S09.E04: Good Morning Bitches

[radishcake]

Quote

The queens join the cutthroat morning talk-show wars. Naya Rivera ("Glee") and Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman ("UnREAL") guest judge.

[Primetimer]

Between bouts of anxiety, the ladies create morning shows!

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[KenyaJ]

Wow. I’ve never seen a queen who just didn’t even try to LSFYL. If Charlie couldn’t be bothered, I’m glad he’s not still there taking up the spot of someone who is working their ass off to stay in the competition.

I haven't warmed up to Aja yet, especially after the way she went after Valentina on Untucked last week, but she cracked me up when she said Trinity was serving and Charlie looked like she was telling kids to get off her lawn.

Shea and Sasha and Nina and Eureka were so funny in the challenge. I knew Nina would be great, so I was really surprised that she was picked last.

[CaioF]

Wooow, huge disappointment on Charlie. Like, watching her character on the show and on her youtube channel, I knew that at some point her serious/too calm personality with just a few jokes here and there would caught up to her, but not this early. She really sold herself with the looks, but that was it. And WTH with ´´I don´t lip sync???!!!!`` What? That was sad, if wasnt for Trinity I would feel depressed for that Lip Sync. I dont even think someone at Charlie´s age should consider him/herself such as a old person.. In other hand, I can understand that drag is hard and that was probably the reason  that Ru didnt snap at her giving up (and for some respect).

About the rest of the episode, Sasha and Shea totally owned the challenge, not even close (glad to finally see Sasha showing personality). Eureka and specially Nina did really well...Alexis, Farrah, Cinthya were ok. Valentina and Aja were off and should be glad the other team was waaay worse. Charlie, Trinity and Peppermint were suffering to watch. Dont gonna comment much about the runway looks since they mean even less than normal this week.

Waiting for untucked since we actually got some real tension going on this week.

Edited April 15, 2017 by CaioF

[annewithaneee]

Each episode keeps getting better and better for me, but we should not be getting this close to Snatch Game time without having seen even one satisfying, competitive LSFYL! Trinity danced her silicon off, but Charlie was pulling focus by literally doing nothing, and to me that sinks the entire thing -- never going to re-watch it on YouTube that's for sure. I guess if there's one thing to recommend Charlie's performance, it's that she gave us present-day Britney realness, mood-stabilized and dance-shy.

On the whole, I think Charlie was spared by going this soon; I don't think she would have been any good at Snatch Game, and as a celebrity impersonator queen, that could have fucked up her bookings. From seeing her shtick on the Celebrity Big Brother UK after-show (....I need hobbies), she could do the look but had literally no interesting or funny banter, and that was in pre-taped segments. There was no way after seeing her in this challenge that she could pull off the off-the-cuff wit and shenanigans that Snatch Game requires. And also, what a fucking cop out to say she neeeever lipsynchs because she's a live singer. Girl! That's even more pathetic than saying you've never sewn before. The second she got that call that she was on the show and had the thought "oh well if I end up in the bottom two I'm going home", get some goddamn gigs and start incorporating lip syncing in your shows to get some practice in! Like, how hard is that??

The edit on this is still feeling off, like maybe there's an entirely new team and they haven't seen the early seasons. Not only are we not getting the queen's reading the eliminated girl's mirror message, they're not even showing it in full for us to see! Also, unless I completely blacked out, we didn't get runway walks???

I still have money on Eureka full-on Laganja-ing herself before the season's done. Also in her fight with Sasha, I was basically team no one. They were both being humorless. I mean, Eureaka's "eating disorder?" wasn't funny, but Sasha stepping right over Valentina who was in the midst of a health revelation - what's her disorder??? - to insist on taking it so personally wasn't a great look either. It's drag. Jokes like that, even when unfunny and oddly timed, aren't pearl-clutching taboos. And then Eureka got obnoxiously defensive, and it was just deeply annoying all the way around.

ETA: Reading Mark's fantastic as always recap, they did show the runway, but I guess fast enough that I completely missed it. 

Edited April 15, 2017 by annewithaneee

[cyberfruit]

14 minutes ago, annewithaneee said:

ETA: Reading Mark's fantastic as always recap, they did show the runway, but I guess fast enough that I completely missed it. 

No, Vh1 totally zoomed through it in less than a minute. We didn't get a real runway this episode, which is upsetting! I live for the queens' runway looks. Hopefully, this isn't due to Vh1 censorship (Nina's look is pushing it, lbr, but still here for it).

[CaioF]

7 minutes ago, cyberfruit said:

No, Vh1 totally zoomed through it in less than a minute. We didn't get a real runway this episode, which is upsetting! I live for the queens' runway looks. Hopefully, this isn't due to Vh1 censorship (Nina's look is pushing it, lbr, but still here for it).

