Let’s start
with the big news: Kornbread rolled her ankle during last
week’s challenge, and she’s out for the rest of the season. This all but
guarantees her return in season 15, but she’s been a central figure in the
werkroom and confessionals the last few weeks.
Kornbread
leaves the gals a goodbye video, giving sweet words of encouragement to BFF
Kerri, new pal Willow and even nemesis Jasmine. That leaves a spot at the top
of the pack for someone like Lady Camden, Bosco, DeJa or Daya to break out of
the middle, and they know it.
Unfortunately,
it’s a tough week to stand out. Ru intros this week’s challenge: A PSA in the
style of those Sally Struthers or Sarah
McLachlan commercials devoted to first-eliminated queens past. Tempest
Dujour, Jaymes Mansfield and Kahmora Hall all return to star in the video.
The best part
is when Ru assigns the teams. Each competitor positions a pillow against the
backside of a bent-over member of the Pit Crew, bumping and grinding until the
balloon pops confetti everywhere like a gender reveal party. It’s a hoot to
watch, especially the diminutive Jorgeous thrusting in vain, unable to hurl
that tiny twink body hard enough to pop the balloon.
(There’s also
a big laugh when it’s Maddy’s turn, but, like, dude, you’re wearing a dress and
heels and makeup, is it really such a big deal to fully-clothed pop a balloon
with your hips against another man? On this show of all shows, we have to make
a joke about man-on-man intimacy? It feels very dumb!)
I’m spending a
lot of time on the Pit Crew segment, because there’s not a lot to say about
this challenge. Once the queens are in three teams, they’re each paired with
one of the queens from seasons past. The task is to write a few rhyming lines
to be strung together into the PSA. Why do the lines rhyme? Unclear. As a
freelance blogger, let’s just say I’ve seen a lot of daytime TV. I can’t recall
any of these sorts of commercials that are framed as a limerick.
The final
products are … fine. Jorgeous struggles to fit all the lines in her allotted
time. Orion is low energy. Jasmine can’t shake this vocal tic that makes her
sound, in Michelle’s words, like The Count from Sesame Street.
Clever queens like Willow, Bosco and Maddy pack a lot of jokes in, and
Angeria’s infectious personality once again helps her shine.
The runway
this week is much more compelling. Don’t let recent blizzards, bomb cyclones
and Texas chills fool you; on Drag Race at least, “Spring Has
Sprung.” The ladies bring it big time with flashy floral frocks. Usually
there’s one or two truly knockout showings, but this week’s lewks are seriously
stunning.
The judges
were gaga for Angeria’s line delivery, but she makes a rare misstep on the
runway with an ill-fitting top. If Angeria is one of the worst-dressed on the
runway, that’s saying something!
Jasmine
Kenndie is an absolute vision in a green corset stoned for the absolute GAWDS.
It’s so beautifully embellished, it speaks to something deep in my gay bones
that just says “Ooh, sparkly.”
Lady Camden
earns high marks for her emotional performance, but she really shines as a
walking tea party on the runway. The table skirt thing has been done to death,
but she surprises when she tips her teacup headpiece, spilling some sequin
“tea.” Fun!
Finally, it’s
Bosco’s time to get a win, combining her strong performance in the challenge
and a wonderful runway. Inspired by her “Seasonal Affective Disorder” routine
back in Seattle, she walks the runway first in a little gray mini that looks
like a storm cloud. It’s cute, but we saw a more dramatic “April showers”
presentation on the runway from Maddy. However, the real gag is a reveal that
transforms the dreary dress into a bright, sunny yellow gown. Cute!
Less lucky is,
once again, Orion. She looks sexy on the runway, but she just doesn’t have the
same presence as the other queens. It comes down to her and Jorgeous, who
struggled again to bring the undeniable starpower she shows on the runway to an
acting challenge.
They lip sync
is to guest judge Ava Max’s “My Head My Heart,” and Jorgeous eats Orion alive.
To the surprise of no one, Jorgeous completely destroys and gives us the best
sync of the season so far. It’s so nice seeing a pro do what they do so well.
Orion? Um, not
so much. The wig line goes immediately into retreat. She kicks her shoes off.
She dances like she should be fronting Imagine Dragons. It’s not great, but
next to Jorgeous, it’s downright tragic.
