Are you ready
for a recap of Episode 9?
The
mini-challenge
Celebrating
the 200th episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race – which, objectively, is an incredible
achievement – this week’s mini-challenge was the quick-drag photo-bomb
challenge, with iconic moments from Drag Race as the target.
This was cute
and it was fun to watch. Luxx had a good concept for her bomb of Vivacious, but
Anetra seemed liked the clear winner with her bomb of Willow Pill.
The
maxi-challenge
This was a
ball. Three looks, including one made in the work-room.
Look 1 was a
reinterpretation tribute to RuPaul’s red racer jumpsuit.
Look 2 was a
tribute to a sewing challenge ball concept from previous seasons – for example,
the Money Ball, the Hair Ball, the Bag Ball, the Sugar Ball.
Look 3 was the
sewing challenge and the theme was the Crystal Ball.
I love the
runways and the ball episodes are my favourites. I’d have liked to have seen a
bit more of the walk-throughs during the construction process – Carson was
doing these and it feels like he gives quite helpful guidance – but overall the
pacing of this all worked well.
·
Mistress: Mistress had a very good ball. Her jumpsuit was fairly straight down the
line but looked good. Her second look was The Ball Ball, and she was a giant
beach ball – it was well done. Her third look was a glamorous gown that looked
well-constructed. Smashed it.
·
Spice: None of this was terrible from Spice. She’d reimagined the
jumpsuit concept into a mini-skirt and made it a look that made sense for her –
the boots were particularly eye-catching. Her second look was The Ball Ball,
but it looked like every other outfit that she’s had made for this competition
so didn’t feel very fresh. Her third look showed her lack of sewing skills –
she had a bodice and then a shapeless bit of fabric as the skirt.
·
Luxx: Luxx smashed this. She’d reimagined the jumpsuit concept into a
motor-cross mini. Her second look was the Hair Ball and she looked super-model
stunning. Her third was a crystal butterfly construction that looked stunning.
·
Marcia: Solid work from Marcia. Her jumpsuit was in pastel colour-block and she
looked gorgeous. Her second look was the Bag Ball and she’d make a milk-maid
costume out of hessian. The third look was a gorgeous play on Marie Antoinette.
·
Salina: Salina struggled a bit this ball. Her jumpsuit popped in bright
blue and matched her streetwear style. Her second look was the Money Ball and
she’d made a Los Angeles palm tree out bank-notes – which didn’t look great.
Her third look was a gown – she looked pretty but she didn’t have time to get
the fit right.
·
Malaysia: Solid work from Malaysia. Her jumpsuit was pastel pink. Her second
look was the Hair Ball and it hit the assignment. Her third look was a
glamorous gown that did what it needed to do.
·
Loosey: Loosey wanted to do really well in this challenge but she didn’t. Her
jumpsuit was a cute cos-play version of Princess Peach. Her second look was the
Bag Ball but it looked a bit basic – a white skirt dress with some plastic bags
stuck to it. Her third look was a gown but the silhouette didn’t quite work.
·
Sasha: This wa s a great ball for Sasha. She’d reimagined the jumpsuit
concept into a sporty and sexy gown. Her second look was Bag Ball and a
celebration of marijuana. Her third look was gold – fabric and accessories that
she seemed to glue together but somehow all worked.
·
Anetra: Giving frontrunner energy in every category, it was a good night
for Anetra. Her jumpsuit was neon yellow and was put together. Her second look
was the Sugar Ball, which hit the brief. Her third look was a stunning gown
with a crystal spine. Fashion.
The Judging
In the bottom
were Salina, Spice, and Loosey. No surprises there. Loosey was safe, leaving
Salina and Spice as the Bottom 2. I might have been tempted to put Loosey in
the bottom against Spice, but I guess by putting Salina against Spice then
there was some certainty about what the outcome would be.
In the top
were Sasha, Mistress, and Anetra. I think Luxx must have been a little very
gagged not to be in the top. I would have had Luxx ahead of both Sasha and
Mistress.
Out of the
three in the top, I’d have given the win to Anetra – that gown was incredible.
It was a bit of a surprise when Sasha picked up the win. I mean, love Sasha but
her third look didn’t have the construction that both Mistress and Anetra had
delivered.
The Lip-sync
The song was
That’s What I Want by Lil Nas X.
I love this
track but it’s an odd choice for a lip-sync battle between drag queens. It’s
boppy angsty pop.
We know that
Salina can lip-sync and we know that Spice can’t. So this was a bit of a
foregone conclusion.
I heard Thorgy
Thor talking about last week’s lip-sync battle and she was explaining that if
you’ve only ever performed on social media – in your room and to a camera –
it’s a totally different experience to suddenly be on a stage with lights and
production. It takes a fair bit of experience to learn how to fill a stage with
your body and your movement – to own the space. I think this lip-sync between
Salina and Spice really illustrated that point. It was a relatively subdued
performance from Salina but she confidently moved around the stage, dragging
the emotion from the song, owning the space. Whereas Spice was fairly static
and didn’t seem to have a plan – it was just a series of moves that she did as
she thought of them. Bottom line, Thorgy was right.
Salina stays,
Spice goes home.
Episode 9,
done!
SOURCE: MEANS HAPPY
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