S09.E12: Category Is

[OnceSane]

Quote

The queens must write and perform a rap on RuPaul's new hit single, and guest RuPaul's podcast with Michelle Visage. Style superstar Carson Kressley and the hilarious Ross Matthews guest judge.

[Cosmic Muffin]

Spoiler

The top three is top four, y'all! I couldn't decide either!

[noveltylibrary65]

Sigh...I knew the race was close but why did I just watch this ep?

[Primetimer]

A quartet of sheroes is better than a bucket of zeroes.

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[DasFlavorPup]

The editing this episode made all the queens look exceptionally strong, so it's not a surprise that Ru decided to keep them all this week, not that I'm complaining at all.  I'd certainly have been hard-pressed to pick a bottom two, much less a queen to sashay away.

That being said, if I'd had to choose, I think I would have to use the runway looks to decide because of  how well they all did, and I'm afraid I'd put Peppermint on the bottom for her runway look - it wasn't hideous, but it looked just a few steps above a high-school drama club costume, especially with the visible hoop outline at the bottom, which was driving me nuts.  I also really hated that tit-window on Shea's outfit - that just looked WEIRD.  

Trinity? Fucking SLAYED with that dress.  Easily one of the top 3 looks this season.

Edited June 10, 2017 by DasFlavorPup

[CaioF]

Okey dokey... for the first time, not the results that people expected from the spoilers I guess... But once we got the ´´critics`` and everyone just got praise, I expected it to happen...

Based on tonight, being nitpick: The performances on stage: Shea>Sasha>Peppermint>Trinity. The looks: Trinity>Sasha>Shea>Peppermint. But not a big distance between them/matter of taste and details.

This is a close one and I´m not sure the direction the public will go... I dont even know who I really want to win.,. For the first time I dont have a choose one and I wouldnt mind any of them winning... If we look the full competition and who gave the best/was the fearless with very little down moments, Shea should win. If you think that the outside the box drag should win, Sasha should win... If you go for a unexpected tragetory and a unapologetic bitch, Trinity is the one. But if you root for the underdog, the trans representation, the undeniable charisma, Peppermint is your choice...

Edited June 10, 2017 by CaioF

[Stardancer Supreme]

I was not too surprised with tonight's result, because I was hard pressed to figure out who should have went home. 

My pick to win?  Shea Coulee!  She was fierce from top to bottom this year.  My second choice would be Sasha Velour.   But I surely won't be mad if Peppermint or Trinity Taylor takes the prize.  This is the first time where I liked all the final queens.

[annewithaneee]

I don't know if 2017 has made me a cranky malcontent overall, or if I finally have Drag Race fatigue, or if this season has really been a major letdown, but....I kinda don't care what happens in the finale? I'll watch, and I'll be happy for whoever wins*, but I'm not rooting for anyone in particular anymore and I think they're a very solid but not phenomenal group of queens. I was really rooting for Trinity and Shea at the start, and I'm cooling on both of them somewhat. Shea especially left me feeling apathetic this week...her final four lipsync was not good, what little of her we saw (not getting the words crisply, strutting the runway over and over like that's her only trick), and I disliked her outfit especially the weird titty/bra area that was incredibly distracting as she strutted the runway.

*Y'all, I'm really not feeling Sasha and have found her critiques and arc very frustrating all season long. Had she made it a few seasons ago, I think I would've liked her a lot more. She needed to be given the challenge to show some versatility in her look, something that hit the goddamn floor, and to open up a bit and show more vulnerability. When she described herself at the episode's end as having this very bizarre, weird drag I was like....where?? Her beat and looks are impeccable, but she's been giving us tailored, modernized vintage with a cartoonish brow. Her aesthetic is interesting, and she executes it perfectly, but it's not really out there and daring. But the judges basically kissed her ass all season so we never saw what she would give when pushed outside her box, and that's a damn shame. 

[Halo]

Totally agree that Shea's runway was weird in the boobs, and I was underwhelmed by her look and her rapping. As always, her dancing and performance were strong overall, though. I'm biased, but while I think the top 4 are all amazing and did great, Sasha was strongest. 

