S04.E07: Queens of Clubs

[OnceSane]

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The All Stars are challenged to design and host their own VIP club nights. Extra special guest judges: Rita Ora and NYC Nightlife legend Susanne Bartsch.

Airs January 25, 2019.

[DanielleC.]

Well...  A ok episode, mixed up feelings with the challenge but its was interesting that it mix up the part of how a drag queen should be able to work /entertain a night club with the design/ acting aspects...  

I just hope that Latrice dont keep getting free passes to the top as she did.. Like, once agaaain, she lost herself in the background acting with other queens and it was soooo unfair to have the judges calling Manila out because she did ´´too much``.  Are the queens now supose to drop their performance level when they are performing with Latrice? C`mon!.. I think Latrice should be safe, but clearly Manila and Trinity carried the team/were the top 2 of the week all the way. Loved everything they did.. Other teams, Monique and Monet did good, quite of a obvious theme with the U-ranus/black role overdone puns, but they nailed it. Valentina and Naomi werent bad, but it was one level and they lacked chemistry... Valentina once again had some funny moments, but not exactly for the right reasons and Naomi was kept wheespering the name of the club, so yeah, clearly the bottom 2.

Runway: Manila, Monet and Trinity nailed it, looked great. Latrice was good by stepping out of her confort/pegeant zone, but that looks with the balls, we kinda saw that concept alot and I didnt liked how it fell over her head during the runway... I liked the rest tho. Naomi played too safe, c´mon girl, runway is were you´re supose to wow us.. Valentina had a good idea but the execution/her trying to portrait a doll was off... Monique´s runway was the worst.

Lip-Sync: Well, since Trinity decided to be ´´original`` and mix up Kameron´s runway with Shangela fat lady body suit to be fun/outshine on a very awkward way (that was baaad/not funny), Latrice won by default/ doing a solid job.

Bu-bye Valentina... I liked to see glimpses of her real emotions, and watching the queens reacting, seems shes really a nice queen.. Her drag character that is delusional, I think she made that clear decision to play like that and stood out. She did all she could and once again didnt went home without make her mark.

Edited January 26, 2019 by DanielleC.

[2727]

I laughed at Trinity's lipsync, which seems to be getting universally panned online. I always appreciate it when queens try to bring something different. Also, I'm old and live in a retirement community with a lot of swimming pools so perhaps enjoyed the visual joke on a different level than others.

The Black Hole was the best/most fun club, which seems to confirm that the challenges are less important than the runway to the judges. See also: Latrice being in the top despite having only 1-2 lines as club hostess.

I was sad that Ross wasn't there to enjoy the clubs; he surely would have been into it.

Overall a fun episode and I'm not sorry to see Valentina go. Ru's faux shock was a bit much.

[Temperance]

I was worried the wrong queen would be sent home, but I also would have been okay if both of them left. I thought Valentina's runway was stronger. Naomi's was fine, but  very tame predictable. 

Latrice had much improved attitude. She was ready to compete and fight, and that's right spirit. She did well picking her team strategically. She was probably was stronger at the club than the edit showed. I also thought Latrice's and Trinity's runways were stronger than Manila's, although Manila always looks great.

I liked both Monet's and Monique's runways. 

[Ruby Gillis]

4 minutes ago, Temperance said:

I was worried the wrong queen would be sent home, but I also would have been okay if both of them left. I thought Valentina's runway was stronger. Naomi's was fine, but  very tame predictable. 

So surprised the producers didn't make Ru choose Trinity as the winner of the lipsync!  (I assume Trinity picked Naomi to go home.)  I really thought they would rig it for Valentina to make it to the end.   

[Temperance]

I think Trinity picked Valentina to go home. She's big on chosing based on performance versus friendship. She was clearly concerned when Naomi said she did a lot of the work. 

I also thought Ru would just pick Manila to save Latrice when Manila was lipsyncing against Monique. Monique and Latrice seemed stronger in their respective lip syncs imo, and I think their wins reflect that. 

