As we come. To the end of the road. It’s still somehow chocolate. Here we are friends at the end of an insanely long season that somehow still has a final 5.
I have not watched the reunion yet (! Sorry for the absence last week- the combo of throwing out my wallet (not to brag but my self saboteur slays severely) and family Passover took me out. I also have to be honest and say I haven’t watched the reunion yet (I know, sue me) but have seen some of the Daya-Jasmine kerfuffle.
Thus, enjoy below my thoughts from episode 13, a final chart update, my final predictions and a short list. We did it folks! Here you go.
THOTS
The runway was very “this is all I have left from the 2 suitcases I was allowed to bring”.
The editing so forecast the Willow vs Angeria lip-sync.
Lady Camden’s music video outfit was baller. I love how verse she is between tacky fun and pretty glamour in her aesthetic.
CHART
Lady Camden finishes the season at #1 for the first time.
Wilow is in 2nd. Angeria 3rd.
Bosco 4th and Daya 5th.
Aquaria was the last winner to end the season #1 on the chart. She is the only queen to win while being #1 on the chart since they changed the finale format in season 9.
So, even though she’s at the top, its actually unlikely statistically that Camden will win. Tops think they’re great, but bottoms really do make the world go round.
PREDICTIONS
Willow Pill (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 1) =
Lady Camden (Preseason: 13, Last Week: 3) +1
Angeria Paris Van Michaels (Preseason 6, Last Week: 2) -1
Bosco (Preseason: 1, Last Week: 4) =
Daya Betty (Preseason: 4, Last Week: 5) =
Deja Skye (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 4)
Jorgeous (Preseason: 5, Last Week: 7)
Jasmine Kennedie (Preseason: 9, Last Week: 7)
Kerri Kolby (Preseason: 2, Last Week: 7)
Maddy Morphosis (Preseason: 11, Last Week: 9)
Orion Story (Preseason: 14, Last Week: 12)
Kornbread the Snack Jitay (Preseason: 3, Last Week: 4)
Alyssa Hunter (Preseason: 7, Last Week: 11)
June Jumbalaya (Preseason: 8, Last Week: 9)
Whelp how is this going to work? I think one queen will be voted off and then we’ll get a final lipsync off we’ve had the last 5 seasons.
I believe Willow is our winner. I hope she pulls a great stunt in the finale. She has been a fav all season and I’d love for her to win, but I don’t feel like she’s had an iconic late season moment yet. I’d put her win odds at 50%.
Lady Camden would be second most likely to win. She’s had a great late season surge and has proven herself to be a solid lip-sync-er. I’d put her odds at 25%.
Angeria could steal the crown if she has a great stunt. I’d put her odds at 15%.
Bosco maybe? Most likely not. I’d say 5%.
Daya no. No way. 0%
LIST
Best Songs From A Normal Seasons
This song was so bleh. The All Stars and UK original songs are obviously the best, but in the interest of brevity I’ve only ranked the 6 US regular season RuPaul songs queens added original verses to. Enjoy!
#6: Losing is the New Winning (12)
What in the shitty product placement hell is this? No no no.
#5: Catwalk (14)
Not a memorable or funny verse among them. Perhaps it will grow on me but doubt it.
#4- Lucky (13)
The RuPaul parts are so catchy, but Gottmik steals the show amongst the queens. Rosè is fine too, and Kandy’s verse has a rough charm to it. Totally passable and fine.
#3: Queens Around the World (11)
A truly deranged RuPaul chorus but it’s a fun one to sing along to. Akeria coins Miss Ass Almighty here (a nickname for the ages), Vanjie was rated low in the episode but her verse is really good. Brooklyn and Silky bring it down, but this is the moment where Yvie won Drag Race, and her verse is amazing.
#3: Category Is (9)
The first of these final 4/5 songs is an anomaly in that the RuPaul parts are amongst the worst parts of the song. Shea, Peppermint and Sasha all slay and Trinity’s is so bad its good.
#1: I Am American (10)
Eureka is the lowpoint for me, but the rest all knock it out of the park. This is also definitely where Aquaria cemented that it was between her and Asia for the win (and the butterflies took care of the rest). It’s the catchiese and best to sing along to. Serving looks, stunting pretty.
With that, may the best queen win, and let the music play! Love ya!
Spring break trip to Miami. Wildly intense yet somehow not Covid cold afterward. Thus, we have a last-minute recap for the last two episodes. Enjoy!
THOTS
Episode 11:
Love her or hate her (I tend much more towards hate)- it was top notch wicked trickery when Daya offered to go before Willow, and then said, “Well I vote Bosco so now it’s tied”.
Jorgeous reading Bosco was pure art. She succinctly and clearly spilled all the Lady Camden-Bosco fight tea, and then added “and if you want to talk about track record, she was in the bottom 3 times in one episode”. Masterful
Gold Bar was meh. The “it’s chocolate” catchphrase was fun, but I wish they had used the twist in a more dramatic way and for a queen we care more about (sorry Bosco).
Episode 12
Poor beautiful Jorgeous was fully burnt out (and not in the Laganja way she likes to be).
Bosco is wearing on me, but “Ross- you’re not a top, you’re a blouse” was great.
Hot take- I would’ve still given the lip-sync to Jorgeous.
CHART
Angeria set the record! Even though Willow finally caught up, Angeria spent 11 weeks at #1 on the chart, making her the queen who has occupied the most episodes at #1.
Willow is finally #1 and did so without winning a challenge since episode 3. Angeria is in 2nd, and Camden is right behind her.
Bosco’s win puts her securely in front of Daya in 4th. Daya is bottoming hard in 5th– a full 4 points behind Bosco.
PREDICTIONS
Willow Pill (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 1) =
Angeria Paris Van Michaels (Preseason 6, Last Week: 2) =
Lady Camden (Preseason: 13, Last Week: 6) +3
Bosco (Preseason: 1, Last Week: 3) -1
Daya Betty (Preseason: 4, Last Week: 5) =
Deja Skye (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 4)
Jorgeous (Preseason: 5, Last Week: 7)
Jasmine Kennedie (Preseason: 9, Last Week: 7)
Kerri Kolby (Preseason: 2, Last Week: 7)
Maddy Morphosis (Preseason: 11, Last Week: 9)
Orion Story (Preseason: 14, Last Week: 12)
Kornbread the Snack Jitay (Preseason: 3, Last Week: 4)
Alyssa Hunter (Preseason: 7, Last Week: 11)
June Jumbalaya (Preseason: 8, Last Week: 9)
Ok so we did it Joe! We finally got a prediction right. I predicted last week that Jorgeous would go, thought I didn’t see Deja going too. Hey- a win is a win.
I think Daya will go this week, the producers having drained every ounce of bitchiness and drama from her possible.
Bosco, Camden, Angeria and Willow will be our final 4.
Who will win? I still think Willow, but Camden may have the next best shot! Wild- I would’ve never thought it back at episode 1. I will finalize my finale predictions next week!
LIST
The Final 5s Best and Worst Runways
A simple quick list of each remaining queens’ best and worst runway according to me- in order from the queen I enjoyed least on the runway to the one I enjoyed most. Cheers!
5- Daya Betty
Worst: Holy Coutoure
Not flattering at all and she fell!
Best: Heart On
She’s a good seamstress, but her taste isn’t my cup of tea. This lewk seemed very her in a good way- and definitely fulfilled the prompt for hearts.
4- Bosco
Worst: Shoulder Pads
So many black corsets and panties to choose from. This one stands out in that it in no way evokes shoulder pads, and also looks like bad x-men cosplay.
Best: Tutu Much
I was tempted to pick her chaps lewk but had to go with this one because she looks fantastic and it’s such a creative way to do tutu.
3- Angeria Paris VanMichaels
Worst: Heart On
Angeria is always noteworthy on the runway, so while this was interesting, it disappointed me in that it wasn’t super flattering and also didn’t really fulfill the prompt.
Best: Sickening Signature Drag
She gave us flawless pageant excellence from the jump. Overall, she’s been stunning and exciting on the runway all season.
2- Lady Camden
Worst: Heart On
I love that Camden has been both beautiful and extremely wacky on the runway. This one unfortunately was boring and uneventful.
Best: Chaps
It was temping to pick her glamazon prime or tutu lewks, but this one was so creative and presented in a wonderfully engaging way. Love her
The hair is fun but the outfit isn’t very exciting, and doesn’t really fit the prompt.
Best: Spring Has Spring
Her Jlo and Chaps lewks are close runner ups, but this one showcases her polish, creativity and humor in one perfect package. Dare I say- she has charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent.
Alright my dears. We are finally nearing the end! Stay strong, and let the music play!
Hello Hello! Blog deadline update that nobody needs- this one is super early 🙂 First week of Spring Break has been …..good. I’m going to Miami next week and have done absolutely no bikini body prep. That said- enjoy!
THOTS
This episode was fun enough. The queens did a good job, the strategy and format were interesting. And shocker- someone actually went home!
That said, the producers really overestimate how engaging it is to watch an episode full of lip-syncs. It’s not as fun as they think.
Calix turning the crank was very nice to watch, and he did it with appropriate vigor and intensity.
I felt for Jasmine. Of course, she’s annoying and way too much. But this was one of the most epic examples of the Drag Race producers going “oh honey- you’re good at that (lip syncing in Jasmine’s case)? Well, let’s cut you right down to size”.
I hated hearing the backstage queen’s commentary during the lip syncs. Shh! I’m watching.
CHART
So, as planned, I gave +1 for every lip-sync won this episode, and -1 for every lip-sync lost. Deja got nothing as she sat prettily at the back of the stage.
Bosco was the biggest loser, losing 2 lip-syncs and winning one for a takeaway of -1, which moves her down to 3rd.
Angeria and Lady Camden both lost one lip-sync and won one so netted zero points- which keeps them both at 1 and 4 respectively.
Willow, Jorgeous, and Daya all got +1 for winning one lip-sync and losing none, and it kept all 3 in the same chart placements (2nd, 6th and 7th )
Stats moment: Angeria has now spent 10 episodes in a row at #1 on my chart. That is the longest sustained time any queen has ever spent at #1. Sharon Needles in season 4 was at #1 for 9 straight episodes. Angeria is now tied with Bianca Del Rio from season 6 for the most total episodes at #1 in a season with 10. If she stays at #1 next week she will have the new record for being the biggest top ever on chart.
PREDICTIONS
Willow Pill (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 1) =
Angeria Paris Van Michaels (Preseason 6, Last Week: 2) =
Bosco (Preseason: 1, Last Week: 3) =
Jorgeous (Preseason: 5, Last Week: 4)
Deja Skye (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 5)
Lady Camden (Preseason: 13, Last Week: 6)
Daya Betty (Preseason: 4, Last Week: 8) (+1)
Jasmine Kennedie (Preseason: 9, Last Week: 7)
Kerri Kolby (Preseason: 2, Last Week: 7)
Maddy Morphosis (Preseason: 11, Last Week: 9)
Orion Story (Preseason: 14, Last Week: 12)
Kornbread the Snack Jitay (Preseason: 3, Last Week: 4)
Alyssa Hunter (Preseason: 7, Last Week: 11)
June Jumbalaya (Preseason: 8, Last Week: 9)
Shocker- another wrong prediction. I was close with Jasmine (both in preseason and last week), but I incorrectly said Daya Betty would finally go.
The first look sets up Bosco and Camden for a lot of attention (I think Bosco will get the Saltine part).
It’s a Rusical, and I think Angeria and Deja will do well. I’m gonna say Camden will get revenge on Bosco for part stealing and also do well. Jorgeous got a part focused on performing so I think she will be safe or even high.
That leaves Daya, Willow and Bosco. I still believe Willow and Bosco are final 4, so I think one of them will defeat Daya. Since Bosco is the one focused on in the first look I think she’ll be the one lipsyncing.
I wouldn’t be shocked to see Bosco lose and have the golden ticket. However, I’m going to say they will save it for next episode. That’s all I got.
LIST
Every Lip-sync from This Episode Ranked
6-“Respect”: Daya Betty def. Jasmine Kennedy
Daya definitely won, but partially through a dirty tactic (blocking the other queen). It wasn’t bad, but wasn’t super exciting either.
5- “Swept Away”: Bosco def. Jasmine Kennedy
I LOVE the song, and once Jasmine went kooky, Bosco had it in the bag. It just wasn’t a super engaging lip-sync.
4- “Love Don’t Cost A Thing”: Angeria Paris Van Michaels def. Jasmine Kennedy
Angeria truly has star power and it was a pleasure to see her strut and pose. Did her serious tone particularly match this song? Not really but it was still a fun watch.
3- “Never Too Much”: Willow Pill def. Bosco
Willow did a nice job and it was cool to see the judges reward a more simple performance.
2-“Don’t Let Go”: Lady Camden def. Bosco
Lady Camden rocked it. So sensual and captivating. It was nice to see her really flourish again. The camera shot of both of their faces is Emmy worthy.
1- “Radio” by Beyonce: Jorgeous def. Lady Camden and Angeria Paris Van Michaels
I usually hate 3 way or more-way lip-syncs, but this one was actually really good. Jorgeous is such a unique and confident performer, and this song suited her perfectly. Angeria did great as well, and even Camden had some fantastic moments. It was fun.
Alright my dears. With that- let the music play! See you next week!
It’s officially spring break! That’s all I got for personal update this time. Please enjoy this super quick and repeat GIFs blog. Love ya!
THOTS
Worst snatch game ever (spoiler alert for the list later this blog). What a bummer
Who the f is Dove Cameron?
I did find the investigation judges gag to be funny and an uncharacteristically nice way to give constructive feedback.
This season will never end.
CHART
Everyone gets -2 for being in the bottom 2 except for Deja, who gets +2 for winning
That means the chart pretty much stays the same, but Deja gets a huge boost
She moves from being tied for 6th, into a tie for 4th, only 4 points off Angeria.
What will happen points wise next week? No idea but in the past I’ve done +1 for lip-sync smackdown wins and -1 for lip-sync smackdown losses. We will see
PREDICTIONS
Willow Pill (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 1)
Angeria Paris Van Michaels (Preseason 6, Last Week: 2)
Bosco (Preseason: 1, Last Week: 3)
Jorgeous (Preseason: 5, Last Week: 7) +3
Deja Skye (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 6) +1
Lady Camden (Preseason: 13, Last Week: 4) -2
Jasmine Kennedie (Preseason: 9, Last Week: 5) -2
Daya Betty (Preseason: 4, Last Week: 8) =
Kerri Kolby (Preseason: 2, Last Week: 7)
Maddy Morphosis (Preseason: 11, Last Week: 9)
Orion Story (Preseason: 14, Last Week: 12)
Kornbread the Snack Jitay (Preseason: 3, Last Week: 4)
Alyssa Hunter (Preseason: 7, Last Week: 11)
June Jumbalaya (Preseason: 8, Last Week: 9)
Welp nobody saw that coming right- last week’s predictions are of no use because nobody went home. This will very likely be the longest drag race season ever- which I like many fans am not super thrilled with.
So how the f will the lip-sync smackdown work? So bizarre it’s with 7 and not 8- 8 would make for a perfect round robin. I think there will be 3 round 1 lip-syncs (2 pairs and 1 3 way). Then with the 3 that lose, I think we will get them all performing to the same song All Stars 6 last episode style. The winner of that will then be safe, and we will get one final lipsync to see who goes home. So all in all, we will have 5 lip-syncs.
So who could go? The first look gives a lot of attention to the Daya-Jasmine animosity, and to Bosco.
I think Bosco is a misdirect and she will do well. Daya seems like a for sure bet to go, and if 2 go (which god willing will happen) I think in a twist it could be Jasmine (the right song can trip even the best dancer up).
I don’t think they are insane enough to use the golden ticket twist ON TOP of the lip-sync smackdown twist, but I wouldn’t be shocked.
LIST
Top 5 Worst Regular Season Snatch Games
#5-Season 10
Aquaria was spectacular, but Asia and The Vixen’s distracting and very not funny shtick overrode and upstaged everything else.
#4-Season 4
Chad, Sharon and William were fantastic, but similarly to season 10, Phi Phi and Jiggly were so disruptively bad it dragged the whole thing down.
#3-Season 12
Gigi was fun but not exceptional. Jackie Cox was the only other one who made any HA HAs.
#2-Season 11
Silky was ok but not winner worthy for me. Nina was the same. I honestly would’ve given this to Shuga Cain. The rest of the cast was all useless in this challenge.
#1-Season 14
Truly horrible- Deja would’ve been safe every other season except possibly season 11. I do wonder if the producers fixed it though (either through editing or more active sabotage). SO convenient to have a lip-sync smackdown just already organized for the episode after. We may never know the truth. Either way- was not a fun one.
Howdy loves. Another superspeed last minute blog for you. We are one week away from Spring Break, so just gotta hack it. Enjoy!
THOTS
I never like the Dragcon panel challenges because I feel like it’s very unclear if they are supposed to be funny or emotionally evocative. This time the judges accepted funny which was nice.
Willow is adorable.
“Can you put your head behind your legs?” “I guess I can!” Lady Camden continues to quietly slay.
I don’t like her, but I felt for Deja. She fully deserved the win this week. Bosco was another very random win.
Such a weird song choice for the Jasmine-Jorgeous lip-sync- so not dancey. This was not worthy of a double shante- I thought Jorgeous won.
CHART
Angeria was safe so is still at the top. She’s been in the #1 spot the entire season so far.
Bosco moves into a tie for 2nd with WIllow.
Lady Camden moves down to 4th and Jorgeous to 5th.
Deja and Daya are tied for 6th.
Jasmine is way behind in the power bottom position. She would need to win twice and have Deja or Daya be in the bottom 2 twice to pull herself out of last place.
PREDICTIONS
Willow Pill (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 1)
Angeria Paris Van Michaels (Preseason 6, Last Week: 2)
Bosco (Preseason: 1, Last Week: 3)
Lady Camden (Preseason: 13, Last Week: 6) +2
Jasmine Kennedie (Preseason: 9, Last Week: 5) =
Deja Skye (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 8) +3
Jorgeous (Preseason: 5, Last Week: 4) -3
Daya Betty (Preseason: 4, Last Week: 7) -1
Kerri Kolby (Preseason: 2, Last Week: 7)
Maddy Morphosis (Preseason: 11, Last Week: 9)
Orion Story (Preseason: 14, Last Week: 12)
Kornbread the Snack Jitay (Preseason: 3, Last Week: 4)
Alyssa Hunter (Preseason: 7, Last Week: 11)
June Jumbalaya (Preseason: 8, Last Week: 9)
One of the few benefits of nobody going home is I did not get another wrong prediction.
I had Deja going last week, but I think she could do well in Snatch Game.
The preview makes it look like Willow could be in trouble. I can’t see her going but it wouldn’t be shocking for them to put her in bottom 2.
I am going to go with Daya to go. She was low last week and if she falters in Snatch Game she will lipsync. If she’s against Willow it’s a wrap.
Unless of course this is the week we have the gold bar instead of “it’s chocolate”. Daya doesn’t seem like gold bar material to me (she’s dramatic but not enough to get the twist), so I’m going to say no gold bar this week and it will happen closer to final 6 to save a heavy hitter like Angeria or Bosco.
LIST
Songs They Could Have Used for An Epic Jasmine v. Jorgeous Dance Battle
I adore Etta James and both queens rose to the challenge, but we wanted a Jasmine and Jorgeous lipsync for the potential ka kita kow dance battle. Below, in no particular order, are 5songs that could’ve facilitate that story, the end to which we will never know. Enjoy!
Kelly Rowland- Commander
Clean Bandit featuring Louisa Johnson-Tears
Sigala, Ella Eyre- Came Here for Love
Chungha- Dream of You
Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande- Rain On Me
Alright my dears. As always, yall are treasures- tried and true. Have a great weekend and let the music play!
I saw Dua Lipa’s concert mid-week and it was fabulous but I am still recovering. Also I found out one of my former students, a 1st grader, was also at the concert likely also wearing lots of glitter. So there’s that. I’m traveling today so enjoy this quick bare-bones low-gif blog! Enjoy!
THOTS
Lady Camden looked like Tammy Brown combined with Carol Channing in the challenge.
Daya is so annoying.
Poor Kerri. I will miss her charisma and beauty.
Angeria is amazing. She carried her group, and her runway was so fun.
The judges liking Deja’s outfit was wild.
CHART
Angeria got high which extends her lead at the top.
Lady Camden takes a small dip and now is tied with Bosco for 3rd.
Daya continues to climb the chart and is now solidly in 6th.
With Kerri gone, Jasmine is solidly our power bottom, a full 3 points behind Deja and 6 behind Daya.
PREDICTIONS
Willow Pill (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 1) =
Angeria Paris Van Michaels (Preseason 6, Last Week: 2) =
Bosco (Preseason: 1, Last Week: 3) =
Jorgeous (Preseason: 5, Last Week: 4) =
Jasmine Kennedie (Preseason: 9, Last Week: 5) =
Lady Camden (Preseason: 13, Last Week: 6) =
Daya Betty (Preseason: 4, Last Week: 8) +1
Deja Skye (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 9) +1
Kerri Kolby (Preseason: 2, Last Week: 7)
Maddy Morphosis (Preseason: 11, Last Week: 9)
Orion Story (Preseason: 14, Last Week: 12)
Kornbread the Snack Jitay (Preseason: 3, Last Week: 4)
Alyssa Hunter (Preseason: 7, Last Week: 11)
June Jumbalaya (Preseason: 8, Last Week: 9)
Welp if you’re coming here for super on point predictions, sweetie at this point that mistake is on you.
Daya was in my sights to go soon, but she’s been on an upswing so I don’t think this is her week to go.
Deja the seems like the super obvious choice for this week. If not Deja, I would guess it could be Jasmine or Lady Camden in a big shocker- but I think those 2 could get the golden ticket, because they both have so much great Snatch Game potential.
Where is Snatch Game? I’m starting to worry they are going to do something dumb like teams or a match game for Snatch Game, because they are waiting so long to do it. I hope it’s just straight up.
LIST
My Top 5 60s Girl Group Songs
Little comment necessary. For the record, I love how the Supremes do epic glamours heartbreak, The Ronettes are incredibly cool and sexy, and the Shirelles have amazing voices. Enjoy!
Couldn’t get this blog to load on Amtrak’s Wi-Fi last week and this week was parent teacher conferences so- it’s a last-minute combo blog. You’re welcome, babes and enjoy!
THOTS
Re Madeline Mophesis: Hilarious that they kept saying “first out straight contestant”. So many people struggle in the straight closet. So many queens have come out after their season as straight. Girl, bye
Re the Glamazon Prime challenge: I have said on this blog before that anyone who comes for Jorgeous will get it from me. That said- she FULLY did not deserve to win this one. Was wild
Re the Untucked fight: The “because of what happened earlier on Untucked” thing was clunky, but the fight did live up to the hype, and both Jasmine and Daya are shaping up to be a top tier villains. This season is becoming more dramatic than I had anticipated, which is fun.
Re the Daytona Wind: Was funny enough though the fart humor was low class bullshit that went on way too long. Lady Camden was amazing and is rapidly becoming my #1.
Re the Chaps Runway: Willow, Angeria and Lady Camden murdered it for me. The all slay the day away almost every runway.
CHART
Angeria caught a break by there being no bottoms or lows, but she still would’ve been in first even if she had been bottom 2. She’s a beast.
Lady Camden’s win ties her with Willow Pill for 2nd place. Bosco is right behind them in 4th.
Jorgeous is in 5th and Daya’s win brings her out of the bottom into 6th.
We have a three-way tie for power-bottom between Deja, Kerri and Jasmine. It’s a real race to the bottom.
PREDICTIONS
Willow Pill (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 1) =
Angeria Paris Van Michaels (Preseason 6, Last Week: 2) =
Bosco (Preseason: 1, Last Week: 3) =
Jorgeous (Preseason: 5, Last Week: 4) =
Jasmine Kennedie (Preseason: 9, Last Week: 5) =
Lady Camden (Preseason: 13, Last Week: 6) =
Kerri Kolby (Preseason: 2, Last Week: 8) +1
Daya Betty (Preseason: 4, Last Week: 10) +2
Deja Skye (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 7) -2
Maddy Morphosis (Preseason: 11, Last Week: 9)
Orion Story (Preseason: 14, Last Week: 12)
Kornbread the Snack Jitay (Preseason: 3, Last Week: 4)
Alyssa Hunter (Preseason: 7, Last Week: 11)
June Jumbalaya (Preseason: 8, Last Week: 9)
I’m kicking myself for changing from Maddy to Daya two weeks ago. My predictions this season are a full dumpster fire so far this season.
Bosco, Willow and Angeria still seem like locks for the final 4. With each week, it seems more likely that Lady Camden could be there too. But it’s rare that all the big challenge winners make the final 4 (ask Olivia Lux or Bendelacreme). So I have her going still at 6th.
I think it’s between the other 4 to go this episode. It’s hard to say who could suck the most at song writing, but Jasmine I think is going to stick a while. Kerri, I think could do ok and also may have another lip-sync win in her.
Daya could easily go (I still think she’s our early season villain) but I think it will be Deja. She doesn’t really have a storyline and has no competitive momentum. My track record would suggest I’ll be wrong- but that’s all I got.
LIST
Top Untucked Fights- The Later Years (Season 10-14)
The hints of drama titillated me two weeks ago and make me reminisce on recent other spats. Finding full and good quality clips was tough- so I just didn’t. 🙂 Here you go!
5- Aiden Zane v. Brita v. Heidi in Closet (Season 12)
There’s something innately funny about the queens being so outraged by sleep, but Hedi in Closet is the scene stealer here with her perfect “fuck you fuck you fuck you”.
4- Eureka v. The Vixen and Aquaria v. The Vixen (Season 10)
The Vixen started the season by perfectly explaining and taking Aquaria to task for weaponizing her white fragility. Then, the crux of the season’s drama was her vs. Eureka. I was team Vixen but of course she’s had some problematic twitter doozies since. Regardless, this feud had legs in ways Drag Race drama doesn’t usually.
3-Tamisha Iman v. Kandy Muse (Season 14)
Simply iconic. It’s a fun watch every time and was so nice in the moment to see someone as verbose as Kandy meet her match.
2- Rajah O’Hara v. Plastique Tiara (Season 11)
Wild and so fun that it started from one of those corny family video messages, and that the crux of Rajah’s argument was “bitch- you lied about not knowing anything about popular culture”. A sleeper, but so bizarre and funny.
1- Silky Nutmeg Ganache v. Yvie Oddley (Season 11)
“I was ready to do so” has entered and stayed in the Drag Race lexicon in a major way. This undobuteldy is #1 of recent Untucked drama. Well done
Alright my dears. #JusticeForPangina and let the music play! ❤
As always these days, over-tired, over-worked and over-Covid. Enjoy!
THOTS
Devastated about Kornbread. She will be missed terribly, and she will be back Season 14 to rock it out.
Jorgeous trying to top the pit crew in that amazing mini-challenge proves she CAN do comedy. I also loved that later she explained her version of comedic acting is just not wearing lashes. She is a treasure.
The PSAs having to rhyme was such a weird wrinkle to the challenge.
I wanted my unexpected fav Lady Camden to win. Willow was also robbed- she should have at least been ranked high. Bosco did fine.
Orion fully didn’t stand a chance in the lip-sync.
CHART
Kornbread was ranked 4th so her going is good news for most of the queens on the chart. I’m sure none of them thought of that.
Bosco moves up to 3rd with her win. Angeria is in the lead with Willow a solid 2nd.
Lady Camden is in 4th, and Jorgeous and Deja are tied for 5th. The rest are all low and vulnerable. Daya and Maddy are tied as our new power bottoms now that Orion finally went (again).
PREDICTIONS
Willow Pill (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 1) =
Angeria Paris VanMichaels (Preseason: 6, Last Week: 2) =
Bosco (Preseason: 1, Last Week: 3) =
Jorgeus (Preseason: 5, Last Week: 4) +1
Jasmine Kennedie (Preseason: 9, Last Week: 7) +2
Lady Camden (Preseason: 13, Last Week: 6) =
Deja Skye (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 9) +2
Kerri Kolby (Preseason: 2, Last Week: 8) =
Maddy Morphosis (Preseason: 11, Last Week: 11) +2
Daya Betty (Preseason: 4, Last Week: 10) =
Orion Story (Preseason: 14, Last Week: 12)
Kornbread the Snack Jitay (Preseason: 3, Last Week: 4)
Alyssa Hunter (Preseason: 7, Last Week: 11)
June Jumbalaya (Preseason: 8, Last Week: 9)
I obviously didn’t see Kornbread’s exit coming but did see Orion going last episode. Already one of my pre-season final 4s has fallen, so the prediction percentage this season remains ROUGH.
The first look focuses a lot on Daya and not in a positive way. I think she’s a goner.
I’m pretty confident in Willow, Angeria, and Bosco’s final 4 spots. The last spot for me is a toss-up at this point between Jorgeous and Kerri. Going with Jorgeous for now.
LIST
Ranking the Second Offs
Inspired by Alaska’s brilliant comment in this week’s pit stop that going 2nd is worse than going first- here is my definitive ranking of the queens eliminated second.
I did go through a weird brief period directly after season 7 aired when I liked her YouTube channel. Wish her well but haven’t thought about her in years.
10-Serena Cha Cha (5)
The ire she inspired in season 5 spawned many memorable catchphrases and memes, and for that we should be thankful. Her work on All Stars 7 was meh.
No idea what Dax is up to, and it will forever be wild that she is Violet Chachki’s drag mom. Laila has become a premiere makeup artist and has done lots of makeup work for the show.
5-Joey Jay (13)
This probably feels high for the self-professed “filler queen”, but Joey made me LOL a few times during season 13 so I have a warm affection for her.
4-Alyssa Hunter (14)
Maybe it’s because she’s the latest bitch on the scene, but I really liked Alyssa. She was fierce on the runway, and beyond easy on the eyes as a boy. She will be missed.
Such an individual and funny queen. Obviously one of the best Drag Race entrances ever. She’s a great lip syncer too.
2- Rock M Saukra (12)
A high kick to a fart. One of my favorites from season 12- she’s funny, creative, loves anime and kpop, and has a great ass. She can be a bit much at times, but I love her.
1-Tammie Brown (1)
C’mon teletubbie. Teleport us to Mars! The ultimate unhinged and cooky queen, she’s a treasure every time she is on our screens.
Alright my dears! Enjoy and see you next week. Let the music play!
So tired. I liked the short(er) format from last week so trying to keep it brief. Enjoy!
THOTS
The Jasmine-Kornbread drama was fun, but Jasmine isn’t the outlandish villain you can tell the show wants her to be so far.
I was attracted to Alyssa’s dad. Predictable and lame that they brought on a PR queen after seasons and treated her so poorly- sad to see her go.
The runway definitely suffered from no movie or music references.
CHART
Angeria is number 1 but Willow is on her high heels
Jasmine is the only queen to have been safe every episode so far (which she undoubtedly has spiraled about in her notebook Dostoyevksy style)
Kerri dipped down from 7th to 9th. Orion is still our power bottom.