[Nerdlove]

As someone who has struggled with being perceived of as "too smart" -- which is something our culture tends to really, really, REALLY hate in a woman particularly -- I really want to like Sasha. I want to be on the side of someone who thinks through things and I want to be like, "if we're allowed to brag about being good at certain other things, why not intelligence?" How many dozens of drag queens say things like, "I'm a fierce performer!" or "I'm beautiful!" or "I'm funny!" Why should it be different to say "I'm smart!" ... And yet... It is? God, I wish it weren't. Something about Sasha just irks me. I think I developed a nasty dose of antipathy during the princess challenge when she was princess of SelfDoubtia or whatever. And her rap tonight, all about how she's smart, just made me want to roll my eyes back into my head. Maybe it's because I don't actually think she's as smart as she thinks she is. And she's definitely not as fashion forward as the judges seem to think. As the Movie Bitches pointed out, she wears pencil skirts every week. Last week it was a pencil skirt and a turtleneck. This week's runway look was just a sheer pillowcase with holes cut out in it. And tonight on the runway when she brought up her mom in the "talk to the little version of you" moment, it felt so tacked on, like she was trying to find something that would feel heartfelt, after Peppermint's very obvious Heartfelt Moment. Not to say it isn't a valid feeling, but it FELT tacked on and disingenuous.

The song and performance, though, were definitely worth a quick rewind and rewatch. Nicely done all around, and credit to Toderick for helping to coax a good performance out of each of them (light years ahead of Lucian with his "be like Lorde" crap) and making choreography that made them all look good. And credit also to the remixer guy who made them sound good, too. So glad no one did a Roxxxy Andrews thing this time.

[NichD]

Sigh...I knew the race was close but why did I just watch this ep?

Seriously! It's a very strong final four, I agree, but what a waste of time, not least because we didn't get to see ANY of the work the queens did putting together their looks. So much time was spent on rambling speeches, and there was no winner, no elimination--they could have skipped this episode entirely if all four queens would be in the finale.

[Nerdlove]

ignore

Edited June 11, 2017 by Nerdlove

[Glade]

This episode was so underwhelming, the wigs/outfits in the musical number were atrocious, and the singing wasn't much better.  And that horribly fake/coreographed lipsync at the end was a joke!  Those queens have better moves then that, where were the flips and drops and where was the energy?  I don't really care who wins, but I have a vague distaste for each choice.  I'm especially sick of Sasha's one-note look with her scary eyebrows, bald head, and bright red lipstick; we've seen it too many times and it was never that great to begin with.  Trinity's busted 80's pageantry doesn't appeal to me, Shea's too hit or miss, and Peppermint is very likeable and a good lipsyncer (except tonight...) but otherwise she doesn't really have it.  The final 3 of Season 7 were thrilling compared to this bunch.  Maybe it's finally time to split the crown in 2 between two of these queens since they aren't strong enough alone. I'm #TeamHopeSeason10IsBetter

[JakeyJokes]

I've always hated the way they eliminate the #4 person anyway in the format they've used since Season 6 ("We like you the least. Sashay away, Darienne/Kennedy/Chi Chi"). So I was very pleasantly surprised by the reveal at the end, and I think it's justified because Sasha and Trinity weren't as good as Peppermint and Shea, but they didn't crash and burn, either.

Quote

Y'all, I'm really not feeling Sasha and have found her critiques and arc very frustrating all season long. Had she made it a few seasons ago, I think I would've liked her a lot more. She needed to be given the challenge to show some versatility in her look, something that hit the goddamn floor, and to open up a bit and show more vulnerability. When she described herself at the episode's end as having this very bizarre, weird drag I was like....where?? Her beat and looks are impeccable, but she's been giving us tailored, modernized vintage with a cartoonish brow. Her aesthetic is interesting, and she executes it perfectly, but it's not really out there and daring. But the judges basically kissed her ass all season so we never saw what she would give when pushed outside her box, and that's a damn shame. 

