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

About time for this, I figure! Fifth season premiered yesterday.

condragulations

Quite right!

this show is kind of fascinating in a "gender is all performance!" way - everyone congratulating each other (incl the judges) on how well they achieve some kind of archetypal female-ness

Okay come on, I KNOW I'm not the only person on here watching.

I promise to start now.

Marilyn Monroe should've been in the bottom. She didn't do anything.

Yeah that was an epic flop. I like Ivy well enough but that made me go "Whuh?"

Jinkx, Alaska and Roxy were the best overall, but Jinkx just owned it period.

I like Ivy too and I think she was lucky she didn't have to lipsynch against Lineysha. I didn't expect her to do so well (but her Celia Cruz was unforgiveable).

Deep clusterfuck, that. Also what WAS Detox thinking.

um hi I just started watching season 5 online having never watched and omg I'm hooked

I'll be caught up in no time :D

Don't forget to watch Untucked, an essential part of this show!

Yeah I just figured that out...gotta love these bitchy girls. MORE drag homework? *twists arm*

Very good. Join us, join us...

Shanté, you stay!

Season 2 still the best so far, I think.

I just binge-rewatched season 3 over the weekend on Netflix and I might have to vote for that one. Then again I just like Raja a hell of a lot, so.

Yes for Raja and Manila. But the rest, not so interesting. Yara-Sophia maybe...

It actually came down to the right final four I thought, Alexis was a character in her own right. But yeah Yara (Xara?) was next level.

I still haven't seen season four! For some stupid reason it's not on Netflix -- it was for about two seconds and then went away again without explanation. (Already know who won, obv., but I'd like to see it happen.)

Wait what!! Can't you watch it on logo online or something? We can't in Canada but I thought you could in the US.
Season 4 was pretty good, although they tried to create too much unnecessary drama. But I'll let you see by yourself.

You can see the Untucked episodes from season 4 on the site but not the main shows. Since you can buy all the shows from iTunes maybe they want to go that route? Who knows!

Makes sense. If RuPaul had a dollar everytime she mentions iTunes...

Hey, house payments are probably up there. (And I don't begrudge Ru ANY success and trappings.)

I don't either. At least she's very upfront and funny about it.

Fun fact we learned during the All Stars season: Jujubee's real name is actually Airplane!

Hahaha yeah I remember thinking "Wait, what?"

I also love that Manila's real name is the none-more-Minnesota Karl Westerberg.

Lol wow

Almost caught up on S5 now yay!

Every single time Alyssa glams up for the runway all I think is JOAN COLLINS JOAN COLLINS JOAN COLLINS

I don't know why but I think I like Detox. Jinkx is great but I dunno if the unglam thing is going to hold out for her or not. I love her for it, but it could wear thin.

I will say this, have started following her on FB -- win or lose she seems to be having a blast and is booked for other live appearances and things and more this year already, so I like to think of her as winning already!

Meanwhile, it's a little surprising to see such a mostly white group at this point. Not that I think the show is biased, appears to be more luck of the draw season by season in terms of who survives.

that little edie impersonation was fuckin awesome in the last ep. too bad her fashion totally sucks.

I found s2 streaming on Amazon Prime, so yaaaay

Meantime:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/02/27/drag_race_grey_gardens_and_jinx_monsoon_why_the_queens_need_camp.html

I do have to quibble with some of the assertions there -- while Sharon's success in 4 is great, in 3 Raja was more than a little disruptive herself -- as was Manila really; if anything Alexis was the one let go at the end precisely for being full pageant.

I haven't watched all the seasons, but I don't get the impression that they are only seeking pageant or necessarily favoring that. And while I noticed the lack of "camp history" in the S5 girls, isn't there an argument that maybe a lot of queens are trying to let go of that, like that cliche of teens not wanting to know about older music? I mean, I'm bummed that they don't know who Little Edie is but maybe when they see Jinkxs win they go find out. And it doesn't mean they're any more terrible for what they don't know of their history. If anything, it's kind of fabulous that they all came to that same place *without* it.
I dunno. That article seemed a little too buttclenched.

Related but I think better expressed post, linked off the official site

http://www.newnownext.com/drag-race-jinkx-monsoon-snatch-game-little-edie/02/2013/

Oh and in checking Twitter Alyssa DID apologize to Ms. Perry.

