Welcome to our weekly look at what has been going on in the Werk Room and Main Stage of Rupaul’s Drag Race stateside.
If you want to avoid spoilers for Rupaul’s Drag Race, stop reading now.
Last week Denali skated off our screens as Olivia scraped through. Now as seven queens remain, let’s find out what Ru has in store for them this episode.
This week’s mini challenge was a quiz game where the girls had to answer Drag Race related questions delivered by the Pit Crew. Like Olivia, I found my mind wandering seeing the Pit Crew in the smallest of briefs! Despite some earlier jesting, it was Kandy that took the win, racking up the most points.
Watch the opening act here:
This week’s maxi challenge was a branding exercise; all the girls had to come up with a soft drink that encapsulated their drag brand. With such varied queens left, this was going to be an interesting challenge.
Each girl had to storyboard their 45 second commercial which they would have just 30 mins to film, under the supervision of Ross and Carson. Utica used a Clara the Cow prop (including drinking from her udders!?), Symone got street sweet with her sugary Sweet Toof and Kandy took us to the VIP with her K Special. Tina went from 50s housewife to slut with Burning Up, Rosé poked fun at herself with RoseAid her hangover cure and Oliva wanted everyone to LIV (E). Gottmik’s ad was perhaps the most confusing and the longest name – Gottmik’s Got-Sex Sex Juice.
I was looking forward to seeing the finished products as some of them were just downright bizarre! As the girls prepared for their ads, they were video called by reigning champion, Jaida Essence-Hall who told them the more fun you can have the better you’ll do in the competition.
As the girls got ready for the runway, Kandy opened up about being gay-bashed at school which left her with a broken arm and both physical and mental scars. She explained that she still carries a lot of anger and I think we have all seen that it’s never too far under the surface.
On the runway the category was Beast Couture (said only like Alyssa Edwards can) and saw a few of the girls reaching for their palette of many colours. Utica’s make up was spooky and her outfit was actually very classy if a little understated; Kandy may have misread the brief and came as a sort of alien meets Hooville character with another alien on her back (was it a Klingon?); Tina was a patchwork creepy rabbit that wasn’t that creepy; Symone was the Banjee-tastic Mrs Fox; Gottmik had two big eyes on her shoulders and giant teeth around her waist (my eyes are up here!); Olivia was a furry, blue and green, horned beast and Rosé was better the devil we know and could’ve been straight our of Narina or a Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Before the girls runway looks were critiqued, Ru, Michelle, Carson, Ross and the contestants all watched each other’s adverts. The big hits were Kandy, Symone and Rosé with Utica, Tina, Gottmik and Olivia’s adverts all missing the mark in some way. Utica’s was just too odd, Tina’s was ‘seen it all before’ and Gottmik and Olivia didn’t deliver the right balance of light and shade.
In terms of the runway looks, no one received particularly negative comments and many were praised, but it was Symone, Rosé, Olivia and Gottmik that wowed the judges. After the deliberations, Ru told Kandy she was safe before announcing Symone as the winner. I was surprised as thought Rosé had it in the bag…and I was sort of right as Ru then also crowned her the winner this week. Olivia was told she was safe, which left Utica, Tina and Gottmik in the bottom three.
Ru put the girls out of their misery by sending Gottmik to safety and asking Tina and Utica to lip-sync to Black Eyed Peas ‘My Humps’. Tina stole the show for me busting out some 90s dance moves, however Utica did a strong, spooky performance. Looks like maybe Ru wasn’t basing her decision purely on the lip-sync this week as he saved Utica and sent Tina home. Had he not done a double save just a couple of weeks prior, I think Tina may have been saved too. However, it is what it is and unfortunately NYC’s Tina hasn’t managed to be a trailblazer in this competition, being solid but not pushing any boundaries.
Next time, the girls have to roast some previous Miss Congenialities including Valentina and Heidi N Closet by the looks of it – can’t wait!
Rupaul’s Drag Race Season 13 is available on Netflix in the UK with new episodes added every Saturday.