PREDICTIONS
Willow Pill (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 4) +3
Angeria Paris VanMichaels (Preseason: 6, Last Week: 2) =
Bosco (Preseason: 1, Last Week: 6) +3
Kornbread the Snack Jitay (Preseason: 3, Last Week: 1) -3
Jorgeus (Preseason: 5, Last Week: 3) -2
Lady Camden (Preseason: 13, Last Week: 9) +3
Jasmine Kennedie (Preseason: 9, Last Week: 5) -2
Kerri Kolby (Preseason: 2, Last Week: 7) -1
Deja Skye (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 10) +1
Daya Betty (Preseason: 4, Last Week: 8) -2
Maddy Morphosis (Preseason: 11, Last Week: 12) +1
Orion Story (Preseason: 14, Last Week: 13) +1
Alyssa Hunter (Preseason: 7, Last Week: 11)
June Jumbalaya (Preseason: 8, Last Week: 9)
I thought Alyssa would sneak through another week but I was wrong.
I think it may finally be Orion’s time, and in dumb skits they really have carte blanche to say whoever they want did good and bad (because the whole skit is usually so bad). Daya, Jasmine or Lady Camden would be my other pics (I think Maddy has one more week in him- yippee).
I put Kerri lower than I had before, and Lady Camden way up. The only thing I’m sure of right now is Willow and Angeria seem like locks for the finals so-we shall see!
LIST
In honor of this week’s episodes homage to queens who went home first, I’ve ranked from 14-1 all the queens who went home first from every US regular season. Enjoy!
So tired. So snowy. So much Covid. This is going to be super short one. Enjoy!
THOTS
Stick to one theme. This shit was confusing.
Bridal was tough.
Kornbred won the show with her Willow hand-warming interaction.
CHART
Willow is tied for first now with Angeria.
Kornbread and Jorgeous are now tied for 3rd.
Orion is our new power bottom.
PREDICTIONS
Kornbread the Snack Jitay (Preseason: 3, Last Week: 1) =
Angeria Paris VanMichaels (Preseason: 6, Last Week: 8) +1
Jorgeus (Preseason: 5, Last Week: 5) +1
Willow Pill (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 6) +2
Jasmine Kennedie (Preseason: 9, Last Week: 7) +2
Bosco (Preseason: 1, Last Week: 4) -4
Kerri Kolby (Preseason: 2, Last Week: 3) -2
Daya Betty (Preseason: 4, Last Week: 2)
Lady Camden (Preseason: 13, Last Week: 13) +3
Deja Skye (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 11) =
Alyssa Hunter (Preseason: 7, Last Week: 12) =
Maddy Morphosis (Preseason: 11, Last Week: 10) -3
Orion Story (Preseason: 14)
June Jumbalaya (Preseason: 8, Last Week: 9)
Welp the first two weeks are out the window since Orion and Daya are back. And I did not think poor June was going next (will miss her funny interviews).
Maddy and Orion are very obviously on the bubble.
Alyssa might seem like a shocking exit to some- but Puerto Rican fashion queen who hasn’t gotten any shine in the first couple episodes. Ask April Carrion how that shakes out.
The challenge is acting. I think the producers will want to keep Maddy for story a little longer, so this will be an easy episode for them to praise him in. Alyssa could definitely go, but I’d rather it be Orion so I’m going with her.
This week I have done all the frantic teaching through so many sudden student positive Covid results (they’re fine thankfully- don’t worry). I have nothing like Whitney but still pushed this out. Enjoy!
THOTS
This group was fun. I severely underestimated Angeria, who was a true treat and dominated this episode.
There was no evidence at any point that even one of the queens knew anything specific about Alicia Keys, and the same of course was true in reverse. A real come down from the iconic allyship of Lizzo.
Finally, to Maddie. I thought her story focused way too much on “I hope the queens accept me” for my liking. Maddie is no victim- for structural oppression to exist, you have to have an identity that structures don’t privilege. There’s no structure that oppresses white straight men- sorry. You’ll be fine.
Of course, I was also disappointed in Maddie’s CNT talent. As Ru said, there was absolutely no camp or fun to it- which is a huge miss on this show.
Angeria, Jorgeous and Jasmine were all entertaining, but this talent show was definitely a yawn compared to the first group.
CHART
We have our full group finally! Kornbread and Angria are tied for first, June and Deja are tied for last.
Not since Season 4 (Lashauwn Beyond) has someone with a score above zero gone home next once the queens have all gotten their first score (some seasons someone goes home first episode, some nobody goes home in the premiere).
This suggests that Bosco, Kornbread, Willow, Angeria, Jorgeous and Lady Camden are safe this week.
In both previous seasons (6 and 12), that have had split premieres, a queen from group 2 went home first once the queens all combined. This remains true if you count the season 13 losing lipsync queens as a different half group (Kahmora Hall lost her premiere lipsync and then went home first).
So the above all suggests Deja, Jasmine, or Maddie would go home next.
PREDICTIONS
Kornbread the Snack Jitay (Preseason: 3, Last Week: 1) =
Bosco (Preseason: 1, Last Week: 4) +2
Angeria Paris VanMichaels (Preseason: 6, Last Week: 8) +5
Jorgeus (Preseason: 5, Last Week: 5) +1
Kerri Kolby (Preseason: 2, Last Week: 3) -2
Willow Pill (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 6) =
Jasmine Kennedie (Preseason: 9, Last Week: 7) =
June Jumbalaya (Preseason: 8, Last Week: 9) +1
Maddie Morphosis (Preseason: 11, Last Week: 10) +1
Deja Skye (Preseason: 10, Last Week: 11) +1
Alyssa Hunter (Preseason: 7, Last Week: 12) +1
Lady Camden (Preseason: 13, Last Week: 13) +1
Daya Betty (Preseason: 4, Last Week: 2)
Orion Story (Preseason: 14)
As right as I was about Orion is how ncredibly wrong as I was about Daya. I’m sad as she seemed like an innovative queen, but onward we march!
Angeria is much more of a contender than I thought and I believe now will be final 4.
As stated convincingly above, history and stats would suggest Deja, Jasmine or Maddie would go. However, rules are made to be broken and I think instead it will be Lady Camden.
Deja is a seamstress coming off a lipsync win so she could do very well this episode. Jamsine is supposed to be the drama this season, and idk if you’ve heard but Maddie is straight, so I don’t think producers will let either of them go so early.
Lady Camden has had confusing and off-kilter fashion so far which could go very wrong in the ball. Just ask fellow North California queen Rockem Saukra. If the Lady persists, I think the other option to get the chop would be June Jumbalaya.
LIST
Top Past RPDR US Talent Show Performances:
Again, so tired so my list is offered with comment. I give a lot of points for uniqueness (bubbles, painting, dress making for me is more entraining than the burlesque and lip syncing we get every time). #1 is extremely obvious. I couldn’t find clips for a lot of the performances so included related or just random clips instead. Also I didn’t watch Drag Race Holland Season 2 and didn’t like anything in the Drag Race Down Under talent show. So that’s that. Enjoy!
10-Naomi Smalls- Lipsyncing to her song “Pose” (AS4)
9-Scarlett Envy- Bubble Burlesque (couldn’t find a clip so enjoy this instead) (AS6)
8-Latrice Royale- Color Guard (AS4)
7-Mariah Paris Balenciaga-Spoken Word (AS5)
6- Rajah O’Hara- Speed Sewing (AS6)
5-Manila Luzon- Upside Down Painting (AS4)
4-Gia Gunn-Kabuki (AS4)
3-BenDeLaCreme- Burlesque (AS3)
2-Aja- Lipsyncing (AS3)
1-Tatianna- Spoken Word (AS2)
Alright my dears. We love a ball and made it to Friday. Life is…..good. Enjoy and see you next time! Let the music play.
Another week, another full dumpster fire of teaching in Covid. Important: Love Island UK season 3 is no Love Island UK season 5 but is way better than Love Island Australia. With that, enjoy!
THOTS
What a charming and nice premiere! After no one going home until episode 4 last season, it was a well-needed refresh to have someone go home first week, and the half group format allowed us to get to know the queens better than usual. So far this is a quick, funny and comfortable group. Also duh Lizzo is a full treasure.
Kornbread is a treasure. I loved her from the moment she said “I’m excited to eat all y’all’s craft services’. She’s giving my a Bianca Del Rio-esque edit early on (lovable and nurturing shady maternal figure), which obviously is a very good sign.
Kerri was full of lovey soundbites (“I am not a ferret!”), and of course looks stupendous. I think she will be one to watch.
I do worry that she’ll get annoyingly white-privilege quirky, but I did love Willow Pill’s performance. Kornbread described it. It was amazing.
I do feel bad for Orion, and thought she was more impressive than I had expected. I wish her and all 3 of her nipples well.
CHART
No crazy all lip-sync episode throwing off my chart! Huzzah!
Kornbread won. Winners of the season 6 ½ premiere groups (BendelaCreme and Bianca Del Rio) placed 5th and 1st in that season, so Kornbread is on a great track.
June is our bottom at the moment but obviously she wont be there alone after this week’s episode. Denali won the first lipsync for your life last season (after the premiere twist ones) and placed 8th, so being in the first lipsync doesn’t always mean you’re destined for an early exit. We will see!
PREDICTIONS
Kornbread the Snack Jeté (Preseason: 3)
Daya Betty (Preseason: 4)
Kerri Colby (Preseason: 2)
Bosco (Preseason: 1)
Jorgeous (Preseason: 5)
Willow Pill (Preseason: 10)
Jasmine Kennedie (Preseason: 9)
Angeria Paris VanMichaels (Preseason: 6)
June Jambalaya (Preseason: 8)
Maddy Morphosis (Preseason: 11)
DeJa Skye (Preseason: 10)
Alyssa Hunter (Preseason: 7)
Lady Camden (Preseason: 13)
Orion Story (Preseason: 14)
I was right about Orion. Oh my god, stop with the adoring compliments. You’re all too kind.
I’ve dug a bit deeper into interviews and pre-season content and I think my Lady Camden prediction holds up. She isn’t mentioned much by the other queens, and on top of that, I think she has an unclear brand (formal lady but also slutty spice girl?), which doesn’t tend to play out well on Drag Race.
I still think Kornbread is our winner. Out of group 1, Kerri has the next best chance, and Bosco and Willow are way longshots. Unfortunately, I already think June and Alyssa are out of it in terms of the win.
Group 2 of course is still a big mystery! Angeria, Jorgeous, Jasmine and Deja are mentioned most often in the interviews, which could mean they stick around the longest (I could also just mean they have the biggest personalities).
I won’t be shocked if I edit my Daya Betty placement in the coming weeks. She definitely has potential, but she came across as quiet in the first look. We shall see.
LIST: Alicia Keys songs
Finally, I wanted to do a lowkey list and predict the lip-sync song for this week’s guest judge, Alicia Keys. No, I didn’t include Fallen. Obviously it’s one of her best-known songs but I just don’t think it would make a great lip-sync song. Why do I give you so much pleasure, but cause so much pain? I know right. Anyway, here you are!
5- Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart
I can’t see them picking this one and it probably won’t make the best lip-sync for tv with its changes in tempo. I just ADORE this song. Dramatic loneliness is one of my favorite pop troupes and she does it expertly her.
4- Doesn’t Mean Anything
This one isn’t well known so I doubt they’ll use it. That’s a shame because it’s an excellent showcase for Alicia’s overdramatic, multi-syllabic sing-yelling, which would be fun to see the queens portray.
3- You Don’t Know My Name
I’ll die if they do this and include the full spoken word interlude. It’s one of the most random and fantastic things ever in a pop song and would make for amazing tv content.
2- No One
Perhaps her best-known song, this one includes a lot of belting that would have the queens emphatically waving their fists and tipping back their heads. I would not be surprised if this is the one
1-Girl On Fire
Yet, this is the obvious choice. This song basically screams “do cartwheels and death drops in this part” and would play very well. Bonus points if they do the Nicki Minaj rap version.
Alright my dears. Stay safe, stay strong, and happy MAL to my DC queers. Let the music play!
The final 4 of last season (spoiler but I mean- you’re here so to be expected) were Gottmik (1), Kandy (2), Symone (3) and Rosè (6). Joey Jay and Kahmora Hall are of course much higher on this list than they ultimately wond up placing. So, if this season follows suit, the top 4 will some combo of Kornbread, Kerri, Willow, Jorgeous, Maddy and Bosco, while 1 of those would be likely to go early.
.
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
Finally, the time for predictions. I don’t do any spoilers so these are only based on instagrams, cast photos, and the following video. I hate to admit it but the meet the queens videos were too boring for me to get through so I’m flying blind when it comes to those. Enjoy!
It’s hard to tell in the first look if she’s doing a clueless character or if she is truly clueless. Either way, I think her drag will be a bit too rugged for her to go the distance.
Also bumped her up because she is mentioned as the drama by many queens the superlatives video. We know she must stay long enough to stir things up, but I still think she’ll be an early-ish exit.
She has such a nice presence even in the first look, but she’s giving me very middle of the pack. I don’t know if she has the lewks to go to the finals.
She has a great Instagram and these odds list her first. It’s impossible to know, but it might finally be time for another quirky Seattle queen to win.
Alright my dears. I hope this season brings the best of drags, finger wags and gags. See you next time and let the music play!
Alright yall. Today’s blog is going to be the quickest and latest ever.. That said, since we last spoke I have moved, immediately entertained a visit from my parents, started work, and had my student open house. It’s been a hell of a week but I’m still standing with all the courage of a queen who pooped onstage and lived to tell about it. Enjoy!
THOTS:
I just adore TKB. Always have and always will. I’m so glad she got this chance to shine and hope she allows herself to be unabashedly proud of how well she did. She was successful- quickly. All the best to her.
CHART:
The game within a game continues to wreak havoc on the chart, but with her return and win Eureka moves into a tie for first with Rajah.
Kylie and Ginger are tied for last.
The spread looks huge but that’s only because for the last two epsidoes if you lost you were a bottom (so rude- bottoms make the world go round and deserve respect).
FINAL PREDICTIONS
Kylie Sonique Love +3
Ra’jah O’Hara +1
Ginger Minj -1
Eureka O’Hara (Preseason Prediction: 5th, Most Recent Prediction: 4th)
Trinity K Bonet (Preseason Prediction: 7th, Most Recent Prediction: 6th)
Pandora Boxx (Preseason Prediction: 12th, Most Recent Prediction: 6th)
Jan (Preseason Prediction: 4th, Most Recent Prediction: 6th)
A’Keria C Davenport (Preseason Prediction: 2nd, Most Recent Prediction: 7th)
Scarlett Envy (Preseason Prediction: 8th, Most Recent Prediction: 9th)
Yara Sofia (Preseason Prediction: 6th, Most Recent Prediction: 7th)
Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Prediction: 10th)
Jiggly Caliente (Preseason Prediction: 3rd, Most Recent Prediction: 3rd)
Serena Cha Cha (Preseason Prediction: 13th, Most Recent Prediction: 13th)
Ok v on brand for this season but I fully got wrong that they would bring back both Silky and Eureka. Super rude to Silky though she did lose the lipsync.
So- here’s my take on the winner. A Eureka win would seem unfair to many fans because she went so long without winning and got kicked off (though she fully missed no challenges). A Ginger win would seem too predictable and boring. A Ra’Jah win is fully possible, but I still think she’s not famous enough. So that leaves Kylie- who has been a solid competitor and steadily built her brand throughout the season.
Kylie would be the first trans winner would be great. We shall see.
LIST
My 5 favorite episodes of the pit stop this season:
Honorable Mention: Bob the Drag Queen- Episode 1
They have great chemistry and come for each other in hilarious ways.
5: Nicole Byer- Episode 11
A true treat always.
4: Peppermint- Episode 6
The fan gag (“it’s not fair”) was amazing.
3: Monique Heart- Episode 4
Cheryl Canning’s name will live in infamy forever. So good.
2: Laganja Estranja- Episode 7
Her high-ness was hilarious, especially when she forgot Trixie was in Kitty Girl.
1: Kennedy Davenport- Episode 5
She came for Jan definitively, hilariously, consistently and even in song. Amazing
Alright my dears thanks for another amazing season and see you on the other side! Let the music play!
Moving TODAY so see below for incredibly quick thots, a shockingly small amount of gifs, a confusing chart update (given the wild game within a game circumstances), some longshot predictions and 2 quick lists. Enjoy!
THOTS
I liked the episode. Was it worth a whole season of buildup? No. Was it more enjoyable to me then the all-lip-sync premiere of season 13? Yep.
Silky did great. I am glad she is getting a redemption, especially after how bravely she spoke out about the fandom’s racism earlier in the season. She gave great banter too (sorry my move show has been Love Island UK season five so some of that vernacular will be crackin on in here love).
It was so weirdly meta to just watch the final 4 watch TV. Kylie seemed most interested in getting drunk, TKB was having none of it, and Ginger and Ra’Jah predictably gave good watch.
CHART
So obviously at this point the show is just trolling my stats system. What I decided to do was follow what I did for the season 13 premiere- for those special lip-syncs I gave each winner +1, and each loser -1.
I explained last week that I give each queen -3 points posthumously for losing a lip-sync. So, I took away 3 for all the returning queens and let the chips (that Silky was snacking on) fall where they may.
Since A’Keria didn’t technically lose, I just left her at the -7 she had after her elimination.
SO, Silky gained +5 which puts her currently at 1, tied with Kylie and Ginger and ahead of TKB.
If Eureka wins the final lip-sync (seems super likely), Silky would have a 0, and Eureka would enter with a score of 1 (the benefits of going out with a high score of 3). If both come back, they’d be right in the mix with everyone, save Ra’Jah who got that huge score boost in episode 9. So, there you go.
PREDICTIONS
Ginger Minj +2
Ra’jah O’Hara =
Kylie Sonique Love -2
Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Prediction: 10th)
Eureka O’Hara (Preseason Prediction: 5th, Most Recent Prediction: 4th)
Trinity K Bonet -2
Pandora Boxx (Preseason Prediction: 12th, Most Recent Prediction: 6th)
Jan (Preseason Prediction: 4th, Most Recent Prediction: 6th)
A’Keria C Davenport (Preseason Prediction: 2nd, Most Recent Prediction: 7th)
Scarlett Envy (Preseason Prediction: 8th, Most Recent Prediction: 9th)
Yara Sofia (Preseason Prediction: 6th, Most Recent Prediction: 7th)
Jiggly Caliente (Preseason Prediction: 3rd, Most Recent Prediction: 3rd)
Serena Cha Cha (Preseason Prediction: 13th, Most Recent Prediction: 13th)
Ok, I could not have been more wrong about A’Keria being the queen to return. Let’s just move on- no need to dwell.
Eureka definitely won that final lip-sync, even though it was a weird one (more on that below). However, though I wouldn’t be shocked if the show just had Eureka come back, I think it’d be so nice if they rewarded Silky’s making of this whole episode by letting her return too- Kandy Muse style (even though she lost the lip-sync). That’s what I’ve gone with for predictions.
The next challenge is basically standup, so you’d think that Ginger will rock it. The rest could go either way, though I think TKB is the most likely to struggle.
Since TKB has been in the bottom the most, I think she could go next. So sad but she’s done amazing.
Complicating it, I’ve heard that there are only 2 more episodes. Would they enter the final episode with a final 5? I think it’s possible- we could knock one off and then have a final 4. But maybe I’m wrong and only Eureka will return. We will see.
LIST
Investigation- Which guest judge was with which lip-sync and thus when was it film?
Guest Judges:
Episode 2- Big Freedia guest judge (Jiggly Caliente went home)
Episode 3- Tia Mowry (Silky Nutmeg Ganache)
Episode 4- Jamal Sims (Yara Sofia)
Episode 5- Aisha Tyler (Scarlett Envy)
Episode 6- Emma Roberts (A’Keria C Davenport)
Episode 7- Zaldy (Jan)
Episode 8- Tina Knowles (Pandora)
Episode 9- Charli XCX (Eureka)
Lip-syncs:
Serena v. Jiggly- Tia Mowry (Episode 3)
Jiggly v. Silky-Jamal Sims (Episode 4)
Silky v. Yara- Aisha Tyler (Episode 5)
Silky v. Scarlett-Emma Roberts (Episode 6)
Silky “Barbie Girl”-Zaldy (Episode 7)
Silky v. Jan- Tina Knowles (Episode 8)
Silky v. Pandora- Charli XCX (Episode 9)
Silky v. Eureka- Charli XCX (Episode 9)
Take away- All the queens except Eureka had the same time to prepare for each lip-sync, because they were all filmed the runway after they were eliminated. Of course, Silky didn’t have to do any more of the challenges or runways, so she had more time and energy in that way overall. But everyone technically had the same time between the last episode to prepare. Silky just planned the best with all that prop making. Props to her mama- literally.
List 2- Favorite Lip-syncs
Ranked least favorite to most
8- Eureka v. Silky
Given they had the least time prepare, it makes sense it was the sloppiest. Silky’s narrative about her mom was so weird- why was she bitchily mugging and eating chips if it was an inspirational tale about her mom’s weight loss? I felt for Eureka because she was so obviously comprehending what was going as it was happening, but she’s a smart queen- when in doubt, grab a life alert and cry (not to be cynical…). Eureka won but it was pretty meh.
7- Silky v. Yara
This was Silky’s least exciting prop for me. Yara scratching her crotch was amazing but went on for too long. Overall, it was ok.
6- Jiggly v. Serena
Jiggly is a joy to watch and a great performer. I was pleasantly surprised by Serena, who I thought danced well. This was a fun one to start with.
5- Silky v. Scarlett
Scarlett looked AMAZING and performed well the whole time, while Silky was a little less successful (she’s not a good word mouther in my opinion). However, Silky did win it for me in the end with the flag, and Scarlett’s use of the tired Cher hair “oooh” gag annoyed me. Not the best- not the worst but very fun to look at.
4- Silky v. Pandora
Poor Pandora didn’t stand a chance. I thought this was Silky’s best outfit and her best showcase of the skills she learned in the dance classes she obviously took after season 11. This song is incredible, and it was fun to watch Silky go.
3-Silky v Jiggly
Full bar service. Jiggly was doing great and I would’ve LOVED for her to return, but everyone including her knew she had no chance once the liquids and glasses started coming out of Silky’s breasts. We love an open bar.
2-Silky v Jan
Poor Jan. Waking up White sure is hard (JK). Jan really gave it, and easily had this one in the bag until that random guitar came in and ruined her life again. If Jan had pulled out one final gag or trick, she would’ve had it. It was a great one to watch.
1-Silky v Silky
Her outfit was basic, but what a successful and fun gag. She played it up perfectly and it was just a joy. Life in plastic, it’s fantastic indeed.
Alright my dears the next time you read the words they will have been typed from a new abode. Have a great week and until then- Let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
STOP AAPI HATE! The tragic events recently are a disgusting continuation of the bigoted and racist violence that Asian American Pacific Islander people have dealt with in this country for decades. Please support and donate to organizations helping to stop AAPI hate. https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/
Hello hello. So my evil back and leg are back to raise pain and anxiety again, and my move is a week out, so this will be another super fast one. Next week’s may be shorter than Serena Cha Cha’s stay on the show. Anyway, now that our caveats are out of the way, please enjoy!
THOTS
Who is the target audience for drag tots? Is it kids? We all know kids LOVE wowpresentsplus content…… If it is a show in the style of a kids cartoon but for adults, I need it to be dirtier. Though that said Latrice and Bianca are superb voice actors.
The game within a game is finally here. I feel like that phrase is going to be proven a misnomer- it’s seemingly just the lip-sync from All Stars 4, which is more of an on-off competition than an all-season game. Semantics but still.
CHART
So, it’s that thing where the show throws everyone in the bottom for dramatic effect and it dramatically screws up my metrics. Fuck my drag right.
Rajah (who fully deserved the win for whatever this challenge was- she looked incredible) is now so far ahead it is doubtful that anyone can catch her.
How will the returning queen’s points work? What I usually do is take the returning queens score when they were kicked off and subtract 3 from it (I take away 2 points for being in the bottom 2, so 3 seems appropriate for being asked to sashay). This will make it a super uphill battle for the returning queen to win, but that feels right to me.
PREDICTIONS
Kylie Sonique Love +1
Ra’jah O’Hara +3
Ginger Minj -2
A’Keria C Davenport (Preseason Prediction: 2nd, Most Recent Prediction: 7th) * Returning
Trinity K Bonet -2
Eureka O’Hara (Preseason Prediction: 5th, Most Recent Prediction: 4th)
Pandora Boxx (Preseason Prediction: 12th, Most Recent Prediction: 6th)
Jan (Preseason Prediction: 4th, Most Recent Prediction: 6th)
Scarlett Envy (Preseason Prediction: 8th, Most Recent Prediction: 9th)
Yara Sofia (Preseason Prediction: 6th, Most Recent Prediction: 7th)
Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Prediction: 10th)
Jiggly Caliente (Preseason Prediction: 3rd, Most Recent Prediction: 3rd)
Serena Cha Cha (Preseason Prediction: 13th, Most Recent Prediction: 13th)
Ok so my preseason predictions are now even with weekly predictions at 3/9. Party.
Eureka had a good showing but just never got that big winning moment. Her behavior was far less annoying than her first season. Wishing her well and maybe I’ll finally watch We’re Here.
I have Kylie in first. It’s clear to me that Trinity probably isn’t winning, Ginger feels like too obvious of a winner, and though she’s the current frontrunner, it is still unbelievable to me that the producers would crown a queen with as little followers as Ra’jah. Kylie feels like the perfect remaining option.
How will the game within a game work? No idea but I’m imagining an all lip-sync episode like the premiere of season 13. Maybe the eliminated nine with lip-sync in pairs (one group of 3), and the winners will go against the final 4.
I think it will be a similar result to season 4 when Monique Heart tied Latrice Royale and Latrice got back in without anyone going home (I don’t think any of the final 4 are in danger of going home this week- I think Trinity might go next week). My guess for the returning queen is A’Keria. My other choices are Jan and Yara, but both have spoken out against production, which I don’t think they would do if they had returned. Eureka is also a possibility, but that would be so predictable and boring. I’d be happy to see A’Keria back. We will see.
LIST
10 Worst Lip-syncs Ever
Kameron Michaels had a plethora of regrets and complaints after her lip-sync on last week’s episode (you can learn more about it in the video below). While it was certainly underwhelming, it wasn’t the worst lip-sync we have seen by any means. In that vein, I’ve decided to list my 10 worst lip-syncs ever from the show.
10-Yara Sofia and Alexis Matteo v. Raven (All Stars 1)
This one isn’t so bad- Raven gives it, but the red button was a stunt hyped all season and wound up being extremely disappointing and counterproductive. It robbed us of what might have been a much closer and fierce lip-sync between Alexis and Raven.
9- Jaida Essence Hall vs. Crystal Methyd v. Gigi Goode (Season 12)
Peak 2020. It’s not unentertaining and they all did a good job. 2 minutes is too long to watch just mouths and it’s weirdly difficult to watch all 3 closely at once. Ru’s facekini remains wild.
8- Laila McQueen v. Dax Exclimationpoint (Season 8)
This one isn’t as bad as you’d think since it’s one of the only 2 double eliminations. That said, with such a great song neither of them captured its spirit at all.
7-Cynthia Lee Fontaine v. Farrah Moan (Season 9)
Farrah Moan is adorable, but this is one of the lowest energy and least interesting lip-syncs we’ve ever seen. Cynthia, god bless her, just cannot mouth words effectively. Also, it’s that awkward thing where the musician is there and it’s a meh lip-sync. The fact it winds up being a double shantay is insane.
6-Miz Cracker v Kennedy Davenport (All Stars 5)
If Kameron is still mad, she should watch this one and realize it could have been much worse. Kennedy is one of the best lip-syncers ever to have been on the show but didn’t seem prepared at all for this song. Cracker approached it with a lot of energy but didn’t capture the dramatic and cheesy tone of “Fancy” at all. It’s rough.
5-Vivienne Pinay v Honey Mahogany (Season 5)
In a season with some of the best lip-syncs ever, we have this epic dud. As the great Alyssa Edwards says perfectly- “they are both lacking energy. It’s Britney Spears! Bring it!” Unfortunately, they did not take her advice. The fact Honey doesn’t have a reveal under that huge kaftan and wig is wild. It’s bad but also not outright offensive, it just doesn’t go anywhere at all.
4-A’keria C. Davenport v. Plastique Tiara v. Scarlett Envy v. Honey Davenport v. Shuga Cain v. Ra’Jah O’Hara (Season 11)
I don’t like 3 way lip-syncs because it’s too hard to pay attention to all three at once, so this was super ineffective. I do find Honey’s weird cat-cow posing hilarious. It just wasn’t the gag they thought it would be. Also, truly a terrible remix of Waiting for Tonight, when the classic one is pure gold.
3-Aiden Zane v. Brita (Season 12)
So many cons to list- 1: how are we not using the Idina Menzel version? 2: The snow could not be cheesier. 3: The judges’ over-enthusiasm is so cringe. 4: The queens’ energy could not be more unevenly matched. Brita is performing like it’s the finale, and Aiden is just trying lazily not to get hypothermia. We get it Drag Race: Frozen the Musical gave you a check. Play it cool sheesh.
2-Silky Nutmeg Ganache v Nina West (Season 11)
So bad that Ru had to put a “Meh” in front of his shantay pronouncement. The best part by far is A’Keria comparing Nina to a moving teddy bear and Silky to a “walrus out of the water”. Such an amazing song, and no energy at all, even though we were warned all season how “ready to lip-sync” one of these queens was. The nerve.
1-Pearl v Miss Fame (Season 7)
So bad it’s almost good. The challenge was ugly dresses but they both look beautiful and glamorous. Demi Lovato trying to give approving faces is amazing. This is like when you get all dressed up (Ru looks AMAZING) for your friend’s bar mitzvah, and then they just do terrible. Tough stuff, but funny.
Alright friends. Enjoy your weekend and see you next week. Let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
STOP AAPI HATE! The tragic events recently are a disgusting continuation of the bigoted and racist violence that Asian American Pacific Islander people have dealt with in this country for decades. Please support and donate to organizations helping to stop AAPI hate. https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/
Hi dears. This will be my quickest quicky blog ever (Missy Elliot would never). I’m still in the throes of jetlag from Paris, which is ironic because there’s nothing less Paris than getting up before 10. Anyway, enjoy this short one!
THOTS (mostly about TKB)
This Snatch Game was…. good. The half group format really doesn’t go well when there’s not at least 2-3 home run performances. What we had this season was home runs from Ginger and Kylie (though honestly neither made me LOL), so weird they’re entertaining performances from Eureka and Rajah, and hard misses from Pandora and Trinity. It was fine.
Trinity’s runway outfit was amazing.
“Not in front of miss Tina”. Trinity has such an awkward charm.
The lip-sync was fun. Always happy to see Heidi N Closet.
Ginger is such a TV pro. She genuinely created some suspense on whether she would go through with chopping Trinity instead of Pandora. Of course, she didn’t: not going to risk that fan reaction.
CHART
Pandora finally went- which marks the third episode in a row that the lowest scoring queen on my chart went home. Pandora was a fun calm presence throughout the season but was definitely at her ending point. Wishing her well.
A lot of similar scoring pages on Instagram (my favorite is this one- https://www.instagram.com/bfedrag/?hl=en ) have Eureka in first even though she’s never won a challenge. My point system prioritizes winning over safe placements enough that this is not the case.
It’s a super even playing field right now- a 4-way tie for first with Trinity one point behind (and remember- she won just last episode).
If we look at the scores from just the last 3 episodes, Ginger and Kylie have both scored 4, Eureka and Trinity have a net score of 0, and Rajah is in last with a net score of -1.
As we look towards the ever elusive “Game Within a Game” for the eliminated queens, Yara Sofia had the highest score on the chart when she was eliminated. So, using that metric, she would be the most deserving of a ruturn.
