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WEEKLY RUCAP | Episode 3: B*itchelor

Oh gurl. This is one of the best episodes of the season so far!

Making up for last week, this episode managed to be one of the most fun and drama-filled episodes of the season. With a fun acting and challenging acting challenge and a surprisingly stellar performance from one Kennedy Davenport - I am so glad to see we're finally getting some of the fun Drag Race is known for. Not to mention, we've got an all-out feud that seemed to be cut short pretty quick and a surprisingly somber lip-synch.
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WEEKLY RUCAP | Episode 7: My Best Squirrelfriend's Dragsmaids Wedding Trip

For a long title, this episode managed to be a calm bore compared to the jaw dropping episode 6.

Lawrence Chaney The Vivienne Ru Paul Krystal Versace

Photo by Kieron McCarron/ITV/Shutterstock

After the #BenDeLaChrist moment last episode, I was expecting this to feel a tad lukewarm.

After all, how do you come back from a queen who managed to break Rupaul's system and even make the Queen Mother feel guilty? You don't - but even so, this challenge was good, and the runways were gorgeous. However, the workroom did seem to be missing BenDeLa's charm - even though some queens are starting to think she was never all that charming to begin with.

THE POST-CHALLENGE MEET UP

Right away everyone is gagged about BenDeLa leaving - they all lament how they are surprised that she would do that and speculate as to why she would. They are confused, and a lot of them are annoyed. After all, why show up if she didn't like competing? Why waste people's time? Of course, other people recognize that this had been a lot for BenDeLa throughout the season.

The only outlier seems to be Shangela, who is still convinced that BenDeLa was playing some kind of game. I'm not convinced, but who knows? Maybe it was a scheme to maintain her positive status? I wouldn't be surprised at all of the mind games these girls have played up to this point.

The only person who seems to be moving forward is Trixie, who talks about how real the idea of the other queens winning is. After all, BenDeLa was the frontrunner and the expected winner.

Another interesting tidbit is Bebe, who refused to show the other queens who she chose to come back and leave the competition. The other queens think Bebe is being shady, and trying to save her ass, just in case another queen gets angry with her. And I'm inclined to agree with them - everybody has shown their lipsticks up to this point - what makes Bebe so special?

THE ASSIGNMENTS

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The next day, Ru comes in with Nancy Pelosi of all people, and delivers a beautiful speech about Pelosi's love of the gay community and how we need to stick together and keep working hard. The other queens got very excited, and Pelosi told them all that she thought they were amazing. It was a very sweet moment, if not one of the weirdest ones in Drag Race herstory.

Afterward, Ru reveals that the challenge is an acting challenge. The girls will be given "award-winning" roles and star in a raunchy comedy called My Best Squirellfriend's Dragsmaids Wedding Trip! Morgan is allowed to assign each queen their parts. And she assigns them as follows:

Bebe: The Queen

Shangi: Actavia

Trixie: Sharon Frackovich

Herself: Beige Swan

Kennedy: La La

Trixie was not happy with her part and wanted to musical-inspired La La, but in the end, she accepted the part that she had.

THE CHALLENGE

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The small scene that we had for the challenge was not very promising. Both Trixie and Shangela killed it. They were funny, they reacted to people's lines, and they made sure the jokes landed. They were the clear winners of the challenge based on the one or two lines we actually got to hear from them in the end.

Meanwhile, you have Bebe - who played a very stiff, and very boring Queen of Everything. She believed that the character was stuffy and stuff, and that's what she gave. Unfortunately, that meant there were no laughs. Kennedy and Morgan were equally flat - Morgan failed to capture the insanity of Natalie Portman in Black Swan, and Kennedy just kept on kicking the air like it slapped her Mama.

It was sad to see such talented queens fall so hard, but what are you going to do?

THE RUNWAY

RED FOR FILTH

Bebe: 10/10 - She came out in this beautiful red cress and complimenting red mask. She was stunning, brilliant.

Kennedy: 7/10 - She came out in this red, stoned outfit. It was beautiful, but not very creative.

Morgan: 8/10 - A beautiful red costume that flowed beautifully.

Shangela: 6/10 - My brother tells me it's high fashion, but I wasn't a huge fan of the droopy spikes.

Trixie: 10/10 - She came out in this latex ensemble and looked really hot. I loved her so much!

The judges basically felt the same as I did about the performances - both Trixie and Shangela got praises for their outfits and their characters. Meanwhile, the other queens had amazing looks, but most of them fell flat on everything else.