I would describe her drag as bizarre and weird for this show, as she's from that NYC avant garde school of drag a la Acid Betty and Thorgy Thor, and she got further than they did because she was consistent in the challenges. The only time she faltered was in 9021-Ho, which a) she admitted, and b) she got very lucky that Nina and Aja were worse.

Speaking of Aja, Shea is going to win and I blame/credit her. Even though Shea didn't win the 9021-ho challenge, I think that's the episode that cemented Shea as the winner. She stood up to the plate to take a part that she initially didn't want and knocked it out of the park. That is how you win a competition, boys and girls. Had Aja not been such a stinkbomb throughout that whole episode (why did she even want the rather thankless Tiffani-Amber Thiessen role? Did she read the script?), we might not have had such a clear anticipated outcome.

That being said, I'm surprised by how much I warmed to Trinity. In the first episode I pegged her as bitchy pageant queen who will be out by Episode 4, but she turned it out -- and as a comedian! I wouldn't call her a comedy queen necessarily (the roast showed that she's not a very strong writer), but when given an outline or character, she really had the goods. Even when she was bitchy in her talking heads, it came off in a way that was more often charming than nasty (her quip tonight about pulling Showgirls shit on Shea was hilarious).

Peppermint was slow coming out of the gate, but found herself later in the season. I'm meeting her next week and wanted to make shirts or hats that said "I'M AFTER PEPPERMINT" but my friend vetoed it.

[HunterHunted]

5 hours ago, Nerdlove said:

As someone who has struggled with being perceived of as "too smart" -- which is something our culture tends to really, really, REALLY hate in a woman particularly -- I really want to like Sasha. I want to be on the side of someone who thinks through things and I want to be like, "if we're allowed to brag about being good at certain other things, why not intelligence?" How many dozens of drag queens say things like, "I'm a fierce performer!" or "I'm beautiful!" or "I'm funny!" Why should it be different to say "I'm smart!" ... And yet... It is? God, I wish it weren't. Something about Sasha just irks me. I think I developed a nasty dose of antipathy during the princess challenge when she was princess of SelfDoubtia or whatever. And her rap tonight, all about how she's smart, just made me want to roll my eyes back into my head. Maybe it's because I don't actually think she's as smart as she thinks she is. And she's definitely not as fashion forward as the judges seem to think. As the Movie Bitches pointed out, she wears pencil skirts every week. Last week it was a pencil skirt and a turtleneck. This week's runway look was just a sheer pillowcase with holes cut out in it. And tonight on the runway when she brought up her mom in the "talk to the little version of you" moment, it felt so tacked on, like she was trying to find something that would feel heartfelt, after Peppermint's very obvious Heartfelt Moment. Not to say it isn't a valid feeling, but it FELT tacked on and disingenuous.

The song and performance, though, were definitely worth a quick rewind and rewatch. Nicely done all around, and credit to Toderick for helping to coax a good performance out of each of them (light years ahead of Lucian with his "be like Lorde" crap) and making choreography that made them all look good. And credit also to the remixer guy who made them sound good, too. So glad no one did a Roxxxy Andrews thing this time.

I'm someone who has had an issue with being perceived as "too smart" too. My issue is that Sasha isn't as smart as she thinks she is and we've had other really smart queens who didn't need to constantly remind the audience about being marginalized because of how smart they were, for example: Willam, Chad, Bianca, Katya, Alaska, Jinkx, Ben de la Creme, Trixie, Raja, Tempest, Thorgy, and Pandora. Sasha is the confident version of Nina.

After that aural atrocity that was Roxxxy's verse on Read U Wrote U, I'm glad that Todrick had a tighter grasp on the reigns.

Edited June 10, 2017 by HunterHunted

[annewithaneee]

10 minutes ago, JakeyJokes said:

I would describe her drag as bizarre and weird for this show, as she's from that NYC avant garde school of drag a la Acid Betty and Thorgy Thor, and she got further than they did because she was consistent in the challenges. The only time she faltered was in 9021-Ho, which a) she admitted, and b) she got very lucky that Nina and Aja were worse.

