S09.E09: Your Pilot's On Fire

[CraftyHazel]

How was Ru being over dramatic by asking Valentina to remove the mask?  It's a lip sync for your life, not a dance off.  Yes, they need to move, too (sorry, Charlie), but they provide them with music and headphones so they can practice and know the words to the song, so obviously that matters.

Valentina obviously let her track record go to her head, and didn't think she'd be in a position she couldn't charm her way out of.  Her fans on social media are so OTT it's ridiculous.  The more I see of them, the less I like Valentina, but I'm sure she's a future All Stars lock.

[Kaboom 2.0]

Wow. I've always liked Valentina but her inexperience and youth really flared up to screw her over this time. I agree with others re: her being offered a part in AS2. I still have not seen Untucked but I'm almost dreading it. I am still living for Shea, Sasha and Peppermint. I like Trinity at times but feel those three are the strongest contenders. I still love Nina but she's become this black hole of paranoia and self-doubt, I don't know how much longer she can continue on Drag Race like this. 

Sasha begging Shea's toes to not jump (the staging of it, Sasha's emotional pleas) was THE best moment for me in this ep, hell their sitcom actually had me LOL'ing. 

I barely recognized that Noah child (I gave up on Real O'Neils after its first year) but had no idea who Lisa Robertson is. I will forever love Carson's one clap for Nina and Valentina's sitcom, hee! 

[belligerent]

I just want a full season of Teets & Asky where Katya is Asky's ex from Russia who is now their evil arch nemesis. (Also can I guest star? My drag persona (which i made up before I knew about Katya) is Boris "Biff" Stroganov, a mail order husband who came to America to meet rich women but finds himself somehow just as popular with the men.)

Alexis is just a bitch, but not the fun kind. She should take notes from Trinity on how to be a bitch without everyone hating you for it.

I'm surprised and yet not surprised at the lip sync. So far, this season has been about queens that seemed promising before the season started disappointing us in some way, so Valentina blowing it didn't really deviate from that. Nina did slay the hell out of that lip sync, though, and the way she does her makeup always emphasizes her lips so she's mesmerizing to watch. I like what she does as a performer but as somebody said upthread, she's so hard to watch when she's interacting with the other queens. I think she's talented, and I hope getting as far as she has on the show gives her the confidence she needs to pull herself out of whatever funk she's in. I think part of the problem is that she's very introverted and probably could use a little alone time to recharge, but she's always got people around asking her why she's not being part of the group. I'm also very introverted (INTJ, and can be outgoing but need a lot of alone time to recharge after being that social), so that's the thing I would have trouble with in a long format competition show, too.

I like all of them at this point, minus Alexis who can go home anytime. I hear that she's got a lot of talent, but she's so in her head about why these people don't realize her greatness at this point that I really don't think she can recover. I also didn't think I would like Trinity but she's grown on me a lot and seems to go farther out of her comfort zone than other pageant queens have in the past, who kind of stuck to what they knew and made excuses. She seems pretty ready to tackle new things. I just wish she'd done a funnier Snatch Game character.

[MaryWebGirl]

@Kaboom 2.0 she's a presenter on either HSN or QVC; I forget which. I didn't recognize her name but when they showed her I remembered seeing her do makeup segments. 

[jaync]

Quote

I have only this to say about Valentina coming back--oh no she better don't. I like Valentina, but this was a colossal fuck up. She shouldn't get to just wipe that away.

For real. There was no judges' error in her sashaying away.

Valentina should've just played dumb, and acted like she forgot in the moment about still having her mask on. Not that she would've been saved, but it would've been better than her blatant admittance that she didn't bother to learn the words.

Nina Bo'Nina Brown Love Hewitt should try out for Skin Wars.

[Sew Sumi]

5 hours ago, MaryWebGirl said:

@Kaboom 2.0 she's a presenter on either HSN or QVC; I forget which. I didn't recognize her name but when they showed her I remembered seeing her do makeup segments. 

Lisa Robertson used to shill on QVC, but left in late 2014. AFAIK, this is her first TV gig since. She apparently now sells garbage jewelry and overpriced clothes from the comfort of her living room couch via FB Live. I have no clue how she got this gig. 

[Ruby Gillis]

Whatcha Packin' with Valentina is up on Logo.  Michelle didn't seem to be able to get any real answers out of the interview.  Valentina says she has no regrets.  What??!!

http://www.newnownext.com/michelle-visage-whatcha-packin-season-9-ep-9/05/2017/

[JakeyJokes]

9 hours ago, belligerent said:

I just want a full season of Teets & Asky where Katya is Asky's ex from Russia who is now their evil arch nemesis. (Also can I guest star? My drag persona (which i made up before I knew about Katya) is Boris "Biff" Stroganov, a mail order husband who came to America to meet rich women but finds himself somehow just as popular with the men.)

