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

Vanessa winning Holland was well deserved, and that makes two openly trans winners in the overall franchise this year. (Three total due to Thailand season 2.)

Vanessa was definitely the best winner of the 3, but Kita Mean being eliminated right before the finale was some bs. I felt bad for her having to watch the 3 finalists make their speeches and lipsynch on set.

Yeah Vivaldi got in via connections, obv.

That was a bit of a full episode! The elimination day 'serious talk' segment was actually one of the best ones, even with a bit of show self-critique snuck in thanks to Vanity. Crossed fingers for Victoria for next week obv.

I really dislike Victoria, she reminds me of Miranda. Krystal Versace seems very good at playing RPDR, which is not the same as being a good drag queen, but I expect that they'll do exceptionally well and I think it goes to the heart of what bothers me about the UK version of the franchise: the tradition and heritage of British drag is not the same as it is Stateside. A Lily Savage-type would never do well on this show.

I mean, Victoriyawn...I think, despite everything that went against her. That's what the ru and Michelle thought, Ru's stern announcement of the medical, with no mention of the offer of a return to the competition next year ( which must be offered next or behind the scenes, surely??!)...was like a savage read for her boring medical diary updates, lol..

is charity case a needles clone? and will that count for or against them? I did laugh at her evil clown prosthetic face reacting to other queens, I need to watch the untucked if she wore that there.

Yeah Victoria's departure announcement was...odd. Almost an implication though she'd be back later in the season? Hm.

I rather like Charity and I certainly didn't expect that personal bomb being dropped. Different energy than Sharon, I'd say, though you really can start to sense a 'wait I'm always safe or in the bottom?' vibe emerging.

Surprised myself by being so excited for the pop group challenge next week! This seems like something the UK crew can own even more than the US ones after last year.

So is the contract for RPDR UK season 4 not in the bag or is there another reason Victoria didn't get a definite comeback offer, I think she might be a queen that is isn't suited to a competitive drag show, they never seemed to get over nerves. Do people think the 'size' joke was unfair and a low blow?. It's seems such standard drag banter that it did surprise me they struggled with it. The usual response from queen's is more defient and hopefully a sassy retort, no?

I got the impression that everyone was fine with it in the room, but the producers decided to use it as a teachable moment, hence the incredibly staged apology and convo, which also served to create some personality for Victoria right before she left.

there are a bunch of undercooked queen's in this season and it might be a direct result of the show seeking youthful queen's who are more than likely free and able to join some live endless tour thing Ru has planned for them after the show.

the double save was delayed by exactly one episode

and Big Drag Energy is nowhere near as big as UK Hun was

Meantime Canada is under way — thought the first episode was solid, including the revelation that Eve is QUITE the drama queen.

DRUK episode 4 : the Scarlett episode *spoilers* charity looked the image of needles to me again in the daft doggie mini challenge. Chorizo May mixes daftness with steely ambition, in an interesting way, I want to see where it gets her. Scarlett, Scarlett, Scarlett, all the drama, moving personal insights, assassination by her fellow queen's, performs a wonderful lipsink tour denforce that she wins on the first 10 secs and romps home. I don't allows enjoy lipsinks bit this was a great one, Scarlett gives good face. Kitty dear, I'll send you a rupeter badge, you deserve it

it was pretty brutal

kinda lol’d at the fact that many challenges (particularly making an ad) make for awful results but that’s usually ignored but in this ep the judges decided to, as michelle put it, “get real for a couple of seconds”

the song suited scarlett’s runway much better but agreed, she killed it

Yeah, the runway look gave Scarlett an edge, for sure, but boy did she run with it. The hand in the face dismissel near the end was a perfect retort to the charity's snub in the mini challenge, an editor's dream episode. I kinda enjoyed the acting challenge and was a little surprised how much Ru and Michelle went in on it, the history of acting scripts, particularly from the early phase of the American ones were often worse than this. It was painful but I laughed in a couple of places, whereas I've sat through acting challenges on the show wondering 'wtf' is this unfunny, senseless thing before me.

Almost like they went meta juuuust enough. (If they went too far they'd have to acknowledge just how shitty a lot of those things are!)

As I was rather fond of Charity I am sad to see her go but you'd think someone who looks that good would also be comfortable in figuring out ways to showcase that more.

Canada's newest episode, not bad, but they really haven't figured out a proper hosting dynamic still. Having Brooke Lynn essentially try to BE Ru is weird.

yeah, exactly, they hammed it up and deliver bad lines with commitment and some fun performances, lol at chorizo may particularly but even River and Ella were pretty good, I thought. Krystal showed she has personality and acting ability to match the bwodyoddyoddy with her choices in both challenges. Charity has a stunning vision for her detailed costumes, I'm not surprised she went, I think Ru and Michelle were questioning her choices from the start.