PREDICTIONS
Ginger Minj =
Kylie Sonique Love +1
Trinity K Bonet -1
Eureka O’Hara -3
Ra’jah O’Hara =
Pandora Boxx (Preseason Prediction: 12th, Most Recent Prediction: 6th)
Jan (Preseason Prediction: 4th, Most Recent Prediction: 6th)
A’Keria C Davenport (Preseason Prediction: 2nd, Most Recent Prediction: 7th)
Scarlett Envy (Preseason Prediction: 8th, Most Recent Prediction: 9th)
Yara Sofia (Preseason Prediction: 6th, Most Recent Prediction: 7th)
Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Prediction: 10th)
Jiggly Caliente (Preseason Prediction: 3rd, Most Recent Prediction: 3rd)
Serena Cha Cha (Preseason Prediction: 13th, Most Recent Prediction: 13th)
I finally got another one right! I was starting to forget how that felt. My preseason predictions have been insanely wrong thus far, but I did correctly guess that Ginger and Eureka would be in the final 5.
As the chart shows, it is super even right now and very hard to predict. The first look shows us that the challenge is creating your own children’s cartoon character.
Obviously, Ginger and Kylie aren’t going anywhere, and both seem very likely to excel at this challenge.
Eureka seems the obvious choice having never won but I think she’ll do well at this challenge- she’s a seasoned TV personality and her characters throughout the season have been super cartoonish anyway.
Trinity seems the most likely to struggle with this challenge as acting is not her strong suit. Rajah meanwhile has been very hit or miss in the acting challenges. I’m going with Rajah as the next to get the boot, if only because I think the fandom has received her much more warmly than the producers probably expected. We shall see.
LIST
ALL STARS 6 MOST INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS
Again, going for super quick here so I’m going to do a simple Instagram followers update. Was I smart enough to record all the queen’s pre-season Insta follower numbers? I think we all know the answer to that, but I did create a list in the preseason ranking the queens in terms of followers. Thus, find below the updated last and see whose spot has changed. Spoiler: the fandom remains shockingly and ire-inducingly racist. Anyway, enjoy!
Cliff Notes: Kylie and Trinity both made major gains with followers this season (duh- they’ve both done well and are breathtaking to look at). The fact that Ra’Jah is so low in followers is criminal. Also, sure they’re pretty and fun, but how do Jan and Scarlet have more followers than Trinity and Kylie?
Alright friends I’ll be back in form next week. Until then- let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
STOP AAPI HATE! The tragic events recently are a disgusting continuation of the bigoted and racist violence that Asian American Pacific Islander people have dealt with in this country for decades. Please support and donate to organizations helping to stop AAPI hate. https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/
Hello Hello! I am traveling this week in a safe, steady, vaccinated fashion….to Puerta Vallarta! What could go wrong? Kidding but I am traveling so the next two blogs will be extra quick. With that, enjoy!
THOTS
The song was real meh. That said- it has been stuck in my head all week. Ginger, Trinity, and Rajah were the only ones who stood out positively for me.
I feel bad for Pandora. At least she looked great.
So unfortunate that Trinity’s wig came off. She is truly an amazing lip-syncer but it’s not coming through this season. On the other hand, it is such a pleasant surprise that she’s doing so well.
Alexis Matteo- “I got two lipsticks!” She is a gem.
The tie was shocking. The producers truly do love torturing Jan.
CHART
The queens were right- this week’s winner became the front runner. TKB is on a roll.
Ra’jah and Eureka are now in second.
Kylie is in 4th. Ginger is in 5th. Ginger is still low but has done the best (+4) in the last 3 episodes. If she wins Snatch Game, she’ll be near the top quite soon.
Pandora is our new power bottom, bring up the rear in 6th place. Pandora and Eureka are the only remaining queens who haven’t won a challenge.
PREDICTIONS
Ginger Minj +1
Trinity K Bonet +1
Kylie Sonique Love +1
Eureka O’Hara -3
Ra’jah O’Hara =
Pandora Boxx +1
Jan (Preseason Prediction: 4th, Most Recent Prediction: 6th)
A’Keria C Davenport (Preseason Prediction: 2nd, Most Recent Prediction: 7th)
Scarlett Envy (Preseason Prediction: 8th, Most Recent Prediction: 9th)
Yara Sofia (Preseason Prediction: 6th, Most Recent Prediction: 7th)
Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Prediction: 10th)
Jiggly Caliente (Preseason Prediction: 3rd, Most Recent Prediction: 3rd)
Serena Cha Cha (Preseason Prediction: 13th, Most Recent Prediction: 13th)
I didn’t expect Jan to go! I really thought they would keep her a bit longer for the storyline and the drama. This season was a real mixed bag for Jan. At times, she came off entitled and delusional. At other times, her talents felt like they purposely weren’t rewarded. I wish Jan well and if not this, I hope she will shine in other avenues of popular culture.
It’s hard to see Pandora going in the Snatch Game, but crazier things have happened. I worry that if Pandora doesn’t go this week, then the “game within a game” twist will be very anti-climactic. The other 5 are all so strong I would imagine that if one of them sashays away they would be brought back right away, which I always find boring.
If Pandora doesn’t go, I think it will be Eureka or Ra’Jah. Ra’Jah has done so incredible this season and I would love to see her in the final- but her Instagram following remains super low compared to the rest of the cast. I just wonder if the audience feels more positively about Ra’Jah than the producers expected. We will see.
Ginger, TKB and Kylie all seem like super solid bets for the final.
Eureka still hasn’t won a challenge, which is starting to make me rethink how far she will go. She could win Snatch Game which would set her up for a great run in this final leg of the competition. She needs a win and needs it soon.
LIST
Snath Games
Since Snatch Game is our next episode, I thought it’d be fun to quickly rank the remaining queens past All Star performances. Note- Ra’Jah has never done Snatch Game, so she is not included.
#6 Kylie Sonique Love’s Lady Gaga (Season 2): There’s no energy and no characterization. I love those glasses though.
#5 Trinity’s Nicki Minaj (Season 6): She has the look down but nothing else- and it wasn’t funny.
#4 Ginger’s Tammy Faye Baker (All Stars 2): Her crying gag is fun and very meme-able. She just didn’t get a lot of airtime so it was hard for it to stand out.
#3 Eureka’s Honey Boo Boo (Season 10): People love this one. To me, it was good but not nuanced or witty enough for my liking.
#2 Pandora’s Carol Channing (Season 2): Classic and fun. The voice is great.
#1 Ginger’s Adele (Season 7): The standout of this group. Ginger is such an incredible performer.
If our herstory foretells the future, our winner will likely be Ginger, Pandora or Eureka. Trinity and Kylie will struggle. Ra’Jah is a true wild card, though she has struggled in acting challenges at times. But of course, herstory doesn’t always repeat itself (ask Trinity the Tuck or Shea Coulee- both winners of Snatch Game in All Stars who did not stand out in their original snatches). I think Ginger, Kylie and Eureka will do well, and Trinity, Rajah and Pandora will struggle.
Alright friends stay safe, stay strong, stay superb. Let the music play!
and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
STOP AAPI HATE! The tragic events recently are a disgusting continuation of the bigoted and racist violence that Asian American Pacific Islander people have dealt with in this country for decades. Please support and donate to organizations helping to stop AAPI hate. https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/
Hello lovelies! Sorry for the late and super brief blog. I tweaked my back during gay kickball (yes- that says during, not playing) so this is going to be a super quick one with a hint of muscle relaxer looniness. You’re welcome
THOTS
Eureka saying “I’m your biggest fan” over and over even though the judges asked her to stop cracked me up.
This skit was so long and so terrible.
Ginger really does suck at rock-paper-scissors.
This was likely one of the only chances there will be to give Pandora the win, and they let it slip by. She was great.
The lip-sync was wonderful and I’m so glad Kylie got to shine. That said, it was a total set up for Manila. There was no way she could win to this song against Kylie. So naughty.
CHART
We got ourselves a 4 way! Rajah, Eureka, Trinity, and Pandora are now all tied for first.
Kylie is right behind that quartet in 5th place.
Then comes Ginger in 6th and Jan is our new power bottom now that A’Keria is gone.
Trinity Ginger, and Eureka have done the best over the last 3 episodes, all amassing 2 points. Jan has netted 1 point in the last 3 episodes, while Kylie and Pandora each have a total of zero. Rajah has done the worst in the last 3 episodes with a netted score of -2.
Does this all mean that Ginger, Trinity, and Eureka are going to do the best moving forward? Probably, though I think Kylie will continue to thrive as well.
PREDICTIONS
Eureka O’Hara =
Ginger Minj =
Trinity K Bonet +1
Kylie Sonique Love +1
Ra’jah O’Hara -2
Jan =
Pandora Boxx -+1
A’Keria C Davenport ((Preseason Prediction: 5th, Most Recent Prediction: 7th)
Scarlett Envy (Preseason Prediction: 8th, Most Recent Prediction: 9th)
Yara Sofia (Preseason Prediction: 6th, Most Recent Prediction: 7th)
Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Prediction: 10th)
Jiggly Caliente (Preseason Prediction: 3rd, Most Recent Prediction: 3rd)
Serena Cha Cha (Preseason Prediction: 13th, Most Recent Prediction: 13th)
Welp, add two more wrong predictions to the list. I thought A’Keria would go further in the beginning of the season and thought she might outlast Pandora this week. Fuck my drag, right?
I think Pandora is next and Jan is after. Our final seems like it’ll be Eureka, Ginger, Trinity, Kylie and Ra’jah, but the order isn’t crystal clear yet. I do still think Eureka could come out on top.
When will get the eliminated queens twice and when will we get snatch game? If snatch game isn’t next week, we will sure get the twist when there are 5 queens left. With one returning that would make 6 which would work well for Snatch Game. We shall see.
LIST
I have a more interesting alternate reality list planned, but because of my bitchy back and leg, I’m going to go with a much simpler one and just rank the lip-syncs from this season so far, which have been excellent overall. Enjoy!
6. Jessica Wild defeats Jan (Episode 4)
Jessica is a boss lip-syncer and I’m so glad she got a chance to whip that wig around on the big stage.
5. Coco Montrese defeats Yara Sofia (Episode 1)
I was transfixed by Coco’s gorgeous outfit, and the way she so expertly removed it and danced her heart out.
4. Kylie Sonique Love defeats Manila Luzon (Episode 6)
Kylie killed this and it was so fun to watch. Manila held her own and that finger split gag was hilarious. But this was Kylie’s tour de force.
3. Ra’Jah O’Hara ties Brooke Lynn Heights (Episode 2)
Both queens did excellently, and I love watching Brooke lip-sync. That said, I do think Ra’Jah won this one, and the producers just weren’t going to have the host of their Canada franchise lose.
2. Ginger Minj defeats Mayhem Miller (Episode 5)
I was tempted to put this at number 1. Mayhem did well but Ginger killed this with clever comedy and perfectly timed movements. Ginger portrayed the humor and fierceness of the song perfectly.
Laganja Estranja defeats Trinity K Bonet (Episode 3)
Trinity is a fantastic lip-sync, but this was Laganja’s from start to finish. The drop from the ceiling entrance, all the flips and splits- Laganja killed it and it was so great to see her get positive credit for it.
A super warm goodbye to A’keria who was a true joy on the show and served some incredibly looks. Her joyful and funny confessionals will be missed.
Alright my dears thanks for being patient with me as this weird summer continues on! Enjoy the episode and I’ll see you next week. Let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
STOP AAPI HATE! The tragic events recently are a disgusting continuation of the bigoted and racist violence that Asian American Pacific Islander people have dealt with in this country for decades. Please support and donate to organizations helping to stop AAPI hate. https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/
Hello Hello! Apologies my dears for the rude absence last week and the tardiness this week. Paramount Plus’ timeline is a challenge, but just like Kennedy hating on Jan (hilariously) in the the Pit Stop below, I won’t ever give up. Thus, I bring you a blog this week with brief recaps of episodes 4 and 5, and predictions for episode 6. You’re welcome
THOTS
Episode 4
Trinity had an amazing episode. A great quote- “I don’t know who Steven Tyler is…but he seems pretty masculine”. Perhaps more importantly, she disproved the ghost of Bianca Del Rio (we seriously get a Bianca flashback for Trinity almost every episode) and SHOWED OUT with her Beyonce. She’s an expert impersonator in lip syncs and I’m so glad she got a chance to let this talent shine. She’s irreplicable.
Jamal Sim’s high collared wind breaker was shocking and deeply upsetting
Jessica wild is a pleasure. It was so rude of them to bring her back just in time to assist in her bestie going home, but I’m glad she got some well-deserved attention. Oh Yara. I love her and am sad to see her go, but this doesn’t seem to be her season. She did go out with an excellent and characteristically weird quote- “If I die one day, you can contact her and you can have a book. I already paid her part”. She will be missed.
Episode 5
Scarlett’s “that’s really hard to hear” was such an awkward response to Rajah’s honesty about her complex relationship with her mom. It really summed up her performance.
Jan was a true nightmare this episode. The way she tried to wiggle her way out of having voted for A’keria and make herself the victim was wild. It never got better from there so- we have our villain. I knocked it earlier and it is cruel- but it is a fruitful plot device to drive Jan insane and we are reaping the benefits now.
Ginger was fantastic in the lip-sync. I have never seen her lip-sync so well and it was so funny and engaging. This season has had great lip-syncs so far.
CHART
Even though she has been safe the last two episodes, Ra’jah still sits in first after placing high twice and winning once in the first three episodes. She feels due for a minor setback, which is a pitfall of doing too well early. I think she will withstand it and recover to make it to the end. Very impressive and well deserved.
Eureka is sitting pretty in second place. I think a win is imminent for Eureka and she will overtake Ra’jah whenever that first win comes. She’s in a great position.
Pandora and Trinity are tied for 3rd. They’ve taken two very different paths to get there: Trinity was bottom 2 episode 1, won episode 3, and has been ranked high the last two episodes. Pandora has never been ranked low and has been ranked high twice. The problem for Pandora is she’s gotten very little attention, both from the judges and the editors. Trinity’s big failures and big triumphs, along with her engaging interviews, have kept her in the spotlight. Therefore, I think Trinity will make it close to the end, and Pandora will get the chop quite soon.
Ginger’s win brings her to a tie with Kylie for fifth place on the chart. This feels like the beginning of an upswing for Ginger, which could easily carry her to the end. Kylie hasn’t had a lot of big successes so far, but the preview for not episode focused on her heavily. I’m hopeful that she will get a breakthrough within the next few episodes- she needs it to stick around.
Finally, power bottoming are Jan and A’keria, who both have two bottom placements in their histories (though Jan might fight you on that). I think one of them will leave us next episode. A’Keria is a treasure and so fun in the interviews and on the runway. That said, I think the producers seem more focused on Jan, and likely think they can squeeze more storyline out of her evolving paranoia and anxiety. I think Pandora is next, but A’keria will be going soon after.
PREDICTIONS
Eureka O’Hara +1
Ginger Minj +2
Ra’jah O’Hara =
Trinity K Bonet +4
Kylie Sonique Love -4
Jan +3
A’Keria C Davenport +3
Pandora Boxx -2
Scarlett Envy (Preseason Prediction: 8th, Most Recent Prediction: 9th)
Yara Sofia (Preseason Prediction: 6th, Most Recent Prediction: 7th)
Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Prediction: 10th)
Jiggly Caliente (Preseason Prediction: 3rd, Most Recent Prediction: 3rd)
Serena Cha Cha(Preseason Prediction: 13th, Most Recent Prediction: 13th)
So just to get this out of the way: I fully did think Scarlett was going home and had it in my never-posted draft from last week. Hack my cloud if you must or just trust me. That gives me my second correct weekly prediction, which is good because I struck out with both Yara and Scarlett in preseason predictions. You win some, you lose most, I guess.
I think Pandora, A’Keria and Jan are likely our next 3 to go. Though it’s a bit unintuitive because we think of her as a good actress, but I think Pandora could falter in this week’s acting challenge. She just hasn’t been bringing a lot of energy to her performances and I think that could get her here.
I think Eureka is shaping up to be our winner. She hasn’t won a challenge yet but has done well every week and is coming off as charismatic and strong. Ginger could be the only queen to give her a run for her money. The next few episodes will be revealing.
LIST
For just a quickie, I took all the remaining queens and shared my pick for their best challenge performance so far. We will see at the end of the season if these hold up or new ones emerge.
Best Performance So Far:
Eureka- Ball: She’s been great in almost every challenge, and really stood out in the Pink Table Talk and Side Hustle episodes. I still think her best overall was the ball, where she presented three form fitting and solid outfits.
Start at 4:04 for Ginger’s part
Ginger- Side Hustle: She was fantastic in Pink Table Talk (an episode she won) but she legit had me LOL-ing with this weird insane voice. She’s by far the best actress of the bunch and it showed here.
Ra’Jah- Talent Show: She won the Ball and fully carried her team in Pink Table Talk, but I love this simple yet impressive work in the Talent Show, and still think it’s her best performance overall.
Kylie– Ball: She was simply fantastic in the ball. So chic and beautiful.
Trinity- Half Time Show: She won for the Side Hustle challenge and did great in Pink Table Talk, but this is simply stupendous. This is the best performance of the whole season so far. Incredible.
Jan- Half Time Show: She did fantastic in the Talent Show and Ball (and got zero credit for either), but I do think is her best performance overall. She captured Gaga well in an engaging way.
Pandora- Talent Show: It was hard to pick (and not from a wealth of good choices) but this is the highlight so far.
A’Keria- Pink Table Talk : Honestly her biggest highlights have been in the confessionals (shading Trinity for not being trade) and on the runway (the FANTASTIC outfit below). This is her best performance so far- she was natural, honest and charismatic.
Alright my dears. Enjoy and I’ll see you next week (check out the clip below for a delightful viewing of Monique Heart mispronouncing Carol Channing’s name). Love ya. Let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
STOP AAPI HATE! The tragic events recently are a disgusting continuation of the bigoted and racist violence that Asian American Pacific Islander people have dealt with in this country for decades. Please support and donate to organizations helping to stop AAPI hate. https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/
Hello Hello. Hope everyone had a great fourth and has enjoyed basking in the glory of Laganja Estranja’s triumphant return to the Drag Race stage. I spent the last few days in Florida living my old, sunburned Jewish retiree fantasy. Enjoy!
THOTS
Scarlett not knowing what a crunch was is relatable content. I also liked when she refused to do math.
Ginger, Jan, Silky, A’Keria had the funniest skit. How they wound up in the bottom is just a side-effect of this season’s wild judging. I would’ve had Scarlett and Kylie in the bottom. Ginger easily could’ve gotten the win for that hilarious accent.
I feel bad for Silky. I am no big fan of hers, but it’s incredibly unfair and unwarranted how the fan base treats queens of color, and how vile they are to queens of color who inhabit the villain role. I am glad Silky spoke out about that problem, and that she got a chance to come back and show off some improved makeup skills. Hopefully she will continue to munch much and crunch crunch for many years to come.
Trinity is an odd duck. She’s engaging and fun in the confessionals, but she’s also coming across as a little off-putting. It cracked me up when Ginger said “I don’t know what Trinity will do. One minute she’s praising me and the next she’s yelling at me” and they cut to Trinity saying “you are a legend…Are you a loser? No-then fix how you’re sitting!” I didn’t think she deserved to win the challenge, but I’ve always adored her so I’m glad she’s getting some shine.
Laganja returned with a bang (into the floor), and it was a true delight. She had a lot of traumas after her season, so it was great to see her return and be celebrated for her outlandish character. The lip-sync was the best we’ve had since season 11’s Ivie vs. Brooklyn and Trinity had some great moments interspersed betwixt Langanja’s wild acrobatics. A true pleasure. Natch.
CHART
Judging it by teams really throws everything off but I got to crunch the numbers the way the judges munched them.
Ra’Jah is still in first. Pandora is in second.
Yara, Kylie and Eureka are tied for 3rd.
TKB’s win brings her back to zero.
Though they both did well, Jan and Ginger find themselves in the negative now (I’m sure Jan won’t stress about it at all).
A’Keria is now in last place.
PREDICTIONS
Kylie Sonique Love =
Eureka O’Hara +7
Ra’jah O’Hara =
Ginger Minj -2
Scarlett Envy +1
Pandora Boxx +1
Yara Sofia +1
Trinity K Bonet +3
Jan =
A’Keria C Davenport -5
Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Prediction: 10th)
Jiggly Caliente (Preseason Prediction: 3rd, Most Recent Prediction: 3rd)
Serena Cha Cha (Preseason Prediction: 13th, Most Recent Prediction: 13th )
I pegged Silky right in the preseason. Not so much last week- I said Trinity would go which seems insane in retrospect.
Kylie, Eureka and Ra’jah are all currently looking good for the finals.
A’Keria unfortunately seems prime to go. Ginger, Scarlett, Pandora, Yara, and A’Keria are the queens I think could struggle with choreography. We know from the first look that there’s an acting component to the challenge too, and I think Ginger will for sure save herself through her impersonation. A’Keria has the least momentum out of any of these queens, and unfortunately I think will be the one to go.
Where in the world will Jan wind up placing? It is so hard to say. It feels like they are either priming her for a big breakthrough, or a big letdown. I’m going with the latter for this week’s predictions, but only time will tell. I do think it’s either Jan or Scarlett, not both, who will make it to the final 5.
Can Ginger get some traction? Her runway outfits have been a big problem, but I think we’re gearing up for her to really start rocking some of these acting challenges. We probably have 3 more weeks until Snatch Game (I am thinking they will do it with 8 queens left) in which she seems likely to do well and possibly get a big win. I think she will hold out until then.
Will Scarlett ever get any attention? She is the only queen remaining who has only been ranked safe this season. She has super pleasant and highly meme-able so far, but it remains to be seen what her breakthrough moment will be.
LIST
For this week’s quickie list, in honor of the great Lip-sync Assassins we have had thus far (Coco, Brooke and Ganja), I wanted to predict who the remaining Assassins would be. I have listed 6 so I am predicting we will have a final 4 this season. The following six are my choices (who I think WILL be on, not who I wish would be- duh Manila would finally be there if it was the latter). I listed 5 alternatives as well. I included a clip of my favorite lip-sync for each potential assassin. Enjoy!
Lip Sync Assassins Predictions
Jaida Essence Hall (Season 12): They had the most recent winner, Yvie Oddly, as an assassin in All Stars 4. This season was filmed before the live completion of season 13 so Jaida is the most recent winner. I love this lipsync against Heidi N Closet.
Aquaria (Season 10): I didn’t die for any of Aquaria’s lipsyncs on Season 10 (which only came in the finale), but love this creative rendition she did of the meh CLAT song from the season 9 NYC queens. She can turn tricks and is loved by the producers so she will likely be on.
Kameron Michaels (Season 10): She is one of the most accomplished lipsyncers ever on Drag Race (only Jujubee in season 2, Alexis Matteo in season 3, Coco Montrese in season 5 and Ra’Jah O’Hara in season 11 have matched Kameron’s feat of winning 3 lip-syncs for your life in 1 season). This lip-sync isn’t extraordinary, but I’ll never get over them doing simultaneously death drops while dressed as old ladies.
Monique Heart (Season 10, All Stars 4): She’s a very popular queen and many fans like her lip-syncing. It would be fun to have her on- she’s always very meme-able. I thought Latrice won this lipsync, but Monique does hold her own.
Naomi Smalls (Season 8, All Stars 4): She proved herself in All Stars 4 to be a lip-sync beast and is super well-known for embracing the strategy part of the All Stars game. She would be a fun assassin. She ROCKED this lip-synch against Gia Gunn.
Tatianna (Season 2, All Stars 2): She’s an amazing lip-syncer and this lipsync with Alyssa is one of the all time greats. She would be a great and very thankful assassin.
Other Options:
Shangela (Season 2,Season 3, All Stars 3)
Detox (Season 5, All Stars 2)
Peppermint (Season 9)
Plastique Tiara (Season 11)
Heid N Closet (Season 12)
Alright my dears, enjoy the episode and the visual feast that is Jamal Sims’ cleavage. I will catch you again next week. Let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
STOP AAPI HATE! The tragic events recently are a disgusting continuation of the bigoted and racist violence that Asian American Pacific Islander people have dealt with in this country for decades. Please support and donate to organizations helping to stop AAPI hate. https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/
Hello Hello. The summer cold bug bit me hard this week so this week’s blog is a super quickie. Enjoy!
THOTS
Kylie had the best read when she said to Ginger Minj “Your body looks like a deep breathe.” Also I don’t care that it was corny- I love Miss Piggy.
The variety show was wildly diverse in terms of quality. Jan did a full pop concert while Pandora just made stupid puns.
“Keep your hot sausage in the bag bitch.” Ra’jah is playing the game so well and is a deeply entertaining queen. I’m glad she’s getting the shine that she deserves.
I felt a bit bad for Serena but at least she got a chance to show her wigs on the grand stage. I am devastated for Jiggly, who has grown so much as a person and brough a charming irreverent joy to the show. Jiggly is my top pick to return in the “game within a game” twist.
The second episode lip-sync was better overall, but I loved watching Coco in the first episode one. Her outfit was so cool, and she handled it like a pro. I also fully forgot that Coco was on Season 5 with Serena.
CHART
Ra’jah O’Hara is in the lead. She was rated high episode 1 and won episode 2.
Kylie, Eureka, Pandora are tied for 2nd, since they all received 1 positive critique and zero negative ones from the judges.
Yara is truly verse and won the first episode but bottomed 2ed her way back to zero in the second.
Ginger, Jan, Scarlett are safe. The judges are continuing the emotional waterboarding by ignoring Jan thus far.
A’Keria and Silky are in the negative.
Trinity is in last place.
PREDICTIONS
KylIe Sonique Love +9
Ginger Minj -1
Ra’jah O’Hara +6
Eureka O’Hara +1
A’Keria C Davenport -3
Scarlett Envy +2
Pandora Boxx +5
Yara Sofia -2
Jan -5
Silky Nutmeg Ganache +1
Trinity K Bonet -4
Jiggly Caliente (Preseason Prediction: 3rd, Most Recent Prediction: 3rd)
Serena Cha Cha (Preseason Prediction: 13th, Most Recent Prediction: 13th )
Well, I went 1 for 2 on the first round. I was right that Serena ChaCha went first. I was wrong that Pandora would go 2nd, and unfortunately fully overestimated how long Jiggly would stay around.
Trinity and Silky are both lacking momentum in the competition and have the potential to do poorly in the acting challenge this upcoming episode. Since Trinity has been in the bottom before, I am going to say (again super unfortunately) that is her week to go.
Kylie, Ra’jah and Pandora all move up big in my predictions for this week. I really misjudged how long they would each last in the preseason and now think Pandora will fall in the middle of the pack, while Ra’jah and Kylie will both make it close to the end.
Ginger, my preseason pick to win, is getting a strange edit. The show really highlighted her friendship with Jiggly and built to revealing to us that Ginger sent Jiggly home- not great. Her outfits haven’t been impressive thus far, and her talent show performance was forgettable. She’s a beast at acting challenges and could easily still win it all, but the door is opened for another queen to steal first place.
Kylie has done wonderfully so far and could easily be that queen to snatch the crown from Ginger. Her runways are on point so the real question will be if she can perform well in the acting challenges. It would be great for the show to have a trans queen win, especially after Gottmik just lost in season 13.
LIST
Every Blue Ball Outfit, Ranked 1-36
The ball was fun and there were some great outfits overall. However, the judging was super wonky. I thought Ra’jah did well but didn’t deserve to win (I would’ve been fine had they given her the win in episode 1 for the talent show and then had her safe here). Conversely, Yara and Jiggly both didn’t do great but didn’t seem like the two worst. I ranked my favorites and then added them up at the end. Enjoy the annotate-less list and some mild analysis after. Just my opinion!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
STOP AAPI HATE! The tragic events recently are a disgusting continuation of the bigoted and racist violence that Asian American Pacific Islander people have dealt with in this country for decades. Please support and donate to organizations helping to stop AAPI hate. https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/
LONG TIME NO SEE! I’ve missed you, my dears! Hot take- teaching pre-k during Covid was not easy and the end of the year came in like a wrecking ball. Never fear though- I survived, I thrived, and I dived into summer laziness. That said- apologies for the 2-month late Season 13 wrap up, and the hours late All Stars 6 set up (this Paramount Plus timing is very much going to stretch my time-management skills). Anyway, so glad to have you back and enjoy!
Season 13 Finale THOTS
It was a relief to be off zoom and in the flesh for the finale. The lip-syncs were ok- nothing to gag at, nothing to fully write off. Overall, the season was fine- WAY too long but definitely better than 12 or 11. Gottmik and Symone were by far the biggest highlights for me.
The gags came to us via the runways- Gottmik and Symone looked STUNNING as always.
I was a bit disappointed in Gottmiks lip-sync- she was so incredibly smart and tactful all season that I expected her to have planned a more engaging performance. That said, she had an amazing season and will always be a fav. Symone is beyond deserving as a winner and I am thrilled she has been crowned.
Season 13 CHART Wrap Up
So, shocker- Rosé did not in fact win though she was leading on the chart at the season’s end. Symone, our winner, ended the chart in 3rd, behind Rosé and Gottmik.
This season marks the 5th time that the end of season chart winner did not take the crown. Only once since season 9, when the finale switched to a lip-sync round robin, has the queen leading on the chart won the crown (Aquaria in Season 10).
Symone did have the most challenge wins of any queen this season with 4. Symone is the 10th winner to have won the most challenges and the first to do so since season 10.
Season 13 PREDICTIONS Wrap Up
Symone (Preseason Prediction: 8th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 2nd)
Kandy Muse (Preseason Prediction: 2nd, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 4th)
Gottmik (Preseason Prediction: 1st, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 1st)
Rosé (Preseason Prediction: 4th, Most recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 3rd)
Olivia Lux (Preseason Prediction: 5th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 5th)
Utica (Preseason Prediction: 7th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 6th)
Tina Burner (Preseason Prediction: 9th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 7th)
Denali (Preseason Prediction: 3rd, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 7th)
Elliiott with 2 Ts (Preseason Prediction: 13th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 9th)
Lala Ri (Preseason Prediction: 6th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 8th)
Tamisha Iman (Preseason Prediction: 12th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 11th)
Joey Jay (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
Kahmora Hall (Preseason Prediction: 10th; Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
The finale was no picnic prediction wise for me. I incorrectly thought the producers would orchestrate a final 2 of our 2 best performers from the season: Symone and Gottmik (that probably would’ve made for a more engaging episode). I also thought that Gottmik would win, but Symone outperformed her in the lip-sync and is a truly wonderful winner.
Overall, I went 3/13 in my preseason predictions. Not great, but I was within 2 with my predictions for 8 of the 13 queens.
My weekly predictions were on point up until the finale. I went 6/13 with those but was not off by more than 2 for any queen.
All Stars 6 LIST
Welp, at this point some of you have seen the episode already, but I’m still here to give my preseason predictions. I have only seen the first look and all the preseason promotional videos. To flex a smidge, I did correctly predict 4 of the 13 queens on this cast way back in July 2020 (I also listed Pandora, Scarlett, and Akeria as possibilities, and mentioned Silky but I thought they would save her for future seasons). I’m no hero, stop.
The first look ends with a cliff-hanger of a 14th queen being introduced. I’m going to say it’s a stunt and it will be our guest judge. But who knows! With all that, below you can find my predictions. This is what I think will happen, and in no way what I would wish to happen. I look forward to tracking the many ways I was wrong and the few I was right in weeks to come!
