S11.E06: The Draglympics

[OnceSane]

Quote

The queens get physical in the 69th International Draglympics. Choreographer Travis Wall and Olympian figure skaters Mirai Nagasu and Adam Rippon guest judge. Camp aerobicise queen Love Connie makes a guest appearance.

Airs April 4, 2019.

[DanielleC.]

WTH with the elimination? First of, giving Vangie a free pass on that cheap look as a returning queen? But the worst, despiste not be a dancer, I thought Scarlet totally outshined Ra´Jah at the lip sync! (the one that is supose to have a brackground on dance but shows no soul on stage/keep giving deer in the headlights eyes while performing).

Also, this damm challenge again.. I really hope it doesnt hurt Ivye bad enough to the point that she had to leave in a couple weeks =_=

This season has alot potential, but one thing is getting boring: The edit/producers are heading too much on Ivye, Vangie and Silky.. I can´t listen again and again Silky talking about how shes ready to lip sync despite having free passes, and same now if Vangie keeps bringing the same, we see the worrie but shes safe anyway..

[ItCouldBeWorse]

Even if that wasn't the original plan, if the producers don't want to lose Yvie too quickly, they should lay off the dancing/physical challenges for a while.

[Temperance]

Yvie's story broke my heart. 

I love Nina's look.

[Gothish520]

Kinda bummed, as I like Scarlett, and I completely agree with @DanielleC.that she clearly won that lipsync. 

54 minutes ago, Temperance said:

Yvie's story broke my heart. 

I love Nina's look.

Yvie's story was indeed a heartbreaker, but what a trouper. She's an intriguing person and her drag is cool - loved her runway look. 

I also loved Nina's look, though I get what the judges were saying about "proportionizing".

Edited April 5, 2019 by Gothish520

[KillahBee007]

I enjoyed this episode moreso than last week. I don’t know if I particularly agree with the elimination. I thought Scarlet did just fine. I am disappointed with Vanije. I need more from her. Silky continues to irritate me. 

[Eliza422]

I’m not the biggest fan of Scarlett, but she was amazing in this lip sync! Raja has done this 3x now. I thought it was her time to go.

in fact, I liked their team’s dance routine better than the other. More enjoyable and funny to me. Oh well.

[DanielleC.]

Runway looks, best to worst IMO:

Akeria - Thats what she does best. When pageant is done right, it makes a impact. Also the way she carried the look and not the opposite, great, beautifull details she was the first, set be bar high and no one beat her (and thats sealed the deal for her to be the winner).

Ivye - Loved her take on this look, how she used her handcap as a advantage/to sell a character. Again, little details.. It was quircky without being messy. 

Plastique - Its good but we kinda saw this angels looks quite alot in the past few seasons and I wasnt blown away.. Plastique is very consistent, but I need to be surprised with her at some point cause so far is all good but zero originality.

Brooke - Ok, I got the reference... Not a stand out tho, a solid look from Brooke this week (for sure she didnt felt she needed to bring something extra this week).

Nina/Shuga: Liked the concepts, not much the executions.

Ra´jah/Scarlet: Pretty but too safe, nothing exciting at all.

Silky: Ewwww.

Vangie: No girl, just no. Yes, Silky was the ugliest, but after a year to prepare, having extra $$ to buy stuff and THAT is what you have to serve? Guuirl, you already got read for bring the same shapes, you just went to most basic/cheap version of you regular looks. No excuses for this apart from lazyness!

Edited April 5, 2019 by DanielleC.

[agentpanda]

She didn't really come across very well but I feel for Ra'jah. She's clearly not long for this competition but she has her own struggles and it's obvious that she's trying very hard. Plus, she gives the best talking heads out of everyone.

As for wig-drama, I'm with Plastique. Ariel probably did leave those wigs for her (and it was maybe confirmed on Twitter but was taken down) and I didn't think she was catty about others when she said she didn't really need them. She sells wigs, doesn't she? Probably she thought she didn't need them as much.