WINNERS: TRIXIE, SHANGELA

BOTTOMS: MORGAN, KENNEDY, BEBE

DELIBERATION

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Nothing stuck out of this deliberation this go around except Bebe's attitude. The other queens tried asking her where she thought fell flat, and Sis believed she didn't do anything wrong. She said that she played the character how it was meant to be played, and that the judges loved her look. It was crazy because it reminded me of so much Milk, and I think that it is because this is the first time that Bebe's confidence has really been shaken this go around.

Morgan also worries, because she knows that queens who get brought back always go home the next episode and she doesn't want it be her.

LIP-SYNCH

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When the queens came out for the lip-synch, Shangela obviously dressed for a fat-suit reveal, and Trixie dressed in the sexiest outfit I've ever seen. They did a RuPaul song - and Shangela turned it out, really taking advantage of her comedic timing by revealing to a fat suit and then a fat-suit-wearing pasties. It was hilarious and I loved every second of it, and while Trixie looked beautiful, she wasn't up to snuff and ended up losing to Shangela.

Shangela sent Morgan home, unfortunately, prolonging the curse of the returning queens. It stinks, because I think Morgan could have been such a fierce competitor.

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WEEKLY RUCAP | Episode 6 destroyed me.

I'm breaking form today, to just talk about what happened this episode and process this whole thing.

Lawrence Chaney The Vivienne Ru Paul Krystal Versace

Photo by Kieron McCarron-ITV (Shutterstock)


Me when all the shit hit the fan.media.giphy.com

I'm taking a step back from the typical Rucap this week, because this episode truly changed the Drag Race game. It will go down as one of the most intense and nerve wracking episodes I've ever watched, and honestly that ending had me floored. I thought I had this whole thing down. Even with Rupaul's twists - it was all derivative of the previous season. Even the odd Handmaid's Tale reference still felt like All Stars 2.

Alas, I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm still going to cover the important parts of the episode - but I'm mainly focusing on two things: The Reunion of the Queens and the Deliberation/Lip Synch. The rest of the episode was filled with the same old stuff - a lot of the remaining queens talking about how scary everything is and all that.

THE REUNION OF THE QUEENS

The episode started with RuPaul coming in and explaining that the queens are going to do a Spice Girls-inspired Maxi-challenge. The girls have to create their own personas and write their own lyrics, and then perform in front of Rupaul. But, that's not all, right before Ru releases the girls to get to work - she "remembers" that there was something else she forgot. The eliminated girls have returned, and they are going to be in their own group.

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But, it's not just the queens coming back for a chance to win. The top queen of the episode will not only get to send current queens home but will get to bring back an eliminated queen to take her place.

But honestly, as great as this challenge was, it was the least interesting part of the episode. Mostly because this reunion between the girls was one of the most intense reunions I've ever seen. Even the facecracking, Phi Phi O'Hara/Alyssa Edwards reunion was nothing compared to this.

Why? Because these queens went in! It started with Morgan coming for BenDeLa - but then Thorgy came in and immediately questioned Shangela about why she got eliminated. But, the most annoying part about this is not the Thorgy-Shangela banter, it's the return of the damned letter that Trixie hung up. Thorgy was on the side of Shangela and said that it should not have been hanging anywhere for anyone to see.

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Listen, guys, that letter needs to die. I'm tired of it. Trixie hung that letter in her area, and Shangela got nosey and started reading it. Sure, Trixie should not have hung up that letter, because it was really shady towards Shangela - but the girl didn't mean anything by it. Let. It. Go.

After the letter nonsense, Thorgy and Shangela work it through (kind of) in just enough time for Morgan to call out BenDeLa for being shady in her elimination. Morgan claims she did not have the worst critiques and she didn't deserve it. BenDeLa says that she didn't agree - but Morgan claims that Ben is a hypocrite and says that she didn't think that Morgan was part of the team. And she was correct, Morgan didn't do the worst in her episode and BenDeLa most likely got rid of her because she was worried about Morgan's "the strongest girl goes home" strategy.

BenDeLa tries to defend herself, but ends up shutting down and not owning up to anything that Morgan says. Not that she has to talk for much longer, because Aja chimes in with her frustration towards Bebe. She (fairly) claims that Bebe took credit for the outfit and didn't thank Aja for helping her. Bebe gave a weak argument, saying that it would not have changed anything, but that's not the point. Bebe wouldn't have that amazing garment without Aja - and she should acknowledged that.