Nah, we had montaged runway in other seasons too. It usually happens when the main challenge takes more time, there is some drama going on and the runway theme is random/wont interfere at all in the judging. The only thing was different its that when we had challenges like this, queens never did it ´´live`` so we always watched the final recording version with the judges in the runway. This time, since we watched it all while they recorded it we went straight to the winners announcement and critics.

Edited April 15, 2017 by CaioF

[msgxoxo]

Charlie saying she doesn't lip synch is like other queens saying they don't sew, but worse. Aren't drag queens supposed to be entertainers? 

And I actually like Aja. I felt bad for her when she was saying she felt like she has to try harder than Valentina does because Valentina is pretty.. or however she said it. 

[HunterHunted]

Charlie was an absolute disgrace. She can't ad lib; she can't lipsync. Why would anyone hire her unless Madame Tussaud's has already lent out all of their wax figurines? 

Sasha and Shea were hilarious as we're Eureka and Nina's budget queens. I've still not warmed up to Aja, but she looked the best she's ever looked on the runway. I knew Charlie wasn't going to even try when I saw that she wore those enormous platforms for the lipsync.

[cyberfruit]

8 minutes ago, CaioF said:

Nah, we had montaged runway in other seasons too. It usually happens when the main challenge takes more time, there is some drama going on and the runway theme is random/wont interfere at all in the judging. The only thing was different its that when we had challenges like this, queens never did it ´´live`` so we always watched the final recording version with the judges in the runway. This time, since we watched it all while they recorded it we went straight to the winners announcement and critics.

Thanks for the explanation! 

[Cosmic Muffin]

I fast forwarded through the commercials, but I think there was no Wendy Williams this episode? I hope VH1 learned that she is offensive to Drag Race viewers.

So, what was Valentina's issue? Maybe we find out in Untucked. That whole exchange was not good for Eureka. Sometimes the mood doesn't need lightening.

[HunterHunted]

On Friday, April 14, 2017 at 8:43 PM, msgxoxo said:

And I actually like Aja. I felt bad for her when she was saying she felt like she has to try harder than Valentina does because Valentina is pretty.. or however she said it. 

I can't even with this self-pitying bullshit. Aja is fixating on Valentina, when there's tons of other evidence that what Aja's doing isn't working.

Week 1, Nina, Sasha, and Eureka were on top. Nina won. Week 2, it was Valentina, Shea, and Trinity on top. Valentina won. Week 3, Trinity, Valentina, and Peppermint were on top. Trinity won. This week, Shea, Sasha, Eureka, Nina, and Cynthia were on top. Shea and Sasha won. Before this episode, both Valentina and Trinity were in the top twice, but Aja was focused on Valentina. Including this episode, Eureka, Nina, Sasha, Shea, Trinity, and Valentina have all been in the top twice. They weren't all there because they were stunningly beautiful. They were in the top because their makeup and costumes were on point, they were funny and creative, they were quick witted, and they never slept on a chance to give good face and steal the scene.

If Aja has to try harder because Valentina is prettier, then Eureka has to try harder because she's bigger. Hell, Farrah and Kimora are much prettier than Aja, but both of those girls were in the bottom and Kimora was kicked to the curb. Life isn't fair. And it's not suddenly going to get fair for men who dress up like women. Aja walked in there with such an enormous ego. She thought she was going to waltz through the competition and death drop her way to the crown. She's just as delusional as Kimora was.

Edited April 16, 2017 by HunterHunted

[JakeyJokes]

At least with Charlie's lip sync, I now know how I look in the club with all my young friends.

Eureka misspoke and misread the room; not everything is a time for a joke, especially one that seemed mean-spirited. Then her and Sasha got in one of those arguments where you're both feeling misunderstood and forget what the argument is even about. Sasha could have used her words better -- yes, by all means tell someone who has likely struggled with lifelong obesity how hard it is when you're so skinny that people call you anorexic -- but Eureka can miss me with the "I'm sorry you were offended" non-apology. I hate those! How interesting that Valentina was the one that shut it down, and she's one of the babies of the group.

I think Nina got picked last because she seems very shy and the girls didn't know if she could do a challenge like that. She and Eureka slayed, as did Shea and Sasha. I marvel at Shea's ability to manage sexually charged humor in a way that still comes off as innocuous as opposed to vulgar.

[apollonia666]

13 minutes ago, JakeyJokes said:

I think Nina got picked last because she seems very shy and the girls didn't know if she could do a challenge like that. She and Eureka slayed, as did Shea and Sasha. I marvel at Shea's ability to manage sexually charged humor in a way that still comes off as innocuous as opposed to vulgar.

During their segment I was suddenly struck with an idea: Shea should totally do Robin Roberts for Snatch Game!

[Lyinfait]

In what world does raising your hand mean everyone else must stop talking and listen to me?