13 Serena Cha Cha
I fully wasn’t expected Serena on All Stars and am thinking that she is there for some novelty before she goes home first. I’m glad she’ll get the promo for her wig line, and hope they aren’t too cruel to her in the editing.
12 Pandora Boxx
Pandora is a queen I loved upon my first viewing on season 2, but the appeal of her humor and aesthetic has really dissipated for me as the years have gone on. I will feel bad for her if this prediction comes true, as she had an unexpected early exit and villainous edit on All Stars 1. We’ll always have her trail blazing Carol Channing to remember.
11 Silky Nutmeg Ganache
This Is my wildcard pick for an unexpected early exit. Silky lasted until the end of season 11 but annoyed many fans in the process with her verbose behavior. I think she will get an early boot but will be kept around the first few episodes for some good ole tv drama.
10. Kylie Sonique Love
It pains me to put Kylie here because I love her and want her to do better. Kylie slayed the Christmas special a few years ago and we know she can own a lip-sync and the runway. My worry is- is she funny or wacky? Drag Race challenges have become hyper-focused on dumb over-the-top acting, and I can’t see that being Kylie’s strong suit. Hopefully I am wrong.
9. Rajah O’Hara
Rajah really lays out her plan perfectly in the first moments of the first episode- to do well and not be as bitchy as she was on season 11. She already seems very fun and silly in the previews, so I think she will get a good edit. It will be nice for her to have a positive run because drag race fans are viscious to villains of color from the show and certainly have not been kind to Rajah. I don’t see her going beyond the middle of the pack, but I am glad she is there.
8. Scarlett Envy
Scarlett’s elimination in her season felt like an obvious plant for All Stars, and I expected to see her here. That said, does she have the charisma and polish to make it to the end? I’m not sure, and I could easily see her getting a Milk “too big of an ego” edit. Time will tell.
7. Trinity K Bonet
Trinity is a fantastic performer and someone who has been near the top of my wish list for All Stars for a long time. Her lewks on season 6 were simply outstanding. Unfortunately, I have the same worry for Trinity as I do for Kylie- interpersonally Trinity is quieter, and I don’t think she has ever shown herself to be an amazing actress. I think Trinity will get a chance to shine but go a few weeks before the finale. Again, I’d love to be wrong.
6. Yara Sofia
Yara is a real curveball, as she really hasn’t kept up a presence on the show or in mainstream media since her run on All Stars 1. However, just in the preview videos I’ve been instantly reminded of Yara’s wacky charm. I think that charisma along with her style will take her far, but she will peter out right before the finale.
5. Eureka O’Hara
Eureka rubbed me the wrong way in her arguments with the Vixen in season 10 and her comments afterward. That said, she has a high profile and won’t go before the last part of the season. She could easily make the final, but I think Eureka may have an Alexis Matteo style journey- playing prominently in the drama and competition, but ultimately going before the finale.
4. Jan
I don’t think there’s any way Jan doesn’t make the final 4. There have been hints about her being the villain, which would be a delight to watch, but she just has too much going for her not to make it far. She is from the most recent season, is considered by many to be a “gone too soon” queen, and she has great Instagram numbers. Frankly, her white prettiness plays into it too. I think she will make it here, but will she win? Definitely wouldn’t think so.
3. Jiggly Caliente
This is my other big wildcard prediction. I do think, as this is the first (LONG OVERDUE) season with 2 trans queens, that at least one of them will make the final. Kylie might seem like a more likely option, but Jiggly has gone through an incredible glow up in the years since season 4. Jiggly looks amazing and is coming off funny and engaging in her interviews. I think she could be a big surprise and go the distance. What a long way from the hot potato dress that would put her.
2. Akeria C. Davenport
Akeria has a lot going for her, and I think will really show up and out on this season. She hasn’t had a huge profile on the mainstream stage after season 11, but is coming off great in the interviews, and her promo look is amazing. I think Akeria will make it to the finals, but I don’t think she will win. Miss Ass Almighty is always welcome in a final as far as I’m concerned.
1 Ginger Minj
I had hoped Ginger would get a third Drag Race chance but did not think it would come so soon! Ginger easily could have won season 7 of Drag Race (no disrespect at all to the winner- Violet Chachki, queen of the glam and reads) . Ginger has the charm and talent to excel in the competition. As long as she has spent some coin to elevate her runway looks, I think she could easily have this one in the bag.
Alright my dears. Tis good to be back. In the coming weeks, I will try to circle back with thoughts on Drag Race Australia (cliff notes- boo) and Drag Race Spain (cliff notes- yay). I hope everyone is having a great summer and enjoying some safe end of pandemic fun. With that, let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
STOP AAPI HATE! The tragic events recently are a disgusting continuation of the bigoted and racist violence that Asian American Pacific Islander people have dealt with in this country for decades. Please support and donate to organizations helping to stop AAPI hate. https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/
Shocker: the second week of full day in person school was exhausting for me and the children. Thus, here’s a quickie blog I edited drunk after a weird work mixology class. Enjoy!
THOTS
This reunion felt less boring and janky than last seasons but felt completely devoid of interaction between the queens. A slight improvement in what hopefully is our last Covid Drag Race reunion.
Tamisha saying she would’ve punched Kandy if cameras weren’t there, followed by her single “Arrogant”, just give a slight hint, can’t quite put my finger on it, that she hasn’t moved past (or wants to profit off of) the fight with Kandy Muse. Fair enough.
I love Kahmora Hall.
Lala Ri really shined this episode. She was funny and her song was fire. Denali did beat her in the lip-sync, but I’m going to say a big part of that was due to Denali having better internet.
The final 4 were barely in this! Symone’s new hair was cute.
CHART
The chart is done for the season (I don’t count the lip-sync wheel of death finales in terms of points), so I’ll just do a brief vital info only data rundown.
Rose leads on my chart. The chart is 8 for 12 with the queen with the most points at the end winning. However, since season 8 (the new finale structure started in season 9), only Acquaria has led on the chart and won.
Symone has 4 wins, Rose has 3, Gottmik has 2, and Kandy has 1. 9 of 12 seasons so far as the queen with the most wins snatched the crown. Again, in the seasons 9-12 era, it has only happened once (Acquaria).
I would argue that in the season 9-12 era, the performance in the final 4/5 song has a semi-strong correlation with the winner (it’s hard to quantify exactly because Drag Race doesn’t name a winner for that episode). The outlier is Shea Coulee, who did the best in the season 9 song and didn’t win. But Acquaria and Yvie Oddly definitely both had the best verses of the songs in their seasons. Last season’s song was so bad it’s hard to tell who did best. Gottmik, in my opinion, did the best in the song this season.
Kandy was in the most lip-syncs this season, but she and Symone are tied for winning the most out of the final 4. Rose and Gottmik both didn’t lip-sync for their lives this season (besides episode 1). 5 of the 12 previous winners never lip-synced.
PREDICTIONS
Gottmik (=)
Symone (=)
Rosé (=)
Kandy Muse (=)
Olivia Lux (Preseason Prediction: 5th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 5th)
Utica (Preseason Prediction: 7th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 6th)
Tina Burner (Preseason Prediction: 9th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 7th)
Denali (Preseason Prediction: 3rd, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 7th)
Elliiott with 2 Ts (Preseason Prediction: 13th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 9th)
Lala Ri (Preseason Prediction: 6th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 8th)
Tamisha Iman (Preseason Prediction: 12th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 11th)
Joey Jay (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
Kahmora Hall (Preseason Prediction: 10th; Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
I’m super tempted to jump ship to Symone, but I’ll stick with Gottmik. We will see!
LIST
Season 13 Final 4’s Favorite Runways of the season
I’ll release a fuller list I’ve been keeping of favorite runways for the full cast if it fits with future blogs, but here are my favorite Symone, Gottmik, Kandy Muse, and Rosè lewks thus far. Potential future spoiler- Kahmora Hall has the best average score on my runway list. We were rooting for HER. Anyway, enjoy!
Gottmik
So hard to choose because she’s a runway beast, but I still like the yellow runway best (though her beast was a very close second).
Symone
Again, she’s amazing but for me it was between the do-rag train lewk, the gorgeous bead lewk, and her hands up don’t shoot fascinator lewk. I went with the beads but- she’s been doing beautiful and impactful work on the runway all season.
Kandy Muse
It’s been a bit hit and miss for Kandy all season. My favorites were her entrance radio cargo lewk and her magic bag lewk. I went with the magic bag runway for its sleek sex appeal.
Rosé
She actually has the lowest runway average of the top 4 on my list. Like Kandy, for me she has had some real highs and some realer lows. My favorite runway was her beast lewk, where she achieved a perfect matching red outfit and skin.
Alright my dears we are finally at the end! I will have a (maybe?) more soberly authored wrap up of the Moby Dick (take me to dinner first) of Drag Race seasons next week. Until then- let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
STOP AAPI HATE! The tragic events recently are a disgusting continuation of the bigoted and racist violence that Asian American Pacific Islander people have dealt with in this country for decades. Please support and donate to organizations helping to stop AAPI hate. https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/
Hello Hello! Another week, another dollar. 6 weeks until (masked of course) gay beach vacation and it’s time to work out and get snatched, but wow are eggplant parmesan paninis good. Anyway, enjoy!
THOTS
The pre-reunion and finale episode in the post season 9 era are always so boring. We know nobody is going home and that it’s all just going to be peak pageantry and emotional exploitation. As always, there were some fun moments (the song wasn’t bad!) but overall, it was a snooze.
I thought Symone’s outfit was amazing. I’ve never seen sleeves so seamlessly also be dress. She’s a hero.
Gottmik killed it. Not just with her runway and in her verse. She had such an ease with Ru and Michelle and an infectious joy the whole episode. Most of the remaining bullet points will be in relation to her.
I fully am on board with Gottmik’s obsession with Jamal Sims. It’s been a long quarantine and he fills out a deep v neck perfectly.
It was impossible not to notice how epically Ru was kissing the trans community’s butt. It’s as if he has a long and sordid history of transphobia. Progress is progress but mother- we didn’t forget.
CHART
I was in fact right that there were no wins or substantial lip-sync this episode, so our final scores are Rosé in 1st with a score of 9, Gottmik in second with 8, Symone in 3rd with 7, and Kandy in a distant 4th with score of 0.
In season 12, Gigi Goode finished in 1st on the chart with a score of 8, Sherry Pie (she legit haunted the whole season) and Jaida Essence Hall were tied for second with 6, and Crystal Methyd was in a distant 4th with 2.
The chart is 8 for 12 so far with the queen finishing with the highest score of the season taking the crown. However, since season 9, only Aquaria has finished first on the chart and also won the crown. That lip-sync round robin is indeed a stats twist.
Rosé joins only Tyra Sanchez, Bianca Del Rio and Shea Coulee as queens who have finished the season with a score of 9 or more on my chart (Bianca is the all-time leader with a finishing score of 10). Impressive, but remember this season had 14 scoring episodes- the highest previous number in a season was 12 in season 12. So, Rosé had more chances to get points.
Kandy Muse, meanwhile, is the lowest scoring final 4 finisher since Kameron Michaels finished with a score of -2 in season 10.
PREDICTIONS
Gottmik (=)
Symone (=)
Rosé (=)
Kandy Muse (=)
Olivia Lux (Preseason Prediction: 5th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 5th)
Utica (Preseason Prediction: 7th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 6th)
Tina Burner (Preseason Prediction: 9th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 7th)
Denali (Preseason Prediction: 3rd, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 7th)
Elliiott with 2 Ts (Preseason Prediction: 13th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 9th)
Lala Ri (Preseason Prediction: 6th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 8th)
Tamisha Iman (Preseason Prediction: 12th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 11th)
Joey Jay (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
Kahmora Hall (Preseason Prediction: 10th; Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
I know I said last week that the final 2 in the lip-sync wheel of death would be Rose and Gottmik, but I’m starting to think it’ll be Gottmik and Symone. Symone is just too emotive of a lip-syncer to go earlier than that.
I still think Gottmik is our winner. She really locked it in this episode with her charm and performance.
However, I still wouldn’t be shocked or at all unhappy if Symone took it. I doubt it will but I’ll watching the reunion for any hints and details about the finale that could change my final prediction.
— ✨ 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪 ✨ #teamsymone 💍 (@malachimaraj) April 10, 2021
LIST
For your nerves this week, and because I was shocked to realize I had never done it before, I’m listing my favorite final songs. At times (Queens Everywhere v Lucky) the tie breaker was the catchiness of the course, but for the most part I judged on how much I love the verses. Offered without comments because- last minute! Enjoy!
#9: Losing is the New Winning (Season 12)
#8: Clap Back (AS5)
#7: Super Queens (AS4)
#6: Queens Everywhere (Season 11)
#5: Lucky (Season 13)
#4: Category Is (Season 9)
#3: American (Season 10)
#2: Kitty Girl (AS3)
#1: Read You Wrote You (AS2)
Honorable Mentions:
The UK final songs are forgettable, but the winnings ones from the girl groups challenge have been full bops both seasons. I also included Kim Chi’s epic season 8 finale original song because it could not be more on point or amazing.!
Break Up Bye Bye
Uk Hun?
The United Kingdolls give their condolences to the royal family and will perform at Prince Philip's funeral with their smash hit “UK, Hun?”pic.twitter.com/nzWMLOnw09
Alright my dears. Next week will FINALLY reach the end of this drag Odyssey. It seemed like it might never come so we will have to celebrate (though we’ll be back into Drag Race Australia before we know it). Have a great week and let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
STOP AAPI HATE! The tragic events recently are a disgusting continuation of the bigoted and racist violence that Asian American Pacific Islander people have dealt with in this country for decades. Please support and donate to organizations helping to stop AAPI hate. https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/
Hello hello! I recovered from the allergy and sinus attacks from hell just in time to go back to work after spring break. I don’t know where the word hero came from but I’m far too modest to accept it, thanks. Anyway, enjoy!
THOTS
What a fun idea conceptually, but sheesh was that skit awfully written and about 4000% longer than it needed to be. It’s always so cringe and embarrassing when we get to these late season acting challenges because the quality….
Kandy having to play the giant cat off-screen was peak Covid weirdness.
Olivia answered, “who should go home and why?” in the only possible way that is worse than saying yourself- she said “well I can’t say myself but also can’t say anyone else…. (blank menacing stare from Ru) fine, Kandy”. I wanted Kandy to approach with her full venom like she did with Denali but alas- Kandy couldn’t even be bothered.
Cynthia Erivo clearly cut the line for the vaccine. That’s the only explanation I can think of for her being the first new guest judge this season outside of Nicole Byer, Loni Love, Ts Madison and Jamal Sims. I love her, but she was getting her life in a very fake-fan Vanessa Hudgens way for me that was too much.
CHART
With the win, Rosé moves into sole possession of 1st place for the first time this season. The final 4 challenge often doesn’t have a winner, so she likely will finish the season in 1st place. It’s a wild and impressive comeback since she lost her lip-sync in the first episode twist.
The chart was insanely good at predicting who would go home this season. Last season, only 4 of 9 times did the queen ranked last on the chart go home the following week. This season, it happened 6 of 9 times. I think it’s a sign that the show is being more formulaic and predictable (not to downplay my own statistical prowess).
On that note, the top 4 were all incredibly consistent and well-performing all season. Gottmik only received low critiques and negative points on the chart one time all season (for the soda branding challenge). Symone’s two times lip-syncing were her only times not being safe or high. Rosé was only ranked low one time (the makeover challenge) after losing the first episode lip-sync. Kandy has been in the bottom 2 a total of 3 times but hasn’t been ranked low at all otherwise. It’s all pretty impressive given that there’s been 14 episodes.
We finally said goodbye to the obnoxious infantilized cheerleader of my nightmares. Too harsh? Even I, her ultimate hater, can’t deny that Olivia is stunningly beautiful, and highly impressive for a queen so early in her career. I can easily foresee her returning in a few years as a more fully formed (and hopefully less vapidly sunny) queen on an All-Stars seasons. I will so cherish this next episode, which may be our only reprieve from having to hear Olivia use the word “Live” in a sentence and think its clever. Best of luck girl.
Kandy survived 3 lip-syncs- which is super impressive (though she did flat out lose that one against Symone). Kandy’s 3 is the most lip-syncs survived by anyone in the final 4 since Kameron Michaels survived 4 in season 10.
PREDICTIONS
Gottmik (=)
Symone (=)
Rosé (=)
Kandy Muse (=)
Olivia Lux (Preseason Prediction: 5th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 5th)
Utica (Preseason Prediction: 7th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 6th)
Tina Burner (Preseason Prediction: 9th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 7th)
Denali (Preseason Prediction: 3rd, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 7th)
Elliiott with 2 Ts (Preseason Prediction: 13th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 9th)
Lala Ri (Preseason Prediction: 6th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 8th)
Tamisha Iman (Preseason Prediction: 12th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 11th)
Joey Jay (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
Kahmora Hall (Preseason Prediction: 10th; Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
I get my 1st correct preseason prediction, and 6th correct weekly prediction. As if my nemesis going home wasn’t enough. When it rains, it pours.
I predicted Rosé 4th, Denali 3rd (lol), Kandy 2nd, and Gottmik for the win way back in December. 75% is still a passing grade.
I am staying with Gottmik as my winner, though obviously Symone is deeply deserving. Rosé has been very impressive, and in another season, I might want her to win, but she’s been outshined by Symone and Gottmik, and both have more meaningful and impactful claims to the crown.
Who knows what the finale will be, but I am thinking it’ll be on a soundstage with a reduced or empty audience. I think we will get the round robin lip-sync-a-thon they’ve had as part of the finale since season 9. Which of course would mean nobody will go home this episode.
With all that in mind, who will be our final 2 queens? I’m going to predict that Rosé out flips and kicks Symone in round 1, while Gottmik will use clever gags to beat Kandy Muse. I have one week left to change it but- Rosé and Gottmik for the final 2, with Gottmik taking the crown. You heard it here and it’ll surely be queer.
LIST
Final 4 Queens with the Most Wins
For my list this week, I thought I’d get real numerical and list the amount of wins for all 72 queens who have made it to the final 4 in the show’s 13 seasons. I starred the queens from this season and bolded the winners. The stats are all excluding the season 13 queens since we’ve yet to see how that shakes out. I put gifs of mostly the winners for each number of wins, unless I didn’t like them, in which case I put other queens. Enjoy!
Symone’s 4 wins is very impressive, but both previous queens who have equaled that feat since the changed finale in season 9 (Shea Coulee and Gigi Goode), have not won.
Most of the time, a queen who has won 3 challenges wins it all. That queen this season is Rosé.
If my prediction is right and Gottmik takes the crown, she will be just the fourth queen to take the crown while only winning 2 challenges during the season.
Kandy would be only the second queen to win the crown with only one challenge win. The only queen to do it is Yvie Oddly in season 11.
You really can’t be in the final 4 anymore without winning at least one challenge. The last person to make it there without a win was Jujubee in season 2.
Alright my dears- we are one step closer. My guess is this week’s episode will be our 3rd to last of the season (followed by a reunion and then the finale). If I’m right, start preparing how to celebrate yourself for making it 17 weeks with these queens (by far my longest romantic relationships). On that note, enjoy your week and let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
STOP AAPI HATE! The tragic events recently are a disgusting continuation of the bigoted and racist violence that Asian American Pacific Islander people have dealt with in this country for decades. Please support and donate to organizations helping to stop AAPI hate. https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/
Hi loves. Feeling a bit better but full disclosure: I did watch this episode at 2 AM in my childhood twin bed drugged out on Nyquil while listening on my headphones so as not to disturb my parents after driving for four hours with my brother and his new puppy. So obviously it was a blast. Anyway, enjoy!
THOTS
I’ve been getting a bit sick of Loni Love (where is Nicole Byer?), but she redeemed herself tonight when she shot back at Utica. “You’re the one bombing!” So good.
It’s become abundantly clear that when cornered, Utica responds by licking and making vicious fat jokes. Though she often frustrated me with her quirky white privilege, she did bring us some epic serves on the runway. We will forever remember her wiggle.
Gottmik was so funny and was giving me Gilda Radner realness with her hair.
Symone’s lip-sync style is a bit simple and repetitive, but damn did her glamorous emoting work well for “No Tears Left to Cry”. Also, congrats and praise to our lovely America-hating (girl, same) kitty goddess Ariana Grande for becoming the artist with the most lip-sync songs on Drag Race (and no, I won’t be watching the Voice. Love knows some limits).
We have more chart movement than Heidi N. Closet’s groin when she sees Rosé and her bf (Rosé and her bf should be so lucky). With Utica’s power-bottom reign finally at an end, Kandy Muse and Olivia Lux assume the bottom of the chart position. Olivia was ranked first on the chart as recently as episode 8 but has been on a steady decline since (all with a delusional smile).
Meanwhile, since Symone got -2 points for being in the bottom 2, Gottmik and Rosé are tied for first place. It is Gottmik’s 4th week ranked 1st on the chart, and Rosé’s 1st- a testament to her consistent rise since her loss in the first episode lip-sync.
The overall season stats for weeks at #1 on the chart are: Symone- 8, Gottmik-4, Olivia-3, Rosè, Kandy, Tina and Lala Ri-1.
The overall season stats for weeks ranked last on the chart are-Utica-9, Elliott-6, Tamisha-5, Joey-4, Kahmora and Denali-3, Lala Ri, Kandy and Rosè-2, and Olivia-1.
Symone and Gottmik have never been ranked last on the chart. Everyone left has spent at least one week ranked first on the chart (though for Kandy, that week was way back in the first episode- essentially just from winning that first lip-sync).
PREDICTIONS
Gottmik (=)
Symone (=)
Rosé (=)
Kandy Muse (=)
Olivia Lux (=)
Utica (Preseason Prediction: 7th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 6th)
Tina Burner (Preseason Prediction: 9th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 7th)
Denali (Preseason Prediction: 3rd, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 7th)
Elliiott with 2 Ts (Preseason Prediction: 13th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 9th)
Lala Ri (Preseason Prediction: 6th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 8th)
Tamisha Iman (Preseason Prediction: 12th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 11th)
Joey Jay (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
Kahmora Hall (Preseason Prediction: 10th; Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
I was right that our size-ist 7th day Adventist’s time had finally expired. That’s my 5th correct prediction.
If Olivia does go home this episode, I will get my first correct preseason prediction. I pegged Olivia at 5th way back in January. I would also have 3 of the final 4 correct (I foolishly thought Symone would be a Plastique style beauty without challenge substance and put Denali in the finals instead).
It seems super likely Olivia will go. Her acting and lip-syncing have both become stale for the judges. I think it’ll be her vs. Kandy or Gottmik, since it’s difficult to see Symone or Rosé faltering with an acting challenge.
If I’m right about our final 4, we will have a NYC vs. LA showdown with two from each city (Symone is from Arkansas but lives in LA).
I’m sticking with Gottmik as my winner for now though I still have one last time to jump on the Symone ship in my next blog. I think even in a lip-sync round robin, Gottmik could surprise with some clever gags and well-placed tricks that would get her the victory. We shall see.
LIST
5 Best and 5 Worst Roasts in Drag Race Herstory
When I looked back there were less Roasts than I thought: there have only been Roasts in season 5, Season 9, All Stars 4 and this season. There have been a lot of standup challenges, but these are the only roasts. Anyway, enjoy my opinion on the best and worse. The worst routines are just as entertaining as the best ones. I couldn’t find individual clips, so I put the timestamps for the video below with each entry and included links for the routines from this season. Here you are!
Best: Manila’s excellent last will and testicle. Kandy’s funny analogies. And Shea Coulee, Alaska and Jinkx’s well-timed sex jokes. Enjoy!
1-Jink Monsoon (5)- 3:08. “But look at her- who would want to top Coco?”
2-Manila Luzon (AS4): 21:57. “When they did the autopsy, they found that she was full of semen…and the aircraft carrier that they served on.”
3-Shea Coulee (9)-6:44. “Gonorrhea clinics know you as patient zero.”
4-Alaska (5)- start of video. “RuPaul is so old that her colostomy bag is made of wood.”
5-Kandy (13): clip below. “Your Angel, needed an angel.”
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
STOP AAPI HATE! The events last week were a disgusting continuation of the bigoted and racist violence that Asian American Pacific Islander people have dealt with in this country for decades. Please support and donate to organizations helping to stop AAPI hate. https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/
Greetings my dears! I come to you serving mermaid realness- my body greeted spring break vacation with an epic seasonal allergy and sinus infection combo that makes me feel like my whole head is underwater. The sudden illness both makes me feel like an exemplary teacher in that I’ve trained myself to starve off disease until break, and deeply dissatisfied that my immune system isn’t more selfish. Anyway- this episode was fun! Enjoy!
Symone is incredible. Her references are so smart and meticulously done. Her commercial was just the right mix of simple and funny. Her runway- full Foxxy Love from Drawn Together realness. She’s making a great case for the crown.
Tina’s look would’ve been her best ever had she put any significant or intricate makeup on. As is- sorry honey, boot. That said- she fully won the lip-sync. I feel bad for her, but she can always be proud of making it so far.
It’s becoming such an awkward tradition for Olivia to say “I think I’m definitely going to win” before she bombs.
Similarly, is it just inevitable now that at some point each episode Utica is going to nonsensically lick something?
Gottmik’s look was super pretty and spooky at the same time. I’ve been really liking her makeup series on YouTube.
CHART
Symone moves back into first.
Rosé and Gottmik are tied for second.
Kandy is really suffering from having lost the lip-sync and gotten -3 points in episode 8. She’s in 5th, just above Utica.
Utica has survived in the last-place spot for 5 episodes. I think that streak will end this week.
I did some digging, and the lowest a winner has ever been ranked on my chart with only 6 queens left was 4th (Violet Chakhi in season 7). Most winners were ranked 1st or 2nd at this point in their respective seasons. All that to say, it’s very likely that Symone, Gottmik or Rosè will win, and would be unprecedented if Kandy or Utica were to win.
PREDICTIONS
Gottmik (=)
Symone (=)
Rosé (=)
Kandy Muse (=)
Olivia Lux (+1)
Utica (-1)
Tina Burner (Preseason Prediction: 9th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 7th)
Denali (Preseason Prediction: 3rd, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 7th)
Elliiott with 2 Ts (Preseason Prediction: 13th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 9th)
Lala Ri (Preseason Prediction: 6th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 8th)
Tamisha Iman (Preseason Prediction: 12th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 11th)
Joey Jay (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
Kahmora Hall (Preseason Prediction: 10th; Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
Another correct one in the books! My preseason predictions are a dumpster fire (though I did predict Kandy, Rosé and Gottmik for the final 4 way back in December). However, with weekly predictions, I’m now 4 for 7, and for 2 of the 3 I got wrong, I was within 1. 10s across the board and let’s hope it keeps going!
It seems incredibly likely Utica is next (god help us- she has the potential to REALLY bomb the roast- is she going to lick poor Heidi N Closet?).
Then Olivia will go 5th, and our final 4 will be Kandy, Symone, Gottmik and Rosé. If Kandy wins the roast that could easily give her the boost she needs to get to the end.
I think it’s very much between Symone and Gottmik for the crown.
Some people (shoutout https://www.instagram.com/jacob21491/ ) have brought up the valid idea that Symone might outdo Gottmik in a lip-sync for your life round robin finale. I’m going to stick with Gottmik as my winner for now but may be readjusting next week.
LIST
Best Commercials: Regular and All Stars because why not
Just my opinion. Offered without comment for your enjoyment. No, I didn’t include any from the All Stars 3 challenge where they bizarrely had to brand soups (though Bebe’s did sound delicious). Enjoy!
#10-Jujubee- Memoirs of Gay-Sha- Jujubee’s Journey, I’m Still Here! (Season 2)
I can’t find any video of this one but the title alone is so wild and hilarious to me. Apparently, it was a nod to Eartha Kitt, who she played marvelously in All Stars 5. God bless Jujubee.
#9- Jaida Essence Hall-Luxuratuck (Season 12)
*Sorry- couldn’t figure out how to post Jaida’s video without the Jantasy. Jada is the second one (Jan’s is wild so def not top 10 but enjoy it too!)
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
STOP AAPI HATE! The events this week were a disgusting continuation of the bigoted and racist violence that Asian American and Pacific Islander people have dealt with in this country for decades. Please support and donate to organizations helping to stop AAPI hate. https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/
Hello Hello! Spring break legit started hours ago for me (meaning this week has been Spring Break leadup in the classroom with the type of behavior you’d expect) so- enjoy another quickie blog! Next week I’ll be back in long and strong fashion for ya nerves.
THOTS:
The purpose of the challenge was so unclear. Was it to make your partner look good or to make your partner look like you? If the former, Tina should’ve been in the bottom. If the later, Kandy should’ve been in the bottom.
WTF Utica? You were going to wear that? That color? To show how folks aren’t comfortable in their OWN skin? Ummmm what? They really skated past that and didn’t explain but- WAY wrong shade honey. No wonder she’s been so nervous about coming off as offensive.
The Tina and Rosé feud really didn’t pan out. This episode was the culmination, and it was legit nothing.
What did that psychic have on RuPaul to get such blatant product placement? Does she know where the hydro fracked bones are hidden?
Loni Love can really cry at anything. I can’t even remember what she cried at during this episode but- impressive.
CHART
Gottmik is still in first but Symone is nipping at her chic heels.
Symone has 3 wins, Gottmik has 2, Olivia has 2, Rosé has 1, and Utica has 1. Tina and Kandy have none.
Olivia falls from 2nd to 4th with her bottom 2 appearance.
Utica gets her first win but remains in last place.
Tina and Kandy are just above Utica.
PREDICTIONS:
Gottmik (=)
Symone (=)
Rosé (+1)
Kandy Muse (+1)
Utica (+1)
Olivia Lux (-3)
Tina Burner (+1)
Denali (Preseason Prediction: 3rd, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 7th)
Elliiott with 2 Ts (Preseason Prediction: 13th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 9th)
Lala Ri (Preseason Prediction: 6th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 8th)
Tamisha Iman (Preseason Prediction: 12th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 11th)
Joey Jay (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
Kahmora Hall (Preseason Prediction: 10th; Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
I foolishly overlooked the obvious possibility that they would judge the queens in pairs and thought we would get a Tina v. Denali lip-sync with Tina going. Our ice queen will be missed.
The challenge is branding a soft drink. Gottmik, Symone and Rosé have all been very tactful and wise in the self-directed challenges (Bossy Rossy, the Ball, Snatch Game), so this should be no different and they will all do well. Kandy has a great personality which should help her here. So, it’s Utica, Olivia and Tina who could struggle.
I think it’s Tina or Utica’s time to sashay. I think this could be Utica’s moment for her weirdness to be embraced, Crystal Methyd style.
Is Olivia not meant for the final 4 after all? It’s hard to see Olivia doing well in this week’s challenge. Looking forward, the only challenges from season 12 they haven’t done yet this season are the final 5 dance fest and a one woman show- so I’m assuming episode 12 will be a roast or stand-up routine. That hardly has Olivia win written on it either. Now I am thinking she will go 6th.
That would mean that either Utica makes it to the final 5, and Kandy will in fact make the final 4. This is my new theory. Let’s see.
LIST
Ranking All of The Makeover Challenge Winners
Presented without comment and only from regular seasons because- tired. Enjoy and remember- it’s not personal, it’s drag. Just my opinion!
