Here’s a
pleasant surprise: This season’s big musical lip sync challenge — often one of
the low points — was actually incredibly fun.
Maybe they had
someone else doing the writing (is Lucian Piane still on retainer from Arkham
Asylum or whatever?), but the Hamilton-inspired Kardashian musical
was a breezy, buoyant romp that gave all the gals a chance to shine, even if
not all of them took it.
Before we see
who did and didn’t throw away their shot, we’ve got a mini-challenge (and mini-drama)
to catch up with.
That’s right,
it’s return of the mini-challenge, which also means the return of the Pit
Crew. Ru appears in the workroom and gets the gals into quick drag to pose for
summer selfies with the Pit Crew boys. I’m not sure what exactly constitutes
“quick,” but these ladies look a lot better than the queens in previous
mini-challenges. We barely glimpse most of the girls snapping their shots, but
Valentina does a cute bit where she has Ru introduce her as Miss Venezuela
before changing it up with a “chola” pose. Cynthia, meanwhile, makes it all
about her cucu (*DEEP, HEAVY SIGH*). Alexis Michelle gets the win because the producers know she’s a theater queen she
had the Pit Crew hold her up, but honestly none of the pictures really stood out.
The win gives
Alexis the power to assign all the roles, which naturally leads to a few hurt
feelings. Nina is especially upset that the role of Blac Chyna went to Shea
instead of her. It’s a chip she carries on her shoulder throughout rehearsal,
and it holds back her otherwise fine interpretation of Khloe Kardashian.
As the queens
get ready for the big show, Eureka pulls Sasha and Valentina aside to apologize
for trampling
their discussion of eating disorders in the last episode. It’s not one of
those Real Housewives “I’m sorry if you were offended” type of
apologies, and it felt sincere. This opens up a larger conversation about
Valentina and Sasha’s struggles, as well as how prevalent the issue is in the
gay community. It’s an important conversation, but this season seems to be
shoehorning in one of these serious moments every episode, which is making them
feel less authentic and special. I feel like Charlie Hides’ personal story last
week about losing friends to HIV/AIDS felt particularly rushed and tough to
follow. It starts to lessen the impact.
The performance
is a lot of fun, chronicling the rise of the Kardashian klan from Paris Hilton
hanger-on to a reality-TV dynasty. Guest judges Todrick Hall (who also directed
the Ru-sical) and Meghan Trainor (dressed basically like the mascot for Squatty
Potty) add little to the panel, save for the unintentionally hilarious, meek
little “yes, gur” that Meghan offers Shea.
Alexis steals
the whole show as Kris, Peppermint slays the stage in a small role as Britney
Spears and Shea brings the house down dropping it as Blac Chyna. Since both
Alexis and Peppermint falter with the faux fur runway, Shea takes the win.
Nina’s bad
attitude lands her in the bottom alongside a forgettable Farrah Moan and
Cynthia, who couldn’t even believably fake knowing most of the lyrics. Cynthia
and Farrah sleepwalk through a Meghan Trainor lip sync before Ru is called
offset for an emergency conference. I was sure they were going for a (deserved)
double-elimination, but — TWIST — they’re actually sending Eureka home to
recover from a knee injury she suffered in the cheerleading challenge. (She’s
got a standing invite to return next season.) That means, shantay, Cynthia and
Farrah, can still stay (for now).
So where does
that leave the other girls? Let’s break it down in our totally subjective,
completely biased, somewhat arbitrary rankings below.
1. Shea continues
to coast atop the other girls week to week. She brought the perfect attitude
and personality to her role as Blac Chyna, and her runway was fun, funky and a
total stand-out. I would be shocked to see her not make the top three.
2. Similarly, Valentina is
still slaying, even if she didn’t get to shine as much this week. Truly,
Kendall Jenner (especially pre-Pepsi controversy) is the least dynamic
Kardashian to play in this context. Still, she stayed in character throughout
(is she just always in some kind of “character?”), which at least added
something to look at during her segment with Farrah. Even in the
mini-challenge, Valentina created a character to make her brief appearance more
memorable. She’s a savvy queen, and I appreciate that about her.
3. I don’t
think Sasha was a top three last night, but, cumulatively,
she’s definitely been outshining many of the other girls. Her Lindsay wasn’t a
showstopper, but she had fun with it. I worry that Snatch Game will be her
downfall, but, for now, she’s still a strong contender.
4. It’s really
neck-and-neck in the middle of the pack. Alexis edged out
ahead this week based on her note-perfect Kris Jenner, but that runway look was
truly a fail. That reveal went from faux fur to Forever 21 real quick. Alexis
is obviously a talented performer, but I wonder if she has a strong enough
point-of-view/artistry to really compete with creative queens like Valentina,
Shea, Sasha, Nina, Aja, etc.
5. Finally, Peppermint gets
a shot to steal the spotlight. She’s a fierce queen, and she ran away with her
segment as Britney, bitch. But, please, gurl, no more pink skirts.
6. It’s hard to
rank Eureka’s performance this week given that she was injured. I
still don’t know if Eureka could have won this whole thing (or if she’d even
make the top three). I appreciated her commitment to working through her injury
during the challenge, and I imagine she’ll only come back stronger next season.
7. Trinity
bounced back from last week’s bottom two, but neither her obvious
interpretation of Paris Hilton nor her Mad Max: Furry Road post-apocalyptic
couture were stunners.
8. Oof, Nina
Bo’nina Brown. I’ve been high on this queen since the beginning, but I am
truly concerned about the edit she’s receiving. On the one hand, I agree, based
on what we’ve seen so far, she should have been cast as Blac Chyna. She
serves so much body, and Shea does not. But, did it warrant such a strong
reaction? Nah. Was it smart to complain to Todrick during rehearsal? Def nah.
She was fine as Khloe (and her lip quiver during some of those long notes was a
nice touch), but she refused to have enough fun with it. Her attitude is going to
cost her this competition.
9. Aja didn’t
make any huge mistakes this week, but she didn’t do anything to impress either.
The clock is ticking for Aja to make a mark.
10. Look, lip
syncing is for sure Cynthia’s biggest weakness. First she bungled
the musical in arguably the lead role. Then, in the lip sync for your life, she
didn’t know the words AGAIN. Not only that, but she also sold the bottom two
performance with a very strange, aggressive facial expression the whole time.
Had Eureka not made an early exit I would’ve bet on both the bottom two going
home. Having barely survived this week, it’s very possible she will bounce
back, though I don’t think she’s going to make it to the end.
11. I’ve been
hard on Farrah (who?) for a few weeks, and, after last night,
I’m still not convinced. She did nothing with Kylie Jenner, but I thought she
out lip synced Cynthia in the bottom two. She knew the words, sure, but she
also had the right energy for that slight Meghan Trainor song. She’s safe, for
now, but her elimination is just a matter of time.
Agree?
Disagree? Tell us how you would you rank the queens after last night’s episode
in the comments!
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