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We round it out with Milk and Kennedy arguing, and Milk making it all about her. Kennedy's blunt honesty towards Milk resonated really deeply with me - she told Milk everything that she and everyone else thought. And Milk, in typical Milk fashion, really didn't respond all that well. Instead, she made it about herself and said that she couldn't believe that she came across that way. I'll admit, she seemed very upset, and that's valid. Sometimes people aren't aware of themselves, so maybe I'm being too harsh?

As the queens prepare for the Challenge, again, there's nothing that interesting going on. It's typical Drag Race fair - the eliminated queens did well in their recording with Adam Lambert (who is also guest judging with Baby Spice!), while the Queens that are still officially in the race didn't do super well.

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The challenge ended up being amazing though. The songs were both good, and the queens on both teams performed so well. In the end, the current queens ended up taking the crown - with BenDeLa and Bebe being the top queens AND EVERYONE being up for elimination.

DELIBERATION

Right off the bat, you see Kennedy getting upset because she knows she has the lowest track record compared to the other girls. She has been in the bottom twice, while the other girls have either never been in the bottom - or have only been in once. Meanwhile, BenDeLa feels very disillusioned by the whole process. Originally, I thought this was an act, but you can see the exhaustion on her face. She's genuinely very tired of doing this - she doesn't like sending girls home and now she has to do it again.

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Both Bebe and Ben are looking based on track record, and Bebe is looking for that subjective "fire," that all queens say they're looking for. Both Shangela and Trixie say that they're strong contestants, and they're pretty confident in themselves. However, Bebe has this look in her eye when talking with Trixie that really shook me - cause I just knew that she was going to pick Trixie to go home.

After the Bottom Three pleaded their cases, it was time for the eliminated queens to plead there's. It was all pretty standard, "I still have fight," and "I just really want to be here." The best thing of the night comes from Chi Chi who literally said that bringing her back would be like beating a dead horse and she doesn't want to be the Roxxxie of the season - which is so true, and good for Chi Chi to recognize that she wasn't ready for the competition yet.

After this, we have one of the most important moment in Drag Race herstory.

THE LIP SYNCH

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The lip synch was admittedly pretty dull. There wasn't a lot of movement, and honestly, it felt like they were both not giving it their all. However, I will say that BenDeLa drained the regal energy from Bebe. When she walked out in her all-black ensemble - I was so for it. She looked beautiful, and her face was painted for the gods. In the end, BenDeLa won.

Of course, she brought back Morgan, whom she had felt she wronged by the end of the episode. But, instead of sending one of the other current queens home, BenDeLa pulled out a lipstick and, in white-out, she wrote her own name. In that moment, my whole existence stopped for a second. The camera flashed to Rupaul, and everyone was shook beyond belief. BenDeLa took herself out of the competition - not because her feelings were hurt, but because she couldn't take it anymore.

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She was tired of RuPaul's game - and removed herself from it for her own mental health, and that's crazy. And you can see the pain flash on Rupaul's face. She was gagged - I have never seen Rupaul so surprised. Even when Adore left, she wasn't this caught off guard. After all, BenDeLa was going to win - she had one most of the challenges at this point, and if she stayed on a few more weeks - she was going to be in the Drag Race Hall of Fame.

But, in the words of Aja, she was the "drag jesus" who sacrificed herself for the other queens. And like Aja, I too will tear up every time I think about that moment. BenDeLa put the whole All-Stars system on trial - and goddamn, it was beautiful.

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WEEKLY RUCAP | Episode 5: Pop Art Ball

This week's episode was the season's first real design challenge - and I've only got one question: Why can't these queens freaking sew?

I've been waiting weeks for a design challenge! Design challenges are the best parts of this show, because it showcases' these queens' knack for style and their overall artistic vision. And you'd think, with all of these queens having been on this show before, that at least a few of them would have learned how to freaking sew - but that just wasn't the case, I guess? Still, this was a solid episode - if not a little boring compared to the previous episodes.

Honestly, though, it did give me a chance to breathe - cause this season has been crazy.

THE POST-CHALLENGE MEET UP

Not much happened, except for some more speculation and questions about how queens were going to vote each other off. There was a sweet moment where Trixie and Shangela talked about each other and how they respect one another - but other than that - it was pretty tame. Shangela is still trying to turn this show into the Game of Thrones of drag, but at this point, I can't even complain anymore.