#13: Rebecca Glasscock (S1)
#12: Phi Phi O’Hara (S4)
#11: Manila Luzon (S3)
#10: Raven (S2)
#9: Trinity the Tuck (S9)
*** BRIEF BUT IMPORTANT ASIDE: Winter Green was robbed in season 9 and will always be my favorite makeover queen (sorry Nebraska). Never forget when she said “What was that dear?” to Ke$ha laughing at her. A LEGEND.
#8: Brooke Lynn Hytes (S11)
#7: Utica and Symone (S13)
#6: Roxxxy Andrews (S5)
#5: Jaida Essence Hall (S12)
#4: Bianca Del Rio (S6)
#3: Miz Craker (S10)
#2: Naomi Smalls (S8)
#1: Pearl and Trixie Mattel (S7)
Alright my dears another week down in the Anna Karernina of seasons (so long)! Enjoy and let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
Worked 12 hours, lost my air pods, and my class wouldn’t stop biting each other today so tis a quick blog. Gottmik was great. Enjoy!
THOTS
Symone is amazing.
Denali really showed her basic charm this week. A fully passable and funny JVN, and a fun coffee fascinator. She’s never in a position to win in a dominating fashion, but she does have very fun and lovable moments.
Rosé was fully just doing a Lawrence Chaney impression.
Utica, Olivia and Elliott will go down in history as standouts in the hall of Snatch Game trash performances. Overall, I think it was a good Snatch Game: there were more good performances than bad. Not the best, but certainly the best in a while.
CHART
Gottmik moves into the #1 slot.
Tina and Denali are now in a tie for 5th (3rd to last above Kandy and Utica).
With Elliott gone, Utica becomes the new power bottom in last place.
PREDICTIONS
Gottmik (=)
Symone (=)
Olivia Lux (=)
Rosé (=)
Kandy Muse (=)
Utica (+2)
Denali (=)
Tina Burner (-2)
Elliiott with 2 Ts (Preseason Prediction: 13th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 9th )
Lala Ri (Preseason Prediction: 6th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 8th)
Tamisha Iman (Preseason Prediction: 12th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 11th)
Joey Jay (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
Kahmora Hall (Preseason Prediction: 10th; Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
I got my third correct prediction! Feels good after the disaster prediction-wise that was the week Lala Ri went. I really do have a soft spot for our little excessive consonents engine that could. Elliott was boring and disappointing at times, but so thoroughly basic that it was often refreshingly consistent and simple. Thought it was definitely time, she will be missed.
Im solid on the top 4 of Gottmik, Symone, Olivia and Rosé.
So it’s one of Kandy, Tina, Denali and Utica who goes next. The challenge is makeovers in pairs- Kandy is with Gottmik who likely will help her out makeup wise, Denali is with Olivia which could mean trouble as both are fairly new to drag, Utica is with Symone which should be good, and Tina is with Rosé. I think (especially based on the first look editing) it will be a Tina vs. Denali lipsync with Tina sashaying.
LIST
ALL 20 Snatch Game Winners Ranked
Just my thoughts.
# 1: Bendelacreme- Maggie Smith (Season 6)
#2: Alaska- Mae West (All Stars 2)
#3: Jinkx Monsoon- Little Edie (Season 5)
#4: Kennedy Davenport- Little Richard (Season 7)
#5: Bendelacreme- Paul Lynde (All Stars 3)
#6: Aquaria- Melania Trump (Season 10)
Trinity the Tuck: Catelynn Jennfer (All Stars 4)
#8: Shea Coulee- Flava Flav (All Stars 5)
#9: Chad Michaels- Cher (Season 4)
#10: Gottmik- Paris Hilton (Season 13)
#11: Bob the Drag Queen- Carol Channing/ Uzo Aduba (Season 8)
#12: Tatianna- Britney Spears (Season 2)
#13: Gigi Goode- Maria the Robot (Season 12)
#14: Ginger Minj- Adele (Season 7)
#15: Manila Luzon- Barbara Stresisand (All Stars 4)
#16: Katya- Bjork (All Stars 2)
#17: Shangela- Jennifer Lewis (All Stars 3)
#18: Silky Nutmeg Ganache- TS Madison (Season 11)
#19: Alexis Michelle- Liza Minelli (Season 9)
#20: Raja- Tyra Banks (Season 3)
Alright my dears until next time! Let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
Bring back my girls! I let my evil twin/inner saboteur run wild last week and took the excuse of the Covid special to not post a blog. I ready for snatch game and hopefully a solid run of episodes with eliminations (even some double would make sense), because this season is the Gone with the Wind of Drag Race seasons (without quite as much overt racism). This week’s Covid special officially turned the tide- we now have had more episodes this season where a queen didn’t go home than ones where a one did. Since all I learned from the Covid special was that Rosé has a cute boyfriend and Joey Jay brought an external hard drive filled with porn to his pre-filming sequestered quarantine, please enjoy this delayed recap of the episode from 2 weeks ago. Hopefully were in for a good snatch. Enjoy!
Love her or hate her (and Instagram users seem to feel the latter- Tina has by far the fewest followers of any queen this season)- Tina shouldn’t have been in the bottom. Her performance as the MShe was well done and her runway of course was bad, but still far from her worst. I would’ve put Utica or Elliott in the bottom instead.
Was it truly a double shante? I think not- Kandy was clearly told to sashay which to mean does denote that she lost the lipsync. Either way, was this lipsync worthy of a double shante? For me- no. Is it the worst double shante? Not even close. On my list here, I’d put this one at number 11, above Raven vs. Jujubee and below Heidi N Closet and Jackie Cox.
Elliott with 2 Ts doing a Bille Eillish impression as her Snapchat character was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen.
I agreed with Michelle that Rosé’s outfit was orange. I saw the dress as blue FYI.
Olivia’s outfit in the challenge was hideous and unacceptable. As Bob the Drag Queen noted on Sibling Watchery, why did she even have that with her? Gottmik’s runway, on the other hand, was spectacular.
CHART
We have a new chart supreme: Olivia “Watch Me Play on the Keys” Lux. While Symone faltered this episode, Olivia stayed steady. I’m not saying anything because I have nothing nice to say.
Elliott and Utica are still tied for last place. If history is any indication, one of Elliott or Utica should go home. My bet would be on Elliott, but I wouldn’t be shocked at Utica or Denali having a Snatch Game disaster.
Gottmik, Symone and Rosé are in a 3-way tie for 2nd place. This strengthens my prediction that they along with Olivia are our final 4.
Rose’s win caps a 6-week streak of being ranked safe and high. She’s quiet, but supery consistent.
Kandy, Tina, Elliott and Utica are the only queens who haven’t won. They could easily be our next 4 to go (though I think Denali will sashay before Kandy).
PREDICTIONS
Gottmik (=)
Symone (=)
Olivia Lux (=)
Rosé (=)
Kandy Muse (=)
Tina Burner (+1)
Denali (-1)
Utica (+1)
Elliiott with 2 Ts (-1)
Lala Ri (Preseason Prediction: 6th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 8th)
Tamisha Iman (Preseason Prediction: 12th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 11th)
Joey Jay (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
Kahmora Hall (Preseason Prediction: 10th; Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
Pretty solid in my top 5. I think Kandy will get a second wind, and our top 4 is pretty locked in.
Denali is definitely not going to be around much longer. She’s very much getting the also ran edit.
Elliott with 2 Ts seems like an obvious next out, but if she sneaks by this episode, it would not be impossible for her to outlast Denali, and Tina.
LIST
8 Queens who Could Have Played Anne Hathaway’s Role in Devil Wears Prada Better:
This week we learned that Anne Hathaway was the 9th choice for her character in The Devil Wears Prada. There has been little investigative progress made thus far to unearth the top 8 (we got one with Rachel McAdams), so I decided to list the 8 Queens I think could have done an equal or better job in the role of Andy Sachs.
1. Chi Chi Devayne: Chi Ch was a fabulous queen, a capable actress, and a queen who’s real life fashion sense mixed low-brow materials with high-quality concepts and execution. Meryl would have been lucky to passive-aggressively spar with a queen this amazing.
2. Jinkx Monsson: Such a talented actress who could easily incorporate the quirky everyday girl aspects of the character (while likely adding a brassy drunk twist).
3. Sasha Velour: A keen fashionista, it would be fun to see Sasha play against type as the fashion inept Andy, and then stare in awe at how amazing she would look at the movie’s end.
4. Shea Coulee: Another fantastic actress and even more fantastic dresser. She’d not come to play and would definitely slay.
5. Dida Ritz: I’ve always thought Dida did some legit great acting on her season, as well as in the fabulous Real Housewives spoof below. She struggled mightily with fashion in her season, which would have made her a natural for the role.
6. Jujubee: She’d easily pull off the girl next door vibe but make Andy more lovable. We know she’s amazing at being fake slapped, so she would have given them the option to make the dynamic between Miranda and Andy even more contentious.
7. Crystal Methyd: It would be so fun to see her in office attire and she would easily pull off being awkward and scared. Crystal’s casting could easily have lead to Debarge being included on the soundtrack, to which there is no downside.
8. Manila Luzon: My favorite queen on the runway and a serviceable actress. I think she’d have camped the role way up and undoubtedly would have looked amazing at all of the premieres.
Alright my dears- see you next week to debrief the snatch. Stay safe and let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
THOTS
This challenge- it’s a no from me dawg. I didn’t find any of the skits particularly funny, though I did think Symone did the best job overall. The queens reenacting Maury in the werqroom was much funnier than the challenge. Meanwhile, I could only go one bullet point without mentioning the undeniably catchy and fun song from Drag Race Uk’s challenge. One series is thriving. I’ll let you read between the lines which one it is.
Say what you will about Olivia (and I will-check out the next bullet point) but she played the game well this week. You got to get that role however you can.
Not to be a hater but while I’m here- the judges kept praising Olivia for making something out of a role that could have been nothing. Ummmm no- the narrative of that whole skit (if you can call it that) revolved around the mime character. HOW did they not bring up that her wig looked INCREDIBLY similar to the one Kandy wore in the bag ball? Also where were the beads in her outfit? But other than that…
I was shocked by all the outcomes of this episode. Before the runway, I expected Symone to win, and that Lala would outperform Elliott in the lip-sync. I agreed that Elliott beat Lala from what we saw, and it was a fun one. Lala leaving was particularly surprising because we heard almost nothing about her this episode, while there was entire section on Elliott’s clinical depression (which I thought was well done). Usually revealing any personal details when you’re destined for the bottom means you’re gone. We will have to see where our lovely little basic double consonant diva goes from here!
Untucked is so weird. There is such an intense distinction between the queens getting consistently critiqued (Kandy, Symone, Olivia, Utica, Elliott) and those that are always safe (Tina, Rosé and Denali). Since we only see the safe queens for the first half of Untucked, it feels like a weird arthouse piece where we dive deep into the narratives of a show’s background characters.
CHART
Olivia moves into a tie for 1st with Symone. It could come down to who does better in the Rusical next week (Olivia would seem to have the edge but never count out Symone).
With perennial last place queen Lala out, Elliott and Utica are now tied for last place. Again- even though I haven’t trusted it, the chart’s pussy has been on fire this season: every queen in last place on the chart has gone home the next episode. Watch out ladies.
Though Rosé and Tina also have been wildly consistent, if not standouts, it is Denali who currently has the longest safe streak, as she has been in that position for the last 3 episodes.
Kandy regains a point after being bottom 2 last week, which keeps her solidly in the middle of the pack.
Only 4 queens have won so far this season: Symone (won 2), Olivia (won 2), Denali and Gottmik. Will they be our final 4?
PREDICTIONS
Gottmik (=)
Symone (=)
Olivia Lux (=)
Rosé (+1)
Kandy Muse (+1)
Denali (-2)
Tina Burner (+2)
Elliiott with 2 Ts (+2)
Utica (-2)
Lala Ri (Preseason Prediction: 6th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 8th)
Tamisha Iman (Preseason Prediction: 12th,Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 11th)
Joey Jay (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
Kahmora Hall (Preseason Prediction: 10th; Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
Wow I should’ve trusted what was right in front of me- the chart! The chart said Lala, since she was in last place. Instead, I said Elliott was sashaying and thus, Lala is my most wrong prediction of the season so far: I4 spots off with my preseason prediction, and 2 spots off with last week’s prediction. Party
These predictions are getting harder, so I had to look a bit at last season’s schedule. We know next week is the Rusical, which I think Elliott could actually do well in. Utica on the other hand, I could easily quirk her way into trouble. Last season Snatch Game happened in episode 6, so I bet we will get it soon, at which point it would track for Elliott’s journey to finally end.
Tina and Denali both seem vulnerable at this point. I still think Denali will make it further into the season than Tina, but I took her out of the final 4. Tina could be a surprise exit in the next two episodes, but for now I have her outlasting Utica and Elliott before she meets her inevitable demise.
Olivia definitely seems bound for the final 4 along with Symone and Gottmik. I have Rosé as the 4th because though (like Tina and Denali) she’s been consistently safe and not rewarded of late, I think she could be bound for some wins soon (like in the Rusical). Though we’ll have to see if the producers can resist the cruel twist of denying Rosé the Rusical win just like the Jan who came before her.
LIST
Runway Check In
Below I list my favorite runway outfit each queen has shown thus far. We’ll see at the end of the season which lewks hold up.
Kahmora Hall
A true runway star. We were deeply deprived by her not being present for the ball, as she easily had the best bag idea with this couture douche bag.
My favorite look she showed on the show was her sheer look, which she paired with insanely voluptuous and humongous hair.
Joey Jay
How to solve a problem like Joey Jay on the runway? Readers know how much I adored the dumbest filler queen we’ve ever met, but a runway star she is not. Her daytime look for the runway show challenge was clean and inoffensive, which makes it her best.
All of her outfits in the losing groups 1st episode were great, but her sheer look was my favorite.
Lala Ri
Her bag construction of course.
Kidding. I don’t know that it necessarily gives executive realness, but I ADORE this look from the ball episode. This pretty print dress really highlights that stunning beauty that Lala is.
Utica
This outstanding dress constructed from a sleeping bag definitely should have secured the win in the ball episode for Utica and is without a doubt her best look.
Elliott with 2 Ts
The gift bag look gives me very peak Elliott: incredibly basic but well done.
However, the constructed look from the ball was her coolest and best look so far.
Tina Burner
Picking Tina’s best runway is an exercise is picking the lesser of great evils. But if I must pick one, I chose her executive look.
Did India Ferrah do it better? Of course.
Denali
Her train look was fun and vibrant.
Kandy Muse
Her executive look gave me all the Rihanna I needed, but my favorite look of hers is this clean and sexy magic bag look.
Rosé
She’s had some great runways, but my favorite is still her very first one- this fantastic day look from the runway challenge.
NOT the bead look, or the little black dress look from either of her wins. I loved the shiny and sexy look she constructed from bags in the ball.
Symone
How do you pick just one? She is my favorite runway girl of the season by far. The durag train look is thoroughly amazing but is slightly outdone by her bead look for me. I’ve included both because our eyes deserve a feast. She’s just incredible.
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
THOTS
WTF was this challenge? Has Ru always wanted to narrate a boring PBS documentary? This was a real bust.
Rose and Denali were great. If they had any role in the current narrative arc of the season they easily could have won, but alas- twas not to be.
Tamisha got set up big. Who could tell that she “looked like she was thinking” during that random performance? Utica could have easily been in the bottom instead, but they obviously wanted Tamisha v. Kandy (see list at the end of the blog for more!)
Kandy did good in the lip-sync, but I thought her emotions didn’t match the song. Hit Em Up Style is a sassy jam about fiscal revenge. Why so sad?
Olivia’s hair was amazing, and she danced well. However, when she described the challenge as “not a dancing challenge but a feelings challenge” my hate grew 3 sizes.
CHART
Olivia moves into second. Symone is still holding on to the lead but just barely.
Lala Ri is still in last place. Utica and Denali are tied for 8th just above her.
Kandy fell from 3rd to 6th by being in the bottom 2. She can regain and likely will, but I think her chances at final 4 are pretty toast at this point.
The pattern of one of the queens in last place on the chart going next held up with Tamisha’s exit. Will Lala Ri be next?
Elliott got her first positive points on the chart. Tina got her first positive point since she won the lip-sync in episode 1. Tina is now tied for 4th, and Elliott is tied for 6th.
PREDICTIONS
Gottmik (=)
Symone (=)
Olivia Lux (+2)
Denali (-1)
Rosé (-1)
Kandy Muse (=)
Utica (=)
Lala Ri (=)
Tina Burner (+1)
Elliiott with 2 Ts (-1)
Tamisha Iman (Preseason Prediction: 12th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 11th)
Joey Jay (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
Kahmora Hall (Preseason Prediction: 10th; Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
Olivia moves back into the final 4 based on this week’s win. She is clearly being set up for a long run (much to my chagrin).
I feel confident at this point that Kandy won’t make the final 4 and am starting to wonder if she will go even earlier than I currently have her.
I still have Tina going fairly soon but I think we’ll find out in this week’s episode if that is likely or not. It’s an acting challenge so I would think she’ll do well, but I’ll be looking for her to get negative critiques for her outfit on the runway. Then, if it’s a fashion challenge next week, she could easily get the sashay.
Lala is ranked lowest on the chart and statistical it makes sense for her to go next, but I don’t think she will. She could easily be bottom 2 this episode (she’s struggled with acting) but. I think she will win another lip-sync and stick around a bit longer.
It may finally be time for our little engine that could- Elliott with 2 Ts-to go. She hasn’t excelled in acting thus far and If we hear a personal story from her, we can stick a fork in her (we know that editing pattern well at this point). She’s an ok lip-syncer but would lose to Lala.
LIST
Feud Lip-syncs
Below I ranked the standout times in Drag Race herstory that two queens that engaged in a feud or big fight have later lip-synced against each other. Enjoy and above all- please go back to party city where you belong.
5. Brita v. Aiden Zane (Season 12)
WHAT THE FUCK IN THE PRODUC PLACEMENT BULLSHIT IS THIS? Adele Dazeem has never been so inappropriately or offensively disrespected in her life. Awful. The feud was also a buzzkill, save for Heid N. Closet one marvelous outburst while standing up for Aiden. One of my least favorite lip-syncs ever. Turn away and slam the door.
4. Kandy Muse v. Tamisha Iman (Season 13)
A truly quotable (though Nene Leakes deserves royalties) and engaging fight to watch, the Tamisha and Kandy lip-sync was well fought on both sides, though I still think Kandy’s tears don’t really match the song. It also was robbed of the narrative power it might have had because we saw them convincingly makeup before the lip-sync.
3. Bob the Drag Queen v. Derrick Barry (Season 8)
Bob and Derrick went back and forth intensely all season, and this lip-sync came at the very end after much the fire from their feud had dimmed. This is a fun lip-sync where Bob shows up and out to vanquish his nemesis and the season’s villain. It is a satisfying and enjoyable watch.
2. Sharon Needles v. Phi Phi O’Hara (Season 4)
One of the most intense feuds ever on drag race that again, is forever quoted by gays across the land, led up to this double shantay you stay lip-sync. It’s fun and very early drag race: a wig removal goes unpunished. The biggest thrill is seeing Sharon show up as a lip-sync threat when Phi Phi so obviously thought she wouldn’t. God bless mother nature.
Coco Montrese v. Alyssa Edwards (Season 5)
One of the most epic and endlessly quotable feuds on Drag Race between two fantastic lip-syncers of course lead to the best of the feud lip-syncs. They’re not joking bitch.
Tamisha Iman came to us, to show the girls what she could do. She definitely didn’t always express herself in a noncombative way, but she had some real standout moments and was often a real joy to watch. I will miss her and hope to see her on an All Stars in the future. With that, my dears, let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
THOTS
Gottmyk really shined. This was hers to lose and she won big. However, Utica seems to have made the most of out a difficult material and easily could have won as well.
Tamisha is not modern drag enough, but they love Gottmyk because, as she said in the workroom, she’s not following modern drag’s aesthetics. Huh? While I agreed with the judges that Tamisha’s looks were lame, and Gottmyk’s were great, I found the way the show implicitly coded their looks to be confusing. It serves as a reminder that Drag Race often plays fast and loose with what they are looking for.
Nicole Byer is a treasure. Make it official: put a ring on it for her to be a permanent judge.
Untucked was actually entertaining. Kandy and Tamisha both can’t admit they are wrong which always leads to reality tv gold. I’m slightly team Tamisha because I feel like Kandy can dish it but can’t take it, but really both are in the wrong. But then what does it feel so right to watch? Thankful for actual drama.
Morgan did a better Scottish look than Rosé. Symone did a better boxer look than Olivia.
CHART
Though she fell into the well-worn “I know its crazy but I can’t sew” trope, Symone snuck by and was safe. She still is reigning supreme on the chart, but Gottmyk has moved into the role of solidly 2nd now.
Lala and Tamisha are tied for last. So far this season, the queen who goes home as always tied for last on the chart from the episode prior. Will it be Lala or Tamisha sashaying away next?
Utica got a positive point for being ranked high, and with Joey gone Elliott and Tamisha are now the only remaining queens to not receive any positive points yet this season.
Like Kahmora last week, if Joey had somehow survived (maybe via Poison IV) she would have still be in dead last place.
Rosé hasn’t won yet, but she’s remaining successful in the big business of the chart by consistently getting rated high by the judges.
PREDICTIONS
Gottmik (=)
Symone (=)
Denali (=)
Rosé (+2)
Olivia Lux (-1)
Kandy Muse (-1)
Utica (+1)
Lala Ri (-1)
Elliiott with 2 Ts (+2)
Tina Burner (=)
Tamisha Iman (-2)
Joey Jay (Preseason Prediction: 11th, Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
Kahmora Hall (Preseason Prediction: 10th; Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
I was only getting half the story: Tamisha is definitely not getting a Winner edit in Untucked. Though I think fans will side more with Tamisha than Kandy, I think Kandy has more potential to last longer based on her edit (and both are so stubborn I do not think we are going to get a whole season of them sparring because there would no resolution). Thus, I think that Tamisha could be the one sent packing next episode.
Could Rosé make the final 4? Kandy and Olivia are both getting less shine currently. That leaves a spot open and Rosé has been doing great so far.
Gottmyk proved she will be a force to be reckoned with on the runway and got generally good reviews last episode for her acting, so I think she’s extremely likely for the final 4 and still an ok bet for the win.
LIST
How ball winners have fared in herstory, and my favorite of their looks from the ball that they won:
Season 1: Bebe Zahara Benet (Final Season Placement: Winner)
Bebe had all red looks in the season 1 ball, but this elegant one was the best.
Season 2: Tyra Sanchez (Winner)
Not sure this one is from the ball but it is fabulous.
Season 3: Manila Luzon (2nd) Yara Sofia (4th)
Manila and Yara both made great outfits made of hair in the season 3 ball. Also never forget that Manila wanted to dress as a tampon on the show in All Stars 4. She is a fashion god.
Season 4: Sharon Needles (Winner)
This puppy fantasy is my favorite of Sharon’s winning ball looks.
Season 5: Alaska (2nd)
Alaska’s cotton candy look is her most famous, but I love her lady CEO look. “My god there better not be any bullshit!” Indeed.
Season 6: Adore Delano (2nd)
Adore’s bejeweled look was the most well regarded, but though its super basic I really liked her banjee look.
Season 7: Violet Chachki (Winner)
Violet’s Hello Kitty headpiece look was great, and also led to this amazing Pearl subtle unintentional shade moment.
Season 8: Kim Chi (2nd)
Kim made a truly stunning outfit in reference to her mother by evoking a traditional Korean hanbok.
Season 9: Shea Coulee (Winner)
Black leather unicorn is hard to pass up but I loved her first spray paint look.
Season 10: Aquaria (Winner)
The last DC Comics villain-like look killed me.
Season 11: Brooke Lynne Heights (2nd)
Sexy mummy on pointed feet is peak Brooke Lynn Hytes.
Season 12: Gigi Goode (2nd)
Heathers all the way.
Season 13: Gottmyk (?)
All 3 looks were great, but my favorite was her CEO look. Sequins and excessive boas are just the type of boss I’d want to complain about endlessly to my friends.
For further reading, check out this list I mostly agree with of the 100 best drag race looks through season 12 and All Stars 3.
The Cliff Notes: If Gottmyk doesn’t place 4th or higher, she will be the first winner of a ball every to do so. Things look gorge for sure.
That’s another one in the bag! A very found farewell to the dumbest bitch we’ve ever met. I enjoyed her commentary and cuteness as a boy. She will be missed.
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
THOTS
Kahmora was set up big time- April Carrion playing a butch business-woman level set up (see below). Kahmora is a beauty, and not a performer- so giving her the green screen role was a death sentence. She was such a wacky joy interpersonally and I loved her looks (no matter how long I had to wait for them). I will miss her dearly.
I know the queens often dislike being compared, but Denali reminds me so much of Tatianna in all of the following ways: her appearance, her bad work in acting challenges and her epic lip-sync skills (though Denali relies more on flips and tricks than Tati). It’s a huge compliment. You’re welcome.
Continuing to love the goddess that is Tamisha. How funny can you make “oooh”?
WTF were those skits.
Kandy, Gottmik and Symone all seem like they will do well in the acting challenges.
CHART
Symone has pulled out (buy me dinner first) to a huge lead.
Kandy moves into a tie for 2nd with Olivia, and Rosé moves into a tie for 4th with Tina and Gottmik
By being in the lip-sync, Denali falls back into a tie for last place with all the first lip-sync losers except for Rosé. Don’t break the ice yet: it’s a fall she can easily rebound from.
Elliott, Joey, Tamisha and Utica have yet to get a positive point.
If Kahmora had somehow won the lip-sync, she still would’ve been in dead last place statistically.
PREDICTIONS
Gottmik (=)
Symone (=)
Denali (=)
Olivia Lux (+2)
Kandy Muse (-1)
Rosé (-1)
Lala Ri (=)
Utica (=)
Tamisha Iman (=)
Tina Burner (=)
Elliiott with 2 Ts (=)
Joey Jay (+1)
Kahmora Hall (Preseason Prediction: 10th; Most Recent Pre-Elimination Prediction: 12th)
It is the Ball Episode this week- the dumbest bitch we’ve ever met (Joey Jay) should struggle.
Elliott is sassy but also boring. She could easily go soon.
Will Kandy struggle with polish? Will she miss the final? I now have Olivia taking Kandy’s place- leaving Kandy’s final placement as the lovelly fifth alertnate.
Lala seems like an early exit right now, but I think she will excel at winning lip-syncs. In the interviewer below most of the queens rate her as the best lip-syncer of the season.
Symone could be establishing herself too early as a shoo-in: it’s not a bad sign for Gottmik that she’s a bit under the radar at this point. Just ask Symone’s bestie Gigi Goode how being a frontrunner can work out.
LIST
Symone has won twice in the first four episodes of this season. I wondered who else had accomplished such a feat in the past. Is she in fact a talent we can’t replace? You’ll see below that the answer is assuredly yes. She is the first queen to do it since Sharon Needles did way back in season 4.
Queens who have Won Multiple Challenges in the First 4 Episodes of Regular Seasons:
The takeaway: Our Arkansas girl is on quite an impressive streak. Let’s see if we’re falling in love, or if she’s the one who will break our heart.
A very fond farewell to Chicago’s Mackie Doll! May she harness her new free time with ample extra minutes for getting her looks ready. Until next week- Let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
Hello Hello! Welcome back to the never-ending saga of non-eliminations my dears. I actually liked the format I used in my rushed blog last week (and started teaching again in person this week eek!) so I’m giving it another whirl this week. We shall see if I stick with it. Below find brief comments on the episode, the updated season chart, updated predictions and a stupid list. Enjoy!
THOTS
This group was rougher around the edges than the winners’ group from the previous episode, but they were also more fun to watch.
Tamisha Iman is the sassy yet loving grandma we all need. The way she cut through that ridiculous choreography drama was masterful. Her dress was gorgeous too. And that lineage- my goodness!
Joey Jay and Kahmora fell into the well-worn trap of just spelling your name or saying words slowly to fill your rap verse. Understandable, but thoroughly underwhelming.
Why did Rosé win? Because they want her to stick around but- no m’am. My winners would’ve been 2 of the following-Utica, Tamisha, and Denali. Utica’s verse was delightful.
Omg guys Drag Race UK is SO much more fun than US Drag Race at this point! I’ll devote a whole post to it soon, but must include these (roughly recalled) amazing quotes from episode 1:
“I’m like a LOCHNESS MONSTER. A legend”- Lawrence Cheney
Alright put me down. I DIDN’T appreciate the sounds of struggle. – Tia Kofi to the pit crew
We’re known for more in Scotland than not flushing when we TAKE A SHIT. We’re also know for our art. – Lawrence Cheney
CHART
Denali moves into a tie for 3rd behind Symone and Olivia Lutz with the other lip-sync winners. Rosè is now above all the other lip-sync losers, minus Denali.
We will get a lot more point stratification in episode 4 if they follow the normal process of having 1-2 queens ranked high and low outside of the winner and two lipsyncers.
Last year, Sherry Pie and Jaida Essence Hall won episode 2. Jaida of course later went on to win, and Sherry (pre DQ) got to the final 4. So, Denali and Rosé are on a great track.
PREDICTIONS
My predictions mostly stayed the same this week, but the second group’s episode did provide some more insight.
Gottmik (=)
Symone (=)
Denali (+4)
Kandy Muse (-1)
Rosé (=)
Olivia Lutz (-2)
Lala Ri (-1)
Utica (=)
Tamisha Iman (+3)
Tina Burner (=)
Elliott with 2 Ts (-2)
Kahmora Hall (-1)
Joey Jay (=)
It became very obvious to me from this episode that there’s a high likelyhood Joey Jay and Kahmora Hall are the first two to go. They are already trapping Joey in the Max from season 7 death trap- demand she change her signature hairstyle and then eviscerate her for doing another style poorly. I see them ensnaring Kahmora, on the other hand, in a Nicki Doll plot. They have already claimed that she has zero personality, which isn’t true- she is a bad performer (there’s a difference). However, it will be hard for her to disprove them when she does poorly in all the challenges. That’s how they’ll get em, and I’ll be sad to see them go (I find both fun and entertaining, even though they aren’t the best at the competition).
Tamisha Iman is such a joy that I’m hoping against the odds she can last longer than I initially though. Going for the gold is gonna be tough, but guess what ladies? She’s born for this stuff.
Denali definitely proved this week she has the goods and the judge approval to stay for the long haul. Let’s see if she can triple lutz all over the sluts to the end.
LIST
Top Verses From Drag Race Half Group Songs:
Perhaps in the hopes of creating another opportunity for the greatness that happened above, it seems to be becoming a tradition to start each season with two half group song performances (in addition to a song performance for every group of finalists). Below, I reviewed the four premiere songs from the last two season (you really could look at this season as having a 3-part premiere, with the first episode lip-sync-off being a dramatic placeholder before the two songs). Then, what in my opinion are the best and worst verses. Enjoy!
You Don’t Know Me:
Baffling to the core that instead of a generic dance pop song, for Robyn’s guest judging week they chose this Fosse-style number. That aside, all the queens did well, except for Dahlia Sin, whose verse is so extraordinarily bad that it’s arguably the most hilarious and enjoyable part. They’ve got their secrets in their bras- you don’t know them.
2. Phenomenon:
The chorus is terrible, but the beat is fun, and the majority of the queens had good verses. Kahmora Hall’s verse is spectacularly bad enough that it’s fun.
3. I’m That Bitch:
Overall, it might the best song, but for me it’s all about the verses and the queens in the above 2 songs did it better.