 

OMG. Here for all of this.

[annewithaneee]

I don't want to be uncharitable here, because there's no real reason for me to doubt the sincerity of everything presented other than just a gut feeling that the milk didn't smell 100% clean to me. Regardless, after watching Untucked I still wasn't really devastated on her behalf. Other than a very Real Housewives breakdown (in that I don't think we ever saw any evidence of actual tears), I didn't really see anything to empathize with. She was so composed and smiley afterwards, and really downplaying the degree to which she'd fucked up, that I still couldn't quite figure out how badly she must have fallen apart mentally for that to have happened onstage -- because none of the afterwards really showed anything but composure. On the whole it was all just really off-putting for me. Ultimately it doesn't matter, but it does make me groan anticipating her coming back for AS3 and probably being a lock for a ton of screentime and possibly the final three/four. She's beautiful and has a spark, but she's no second coming of Alaska or Katya.

I also think this is a good reminder of why it's usually more satisfying to have a winner who owned at least one LSFYL. As far as I know, there's three winners who haven't (barring a finale lip sync which feels more ceremonial than an actual LSFYL): Tyra, Bianca, and Violet. Bianca's the outlier for me personally because she's one of my favorite queens of all-time anyway, but I would've probably been a lot happier with Tyra or Violet's wins had I seen them kill it in a LSFYL at some point in their seasons. The winner should be able to do that, so it's good Valentina showed her cards. Hopefully Shea and Sasha get a chance to too, soon, and also hopefully we have a truly epic one soon. Peppermint's was probably the best so far, but it was against a very lame duck.

[kieyra]

22 hours ago, noveltylibrary65 said:

I don't believe Valentina thought she had a chance in hell, since she asked to keep her mask on.  She was saving face (literally) for her swan song.   I found RuPaul a bit overdramatic demanding she take it off.   What was the point other than to see how badly this was going to go?

Re overdramatic: "reality" shows live and die by faux-dramatic moments that get people riled up because they mistakenly think they're watching a documentary.

I think Valentina didn't learn the song--and RuPaul did his job, which was to seize the opportunity and make it into compelling "reality" television.

And yes, they absolutely have to see how badly it's going to go. That's what the audience wants. 

Same situation with Adore last season (AS). She knew what she was signing up for. Didn't stop Michelle from getting death threats.

Reality tv is kind of fucked up, when you think about it.

Edited May 22, 2017 by kieyra

[ladle]

Something about Valentina has just seemed very...off...to me all season.  Even the way she was talking on UnTucked after she was eliminated was somewhat disturbing to me-- like, this person is not "all there," mentally.  To be fair, I'm not a psychologist, and as a poster above noted we only see a few minutes of heavily edited footage each week, so who am I to say what's going on with her?  But it would not shock me to learn she has struggled with mental health issues and, if so, I hope she's doing okay.  I actually do like her as a queen much more than I thought I would at the beginning, despite her hubris with this lip sync, and she does seem to have a sweet, likable side. 

On another note, I could watch the trailer for Teets & Asky on a loop all damn day.  That was some funny shit. 

[noveltylibrary65]

10 hours ago, kieyra said:

Re overdramatic: "reality" shows live and die by faux-dramatic moments that get people riled up because they mistakenly think they're watching a documentary.

I think Valentina didn't learn the song--and RuPaul did his job, which was to seize the opportunity and make it into compelling "reality" television.

And yes, they absolutely have to see how badly it's going to go. That's what the audience wants. 

Same situation with Adore last season (AS). She knew what she was signing up for. Didn't stop Michelle from getting death threats.

Reality tv is kind of fucked up, when you think about it.

Agreed, which is why I was disappointed in Ru but he is doing his job.  I just feel like in the first seasons this wouldn't have happened.

[Blakeston]

14 hours ago, annewithaneee said:

I don't want to be uncharitable here, because there's no real reason for me to doubt the sincerity of everything presented other than just a gut feeling that the milk didn't smell 100% clean to me. Regardless, after watching Untucked I still wasn't really devastated on her behalf. Other than a very Real Housewives breakdown (in that I don't think we ever saw any evidence of actual tears), I didn't really see anything to empathize with. She was so composed and smiley afterwards, and really downplaying the degree to which she'd fucked up, that I still couldn't quite figure out how badly she must have fallen apart mentally for that to have happened onstage -- because none of the afterwards really showed anything but composure.

Valentina's always struck me as a super-highly-strung perfectionist who puts on an affected persona so that we won't see her sweat.