From poking around her YouTube before the season premiered, she's definitely doing unique performance art-y drag. But judging just what we've seen on the show? Sharon Needles and Kim Chi were both much more out there. Most of Sasha's looks have been ready to wear. I got a lot of tell and not show from her.

[CaioF]

I think the show needs to bring the competition feeling to the show again and find a way to keep it warm till the end. This is now oficially Ru Paul´s Best Friend Race. Like,  I don´t want those fake/forced dramas from early seasons but I dont want it to become such a stress free/friendly competition ( I think some queens are being extra polite and nice because they know they wont stand a chance with the public voting for the winner aswell). Is top 4 week and its hard to bring them down to 3? Separate them in two pairs of 2 to a real lip sync for your life. The two that win goes to the finale, the other two battle each other for the 3rd spot!

[HunterHunted]

46 minutes ago, Glade said:

This episode was so underwhelming, the wigs/outfits in the musical number were atrocious, and the singing wasn't much better.  And that horribly fake/coreographed lipsync at the end was a joke!  Those queens have better moves then that, where were the flips and drops and where was the energy?  I don't really care who wins, but I have a vague distaste for each choice.  I'm especially sick of Sasha's one-note look with her scary eyebrows, bald head, and bright red lipstick; we've seen it too many times and it was never that great to begin with.  Trinity's busted 80's pageantry doesn't appeal to me, Shea's too hit or miss, and Peppermint is very likeable and a good lipsyncer (except tonight...) but otherwise she doesn't really have it.  The final 3 of Season 7 were thrilling compared to this bunch.  Maybe it's finally time to split the crown in 2 between two of these queens since they aren't strong enough alone. I'm #TeamHopeSeason10IsBetter

Season 7? Pearl?!?!?!!!!!!!???????!?!?!? The song Lucian wrote for Pearl was about how a bitch was asleep for 13 episodes.

[Aerobicidal]

I volunteer to buy the judges a lifetime supply of Metamucil in honor of how much I do not approve of this non-elimination fuckery.

[Stowaway]

38 minutes ago, annewithaneee said:

From poking around her YouTube before the season premiered, she's definitely doing unique performance art-y drag. But judging just what we've seen on the show? 

The thing that makes Sasha's performances genuinely different is her incorporation of video/projection, and the show never found a way to let her use that. Which means she never got to show the Drag Race audience what it's actually like to see Sasha Velour perform. I think that's why the judgments sometimes seemed like they were letting her slide. And there was really no way to fix it; the alternative would have been to have an A/V challenge where Sasha would have slayed and no one else would have known the first thing about what they were doing.

 

44 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

I'm someone who has had an issue with being perceived as "too smart" too. My issue is that Sasha isn't as smart as she thinks she is and we've had other really smart queens who didn't need to constantly remind the audience about being marginalized because of how smart they were, for example: Willam, Chad, Bianca, Katya, Alaska, Jinkx, Ben de la Creme, Trixie, Raja, Tempest, Thorgy, and Pandora. Sasha is the confident version of Nina.

Those are some damn smart people, and my very favorite queens are all in there. But in the history of Drag Race, most of the queens either didn't go to college, they dropped out, or they went to art or theater school. Sasha went to Vassar and then studied in Russia as a Fulbright Scholar. That's a genuinely new thing for the show. . . I cut her some slack for saying "smart" when she should have been saying "academic."

And having said all that, and adding also that boy Sasha is basically a textbook example of my type, I didn't connect with her either. I was expecting to, and it didn't happen. And in the end, I don't care who wins either. Trinity won me over just like she did so many others, but not enough to root for her above the other three. I don't think the episode was a waste of time, though: it was an entertaining hour of television, and I may watch it again one day!

[Nerdlove]

16 minutes ago, Stowaway said:

I don't think the episode was a waste of time, though: it was an entertaining hour of television, and I may watch it again one day!