[CraftyHazel]

It was Valentina’s time to go.  I’m not a fan and feel she only truly shines when the assignment is “show up and look good”.  She’s not funny, she’s not unique...she just blends in for me, with the exception of her delusional belief that she’s exceptional in every way.

Latrice didn’t deserve to be top two, and I love me some Latrice.  She did well enough to be safe, but I’d have probably chosen Trinity and Monet for the top spots.  

It was lovely of Trinity to share her winnings with Manila, who-let’s be honest-did a TON of the grunt work for their club.  Too bad the judges thought she was running over her teammates...it didn’t look that way to me.

Trinity or Manila for the win.

[Supagirl]

Best show of the season so far!  The runway looks were very creative and strong (did Latrice go shopping while she was out?) and the challenge was fun.  That’s what these girls do...they host parties in nightclubs.  Why make them act?  Everyone shined (shone?).

If Ru is going to be upset when the wrong girl is sent home, she should go back to making the decisions herself.  After 4 seasons of AllStars, this is clearly the one aspect no one cares for.  In my opinion, Trinity threw that lipsynch so she wouldn’t be the one.

[Glade]

This was a great challenge.  I couldn't stop laughing at Valentina's 'fantasy' line.  It was also hilarious when she was responding to Michelle on the runway, and the accidental political commentary therein. I'll miss Valentina, though her exit line was also priceless.  

I wished Latrice's hairballs were a different color (and maybe also coated with glitter or feathers or something) that would have elevated it more and kept me from thinking of Vivacious.  I guess she did deserve to be in the top, though I still saw her break character once to eyeroll in response to one of Manilla's jokes.  Monet's look wasn't bad, but I couldn't help but notice it's the hundredth 'stuff glued to a leotard' look of hers.  

That lipsync was really underwhelming, Trinity's gimmick was lame (I guess she wanted to throw it? She was certainly better then Latrice in the club) and I certainly wasn't blown away by Latrice either, who may have been too distracted by Trinity to bring it out?  I think if Naomi and Valentina could lipsync for their lives they would have done better.  Was this the first time the lipsync song featured a male singer?  If it's allowed, they should do some Boy George. 

Edited January 26, 2019 by Glade

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Naomi and Valentina's were clearly in the bottom of the club challenge. Their concept, decor, performance, and execution were all so far below what the other two teams did. During their presentation, it seemed obvious that they were unprepared and they didn't know what they were doing.

Monet and Monique's club looked like the most fun. I wanted to see more and more.

Manila really made her team's space. She came up with a great concept, she had a plan to create it, and she executed it so well. Her team had a more fully realized club concept/theme than Monet and Monique did with all the bee/honey stuff. I didn't think that Manila was stepping all over Latrice and Trinity either. I remember other drag race challenges where one person was clearly trying to outdo everyone or interrupting to get more attention (gawd, remember that Bachelor challenge a few seasons ago?), and that is NOT what happened here. She just had more energy and volume which is fine with me. I'm glad that Trinity immediately said she was sharing one of her prizes with Manila because honestly, without all of the work Manila did to create that club, their team wouldn't have done so well.

I'm surprised that Valentina was finally sent home. She looks gorgeous and she's had some great looks/outfits, but she doesn't seem to do well in any other area. She isn't funny, she doesn't perform well, and beyond that she is totally delusional about how well she thinks she's been doing in various challenges.

[Kaboom 2.0]

Loved seeing the vintage clip & pics of Ru & Suzanne! Loved Suzanne & Rita as guest judges, they seemed to be enjoying themselves and Rita Ora telling Monet she was still waiting for the $100 made me LOL. 

As much as I heart Latrice I thought Manila should have been top two with Trinity. Manila totally delivered on the concept (& runway) that all three conceived of, & Trinity really shone as a hostess. 

It was Valentina's time, she is so one-note in many ways. Her delusions can be funny but after awhile, came off a little sad. 

[AKA...CJ86]

15 hours ago, Glade said:

Was this the first time the lipsync song featured a male singer? 