ASSIGNMENTS

Right off the bat, Rupaul enters dressed as pop art icon, Andy Warhol, and delivers one of the few mini-challenges of the season. (Side bar: What happened to mini-challenges? Remember when they were on every episode?) The queens have to get into some quick drag and do a photoshoot that will later be turned into some beautiful pop art, Andy Warhol style.

The all looked beautiful - but in the end Aja walked away with a year's supply of Hamburger Mary's hamburgers and $2000 dollars!

After that, Rupaul said that this week's challenge would be an Andy Warhol-inspired Pop Art Ball! The queens would have to design two looks: A Soup-er Model look, where they would have to design their own drag branded soup can and wear it out on the runway; and Studio 54 realness, where they design iconic disco looks inspired by Warhol's favorite spot!

The only problem? Only about half of these queens actually know how to sew - and this comes out as soon as the queens start planning everything. Kennedy, Trixie, and Aja feel very confident because they all know how to sew and they're costumes have been pretty solid since they've been back.

The queens who can't sew, Shangela, Bebe, and BenDeLa, are all doing their best. BenDeLa feels okay, because she's won a design challenge with nothing but hot glue alone. However, both Shangela and Bebe get help from Trixie and Aja on their looks.

As the queens get ready to go out onto the mainstage, Shangela attempts to gauge everyone's elimination tactics - and naturally everyone has a different answer. BenDeLa overthinks it, and annoys everybody, while Kennedy says that it doesn't matter, because people are going to do what they're going to do.

CHALLENGE/RUNWAY

Due to the nature of the challenge, I've got a some more intensive thoughts on the two looks:

SOUP-ER MODEL CANS

AJA - Sugar Tits - doesn't really fit her. She wanted to go for this sugary sweet look, and that's just not Aja. She's always been more spicy and fiery. It was a cute can though, so she gets a 6/10.

SHANGELA - Halleloops - this energy inspired fish soup fits her brand to a T, but the can looked like too much and it sounded really gross. 7/10.

TRIXIE - Pep/Abysmal - She delivered a funny and campy soup, with a sharp Trixie wit and an over-the-top design that could only fit Trixie. 9/10

KENNEDY - Grandma Kennedy's something... - Unfortunately, I didn't get Kennedy's name as she ran through her bit. I know it was definitely old and southern - which doesn't really fit Kennedy? But I liked the way the can looked. 5/10.

BEBE - Zaza Spicy Peanut Soup - The can was red and full of dark colors and very understated. It was also Cameroon-inspired, which totally fits Bebe. I loved it. 10/10.

BENDELA - Cream de la Crème - a beautiful can, that is filled with Ben's terminally delightful charm. It really worked for me, in the end. 8/10

STUDIO 54 DISCO REALNESS

AJA - She looked beautiful, and I thought her look didn't totally fit, but she was gorgeous enough that I didn't care. 7/10.

SHANGELA - Ugly. Horrible. One of the worst looks I've ever seen. Honestly, she had these golden records covering her body and she had no silhouette - it was like Season 3, episode 1 levels bad. 3/10.

TRIXIE - Pretty, disco, tacky trash that really fit Trixie in the best way. She really captured her own shape, and it looked astounding. A huge improvement form last week. 10/10.

KENNEDY - She looked very disco, and I loved her outfit so much more than last week - but she had this damned belt that looked cheap as hell and it ruined the whole outfit for me. 7/10.

BEBE - She looked great and this dress was definitely something - but I felt like it looked a little too bulky? I guess it's just me, though. 7/10.

BENDELA - Basic. Nothing to shake a stick at. Meh. I don't have much to say - it wasn't the best, but it also wasn't the worst. 5/10.

The judges ended up reading Aja a lot, which she honestly deserved, because she didn't do her research. She messed up names, and got the 60s mixed up with the 70s - plus her can was also totally not her. They also read Kennedy for her can too, but they enjoyed her dress a lot.

Shangela got read pretty hard, but she took in stride and said that she put her best foot forward. BenDeLa's disco look was always read pretty harshly - at least for BenDeLa - with the judges basically saying they expected 120, and she only gave them 100.

Bebe and Trixies were received very well - the judges loved both of their looks and said that their cans really shined on the runway.

In the end, these were the results:

SAFE: BenDeLa, Kennedy

BOTTOMS: Aja, Shangela

WINNERS: Bebe, Trixie.