[rozen]

Hoo, Charlie and Cynthia are the cautionary 'doin it wrong' corollary to Alaska and Alyssa's master class in conflicting comedy styles meshing together.  I bet if you gave her a time log, Alaska could tell you everything she's going to do in her act down to the minute. But she knew that letting Alyssa being Alyssa was the way for them to win, so she let her go crazy and played the straight man. I think Charlie would have been good as the seniored, judgmental British bitch newscaster in the face of Cynthia's ridiculousness. But she marched right along with the act she wanted and didn't try to work with the talents and weaknesses of her teammates. 

Nina is an Eeyore, even though I love her. Also, I'm one myself, so I feel her struggle. Her persona is So Strong and so inward focusing that she inadvertently winds up sucking the oxygen out of the room. That can be hard to work with, even if the person is talented. Eureka is self-absorbed enough to let that roll right off her, so they were a strong pairing. My eye did twitch when Michelle snarked about her vulnerability when she's ridden many a drag queen in to the apocalypse with the 'you need to be more vulnerable' criticism. 

Valentina is being professional as hell. She is very, very, very, very camera aware in a way a lot of these queens aren't. Drag Race alums are always saying that by being cast, you've already won and your appearance should be about getting as many new fans as possible. Valentina clearly listened to that advice. Aja has not, and is focused on the actual physical crown, which is the least important part. At least she painted better this week instead of looking like a clown sat on her face. 

Trinity threw down in that lip sync! I knew Charlie wasn't going to bother when he didn't change out of those Gaga-esque heels. Also, that was honestly a terrible song for her. I don't think there's a way to lip-sync a Britney song that doesn't require high energy movements of some sort. Charlie's not that kind of girl. 

Eureka v Sasha was a great example of people so deep into their own demons they're not even listening to each other. Eureka really does need to learn when to stfu. Her O'Hara was showing big time this episode. 

Shea just makes you want to look at her no matter what she's doing. Star Quality.

Edited April 15, 2017 by rozen

[Aerobicidal]

Aja looks like a heavily painted life-size hemorrhoid—a young and slim one, though.

Trinity: “Outside of this competition, Eureka and I have a very up and down relationship.”

Too bad Kimora got eliminated because the phrase “up and down” would have made her wonder how escalators function.

For a 57-year-old, Charlie Hides doesn’t look a day over 72.

[annewithaneee]

Oh, and can we talk about how fantastic this year's drag name bit is? The Nina Bonina hyphenates are just the best. Nina Bonina Rodham Clinton! Can't wait for Nina Bonina Bonham Carter, and Nina Bonina Gordon-Levitt! It might supplant "may I call you Jiggly?" as my all-time favorite.

[AntManBee]

Ahh,,, this show makes me so happy, when I should be so sad.  A Rodham Clinton joke, filmed pre-2016 election!  Alas.  

However, for me, there are no standouts yet.  Some of these queens have seriously questionable ideas of nighties or nightwear.  Valentina had a great look, and I wish we saw more of it (and others) on the runway.  But seeing Trinity and Charlie in the bottom two solidified that I don't care about any of these Queens yet.

I hate the way Aja draws her lips.

[blaase]

Aja everyone is prettier than you , you're very unfortunate looking, no need to fixate on Valentina.

This show and the judges  are still great but this cast really sucks and is not bringing the funny at all. 

[CaioF]

36 minutes ago, blaase said:

Aja everyone is prettier than you , you're very unfortunate looking, no need to fixate on Valentina.

This show and the judges  are still great but this cast really sucks and is not bringing the funny at all. 

It seems like most of them are either too much on their heads or just dont have it.. Thats why Valentina, even being the youngest, is the only one standing out, cause shes acting at least shes playing both fearless and charming at the same time, while the others are in a shuffle week by week on sorta stand out or just being middle pack to bad. Like I can´t point out a top 3.. I thought I could on epi one, and Charlie was  there and look now... Lets see when Snatch Game comes... In other hand, if some queens start to get their groove aswell, we might have a more wide open competition, different from last season.

Watching untucked now, a fan posted it on youtube, just search for ´´drag race untucked`` and filter the search for the last 24 hours.

Edited April 15, 2017 by CaioF

[zxy556575]

When did Aidy Bryant join the show?

[KenyaJ]

1 hour ago, annewithaneee said:

Oh, and can we talk about how fantastic this year's drag name bit is? The Nina Bonina hyphenates are just the best. Nina Bonina Rodham Clinton! Can't wait for Nina Bonina Bonham Carter, and Nina Bonina Gordon-Levitt! It might supplant "may I call you Jiggly?" as my all-time favorite.

I giggled ever damn time. Please don't stop, Ru!

[CraftyHazel]

I think that in drag, Charlie and Sasha are both just visually stunning.  At least Sasha can perform (I thought she was awesome last week, too), but I was really annoyed with Charlie for giving zero effort in the LSFYL.

I think Aja is...unfortunate looking, both in and out of drag.  

I still love Nina Bo'Nina Brown, Sasha Velour, and Shea Coulee; I'm completely won over by Valentina; and if Eureka would get the O'Hara chip off her shoulder, I'd love her, too.  I never cared about Cynthia one way or the other and I still don't.  Trinity is one I want to like way more than I actually do.  I don't care enough about the rest to root for or against them.

