'...and DON'T *bleep* IT UP!' -- the RuPaul's Drag Race thread

No, but they do massively increase their profile and their chances of getting on other TV shows.

that challenge was the worst in recent memory to me... it seemed like it had good intentions but the choreography was extremely boring. runway was whatever... after the disco performance was such a snooze i didn't mind the lip sync being blu cantrell, at least we knew no one was going to be dancing while pointing into the air. (i wonder if the producers realized this too)

I also just remembered that the show has a history of disco songs yielding ho-hum LYFYL's if not outright double eliminations.

the UK episode tonight really laid bare how important it is to have financial stability if you want to do well in this competition. I hated that outfit as much as Ru did but there was a definite "just don't be poor" vibe to the critiques.

The Gottmik Principle

Which kinda made the inclusion of some actual talk about no money coming in between Bimini and Laurence all the more noticeable!

Yikes what an unpleasant critique, Ru and Michelle were clearly in a terrible mood, like I didn’t think anyone was THAT bad?? I didn’t think Tia’s dress was abysmal?? It all seems particularly rich when they made a whole thing abt Asttina winning in an ASOS jacket, like what the actual fuck

On the funnier side

Can't believe we're top of the charts! I've never topped in my life!

— BIMINI! (@biminibabes) February 12, 2021

This is fake news btw

— BIMINI! (@biminibabes) February 12, 2021

Hmm and umm are going thru my mind.
First, in terms of UK Race - jumping 2 weeks back, to the Who wore it best challenge - am I the only person who thought Laurence Chaney’s padding was deeply off? I kept looking at the hips and seemed lopsided to me so was surprised won for that. Also much preferred Tayce’s look to A’Whora’s (Adore 2.0) who also just looked like Sharon’s Dog Ball look. And more of the looks seem repetitive, even this week’s Tayce look was a better Tempestt naked look.
In re the ‘don’t be poor’ comment I feel yes but – back on s8 US when Michelle read Chi-Chi for her bathing suit look, the untucked footage added some nuance to what was said from main stage. She said no excuse – but did add the go to your sisters and beg and borrow what you need. (Steal not stated but as michelle did use to walk the balls was something more used to ppl doing.)
I think part of what Ru was saying (aside from her comments to Tia Kofi of – well if you had a team of 50 you could look like me) was ‘this is not season 1 of Drag Race when it was a throwaway show on a channel few watched. If you are auditioning to get here after so many seasons, you should know what you are getting yourselves into and as you (UK queens) had an additional 7 months to pause and reset, I will be harsher’ – which seems kinda fair to me?
Overall tho, how do you make it fairer? Some sort of budgetary restriction on what you could bring in seems unrealistic, giving a budget for those who need it seems undefinable and sure producers don’t want to deal with that. A return of more sewing challenges seems fair to even out those who have teams and seriously ppl showing up not knowing how to sew should count against them

I would love to see a return of the sewing challenges too. Even if sometimes queens worked in pairs, with one sewing and one walking, maybe?

For all the harsh words, there's an informality to the way that Ru talks to the UK queens this week. I don't know if it's COVID or because they're kind of not in the same universe as her, but she almost talks to them more like they're equals? Or like they're all in on the same joke? I can't put my finger on it.

seriously ppl showing up not knowing how to sew should count against them

It remains baffling that this always comes up every year without fail!

i suddenly hit a wall on untucked tonight like I love Kandy but my god can she ever shut the fuck up? the whole thing was mostly her or Tina talking ffs. who died & made Kandy fucking UN Ambassador of Drag Race.

v bummed about the loser, i wish it had gone the other way

and I am going to say it bc i dont care anymore.
the winner is lovely & all & her improv was great but i dont think i have been in love with or impressed remotely by a single one of her runway looks

i dont get Kandy being in the top three bc her improv was not good! Rosé could have EASILY been in the top.

yeah kandy’s improve was bad. surprised at them praising it.

I thought Rosé was very funny as well. And Utica was lucky not to be in the lip sync. She was awful in the improv.