Edited April 5, 2019 by agentpanda

[ElectricBoogaloo]

While I understand the judges telling Vanjie that they've seen the same look (corset and panties) from her too many times, I had to agree with A'Keria because what is your option at this point? They all brought specific costumes for the challenges they were told about. It's not like someone can take the day off and go shopping for some custom couture at this point. It's like when Tim Gunn tells the designers on Project Runway that their fabric choice isn't working. In the normal world, sure, you could go out and get something different, but given reality show circumstances, you just have to use what you already have.

And even if Vanjie CAN sew, the amount of time they have in the workroom is not enough for her to create brand new outfits for all of the remaining runways. It takes time to design, pattern, sew, and bedazzle just one dress. It's probably better for her to keep wearing the costumes she brought which are finished and specifically tailored for the challenges instead of trying to throw together new outfits every time they're in the workroom.

I felt for Yvie during rehearsal. I don't have a genetic condition like she does, but like Yvie I am naturally flexible, which sounds great in theory but you have to be really aware and careful when you are naturally flexible because you can end up injuring yourself as a result. A doctor warned me about this when I was relatively young so I was always cognizant of it. But even people are aren't dancers and aren't naturally flexible get joint pain and in real life, that's when you take it easy, which isn't really possible in the middle of RPDR.

As an old school gymnastics fan, I loved that Ru said that the Draglympics had compulsory routines.

Heh, I'm with Brooke Lynn - death drops scare me!

Adam and Travis had good practical performance advice for the queens. If you mess up the choreography just keep going. Don't make faces and tell people that you screwed up. Just keep on smiling! I liked that even though Travis was working fast and being pretty demanding, he was still very encouraging (even with people like Scarlett who were clearly struggling).

And he was pretty accommodating when he offered to make it a little solo when Silky couldn't get up on the right count with everyone else.  I totally cracked up when Travis thanked the first group for being coordinated and then Silky warned Travis that he was going to hate the next group.

I wish that Travis had been more specific with his feedback during rehearsal though. Telling someone "I need more body," which is kind of generic, isn't as helpful as saying, "I need you to twist your hips more."

I felt bad for Ra'Jah during rehearsal because it's hard enough to learn choreography and blocking without another dancer getting in your way. There's nothing like getting body slammed by someone who turned full force in the wrong direction.

I hated the camerawork during the performances. Each of the queens got a solo and they chose to then zoom in on the other girls every time. WHY?

There was no question which team won the challenge.

A'Keria's runway dress was totally beaded glamour. I loved her Ru look.

Brooke Lynn's old Hollywood look was gorgeous.

Silky's jumpsuit was terrible. It was unflattering and looked so cheap because of the material.

Yvie found a great way to incorporate her cane into her runway look. I'm glad they gave her a chair to sit on during judging. I thought they should have had her take off her other shoe at the end of the dance routine because it's hard to put all your body weight on one foot when you're wearing a heel, even when it's a low heel.

I liked Shuga Cain's gold bodysuit. The feathers on the shoulders were a nice color contrast.

I didn't love the skirt on Plastique's gold angel look but I liked the rest of it. I liked the headdress and the wings. I agreed with the judges that she needed to show more personality while dancing. It was kind of disappointing because she was able to pick up the choreography pretty quickly so she should have had the time/energy/brain power to really add some sass, especially during her little solo moments.

Ra'Jah's gold holographic jumpsuit definitely gave me a Mary J. Blige vibe. I agreed with Travis that she had a similar issue as Plastique. She knew the steps so she really could have upped the personality during her performance.

Vanjie's gold leotard was not my favorite. I thought the gold makeup on her chest seemed unnecessary. It was just a leotard with a mask.

I liked Nina West's Viking look because it was so different from everyone else's and again, I could tell exactly what she was supposed to be. I agreed with Michelle - Nina wasn't the best dancer but she was able to really sell her performance.

Scarlett's dress was boring and basic. It was way too simple. On a shallow note, I don't like the way she paints her eyebrows. They're thick at the inner corners but by the middle of her eye, they're really thin and barely visible.