[CaioF]

Watched untucked.. Eureka and Trinity kept their arguments from the runway, till Trinity left and queens from that team sorta realized they had a poor time management and that the biggest mistake was from the ancors part plus Trinity being a dictator. The queens really expected the bottom to be Trinity VS Peppermint, with Trinity saying she only choosed Charlie to go home in the runway cause she expected her to be spared.. And Charlie didnt prepared at all, she was really praying to not fall in the bottom.

As far Charlie goodbye, it was nice that despiste her assuming not having the fight spirit required, she wants queens over 40´s to believe themselves and try to get into the show cause they have alot to offer. She said she would do her impersonation of Joan Rivers on Snatch Game, that she would kill it.. After this week, I´m not sure how well she would do on these sort of challenges, cause she seems the type of artist that does well by her own, but when it requires to interact with people with different process, have to improvise, she kinda chokes. Dont know, she really could have killed it, but have she choked, it wouldnt do her much favors since she works as impersonator.

PS: Nice to see Ross getting emotional with her leaving, he really cares.

Edited April 15, 2017 by CaioF

[Nerdlove]

On Youtube, search for "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 9 Episode 4 Runway Looks" (filter last 24 hours if you have to). It's a 4:40 long video of the runway. It says VH1 in the corner so maybe it's a website extra clip? It's edited as if for the show, but they just didn't show it on the show... ??

[Xazeal]

I loved the episode, but I really dislike shortened runway segments, especially in episodes where the winning team is immediately whisked off the stage. It means we only get to see the winning team's looks for a couple of seconds. Really disappointing, because Shea and Sasha looked great.

Charlie's ouster was unfortunate, but deserved. I still like her as a queen, but this competition clearly wasn't for her.  

I was firmly on the Shea train even before the cast was announced, so I'm a bit biased, but girl keeps exceeding my expectations. I was rooting for her because she's a fierce stage performer and turns out gorgeous looks - turns out she's funny as well. I think this girl is the full package. Meanwhile, despite all the hype about Sasha I haven't been able to get onboard with her, but I've come around on her after this episode. I'm still fully expecting both of them to be finalists, and I think one of the previous episodes' winners will be the third. I just can't figure out which one. I want to say Valentina, but I kind feel like she's set up for a fall. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I appreciate that despite the shit Aja has talked, Valentina gave her very practical and real advice - focus on yourself instead of any of the other girls. I'm glad that Aja accepted it and made up with her.

Charlie getting emotional about how many of his friends have died of HIV/AIDS was really sad to see but I'm glad that it reminded the younger queens that it used to be a death sentence. We aren't very far removed from that era but a lot of younger contestants were born after it was as horrifying as it was in the 80s and 90s. Hee, but I loved when Charlie said she was going to ruin her makeup with all the crying and someone else said, "Just do a smoky eye!"

I agree that the biggest problem during the challenge was that Charlie asked Naya a question but didn't let her finish answering before moving on to the next question. That is a HUGE pet peeve of mine on regular talk shows.

I get that not all queens are lip syncers, but damn, Charlie just fucking gave up. At first I thought she was building up to something or buying some time so she could get out of those huge shoes and move around better, but nope. I was with the other queens who were yelling, "LET'S GO, CHARLIE! DO SOMETHING!" Like seriously, do something, ANYTHING. Just because you don't normally lip sync doesn't mean you should just completely give up. Yes, yes, I know you normally sing live. If you need to actually sing in order to perform, then just SING Britney's song!

[Kaboom 2.0]

Besides the lack of mini challenges like Reading is Fundamental there's also been a lack of the Pit Crew. Fix this, Mama Ru, fix it! 

And just when I was celebrating no Wendy Williams during the episode, along comes next week's teaser. Why oh why, VH1/WOW?! 

When Aja chose Valentina for her morning show team I figured it was because she knew Valentina is the judges' fave and that they would not choose her team as the losing team because of it. Valentina continues to impress me with her maturity and professionalism, I am still on her love train. 

Finally! I've been waiting for Shea and Nina to break out and show us how great they are, not just with their looks and runway but during a challenge. I love love them both and add Sasha to my fave list too, she and Shea had me LOL'ing during their news segment. 

I do feel a little bad for Charlie sashaying away (I wanted an "older" queen to do well) but her non-effort in the LSFYL sealed her fate. Trinity did turn it out nonetheless. As for the runway, what runway?? It went by so quickly. I liked the two guest judges too. 

Off to watch Untucked... 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

47 minutes ago, Kaboom 2.0 said:

When Aja chose Valentina for her morning show team I figured it was because she knew Valentina is the judges' fave and that they would not choose her team as the losing team because of it.

That was my assumption too. Aja may have been jealous but she knew it was smart to pick someone the judges love. Anything you can do to increase your team's chances of winning so that you aren't in danger of being eliminated!