4. Condragulations:
The chorus is the catchiest of all 4 songs. That said, the verses are definitely the worst collectively overall and the choreography was atrocious. Watching Jamal Sims nod so enthusiastically and inauthentically to something so lame over and over is weirdly captivating.
Best Verses:
Aiden Zane’s was so good but wound up being such a false promise. Rock M Sakura’s will forever have a special place in my heart (and in my farts). For me, Jan’s is the perfect mix of funny, ambitious and energetic. Marsha who?
Jan (Season 12- Episode 2):
Marsha, Marsha Marsha. Move over sis- it’s Jan. The girl next door plus so much more there’s no choice but stan. Worked so hard to get here BUT I still want more. Pushed farther into mainstream than any queen before. My stunning look, this sickening hook. I can do anything. And did I mention you’ll be gagging when I start to siiiiiing
2. Jaida Essence Hall (Season 12- Episode 2)
Yep! It’s Jaida. The essence of beauty. The gowns! The face! And tons of booty. But don’t you be fooled by the perfect façade. She always RISES despite the odds. She’s funny, she’s witty, she’s got talent beyond recognition. And that’s how mother dear will slay the competition.
3. Denali (Season 13- Episode 3):
Move aside, it’s your girl Denali. I’m cold as ice, hotter than a tamale. Keep up and I’m Chi-Town tough. Triple lutz on these sluts because I like it rough. I’m icy, spicy. For you I’m too pricey. Going for the gold I’m a get a little feisty. Strong like a Megatron, long like a marathon. AK to Babylon, I’m a phenomenon.
4. Rock M Sakura (Season 12- Episode 2)
The name’s Rock M Sakura see. Back in San Francisco I’m famous for a couple of things. Dipping down low, slipping like there’s no tomorrow. And so much white liner it masks my inability to establish a deep personal relationship. But most of all my dazzling 23 skadoodoos! A high kick to a fart that can send a grown man back to his mama. In a nice little kit.
5. Widow Von Du (Season 12- Episode 1)
I am in it tonight serving Aphrodite. KC MO is where you can find me. I wouldn’t try me- low key or high key. Widow Von-Du- yes bitch I might be. The baddest bitch alive- ain’t no surprise. Girls get mad when they look at these thighs. They rub together like they harmonize. And I’m still serving looks when I’m eating these fries.
6. Utica (Season 13- Episode 3):
Spreading love from here to there. For my savior as I toss my hair. There’s not a bone in my body- gonna wiggle to the top, wiggle to the top woo. Utica may be a small town. Farm girl fit for a crown. Lightening striking you down. Strike a pose like that, strike a pose like that woo!
7. Gigi Goode (Season 12- Episode 1)
Good morning campers (good morning Ms. Goode). Hope you saved room for thirds. G-g-g Gigi Goode. I’m a Goode girl, and I’m gonna be the fashion to this bad world. If you think that I’m conceited that’s on you girl. Mama I don’t want to fight nobody. I’m just here to win a crown and leave a bitch on read.
8. Aiden Zane (Season 12- Episode 2):
Aiden Zane- oh! That’s me. A little bit insane? Hmm, maybe. Crawling from the shadows and into technicolor, if you don’t know me now you sure will later. Cute and sick- and that’s just the half of it. I’ve got multiple personalities- just imagine it.
9. Symone (Season 13- Episode 2):
My name’s Symone and I’m here for the throne. Beat face and I’m Arkansas grown. The ebony enchantress is me. Legs up to my waist. Talent you can’t replace.
10. Tamisha Iman (Season 13- Episode 3):
Tamisha iman is coming for you, to show the girls what I can do. Drag is my game and I do it well. That ATL peach with a story to tell. Bent but not broken I’ll fight to the end. That old school diva shall rise again. Going for the crown is gonna be tough but guess what ladies, I’m born for this stuff.
Worst Verses:
The genius of Dahlia: when you don’t know what to say, start with long drawn-out erotic groans. She takes her rightful place atop this list.
Dahlia Sin (Season 12- Episode 2):
Ooooooo ah! Hi boys! I don’t know you, but you definitely know me. I grew up in a big city full of sin where everybody knows my name. (Dahlia). I’ve won titles, sold out venues, took their money and their guys. And now I’m here to claim my rightful prize- the crown.
2. Kahmora Hall (Season 13- Episode 3)
From the house of Hall, Chicago’s Mackie Doll. Serving beads and face, I’m the mo-o-ost glamorous in this race. The way my beauty shines, Kahmora’s gonna blind them and snatch the crown ow.
3. Joey Jay (Season 13- Episode 3):
I’m a gay ass bitch I’m Joey Jay. Filler queen, plot twist- I came to slay. Taking ‘em out- protocol. One by one I’m repping Ru Paul. J-O-E-Y, what, J-A-Y. But where’s your wig? The million-dollar question. Please sit down and let me give a lesson.
Next week we will finally get our first sashay away. Until then, enjoy the clips below! Let the music play!
***This blog is shrotened due to idk pick one- (1) ongoing stress from the white supremacist insurrection, (2) stress from remote teaching, (3) pandemic- but hopefully will hold you over until next week! ❤
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
THOTS:
This episode was boring. The song sucked.
The twist was cruel, so I’m happy it’s not true. That said, now nobody is going home until episode 4 which is lame.
I loved that all the winner queens keep accusing Elliott with 2 Ts of be a spy. What would Elliott be spying for?
Elliot coming for Kandy was wild. She’s got a little bit of Derrick Barry in her, and while its annoying, I don’t hate it.
Olivia is annoying. She’s so fake and perfect, which isn’t what I like best in a queen.
Chart-
Symone is in the lead.
I didn’t give Elliott any points because nothing really changed. Don’t come for me- it’s my chart.
Last year, Widow and Gigi won episode 1. Gigi got top 3. Widow got 7th
Predictions-
Gottmik (=)
Symone (+3)
Kandy Muse (-1)
Olivia Lutz (-1)
Rosé (-1)
Lala Ri (+1)
Denali (+2)
Utica Queen (=)
Elliott with 2 Ts (+4)
Tina Burner (-4)
Kahmora Hall (-1)
Tamisha Iman (=)
Joey Jay (-2)
It already might be between Gottmik and Symone for the win.
Who from Losers group will stick out? We’ll find out a lot more tonight.
Nobody is going to go home tonight.
Elliott definitely doesn’t go first anymore. Where does she fall?
Will both Olivia and Symone make top 4? Out of last year’s episode 1 first two winners, only one made top 4 (Gigi)
Tina is super unpopular. She’s picked up the least number of followers on Instagram amongst all the queens. I think she’ll go sooner than I thought.
List-The Porkchops From Best to Work (with the admission that currently a lot of these porkchops have been traveling and doing terrible things mid-Covid)
Porkchops
Shangela (2)
Vanessa Vanjie Matteo (10)
Derrick Barry (AS5)
Jaymes Mansfield (9)
Coco Montrese (AS2)
Pandora Boxx (AS1)
Kelly Mantle (6)
Tempest Dujour (7)
Morgan McMichaels (AS3)
Jasmine Masters (AS4)
Porkchop (1)
Soju (11)
Mimi Imfurst (AS1)
Dahlia Sin (12)
Magnolia Crawford (6)
Naysha Lopez (8)
Penny Traiton (5)
Venus D’Lite (3)
Alyssa Summers (4)
Porkchop All Stars Season: I want there to be one with these queens
Porkchop (1)
Shangela (2)
Laila McQueen (8)- could be one because Naysha Lopez came back later in season 8.
Jaymes Mansfield (9)
Vanessa Vanjie Matteo (10)
Soju (11)
Dahlia Sin (12)
Joey Jay (13)
Pandora Boxx (AS1)
Coco Montrese (AS2)
Thorgy Thor (AS3)- could be one because Morgan McMichaels came back in later in All Stars 3
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
Hello, hello my dears! WHAT A WEEK. I hope everyone is finding ways to stay outraged, safe, healthy and motivated after the heinous and hate-motivated insurrection that was attempted this week. Please continue to expose and hold accountability the bigots who perpetrated this act. I will try to post resources in the coming weeks to help.
RECAP/THOTS:
Taking a super sharp turn, let’s talk Drag Race. This was a bizarre episode that wound up feeling devoid of a lot of the joy and energy we are accustomed to seeing in the premiere. We watched 5 different pairs and 1 triplet of queens enter the work room, and immediately be whisked off to the runway for a lip-sync. The 6 winners rejoiced together and vaguely shaded Rosé (I’m here for it). The 7 losers were sent to the “Porkchop loading dock”, where they were told at the end of the episode that they would need to vote one amongst themselves off the show. They were given no criteria by which to vote (they didn’t even get to see each other’s lip-syncs) and, most heinously, Porkchop didn’t get to say hello to them and the millions of viewers, though they used her name a million times. So- did I like the twist? In a word- No.
But will I stop watching? Not today Satan. So, I found the joy where I could. My favorite moment was when Joey Jay asked Rosé if she knew Kandy Muse. Rosé responded knowingly with a long list of compliments for Kandy and said, “I’m so glad she’s here.” Joey Jay, sitting in the “’Porkchop Loading Dock” after losing her lip-sync to Kandy Muse, squinted her eyes and responded wryly “Yes….me too”. It was spectacular.
STATS:
Perhaps the biggest problem I have with the twist is that it thoroughly throws off my statistical system. As a reminder, I create a chart for each drag race season with the following point system:
If a queen wins the main challenge of the week, they get +2
If a queen is rated high by the judges, they get +1
If a queen is rated low by the judges, they get -1
If a queen is in the lip-sync for your life but wins, they get -2
Queens stop accumulating points when they sashay away, but should they return to the competition later (Hey Carmen Carrera!) there first elimination from the show will be coded as -3
So, wtf to do this with these 7 losers and 6 winners? It didn’t seem fair to give everyone who lost a lip-sync -3, and also didn’t feel fair to give everyone who won a lip-sync +2. To avoid large point stratifications but still incorporate the episodes’ results, I decided to give everyone who won their lip-sync +1, and everyone who lost -1. We will see what statistical chaos this causes later on, but I regret nothing.
PREDICTIONS:
There wasn’t much to go on prediction wise this episode, but I did see some things that changed my mind a bit.
13. Elliott with 2 Ts (preseason: 13)
I did enjoy her comments about Botox and liked watching her try to move her forehead. Nothing about her really stood out, and I think it’s definitely her or Joey going tonight. The cruelty of the twist could be a long-term blessing for her: many fans will likely advocate for her to come back next season when otherwise…. I’m not so sure they would. I wish her well.
12. Tamisha Hall (preseason: 12)
Tamisha was a fun presence on the show (and has the merch to prove it), but here’s the thing: it’s never a good sign when they reveal your trauma storyline (which let me be clear, beating cancer is obviously beyond cool) early on, because it means the producers no longer have a reason to keep you. I don’t think Tamisha will be voted out (that would be ROUGH of the queens to vote out someone who told them she beat cancer to get on the show), but I also don’t think she’s long for this season.
11. Joey Jay (preseason: 11)
Joey really is the dumbest bitch we’ve ever met, and I love her. She calls herself a “filler queen” and I think that description a bit too apt for comfort: I’m not seeing anything that makes me think she is staying for the long haul. If Elliott doesn’t fall victim to the vote, I think that it will be Joey.
10. Kahmora Hall (preseason: 10)
The Mackie doll is finally out of the box. Thankfully, Kahmora didn’t disappoint on the bitchy front. I don’t think she is going home in the vote (she and Denali know another from Chicago and won’t vote for each other), but she’s also already negative enough that I don’t think she’s staying for long. I still think she’s our early season bitch, and god bless her for it.
9. Denali (preseason: 3)
Denali takes the biggest fall of anyone in my predictions. It’s not personal: it’s drag. I loved Denali’s entrance line (“let me break the ice”) and was incredibly impressed by her lip-syncing on ice skates. I do think, however, that most of the queens who lost their lip-sync won’t outlast the queens who won them. Denali said she’s a Tonya Harding, so hopefully I’m wrong and big hits are coming.
8. Utica (preseason: 7)
What a joy! On their amazing podcast, Bob the Drag Queen and Monet Exchange described Utica as “Thorny Thor if she was a skinny twink and not a jaded and negative New Yorker” which is a perfect description. I think she’ll stick around for a bit because of her personality and fashion but will fall around this point.
7. Lala Ri (p/reseason: 6)
My prediction that Lala would stay longer than expected seems to be on track to come true. She won the first lip-sync which puts her in a very comfortable position in the competition. I’m curious what we will see from her moving forward.
6. Tina Burner (preseason: 9)
Tina pleasantly surprised me this episode: I found myself giggling at her comments and liking her aggressive attitude. That said, I’m still very skeptical that my opinion on Tina will stay positive for much longer. The narrative this episode clearly forecast a future conflict between Tina and Rosé and seemed to cast Rosé as the antagonist in the schism. I have a wild theory that Rosé will be the early season villain in this feud but will ultimately fall back into the audience’s favor as they gradually turn against Tina. It’s unlikely, but I’m going for it because it would make for a fun season-long feud.
5. Symone (preseason: 8)
She’s gorgeous and has an engaging personality. She held her own in the lip-sync, though she didn’t pull out any insane tricks or acrobatics. I think I put her too low last week, so though I still think she could miss the final 4, I’m bumping her up a few spots.
4. Rosé (preseason: 4)
She definitely was put through it in this episode, and especially for someone as accomplished as she is, I thought she did a great job holding it together. It would have been a totally acceptable time for a bitch fit (though he would have thoroughly been vilified by the edit). I’m going with my theory that the Nina-Rosé feud is a season-long twisting arc, which is why I have her ending up here.
3. Olivia Lutz (preseason: 3)
It went about as good for Olivia as anyone could have hoped. She won the lip-sync against a queen far more experienced and advanced in the New York scene than her and got general raves from the judges. I definitely think she could go all the way to final 4.
2. Kandy Muse (preseason: 2)
She started us off with loud boisterous energy didn’t let up the whole episode. I think she’s definitely in it for the long haul, and I hope it’s as a hero and not a villain. She’s a joy and so talented.
1. Gottmik (preseason: 1)
Gottmik sits in a comfortable place, having won the lip-sync. I totally missed the genius of Gottmik’s entrance line the first time I heard it- “time to crash the cis-tem”, but now I love it. Gottmik definitely started with more of a whimper than a bang, but still seems a good bet to the take the crown.
LIST
Finally, for my list, I’m going to go the easy route and list the 6 lip-syncs of the episode. Many were marred by nerves and disagreeable entrance outfits, but it’s all we got so let’s get to it.
Ranking of Lip-syncs
1: Kandy Muse defeats Joey Jay
Kandy looked beautiful and killed it with the boombox stunts. Joey was fun but couldn’t match Kandy’s presence. It was good, though I’d have preferred they save this incredible song for a more high-quality lip-sync.
2: Tina Burner defeats Kahmora Hall and Elliott with 2 Ts
I thought all 3 of these queens did well. Tina definitely brought it home with her funny (if predictable) filthy gesticulating. Kahmora surprised me with some well-timed motions, and I loved the ending where she leaned back over and over, eventually collapsing into a split. All the while, Elliott was splitting and twisting about, showing off great flexibility but not connecting to the music the music in any way. Tina definitely won, and the right queen winning was rare in the episode so that sets it apart.
3: Olivia Lutz defeats Rose
My opinion on this one really changed the more times I watched it. Olivia is gorgeous and mirrors the song well with her movements and expressions. However, I didn’t notice the first time how repetitive Olivia’s shtick was- she legit did the same motions each time for the chorus. Now, I’d actually give it to Rosé, who captures the tone of the song with her intense facial expression and hair flipping. I definitely understand why the producers picked Olivia, because it made for a great “All About Eve” style narrative.
4: Symone defeats Tamisha Iman
Both Symone and Tamisha did well in this lip-sync, but I wanted both of them to add another level to their performances. Tamisha’s 80s dancing was great, but her performance didn’t build in any way. Same for Symone, who sauntered around the stage on her gorgeous legs making funny and well-timed facial expressions throughout the whole song without any real momentum. The result was enjoyable, but hardly illustrative of the pleasure principle.
5: Gottmik defeats Utica
Both of these queens did well, but I thought that Utica was the winner of this one. Of course, I DIED from joy when the song came on. Gottmik did fine, but Utica’s weird head movements, that were perfectly in time to the music, and her bizarre wheelbarrow jig made me smile. They’re gonna do it their way and I should take it for just what it is, but I wanted a Utica win.
6: Lala Ri defeats Denali
Bizarre that they reused a song that Coco Montrese so thoroughly demolished back in season 5 (see below). Both Denali and Lala did fine in this lip-sync, and once Denali started struggle to keep her outfit up, I knew Lala was the winner. That said, Denali was on full ice skates, which I genuinely didn’t know you could do splits in on a sound stage. I feel like that should’ve carried more weight, but I suppose I should be careful what I wish for. I just might get it.
Alright my dears, please find below the Pitt Stop and Fashion Photo Ruview. Pandemic remote teaching is insane, but I will try to get next week’s blog to you several hours, and not just 2, before the show airs.
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the ongoing movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
Welcome back back back again my dears! It has been a long time but I’m sneaking back right before we close out this year from hell with my Drag Race predictions. Where have I been? Like every hot gay, I’ve of course been romping about mask less and then filming poorly worded apologies for social media. Kidding- I’ve been consumed with remote teaching while I watch my cat systematically destroy my apartment. Pandemic responsibleness sure is thrilling.
Anyway, I have some fun end of year lists to share soon. In the meantime, a new year of course means a new season of Drag Race. Since Season 13 premieres January 1st, below are my last-minute spoiler-free predictions for the season. There’s been a short drought of Drag Race content since Drag Race Holland finished in November, but get ready: by the end of January, we’ll be in the full swings of Season 13 and Drag Race UK Season 2, with All Stars 6 and Drag Race Spain just around the corner. We will truly be starting the year with a quran-slay.
So, what do we know about season 13 so far? If you are like me, and like going into the season blind, we can still look at the plethora of preseason content that has been released for subtle clues. I have links above and below to all the meet the queens videos and the promos that have been released so far. There has also been a trailer and a first look clip of the first 10 minutes of the episode, which are at the end of the blog.
The big twist being flaunted in the promos is the six lip-syncs for your life in the premiere. Am I excited for that? No. Could I be pleasantly surprised? Sure. As the show enters its old age, I alternate between wishing they would stick to the basics and wishing they would spice things up. So, if the twist is fun and successful without being too detracting, I’m down. Time will tell.
Before we get to the goods, just for reference I have included a list of the queen’s Instagram followers counts (with links to their accounts). Keep in mind that though the queens with the largest numbers of followers tend to stick until the middle of the season, it is hardly impossible for one to go home early (just ask Dahlia Sin).
Without further ado, here are my way too early predictions. I look forward to tracking how wrong I am in the weeks to come. Enjoy my dears and may the best DRAG QUEEN (it took over 18 seasons but finally Drag Race is post-gender!) win!
13: Elliott with 2 Ts
She seems pleasant enough and has a nice retro sense of style. It’s obviously way too early to tell but she has neither the following online nor any signs of standout personality in the preseason content to make me think she’s in it for the long haul. I’m pegging her (sheesh, even without taking her to dinner first!) as our first sashay.
12. Tamisha Iman
It’s always exciting to have an older queen on the season, and Tamisha comes across as warm and lovely in her meet the queen’s video. She also mentions that she can’t do the flips and tricks she once could and has a very old-school drag style. I’d be disappointed if they let her go first, but I can imagine her going quite early. Hopefully its Liza Minelli lies, but I have her going 2nd.
11. Joey Jay
Joey seems so funny and has some great lines even in the first 10 minutes of episode 1. I like some of Joey’s looks, but she doesn’t seem to have the same level of polish as the Kandys and Symones of this season. Based on that, I have her as an entertaining early season casualty.
10. Kahmora Hall
I’m getting beautiful and bitchy from the previews, both of which I love on Drag Race. Like Tamisha, her style just isn’t coming across as modern in the previews, and she was barely mentioned in the impression or naughty/nice videos. I think she is our early season bitch, and if so, god bless her.
9. Tina Burner
A NYC legend who has been speculated for years as a queen who could be on the show, Tina’s time is finally here. She could do very well on Drag Race with successful outrageous and engaging humor. Maybe I’m just having Brita PTSD, but for some reason I see her not living up to the hype. For that reason, I have her in this spot.
8. Symone
This is one where I hope I am wrong, but based on Drag Race convention, we often have a a well-known pre-season favorite fall around this spot. Symone will undoubtedly bring some amazing fashion to the runway, but will she be successful in the comedy and performance challenges? I see her going in this midseason spot but being welcomed back for All Stars and other future opportunities.
7. Utica Queen
Quirky and fashionable, we can be sure of one thing: Utica definitely makes an impression. She is already one of the most followed queens on Instagram (with no itention to detract from Utica’s charm and talents, I do have to point out the well-established pattern of white queens getting more followers than those of color) and is mentioned often in both the naughty/nice and impressions video. I see Utica staying a long time but eventually petering out a la Max from season 7. Never change that hair Utica- even if the judges tell you to.
6. Lala Ri
I think Lala will last longer than many people are predicting. Though her fashion seems weaker than some of the other queen, she mentions being a strong performer in her meet the queens video and has a warm personality that comes across in all of the preseason content. She’s my bet to surprise and go further than most expect.
5. Olivia Lux
Is she our Miss Congeniality? She is mentioned often in both the impressions and naughty/nice video by several queens and is referred to as “glam” by Gottmik in one of them. Olivia seems likely to do well on the runway and could surprise in other areas of the competition as well. I have her going right before the final, setting her up perfectly for Miss Congeniality. Lutz be a lady tonight.
4. Rosè
Did Jan walk so Rose could run? Another member of Jan’s Drag group Stephanie’s Child, we have Rosè this season. She seems a typical modern multi-talented queen with musical ability, performance skills and a modern style. I have her going the distance and can’t wait to see the Jan face crack if Rose does.
3. Denali
She comes across as charming and funny in her meet the queens videos. She isn’t mentioned a ton by the other queens, but we know she can perform and has an interesting viewpoint as an ice skater. Not sure exactly why, but Denali final 4 is my guess and I’m sticking with it.
2. Kandy Muse
Kandy is definitely the most famous queen in this cast. She also is by far the most mentioned queen in the preseason videos. Thus, it seems likely that she will last close to the end. Kandy would be the first “big queen” to win which would be nice. Time will tell, but it would be shocking for her to go before the midpoint.
Winner: Gottmik
She is stunning, the most followed queen on Instagram, and mentioned often by multiple queens in the preseason videos. Gottmik is trans and would also be a clear “first” for the show as a winner. Anything could happen, but Gottmik seems a good bet for the crown this season.
Just between us goyles, what do you think? Keep a bedazzled eye out for my future recaps and 2020 lists, and please have a safe and fabulous new year. Let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the current protest movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
Nope, it isn’t a Bob’s Burgers list (that may be in our future though). This is a birthday present to my dear friend. Would he probably prefer I not write him in to my fanfic (a la the novel What If It’s Us, a novel so corny it is more painful to read then it is to miss using front row tickets to Hamilton)?
Of course, but how selfish to think his birthday is about him. To honor my friend, I will be counting down my top 10 bob haircuts ever.
Wikipedia defines the bob cut as a short to medium-length haircut that gained widespread popularity in the 1920s. Mary Thurman, Colleen Moore and Louise Brooks are all credited as being amongst the first great American bobbers. A-line, buzz-cut, chin-length, inverted, shaggy, shingle and shoulder-length are the most common variations. Check out this link for some epic examples.
Names like Cyd Charisse, Liza Minelli, Josephine Baker and Jackie Kennedy probably come to mind for many when they think of bobs. Below find in no particular order my haphazard list of my top 10 bob cuts of the moment:
Lisa from Blackpink
She is indeed more in your area than ever, and provides a sturdy, voluminous and beautiful bob consistently
2. Amber Jane Butchart, Host of a Stitch in Time
Historic, classic, and faithful chic.
3. Victoria Beckham
Effortless yet severe at the same time.
4. Rihanna
Her bob helped her transform herself from Tierra Mari’s understudy to legitimate pop superstar.
5. Mary J Blige
She consistently depends on the bob and pulls it off so well.
6. Dua Lipa
She has paired the bob with her recent move into disco pop. What’s not to love?
7. Rose Byrne
Does her bob constantly somehow evoke cold weather and frosty indifference? In other words- I love it.
8. Raven
Our queen and recent Emmy winner love a short and helmet-like do, and somehow pulls it off with abundant style.
9. Kelly Rowland
One of our true modern icons of the short cut, throughout her career she has transitioned from a bizarre Reba-like flip bob to a more elegant shoulder length bob. She will be your motivation.
10. Real Housewives bobs:
The Marvel-like universe that is the abundance of Real Housewives franchises houses within them a plethora of forays into bobs, with obviously mixed results. Recent highlights include Erika Jayne Garcelle Beauvais’ Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion bobs, and Candiace Dillard from the Real Housewives of Potomac’s stellar waves.
Finally, I leave you with the ultimate Bob. Enjoy and see you soon!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the current protest movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
What’s its name? The time has come for us to crown our first true north, strong and fierce (a truly awful replacement for the “Can I get an amen?” tagline) queen. Will it be Priyanka, Scarlett Bobo or Rita Baga?
I’m excited to finally give my opinion on Canada’s Drag Race’s first season. As we come to the end of the show, I have to say that I have enjoyed it overall. It had a charming group of drag queens, and my enjoyment of it grew over the season. That said, I definitely do not agree with the many people I have heard who say it reminds them of Drag Race UK. For me, Drag Race UK was evocative of early US Drag Race seasons in that it was raw and not as serious. At the same time, the queens and performances and outfits on Drag Race UK were of very high quality. I am obviously not an expert in practice myself and give all queens who go on TV the ultimate respect. Even so, I have to say that Drag Race Canada does not show the same level of quality as Drag Race UK. Perhaps it is partially because UK had Ru Paul and Michelle Visage as judges, but UK definitely felt like a more established show, whereas Drag Race Canada very much felt like a show in its first season that was still trying to find its place and its independent style. Facts are facts.
Speaking of the judges, this of course has been a huge hot issue for Drag Race fans. I agree with many in that I found Drag Race Canada’s judges very mean. I often found myself offended and siding with the queens when Stacey, Jonathon, and Brooke would provide their opinions. However, when I reflected on it, I realized that they were saying many of the same things as the US Drag Race judges and were just as random and arbitrary at times. I realized that the different is that the Canada judges had zero charisma or joy when they provided their feedback, whereas the US judges have it in ounces to spare.
However, particularly in our current wild time, I have found comfort in Drag Race Canada and fully want it to return a second season and beyond. Hot take- I really enjoyed Kyne as an entertaining villain and wish she had stayed around longer. Another notable queen who no longer is in the competition is Jimbo, who brought almost all the highlights of the runway this season, but had a kind of stiff and prickly attitude, especially for the queen who was filling the show’s archetype of the quirky one.
So, at this point we are down to our final 3. It is definitely a season where my chart fully doesn’t at all reflect the reality of the show.
Scarlett is leading the chart because she has been incredibly safe all season (but she truly has no sense of winning). Priyanka has fought for her spot all season and is the fan favorite. Rita has seemed like the odds on favorite but has lip-synced the last two episodes. See my predictions below!
Queen
Predicted Placement
Scarlett Bobo
3rd
Rita Baga
Runner-Up
Priyanka
Winner
I have some major questions that impact who I pick for the winner of this season. Rita has seemed very much like the favorite, since she won so much earlier in the season. Her trajectory very much mirrors that of the Vivian on Drag Race UK (who of course went on to win). Yet, Rita has received a lot of backlash from fans each time she has won challenges on the show. On US Drag Race All Stars, it is well known to film multiple finales and decide based at partially on fan feedback who wins the season. Did they do the same for Drag Race Canada or is it already in the can? Finale, it important culturally to have a French-Canadian win the first season of Drag Race Canada for Canadians? Not to be crass, but I admit fully idk aboot that.
I am deciding to bank on them picking the fan favorite. And with good reason. Piryanka has been charming, hilarious, funny and smart all season. She provided us with the best lip-syncs of the season, and some truly amazing moments. I would be so happy if she won.
However, they could easily go the route of Drag Race UK style and give the crown to prescribed favorite Rita Baga. She was leading the chart for almost the whole season, and certainly established herself as a quality and professional queen. We will see shortly!
For season 2, I have some very important recommendations. The judges certainly lack charm as I mentioned before, beyond that they seem pretty straight forwardly to echo the judges of the first 2 seasons of US Drag Race. Meryl and Santino, who also definitely lacked charm or expertise. So, for season 2, I would priorities making Brooke the full-on Ru (enough of this guest host nonsense) and getting some additional funny judges who know a lot about drag. I’m ok with keeping Stacey and JBC if those changes are made. I overall haven’t enjoyed Stacy or JBC on the show, but definitely don’t think they deserve the intense hate they have gotten online (though JBC’s eye makeup is truly insane and a call for intervention). It’s not personal, it’s drag. Chill out and stop being so racist Drag Race fans.
Whoever wins, this season was fun and brought drag to use during a global pandemic which definitely isn’t nothing. Next week I have a fun truly random list for you. Until then- let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the current protest movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
I’ll tell you how I’m doing. Not well bitch.
This week’s blog we will take a look at the divas of demented drama, The Real Housewives. For over a decade, they have delighted us with their wine throws, vow renewals and product launches. The Real Housewives franchises are our modern soap operas, with the same simultaneous focus on fabulous wealth and outlandish theatrics that soap operas perfected. Housewives certainly suffers from classist, racist and misogynist rhetoric and imagery, but is also one of the only things in popular culture that focuses on the lives of older women. Moreover, it is not the romantic lives of those women that are the primary focus of the series, but rather their relationships with each other, which is fascinating and even occasionally woke.