Her breakdown looked completely real to me. I think her composed, "no regrets" attitude was just her way of coping.

[Halo]

44 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

Valentina's always struck me as a super-highly-strung perfectionist who puts on an affected persona so that we won't see her sweat.

Her breakdown looked completely real to me. I think her composed, "no regrets" attitude was just her way of coping.

That's my read on it. I find Valentina similar to Alaska in that perfectionist-who-can't-deal way, only with less experience. That's how I read Alaska's  tantrum on AS2, and I think Tina's version was to shut down in panic rather than start screaming and bargaining. 

[Skylark]

On 5/20/2017 at 6:44 AM, Xazeal said:

I read spoilers about how Val's elimination went down last week so while I can't say I was shocked, I didn't expect it to be THAT bad. I thought the rumors would turn out to be at least slightly exaggerated. I disagree that it was staged - I think the producers really wanted to get rid of Nina this week, but when Valentina shit the bed completely they saw the opportunity for a "moment".

ITA: I think Valentina really messed with the producers' storyline by not even being prepared. Alexis would have been the obvious choice to lip-sync vs. Nina (and I think Valentina assumed this was the scenario), but there was a higher chance that Nina would have beaten Alexis. I really believe that they wanted Nina out before the makeover episode because that's something she really excels in. Barring a complete collapse (which is still possible - Nina could get overly ambitious and not finish for example), they'll have Nina on for another week when the producers have already finished with her.

[NYCNJbear06]

This has got to be one of the most epic crash and burns in Drag Race herstory.  Valentina coulda been a contenda.   Before Ru read her to filth (umm what about lip synch do you not understand? We need to see your mouth – Shaaaaaade LOVED IT) I thought they would try and bring V back later in the season with some trickery but once the shade was thrown I figured V was gone for good.  I’m sure she will come back for an all stars though. 

Nina and Alexis can both be the next to leave – Runway Gods- Double elimination please.  Nina this isn’t Ru Paul’s Therapy Race.  She just isn’t confident enough to wear the crown. And I am getting tired of her lack of self confidence and conspiracy theories. No the world isn’t against you the only person sabotaging you is YOU!  Also, more importantly she is becoming a one trick pony.  I’m tired of the sexualized pogo-stick bounce that she is constantly doing.  Yeah it was sorta cute the first 10 times but come on now.  Her persona seems limited and handicapped by her breastplate and padding and the blow up doll heightened sexualization that it embodies.   

Alexis is such a star (in her own head).  You know when someone starts off by saying “I’m not trying to throw anybody under the buss…” you know the track marks are coming.  Stop with excuses.  You made bad decisions and it’s no one’s fault but your own.  Step up your game and quityerbitchin bitch!

[Kaboom 2.0]

23 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Lisa Robertson used to shill on QVC, but left in late 2014. AFAIK, this is her first TV gig since. She apparently now sells garbage jewelry and overpriced clothes from the comfort of her living room couch via FB Live. I have no clue how she got this gig. 

Thank you and MaryWebGirl for answering my question. :-)

I truly love the friendship between Shea and Sasha and it shows in their chemistry in challenges. Lurve them!

[JakeyJokes]

7 hours ago, Blakeston said:

Valentina's always struck me as a super-highly-strung perfectionist who puts on an affected persona so that we won't see her sweat.

Her breakdown looked completely real to me. I think her composed, "no regrets" attitude was just her way of coping.

 

20 hours ago, ladle said:

Something about Valentina has just seemed very...off...to me all season.  Even the way she was talking on UnTucked after she was eliminated was somewhat disturbing to me-- like, this person is not "all there," mentally.  To be fair, I'm not a psychologist, and as a poster above noted we only see a few minutes of heavily edited footage each week, so who am I to say what's going on with her?  But it would not shock me to learn she has struggled with mental health issues and, if so, I hope she's doing okay.  I actually do like her as a queen much more than I thought I would at the beginning, despite her hubris with this lip sync, and she does seem to have a sweet, likable side. 

On another note, I could watch the trailer for Teets & Asky on a loop all damn day.  That was some funny shit. 

Remember a few episodes back when they had the eating disorder discussion? Valentina implied that she was still struggling with anorexia. Typically, anorexics have that very strong perfectionist, high-achieving type A personality, as it's about control as much as it is about food.