[laprin]

Whether or not Scarlett or Ra'Jah won the lip sync depends on what you value - accuracy or showmanship. Ra'Jah was the clear winner as far as the actual lip sync. However, Scarlett was the winner as far as stage presence.  I would have preferred Scarlett over Ra'Jah because I find Ra'Jah overly sensitive and boring. 

A'keria is my favorite even if her chance of taking the crown is slim. She is the perfect combination of sweetness and sass. 
Starting to think Brooke Lynn is a bit of a stealth bitch. She is always the first to publicly point out some bit of conflict between the girls.  

Edited April 5, 2019 by laprin
Because lipstick and lip sync are not the same

[zengirl1215]

I actually thought Scarlett was the better lip syncer of the two, plus seemed to have a better stage presence overall.  To me, she sold it!  Whereas, Ra'Jah was more frantic and all over the place. 

I'm SO over Silky!  And over her getting passes every week. 

[Blakeston]

I'd like to believe Ra'Jah won because Ru preferred her lip sync...but I don't believe that was the reason. Scarlett nailed it.

Ra'Jah, like Silky, keeps skating by. And I'm sure their obnoxious behavior is a big part of why Ru lets them skate by.

[dolphincorn]

I could watch Love Connie all day long.

[akr]

I thought Ra'Jah was much stronger for the first half of the lip synch. Until Scarlett cut her way out of the gown, her approach seemed too self-focused, while Ra'Jah conveyed the emotion directly to you. It was fine, but more pretty than compelling. Nice finish, though! I thought she might have saved herself but at least she went out with a flourish.

Edited April 5, 2019 by akr

[Ruby Gillis]

3 hours ago, laprin said:

Whether or not Scarlett or Ra'Jah won the lip sync depends on what you value - accuracy or showmanship. Ra'Jah was the clear winner as far as the actual lip sync.

I think Scarlett's probably wasn't as good in person.  She benefited from the camera focusing on her face.  If you watch it again, her failing limbs are really distracting.  

[phoenix780]

I thought Scarlet won the lip sync because I appreciated the reveal. It was actually surprising to me, watching her cut it off, seeing bellbottoms- I didn't really watch the other person after that. Well, I didn't want to. 

I didn't understand the wig drama. I can totally believe that Plastique said she didn't need the wigs and the ones who admittedly took them did. Why isn't that fun shade, or a throwaway joke? Other than a desperate need for airtime, why make this an Insult that needs to be discussed? I'm over the sensitivity, especially when it seems fake, especially when they did take the damn wigs which suggests that they needed them. 

Similarly, Rajah and her raging at Scarlet for saying her name on the runway was obnoxious. I don't know why they kept her around again. She's not a love to hate villain for me, she's just irritating. 

On the positive side, I was impressed with both groups during the performances. All of them performed well, imho. 

[Glade]

I can't believe we've come this far without snatch game--and even next week is another sewing challenge  As for the episode, my reaction to the rehearsal/performance segments was 'good, it's over!' only to then realize the other team still had to go.  When Drag Race is so over-saturated, the productions decision to lazily make every challenge a rehash of old RPDR memes and bits of Ru's music that have already been used to death is tiresome.  Can't they hire someone to come up with fresh challenge ideas? 

I'm sad to see Scarlet go (she was gorgeous on the runway), the first eliminated queen that I'll actually remember, and I'm sick of Ra'jah so I wish it was her who left.  I was also surprised that Yvie and Brooklyn were passed over for the win, especially after Yvie's story, it would have been powerful.  I can't believe Vanjie heard the criticism and still came out with that incredibly mediocre, cheap leotarded look.  I hesitated to appreciate Plastique's runway since we saw so many wings last week and I'm afraid she may have already done wings herself this season.

[stormy weather]

4 hours ago, phoenix780 said:

Similarly, Rajah and her raging at Scarlet for saying her name on the runway was obnoxious. I don't know why they kept her around again. She's not a love to hate villain for me, she's just irritating. 

Yeah, that was really bad. She even had the guts to say Scarlet threw her under the bus when she (and all the other 3) had just done exactly the same thing to Scarlet! Scarlet even explained she named Rajah because she had been in the bottom more times than the other queens, which is a perfectly valid and not at all personal reason, so I really didn't get all that bitchin' coming from Rajah in Untucked.