(Side bar: I still think Bebe is a mole - even is she won. I know I haven't talked about this before, but these conspiracy have me thinking all kinds of crazy stuff.)

THE LIP SYNCH

This lip synch was a pretty boring rendition of The Boss by Diana Ross - and I say it's boring because it was the same thing we've seen Bebe do before. She stood there and perfectly channeled Ross in her lip synch. Meanwhile, Trixie moved around a lot and flubbed up on the actual lip synching part, but not enough to be considered terrible. I got pretty bored watching it, to be honest.

In the end, Bebe ended up winning and sending Aja home. Admittedly, I would have been disappointed either way. Aja was such a fierce competitor and she started so strong. She really didn't deserve to go home, but neither did Shangela. It was a hard, hard week. I just hope she gets a chance to come back.

AND THEN. AT THE END.

AFTER THE CREDITS. RUPAUL PULLED THIS CRAZY HANDMAID'S TALE THING AND REVEALED THREE QUEENS; BUT THEY DIDN'T LOOK LIKE THEY WERE ACTUALLY FROM THIS SEASON? I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT THINK ABOUT THIS? WHAT IS RU DOING? I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT NEXT WEEK.

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WEEKLY RUCAP | Episode 4: All Stars Snatch Game!

I really thought this was going to be a great Snatch Game - and I was sorely disappointed.

Let me tell you something - everybody looks forward to a good snatch game. And with a team like this - a group that has proven to be both funny, and astounding impersonators - it should have been an AMAZING one. Unfortunately, we were given a game that went on too long, and a bunch of drama that grated on my nerves. I don't know what it is about this season, but something isn't right. Is it the weird fabricated mind games? Or is the clear divide between the talented girls and the girls who don't really deserve to be there?

I don't know.

THE POST-CHALLENGE MEET-UP

This episode was absolutely filled with pettiness - and Milk kicked it off postmortem with her mirror message. It didn't phase any of the queens, because everybody knew how shady Milk was. Nothing jumped out at me with this opening - just Kennedy essentially saying that she sent Milk home for discrediting her drag (which she did). And BenDeLa chose Chi Chi because, well, she's been in the bottom four goddamned times.

Then there was Trixie's little, last second observation. She said that no one was safe, because eliminations weren't based on critiques - they were based on relationships. And that's the gospel truth, because that seems to be the only game most of these girls are playing now.

THE ASSIGNMENTS

There weren't any real assignments this go-around. But RuPaul did reveal that we were doing Snatch Game this week! And right away, everybody is excited. They all start talking about how this challenge shows who the best of the best - and who deserves to be there - which is true. I can't think of one Drag Race winner who didn't do a good job on their Snatch Game performance/

There wasn't a lot that happened during the initial set up - except that Shangela was trying to start some beef with Trixie for no reason - except to get into Trixie's head. It starts with Shangela noticing the note she received from Thorgy after Thorgy's elimination. The note says that Shangela is a shady bitch, and all that. And Trixie is confused - because she also kept Milk's note too.

And yeah, it does seem like a shady thing to do - but I don't think Trixie meant anything by it. Especially because it was hung up in her private area - and it's not like Trixie has ever shown any outward aggression towards Shangela in the past. It seemed very fabricated to me - and Kennedy didn't make it any better after she chimed in. It seems that she and Shangela are taking this alliance thing all the way.

Shangela forgives her, but has Trixie on her list.

Other than that, you have RuPaul going around with special guest, Marc Jacobs, and shading all of the queens' choices. The most shaded were Bebe (who chose the amazing Grace Jones) and Shangela, who actually did a last minute switch from Miss Cleo to Jennifer Lewis.

In the end, this was the line up:

Trixie: RuPaul

Chi Chi: Maya Angelou

Poor Chi Chi didn't get a GIF!

BenDeLa: Paul Lynde

BeBe: Grace Jones

Shangela: Jenifer Lewis

Kennedy: Phaedra Parks

Aja: Crystal Labeija

THE CHALLENGE

This Snatch Game went on forever. Like, far too long - and it wasn't even that good. I sat there watching a lot of the queens go through this train wreck - and the issue was that so many queens who should have done well... tanked. Like bad.

Aja and Bebe were okay. Aja gets some major points for being a huge drag icon and educating some of the masses. After all, who is as iconic as the original mother of the Haus of Labeija? And Bebe was uncharacteristically crass, yet elegant as ever, as Grace Jones. They were both fine, but not incredible.