So enough defensive foreplay- let’s get to the list. I created a master list of the Housewives who have appeared in the most episodes. This is in no way a reflection of who the best Housewives are (for example, its unequivocally true that Leah elevates this shit bitch) but was a good way to quantify their contributions. For “friends of”, I gave them half the credit of a Housewife (so for each 2 episodes they got 1 point). Enjoy the Top 25 of the list below and my favorite gifs and videos of the top 10 and selected others afterwards. You can access the whole list here:
Tamra Judge (former Real Housewife of Orange County, seasons 3-14): 254 Episodes
By no means my favorite housewife, Tamra burst on to the scene in the early years of Orange County housewives and stayed on for over 10 seasons. She finally got her walking papers after the most recent season and won’t appear in the new seasons which should air soon. I most often found Tamra to be off-putting and mean rather than enjoyably catty, but she did have some great one-liners over the years, including this gem below:
2. Kandi Burruss (Real Housewive of Atlanta, Season 2-Present): 253 Episodes
Kandi, a talented singer and songwriter (she wrote No Scrubs and doesn’t want your number) has been a quiet and sensible mainstay in the Housewives of Atlanta franchise. That said, she can definitely bring the drama at times, as she did during her epic takedown of castmate Phaedra Parks during season 9:
3. Vicki Gunvalson (former Real Housewife of Orange County, Seasons 1-14): 243 Episodes
Vicki was referred to as the OG of the OC and was the longest running original castmate of the first franchise in the Real Housewife universe. We watched her children grow up, her divorce her first husband Don, and never stop talking about how hard she works selling life insurance. While Vicki’s most memorable storyline is definitely when her boyfriend faked cancer, I have a fond affinity for this wild scene where she screamed the following phrase at a cast member while on skis:
4. Cynthia Bailey (Real Housewife of Atlanta, Season 3- Present): 237 Episodes
Cynthia is one of my favorite housewives, but even I have to admit I’m surprised she’s so high on this list. While the former supermodel has always brought the looks and beauty, she has never been the most assertive or dramatic housewife. That said, she’s stayed the course and has had some amazing eye rolls and quips along the way:
5.Ramona Singer (Real Housewife of New York, Season 1- Present): 234 Episodes
Ramona Stinger. The Ramona Coaster. The Corona Singer. These are the catchphrases for our favorite Housewives monster: the longest running cast member of what many consider the Real Housewives’ best franchise: Real Housewives of New York. Ramona is mean, chaotic, endlessly selfish and unstable, but is often a wild joy to watch. My favorite Ramona moment has to be her insane catwalk during a fashion show in season 3:
6.LuAnn de Lesseps (Real Housewife of New York, Season 1-Present): 223 Episodes
LuAnn had a brief stint in season 6 as a “Friend of” but is also a still-standing original real housewife of NYC. LuAnn feels in a lot of the ways like the housewife who is the most like a soap opera character. Throughout the series we’ve seen her divorce a count, write a book on class, release several wild pop singles, get arrested for assaulting an officer and trying to escape her handcuffs, and start a touring cabaret show. You literally couldn’t make it up. There’s so many insane LuAnn moments to choose from, but my favorite was when in the huskiest hungover voice possible she told Heather Thompson to “be cool. Don’t be all like uncool.” during season 7:
7. Kyle Richards (Real Housewife of Beverly Hills, Season 1-Present): 216 Episodes
Kyle is the longest running housewife of the Beverly Hills series. She is known for her splits, her hot husband, and her volatile relationship with her sisters. Kyle is another one who isn’t ever the flashiest or most dramatic housewife, but steadily plods away and stays the course. My favorite moment is way back in season 1 when she uttered these iconic words to Camille Grammar:
8.Nene Leakes (Real Housewife of Atlanta, Season 1-Present?): 215 Episodes
Nene is quite possibly the most famous person to come out of the housewife series (the other option would be Bethenny Frankel). And deservingly so: she is endlessly hilarious, dramatic and entertaining. It is unknown if she will return for Atlanta’s new season, but we will definitely see her in the pop culture universe, and in our friend’s gifs, either way. One of an endless amount of amazing and highly useful Nene gifs is this one where she mocked a castmate’s complaint about her being “so nasty and so rude” during the season 6 reunion:
9. Sonja Morgan (Real Housewife of New York, Season 3- Present): 210 Episodes
Never has there be a more uninhibited housewife than Sonja. While the current season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills revolves entirely around Denise Richards trying to deny a possible sexual relationship with another cast member, Sonja regularly prances around fully nude on Real Housewives of New York, and in a recent episode unabashedly shouted “I am NOT a trophy wife. I don’t even shave my pussy!”. She’s a crazy chaotic treasure, and I hope we never go without her.
10.Lisa Vanderpump (Former Real Housewife of Beverly Hills, Season 1-9): 200 Episodes
For many years, Lisa Vanderpump was the most popular cast member of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She left the show in a bizarre blaze of drama last season when she was accused by the rest of the cast of planting stories about cast member Dorit abandoning her dog. Yep, you read that correctly. At her prime, Lisa was fabulous and playful, and I love her tagline from season 4 for its epic sense of gravitas:
There were five more videos I just NEEDED to include below. In the first, you’ll see highlights from what I think may be the best episode ever of the Real Housewives: season 8 of the Real Housewives of New York when they stayed at Dorinda’s home in the Berkshires. It’s a nonstop melee of drunken drama the likes of which Virgina Woolf could only dream of:
I also needed to include the first minute of this video from Season 11 of NYC, where LuAnn nastily critiques Tinsley’s slurring and then Bethenny completely lets loose on her, ultimately screaming the phrase “LIFE IS NOT A CABARET”.
The third video is a housewives’ classic from Real Housewives of Atlanta, where a meeting between Sheree and a man planning her birthday party somehow devolves into an epic screaming match:
This Real Housewives of Beverly Hills clip where Kim Richards returns the bunny that Lisa Rinna bought for her grandson at the reunion is the ultimate high drama for no reason.
And finally, possibly the funniest scene in Housewives history is this clip from season 3 of the INCREDIBLE series the Real Housewives of Potomac, where Gizelle and Karen’s argument is interrupted by a mime. It’s amazing.
Finally, I wanted to link to Bitch Sesh, my favorite Real Housewives Podcast from the hilarious Casey Wilson and Danielle Schneider, and to their hilarious Hulu spoof, The Real Hotwives.
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the current protest movement. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
Welcome back squirrel friends! I hope everyone is staying sane and continuing to K Pop through quarantine like a bazooka.
As discussed in last week’s blog, I have always been a huge fan of female pop stars. My current theory is that as a gay male I identify and empathize with female pop star’s simultaneous mastering and upending of the female archetypes enforced by our misogynist society. As a gay man, I too am familiar with the dual desire to affirm and reform my male gender identity. At the same time, female pop stars are objectively fabulous, hilarious, badass and fun- which is definitely a large part of the appeal.
As all SOCIALLY THRIVING teens do, I spent a lot of time as a teenager crafting a bizarre formula to weight diva’s charted singles from the Billboard Hot 100 chart. I got the idea from a book of The History of Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 Hits my parents got for me. Of course, I in no way believe that chart success is at all reflective of actual musical quality or any hierarchical value. Beyonce is still definitely my artist of the decade. I just like tabulating stats. Stats are just stats.
I weight each top 40 hit as 1 point, a top 10 hit as 2 points, and a #1 hit as 3 points. All hits get points in all three categories if they qualify. For example, Ariana Grande’s “Thank You Next” got to #1 on the Hot 100, so she gets 1 point for it being a top 40 hit, 2 points for it being a top 10 hit, and 3 points for it being a #1 hit, for a total of 6 points. Katy Perry’s “Daisies” got to number 40 on the other hand, so she gets 1 total point for it (no shade- K a lot of shade).
I made lists of the divas with the most points from singles that charted from 2010 to present. I also wanted to see how successful these divas are at remaining relevant, and who the dominant new pop stars of the last five years have been. Thus, I have a second list of divas with the most points for singles from 2015-2020. Here are they are below!
Hits from 2010-2020
#
Name
Top 40s (x1)
Top 10s (x2)
Number 1s (x3)
Points
1
Taylor Swift
56
24
6
122
2
Rihanna
37
18
9
100
3
Nicki Minaj
58
18
2
100
4
Ariana Grande
29
16
4
73
5
Katy Perry
21
11
8
67
6
Lady Gaga
20
12
3
53
7
Cardi B.
23
7
3
46
8
Beyonce
23
6
2
41
9
Selena Gomez (incl & The Scene)
20
8
1
39
10
Kesha
13
9
2
37
Hits from 2015-2020
#
Name
Top 40s (x1)
Top 10s (x2)
Number 1s (x3)
Points
Change from 2010
1
Taylor Swift
28
12
3
61
Same
2
Ariana Grande
23
11
4
57
+2
3
Nicki Minaj
28
8
2
50
Same
4
Cardi B.
23
7
3
46
NA
5
Halsey
14
6
2
32
NA
6
Selena Gomez
15
6
1
30
+3
7
Beyonce
15
4
2
29
+1
8
Rihanna
12
6
1
27
-6
9
Camilla Cabello (incl. 5th Harmony)
11
5
2
27
NA
10
Lady Gaga
8
4
2
22
-4
11
Billie Eillish
8
3
1
17
NA
T12
Bebe Rexha
6
3
0
12
NA
T12
Alessia Cara
4
4
0
12
NA
T14
Normani (incl. 5th Harmony)
5
3
0
11
NA
T14
Adele
4
2
1
11
NA
T16
Meghan Thee Stallion
5
1
1
10
NA
T16
Sza
6
2
0
10
NA
A few notes before I get to the fun music video bonanza. You can see of course that Kesha and Katy Perry both fall off the list when you update it for 2015-2020. In the case of Kesha there is devastating story of abuse that upended her career and with the exception of the amazing song “Praying” seems to have ended her chart success. That’s a shame because I love Keshas new music. Katy Perry also seems to have fallen out of chart favor but with a less obvious cause. She was unstoppable during the 2010-2013 period, scoring an amazing 8 number 1 hits (Teenage Dream is a legitimately amazing song). Yet, she hasn’t been able to keep up that success in recent years, as she has only scored 1 top 10 hit since 2013. Katy has always been a truly versatile pop star in terms of her style, but I would argue also never really developed an image or persona beyond “catchy and cheesy” (you could also add problematic to that description). For that reason, fans have been less adamant about sticking by her as she has gotten older (of course, in true misogynist fashion, pop music doesn’t always make it easy for female stars to age). She recently scored a new top 40 hit with “Daisies” so it will be interesting how she continues to try to remain relevant and reclaim her past glory.
Camilla Cabello and Halsey are the divas who move into the top 10 when you limit the list to just 2015-2020. Both had very successful albums a few years ago (Halsey’s second album “Hopeless Fountain Kingdom” was released in 2017, while Camilla had her debut “Camila “in 2018”) that yielded lots of hits but have released less successful follow-ups chart-wise in the last year. It will be interesting to see if either can rebound and continue to have chart success- otherwise we should definitely be sad.
I included several up and comers on the 2015-2020 list to highlight some of our new crazy kids. Billie Eillish is the media darling of the moment and has increasing chart success with each new release- her most recent single “My Future” debuted at #6 on this week’s chart. She could easily continue to move up the list in the coming years. Normani and Bebe Rexha have both had some hits of their own, but at this point have garnered most of their chart points from collaborations. Normani in particular has an ardent fanbase who could easily serve as motivation (wink) for her next release to propel up the chart. Alessia Cara had a slew of high charting hits from 2015 to 2017 but hasn’t been successful on the chart since, so her list trajectory for the moment seems to be downward. Adele is a huge force in pop music and could easily move back up the chart when her new album is released. Sza is one of the most successful current R&B stars and could easily move up this list when her new album is released. Finally, Meghan Thee Stallion easily is the most promising up and comer on this list. She has had 3 top 40 hits and one #1 hit, the amazing “Savage”, this year. Her amazing brand new single “WAP” with Cardi B. (conservative criticism of it can fuck all the way off, thanks) will likely show up in a big way on the chart in coming weeks.
Below, I briefly describe the chart success of the elite eight (Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B., Beyonce, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez) who appear on both lists and include my favorite of their songs from both halves of the last decade (2010-2015 and 2015-2020). Enjoy!
Taylor Swift (#1 2010-2020, #1 2015-2020)
Say what you will about Taylor (and I truly do- here is one of my favorite descriptions of Taylor’s dangerous white privilege infused image- https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/on-loving-taylor-swift-while-being-brown/), she has proven to be a thoroughly durable pop star. From 2010-2015, she transitioned fully from being conceived primarily as a country star to one of the US’ leading pop stars. She dutifully weathered some mildly disappointing releases chart wise (her 2019 album “Lover” was a critical success but her first album not to yield a #1 hit on the Billboard chart since 2010), and finally just clinched the #1 spot on these lists with her brand new “Folklore” album. She is the pop star thus far who has most successfully taken advantage of the quarantine by releasing a full album that fans are happy to buy in droves even without music videos or extensive promotion. She had 1 song (“Cardigan”), debut at #1, 2 more debut in the top 10, and 7 more songs from Folklore debut in the top 40 on this week’s Billboard chart (for a total of 19 points). “Folklore” definitely has put her back on an upward chart trajectory chart for now, and there’s little sign she’ll slow down soon. My favorite song of Taylor’s from 2010-2015 is Wildest Dreams (even Violet Chakhi knows it’s good!) and my favorite Taylor song of the last five years is Delicate (I hate the video’s quirky white girl nonsense, but I like the song).
Rihanna (#2 2010-2020, #8 2015-2020)
Rihanna is undoubtedly one of the most durable and powerful pop forces of our time. She’s one of the artists on this list who gets almost as many chart points from songs she is featured on as her own singles (there are infinite examples but Wild Thoughts is a notable recent feature bop). Her last album was release in 2018, so she’s been a bit quiet since then focusing on her makeup line and being an overall badass. She has absolutely nothing left to prove but I still hope she returns to pop music soon. There are far too many amazing Rihanna bops to choose from, but I’ve always had an affinity for the dramatic “Man Down” (it gives me all the True Crime realness I’ve been loving during quarantine). Finally, “Love on the Brain” is a perfect choice for the 2015-2020, as it shows how much Rihanna has matured vocally and musically. We know she goes hard, and will undoubtedly continue to do so.
Nicki Minaj (#3 2010-2020, #3 2015-2020)
As you can see from her place on the lists, Ms. Minaj has stayed impressively relevant on the charts during the entirety of the last decade. She is of course widely acknowledged for creating many successful hits through features on other artist’s songs. 22 of her 58 top 40 hits since 2010 have been from her own singles, and 26 have been from songs she is featured on for other artists. She had her first two #1 hits this year (one for her feature on Doja Cat’s “Say So” and the other on her duet with 6ix9ine “Trollz”). There are so many great Nicki songs to choose from, but I wanted to pick one feature and one main song. My favorite single of hers from the past 5 years is the understated but potent “No Frauds” from 2017, and of course her scene-stealing feature on Kanye West’s “Monster” from 2010 is arguably her best work ever.
Ariana Grande (#2 2010-2020, #4 2015-2020)
In the past 10 years, Ariana Grande has gone from being a pop music up and comer to the premiere female pop star of the moment. She steadily released 5 albums since her debut, Yours Truly in 2013m and each has led to an increased chart success. She’s definitely currently at the height of her chart success- she has had 8 top ten hits over the past 3 years, half of which have gone to #1. She could easily claim the #1 spot on these lists when her next album is released. Until then, I’ve chose the classic “Break Free” for her 2010-2015 song, and the visually stunning “God Is a Woman” for her later decade entry.
Lady Gaga (#6 2010-2020, #10 2015-2020)
Lady Gaga’s success on these lists, particularly the 2015-2020 list, shows that it definitely isn’t over in pop music if the Bradley Cooper is singing. Gaga of course had unparalleled chart success from 2008-2011, collecting 11 top 10 hits during that time, 3 of which went to #1. Unfortunately, her hits from 2008 and 2009 weren’t with the span of these lists, and what was is her chart dry spell period. From 2012-2018 Gaga only had 3 top 10 hits on the chart. This period coincides with the release of her albums Artpop and Joanne, which both continue to be adored by her fans but didn’t have as much of an impact on the chart as her earlier albums. What revived Gaga’s chart career was her turn in the film A Star is Born. In 2018, the iconic “Shallow” from the film became her first #1 hit on the Billboard chart since “Born This Way” in 2013. Since then, her album Chromatica has yielded 2 top 10 singles. It remains to be seen how vigorously Gaga’s success on the chart can continue, but for now it’s definitely raining on her like a tsunami. I landed on the classic “Edge of Glory” for her early decade pick, and “Stupid Love” from Chromatica, which has a cheesy 80s flair that I simply adore.
Cardi B. (#7 2010-2020, #4 2015-2020)
Nobody has burst onto the scene in the last five years harder than Cardi B. Just to clarify: she has been so successful on the chart since her first charted single in 2017 (the irrepressible “Bodak Yellow”), that it vaults her into the list for all of 2010-2020. As mentioned earlier with “Wap”, Cardi could rapidly move up these lists very soon. I picked 2 songs for Cardi even though she doesn’t have hits from 2010-2015. “Money”, which was featured in the film “Hustlers” feels like classic Cardi and has a sumptuous video. Cardi’s feature on the single “Taki Taki” has lines that will forever made me laugh and have changed my personal dating strategy., “He said he really want to see me. I said we should have a date- where?- at the Lamborghini store”. Well played.
Beyonce (#8 2010-2020, #7 2015-2020)
No better example is that there that charts are just stats- not the only or primary way we should critique pop stars, than Beyonce. As her albums have grown more conceptual and experimental, her chart dominance has slightly declined. From 2002 to 2010, Beyonce had 12 top 10 hits, 5 of which went to #1, from her own albums. Since 2010, she has only had 2 top 10 hits from albums. Yet, Beyonce has stayed extremely relevant on the chart in 2 other ways. She has frequently released successful collaborations with other artists, including two #1s- “Perfect Duet” with Ed Sheeran (which always has bothered me conceptually because- on what planet would Beyonce not know she was beautiful, and need Ed Sheeran of all people to tell her) and the AMAZING “Savage” remix with Meghan Thee Stallion. The other way Beyonce has stayed winning on the charts has to do with the current streaming age of music. Because the Billboard charts now include online streaming counts, there has been greater opportunity for non-single album tracks to chart highly. This has matched up perfectly with Beyonce’s growth as an artist, as though they don’t get to the top 10, many of the songs on her albums chart within the top 40 now (off of her last album, 2016’s “Lemonade”, 8 of the 12 album tracks charted in the top 40). This seems like a sustainable chart strategy (get big hits with collaborations and shore up the numbers with album tracks in the top 40), so it would not surprising if B is still a chart factor in the decade to come. She told us after all- don’t you ever for a second get to thinking she’s irreplaceable. I chose “Drunk in Love” for her early decade jam, and “Hold Up” for her later decade jam.
Selena Gomez (#9 2010-2020, #6 2015-2020)
There is perhaps no less likely persistent pop music chart presence than Selena Gomez. She never seemed to have the vocal chops or stage charisma that would lead you to think she would become a dominant chart diva. Yet, she started with the weirdly useless Disney background band “Selena Gomez & The Scene” to steadily chart top 40 hits. As most Disney pop stars do, she went solo and sexy in 2013 and started to steadily chart top 10 hits. Her massive popularity as a celebrity (she was the most followed woman on Instagram from 2015 to 2018) undoubtedly led to her to being sought after for collaborations with prominent producers like Zedd, Dj Snake, Marshmellow and Kygo, which lead to more hits. She recently got her first #1 hit with the ballad “Lose You To Love Me”, a blatant reference to her public prior romance with Justin Bieber. Can she keep it up in the next decade? It’ll be interesting to watch her go. I chose the so early 2000s it hurts “Slow Down” for her early decade hit, and the simply wild “Fetish” for her later decade hit.
There are some lovely examples of these pop giants collaborating together, so I’ve included 2 more of my favorites cross-diva songs below. I also have a Spotify playlist that includes women from the list and also lists I have of the top women of the last 15 and 20 years which I can include in future blogs. Enjoy the Spotify below! I am thinking of updating my K Pop and Diva lists every couple of months so be on the lookout for those! Another monster blog done. I’d rather be dry but at least I’m alive. Until next time!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the current protest movement. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
Welcome to my first non-drag race blog! As I said in last week’s blog, I’ll be dipping my foot in to Drag Race Canada at some point, but for now I’m going to indulge in some other dumb lists.
In this desperate solitary time, I have been dying for a new obsession to fill my isolated days. And how do you like that? K Pop has emerged as a never-ending source of entertainment. While US pop music has been essentially sidelined to zoom live shows and albums without any singles or music videos, South Korea’s better handle on the coronavirus means there are new “comebacks” (or singles) and highly produced new music videos popping up every day from K Pop. K Pop also allows for an endless treasure trove of dumb lists- there are countless line distribution, scene distribution,“era rankings” and stage mixes (where you get to critique the author’s editing skills and also critique all the outfits a group has performed the same choreography in) on YouTube for each K Pop group or star.
I’m pretty exclusively enthralled with the girl groups and female stars of K Pop. As a gay man, I am drawn and feel a kinship to the tension between adhering to strict gender expectations and taking the opportunity for sassy feminine expression that female pop stars exhibit. At the same time, I try to keep in mind and question how this adoration is in a lot of ways interlaced with misogyny and cooption of the female experience. With K Pop in particular, it is also important to be aware of othering this culture’s media in a prejudicial nature. With those important caveats, I still have found a lot of fairly mindless enjoyment in K Pop these past few months.
One last wordy pretext for K Pop is of course the often-harmful system of “training” that many K Pop stars undergo. Here is a description of some of the things (living in barren dormitories, paying for plastic surgeries, being weighed publicly, etc.) that many K Pop trainees go through. Obviously, this is awful and should be changed. However, do we really think most US pop stars aren’t forced to go through similar things? Don’t say no. I find it important to call attention to the problems with all pop music, but also still thoroughly enjoy art that it produces.
One other K Pop treat on YouTube is lots of fun moving charts. I used the amazing chart by Data Throne on YouTube below of the most viewed K Pop music videos by female stars and girl groups of 2020 below to make my list for this blog!
I simply updated the list and expanded the list from the video to include the top 25 most viewed female/ girl group music videos of 2020 so far. Each song title is hyperlinked to the music videos and I discuss my favorites later in the blog. Enjoy!
Blackpink is in your area and is the most popular K Pop girl group internationally of the moment. By a wide margin. How You Like That is classic Blackpink and includes a truly epic dance break at the end. My favorite Blackpink song however is “Kick It”, a b side from their last album Kill This Love. It starts off dark and solemn and by the end somehow devolves into a peppy chanting fest that reminds me of Icona Pop’s “I Love It”. It’s amazing.
Twice is the second most popular girl group in Korea and was put together years ago on a popular Korean reality show. They are peppy beyond belief, but their Wikipedia is a surprisingly fun and dramatic read (Vietnam flag scandals, members taking breaks due to anxiety, reality show result scandals). More and More’s rustic fashions don’t do much for me TBH, but I deeply appreciate the Britney Spears style spastic dance break and the lyrics’ barely disguised allusions to sex. My favorite Twice song is “Feel Special” from their last album. The video has some amazing dance scenes in fabulous purple sequin jumpsuits, and the lyrics are actually quite touching even though I’m sure a lot is misconstrued in the translation. Mostly the beat is amazing and gives me all the early 2000s US pop music realness I need.
Again, what do I know, but to my untrained eye G-Idle and Mamamoo (the girl group that Hwa Sa comes from) stand out for their versatile and creative musical styles. G-Idle’s new song “Dumdi Dumdi” has amassed a huge amount of views in the short time that it’s been out, but their standout song for me is “Oh My God”, which feels like the song Evanescence always should have created. Mamamoo had a long and successful career before Hwa Sa went solo (“Maria” is such a fun hyper sexy jam). My favorite Mamamoo song is “Hip”, which is about how few fucks they give about critics insulting their outfits. Love it.
Iz*One was put together on Produce 48, the most recent season of the Produce reality series. The top 12 (12!) contestants on the show are the members of the group. Their career was temporarily sidelined for a short time due to a voting scandal from the show. They are as corny and cheesy as you would expect a highly produced group to be, but Fiesta and Swan are still super catchy fun. My favorite Iz*One song though is their first single, “La Vie En Rose”. I find the dancing and beat very captivating, but what I enjoy most is the sheer bizarreness that this super produced group’s first single lyrically was a weird sloppy (“I’ll make it red”) reference to a French song from over 70 years ago.
Irene and Seulgi are a subgroup of the hugely popular K Pop girl group Red Velvet. It is a common practice in K Pop for girl groups to split into subgroups and Irene and Seulgi are the first subgroup of Red Velvet. Red Velvet has been creating great music for years, and “Psycho” from last year was my most recent favorite of their work. However, my all-time fall will likely always be Red Flavor. The song is an incredibly catchy fun romp, and the video as far as I can tell, has them psychoanalyzing fruit that they then make into wine and enjoy. What more could you ask for?
Apink is one of the many groups that followed the Girls Generation blueprint (NPR references it in their guide to K Pop here)of starting off as cutesy pop girls and transitioning over time into adult pop women. Dumhdurum is a perfectly pleasant song very typical of current Apink fare, but my favorite APink song is “So Sick”, which does what my favorite pop songs do- pair an amazing dancey beat with dramatic needy lyrics about heartbreak (“DO YOU LOVE ME?). It’s perfect.
Hey, remember the reality show from Iz*One? Somi and Chungha were both a part of I.O.I., the girl group formed from Produce 101, the first season of the reality show. I.O.I. released one album, including the insanely catchy and annoying “Very Very” Very before they disbanded due to conflict issues. Somi and Chungha both have gone to successful solo careers. “What You Waiting For” is a truly charming jam with a lot to offer (Somi’s shockingly messy room, her flawless track running in a cocktail dress, and the zest with which she shouts “RING THE ALARM!” are just some of the treasures in the video below). Chungha is, in my opinion, a truly amazing diva complete with killer dance moves and an amazing voice. Roller Coaster is an INCREDIBLE song- it serves full early 2000s US pop realness just like “Feel Special”. Honestly, nothing makes me feel more fabulous and gayer than when I am dancing along to it in the shower. What a ride.
Ok this is the longest blog ever, but a few more parting shots are linked below before I go. I would remiss if I didn’t include some of my favorites from the beautiful Sumni, the foremothers of modern Kpop Girls Generation, and this dumb catchy song from April. You can find all of them on my Spotify K Pop playlist, along with all the songs above, here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/54ADflgPkQoU1tGUO3WvPV?si=9pJyZ-R8QiKgHyZvB-mWwQ
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the current protest movement. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
Queens! We made it. And it went down much like we thought and hoped it would all season. Ms. Coulee quite deservingly now has a crown. Such a fun touch that she wore a super similar wig to Sasha for the crowning.
Did I enjoy the song? No. Was the episode boring, given that the result was fairly obvious and the queens maturely resolved all the season’s conflicts quickly? Yes. But overall, I thought this season’s cast was dynamite and provided us with amazing moments. I am glad it popped my full season of blogging cherry.
For those wondering, Shea was not the leader on the chart. All Star 4’s leader on the chart at the finale, Trinity the Tuck, was one of our winners. Chad Michaels and Alaska, the winners from All Stars 1 and 2, were the leaders on the chart. All Stars 3 did not follow this pattern. Trixie Mattel was ahead of Kennedy Davenport once it was down to the final 2,, but it was Shangela and shockingly Bebe Zahara Benet who were tied for the lead going into that last episode. Below you can find a quick list of who was ahead on the chart and who won the most challenges of our All Stars finalists:
Season 1: Chad Michaels 5, Raven -6, Jujubee -6, Shannel 5 (Chad 3, Raven 0, Jujubee 0, Shannel 3)
Season 4: Trinity the Tuck 7, Monet X Change 1, Monique Heart 3, Naomi Smalls -1 (Trinity 4, Monet 2, Monique 2, Naomi 1)
Season 5: Shea Coulee 4, Jujubee 5, Miz Cracker 6 (Shea 2, Jujubee 1, MizCracker 3)
Key:
Green– Lead on the chart
(Green)– Won the most challenges
Red– Did not lead on the chart but won the season
(Red)– Did not win the most challenges but won the season
So Chad, Alaska and Trinity are all winners who led on the chart and won the most challenges. Monet, Trixie and Shea did not. Does this make Shea any less of a deserving or fierce winner in my eyes? No. Stats are fun, but they’re not drag.
So to wrap up this season I thought I’d share my list of my top Ru girls ever. As you can see from the extensive honorably mentioned list, it was terribly difficult to get it down to my top 15, but godamnit I did it. Enjoy!
Jujubee (2, All Stars 1, All Stars 5)
This season was such a nice reminder of how exceptionally funny, kind and beautiful she is. A cat lover from Boston (it’s like looking in a mirror for me!) Done- she’s my favorite ever. She is my favorite lip sync-er ever on drag race- she TURNS IT as she showed in the finale’s lip sync.
2. BendelaCreme (6, All Stars 3)
Smart, quirky, curvy, creative and the best Snatch Game-r to ever Snatch. Terminally delightful indeed.
3. Alaska (5, All Stars 2)
My favorite drag musician. So funny with such a unique yet simultaneously classic style. Love her.
4. Shangela (2, 3, All Stars 3)
Fierce, beyond charismatic and one of the best dancers we have ever seen. We’ve watched her grown into a flawless and hilarious entertainer.
5. Bob the Drag Queen (8)
I loved Bob prior to her stint on season 8 and have adored watching her on the Pit Stop and in other videos since her season. So smart, hilarious and a great activist.
6. Katya (7, All Stars 2)
By far my favorite Russian hooker. Katya has the type of humor I love- quirky, dark, weird and wickedly smart.
7. Manila Luzon (3, All Stars 1, All Stars 4)
My favorite fashion queen ever from the show. I find her GORGEOUS and love her campy, and pop cultured influenced takes on outfits. She is also one of my favorite lipsyncers ever.
8. Sasha Valour (9)
I was weary of her initially on Season 9 and thought she might be hipster nonsense. I found out that she is the real deal- beautiful, creative, and a political force. She is an expert at evoking emotion with her drag which I love.
9. Shea Coulee (9, All Stars 5)
What can you say? One of the most beautiful and fierce fashionistas we have ever seen on the show, and I love her political work as well. She’s simply amazing.
10. Tatianna (2, All Stars 2)
I started life as a Bostonian but now am a DC-ist and Tatianna is our god. Moreover, I have loved her ditzy yet fierce persona since season 2. She has grown into a talented and dynamic entertainer- she is another one of my favorite lipsync-ers ever.
11. Jinkx Monsoon (5)
So funny, so smart, so nasty and so talented. She’s wonderful.
12. Asia O’Hara (10)
Funny, creative, shady and beautiful. She is also an amazing and dynamic host. One of my favorite queens from a recent season.
13. Latrice Royale (4, All Stars 1, All Stars 4)
So funny, so talented and so fierce. I was a bit disappointed in her performance, in All Stars 4, but she has beyond redeemed herself for me after with fun appearances on tv along with her hilarious podcast The Chop with Manila.
14. Alexis Mateo (3, All Stars 1, All Stars 5)
What a joy we got to see her again! She is so endlessly charismatic, fierce on the runway, and an amazing lip syncer.
15. Monet Exchange (10, All Stars 4)
Another one of my favorite lip syncers ever. I also love Monet’s smart and shady sense of humor.
Honorable Mentions:
Tammie Brown (1, All Stars 1)
Ongina (1, All Stars 5)
Jessica Wild (2)
Carmen Carrera (3)
Willam (4)
Alyssa Edwards (5, All Stars 2)
Ivy Winters (5)
Vivacious (6)
April Carrion (6)
Joslyn Fox (6)
Trinity K Bonet (6)
Courtney Act (6)
Trixie Mattel (7, All Stars 3)
Chi Chi Devayne (8, All Stars 3)
Kim Chi (8)
Valentina (9)
Nina Bo’Nina Brown (9)
Kameron Michaels (10)
Shuga Cain (11)
Heidi N Closet (11)
Rock Em Sakura (12)
Alright my friends! Thank you for sticking with me during this season. In the coming weeks, I will dig into lists about my other dumb pop culture interests (Real Housewives, K Pop, and US pop divas are the current ones dominating my attention) and I will dip into Drag Race Canada from time to time. Until then, always remember the four Hs, and let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the current protest movement. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
We’re back back back again for what weirdly feels like a never-ending season of All Stars, even though there are fewer episodes than last season. Maybe it’s just me and I’m experiencing a rough adjusting period to blogging every week- but though I’ve enjoyed this season a lot, Im ready for the finale. This week the queens did stand-up comedy routines and were joined by Muffin Top herself, Jane Krakowski. Whole grain low fat.
Miz Cracker won, Shea received overall positive critiques, Jujubee was given slightly negative feedback, and Miss St. Claire was finally sent packing. As I noted in last week’s blog, Blair had one of the most successful improvements in All Stars herstory from her original season, and we cold shimmy shake in honor of her achievement.