[MaryWebGirl]

I'm another one who is impressed with Valentina's composure in the midst of the bitchiness around her, but I also worry a little that maybe she's had some messy relationships where she learned that keeping quiet was the way to keep the peace (not projecting or anything :-/). 

In addition to the no-comment runway we also didn't get a video greeting from Ru at the beginning. I'm guessing that's not the first time ever but I think it's pretty rare.

[annewithaneee]

Watching Untucked, I really do feel for Aja. I think she's going through the same thing as Katya and Roxxxy did in their original seasons, anxiety and insecurity manifesting itself into a full-on psych out. At least she had the intelligence and humility to apologize to Valentina and admit she was just taking it out on her. 

It also sucks that she's taking on so much hate from the fandom about her looks. She had the especially bad luck to be on the first season shot in HD. It shouldn't really matter if she's a hot dude or if her skin is baby smooth.

After her comments in Untucked, it seems like because she knew she couldn't pull off the chapstick and mascara beauty makeup look (like Courtney Act and Farrah), she needed to go the Trixie Mattell/Kim Chi route. But she's not really there -- her makeup is not polished, especially in HD. But what can she do, really? In the middle of the show isn't a good time to try and drastically elevate your look (Derrick). Hopefully she'll sort her shit out and improve after the show. It's admittedly tough to judge by her Instagram because she's been airbrushed to fuck and back, but I do much prefer when she does a muted nude lip (really softens the exaggerated overlining) and a bold eye with gorgeous bottom lashes. She's got beautiful eyes, with or without the blue contacts, and making that the statement will probably help. Also, I'd love to see Miss Fame do her thing and see what she looks like when she's not doing a full Kylie Jenner aesthetic (which I reeeeeally hate anyway, even on someone like Naomi Smalls).

[apollonia666]

Something about Valentina's nightie look has been bugging me ever since the show aired last night and I couldn't put my finger on it But I just watched the full runway online and figured it out: Those pantyhose she has on under her lingerie leave her with no navel. It looks really weird and doll-like, especially with her Barbie-painted eyebrows.

Shea should totally do Robin Roberts for Snatch Game.

[CaioF]

As far the lack of a real battle on the Lip Sync (mentioned above) I think we still gonna have some really strong ones from both sides.. Aja, Trinity, Shea, Peppermint, Nina.. They all come of as strong performers/not mess around on the lip sync. Cinthya we still need to see her not going against a queen killing on wheels (I´m still waiting to see some improvement on her from last season tho)..Eureka wont also be knocked out easily. Not sure on Sasha, Valentina and specially on Farrah (I think the song choice will make the difference with them). And theres is Alexis thas so far has being very competent at everything but no ups and downs, so I´m wondering if her lip sync will be the same... competent, not bad but not wow.

Edited April 15, 2017 by CaioF

[HunterHunted]

I watched Untucked. I agree with Eureka's reasons for choosing Trinity. Trinity was the team leader. She unilaterally assigned parts, sent them out to work on their bits without team feedback, and didn't check back to see how her subgroups were faring. Trinity is lucky that Eureka and Nina are as funny and creative as they are. Team Not on Today could have been completely routed.

Aja does not know how to overdraw her lips.

Edited April 15, 2017 by HunterHunted

[CaioF]

5 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

I watched Untucked. I agree with Eureka's reasons for choosing Trinity. Trinity was the team leader. She unilaterally assigned parts, sent them out to work on their bits without team feedback, and didn't check back to see how her subgroups were faring. Trinity is lucky that Eureka and Nina are as funny and creative as they are. Team Not on Today could have been completely routed.

Aja does not know how to overdraw her lips.

Yep.. While I dont agree that the leader should always take the responsability but on this case it was clear that her decisions (since all came from her) were mostly wrong, starting by signing herself a role that she couldnt deal with.  If wasnt for Nina and Eureka, that team would be as bad as that group from season 7 with Pearl, Kennedy and Jasmin were everybody was a mess/didnt know what to do on stage.

[ladle]

My favorite part of every show is watching the judges let their hair down and legitimately enjoy themselves as they watch the lip syncs.  Charlie aside, this time was no exception.  It'll be interesting to see what Trinity can do given an actual good song to work with.

I miss hearing Ru say the words "Interior Illusions Lounge."  I don't know why.  I just do.

ETA: This episode of Untucked was difficult for me to watch because the top of Alexis's corset was digging into her chest in a way that looked incredibly painful. 

Edited April 15, 2017 by ladle

[futurechemist]

I don't know what to think. In an interview Charlie said she didn't dance because of a cracked rib from the cheerleading challenge.

Did production know and told Charlie not to tell anyone rather than let her bow out respectfully for medical reasons?

Did Charlie just not tell anyone and the realize dancing wouldn't work?

I don't know if I should be annoyed with Charlie for not even trying or the show for throwing Charlie under the bus.