 

Might I just mention three of my favorite lipsync:

Season 8... "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" featuring Bob and Derrick

Season 9... "Love Shack" featuring Jaymes and Kimora, and "Macho Man" featuring Alexis and Peppermint

Are there more? I forget.

I wasn't feeling AS4 after my jush left... again... but you know what, I might go ahead and keep with it since Valentina's gone. I didn't feel Valentina back in S9, I didn't feel Valentina here.  Good Riddance, I say.

[Fake Jan Brady]

21 hours ago, Marmiarmo said:

It was lovely of Trinity to share her winnings with Manila, who-let’s be honest-did a TON of the grunt work for their club.  

It was hilarious that the friend that Manilla sobbed over being unable to save kept very silent during that largesse.

[palmaire]

1 hour ago, cousin oliver said:

It was hilarious that the friend that Manilla sobbed over being unable to save kept very silent during that largesse.

Please. Her winnings are going towards her wedding.

[Blakeston]

I've suspected for a long time that Latrice got a very kind edit in season 4, and that she isn't nearly as level-headed and endearing as she was made out to be.

She appeared on some show before she ever did Drag Race, not long after she got out of prison, and she came across pretty badly. It was a Shark Tank kind of thing, where everyday people ask rich people for money, except it's about charity rather than start-up money. (For example, someone who recently declared bankruptcy might ask for money to send their kid to college.)

Latrice asked for money to participate in a drag pageant. I had no problem with that - but she asked for a ridiculous amount of money ($25,000, I think). The rich people ended up giving her nothing, because they felt she was completely disingenuous in asking for so much.

And when she played the "I just got out of prison" card, she acted as though all she did wrong was drive with an expired license, while having "a prescription pill" in the car. Whereas in reality she went to prison for being caught with a shitload of ecstasy.

[Rai]

I was excited for this challenge, and I just don't know how it hasn't been done before. It's such a natural fit for a drag queen competition. This is like the real world practical challenge, to me. Also, this is probably the closest I'll ever get to Suzanne Bartsch in real life. I've been to parties where Amanda Lapore showed up, but otherwise, my NYC club days were far, far away from the Kids. 

(Also, I just looked up Bartsch, and you guys, she is 67 YEARS OLD. WHAT. THE. HECK. BEST WORK EVER. Suddenly, I'm more in favor of plastic surgery.)

Out of the clubs, I thought the Black Hole was the most authentic. It reminded me of a lot of space/future concept nights that I've been to, and their outfits were fantastic (although kinda bee-like. Was there going to be a bee-themed runway or something?). I also thought how they did the catwalk entertainment was great. However, I was in the tank for the Bee Hive right from the start, what with the bee puns and the VIBs and then Sean's sexy Beekeeper hat thing. The design looked most like an actual club space, and Latrice got to shine as the hostess, but Trinity and her spelling bee were the best entertainment. I have to wonder if she kinda threw that lip sync, but that's so antithetical to her work ethic that it's quite the reach.

Michelle totally nailed it when she said [whisper] Club 96 [/whisper] was like an SNL sketch The moment she said that, it was so blindingly obvious. Like, somehow Jennifer Coolidge with one of her outrageous accents and Jennifer Tilly were co-hosting in the '90s, and this was one of their sketches or something (or on the gone-too-soon SheTV that only I remember). I think Valentina's rhymes were decently funny and a little overlooked, and Naomi's repeated whisper touch was absolutely hilarious, but that space was BASIC. It really was a parody of a club night, not a club night. Rita Ora's whisper punchline really drove that home. 

Like, a club where you are the glamor queen of the night is a great idea. Not super original, but a really great concept if the execution is strong. And I thought Naomi was great in their brainstorming session, coming up with concepts, riffing off Valentina's, etc. But she was burdened with a legend in their own mind, so nothing translated all that great.

(Sidebar: If they had played into Valentina's strengths, they should have done something like TELENOVELA or FEEL THE FANTASY and went for a more latin-themed over the top night. But hey, easy to coach from the arm chairs, I know.)

