Guest Judges: Kristen Johnston and Juliette Lewis
Mini-Challenge: Lip synch to one of Rupaul's songs (Tranny Chaser,
Ladyboy, Peanut Butter) with only your mouth visible.
Mini-Challenge Winners: Serena ChaCha, Detox, Ivy Winters
Main Challenge: Lip synch and re-enact a famous scene from Rupaul's
Drag Race Untucked of a past season.
Challenge Winner: Lineysha Sparx
Main Challenge Prize: A custom latex garment and immunity from next
week's elimination.
Bottom Two: Monica Beverly Hillz and Serena ChaCha
Lip Synch Song: Only Girl (In the World) by Rihanna
Eliminated: Serena ChaCha
As fellow Drag Race addicts can attest, this show’s format has
remained remarkably static during its run. I was thus shocked and disoriented
when the first few minutes introduced several innovations. To wit, the first
scene (which now comes before the theme music) happens right after judging
rather than the following day.
Since the elimination is so fresh in everyone’s mind, the
discussion is intensified, and no one is shy about sharing their hope that
Serena ChaCha goes home soon. This surprises Serena, who thought that having
the strength to get back up after falling on her face would earn her some
respect. Sadly for her, the other queens know that a toddler won’t stay
standing for long. As they await the next inevitable tumble, they freely and
forcefully express their distaste for her whenever the opportunity arises.
Which is often.
When the opening sequence plays, it’s also been changed! No more
listening to the theme song: Ru announces the prizes and guest judges over the
titles. It was tough to adjust to at first, but then I realized that she no
longer has to recite the list to the trying-to-look-excited-again contestants
every week, so it’s actually a genius edit.
Back in the workroom, the first coalition has officially formed:
Roxxxy, Alaska, and Detox are now Rolaskatox. They claim that it’s a new drug
for people who are gagging, but I think it might give you delusions of
grandeur. Also, why do people on this show get so proud of the teams they’ve
formed? You can’t save your friends. This isn’t Survivor. Though since that’s
about the only reality show they haven’t parodied yet, maybe Ru should make the
eliminated queens fight over wigs on a deserted island.
After a SheMail message referencing herstory, Ru segues into the
mini challenge — and the transition is so smooth when no one has to talk about
a lifetime supply of ThisSeason’sSponsor™ Cosmetics. In a game that both
decides team leaders and advertises RuPaul singles (an accidental byproduct,
I’m sure), everyone must lip sync old tracks into cardboard cut outs. Honestly,
watching them apply their lipstick is the most exciting part, but drama returns
once the winners are announced. The first captain? Friggin’ Serena ChaCha,
followed by Detox and Ivy Winters.
The ladies choose teams one by one (Jade Jolie is picked last and,
naturally, is offended) and then receive their assignment: to reenact famously
catty moments from previous seasons of Untucked. I was unconvinced of the
merits of this idea, but it turns out to be a wonderful benchmark of people’s
skills because it demands a convincing look, compelling acting and the ability
to lip sync spoken words rather than rhythmic lyrics.
Serena’s team is assigned Season 3, and Jade is further debased by
being forced to impersonate Delta Work against her will. Though she never says
it, I assume it’s because she’d rather not play the fat one. You know how the
young twinks are. Despite a brief crying jag, Jinkx Monsoon delivers
power-lifting realness as Mimi Imfurst. In fact, everyone in the group seems
well equipped for the challenge except their leader, who hasn’t the first idea
how to portray someone as fabulous as Raja. It’s kind of like how a smart
person can play dumb, but a dumb person can’t play smart. In fact, it’s exactly
like that.
For their presentation of Season 2, the queens on Team Ivy are
worried about Lineysha Sparkx, initially because English is her second language
and then because she seems to be pulling focus inappropriately during the
shoot. When it comes time to film her embodiment of Tyra Sanchez, however, it
is GAME ON. Honey Mahogany gives a pretty great Mystique Summers, but the
perfectionist from Puerto Rico still outdoes her.
Since Team Detox is dishing out Season 4, Alaska has the chance to
absolutely savage PhiPhi O’Hara. I hadn’t realized until this moment that one
could use make-up as a weapon. Coco Montrese devastates as Lashauwn Beyond, but
Monica Beverly Hillz falters. See, her head isn’t in the game because she has a
secret. If you were in the kitchen getting a snack, don’t worry: someone will
remind us every ten minutes like clockwork that her head isn’t in the game
because she has a secret.
And then all of a sudden it’s runway time. Did that come up really
suddenly for anyone else? It felt like we barely had time to process Juliette
Lewis’ drunkenness or remember who Kristen Johnston is before the fashion show
began.
The looks people are presenting seem to lack a cohesive theme, and
since there was no outright top three or bottom three, it’s tough to know who
to highlight. In a Drag Race first, Ivy stomps the catwalk in actual stilts. Following
the circus trend, Alyssa Edwards walks her purse like it’s a dog. The effect is
less charming than she had perhaps intended. Lineysha lands the win with her
pitch-perfect outfit and stellar video, bagging some new clothes and a week of
immunity. In the bottom: the forever shunned Serena ChaCha and the oddly
distant Monica Beverly Hillz.
Speaking of which: Monica, weren’t you primed for a shocking
revelation? Cue the chords, cue the tears, cue the penetrating stares. Ms.
Beverly Hillz isn’t a drag queen; she’s a transgendered woman. If there were
questions posed about how far she’s gone with her transition or whether it
would disqualify her from the competition, then they were left on the cutting
room floor. She’s offered nothing but support, provided she can last through
this lip sync.
The truth sets her fierceness free, though, and as Rihanna’s “Only
Girl (in the World)” plays, Monica effortlessly mops the floor with the little
loudmouth next to her. No one is sorry to see Serena’s granny panties sashaying
away.
No comments:
Post a Comment