OH YEAH - AND KRISTEN CHENOWETH WAS JUST THERE? For no reason, except to just hang out and play the game. It's was cute, and she was definitely funny.

BenDeLa and Shangela killed it. BenDeLa once again brought out an iconic portrayal of someone we've never heard of - Paul Lynde - who appeared on a lot of television and film stuff way back when. And Shangela's perfectly sassy portrayal of Jenifer Lewis was hilarious - and had Ru rolling. Of course, I knew these two were going to bring it - they bring it every episode.

Now, we get to the disappointing part of this whole mess. First, Kennedy fell flat as Phaedra Parks of The Real Housewives of Atlanta - she had jokes, they just weren't landing. I was mostly surprised, but also, she has been super up-and-down this season, so not really. And Chi Chi was just bad - she misspelled Maya Angelou's name, and then didn't even deliver on RuPaul's references. It was a train wreck.

The biggest shock of the night was how bad Trixie did as RuPaul. I have always been a fan of Trixie, and I expected her to turn it out this season. She's known for being hilarious, and having watched videos of her live performances - I know she's funny. But her RuPaul was embarrassingly flat - and it didn't read at all. And you could say how much that hurt her throughout the rest of the episode. I was shocked, and disappointed, but also worried.

It can't be easy to know you're failing.

GETTING READY FOR THE RUNWAY

This was surprisingly short, because of the length of the Snatch Game - or maybe it wasn't and the Snatch Game just felt like it went on forever. Either way, this was a speedy transition. We saw Trixie feel horrible about her performance, and almost crumble because of it. BenDeLa admits that Trixie should have won the previous challenge - which Shangela thinks is ingenuous, because Shangela is playing a game that doesn't exist.

And that's all I could remember!

THE RUNWAY

FLOWER POWER

Before we go down the list. I have two points to make:

1. RuPaul's dress was straight up hideous - it was this awful bacon-esque flower monstrosity and I don't know who told her it was okay, but it wasn't.

2. This runway was so fast, I could barely get my ratings down before we moved onto the next queen!

With that, here is my list:

Aja: 10/10 - gorgeous, beautiful, stunning.

Shangela: 9/10 - I loved it so much. She was giving me pregnant flower fantasy and it was amazing.

Bebe: 10/10 - gorgeous, stunning, amazing, ethereal, transcendent, goddess.

Kennedy: 7/10 - a sunflower dress with some sunflowers blooming out of a black dress. Pretty, but not that amazing.

Chi Chi: 6/10 - The judges loved this, but I thought it was too much.

Trixie: 5/10 - This was not her night and this dress reminded me of her Ugliest Dress from a few episodes ago.

BenDeLa: 6/10 - I don't remember her dress.

All in all, this went too fast to really enjoy - but hey, what are you going to do?

CRITIQUES + DELIBERATION

SAFE: AJA + BEBE

WINNERS: SHANGELA + BENDELA

BOTTOM: CHI CHI + KENNEDY + TRIXIE

There wasn't a lot that went into this deliberation. Bebe and Aja were praised for their outfits and told that their Snatch Game performances were decent - and then were told that they were safe. Chi Chi and Kennedy were read for their Snatch Game performances - as was Trixie/

Trixie's critique upset me, because I'm not used to seeing her like that - so emotional. And you could hear the genuine fear and worry in her voice - and it hurt her to admit how scared of the competition she was. I was glad to heard Michelle sticking up for and saying what everyone is thinking: We want to see the real Trixie Mattel.

In the Work Room - we see Trixie confiding to everyone that she's not handling the pressure well. She's having a much worse time than she's been showing, and she can't help it. It's heartbreaking - but it makes sense, because she hasn't really been present. She's faded into the background, and that's not the Trixie I've come to know. It's unfortunate, and I hope she picks herself up next episode.

Chi Chi, when talking with BenDeLa, basically says that she's been in the bottom four times and she's okay to go. It's nice to see her being honest with herself, I just wish she would try a little harder and not sabotage herself.

Then there's Shangela and Kennedy. Shangela gives Trixie a hug, and talks more about her alliance strategy. Trixie explains the note - and they seem to walk away on good terms. But Shangela is playing this weird, manufactured game that none of the other girls are actually playing. And she admits that she still doesn't trust Trixie.

Kennedy thinks she doesn't belong in the bottom - and she totally does - but she doesn't deserve to go home.

