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

Well that was not surprising — but having forgotten the wheel, I wasn’t expecting that top two.

Also honest surprise at Miss Congeniality! But a very cool choice.

And so All Stars will be on Paramount+ — well well.

even with the wheel, i wasn’t expecting that top two.
pretty underwhelming overall, especially considering all the forced build up

The Chi Chi DeVayne tribute was (for awfully sad reasons of course) the highlight for me. (On a funnier note, Rose getting in Ellie Diamond's name was up there.)

yeah those two were the highlights. and the whole rose family!

Oh yeah they were amazing! The sister with that crazy glass!

Also I was terribly amused at the cheering crowd sound vs. the actual drive-in audience, which struck me as, how you say, not quite the same.

I don't know, I thought it was all kind of sweet and low key. The interviews seemed genuinely warmer than they usually are, too. As soon as Ru pointed out that poor Rosé had buggered up her ankle (and was wearing some awful outfit, holy crap, that was a terrible outfit), it was clear that she wasn't going to win her lipsync.

I loved Symone's family saying "on RuPaul," as if it was Oprah.

I was so glad LaLa got Miss Congeniality, she seemed so genuinely kind & friendly. i would have been pissed if they gave it to Olivia

i felt bad for Rosé, i know she would have turned that lip sync out way more if not for her ankle. I would have loved her & Symone as top 2 but the end result was still wonderful

and Symone’s looks! fucking hell she killed it. that red look with the nails!?!?! jesus.

and yeah the interviews were really warm & funny, i enjoyed the show overall even though it was weird & low key

and yeah the ChiChi tribute was beautiful

the final final four reaction to the winner is v lovely & legit

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CODmnZlB4KS/

Did anyone else watch Down Under? After the Vice article, the gulf between the haves and the have-nots was really apparent on this show. Also, I can't believe it never occurred to me that drag queens all wear those huge-framed glasses because they have no eyebrows.

gonna sit this one out, we just came out of two simultaneous seasons, one of which lasted for roughly a decade

I know RuPaul's strategy is to basically go nonstop and smother pop culture but she needs to give it and us a rest

how.could they not use a kylie song for the lipsync

You'd think that, yes.

Bit of a thrown-together feeling, Down Under. It's kinda weird realizing it's not a full restriction production as US/UK are but now almost feels too small in a way? But I have to wonder if that was literally down to availability given everything else filming there when almost nowhere else was able to. Plus, clearly no guest judges at all except being beamed in, etc. Though in a weird way having it always be just this core three kinda means they'll see every step of the way.

Did think it wasn't the BEST look that the first queen to leave was the (apparently only?) Indigenous Australian. But was amused that the second was the one I thought they might be biased towards given the separate series they already had on WOW+...

The other thing that stands out for me is reallllly subtle but, even more so than some of the other non-US series, there's a different, distinct editing and camera 'feel' to the whole thing -- different angles and choices and the like.

Only seen the first ep so far, but am hoping they use a different Australian and New Zealand act for lipsync every week, instead of Kylie eight times!

Did think it wasn't the BEST look that the first queen to leave was the (apparently only?) Indigenous Australian.

It really sucked that she was sent to the battle, but once she got there, so did her lipsync. Presumably there aren't enough eps to do a ~dramatic re-entry~ to the competition later, either.

Cringed out of my entire skin when Ru entered saying "GEE DYE GEE DYE!"

The combination of distanced staging, remote filming and even-cheaper-than-usual facilities do make it feel especially stilted. And when Rhys was announced as the third chair, I thought it was perfect casting, but cutting and splicing his lines around pre-written puns by Michelle and written-and-recorded-later comments from Ru is absolutely hobbling him.

ok have watched #2 and there is an even bigger obvious reason not to do Kylie that week

I was waiting for your reaction

I've come out of these first two episodes of DRDU feeling like my head's been pummelled, the fast pace* and lack of relief / weird stilted editing where it feels like everybody is in different places (maybe because they are) / extremely high in the mix music and sound effects is making it very tough going

*it even feels like it's all been sped up like 10%, but maybe that's just my weary brain struggling to keep up

I think I'm looking forward to the Spanish one just because, as with Thailand/Canada/Holland, not having Ru/Michelle as the center allows for other approaches or dynamics.

I'm mildly terrified at this vision

A customer asked me if I watched Roald Dahl's Drag Race

— Jordan Penny (@jordanpenny) May 18, 2021

for the mini challenge you have to choose the method of the violent death of your parents

it was ridiculous enough for karen to tell elektra "you don't need money to win", but michelle's "you need to elevate your drag" was like, how, girl? by selling one of her kidneys?

Since Drag Race started, the show has appeared to take on board criticisms of misogyny (you don't hear a lot of talk about tuna anymore), racism (I don't know how successful this is, I am not an expert), and trans inclusiveness. I wonder if this will be the year they listen to the money criticisms and finally just do what they should have been doing since the show became successful: give every participating queen a budget and do not let them spend beyond it. Also, more challenges where they have to make stuff from scratch and chat about their lives while they do it. Infinitely more entertaining than another unfunny musical number.

Quite.

The cast preview for Spain was fun enough, let's see what happens; first episode this Sunday. Down Under chugging along and I'm not surprised Art's back. I am surprised it was that soon.

And now...

https://ew.com/tv/rupauls-drag-race-all-stars-6-cast-revealed-exclusive-interviews/

RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars 6 cast members: A'Keria C. Davenport, Eureka, Ginger Minj, Jan, Jiggly Caliente, Kylie Sonique Love, Pandora Boxx, Ra'Jah O'Hara, Scarlet Envy, Serena Cha Cha, Silky Nutmeg Ganache, Trinity K. Bonet, and Yara Sofia

is it just me or is this a weird cast

It's a VERY weird cast.

