lavigne-"Girlfriend" style drag and go out there and represent your style as a valid, deliberate choice, not a lazy, "You're not gonna like it anyway, so who cares?" decision.

I don't know whether she really IS kind of lazy, or if she doesn't know how to put together a good, riot girl look. I honestly suspect that she has so many ass-kissing young fans (and older ones, too...I follow her on social media, and she really does cross age barriers) that think everything she does is so amazing, that she's begun to believe she can't go wrong.  Then she hits the main stage on All Stars and finds out that, um...yeah, she can go wrong.  Very wrong.  (Speaking of so wrong, I think she looks like shit in her new video, ICU.)

I think she is undeniably talented, and very sweet to her fans, and I think she's just gorgeous in and out of drag.  But if she isn't interested in growing and improving, I don't know if she'll have the longevity she really deserves.  

Katya, good Lord, was she gorgeous on the runway!!  

And I have to agree that Alaska has an odd vibe about her...or maybe it's just her lips that are putting me off.

[butterbody]

13 hours ago, Ananayel said:

 

Was Katya wearing crocs during the lipsync? 

Katya said she has platform crocks in every color. Love her!