Also this exchange is interesting (notice it's everyone else BUT Jinkx and Michelle who get riled up -- and as Michelle notes, in noting the obvious, there's always editing).

https://twitter.com/JinkxMonsoon/status/306550634079977473

This is better than what they showed on the show:

http://www.newnownext.com/jinkx-monsoon-little-edie-rupauls-drag-race/02/2013/

My Top 5 Snatch Game contestants from all seasons:

1. Sharon Needles as Michelle Visage
2. Pandora Boxx as Carole Channing
3. Tatianna as Britney Spears
4. Jinkx Monsoon as Little Edie
5. Alexis Matteo as Alicia Keys

Only three eps in (S5; no previous exposure to the show). Anyone care to rank the hottest queens out of drag? So far from S5 I'm into Lineysha and, oddly, Ivy.

xpost I just watched the S2 Snatch Game, Pandora's Carol Channing was hysterical, so good.

Lineysha's gorgeous. Ivy's not a crazy answer either, that bone structure really is something else. I was thinking about her terrible Marilyn and found myself wondering why the hell she didn't do Joan Rivers. Eh. Hindsight

Yes she would've been a great Joan Rivers!

Yeah, I know this is probably the exact rongest angle to take on the show, but I'm finding it very interesting navigating my impressions/levels of attraction to certain contestants when they're in drag vs. when they're not in drag.

Alyssa's *almost* attractive but it's like her lips are too big for her and she keeps tripping over them when she talks. Beautiful eyes though.

Coco's blue contacts freak me out. I keep expecting them to shoot lasers

Haha Alyssa looks like Will Arnett in AND out of drag.

Hottest out of drag:

S1: Jade
S2: Tyra, Raven
S3: Raja, Carmen, Mariah
S4: PhiPhi, Lashauwn
S5: Lineysha

xp otm

Well, actually, in drag he often reminds me of Hugo Weaving.

xpost elmo otm! Defnitely Will Arnett out of drag. In drag as mentioned upthread I just get constant Joan Collins, lol

Yeah this'll be a treat I figure. I think they might have played a strong card early with Snatch Game being the second episode but hell, great results.

i am excited to see how the strategy plays out given how competitive so many of them are esp Shea & Trinity & Monet … and Jinx too it seems

oh and Jinx’s callback to Dave from the makeover ep of S5 as Judy Garland was outrageous & everything i wanted. SO good

Yeah that was a deep fucking cut in the best way. (Hell I even remember hearing -- from Race Chaser I think -- how about how he was the guy in the 6th season episode where the queens were doing a roast or a comedy set in front a live audience, delivered the 'you're not funny' or 'tell a joke' comment and -- not in the final cut -- how Bianca came out and roasted Dave in response.)

some reviews were concerned the new rules will result in less drama and i find i’m too busy loving the energy and the camaraderie to care. the drag race is not just about the prize but about showcasing yourself, especially all stars, and bringing your best and not being able to show it must be soul crushing. so taking that element out somehow magically worked in show’s favor, it really feels like removing that stress made a huge difference. like everybody just letting jinx pretty much take over the snatch game because how could you not?!

on regular seasons the repeated sentiment is, don’t forget to have fun and then you’ll excel and it really shows here. although it’s not just that and everybody really is fucking amazing. like that ridiculous gown trinity wore? we were cheering and laughing our asses off at the same time. so good.

and such great song choices so far, why can’t they do it more often??

.. really nice to have such season after the disappointment that UK vs the world was

willam said on race chaser that trinity’s dress in ep1 was so crazy that she had to get dressed ~on~ the runway XD

some reviews were concerned the new rules will result in less drama and i find i’m too busy loving the energy and the camaraderie to care.

Strongly agree with all of this. It's almost as if the producers read our thread about Junior Bake Off, in which everyone agreed that it would be better not to eliminate people week by week, but just keep the same fun bunch till the end and crown a winner.

yeah that’s one of the things i liked about the school of chocolate

xp vegemitegrrl - that’s awesome/hilarious!

Raja should have been in the top
that Vanna White was ~swoon~

Just going to boot toot my own horn here:

There's only 8 contestants so maybe nobody's going to get eliminated? Unless we get an abbreviated season.

Echoing everyone ITT, eliminating ANY of this cast would've been a travesty (because notwithstanding Raja's read, there are no boogers in this cast). I mean, we all love messy drama but the effusive love and support is so beautiful, I honestly hope that the regular show takes some lessons from this somehow.

Jinkx ruled Snatch Game so hard -- I don't think she necessarily won her lipsync but anybody else getting the W that week would've looked tacky as hell. I also really liked TTT's Leslie Jordan, she showed a lot more range than I expected.

I'm such a stan for Jaida's fashion, and like Jinkx's SG, she pwned the runway so hard in the ball (she also turned out a great LS too).

I also thought that Yvie's eleganza was super strong too: cute and edgy and editorial. And I think this may be a redemptive show for her, considering how often she butted heads with other comptetitors in her original season, and how she didn't embarrass herself in SG this time around.

that Vanna White was ~swoon~

Truly, and of course how amazing she herself was there -- the reactions were top notch (especially Raja's!)

yeah the reacts were everything

the pit stop with Bob and Katya was hilarious, dying at "Alyssa Edwards Scissorhands"

That was absolutely amazing.

https://sfist.com/2022/06/02/honey-mahogany-officially-declares-shes-running-for-district-6-supervisor/

Imagine if she gets elected and RPDR drags her back to reset her show timer.

her platform is caftans for all

As I'm District 9 I can only cheer her on from over here.