Yes, thank you! I mean, if all you want from the episode is for someone to go home, you could just check Wikipedia the next day and find that out. I watch for the journey. Don't really mind that no one got eliminated. I mean, I think based on overall performance the whole season, Peppermint was the weakest, but she also, for me anyway, won the challenge for the night. She also had the most emotional convos with Ru and the judges. So it was impossible to eliminate her. But it was also impossible to eliminate the other three, based on overall performance from the season. So this was the only outcome. And all the better for Pep, who has a super sweet personality and who obviously shines in person, live, and will probably have a fantastic live performer career going forward (not that she didn't have one before).

[okerry]

2 hours ago, Glade said:

This episode was so underwhelming, the wigs/outfits in the musical number were atrocious, and the singing wasn't much better.  And that horribly fake/coreographed lipsync at the end was a joke!  Those queens have better moves then that, where were the flips and drops and where was the energy?  I don't really care who wins, but I have a vague distaste for each choice.  I'm especially sick of Sasha's one-note look with her scary eyebrows, bald head, and bright red lipstick; we've seen it too many times and it was never that great to begin with.  Trinity's busted 80's pageantry doesn't appeal to me, Shea's too hit or miss, and Peppermint is very likeable and a good lipsyncer (except tonight...) but otherwise she doesn't really have it.  The final 3 of Season 7 were thrilling compared to this bunch.  Maybe it's finally time to split the crown in 2 between two of these queens since they aren't strong enough alone. I'm #TeamHopeSeason10IsBetter

I have to agree. I know most don't feel this way, but when Ru said, "I'm not sending any of you home," my first thought was, "Because you all suck and Ru can't decide who sucks worst."

I do miss my entertaining, talented, gorgeous queens like Katya, Latrice, and (yes!) Violet. And would someone please inform Shea that actual women do not have their boobs detached from their chest and stuck into a bustier. I could not believe she walked the runway like that and that the judges didn't call her out on it. Gah!

Peppermint's 1980s prom dress didn't fit right. I loved Sasha as Marlene Dietrich but the rest of her looks are all the same. Shea: See above. That leaves Trinity, who still is not in league with past winners. But I realize that's just me.

[CraftyHazel]

2 minutes ago, okerry said:

I have to agree. I know most don't feel this way, but when Ru said, "I'm not sending any of you home," my first thought was, "Because you all suck and Ru can't decide who sucks worst."

I do miss my entertaining, talented, gorgeous queens like Katya, Latrice, and (yes!) Violet. And would someone please inform Shea that actual women do not have their boobs detached from their chest and stuck into a bustier. I could not believe she walked the runway like that and that the judges didn't call her out on it. Gah!

Peppermint's 1980s prom dress didn't fit right. I loved Sasha as Marlene Dietrich but the rest of her looks are all the same. Shea: See above. That leaves Trinity, who still is not in league with past winners. But I realize that's just me.

This!!!  That drove me crazy, and I generally like Shea.

Sasha's still my favorite, although I seem to be the only one here.  But Trinity has been such a pleasant surprise for me that I wouldn't be upset (much) if she won the crown.

[Glade]

1 hour ago, HunterHunted said:

Season 7? Pearl?!?!?!!!!!!!???????!?!?!? The song Lucian wrote for Pearl was about how a bitch was asleep for 13 episodes.

...Yes, while previously I thought season 7 was the worst, most underwhelming, untalented season ever, I feel that has now been eclipsed totally by season 9.  Pearl, Violet, and Ginger all had distinct personalities and had done impressive (especailly Violet's fashion, I'm not a fan of pearl but jasmine was just as bad imo) things in their season; while they were disappointing at the time, I now see them differently since they were not the 4 boring, underachieving versions of the same wallpaper that we have now.  YMMV IDGAF.

Edited June 10, 2017 by Glade

[HunterHunted]

13 hours ago, Glade said:

...Yes, while previously I thought season 7 was the worst, most underwhelming, untalented season ever, I feel that has now been eclipsed totally by season 9.  Pearl, Violet, and Ginger all had distinct personalities and had done impressive (especailly Violet's fashion, I'm not a fan of pearl but jasmine was just as bad imo) things in their season; while they were disappointing at the time, I now see them differently since they were not the 4 boring, underachieving versions of the same wallpaper that we have now.  YMMV IDGAF.