[CaioF]

14 minutes ago, futurechemist said:

I don't know what to think. In an interview Charlie said she didn't dance because of a cracked rib from the cheerleading challenge.

Did production know and told Charlie not to tell anyone rather than let her bow out respectfully for medical reasons?

Did Charlie just not tell anyone and the realize dancing wouldn't work?

I don't know if I should be annoyed with Charlie for not even trying or the show for throwing Charlie under the bus.

I heard it from her too.. And I´m not sure how much its totally true or its just a excuse. Like, even if producers didnt want her to tell about it, why she had to say that shes a live singer/she dont lip sync?! That was the part that most people went ´´WTH?!!``.  For me, I think she might have hurt herself, but it wasnt as bad to make her enable to continue on the show (if it was the case, they would made some drama about it and also she wouldnt be able to hide it) or at least to make it possible for her to do a better performance. IMO, its one more excuse along with ´´I´ll be sent home cause they want to get rid of the oldest bitch`` or the fact she kept those extreme tall hight heels so people would go ´´ohh, how could she move with that?``. Yep, she probably would be beaten anyway, but she could have done something, she wasnt paralyzed. I like Charlie, she released a cool single today on her channel, but I hear excuses to hide the fact she gave up or even went to the show just for promote herself, not looking for the prize/afraid to go further and fail in other challenges.

Edited April 15, 2017 by CaioF

[Xazeal]

I agree that the quality of the lip syncs is likely to increase. Kimora and Charlie were definitely two of the weakest performers, and of the remaining ones I think the only guaranteed trainwreck is Farrah. Sorry, I really like the girl, but I can't get through a video of her lip syncs. Charlie could beat her. Trinity/Aja/Shea are fantastic, Peppermint/Eureka/Valentina/Nina will at least put up a good fight. Cynthia and Alexis are probably alright. I just have no idea what to expect of Sasha, because her performances (which are incredible) are less about dancing and more about visual artistry through a projector and pure emotion on her face. I haven't seen a "normal" lip sync from her.

I really hope that some way, somehow, the show is able to get some supersized episodes for season 10. The show is suffering from the lack of mini-challenges and rushed pace. They will obviously still do the reading challenge and the puppet challenge once we have less queens, but we need something early on so we can get some reactions and interactions between the queens. Right now, Untucked is better than the actual show, because this is a great cast but we barely have time to see them actually DO anything on the episodes.

[RealReality]

Wow, Charlie Hides may lay claim to the worst lip sync performance in the history of the show.  At the very least, a bottom 5 performance.  

Honestly, if this is the energy Charlie brings when singing live than I wouldn't waste my time on a ticket to her show.  I would just buy the CD.

You know that at some point you're going to have to LSFYL, even if you go all the way to the end, you know you'll have to LSFYL against two other girls.  So why the hell come on this show if you can't do it?

I get that Charlie is older, and that she wasn't going to bring the energy to a Britney Spears song...I get it....but she shouldn't have just laid down and died like that.  That was just sad, and if nothing else it basically does the disservice of showing that older queens can't keep up with LSFYL's....and I don't think thats true.

As for the challenge, I really enjoyed both DIY segments.  And Aja can quit talking shit about anyone else, because the rest of her team carried her on the challenge.

Nina Bonina Brown was my favorite tonight for everything.  

[RealReality]

16 hours ago, Kaboom 2.0 said:

Besides the lack of mini challenges like Reading is Fundamental there's also been a lack of the Pit Crew. Fix this, Mama Ru, fix it! 

 

Oh, they had better open the library this season!  Also, I need the Tic Tac Lunch with Ru segment back.

[Granimal]

11 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

I watched Untucked. I agree with Eureka's reasons for choosing Trinity. Trinity was the team leader. She unilaterally assigned parts, sent them out to work on their bits without team feedback, and didn't check back to see how her subgroups were faring. Trinity is lucky that Eureka and Nina are as funny and creative as they are. Team Not on Today could have been completely routed.

Aja does not know how to overdraw her lips.

This cannot be overstated. I'm not buying Aja's story about her makeup being bad because she felt ugly or has acne. Women have felt this way for decades, and have figured out how to change the entire look of their faces with makeup. In the days of endless tutorials, the Kardashians, and her being a young queen...she's just bad at makeup. Though in comparison to prior episodes, her makeup was 1,000 times better this time around. I have to admit, watching Aja on You-Tube, I didn't even notice her makeup because of her dancing. But on RPDR, well, her makeup in the previous episode (when wearing that red monstrosity) must've neared about half the amount of Trixie's.

And my goodness, Joan Crawford would've been perfect for Charlie. Voice and all. I cannot believe I ever thought Charlie could do Paltrow, as he apparently thinks he's 100 years old. (And has a bit of a Bianca- admiration.) Admittedly, I thought Charlie was 40- not 52. STILL, not close to as old as he seems to think he is. I really would love to see some of these audition tapes. Mainly Charlie's at the moment- was there live singing involved? If  RPDR knew that CH didn't lip synch (even for her LIFE!!), did they just figure-let's get a cut of her potential profits and just throw in CuCu again?