THE LIP SYNCH

The lip synch to I Kissing A Girl by Katy Perry is dull. Shangela plays the sexy and BenDeLa plays up the campy comedy. HOWEVER, at the end, when Ru was deciding the winner, I was on the edge of my seat. I knew that if Shangela won then she was definitely sending Trixie home, and that BenDeLa was her only shot. AND THEN RUPAUL SAID THEY BOTH WON, AND I FLIPPED OUT.

BenDeLa revealed that she was sending Chi Chi home - thank god - and then Shangela took her sweet time talking about her choice, before ALSO REVEALING THAT SHE WAS SENDING CHI CHI HOME.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and shut my laptop. This episode wasn't great, but it kept me on the edge of my damned seat, I'll tell you that.

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FILM & TV

WEEKLY RUCAP | Episode 2: Divas Lip Synch Live...

The claws are out honey, and it doesn't look like anybody is safe.

This was probably one of the most up and down episodes of Drag Race herstory. With a lackluster challenge, and an even more lackluster performance from some of these queens - I am left wondering just how this is all going to shake out. Unlike it's previous season, these queens definitely seem to be out for each other's necks - and it doesn't seem like they're afraid to go for the jugular.

THE POST-CHALLENGE MEET UP

We start off the episode with the typical post-previous episode challenge reactions from the queens. It was a lot of BenDeLa being emotional and the other queens not really having it - which is fair. Not even I could stomach her tears for WINNING the previous challenge, but I could just be heartless.

Some highlights were Aja revealing that she wanted to send Chi Chi home (which is what should've happened, tbh), and Chi Chi getting really upset about. It goes to show just how different these queens are - because it felt like last season they didn't take it nearly as personally as these girls do. Everyone wants to win, sure, but this batch of queens has a certain ruthless edge that adds so much more tension to every scene.

Another highlight was Chi Chi (rightfully) being shady towards Milk's performance, which was really boring. Like, she literally just Velcro-ed dresses to a body suit! Come on! And Milk - who seems to think she's much better than she is - got very upset. She thought her talent was both unique and fun (even though Velcro isn't a talent).

THE ASSIGNMENTS

The challenge this week SHOULD HAVE BEEN a good one. The queens were all assigned a different, iconic diva and tasked to perform in a VH1 Diva's Live: Salute to Mama Ru Lip Synch Extravaganza!

Cast List:

Milk: Celine Dion

Kennedy: Janet Jackson

Aja: Amy Winehouse

Chi Chi: Patti LaBelle

Trixie: Dolly Parton

Shangela: Mariah Carey

Thorgy: Stevie Nicks

BenDeLa: Julie Andrews

Bebe: Diana Ross

Everyone seemed pretty happy with their assignments, except for Thorgy, who seems to be pulling a Nina Bo'Nina and calling it a conspiracy. After all, Stevie Nicks isn't realty the same as someone like Mariah Carey and Diana Ross. So that must mean that RuPaul is gunning for her to fail. Right? RIGHT? Of course not. But hey, this is just Thorgy being Thorgy.

Other highlights include Milk getting read for her decision to do literally the least iconic Celine Dion look. And I feel like this is Milk's problem, she's trying to make these really different decisions, but completely forgetting what the challenge is about. Much like in the previous challenge, she is assuming her knowledge of fashion and its conventions are going to get lauded by the judges - but come on, I don't think Celine is known for being this huge fashion icon. Unless I'm wrong?

As for the runway, the queens are given the task of redeeming themselves from the worst looks of their season. And honestly, this is probably one of my favorite runway prompts - because it's really going to show how these queens have grown and if they've learned from their mistakes.

THE REHEARSALS

Todrick Hall is back to choreograph - and it seems like no one is really getting it. Even Kennedy, the dancing diva of the season seems to have trouble getting the steps. Todrick lays into her and makes sure she knows how important her part is - which only seems to rattle Kennedy even more. Kennedy claims it's because she's not a choreography-oriented dancer, but a freestyle one, but come on girl, this is Drag Race. You knew there'd be choreography!

Shangela, the star of the episode in my opinion, came to rehearsals completely in character. She really captured Mariah's diva-ness, so much so that it really got on everybody else's nerves. I lived for it, because I knew that she'd be able to turn it out, and it's nice to see a queen really prove that they have the character down. I just loved it. I love Shangela - she's really killing it this season.