I figured Latrice would pick Valentina by the way they were talking during deliberation. It reminded me of last All-Stars where Bebe was telling Aja how far Aja had come and to be proud of that and so on. And Trinity really is hard-nosed about coming correct and putting the work in, so I wouldn't be surprised if she had picked Valentina too. I don't know that Latrice won that lip sync, but sure, okay. That said, Latrice isn't obligated to give any of her prizes or money to anyone else, and how she spends it is her business. 

Really stoked for makeover challenge next week.

Manilla and Trinity still feel like the ones to beat.

[ClareWalks]

1 hour ago, Rai said:

(Also, I just looked up Bartsch, and you guys, she is 67 YEARS OLD. WHAT. THE. HECK. BEST WORK EVER. Suddenly, I'm more in favor of plastic surgery.)

I was amazed by how great she looked. She looks way better (younger) than me and I'm 36. 

Edited January 28, 2019 by ClareWalks

[gritz]

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That lipsync was really underwhelming, Trinity's gimmick was lame (I guess she wanted to throw it? She was certainly better then Latrice in the club) and I certainly wasn't blown away by Latrice either, who may have been too distracted by Trinity to bring it out? 

I highly doubt Trinity (or any of them) would throw the lipsync when there's ten thousand doulahs at stake, and a queen is going home, anyway.

[Glade]

3 hours ago, gritz said:

I highly doubt Trinity (or any of them) would throw the lipsync when there's ten thousand doulahs at stake, and a queen is going home, anyway.

Actually, queens like Katya have admitted to throwing these AS lipsyncs when they don't want to make the decision to send someone home/face potential fallout with friends and backlash from social media fans.  Trinity will make a huge amount of money due to the exposure of being on All-Stars, so this ten thousand isn't end all be all.

Edited January 28, 2019 by Glade

[Not4Me]

Even though it came out in 1997, I wouldn’t have minded if Naomi and Valentina kinda turned their Club 96 theme upside it’s head midway and turned their glamour schtick into referencing Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion (where the delusion was clearly thick). That would’ve made me gag!

[Blakeston]

19 hours ago, Glade said:

Actually, queens like Katya have admitted to throwing these AS lipsyncs when they don't want to make the decision to send someone home/face potential fallout with friends and backlash from social media fans.  Trinity will make a huge amount of money due to the exposure of being on All-Stars, so this ten thousand isn't end all be all.

I'd heard that Katya was really bothered by people saying that she threw the lip syncs in AS2.

[gritz]

19 hours ago, Glade said:

Actually, queens like Katya have admitted to throwing these AS lipsyncs when they don't want to make the decision to send someone home/face potential fallout with friends and backlash from social media fans.  Trinity will make a huge amount of money due to the exposure of being on All-Stars, so this ten thousand isn't end all be all.

Thanks, I didn't know that about Katya, and I agree that the fans/stans can be ferocious. But, the thing is, the queen who doesn't win the lipsync still ends up revealing their lipstick, so they're going to get some kind of grief for their intended pick no matter what. So, IMO throwing a challenge isn't really beneficial at all, and it's certainly not befitting of an All-Star, who should be going all out in every single challenge. Also, I don't care who one is - $10K is a lot of cheese for only two minutes of work.

Edited January 29, 2019 by gritz

[Not4Me]

6 hours ago, gritz said:

Thanks, I didn't know that about Katya, and I agree that the fans/stans can be ferocious. But, the thing is, the queen who doesn't win the lipsync still ends up revealing their lipstick, so they're going to get some kind of grief for their intended pick no matter what. So, IMO throwing a challenge isn't really beneficial at all, and it's certainly not befitting of an All-Star, who should be going all out in every single challenge. Also, I don't care who one is - $10K is a lot of cheese for only two minutes of work.

Not to mention the potential blowback a queen could get from pissing off Mama Ru for throwing a competition, as evidenced by Ru blackballing a few of them over the years (though for unrelated reasons). While I definitely think the elimination tactic for All Stars sucks, it is part of the game, and the queens should remember it’s a competition. And since people will always troll social media no matter what, they might as well earn some extra $10K for following the rules.