And was my TV on Speed, or did the editors take the term "Drag Race" to a new level on the runway? Did anyone actually get to see those runway walks? (Without having to rewind multiple times, slow down the speed, or get them from another source?)

Bar Convo:

Friend to group: Ru never dresses for the theme.

Me: I didn't realize tonight's runway even had a theme.

Partner: My God! You never listen! It's '90s night.

Me: (Looks at Michelle) Oh! that's cool!

RuPaul: We told the ladies to come out in their naughtiest nighties...

Me to partner: ...

RE LSYL: Worth note: My mother (who is more-ahem- mature than Charlie, and does NOT perform for a living, dances the room down to some Britney. All while cleaning her house at that.) As someone whose first concert was Britney (when she was known as a "good dancer"...) when "I Wanna Go" plays, you actually do 'The Britney'...Yes Trin! When "I Wanna Go" comes on and you don't even know the lyrics, well then "shame on (Charlie)." Even with a medical problem (barring something extreme), Hides could have learned the lyrics. That was a real... let down moment for me. Britney may not be the icon akin to the icons of Hides' liking, but for a moment, Britney WAS an icon, like it or not. If you were a '90s child, Britney's following (not career) paved the way for Gaga to rise to Fame. (I realize that is a highly unpopular opinion, many starlets did it before, and that GaGa and Brit had crossed paths before the rise of GaGa.)

Another unpopular opinion: Nina has such a dark energy, that she's hard to watch during non-challenges. This last runway, Michelle said that Eureka(?) looked like a "street walker" and that she "loved Nina's look". I guess Michelle is nothing if not consistently inconsistent. Sorry, but Nina's latest runway (while I'm sure will be tooted to hell) was...bad. And didn't Jinx do the teeth-thing? (I know that's an annoying stretch.)I feel like I've seen that face before, the padding was too much (for me), and the basic - and I mean basic- outfit with crazy make-up and tons of padding, is just not my cup of tea. Nina rocked the challenge, but even during Untucked, I was worried that we'd have an emotional breakdown from her- and not the LaGanja kind. Something seems a bit off about her, yet she's able to pull it out. I hope I'm wrong , and that she's just shy. But I see some darkness in her, that will hopefully not overwhelm her.

Poor Naya. And poor me for missing out on hearing Michelle lecture Farrah for resting on pretty! (Stupid group challenges!)

Edited April 16, 2017 by Granimal

[annewithaneee]

So now it's Charlie and Eureka who have said they suffered non-trivial injuries from the cheerleading challenge, but there's yet to be any mention of it on the show. If true (and I see no reason to doubt them), WoW seems very shady and unprofessional to me. Why not air the queens discussing their injuries? Did they even get to see a doctor or medic? To omit it from the narrative entirely seems hella suspicious. 

Anyway, even more reason to cut it out with the physical challenges. The other is that it makes no sense! They didn't even have any real judging criteria for that shitshow. The only time athleticism should factor in, at best, is a LSFYL. As much as I would love an American Gladiators challenge (The names! The personas! The custom leotards!), they need to knock it off while they're still un-sued.

[Cosmic Muffin]

On his instragram (sorry I don't know how to link) Willam is dragging Charlie a bit for the slow lip sync, but he also is saying that on his season's wrestling challenge he hurt his wrist but was discouraged from getting treatment, and he kept going. Three months later an x-ray showed a badly healed broken wrist bone. His point is Charlie should have turned it out. My take away is that RPDR is really irresponsible about the health and safety of their contestants. I broke my wrist in December, and could not have skipped treating it, so worse than whatever Willam did. But part of what I've heard over and over is that I should now expect to have arthritis in that wrist when I'm older. Willam might also have arthritis in his RPDR damaged wrist later. If they'd treated it at the time it might have healed better. Who can say. I hope Eureka got appropriate attention for his knee and that going forward anyone gets the treatment they need. Or they stop injuring the queens. I suspect time is more the reason they didn't want to take Willam to get treated, they can all afford to take care of their injured contestants.

I know Adore had 2 root canals while on the show, so there's that. Or, as she might say, "It's very that". And it was.

[HunterHunted]

51 minutes ago, Cosmic Muffin said:

On his instragram (sorry I don't know how to link) Willam is dragging Charlie a bit for the slow lip sync, but he also is saying that on his season's wrestling challenge he hurt his wrist but was discouraged from getting treatment, and he kept going. Three months later an x-ray showed a badly healed broken wrist bone. His point is Charlie should have turned it out. My take away is that RPDR is really irresponsible about the health and safety of their contestants. I broke my wrist in December, and could not have skipped treating it, so worse than whatever Willam did. But part of what I've heard over and over is that I should now expect to have arthritis in that wrist when I'm older. Willam might also have arthritis in his RPDR damaged wrist later. If they'd treated it at the time it might have healed better. Who can say. I hope Eureka got appropriate attention for his knee and that going forward anyone gets the treatment they need. Or they stop injuring the queens. I suspect time is more the reason they didn't want to take Willam to get treated, they can all afford to take care of their injured contestants.