Poor Thorgy is getting really rattled about everything. She doesn't have a lot of choreo and seems to be too into being the real Stevie Nicks to do any kind of funny and campy drag version of her - much to the chagrin of Todrick. And it's very disappointing to watch, because you can see her crashing and burning just like she did in season eight - and I just want to shake her! Because I know she's so good!

The other queens seemed fine - Shangela and Milk are shaping up to be the enemies of the season. And honestly, I have to side with Shangela. Milk has an almost delusional confidence in her abilities, and I think it limits her, because I feel like if she ever gets critiqued... it won't end well. But that's just me.

The rest of the rehearsals felt like typical Drag Race fare - except for this odd moment where Todrick felt the need to pressure the hell out Bebe by reminding her that Diana is Ru's favorite artist of all time. Bebe handled it though - even if she looked a little shook after the conversation.

THE CHALLENGE

This. Challenge. Sucked. The music was bad, and a lot of the performances weren't good. Milk was terribly basic, and she didn't look like Celine Dion. Kennedy just didn't lip synch and looked very nervous. Thorgy also didn't do a good job - it was just boring and unfortunate, because I know she could have done better.

The other queens did a great job with what they were given. Shangela KILLED IT as Mariah, and honestly, she was my favorite part of the night. Chi Chi also did a pretty spot-on Patti LaBelle, and redeemed herself from last episode. BenDeLa did an AMAZING JOB as a rapping Julie Andrews - and was just hilarious, even though she kind of stumbled on her choreography. And Trixie delivered a spot-on Dolly Parton that deserved a lot more recognition than it got.

And I just want to say that this challenge was bad. Not the queens. The challenge sucked, and was a big let down compared to the Herstory challenge of the previous season. Even though a few these girls sucked - I think the challenge as a whole fell flat. What do you think? Am I wrong?

THE RUNWAY

So, I'm just going to list them and give you a score:

Milk: Attempted Glamour, didn't do it very well. 3/10.

Aja: Redid her Princess look from season 9. AND LOOKED AMAZING. 8/10.

Chi Chi: Redid her Neon look and redid it well. 7/10

Trixie: Redid her Ugliest Dress challenge. And it was UGLY. 7/10

Kennedy: The only thing I have written in my notes is "SHE CRYSTALLIZED BITCH" and "SHE. DID. THAT." 10/10

Thorgy: Redid her neon look. Looked better, but really weird. 5/10.

BenDeLa: Attempted to do her Dripping with Jewels dress, and failed. I hated it. 3/10.

Bebe: I don't remember what her old challenge was. But she looked like a strong-ass business woman. I loved it. 10/10

SHANGELA: CAME OUT IN A FULL ON PLASTIC BUBBLE DRESSED IN A BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS COLORED SUIT. AND IT WAS AMAZING. 20/10. LOVED IT.

This runway definitely made up for the horrible challenge. It was both nostalgic and very telling of these queens' skill level and taste evolution.

TOPS/BOTTOMS

The TOPS were obviously: Shangela, Bebe, and BenDeLa.

The BOTTOMS were surprisingly: Chi Chi, Thorgy, and Kennedy.

And the safe queens were: Milk, Aja, and Trixie.

I also want to point out that Milk got VERBALLY upset about being safe and talked about it in front of Ru. And man, I cannot see that helping her as the competition progresses.

WINNERS/BOTTOM TWO/LIP-SYNCH

Shangela and BenDeLa won, which is great, but part of me wonders if BenDeLa is going to be the Alaska of the season? But also, she does deserve all of the wins - maybe I'm just not used to so much talent.

Meanwhile, Kennedy and Thorgy wound up being the Bottom Two.

During the deliberation, the had their usual interviews. But most of the attention was given to Milk, who seems to be really upset that the judges aren't falling in love with her? Like, this girl CRIED because she was SAFE - and none of the other girls were having it. And frankly, neither was I. I really do think that Milk is edging on delusional - and it's crazy. I hope she comes back down to planet earth so I can start liking her again.

The Lip Synch was surprisingly basic. BenDeLa did a funny schtick, but Shangela used her typical Haus of Edwards flare to secure a win and send Thorgy home.

Thorgy was upset - and as she lamented on how upset she was and how she wasn't ready to go home, Ru showed up on the screen. And after delivering yet another Handmaid's Tale themed call-back - informed Thorgy she had her back.

I really want to know what kind of challenge is going to bring these queens back - and how they could POSSIBLY drag up Handmaid's Tale.

Here's to another episode of a very weird season.

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