Jorgeous lives
to slay another day, while Orion is sent packing back to the Midwest.
We’re down to
a really, really strong group of queens. If this runway is any sign of things
to come, it’s going to be one of the tightest races to the finish.
Let’s take
stock of our standings.
1. Willow just barely inches ahead this week, thanks to Angeria’s fit issue. She had a ton to offer to the joke writing here, as she has in previous comedy challenges. Although her runway wasn’t the most glamorous or couture, it was clever, unique and unforgettable. Willow always tells a story on the runway, and that’s what separates queens from clothes hangers.
2.
Angeria got dinged by the judges tonight for an ill-fitting corset, but it
doesn’t feel like the beginning of the end for her just yet. She scored the
only genuine laugh line in the video for me, and even considering fit, she was
still wearing an outfit that would outshine most lewks from previous seasons.
3.
It’s about time Bosco got
a little recognition. She’s got the same Seattle weirdness we’ve come to expect
from Northwest queens like Jinkx and DeLa combined with the burlesque fashion
sensibility of Violet Chachki. That’s a pretty lethal Drag Race combo.
4.
Lady Camden is finally starting to break through the pack, but, as she pointed
out on the runway, she’s got to speak up more. She’s clearly got the goods, but
she’ll need to throw some elbows to make sure she’s not getting overshadowed by
queens with bigger personalities.
5.
I can’t quite get a read on the Jasmine edit.
Is she a gifted young fashion girl a la Gigi? A pathological overachiever like
Jan? A frontrunner? A villain? It’s hard to say. Right now, she feels like the
biggest wild card. She could either surge ahead and win this whole thing, or
she can crash and burn in a huge emotional wreck. That’s what I like to see from
my reality-TV queens! Keep us guessing, mama!
6.
The middle of the pack is still very
neck-and-neck. I’m giving Kerri a slight boost here, because
she seemed to directly address the judges’ criticism from last week. Her spring
runway was the opposite of the J.Lo dress. It still wasn’t “ugly,” but it
wasn’t so one-dimensionally pretty. It was very Little Shop of Horrors meets Hurricane of
Jacarandas. If Kerri can keep nerves at bay and bring her natural charms to
challenges, she’s one to watch.
7.
What’s it going to take for DeJa to
get some love? It feels like she’s always a step behind the top queens despite
solid showings in the maxis and runways. I’m starting to worry that DeJa is one
of those girls that’s perfectly proficient but lacking that extra little
something that makes Ru squawk unintelligible nonsense from the dais.
8.
Daya Betty 100 percent understood the PSA assignment, delivered exactly what
Ru was looking for and showed out on the runway covered in butterflies. It
wouldn’t take much to convince me to shuffle the placement of Kerri, DeJa,
Daya, Jorgeous and even Maddy, but all of them need to make more of definitive
statement in the coming weeks.
9.
Oh, Jorgeous. Being born to do
drag and being born to do Drag Race are two different things.
If you can’t act or do comedy or write jokes, I have some serious concerns
about your future. That lip sync was amazing, she’s beautiful, she’s got moxie.
I’m a fan! I would totally buy a “Jorgeous, Jourgeous Girls” t-shirt on DragQueenMerch.com.
To paraphrase Kahmora: I’m rooting for YOU.
10. In my years of recapping Drag Race, I’ve been accused of
having many a vendetta against certain queens. Is that my problem with Maddy?
Maybe! I will concede, she’s a good writer and tonight’s rainy runway was
really something. Even when she nails a joke or turns a lewk, it just feels
like it’s missing that little wink Ru loves to allude to.
11. The writing was on the wall for Orion, our first
twice-eliminated queen of the season. I wish she would find a way to lip sync
that leans into her awkwardness, rather than trying to emulate other “sexy”
queens. The dancing is hard to watch. I could see a world where she develops
the character to be even more Peg Bundy meets Anna Nicole Smith, and that could
be fun. The bunny runway was a good twist on the theme and helped her stand
out, but, if we’re being honest, it still suffered from the same
overly-complicated design the judges already called out. I’m curious to see
where she goes from here, because I think there’s a lot more to Orion’s story
than we’ve seen.
How would you
rank the queens?
SOURCE: TOWLEROAD
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