I just have one thing to say about today's episode

@rupaul looks like he's from Middle Earth and should be called Lord Of the Blings. #dragrace #allstars7 pic.twitter.com/vJw93SiJSK

— Domino's Pizza ROI (@Dominos_ROI) June 3, 2022

ru’s look was the funniest (possibly the only funny) thing in the ep

Jesus, that was painful.

Runway looks were good though.

I didn't like Yvie's or Shea's. I didn't get spikes from Shea's really. She had some on her cape, but they had fallen over by the time she got to the runway, and I didn't know what she was supposed to be, really. But yes, the others looked magnificent.

shea’s was weird & the waist/hip part of it kinda looked like a diaper?

loved The Vivienne this week - improv, runway & lipsync, all of it - she was stunnin’
so glad she’s on the board

also raja’s runway was dope

i felt picky but bob on pitstop said the same so: Trinity’s was a STAKE. that aint no spike.

also on pitstop this week bob did an amazing pisstake of ross’s “you know that thing” speeches on judging panel

fkn hilarious

i like ross but omg it drives me crazy sometimes

Hahah I must watch that later.

Really wretched news from Alaska — her father passed in an accident this past weekend

https://m.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=558947988933012&id=100044534465199&set=a.236199881207826&source=48

yeah i just saw that this evening. poor alaska. so fucking sad.

So on a happier note that was a fun enough episode today. But the Untucked was even better for half the queens' high school photos. Raja's 1992 shot was VERY 1992.

great ep, everyone really showed their allstar quality in the challenge.

so in love with Viv, she’s so fucking funny. the character she did was so fully formed, and all the little details were so right

raja saying she graduated in 1992 and i am like…wait she’s only a year older than me … and they clown her for being methuselah!?!💀💀💀

Yeah that was a bit of a gut check moment. Dear oh dear.

A little delayed but Drag Race España ended about where I figured it would -- Sharonne was an awesome competitor, but Estrella Xtravaganza was a hell of a season narrator (you always need a really good one) and I wouldn't be surprised if she's the real breakout star.

Why aren’t any of the judges allowed to give any actual critique this season??

It’s funny that at this point the only people with two stars are the clear front runner and the clear bottom two

i think the lack of critique is theoretically bc its the winners season - like they all already won so this is gravy? i guess?
i dont mind it tbh

also this is embarrassing but i had only seen tove lo’s name in print & didnt know that was how it’s pronounced lol

lmao girl I don’t think anyone did

that Dolly lipsync made my day for real

one of my most fave Dolly songs!

Yeah that was good fun.

I appreciate Ross going for it with the soul patch

No let up meantime -- Drag Race Philippines in August as earlier noted, meantime Canada Season 3 arrives mid-July.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTfF1-_3DRQ

And Drag Race France with Nicky Doll as the main host incoming:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3IhAeUJ0AU

omg Ross’s Carson Daly was so funny

I honestly wondered who they brought in top play Carson, that soul patch really threw me off.

Shea robbed this week.

Loved Two Vay's helmet.

It’s funny that at this point the only people with two stars are the clear front runner and the clear bottom two

I had sort of the same thought.

It was strange that Trinity and Raja seemed to get by far the strongest praise from the judges, but in the end the producers just really wanted Vivienne to revenge block Jinkx.

yeah they love that drama

i loved Viv’s wig in the girl group challenge!

Shea robbed this week.

Her runway probably destroyed any chance she had. I mean, what happened ? She is usually so polished and perfect, but that wig and that outfit were not even close.

The outfit I was willing to give her when they put the side-by-side up ... but that wig wasn't within a (ahem) country mile of a Dolly coif.

Bob said on Pit Stop - you have to play the hits for this kind of runway. I agree sort of but I kinda liked that Shea went to that look. I just think it was understyled/under-padded maybe & definitely she needed more hair

the fit in the pants was not great

The relentlessly positive judging really annoyed me this week. In a normal episode, they would have dragged Jinkx for a corset with a bit of net stuck on it, which didn't reference the original outfit one bit. And they would've remarked that both Trinity and Viv did the exact same silhouette they always do. And that Shea obviously ran out of time and just wore leggings and a bit of a ruffle and a headscarf. I mean, I liked the outfit, but that was not her original intention at all.

Jesus, that was painful.

the overly positive judging was okay when everybody was doing great but not so much anymore

yes but THE RUNWAY OMG