 

Anyhow I think Trinity really thought she had the lip sync in the bag with her old man costume and going the humorous route but it was memorable for all the wrong reasons. It was like Latrice vs. Kenya all over again, but this time with a better overall competitor.

 

I think Black Hole was my favorite of all the club ideas...it was just so stupid fabulous. The Bee Hive was also very good, and the ladies had the best runway look of the night. <whisper>Club 96</whisper> Seemed promising and had some moments but it was definitely the weakest of the 3.

[Blakeston]

On 1/29/2019 at 2:20 PM, gritz said:

Thanks, I didn't know that about Katya, and I agree that the fans/stans can be ferocious. But, the thing is, the queen who doesn't win the lipsync still ends up revealing their lipstick, so they're going to get some kind of grief for their intended pick no matter what. 

I recall at one point in AS3, Bebe got away with refusing to reveal who she would have sent home. (I suspect that this season, the people behind the scenes are forcing the losers to disclose it.)

I'm not aware of any queens actually admitting that they threw a lip sync. There was a lot of speculation that Katya threw her lip syncs in AS2, but unless I'm my memory is completely warped, she publicly refuted that.

[Dewey Decimate]

On 1/28/2019 at 10:39 AM, Rai said:

(Also, I just looked up Bartsch, and you guys, she is 67 YEARS OLD. WHAT. THE. HECK. BEST WORK EVER. Suddenly, I'm more in favor of plastic surgery.)

Out of the clubs, I thought the Black Hole was the most authentic. It reminded me of a lot of space/future concept nights that I've been to, and their outfits were fantastic (although kinda bee-like. Was there going to be a bee-themed runway or something?).

I CANNOT believe she's 67. A senior citizen. That's insane!

I loved the Black Hole's alien incubator and the semi-predictable but hilarious "His-Anus" repartee.

Manila in boy drag is KILLING me! *swoon* Painting the club in those glasses and white tee was giving me Steve Dallas from Doonesbury vibes. Or Kyle McLachlan as Paul Atreides on moving day. Guess I have a type.

[Rai]

8 hours ago, Dewey Decimate said:

Manila in boy drag is KILLING me! *swoon* Painting the club in those glasses and white tee was giving me Steve Dallas from Doonesbury vibes. Or Kyle McLachlan as Paul Atreides on moving day. Guess I have a type.

Hee. Steve Dallas was Bloom County, actually, but I'm in love with this reference all the same!

[Gothish520]

21 hours ago, Dewey Decimate said:

I CANNOT believe she's 67. A senior citizen. That's insane!

I loved the Black Hole's alien incubator and the semi-predictable but hilarious "His-Anus" repartee.

Manila in boy drag is KILLING me! *swoon* Painting the club in those glasses and white tee was giving me Steve Dallas from Doonesbury vibes. Or Kyle McLachlan as Paul Atreides on moving day. Guess I have a type.

Manila is a total doll. Someone else said they would make out with her in or out of drag and I agree!

[Dewey Decimate]

On 1/31/2019 at 10:14 AM, Rai said:

Hee. Steve Dallas was Bloom County, actually, but I'm in love with this reference all the same!

Oh man, I never even read Doonesbury but have the entire Bloom County opus on my bookshelves. Thanks for the reminder! (Mid-life brain fart)

12 hours ago, Gothish520 said:

Manila is a total doll. Someone else said they would make out with her in or out of drag and I agree!

I think that was me, lol! Manila is my all-time fave.

[smores]

I think I'm at a table for 1, but I did feel like Manila kind of jumped in on the punchlines of the other 2 a couple of times.  It wasn't a super horrible thing, but when they were showing off their club, I remember the 3 of them standing together, Latrice explained something, Trinity was essentially nodding along in agreement because this portion was Latrice's moment, and after Latrice's punchline, it was like you could see that the gears turned in Manila's mind and she hadn't had a beat in that segment, so she quickly threw out a one-liner.  It just seemed disjointed and out of place, rather than sitting back and letting it be Latrice's moment.