Yeah Utica looked so good but just completely overdid her improv

I think the only thing that hindered Rose’s improv was that Denali was basically mirroring her character, and then with La La not finding the groove the balance was off ... but I honestly thought their group was the funniest

I could hardly stand watching Tina. I hate it when an improv-er starts at a hyperactive 10 and has nowhere to go, it’s worse than death.

I'm figuring Snatch Game not next week but the week after, when we're down to eight. (US specifically; UK is already announced as next week.)

Kandy's improv was a total dud for me too. And I'm sure that Olivia is a lovely person, but as a contestant on this show, underdone and unrefined -- I thought her improv was fine enough for safe but top 3 and then winning? Baffling.

I wonder if the idea is to try and make it not seem like Symone is still on the clear track for it all. (That runway look, good lord that was something.)

Yeah I am wondering that too

Is there a Snyder cut that makes Olivia's recent performance explicable? And how did she not get read for her boxer look?

idk how it happens but she did the same hair this week that Kandy had last week lmao

Yeah I thought that too. Olivia is the unintentional (?) leftovers look queen of the season.

They’re setting something up for her via the edit (eg Tina calling her out for being a diva)

Dont get why she doesnt get called out on her lumpy padding & wrinkled clothes. She’s pretty & charming & talented so maybe they let the other stuff slide? but she has a janky rookie vibe to me that i can’t really get with yet

the judges assessment of the challenge was def relative and not objective, like Kandy showed surprising range in being able to pass off a slightly-above-so-so performance w/o resorting to her typical shtick, but she was clearly not one of the top 3 funniest performers. Given the show's penchant for this though I wasn't really all that miffed and thought she did a decent job considering.

Tina and Rose strike me as the type of seasoned queens who come in with lots of talent and skate through the first half of the season but aren't able to display any growth or range or anything.

I feel like at this point things are starting to get a little clearer in terms of who's going to last how long. My guess is that Utica, Elliott, and Kandy will go home next, then maybe Gottmik/Tina/Rose, with the top 3 or 4 being Symone, Olivia, Denali, and then idk... Gottmik? Rose?

I dunno if Denali will go that far

I have a sneaking suspicion she'll be the black horse who turns it tf out but who knows

Symone, Tina and Gotmikk feels like the likely top 3 at this point

Meantime, a joy of course:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z70aJRq9pp0

breakout star

TUESDAY on “Tamron Hall,” one of the breakout stars of “RuPaul's Drag Race” @sherrypienyc booted from the show after being hit with lewd accusations of catfishing men. For the first time Sherry Pie comes clean. Don’t miss it. pic.twitter.com/6OlCViyoSt

— Tamron Hall Show (@TamronHallShow) February 15, 2021

oh dear

Yeah that's garbage.

Not garbage: Trixie/Katya's latest podcast episode, where Priyanka is the guest. Near wall to wall hilarity (and a rude title, which was Priyanka's original drag name idea)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vbZp-tY1_w

So delayed but I was sad to see yesterday's UK contestant go, one of the better 'season narrators' -- but given who she was up against, no way was said other person leaving!

Meantime I see our own VG has been busy in her secret political life uh wait do I have that right

So last year @RuPaulsDragRace had to move production of Drag Race Down Under to NZ. Turns out the NSW Govt. did NOTHING to keep production in Sydney! For shame! #dragrace #rupaul #dragracedownunder #NSW #nswpol pic.twitter.com/I58co4IwyB

— Rose Jackson (@RoseBJackson) February 17, 2021

So, THAT was a fakeout ending, especially since the winner clearly won.

Also they’re going on pause next week for a production dealing with COVID special episode? Or is this just going to be one crazy long night?

I've railed against commandant Ru enough at this point to rail against this softening of the "heart."

Also, I want to seek Gotmikk fail on the runway just one to know that she's now massively bankrolled.

but given who she was up against, no way was said other person leaving!

Yet more proof that, unlike Bakeoff, this is not all down to the performance on the day. Although when the eventual sashay-awayer came out in a totally shoddy outfit for the runway, I did think they were almost trying to tank their chances.