[CaioF]

Three things that can keep a queen on the competition: Excelling at the challenges, create drama, share your struggles. Valentina stood out at the beginning with her charisma and being understimated by the other queens. Once the queens didnt pick up on her/she was very nice with everyone, started to fade in the middle of the challenges and we got to this point of the competition wheres no more place for be in the middle, she had either two things to offer to the producers: Step up her game and return to the top or fall in the bottom exposing her struggle. So, she fell in the bottom but her reaction was to hide herself and pray it would go unnoticed. No girl.. no... You´re giving nothing for the producers (at least Nina and Alexis are serving drama). So, of course they would expose her and this was her death sentence since she wasnt prepared for it. She said alot that she wasnt prepared and people are only thinking about the lip sync, but it seems that she wasnt prepared to be exposed in the bottom at all. And once things got worse, it was full colapse.

Edited May 23, 2017 by CaioF

[Tara Ariano]

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

 

RuPaul's Drag Race Delivers Season 9's Defining Episode

There are glorious successes, and a uniquely memorable failure.

[WhineandCheez]

Che (Shay?) was everything in that pilot.  The espadrilles line was awesome! For me the F3 will be Che/Shay, Trinity, but I am 50/50 on whether Sasha or Peppermint will be in the third spot.  Nina and Alexis are going the next 2 episodes for sure. 

[Halo]

3 hours ago, WhineandCheez said:

Che (Shay?) was everything in that pilot.  The espadrilles line was awesome! For me the F3 will be Che/Shay, Trinity, but I am 50/50 on whether Sasha or Peppermint will be in the third spot.  Nina and Alexis are going the next 2 episodes for sure. 

It's Shea, btw. I'm totally convinced it will be Shea, Sasha, and Trinity as final three, with Shea winning the crown. 

Shea and Sasha are just so focused and have amazing chemistry together, and it's exciting to see that emerge on the show. I don't know that any two queens will ever be as perfect a pairing in my eyes as Trixie and Katya (we only got hints of their combined powers in S7), but Shea and Sasha might prove me wrong. They're keeping me interested in this season, which has been flat for me. 

Edited May 24, 2017 by Halo

[okerry]

May I just say that by far the most entertaining moment of this show was Bob and Katya's Baywatch commercial. That's how it's done, kids. The rest of y'all, I'm pretty much over. Except for Sasha as Marlene Dietrich and in the Pilot video. Otherwise, meh, and I love RPDR and have been watching for years.

[Richard]

This is the first season ever where I just don't care who wins. And based on that, I don't want any of them to win. 

[kieyra]

On 5/24/2017 at 4:19 PM, Richard said:

This is the first season ever where I just don't care who wins. And based on that, I don't want any of them to win. 

The fact that we're getting into all these repeat drag names now isn't helping me and my crap memory. I only vaguely got a handle on Sasha during the stand-up comedy, and I regularly forget Trinity exists between episodes even though she is seemingly the stand-out. 

(Note to future drag queens: the names Trinity, Alexis and Sasha are officially played out. Better avoid Nina too.)

[RealReality]

I floved Shea and Sasha's pilot -- the "cliffhanger toes" scene was absolutely perfect.  It could be on a tee shirt and I would buy it.

I was shocked at Valentina, but I guess I'll put it on the vanity of youth.

[film noire]

On 5/21/2017 at 0:27 PM, jaync said:

Valentina should've just played dumb, and acted like she forgot in the moment about still having her mask on.

Agreed, that would'e been a better move. Drag is not about hiding.

Quote

Not that she would've been saved, but it would've been better than her blatant admittance that she didn't bother to learn the words.

The queen who makes Ru laugh almost always stays, so she should've made the mask part of a comedy bit (lip sync the first verse from behind the mask - blowing hard on the veil so it flutters in and out as you punctuate your "veil dance" with big dance moves) then remove it and watermelon your way through the rest. It might've been enough to save her, or at least send her off with some style.

Edited May 26, 2017 by film noire

[jaync]

Quote

The queen who makes Ru laugh almost always stays, so she should've made the mask part of a comedy bit (lip sync the first verse from behind the mask - blowing hard on the veil so it flutters in and out as you punctuate your "veil dance" with big dance moves) then remove it and watermelon your way through the rest. It might've been enough to save her, or at least send her off with some style.

Great point. Maybe her inexperience prevented her from thinking on her feet better.

[WhineandCheez]

Quote

May I just say that by far the most entertaining moment of this show was Bob and Katya's Baywatch commercial. 

Where can I find this?  I watch on Amazon, and this was not part of it

[Watermelon]

2 hours ago, WhineandCheez said:

Where can I find this?  I watch on Amazon, and this was not part of it

It's on either wow or logo's YouTube page 

[HunterHunted]

6 hours ago, WhineandCheez said:

Where can I find this?  I watch on Amazon, and this was not part of it

3 hours ago, Watermelon said:

It's on either wow or logo's YouTube page 

 

It's missing their man on the beach interviews, which are hilarious.