I know Adore had 2 root canals while on the show, so there's that. Or, as she might say, "It's very that". And it was.

Some competitive reality shows are better than others at making sure that contestants receive medical care for injuries. Top Chef (and most of the competitive cooking shows), The Amazing Race, Survivor, Face Off, and America's Next Top Model are pretty good about getting medical care for contestants, but they're really clear that time spent getting medical care will detract from your preparation or competition time. If you have 5 hours to complete a task, you get injured 1 hour into the task, and it takes 2 hours to get medical care, then you only have 2 hours left to complete it. You get no extra time. However, assuming RPDR films like most competitive reality shows, 2 to 3 days for competition and 1 day for talking head interviews and rest, then Charlie, Willam, or Eureka could probably go to the doctor on one of the interview days. But you'd have to know enough about the filming schedule and have a decent enough relationship with your line producer to know how to phrase the request and when to time it. I'm thinking the line producers on RPDR are really clear on the time constraints. The queens knows how pressed they are to get a look together even in the time allotted before losing time for medical attention.

That being said, these dumb challenges are causing physical injuries that are undermining the show's core concepts and elements. If queens are too injured to lipsync, then the challenges need to go.

However, the sheer ruthlessness of reality show productions cannot be overstated. All of the contracts include liability waivers for injuries and death. The Challenge, the Real World spin off, has been filming in foreign countries for years in part to limit contestants' access to law enforcement and outside medical attention. They let Tanya Cooley get raped on camera and didn't do shit about it. And as of yet, no one has ever successfully challenged any reality shiw contracts on the grounds of unconscionability and being against public policy. However, if it happens it'll be a Real Housewife who is most likely to succeed because some of them have "fuck you money."

[HunterHunted]

On 4/14/2017 at 8:36 PM, cyberfruit said:

No, Vh1 totally zoomed through it in less than a minute. We didn't get a real runway this episode, which is upsetting! I live for the queens' runway looks. Hopefully, this isn't due to Vh1 censorship (Nina's look is pushing it, lbr, but still here for it).

http://www.logotv.com/video-clips/vodgkq/rupauls-drag-race-runway-looks-good-morning-bitches

For those who didn't like the runway speed round, here's the full runway.

[Cosmic Muffin]

Hunter hunted, Eureka also had knee surgery in Sept. due to the cheerleading challenge. Charlie is hinting someone else gets hurt this season and people think it's Cynthia, but it could be Eureka. Or someone else. They need to dial back the dangerous challenges. I'm not kidding. Oh, at all - Coco Montrese, AS2.

[HunterHunted]

24 minutes ago, Cosmic Muffin said:

Hunter hunted, Eureka also had knee surgery in Sept. due to the cheerleading challenge. Charlie is hinting someone else gets hurt this season and people think it's Cynthia, but it could be Eureka. Or someone else. They need to dial back the dangerous challenges. I'm not kidding. Oh, at all - Coco Montrese, AS2.

It's ironic that Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman from "UnREAL" was the guest judge because he plays a manipulative line producer on a fictional Bachelor type show. The challenges are clearly dangerous. When I thought that they were taking 6 weeks to film a season, I argued that they could have gone to the doctor on interview days. I've since learned that they film a season in 4 weeks, which is fucking insane. It means that even if you went to the doctor after a challenge, you'd be quite likely to eat into your preparation time for the next challenge. I suspect because of the super tight schedule, the line producers really stress how seeking medical attention essentially means an automatic forfeit.

I imagine that line producers walk that fine line of appearing to offer medical attention, but playing on the contestants desire to win so that they don't (and honestly it's almost certainly for narrative reasons that they want contestants to stay in). The show doesn't really care about sending a production assistant off to the ER with a contestant. However an injury has the potential to ruin the entire narrative for the season. I'm sure that the producers play on a queen's desire to win in order to get her to ignore her injury and stay in. Producers from the Bachelor got bonuses if their girls made it to the finale. It's always been clear that Ru has some sort of story to tell each season. If losing a person to an injury messes with story, then I'm sure the crew is strongly encouraged to make sure the story plays out as conceived.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I know that some reality shows depend on pushing the contestants in the hopes of drama but I think physical challenges like the cheerleading one are unnecessarily dangerous. There is no reason to make them stunt like that, especially since most of them have no previous training which makes safety an issue. If Ru wants to give them crazy deadlines to glue gun the shit out of something, I can live with that. But forcing them to learn that long cheer routine with multiple stunts is too much IMO because there's too much risk for injury. Even if there was more wiggle room in the schedule to allow for medical treatment, I'm still not really comfortable with challenges like that. Push them mentally but don't endanger them.