S09.E13: Reunited

[ClareWalks]

2 hours ago, CaioF said:

The thing about Valentina tho, is that she seems to share some of the delusion from her fans, like comparing herself to Selena

When Valentina said she was so much like Selena and how that was totally unrepresented in the media today, I was like "...uh, elaborate, please." "Mexican, first-generation, talented." What? There are no (other) talented Mexican-American performers? Okay, girl. *eyeroll*

[HunterHunted]

3 hours ago, annewithaneee said:

My hunch is what it's going to hurt most, and really already has, is the show itself. Social media in general has fucked with the casting process as well as how the queens act once they get on the show, really flattening the level of talent and personality we see. And the fact that a large chunk of the show's most intense fans are young straight girls also just fucks up what drag shows and drag queens are meant to be. I can't even imagine a Raven, or even a Raja, being able to thrive with the demographics of Drag Race fans now. But yes, Valentina needs to figure out a better way to cope with it...Katya has a lot of the same problems with attracting a very crazy fanbase, but I can't imagine her justifying it by comparing herself to Selena. 

I do think social media has really really done major damage to the show. There are folks like Farrah Moan whose skills are not and weren't ever up to the level that they needed to be for the show. Then there is Aja who can host, lipsync, and dance, but needed the show to learn how to do her own makeup. And as much as I like Kim Chi, there was a whole host of things that she couldn't do that reasonably should have kept her out of the top 3. Same thing with Naomi Smalls. I know people complain about the Bob coronation in season 8, but there were a whole host of pretty talented queens in that season including Chi Chi, Thorgy, and Acid Betty. Except for Kim Chi and Naomi, I never had any real concerns about being really entertained at a show featuring any of the season 8 queens. I don't know that the same can be said about season 9.

I find social media to be more problematic in terms of the personality we see on the show. Everyone except Nina was trying to keep theirs under wraps until they got to a place in the competition where it stopped meaning all that much. I continue to have issues with these Instagram and YouTube queens who have a hard time performing and recovering when they make a mistake.

3 hours ago, CaioF said:

These Valentina stans are probably mostly the same Adore Delano stans. Couple weeks ago I saw one commenting that Adore doesnt need the show, that shes bigger than Ru Paul and that she also won American Idol lmao (they totally change the facts, Adore= Danny Noriega only made top 16 on AI). The thing about Valentina tho, is that she seems to share some of the delusion from her fans, like comparing herself to Selena. 

50 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

When Valentina said she was so much like Selena and how that was totally unrepresented in the media today, I was like "...uh, elaborate, please." "Mexican, first-generation, talented." What? There are no (other) talented Mexican-American performers? Okay, girl. *eyeroll*

In a certain way I agree with Valentina, but also feel like she's completely delusional. I come at it from a place that if you have such a hard time explaining your drag, then you need to sit and think on it for a bit before making grand pronouncements. Adore is Mexican-American and I think Jaymes Mansfield said she is Tejano. Drag Race tends to cast queens from Puerto Rico. Valentina should have been able to articulate that like Selena, Mexican-American and Latin themes are woven through out her drag with no irony or camp. Those elements are treated with an earnestness, reverence, and no shame as can sometimes happen with immigrants. 

Adore doesn't need RuPaul. OK. Thanks for the laugh. What a bunch of toddlers.

[CaioF]

3 hours ago, annewithaneee said:

My hunch is what it's going to hurt most, and really already has, is the show itself. Social media in general has fucked with the casting process as well as how the queens act once they get on the show, really flattening the level of talent and personality we see. And the fact that a large chunk of the show's most intense fans are young straight girls also just fucks up what drag shows and drag queens are meant to be. I can't even imagine a Raven, or even a Raja, being able to thrive with the demographics of Drag Race fans now. But yes, Valentina needs to figure out a better way to cope with it...Katya has a lot of the same problems with attracting a very crazy fanbase, but I can't imagine her justifying it by comparing herself to Selena. 

After her elimination on S7, when people went to attack Kennedy online Katya was very fast to tell her fans that from her perspective, Kennedy totally won their Lip Sync, that she was fierce/deserved her place in the competition, even went further by saying that producers made her own lip sync looks better that it was (I think it was a close one but she went further saying it wasnt even close as a damage control). And on further tweets/ interviews she kept saying that she found no sense from the fans to attack other queens, thas she found it stupid etc. She didnt spare the crazy fans to feel guilty about it and now most of her fans know that the last think she wants/you would expect from her is to take drag sooo serious.

[CraftyHazel]

Katya is extremely intelligent and well-spoken, though, and I don't think Valentina is nearly as bright.  She's not stupid, just young and disconnected.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

14 hours ago, April Bloodgate said:

I've watched RPDR since season 2, but I've somehow missed this "stans" thing. Why are we calling V's fans "stans"?