MMV because I'm still shocked that Pearl made it to the final 3. While I never thought Naomi Smalls from season 8 was all that talented, she never had Pearl's stank attitude. It's funny that you mention distinct personalities because I think the season 9 finalists have distinct personalities, but they're not big personalities. I also think their drag styles for the most part are distinct, but once again not flashy. This is the Wait Wait Don't Tell Me season of Drag Race--entertaining and amusing, but you can't remember a single joke at the end nor are you rushing to tell your friends to turn on NPR because Wait Wait is killing it!!!!!!!!

Edited June 10, 2017 by HunterHunted

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I spent the last twenty minutes of the show trying to figure out what was going on with Shea's costume. Was her breastplate attached to her bustier? As she walked, I could see the bustier pulling at each breast. I could not comprehend what was actually happening.

Trinity is very lucky that Todrick did his best to make each of them look good during their solos because her choreography was basically standing. If he had given her the choreography from any of the other girls' sections, she would have been flailing like she was drowning.

Hee, loved how excited Shea was about getting a squatty potty!

[WhineandCheez]

Quote

Most of Sasha's looks have been ready to wear. I

Also, she wears ugly shoes. I don't know if she has an extra wide men's foot, or a reason she can't wear nice shoes. Her "I'm really smart" schtick to me is 80% saying "Most queens are dumb, illiterate runaways and drop outs"

Shea needed to be called out for those mocha bra cups riding above the breastplate (like Alexis' Wicked costume)  I was waiting for the smackdown that never came. Her athletic wear drag was very fashionable I thought

Now that Pep shined in this episode, they are all 4 equal in their ability to win.  I don't remember a season EVER where you didn't know who was gonna win.  So this makes it more fun!

[Egg]

I must be watching a different show, because I loved this season and I think all of the final 4 is great in their own way. Yeah, this episode was edited in a way to make it look like all of them did well, which makes us all able to say "I knew they weren't going to eliminate anyone!" which kind of pisses me off, but even so, I think it was justified.

With that said, Trinity was the only one who had a final look that I like. Isn't the last runway supposed to be your best drag? Only Trinity gave anything that was WOW (Peppermint's dress might have been wow if it looked/wore a little more expensive), and she was the only one who looked better then than she had in the past. I was also a bit underwhelmed with Shea's performances this episode. As a Shea True Believer, I still thought she performed better than Trinity, and was arguably better than Sasha, but I expected her to blow them out of the water. I was wrong. Peppermint and to a lesser extend Sasha (although our expectations were appropriately lowered for her) are the ones who really impressed me with the choreography and really selling it. Shea's legs were too straight. Is that a thing? It was bugging me. She looked too stiff while she was dancing.

I love about Trinity that she's really shown herself to be versatile and, despite the more sour parts of her personality, she's actually very positive when presented with something outside of her comfort zone! Many of the look queens we've seen on this show give up when presented with something they don't want to do, or they pull a Derrick Barry and look like absolute shit while doing it, but Trinity really excelled. She impressed me a lot, but I still think she's the weakest of the four, because although she's versatile, I don't think there's a single way in which she's better than all the rest. Nevertheless, I think she does a good job rounding out the final group, and I'm really pleased with the level of talent and professionalism that has made it to the end.

[Schnickelfritz]

15 minutes ago, Egg said:

She impressed me a lot, but I still think she's the weakest of the four, because although she's versatile, I don't think there's a single way in which she's better than all the rest.

She's a Jack (Jill) of all trades, but master (mistress) of none.

[WhineandCheez]

I forgot to mention I don't know why Shea's never been read for her makeup. She paints to make her self very close-eyed, which is not a good look for anyone.

[Pallida]

5 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I spent the last twenty minutes of the show trying to figure out what was going on with Shea's costume. Was her breastplate attached to her bustier? As she walked, I could see the bustier pulling at each breast. I could not comprehend what was actually happening.