.. and the reason they brought Pandora back is to immediately pair her up w Jiggly

but really, this is like RuPaul We Could Only Get These Queens Race

With Jan back, let's see if they bring Rose back next year.

Seems pretty rigged to give Ginger the crown. (Or maaaybe Yara.)

Ginger and Eureka and Silky = literally no one else getting a word in edgeways

lmao at Serena Cha Cha

I think this cast is the inflection point where AS's cast goes from plausible to "yeah, we've reached the bottom of the barrel."

which is bound to happen when you do 6 all star seasons out of 13 regular seasons..

looking forward to RuPaul’s Best of All Stars

We’ll be down to RuPaul’s Bum Fights in a couple of years

lol at bum fights, guess they will go back to the zombie apocalypse, fighting over material in bins behind Beverley hills stores, which might not be a bad thing!, the 'glow up' of the show through seasons became a naff 'drag intern' gig for rupaul PLC.INC product whoring, Ru truly is the lost kardashian...enjoyed drag race UK and Netherlands a lot more than any of the recent US ones.

as a RuPaul hater (yet i watch), it pleases me endlessly that this show is firmly in its flop era now (don't tell me about its ratings)

"Strike while the iron's hot" has always been the strategy here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKMYs-9LW2w

Hey, well, honestly, Ru is an icon and I respect and love that the show can be a shining light of visablity for, not just queer identity but POC. I think this was a show that really made me realise just how much TV I have watched is constructed for a white audience. I knew it abstractly, for sure, but I've really felt it in the life of this show. The competition has gone pretty stale for me, fierceness replaced by familiarity, the Ru girls growing up in the age of drag race have changed it a lot and I miss the naivety. But the joy has always been about those c.u.n.t.y. queens themselves, regardless of the Ru-Corp stuff that also drags now

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

willam, manilla, todrick lols


https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyZtD2aa8UmbRS_-FAN6Yfbn2_s3QdShZ

unmissable for all Trixie fans

sorry for barging into the thread, heres some funny things you guys might not have seen

DRDU pivoting to a fully white case very quickly was bad enough but to then bring back the one eliminated white contestant with no real explanation or justification, yikes

And THEN having the most recent episode be about the blackface incident noted upthread. Gee interesting you bring it up at THIS point in the show. I'll still watch away but this is all something of a muddle.

BUT Drag Race España? GREAT out of the gate. It's both got its own vibe and reminds me of nothing so much as Drag Race Thailand -- it's using the model but is far less beholden to the direct Ru empire (like Thailand and unlike any of the other shows, there's no direct Ru/Michelle etc involvement, not even via video messages or the like), the judging panel is five all told counting the guest judge each week, the main host is personable, plus two wonderfully camp men (actor/directors who created the Veneno series) and the Michelle equivalent is an actual fashion designer (a bit like Drag Race Holland IIRC). Personalities among the contestants are a nice mix and I'm already hoping Inti heads to the final, even if she was safe this week.

I've come out of these first two episodes of DRDU feeling like my head's been pummelled, the fast pace* and lack of relief / weird stilted editing where it feels like everybody is in different places (maybe because they are) / extremely high in the mix music and sound effects is making it very tough going

What was with the weird cutaways to Ru this week? Very odd.

Look, at least that apology was a real apology and not just "I'm sorry if you were offended." But yes, the whole thing just feels too frantic, as if we'll all notice how shoddy it is if they slow it down at all.

Seriously, what is up with all the sound effects ?

The All Stars 6 cast is really weird. There's way too many of them (13 instead of the usual 10), which could've been cut down easily. It just feels like it's RuPaul's Queens who've been on Drag Race Before. And I don't mind them casting All Stars 1 girls every year, cause it's not a well known or well loved season. But Ginger Minj already did All Stars 2, which is arguably the best and most famous season of All Stars ever ! Should they give Katya or Alyssa another go too ?

Should they give Katya or Alyssa another go too ?

I mean, the obvious answer now is yes.

...can they have her be the permanent guest judge and just read everyone involved for filth?

HOLD ON pic.twitter.com/zUURMfsaRs

— grant (pride edition) 🧔🏻🏳️‍🌈 (@urdadssidepiece) June 8, 2021

Anyway, trailer in full

WATCH: #DragRace #AllStars6 Official Trailer Paramount+ https://t.co/qrpcguezQx

— RuPaul (@RuPaul) June 8, 2021

Down Under...continues. (It wraps up next week and I'm just fine with that!) España continues to be much better -- and we had a pretty classic/dramatic "I'm out!" moment when Inti left, and frankly I don't blame her all that much because that was a hell of a look on the runway.

Meantime, though, read this:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/paris-is-burning-emcee-junior-labeija-pose-rupaul-1234964404/

RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under: Local version of hit reality TV series missteps when it comes to race and representation

For a country where roughly one in three people aren't Anglo, half are first- or second-generation migrants and one in five speak non-English languages at home – and with one of the most multicultural drag scenes – some felt the casting was … qwhite odd.

Of the ten competing queens, there is only one Aboriginal and one Polynesian queen.

the scenes in the workroom where Adams discussed her problematic "past" (although tbh I'm not of a mindset that 2018 is that long ago) were so obviously a prompted set-up, the way all workroom scenes are. "Tell me about a time when..." It's really obvious that they waited until they had eliminated all the non-white queens to have this discussion, to avoid the risk of having one of them say that, actually they don't forgive Adams. That wouldn't have played into RuPaul's own beliefs around #cancellations. I also noticed in that scene that Karen From Finance was very quiet despite their golliwog collection and tattoo.