 

14 hours ago, MaryWebGirl said:

It just means obsessive fans and isn't unique to Valentina. It was just added to the dictionary.

http://ew.com/books/2017/06/01/oxford-english-dictionary-officially-adds-stan-from-eminem-song/

The word/reference originated with the Eninem song but the term became really popular about ten years ago on celebrity gossip sites like ONTD where people use it to mean a combination of stalker+fan aka super obsessive about particular celebrities (as in "I totally stan for Britney" or "Kardashian stans are totally cray").

[Dirtybubble]

I finally got around to watching the reunion and I have never been more uninterested and underwhelhemed by a group of queens.  At least S7 had a M.C. I could root for but gah thus year....how is it possible to dislike everybody?!  

[violet and green]

Yeah, that was ugly. So much ugly. I thought the entire top four came out of it tarnished.

[okerry]

16 hours ago, violet and green said:

Yeah, that was ugly. So much ugly. I thought the entire top four came out of it tarnished.

IMHO, most of them had very, very little charisma, which was terribly evident in Reunited.

Uniqueness? Well, I guess . . . but Sasha is the only one who stands out to me at all. I wonder if she would have done much better in a different season, with different and more talented queens to play off of. But most of the others I hardly remember.

Nerve? There were major failures of nerve here. Charlie, Valentina, and Nina, for sure.

Talent? uhhh . . . I'd give the win to Sasha on this, because her Marlene Dietrich in Snatch Game was the only moment that really entertained me all season. I really thought that was gorgeous - at least as good as Alaska's Mae West.

Sasha FTW. It do take nerve.

[BabyVegas]

I finally figured out what was bothering me about Valentina. With the pageant queens that we've seen much of on this show, there's usually some kind of a wink or something to communicate that there's more there than just gowns and soundbites. Both Alyssa and Trinity were pageant queens and love 'em or hate 'em, they always seemed to be aware of where they were. Valentina often seems to act like she is always in a pageant, no matter what. Every time she talks it's a pageant speech. Every walk she does is a pageant runway. It just feels so superficial. I really saw it in her speech for Miss Congeniality. It just sounded so rehearsed and prepared. Maybe I'm just used to something different, but that's what I felt like this reunion really showed me about Valentina.

[ClareWalks]

7 hours ago, BabyVegas said:

I finally figured out what was bothering me about Valentina. With the pageant queens that we've seen much of on this show, there's usually some kind of a wink or something to communicate that there's more there than just gowns and soundbites. Both Alyssa and Trinity were pageant queens and love 'em or hate 'em, they always seemed to be aware of where they were. Valentina often seems to act like she is always in a pageant, no matter what. Every time she talks it's a pageant speech. Every walk she does is a pageant runway. It just feels so superficial. I really saw it in her speech for Miss Congeniality. It just sounded so rehearsed and prepared. Maybe I'm just used to something different, but that's what I felt like this reunion really showed me about Valentina.

I agree, the only time she's ever "gone off script" was in the reunion when she told Farrah to "just shut up already." Which was rude.

[vixenbynight]

3 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

I agree, the only time she's ever "gone off script" was in the reunion when she told Farrah to "just shut up already." Which was rude.

Yup. Valentina's facade cracked during that moment. 

[Avon.Blakes7]

I don't think I've seen anyone as detach as Valentina! I had no idea she was bordering on some sort of sociopathy! She never really broke "face," keeping that smile even when called out by Farrah! She really just didn't care! WOW; I'm very disappointed and her memory will live on in making fun of her mask bad "LSFYL!"

[JakeyJokes]

Quote

Valentina often seems to act like she is always in a pageant, no matter what. Every time she talks it's a pageant speech. Every walk she does is a pageant runway. It just feels so superficial.

Yeah, the "I love you and respect you" to Farrah seemed especially rote. I'm seeing Valentina live tonight and I'm interested to see what she brings.

Also, Farrah showed more personality and humor in the reunion than she did all season! I want to write a screenplay where she is a ditzy drag queen who solves mysteries.

[Cosmic Muffin]

3 hours ago, JakeyJokes said:

Yeah, the "I love you and respect you" to Farrah seemed especially rote. I'm seeing Valentina live tonight and I'm interested to see what she brings.

Also, Farrah showed more personality and humor in the reunion than she did all season! I want to write a screenplay where she is a ditzy drag queen who solves mysteries.

I  love mysteries, JakeyJokes, I would read yours!

The only cross dressing mystery series I know of is Mehmet Murat Somer's, the first book is The Kiss Murder. The protagonist owns a night club and does freelance IT work while getting involved in mysteries. They're translated from Turkish, and the translations seem pretty good.

[Avon.Blakes7]

30 minutes ago, Mayberry said:

When Sasha said that Valentina didn't make an effort to get to know the other girls backstage and Valentina replied, "I wanted to win..." I was like, Bitch, please, that doesn't mean you can't act gracious and open to the other girls. That would've actually helped her to win, to be someone the other girls liked, not someone they all came for at the reunion. She made the classic mistake with that. Very winners get away with acting like total cold-hearted bitches (I guess...Tyra?) but at least have a bit more to back it up (like being able to at least lip sync.) And it's why they reacted to her Miss Congeniality win the way they did.