I wanted to say charity played her part in the great lipsync, unfortunately for her as the quirky supporting performer to the main act that was Scarlett...the harlot

some really strong queens in canada's drag race emerging
but yeah the judges are trying a bit too hard to be like the real thing
at least they don't ask the guest judge to do the signature lines anymore

the fact they got ru to say "shoppers drug mart" is just so funny to me,
i wonder how many non canadian viewers think it's "shoppers drag mart"

and perhaps the most magnificently cringy line ever
"the oceans are rising, and so is your star"

Yeah good lord. Improve that!

Okay, Ella's Nigella ruled easy.

As for the end results...fault of the performers or fault of the song? (Because having never realized Lulu did that I was all "Wait, WHAT?")

Terrible song choice, but they could have done some good comedy bits with it and neither of them did.

this week
was bad. the blankety blank thing was far worse than the allegedly disastrous draglexa ads, only Ella's Nigella, Choriza's Margarita Pracatan and Kitty's Gemma Collins were any good at all. Scarlet's Macaulay Culkin was fine the first time she did the face, but terrible after that, she had no idea at all where to go with it, and her runway costume was easily the worst, no idea why she survived. Choriza's Carmen Miranda costume was the best and it's ridiculous she was sent home, in two weeks now we have lost the three most original contestants.

*spoilers* I read some spoilers before seeing this episode and people were going in on Ru and Michelle for their obvious favouring of Scarlett and Krystal and the snatch game pre-discussions with ru where Ru was pressuring corny character swops. As mentioned earlier, Cher, Ru, really!! You can fake laugh all you like but, girl pls... It seemed a pretty fair analysis after watching it. The double sashay was harsh, neither performed that bad, neither did perform a showstopper either, I guess. The fact that Ella and vanity are there longer than charity and chorizo highlights the narrowing vision of drag in this show. There are a lot of campy older queens I've seen live in the UK that seem to represent a type of UK drag that this show is obviously uninterested in investing in. I'd love to see an over 40's dragrace of acerbic, club veterans.

Michelle Visage is like kryptonite for crude campy humour, since she made that sour milk face at Kitty for doing a toilet gag, it feels like everyone is doing this weird family friendly + occasional dick jokes routine, this is maybe why we are left with such a dull bunch now.

I'd love to see an over 40's dragrace of acerbic, club veterans.

I wonder if such queens would have a whole language of their own that Ru and Michelle and the production as a whole wouldn't understand -- a wealth of references they just might not get, and they'd be worried that the show might end up the butt of a joke without realizing it. That's my feeling, anyway.

It's already there with a lot of the audience.

xpost In regards to a veterans dragrace thing, I'd love the show to get past older queens as supporting cast and not capable of the crown. Initially, i fully expected UK dragrace to be less about glamour and polished 'look' queen's and be more like early seasons of the original show, diverse queen's, lots of seasoned performers...with the insta generation, brought up with the show, it's become about expensive, prepared looks and it changed the work room and the show. Ru and michelle seem to be hindering the girls this season with their choices too, something's getting lost in translation between the judges and the cast?!?

omg she’s filming all stars pic.twitter.com/5aB0S5syju

— Lex (@glitterstrands) November 17, 2021

lol

I switched my allegiances during the UK final, and did a little fist-pump when the winner was announced.

I think it's was well telegraphed that Ru and Michelle liked the big boobed sexy Krystal brought every week, if the judges think you are fuckable, you are made!!
Kinda think, given the prize was a web series, that Kitty or Ella would have been a more watchable winner.

Italy was interesting enough with its own vibe but kinda feel this was a 'get everyone used to it' thing first, we'll see if/when a 2nd season starts to gel.

And then a couple of weeks break and it all began all over again! Sarah's tweet here speaks for me.

this season premiere fuckin rocks #kornbreadforpresident

— Sarah Hennies (@hhhhhennies) January 9, 2022

Yeah, I really enjoyed it. The casting team did a great job with those seven. Although it's funny that there's a queen called Bosco, because this is Bosco to Irish people:
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQQCp5GX2gxSTEExRwrghoCoARmLr5iAHboAU9O9hR3IwBDo54XIqag92ehegJacHuwbgg&usqp=CAU

even after consciously deciding to stop (or not start) watching canada, holland, italy, spain i'm still feeling burnt out, miss the old days when enough of a gap between seasons to get excited - so though seeing excitement about the queens just felt ehh when watching it

some random thoughts after ep 3

42 looks in one episode is way too much. i couldn't keep track who wore what

i'm trying to like maddy but there were straight people who participated in makeover episodes who did better drag

the coffee enema jokes were jaw droppingly over the top
but i love the fact the show is still bringing this level of silliness

i'm really rooting for kornbread, but she needs to drop the crazy eyes schtick

It's a schtick but she wears it well.