UK: she was one of my favorites but it felt very clear to me that this was "her time", that she was pushing herself to her limits and the best that she could deliver was great but not winner-of-Drag-Race great. I was SO delighted w Bimini this week, I had not thought much about the top 3 or 4 besides Lawrence Cheney but she seems like a shoo-in and I think she's my favorite now. OTOH I really despise post-lockdown Sister Sister, she seems so much more cocky and mean. I also thought Jessie Ware was a surprisingly good judge in that she gave legit critiques instead of just fawning praise, also also I love Gemma Collins and I thought she was v funny.

US: that was really unexpected, I didn't think the lip sync was like super neck and neck and I didn't think the saved contestant going home would have been much of a shock, she's had a great run but is clearly towards the bottom of the remaining pack, why a double-save for someone who's almost certainly just going to go home in the next episode or two anyway??? idgi. Rose killed it this week, I could def see her in the top 3/4, Tina I am so bored with and want to go, Gottmik I genuinely love but have come to really resent the $$$ thing, like okay she clearly has taste and skill when it comes to these runway looks but she is so obviously by on having tons of money to spend on this shit, and she absolutely should have been read for the similarity to the anal beads outfit. I don't think this concept has ever really occurred to me, who else on Drag Race has had like conspicuously expensive costumes?

OTOH I really despise post-lockdown Sister Sister, she seems so much more cocky and mean. I also thought Jessie Ware was a surprisingly good judge in that she gave legit critiques instead of just fawning praise, also also I love Gemma Collins and I thought she was v funny.

Yeah agreed on all this -- Sister Sister really seems like chum at this point, could see her going next episode. Jessie was pretty great for sure! I've seen more than one "WTF she's right there and the lipsync wasn't a What's Your Pleasure cut?" take but I thought what they did choose was fun!

Gottmik I genuinely love but have come to really resent the $$$ thing, like okay she clearly has taste and skill when it comes to these runway looks but she is so obviously by on having tons of money to spend on this shit, and she absolutely should have been read for the similarity to the anal beads outfit. I don't think this concept has ever really occurred to me, who else on Drag Race has had like conspicuously expensive costumes?

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Gigi Goode pretty well off as well? Also is Gottmik's family like crazy stinking rich or just well-off Arizona UMC?

The actual minor surprise to me so far -- both the UK and US Rusicals this season were...good? (I'm not saying GREAT, I'm just saying "Huh I actually didn't mind that.")

Yes! Gigi Goode also v talented but also rich af

oh man it didn't even occur to me to be annoyed that they did not lipsync to a JW song but now I am VERY annoyed abt it

Yes, though at least they sold the "I made this all from scraps" sewing angle with Gigi in a way they're either not able or not bothering to with Gotmikk.

I really want Rosé to make it to the top

I really want Tina Burner to go. I liked her in the rusical kinda bc you get to see what she’s good at but i am just so fucking over literally everything about her

Unless Denali like fully works her shit out I think the chip on her shoulder is going to get the better of her. She’s v talented but ffs girl the world doesnt owe you a goddamn thing.

The save was super annoying. They spent like 3 weeks not sending anyone home! Why deny us our right for bitches to be eliminated lol
I reckon Saved Soul will go next week in a double elimination. Hopefully with Elliotttttt

*mutual lipsync danceoff murder via high kick and/or backstab*

"Thank you ladies. You may sashay away, or your corpses can."

BEEEP BEEEP BEEP street sweeper truck rolls out onto the stage

"7 queens remain...alive."

vg otm, my love for Denali has waned over the past week or two bcz they have become such a temper tantrum baby!! like good god get a grip girl

oh I also want to say I loved how graceful the most recent UK elim was, like how she was cracking jokes abt it and Ru and Michelle actually laughed at them, there was an ease and levity abt it that does not seem to exist over here, like can you imagine ANYONE in the history of RPDR US saying any of that shit after an elimination and it not being super awkward???