V was definitely single-minded and I actually thought of Tyra who was quite cutthroat and kept her distance from the other girls! It all worked out for her with nary a false step the entire season! Many girls were like that, usually to their detriment! Someone like Delta Works you had to be amused with the ego! Being a b!tch just made it the more entertaining when Stacy Layne Matthews actually won a challenge and made Delta "LSFYL!" That was Karma since DW was such a bully along with the other "Heathers!" You have to hope justice prevails along with a deserved winner! There are always the exceptions with BeBe Zahara Benet, Jinkx Monsoon, & Bianca Del Rio who were all delights! Violet was somewhere in between who also was very single-minded as Tyra, but had an ego that wasn't too overbearing! She knew she was the $#!t & wasn't the least bit insecure; and rightfully so! I can take or leave the rest! 

Edited June 25, 2017 by Avon.Blakes7

[Couver]

The comparisons to Tyra are very accurate. Valentina had the makings of a Tyra type winner. I would say that at least on the show though Valentina came off better than Tyra. Tyra never got the bubbly edit that Valetina did. Ultimately it is probably better to be a more liked winner. Tyra has done the least things of note as a winner and I say that not to be shady since I do like her. The winners that have done well post show are queens that are well liked/respected and have a lot of connections in the drag world. 

[Avon.Blakes7]

On ‎6‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 5:39 AM, Mayberry said:

You're right. We didn't really see the issues the girls had with Valentina until the Reunion.

I don't follow the queens much on social media but I still tend to hear about some drama involving Tyra.

If not for these reunion/finales, I'd never see Tyra, Bebe, or Raja! I don't follow drag like that so if not on the networks, they just don't register on my radar! Now we have so called poor man's/lower level queens like Shangela and Jinkx and I see them all over the place; "Blue Bloods," "Dance Moms," interviews, cameos, couch prattle shows, etc.! ;-)

[buttercupia]

How is Jinkx a lower level/poor man's queen?

[Halo]

10 hours ago, buttercupia said:

How is Jinkx a lower level/poor man's queen?

I don't think she is. Jinx is super talented, and I love her singing voice. 

[Avon.Blakes7]

On ‎7‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 6:42 AM, buttercupia said:

How is Jinkx a lower level/poor man's queen?

 

On ‎7‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 4:47 PM, Halo said:

I don't think she is. Jinx is super talented, and I love her singing voice. 

I thought so too, but I'm thinking of those other b!tches in the season that undermined her at every turn! They were vicious; Roxxxy who had to beg for mercy when social media exploded almost demanding her suicide! Even Alaska admitted she was intimidated by the talent of Jinkx and came off poorly! It was Karma that Jinkx eventually won without having to LSFYL, but at the end! Loved her on "Blue Bloods" a few years ago! Shangela was good on "Bones!" ;-)

Edited August 20, 2017 by Avon.Blakes7

[HunterHunted]

5 hours ago, Avon.Blakes7 said:

They were vicious; Roxxxy who had to beg for mercy when social media exploded almost demanding her suicide!

Poor Roxxxy. Not smart enough so you can laugh with her and not dumb enough to laugh at her.

[Dandesun]

Jinx' style was definitely not the same 'level' as the more pageant queens but it was fucking appalling how they went after her. "If I came out in that dress I would be read to filth by the judges but you go out and it's okay because you're a comedy queen." I mean, Roxxxy got vicious at the end and some of that spilled over onto Alaska who was also very comedic. Alaska acknowledged in the talking heads that pageant queens were 'all about getting into the heads of the other girls' but damn, that last episode before the reunion/winner Roxxxy seemed to cross over into hysteria. Roxxxy performed decently enough in a lot of the challenges but it always seemed to me to be rather one-note. 

Audiences tend to side with an underdog... especially when they prove how talented they are. Jinx has it in spades. She had references, too. Her Little Edie was phenomenal and it went up against things like Detox' horrible Ke$ha, Coco's Janet who did nothing more then the voice and costume changes (which, fine, but after Chad Michaels you have to actually deliver on making Ru laugh as well) and... Lord, you had Alyssa's Katy Perry who didn't get the 'kissed a girl' reference. Really, queen? You would never kiss a girl? It was only your star-maker single!! Or Ivy Winters' Marilyn. Look, I think Ivy is adorable and I will forever love her as being, so far, the only queen to reference 'Le Jazz Hot' from Victor/Victoria but she didn't get Marilyn's voice at all and she didn't get the softball Ru lobbed at her about JFK. Jinx is the one that saved that one.

So, yeah, Jinx was obviously talented and likable but you had Michelle tearing into her for her looks when her performances were tremendous and the queens tearing into her in the workroom because she was a bonafide threat and it really resulted in a lot of audience anger at Michelle and the pageant queens.

Not that Michelle had been exempt from that. Her critiques against Chad got really annoying really fast.