The Whatcha Packin was good I thought

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVymlg71R8c

But the summary of the season so far EASILY was Violet Chachki back again for a slew of reads

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

i'm trying to like maddy but there were straight people who participated in makeover episodes who did better drag

Firmly agree. Stop standing like a bloke. Look around you at what the others are doing.

They seem like a fun bunch this year. I'm really enjoying it so far. I even forgive them for the fake elimination.

Forgive the thread spam, but I wanted to note that this show's 2021 season is nominated in the ILX TV poll, with voting ending this weekend:

ILX's Best Television of 2021 Poll / VOTING AND CAMPAIGNING THREAD / Voting Ends After January 31, 2022

If you like this show and you'd like to see it have a good showing in the poll (running in February) all you need to do is submit a ballot including it and your other favorites (3 minimum, 25 maximum, ranked by your favorite to least favorite) to forksclovetofu at gmail. It'll take five minutes; get to it!

lol'd at ru not wanting to see "any fucking H&M" but apparently if it's versace it's okay
i get the latter is not exactly "off the rack" but whatever happened to "put some glitter on it or something"?

it's as if they just gave up with pretending that it's "not about the money but about what you can do"

this was Kerri's week to go, it was a strange one that she didn't, have never seen a lipsync be so obviously pre-decided. This random chocolate bar stunt that has been introduced?? it's to make the eviction decision seems less like Ru's decision while absolutely changing nothing about the fact that it's completely Ru's decision? or it's to sell more Ru-chocolate. I guess it can be both.

i like kerri, her problem though (like with many other queens) is that she’s much more personable and funny in the workroom

jorgeous should’ve been in the bottom
i get that they wanted to see THE DRESS in a lipsync but then they could’ve taken points from kerri
for not putting any effort into her outfit other than securing it
so then you have the obvious outcome because they couldn’t have a jlo episode with THE DRESS losing

their obvious disinterest in alyssa’s story was also off putting

it’s funny how the episode with so many meta jokes ended up with such obvious riga mortis

I don't know where exactly Alyssa lost Ru, but it seemed to be sealed by daring to get emotional on the run way, just after Ru and Michelle had set up kornbreads 'fall in love/ vulnerability/trite schtick...I like kornbread but talk about a winners edit and a leg up in the competition. Alyssa seemed genuinely upset but Ru just seemed to take it as ... here you are taking the limelight from my moment with kornbread, I don't care ....

Kerri didn't win that lipsync by any measure and was even surprised she stayed herself. Agree the dress was too symbolic in the episode to send the person wearing it home. Lol at the disinterested, single plugging 20 second VT from JLO, "love you girls on that zeitgeist show..but not that much". Brands meeting brands I guess

also, does Maddy morphosis have more than one facial expression?? it's just the most rabbit in headlights/Botox non-expression I've ever seen. The N in c.u.n.t. is kinda lacking here despite all her good ideas.

yes, the difference between how kornbread vs alyssa emotions were handled was what made it especially jarring

mildly excited about uk vs the world. jimbo! jujubee!!

don't sleep on Janey Jacke from dragrace Holland, my dark horse for this UK vrs the world, a polished fashionista with an individual style. Jujubee is the obvious plant in here, love some ms juju but will be interested to see her 'arc'. don't know a few of these girls as who can really keeping up with all the franchise's these days? but interested to see if there is much deviation from the main show.

don't know a few of these girls as who can really keeping up with all the franchise's these days?

Doing my best!

Ned the super fan, judging by your contributions upthread, you've probably watched more Dragrace than Rupaul, lol..#aintgottimefoalldat

Hahah very likely, really.

DRUK vrs THE WORLD omigod, Jimbo ..spoilers....

I had not seen dragrace Canada but Jimbo brings some refreshing clowndrag/performance energy..and that runway was some evil Queen realness par excellance. Juju was pretty pedestrian, surprisingly, got a lucky pass. Blu was another fun watch. I never watched DRUK season 1 but caught season 2, I think I watched the better season, judging by the other UK cast here. The weird soundmixing for a lot of the queen's own songs in the talent competition did little for these mediocre catchphrase pop numbers. Does it ever sound that bad for Ru's tracks, I call shade! lol. Glad Janey survived the lipsync, don't feel she was even in the bottom two but she definitely didn't excel. Bye, bye, baga, bye, bye...asap please!