Even without considering this, I could not believe Ru eliminated Scarlet. I'm starting to wonder what her endgame might be, because the queens she eliminated and the ones she has been constantly saving episode after episode so far make absolutely no sense at all. Scarlet is not a great dancer, sure, but as a performer she is definitely better than other queens. I was sad to see her go.

[2727]

4 hours ago, Glade said:

I can't believe Vanjie heard the criticism and still came out with that incredibly mediocre, cheap leotarded look. 

It was bad. Although as a couple of the other queens said, she brought what she brought. OTOH as Yvie said, there's a wall full of fabrics and we've seen Vanjie at the sewing machine before. 

I'm not a creative person and don't know exactly what changes she could have made in the time she had, but at least stop with the body glitter/shiny fabric or whatever it is she's been wearing. My guess is that she's covering her chest tattoo, but there are better ways. Michelle also wasn't wrong that Vanjie's headpieces are stale and boring.

I was happy to see Vanjie do well in the dance challenge, because her tears about not doing her best made me sad. 

Second time that the final performance number we saw looked nothing like the rehearsal choreography.

[DanielleC.]

1 hour ago, stormy weather said:

Yeah, that was really bad. She even had the guts to say Scarlet threw her under the bus when she (and all the other 3) had just done exactly the same thing to Scarlet! Scarlet even explained she named Rajah because she had been in the bottom more times than the other queens, which is a perfectly valid and not at all personal reason, so I really didn't get all that bitchin' coming from Rajah in Untucked.

Even without considering this, I could not believe Ru eliminated Scarlet. I'm starting to wonder what her endgame might be, because the queens she eliminated and the ones she has been constantly saving episode after episode so far make absolutely no sense at all. Scarlet is not a great dancer, sure, but as a performer she is definitely better than other queens. I was sad to see her go.

Also, Ru didnt asked them to name who should be in the bottom, she asked ´´Who do you think shoul leave the competition?!``. How they would expect Scarlet to name herself? We saw a couple weeks ago, queens not able to blame others for the team fail, everyone got to lip sync. I thing that Scarlet exitation on say a name (while everyone was to quick to point her out)  plus her not be confrontal/fight back against Ra´Jah might have interfered on Ru/Producers decision on who should stay =_=

19 minutes ago, 2727 said:

It was bad. Although as a couple of the other queens said, she brought what she brought. OTOH as Yvie said, there's a wall full of fabrics and we've seen Vanjie at the sewing machine before. 

I'm not a creative person and don't know exactly what changes she could have made in the time she had, but at least stop with the body glitter/shiny fabric or whatever it is she's been wearing. My guess is that she's covering her chest tattoo, but there are better ways. Michelle also wasn't wrong that Vanjie's headpieces are stale and boring.

 Also, the discussion was about the ball, were the queens were supose to creat from the scratch at least one of the looks and thats the thing: Even when shes supose to create something with the fabrics/acessories, Vangie still gives the same silluete so the question is about her creativity not about what she brought to the show (and even still, I said before I said again: She was one of the queens that went in advantage, its clear she made some money/meet some designers/queens that made/gave stuff for her to go. It just seems she wasnt creative enough think on a range for her Drag).

[Pallida]

I know a smidgen about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome as I met someone with it who is also involved with an EDS support and resources organization. I hope that Yvie isn't approaching the competition as "push my body past its boundaries now because the boundaries will shrink in the future," as I wouldn't want her to do excessive damage to herself for our viewing pleasure! I think people with chronic conditions don't always want to be treated "special" for something that's just so embedded in them and don't want others to determine their thresholds for them.

I'm quite fascinated by Vanjie. I like the juxtaposition of the two out-of-drag personas - the one that's being an entertainer, and the one that's not. I think the vocal inflections when being an entertainer align with the drag persona (and yes, they're sometimes a lot, but I still like the enthusiasm). The non-performer persona seems more introverted, and while I don't like that it's been driven by disappointment and hurt, I appreciate that we've been able to witness that side as well.