The chart is left looking very neck to neck. Cracker pulls ahead with 6, Jujubee has 5, and Shea has 4. If we look at total wins from the season, Cracker now has 3, Shea has 2 and Jujubee has 1.
My prediction that Shea will win remains the same. It seems more and more obvious to me with each episode that a year ago when this was filmed producers may have been open to Cracker taking the crown. The fans’ overwhelmingly positive reaction to Shea Coulee this season makes a Cracker win seem impossible now. It also would be very unwise given our current political to yet again overlook the same black queen for the crown. Shea has dominated and shown up and out all season, so I’m beyond happy for Shea if she does in fact win. I’m just thinking about Wakanda life we’ll lead with her as our new supreme.
Shea Coulee would be the 3rd winner from Season 9, making that the season with the most winners. She would be the first queen to win from Chicago. She would be the 10th queen of color to win (out of 18 total winners) and the 7th black queen.
Queen
Predicted Placement
Miz Cracker
3
Jujubee
2
Shea Coulee
YOU’RE A WINNER BABY!
There is not much more to list for this season, so why not turn to the next one? Who knows when it will film or air, but one of my favorite things to do is to make educated guesses about who will be on the next All Star season. This is not who I would cast if I were in charge (April Carrion would definitely be on that list) but rather who based on the casting patterns of past seasons I think is likely to be on All Stars.
There is an extensive list of talented queens (Willam, Courtney Act, Pearl, Carmen Carrera, Laganja Estranja) who we can immediately cross of the All Stars 6 list because they have either said publicly that they will never be on All Stars, or we assume as much based on their negative public relationships with RuPaul. Two other queens with the popularity and profiles that would suggest an All Stars run but that I will posit will not ever be on All Stars are Kim Chi and Brooke Lynn Hytes. Kim Chi has achieved massive success without needing the All Stars platform and isn’t a queen who excels in the acting and performance realms that factor heavily into the competition. It could easily be a detriment rather than a boost to her brand to do All Stars, so unfortunately for us I don’t see why she would. Brooke is now one of the hosts of Drag Race Canada, and I think it would look like an odd regression for her to return and be a competitor on All Stars.
This is all my conjecture since I don’t partake in Reddit or deep spoilers. Enjoy!
All Stars 6:
Shannel (Season 1, All Stars 1)
Sonique (Season 2)
Yara Sofia (Season 3, All Stars 1)
Trinity K Bonet (Season 6)
Kimora Blac (Season 9)
Asia O’Hara (Season 10)
Kameron Michaels (Season 10)
Vanessa Vanjie Mateo (Season 11)
Plastique Tiara (Season 11)
Jan (Season 12)
Other Possibilities:
Tammie Brown (Season 1, All Stars 1)
Pandora Boxx (Season 2, All Stars 1)
Jade Jolie (Season 5)
Laila McQueen (Season 8)
Peppermint (Seaosn 9)
Shuga Cain (Season 11)
Nina West (Season 11)
Scarlett Envy (Season 11)
A’Keria C. Davenport (Season 11)
Nicky Doll (Season 12)
Widow Von’Du (Season 12)
Not Yet but Possible in the Future:
Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Season 11)
Crystal Methyd (Season 12)
Heidi N. Closet (Season 12)
Gigi Goode (Season 12)
Some notes- Shannel and Yara Sofia seem like the most likely queens next from All Stars 1 to be given another shot. Shannel had some controversy with the production company after it was revealed that her segments for Secret Celebrity Drag race were cut, but I don’t think that will prevent her from being on All Stars. I also think it’s possible we could get another round with Tammie Brown, which would truly teleport me to Mars. Pandora Boxx also could be a possibility.
There are so many opportunities for queens from the newest seasons now like the Werq the World national tour and the Vegas residency, that it’s no longer a given that these queens will go on All Stars immediately after their season to keep their public profiles up. For that reason, I think we will have a few more seasons until we see Heidi N Closet, Crystal Methyd or Gigi Goode , the most popular queens from season 12, on All Stars. Silky Nutmeg Ganache seems an obvious inclusion to be on All Stars soon (they love having villains) but I think producers know many viewers need a long reprieve from her, so I am betting we will get her on All Stars 7.
Finally, the trailer below for the Drag Race Vegas show aired the very day I wrote this list. If that show really takes off and becomes a hugely popular VH1 reality series (I can’t see it happening but crazy things have), it could prevent Vanjie, Kameron, or Asia from doing All Stars. I’m hoping this show serves Drag Race meets Real Housewives realness, but it looks kind of boring minus the Kameron-Vanjie macking. We will have to wait and see!
Alirght my dears, another finale awaits and then we will have another season under our belt. Next week I will share my list of my favorite queens from Drag Race EVER. Until then- let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the current protest movement. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
“I’m not just sickening. I’m contagious”. This week we bid adieu to Alexis Mateo, which was a very sad goodbye. Alexis brought so much entertainment to the season and is such an underrated queen. It is unfortunate that she didn’t get to shine more this season as she is definitely worthy of an All Stars crown. Even more unfortunate is that she got tarnished and threatened in deeply racist ways by many fans simply because she brought some intriguing drama to the show. In spite of all this, Alexis left holding her head up high and proclaiming, “sickening no?” to which the answer is of course a resounding yes.
Alexis sashaying away brings us to our final 4. While I would have preferred Alexis to stay instead of Blair, this is still one of the fairest seasons of All Stars yet. In All Stars 3 and 4, queens who had the highest cumulative score on the chart wound up sashaying in the episodes leading up to the final 4. Bendelacreme eliminated herself in All Stars 3 while she was leading the chart with a score of 10, and Naomi Smalls eliminated Manila Luzon in All Stars 4 while Manila was leading the chart with a score of 6. Jujubee, Shea, Cracker and Blair have all been near the top of the chart for this whole season, so statistically they make sense as our last queens standing. That said, Alexis had the same scoring going into this episode as Blair, so she easily could have there as well.
It seems likely that we will get a final 3 in our finale instead of a final 4, unless there is a double shante next episode (we have yet to have one this season). Blair seems likely to go next, but she will have done so while vastly improving her placement from season 10 (which conveniently was one of my lists in my blog for episode 4). If Blair does go this week, she will have improved her placement by 5 (she placed 9th in season 10) which ties her with Trixie Mattel, Monique Heart and Monet Exchange for the 2nd biggest improvement between regular season and All Stars placement of all time. If Blair were to make final 3, she would tie Shangela (who has an average of 6 in improved placement in All Stars 3 from seasons 2 and 3). That seems less likely, but crazier things have happened.
On the chart, Jujubee continues to dominate with a score of 6 after another week of positive critiques. Miz Cracker is next with a score of 4 after her win this week. Shea Coulee has a score of 3 while Blair St. Claire sits in last place with 0.
It is interesting that Jujubee is so far ahead on the chart, yet it seems so obvious from watching the season that this is Shea Coulee’s crown and we are just biding time until she is given it. Jujubee is certainly a deserving winner but drag race crowns more often than not are given to queens with the most captivating narrative instead of the queens who has quietly and steadily done the best over the season. I think it would be a huge mistake not to give the crown to Shea given her history of losing unexpectedly in season 9 and our current political climate. This season was filmed a year ago and it’s clear to me the producers likely thought it could be possible for Cracker to get the win them (we know from last season’s sloppy pasted together double win footage that the producers can decide during the airing of the season who the winner will be, since they often film multiple queens winning). It seems impossible that Cracker could win now. So, Shea will take the crown but Jujubee will forever be an iconic runner up, and both have cemented their places on the list of all-time great queens in drag race herstory. Below you can find my predictions!
Queen
Predicted Placement
Blair St. Claire
4
Miz Cracker
3
Jujubee
2
Shea Coulee
YOU’RE A WINNER BABY!
For my lists this week, I wanted to keep it a bit simple and look at which season now has the most All Stars who have made the final 4. That list is below!
Season 1: Shannel (AS1), Bebe Zahara Benet (AS3) – 2
Season 2: Raven (AS1), Jujubee (AS1/AS5), Shangela (AS3)- 3
Season 3: Shangela (AS3)- 1
Season 4: Chad Michaels (AS1)-1
Season 5: Alaska (AS2), Detox (AS2), Roxxxy Andrews (AS2)- 3
Season 9: Trinity the Tuck (AS4), Shea Coulee (AS5)-2
Season 10: Miz Cracker (AS5), Monet X Change (AS4), Monique Heart (AS4), Blair St. Claire (AS5)- 4
Overall:
1. Season 10-4
2. (Tie) Season 2, Season 5, Season 7-3
5. (Tie) Season 1, Season 9-2
7. (Tie) Season 3, Season 4, Season 8-1
As you can see, season 10 now has the most queens who have made the final 4, followed by seasons 7, 5 and 2. Why might this be? Well, as Ru would say, I don’t see how that’s any of your business. Even so, I’ll speculate wildly. Season 10 aired after All Stars 3, and at that point All Stars had become a viable and steady franchise. So unlike earlier seasons, both queens and producers on season 10 knew assuredly that coming back on All Stars could was a distinct possibility for many of the queens. The producers may have kept better in touch with queens kicked off of season 10 and the queens likely began preparing for All Stars more seriously as a result. Also, All Stars 3 saw the crowing of Trixie Mattel, a queen who placed outside the final 4 on her original season of season 7. The winners of All Stars 1 and 2 were both queens who made it to the final 4 of their original seasons. I think this likely gave producers more confidence to keep queens who placed lower in their original seasons in All Stars for longer. Finally, Drag Race’s popular has grown exponentially over the past few seasons as it moved to VH1 and continued to grow as a mainstream pop culture phenomenon. It makes sense that producers would want to reward and keep queens from the seasons that the most fans are familiar with in as many episodes of All Stars as possible. Finally, of course the four queens of Season 10 who made it to the final 4s of the last two All Stars are talented and did great things on their seasons that helped they make it there as well.
With that, a huge prop again to miss Mateo and I hope for amazing things in her future (including taking India on in a reunion! Give it to us gay gods!) Also, it’s still a pandemic so (WEAR A MASK! and) treat yourself to an extra helping of Roxxxy Andrew’s cakes below. With that, let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the current protest movement. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
“You’re a liar and this is why Derrick don’t like you”. Those are the words Alexis “that’s a lie” Mateo uttered as she showed us India’s lipstick. Drag Race full on met Big Brother this week as India finally went out in a fiery blaze of drama. I was all set to call that the most iconic lipstick voting scene in herstory, but then Jujubee showed up and did a full-on imitation of Blair St. Claire’s secret cold runway move that Ru had described earlier. Jujubee continues to just be a true treasure. No idea but if I had to guess, I’d wager that India was telling the truth (Mayhem after all did say “I expected more people to vote for Shea!” after the episode in question) but making it sound much worse than it was in actuality. I think we can tell that Alexis and Mayhem didn’t campaign intensely (and certainly not successfully) because Mariah didn’t vote for Shea. Either way, hoping we get a reunion to sort it all out, even if it’s via zoom.
Before all of that mess, Shea, Alexis and Juju all shone bright in the snatch game, serving former Public Enemy, niche psychic and Cat women realness, respectively. India, Blair and Cracker- not so much. Additionally, a new rule change was revealed. Moving forward, all the queens excluding the winner will be up for elimination. I know what you’re all thinking- wtf, how will this affect my chart? The answer is- not at all. Though I could code everyone as being in the bottom and given them -2 points, instead I used the judges’ critiques to determine who was high and low. It was very easy for this episode and I think it will continue to be so moving forward.
Speaking of the chart, you’ll notice some updates I made that hopefully make it easier to understand. Jujubee continues to steadily lead the pack by picking up one more point for a total of 5. Shea’s win (+2 points) and Cracker’s bad critiques (-1 point) lock them in a tie for 2nd with 2 points. With India finally meeting her demise, she can no longer take up the last place spot and it is inherited by Alexis and Blair who both have season totals of 1 point.
Word on the street seems to be that there are likely only 3 episodes left this season, but we are already down to 5 queens (typically the finale episode happens when there is a final 4). Thus, I think we are bound for a no elimination episode next. Unfortunately, I think Alexis will go after that, and our final 4 is Blair, Cracker, Jujubee and Shea. It’s definitely a two-queen race for the win between Jujubee and Shea, and though I clearly adore Juju, I still think Shea will take the crown in the end.
Queen
Predicted Placement
Alexis Mateo
5
Blair St. Claire
4
Miz Cracker
3
Jujubee
2
Shea Coulee
YOU’RE A WINNER BABY!
Though Alexis and Juju also did very well, Shea deserved the win in my opinion because she had the most robust routine. Jujubee and Alexis are two of the funniest queens we have ever had on the show, and they didn’t need to do much out of the ordinary to be successful. That said, Jujubee’s answer “I would sensually walk to the thermostat and turn the thermostat to a sensible 74 degrees” in response to “How would you keep me warm?” is the line that has stuck with me most since the episode. Guest judge Tommy Dorfman commented that Shea’s performance “will go down as one of the most successful snatch games in herstory”. Thanks for the list prompt!
While I thought Shea’s performance was very good, I place it in the honorable mention section of my list, along with Jujubee’s Eartha Kitt. Below you will find my 10 favorite performances ever in the snatch game.
Favorite Snatch Games:
Bendelacreme (Season 6)- Maggie Smith
Such a funny concept to play and old woman from a previous time who is fully not familiar with anything happening around her.
Favorite line: “We invented the language!”
2. Alaska (All Stars 2)- Mae West
Alaska took on such a funny sassy voice and was full of random funny quips.
Favorite line: “why don’t you come up and fuck me in the ass some time? Tootsie lou”
3. Jinkx Monsoon (Season 5)- Little Edie
Jinkx is trained in musical theatre and you could tell from this joyful and detailed impression
4. Kennedy Davenport (Season 7)- Little Richard
So many memorable catchphrases. I laugh every time I think about Kennedy saying, “shut up!”
5. Alexis Mateo (Season 3)- Alicia Keys
She didn’t actually win the snatch game on season 3, but this performance from Alexis is one my favorites ever. It was such a wild and random choice to make Alicia Keys a horny lesbian and watching her relentlessly hit on guest judge Amber Rose was so funny.
6. Aquaria (Season 10)- Melania Trump
I was shocked that Aquaria was so successful in the snatch game. Her personification of Melania was spot on and she made so many well timed and funny quips.
7. Alaska (Season 5)- Lady Bunny
The voice alone makes me giggle.
8. Adore Delano (Season 6)- Anna Nicole Smith
The voice and facial expressions Adore pulled out made this a joy to watch.
9. Bendelacreme (All Stars 3)- Paul Lind
I wasn’t very familiar with Paul Lind, but Dela’s intelligent and well-timed humor made me enjoy this impression all the same.
10. The Vivienne (Drag Race UK)- Donald Trump
Such a studied and detailed impression.
Honorable Mentions:
Tatianna (Season 2)- Britney Spears
Sharon Needles (Season 4)- Michelle Visage
Bob the Drag Queen (Season 8)- Uzo Aduba/Carol Channing
Sasha Velour (Season 9)- Marlena Dietrik
Trinity the Tuck (All Stars 4)- Caitlyn Jenner
Shea Coulee (All Stars 5)- Flava Flav
Jujubee (ALL Stars 5)- Eartha Kitt
Baga Chipz (Drag Race UK)- Margaret Thatcher
Finally, in this monster blog I wanted to take the opportunity to delve into the lip-sync assassin issue that has emerged this season. Miss Vanessa Vanjie Matteo was our latest lip-sync assassin this episode and starting with Morgan McMichael’s’ appearance last week, I continued to hear criticism from friends and online about what constitutes a lip-sync assassin. It’s been clear to me since the beginning that the producers are just picking queens they know fans like and that have interesting relationships with the queens competing (Morgan being best friends with Mayhem, and Vanjie being Alexis’ drag daughter). However, in an effort to figure out who in fact are the actual lip-sync assassins, I decided to track who had competed in the most lip-syncs prior to the start of All Stars 5, and sort them by the most lip-sync wins. I then organized the list further by each queen’s win percentage. Here is the top 25 of that list:
Interestingly, you can see that Jujubee and Alexis appear, which is further testament to how fierce they both are. If there are in fact only 3 episodes left and we assume we won’t have a lip-sync assassin on the finale (that episode is usually the final 4 recording and performing a song), we will have had 7 total lip-sync assassins this season. The top 7 on this list minus Jujubee are Kameron Michaels, Latrice Royale, Shangela, Trinity the Tuck, Naomi Smalls, Jaida Essence Hall and Peppermint. None have been lip-sync assassins on the show as of yet.
If we look at the queens who actually have been assassins so far, Alyssa Edwards, Monet Exchange and Yvie Oddly all are acceptable statistically. Alyssa Edwards is at number 9 on the list, Monet X Change is at number 12 and Yvie Oddly is at number 14. However, the other two lip-sync assassins who have appeared thus far place very low on the list. Vanjie is number 38 and Morgan is number 42. Their inclusion definitely does not make statistical sense.
One caveat to this list is that All Stars seasons really change the dynamic of lip-syncs. Because on most of the All Stars seasons it was winning queens lip-syncing, you had queens lip-sync multiple times without winning, whereas on a regular season you have to win a lip-sync to stay. Another thing that really effects this list is the lip-sync round robin that was added to finales starting in season 9. That gives any queen who makes the finale at least one additional lip-sync, and 2 additional lip-sync wins to every season winner of those seasons.
If we take out those lip-syncs from finales and All Stars seasons, there are 7 queens who really stick out statically as lip-sync assassins. Only 7 queens have ever survived 3 lip-syncs without being eliminated in regular season Drag Race herstory, and 2 of them are Jujubee and Alexis Mateo! The other 5 are Kameron Michaels, Darienne Lake, Coco Montrese, Rajah O’Hara and Heidi N Closet. None of those 5 have appeared as lip-sync assassins on the show yet which definitely is wrong.
The silver lining is due to her popularity and good relationship with the production company, I would think we will get Kameron Michaels before the end of the season. That said, it is certainly unfortunate that many deserving queens of color like Latrice, Shangela, Peppermint and Coco will likely be overlooked.
With all that, we thank India for bringing the drama this season and look forward to next week! Let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the current protest movement. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. http://www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
I’m aroused. Welcome back squirrel friends. This episode, I have to say, was not exactly a toot for me. I’m sick of the improv challenges and the runway was a bit meh. Did Cracker deserve to win? Sure- I thought she did well in the skit and on the runway. Did she deserve to win that lip-sync along with Morgan? That’s a no from me dawg.
Morgan’s appearance was unexpected, and I thought she came off very well. I have been wondering all season if the lip-sync assassin’s would include non-winner queens who haven’t been on All Stars yet and thus far the answer seems to be no (Morgan, Monet X Change, and Alyssa Edwards have all already been on an All Stars season and Yvie Oddly won her season and thus probably will not ever been on All Stars). If my theory is right, it means we won’t get popular well-regarded lip-sync assassins like Kameron Michaels but could potentially get some older queens like Manila Luzon or Latrice Royale.
Morgan’s appearance also seemed suspiciously serendipitous since it coincided perfectly with her best friend Mayhem Miller being sent home. Me thinks the producers planned this one. Anyway, after this episode, Jujubee remains in the lead on my list with a total score of 4, but Cracker is right on her heels with 3. Blair is next with 2, and frenemies Alexis and Shea tied are behind her with 0. India, meanwhile, is miles behind with a score of -4.
I’m a thoroughly broken wrong record at this point but- India has to go home this episode. She has placed in the bottom for both of the acting challenges we have had thus far, and Snatch Game seems very much like something she will struggle in. She’s proved me wrong every time, so we’ll have to see if she finally bites the bust!
If we look at the chart, it seems plausible that Blair could outlast Alexis. I continue to think Shea is being humbled in the judging so they can reward her later without her seeming like an overwhelming front runner. Though I’d love her to stay until the end, I think Alexis is more expendable in the producers’ eyes and is behind Blair in terms of the points. Hopefully Alexis and Shea can both have amazing Snatch Games and turn around their momentum. I think this week was an obvious effort from the producers to establish Cracker as a successful queen in the competition and she’s in it for the long haul.
Queen
Predicted Placement
India Ferrah
6
Alexis Mateo
5
Blair St. Claire
4
Miz Cracker
3
Jujubee
2
Shea Coulee
YOU’RE A WINNER BABY!
Mayhem didn’t by any means dominate any part of All Stars 5, but I found her thoroughly enjoyable. She brought some fun humor and shade to the confessionals, wasn’t afraid to strategize and use the conventions of the game which made for some light drama. Overall, she seemed a lot more relaxed than she was in season 10 which was enjoyable as a viewer.
In addition to her personality, Mayhem improved vastly on her final placement from season 10. I tracked below the queens with the biggest improvements in terms of final placement from their original seasons to All Stars. Enjoy!
Queens Who Outdid their Original Placement on All Stars:
Queen
Original Season
All Stars Season
Original Placement
All Stars Placement
Difference
Shangela
2/3
3
12/6
3
Average 6 (9/3)
Trixie Mattel
7
3
6
1
5
Monique Heart
10
4
8
3
5
Monet X Change
10
4
6
1
5
Blair St. Clair*
10
5
9
TBD
TBD
Morgan McMichaels
8
3
8
5
3
Mayhem Miller*
10
5
10
7
3
Katya
7
2
5
2
3
Trinity the Tuck
9
4
3
1
2
Kennedy Davenport
7
3
4
2
2
Jasmine Masters
7
4
12
10
2
Gia Gunn
6
4
10
8
2
Detox
4
2
4
2
2
Aja
9
3
9
7
2
Shannel
1
1
4
3
1
Mariah Paris Balenciaga
3
5
9
8
1
Chad Michaels
4
1
3
1
1
Alyssa Edwards
5
2
6
5
1
Alaska
5
2
2
1
1
Latrice Royale
4/AS1
3
4/7
5
Average .5 (-1/2)
Manila Luzon
3/AS1
4
2/7
6
Average -1.5 (-4/1)
Shangela has the highest change in placement if you average her stints in season 2 and 3 and compare them to how she did on All Stars 3. For each queen who finished in the 3rd/4th tie that tends to happen on All Stars, I just rounded up and place them at 3. Shangela of course went home first in season 2, then improved to 6th on season 3 and then got 3rd/4th on All Stars 3 (and definitely should have won). If you only count the most recent season for each of the queens who have been on 3 seasons, Shangela has a difference of 3 in her placements from season 3 to All Stars (Latrice Royale and Manila Luzon both did worse on All Stars 3 than they did on their original seasons, but improved upon their placement from All Stars 1 by 1).
Beyond Shangela, Trixie Mattel, Monique Heart and Monet X Change all have a difference of 5 in their placement in their original seasons and their All Stars season. Trixie Mattel is particularly impressive because she originally placed 11th during season 7 and then reinterred the competition in the final 7 and placed 6th. Trixie definitely rose meteorically in popularity after her initial appearance on season 7. Monet X Change placed a respectable 6th on season 10 and went on to win All Stars 4. Monet did very well in All Stars 4, and I do not want to diminish her accomplishments at all. That said, she definitely profited greatly from Manila Luzon’s shocking manipulation and the double crowing at the finale. Monique Heart stands out as probably the best example of a queen who finished in the middle of the pack and vastly improved her placement on All Stars. Monique finished in 8th on season 10 and made it all the way to the final 4 on All Stars 4.
Mayhem placed 10th in season 10 and moved up 3 spots to finish 7th this season. Blair St. Claire meanwhile is still in the competition and is bound to appear highly on the list when the season is over. It doesn’t seem likely that Blair will go this week (though it’s not impossible), but if she does, she would have improved upon her 9th place placement in season 10 by 3 to finish 6th. Blair would have to make it to the final 2 to beat Shangela’s record of improved her initial placement by 6. I think it’s more likely she will tie Trixie, Monique and Monet for 5 by finishing in the final 4, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Mayhem was thoroughly enjoyable this season and I wish her well. Next week we have the snatch game of love! Until then! Let the music play!
BLACK LIVES MATTER! I fully support the current protest movement to combat and dismantle the systemic racism that has devastated our country for centuries. Please review the following resources and donate, march, learn and be active. Www.Linktr.ee/nationalresourceslist
Welcome back! This blog’s All Stars 5 recaps are quickly becoming just a shrine to Jujubee and why not? She’s endlessly hilarious and entertaining and won this confusing episode.
This week the queens paid homage to the meme that was All Stars 4’s “Club 96” (which, btw, Valentina went home for- how soon failures become aspirational!) by creating their own Rutique hotel suites. It was thoroughly confusing whether the challenge was to create a sleek room or a funny skit, but aside from Jujubee’s wit I’m not sure anyone meet either metric. Either way, Jujubee took it as an opportunity to rewrite herstory’s mistakes and win her first challenge! In much sadder news, we had to say goodbye to the successful, the beautiful, the bottom (as she wrote on her mirror goodbye message) Mariah Paris Balenciaga. We also got a true scare when our frontrunner Shea Coulee was in the bottom.
The chart is wild as ever (typical of All Stars seasons) as Jujubee moves into the lead with 3, followed by Blair St. Claire who has placed high twice and has 2. Shea moves down to the middle of the pack after her bottom 3 placement brings her score back to 0, and India Farrah moves into the bottom with -2 after being the bottom for a second time in a row.
All of this makes it trickier than ever to do predictions. Will Shea be out for Alexis and Mayhem’s blood when she finds out she voted for them? Will the other queens find out about Mayhem’s alliance with India? Will Cracker continue to drive everyone insane (and cause ridiculously racist fans to target Alexis? So terrible)
Before we get to my predictions, I want to share a list I created during the pre-season. I ranked the queens by number of challenge wins, placement on their original seasons (I averaged the placements from All Stars I and their original season for Jujubee and Alexis), number of lip-syncs (since doing well in lip-syncs is generally a strength in All Star seasons) and number of Instagram followers. Then I added the queens’ placement on each list and saw who had the lowest total. The list is below!
At first, I thought the list was totally useless when Derrick went home 4 episodes earlier than the list predicted. However, Ongina only went one week earlier than the list said, and Mariah was kicked off only one week later than predicted. Derrick underperformed and India is over performing, but otherwise, it’s not hard to see this list’s order coming to fruition. We shall see!
As for predictions for the next episode, hot take- for the 4th blog in a row I’m saying India will go. It has to be her time, right? She’s defied every odd but- a TMZ themed improv challenge? Sounds like her walking papers.
If India finally falls, I think we could be in for a shock the following week. I want Alexis, Juju, and Shea to all be in the final 4, but I fear that Blair St. Claire and Miz Cracker could take up two of the spots. Blair has no chance of winning the season but has done well so far and seems like a queen that production would want to keep around. Cracker has proven herself to be a worthy villain who also has the white privilege to still redeem herself, which seems like a long narrative. All this makes me fear producers might think they don’t need Alexis for the long haul, which would be a mistake. Hopefully I am wrong! I also am hoping this week’s episode served to humanize Shea and make her less of an overt frontrunner, which is good for her chances at winning. Dead’s on favorites in recent seasons (Gigi Goode, Brooke Lynn Heights, Manila Luzon, BendelaCreme) have not wound up taking the crown, so some adversity is actually good for Shea long term (I hope). Here are my predictions!
Queen
Predicted Placement
India Ferrah
7
Alexis Mateo
6
Mayhem Miller
5
Blair St. Claire
4
Miz Cracker
3
Jujubee
2
Shea Coulee
YOU’RE A WINNER BABY!
Finally, for our list I turned to Instagram, on which there was much celebration that Monet Exchange, after her guest appearance as this week’s lip sync assassin, had now tied Trinity the Tuck for most all time lip-syncs on the show with 8. It is indeed true and congrats to Monet! I wanted to see the rest of that list, so you can find it below!
There are 30 queens at the moment who have competed in 4 or more lip-syncs on Drag Race. Jujubee is on the list having competed in 6, as are Alexis and Shea Coulee who have both competed in 4. All of them could move up the list if they win more challenges or make it to the end of this season. There is also a distinct possibility that many of the queens on this list could appear as lip-sync assassins (the three assassins we have seen so far- Monet, (8) Alyssa Edwards (6) and Yvie Oddly (4)- are all on the list).
For the top 12, who have all competed in 6 or more lip-syncs, I included one of my favorite lip-syncs that they competed in. Please enjoy!
All Time Lip-syncs
Monet Exchange-8
Trinity the Tuck-8
3. Bendelacreme-7
3. Shangela-7
5. Alyssa Edwards-6
5. Jujubee-6
5. Katya-6
5. Kameron Michaels-6
5. Latrice Royale-6
5. Manila Luzon-6
5. Raven-6
13. Alaska-5
13. Detox-5
13. Kennedy Davenport-5
13. Peppermint-5
13. Trixie Mattel-5
13. Monique Heart-5
18. Alexis Mateo-4
18. Bebe Zahara Benet-4
18. Brooke Lynn Hytes-4
18. Chad Michaels-4
18. Coco Montrese-4
18. Darienne Lake-4
18. Eureka O’Hara-4
18. Naomi Smalls-4
18. Ra’Jah O’Hara-4
18. Shea Coulee-4
18. Tatianna-4
18. Vanessa Vanjie Mateo-4
18. Yvie Oddley-4
Finally, a fond farewell to Mariah. She brought a unique and impactful performance to the talent show and lots of fun shady commentary. I wish she could have stayed longer (with the popularity of Legendary on HBO it feels particularly well-timed to have a queen who hails from the ball scene on the show) but am thankful we got her for a few weeks.
Has been a wild year and sorry for the super lengthy absence. I want to end the year with a brief countdown of my top 10 Kpop songs from the year. Will this open on anyone’s phone? It wouldn’t be my blog if it did! Enjoy!
#10: Seoul (Such a Beautiful City) by H1-Key
It has a fun 80’s vibe, and cracks me up by how wildly unspecific it is to Seoul. Along with the video, you could easily claim it was about any city if you did not know the title. So odd.
#9: Girls Capitalism by Triple S
The title alone is iconic. It’s a lovely feel good song from a group with 10s of rotating members.
#8: Stranger by Sunmi
My gorgeous favorite Kpop diva made this random spooky Halloween bop. No notes.
#7 Cheeky by Elyz Up
A group of stars from various C list groups formed on a reality competition show. I love all that and the song is catchy fun.
#6: Good Day by Weeekly
This song from this group that unfortunately is slumping in popularity in Korea, has amazing “WE ARE HAVING FUN OKAY?” energy. Something about pounding angrily on a school desk and screaming “IT’S A GOOD DAY” really spoke to me this year.
#5: Maniac by Viviz
Viviz, former members of the incredible group GFriend, are true experts of pop catchiness and this one does not dissapoint.
#4: Better Things by Aespa
Aespa had more successful super sassy songs like Spicy and Drama this year, but this midtempo sad yet resilient bop was my favorite, and the video is randomly breathtaking in its use of special effects.
#3: Super Shy by NewJeans
A super upbeat song about being shy that heavily samples the Powerpuff Girls themesong. Genuis.
#2: Off the Record by Ive
Ive began 2023 with a hugely sucessful product-placement filled bop in I Am, and then end it by trying unsucessfully to go full kitty bad girl with Baddie. But my favorite from them was this sweet and quirky B side, which features an amazing vocal run at the end.
#1: Queencard by G-Idle
G-Idle have truly mastered pop music, and this amazingly audacious song with a wildly bizarre and glamorus video to match was top, as they say themselves.
There it is! Keep your boobs and booties hot in 2024, and see you soon friends! ❤
Dumb Pop Culture Lists 