Trinity is very lucky that Todrick did his best to make each of them look good during their solos because her choreography was basically standing. If he had given her the choreography from any of the other girls' sections, she would have been flailing like she was drowning.

Hee, loved how excited Shea was about getting a squatty potty!

I'm pretty sure it was a brown bra that was a bit too close to Shea's skintone which made it look like a weird distortion of a breastplate. 

[noveltylibrary65]

17 hours ago, Stardancer Supreme said:

I was not too surprised with tonight's result, because I was hard pressed to figure out who should have went home. 

My pick to win?  Shea Coulee!  She was fierce from top to bottom this year.  My second choice would be Sasha Velour.   But I surely won't be mad if Peppermint or Trinity Taylor takes the prize.  This is the first time where I liked all the final queens.

I want it to be Trinity, but I'm betting it will be Sasha.

[HunterHunted]

4 hours ago, WhineandCheez said:

 Her "I'm really smart" schtick to me is 80% saying "Most queens are dumb, illiterate runaways and drop outs"

I really like Stowaway's substitution of "academic" for "smart" because that really captures what Sasha is trying to do with her drag.

[Stardancer Supreme]

I just rewatched the "Category Is" performance.  Sasha was so off the beat that she didn't properly execute the death drop.  She just fell on the floor and stuck her leg up!  *cackles*

I also want someone to transcribe the raps of the queens. I thought I heard some good burns in them.

Edited June 10, 2017 by Stardancer Supreme

[ElectricBoogaloo]

3 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

I really like Stowaway's substitution of "academic" for "smart" because that really captures what Sasha is trying to do with her drag.

I agree. And I do like that Sasha puts more thought into her costumes than "look fishy and half naked." There's nothing wrong with the fishy and half naked look but I feel like Sasha wants to create a whole character around each look, as opposed to just creating an outfit. It's not always 100% successful, but I do appreciate that she wants to do more than just dress up. Even when I don't totally get it, I can tell that she has a back story for whatever persona she has on the runway (as opposed to "I look pretty" or "I look hot").

I thought her explanation about why she failed in the 9020-ho challenge expressed the smart/academic thing better than her usual "I'm smart." She said she assumed she could think her way into being funny aka she was getting too much into her own head.

Edited June 10, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[April Bloodgate]

I'm totally fine with the non-elimination. They really had no choice: based on the season overall, Peppermint should have gone home, but based on this episode, she was top 2 and probably Trinity should have been eliminated. I like these queens, so it doesn't bother me. And Shea or Sasha are the front-runners for the crown. I don't see any justification for Pep or Trinity winning the whole thing.

And for those saying this is a boring season, I respectfully disagree. I like this season only slightly less than last season. I really enjoy Shea, Sasha, and Peppermint. And while I don't really care for Trinity, I can see that she has talent. I think this is 10 times better than season 7. Ginger was funny but not nearly as funny as a lot of other queens we've seen. Violet had good fashion sense and nothing else. Pearl as a top 3 finisher was an absolute joke. 

[ClareWalks]

Sasha gives the best face out of any queen this show has ever had, IMO. She is captivating to watch.

[Stardancer Supreme]

What is that phrase after Ru had the girls go whoop whoop?  "She done already had hers"?  That line she had to replace "she-mail" with.  Just wondering. 

[Stowaway]

16 minutes ago, Stardancer Supreme said:

What is that phrase after Ru had the girls go whoop whoop?  "She done already had hers"?  That line she had to replace "she-mail" with.  Just wondering. 

It's "She done already done had herses." I believe it was something Ru heard a woman say at McDonald's one time, and it just stuck with her. (I found out what it was by googling "RuPaul something something hair hurts," because that's what I first thought she was saying. . . Reddit filled in the rest.)

[Kyrielle]

Quote

And would someone please inform Shea that actual women do not have their boobs detached from their chest and stuck into a bustier. I could not believe she walked the runway like that and that the judges didn't call her out on it. Gah!