Last week, Silky made a comment about only painting one mug, and this week I realized it seems very similar to Mayhem Miller's look. I don't know if it's a common drag mug, but now I can't unsee Mayhem who was ousted way too early!

I was distracted during the lip sync, so I don't have a particular opinion on it. I do think Ra'Jah's previous lip syncs were overly aggressive with how she took over the stage (as in, it wasn't stage presence that commanded the stage, it was her physically invading all over the place). The desperation in previous lip syncs didn't fit the music, for me, so that's another reason I wasn't invested in this one. Plus I had read the results already here 🙂 

[Temperance]

Fun Fact: Scarlet and Ra' Jah had already lipsynced against each other during the 6 person lip sync. 

Edited April 6, 2019 by Temperance

[heckkitty]

On 4/5/2019 at 6:03 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

And even if Vanjie CAN sew, the amount of time they have in the workroom is not enough for her to create brand new outfits for all of the remaining runways. It takes time to design, pattern, sew, and bedazzle just one dress. It's probably better for her to keep wearing the costumes she brought which are finished and specifically tailored for the challenges instead of trying to throw together new outfits every time they're in the workroom.

Yup. See Heart, Monique. 

Im not a Scarlet fan, but I loved her lipsync. Rajah is boring AND a bitch. 

Silky is awful. She can shut it. I have no idea what that fight with Plastique really was. A’keria kind of started it, but laid off after Plastique explained her comment. Silky would.not.let.it.go. I suspect that after what Yvie revealed about her disorder, Silky realized she’d get sympathy, & decided she’s the wrong person yo fight with for attention, so she turned on Plastique. Shut up, Silky. Go away.  And take Ra’jah with you. 

Edited April 6, 2019 by heckkitty

[Blakeston]

16 minutes ago, heckkitty said:

Yup. See Heart, Monique. 

Monique made some very solid looks using the workroom materials in season 10. The outfit she made for the runway after the Snatch Game episode wasn't enough to save her from elimination, but she was in the bottom two because her Snatch Game was bad, not because of her look.

If she'd been in Vanjie's situation, I'm sure she could have thrown something together to make the bunny costume less boring. A skirt would have helped.

[heckkitty]

True, but IMO Monique should have stayed considerably longer than she did, and not having already made outfits contributed to her early exit. 

[phoenix780]

9 hours ago, Pallida said:

I'm quite fascinated by Vanjie. I like the juxtaposition of the two out-of-drag personas - the one that's being an entertainer, and the one that's not. I think the vocal inflections when being an entertainer align with the drag persona (and yes, they're sometimes a lot, but I still like the enthusiasm). The non-performer persona seems more introverted, and while I don't like that it's been driven by disappointment and hurt, I appreciate that we've been able to witness that side as well.

I love that we got to see it without it becoming a beat in the Vanjie-Brook romance. Vanjie is their best find in a while, I think. About her outfits, I wonder if her height plays into it. She seems tiny, I wonder if she doesn't know how to do something more that won't look like she's swallowed by fabric. Not saying it can't be done, obviously, just that it may play into why she stays with this one style. 

Also, her dancing is insane. 

[Destiny74]

Rajah's talking heads are entertaining but she's got an awful lot of bravado for being in the bottom so much.  She needs to reassess her performances and try a bit harder.  I want to believe she's being saved more often because Ru is trying to beat Kameron Michael's reign of having the most LSFYL.

 I'm on team "Scarlett won that lip synch."

Yvie has a good story.  I wish her the best but she has to know the toll she's putting on her body is shortening the time she'll actually be mobile and physically functioning.   I think she does, she's just choosing to do "her" to the extreme while she can.  Choices.

I had no problem with Nina's runway.  I liked that she fit the theme but went her own way.  I do agree she needs a bit of proportionizing.  In all, I like her.

Ru needs to put Silky in a LSFYL.  The girl is practically begging for it.  I'm in the camp that the fewer LSFYL you do, the better.  You may be great at it, but your competitor may be better.  I'd be ok never LSFYL until it is in the finale and for the win.  Just don't bring real butterflies to the party.  😁

Edited April 6, 2019 by Destiny74

[Rosenrot]

Loved Ru's dress. 

LOL, Love Connie at the beginning of the Draglympics was a splitting image of myself at the high school gym class.

I wonder what the thought process was behind eliminating Scarlett instead of Ra'Jah. IMO it was obvious Scarlett won the lip sync and this wasn't Ra'Jah's first time bottoming. I'm a bit sad 'cause I liked Scarlett, and I didn't think she deserved to go home yet.

I was happy to see a softer side of Vanjie, but that runway… girl no. What even was that?

I'm ready for Silky to go home now, please. Any day now, please. 

On ‎4‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 6:26 AM, Mayberry said:

I have a bit of Drag Race fatigue.

Me too! This was a third episode in a roll that I wasn't really feeling. Last week's Monster Ball was a great theme, but none of the executions blew me away. 

On ‎4‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 10:53 AM, Mayberry said:

Sometimes I think Ru is too quick to dismiss some contestants e.g. Milk (the first time), Acid Betty, and now Scarlett. 

I'm still salty about Acid Betty going home so early. I absolutely loved her looks, and she wasn't even the worst in the Snatch Game.  

And speaking of Snatch Game… where is the friggin' Snatch Game? Aren't they doing it at all this season?

[Isle Of Why]

Snatch Game usually comes when there are eight queens left, as I recall.

Poor Vanjie. In her one appearance last season, she was booted for not cinching or showing her body on the runway, so damn it, she brought her corsets now!

Vanjie seems like a sweet person. She's a great performer and naturally funny but gurl. She is not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

[rlc]

Nina has really been growing on me. I hope she makes it far. Wouldn’t mind seeing her win the season. Even though we have seen ‘comedy queens’ win before, they have all been traditionally attractive and slim. If Silky wins, it will feel like when Tyra gave the win to Whitney because a ‘big girl’ was due to win after having passed over far more deserving ‘models’ (Tocarra). 

Edited April 9, 2019 by rlc

[sarahlee]

On 4/5/2019 at 5:20 PM, Glade said:

I can't believe we've come this far without snatch game--

Snatch game has 8 queens. 1 more week to wait.

[ladle]

Overall, I just thought this episode was so fun!  I was grinning along with the workout mini-challenge, I find Travis Wall very likeable, there was mercifully little Silky ....That said, I do think Vanjie should have been in the bottom two for the leotard alone.

What did Rupaul say about the ankle injury that was bleeped out?  Footfucking"? 

[ClareWalks]

41 minutes ago, ladle said:

Overall, I just thought this episode was so fun!  I was grinning along with the workout mini-challenge, I find Travis Wall 

What did Rupaul say about the ankle injury that was bleeped out?  Footfucking"? 

She said "and for crying out loud, no kick fucking!" (I don't know what that means, LOL, but it was uncensored on my iTunes)

[Rosenrot]

On ‎4‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 4:44 AM, Isle Of Why said:

Snatch Game usually comes when there are eight queens left, as I recall.

Ah, thanks for that. I've never paid attention to how many queens there are left when the Snatch Game comes up, just that it's usually been earlier in the season (mostly in ep 5 or 6 I guess). 

On ‎4‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 1:57 AM, rlc said:

If Silky wins, it will feel like when Tyra gave the win to Whitney because a ‘big girl’ was due to win after having passed over far more deserving ‘models’ (Tocarra). 

I think it'd be cool if a big girl won for a change, but Ginger or Eureka, for example, would've been much more deserving than Silky IMO.  Although, you never know… she might prove me wrong. But so far it doesn't look like it. 

[aussieinsydney]

Damn, Scarlett got robbed.

[Kaboom 2.0]

On 4/5/2019 at 11:15 AM, dolphincorn said:

I could watch Love Connie all day long.

Oh me too, she was fabulous and hilarious! 

Hearing Bianca speak during one of the remixes made me miss her sooooo much.

Hope Nina, Brooke and Yvie make Final Three, as much as I like Vangie she insists on staying in a very rigid lane when it comes to her runway. Zzzzz