Truth. That outfit bugged so much that it rated an automatic boot. That plus the lip syncing was rough. That said, IMO, the only lipsyncs this season that have been worth watching were Peppermint's.

[Cosmic Muffin]

Peppermint and Trinity were the only two who lip synced this season with any effort.

 

A drag queen has been posting smart, funny, parody videos of this season's lip syncs. She's Millenia Decade, and she started with Trinity vs Charlie Hides, I think because as she asks in the video, "did we really just see that? we did." Sometimes paper bags stand in for the judges. Check it out, I recommend it. This episode's parody is already up.

Millenia Decade's Youtube channel

[noveltylibrary65]

There's a spoiler on Reddit for anyone interested.  I'm very disappointed.

[kieyra]

This is embarrassing, but can someone tell me where Trinity is in this picture?

(I was just reading the TV Club article and trying to see how many names I could remember from this season, and I can't figure out which one is her and now it's bugging me.)

http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/drag-race-ends-competition-strong-performances-and-256604

[msgxoxo]

I feel like Shea will win, but she's my least favorite out of the top four. She just doesn't seem to have much of a personality compared to the rest. Trinity is definitely my favorite because she's so funny, and then it would be a tie between Sasha and Peppermint. I think Sasha's drag is better but I love Peppermint's personality. I agree that Trinity is more of a talker than a shower. I don't think her drag is really that shocking.. she's like a knock off Sharon Needles (who is my favorite by the way!). No offense but lifting your hat to show a little house on your head isn't really a shocker, lol! Compared to Sharon walking out with fake blood pouring down her head and face. THAT was shocking. 

But anyway, I don't care too much who wins. I feel like it will be Shea, but I definitely would prefer one of the other three to get it (specifically Trinity). We shall see! 

Edit: Actually, maybe she never claimed to be shocking.. she did say unique though. I think her style of drag is definitely high fashion and another level compared to the other queens this season. But compared to queens in the past it's not too crazy. Sharon and Violet definitely were a level above Sasha. 

22 minutes ago, kieyra said:

This is embarrassing, but can someone tell me where Trinity is in this picture?

(I was just reading the TV Club article and trying to see how many names I could remember from this season, and I can't figure out which one is her and now it's bugging me.)

http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/drag-race-ends-competition-strong-performances-and-256604

I don't think she's in that pic (unless I'm blind too lol) 

Edited June 11, 2017 by msgxoxo

[Kaboom 2.0]

I heart Shea but she really should've been clocked for that weird, unfortunate bustier/bra situation she had going on in the final runway. I mean WTH, girl...no. 

Re: the non-elimination, I don't know. Trinity's gumption has really impressed me, she has shone in certain challenges that I thought she would not, I've come to really like her. I've been loving on Shea and Peppermint since the beginning, and Sasha has really grown on me as well. I really couldn't choose which one of them should have sashayed away at this point. 

I really love that Todrick has become such a big (for me) part of RPDR, he always gives his all both as a judge and as a a mentor/director in various challenges. 

Cannot WAIT for the reunion!

[Nerdlove]

For Kieyra, check out this version of the image:

Trinity is to the very far left. She was edited out of the version you can see at the link you posted.

[kieyra]

33 minutes ago, Nerdlove said:

For Kieyra, check out this version of the image:

Trinity is to the very far left. She was edited out of the version you can see at the link you posted.

Thanks. Thought I'd finally lost my mind for good. (Kind of sloppy on the part of that site since she's now final four.)

Edited June 11, 2017 by kieyra

[WhineandCheez]

I have seriously forgotten 1/2 of these chicks.

[Egg]

3 hours ago, WhineandCheez said:

I have seriously forgotten 1/2 of these chicks.

For real, my friend said something about Kimora's look at the finale party, and I honestly thought "Kimora Lee Simmons was at the finale party?" Totally forgot there was a person on this show named Kimora (and I'm okay with that, frankly).

[LurkerNan]

I don't agree with Michelle's Nerve and Talent assignment. I feel Trinity has been much more nervy with her focus on winning while Shea has been more steadily talented. But I can't fault the Charisma and Uniqueness choices.