Bon retour, mes chers lecteurs, dans plus de classements! Drag Race Belgique Season 2 Episode 2 was titled “Drag-en-Ciel,” and it was a design challenge with a single color theme. Each queen was randomly assigned one color for her constructed outfit.
(“En ciel” mean “in the sky” and is a play on “arc-en-ciel,” which is the French phrase for “rainbow.”)
Vous êtes-vous déjà demandé ce qui se passerait si toutes les reines échouaient à un défi? C’est bon pour l’emission si les reines se font bien. Mais la série ne peut pas faire grand-chose aider quand tous le reines se débattent avec le même défi.
The cast of Drag Race Belgique Season 2 did not completely fail at this single-color design challenge, but they came dangerously close.
The challenge included a bevy of what seemed like conventional materials that wouldn’t be hard to work with. Yet, on the whole this cast doesn’t seem to have an eye for styling – nor do they have or the punk spirit of last season. Even the high placements could have been bottom material on a stronger design challenge.
That made this episode drag a bit, since none of the workroom gnashing-of-teeth resulted in any truly awesome runway moments. Since it was a design challenge and not a ball, there were no other more-polished runways to rely on.
Drag Race has a vested interest in putting on a show, and when everyone fails it needs to turn that into a spectacle like “Shakesqueer” or the Season 14 Snatch Game to keep things entertaining. But, there was no righteous rage from Rita Baga this episode – that’s not Belgique’s style. Even the bottom queens were treated gently, and ultimately the right queen went home.
Drag Race Belgique is at its best when leaning into intellectualism and its national identity, but this felt like it could have been an episode of any franchise. The combination of underwhelming designs and a muted response from the judges – plus a distinct lack of nerve amongst the contestants – made for a weak episode.
What does that mean for our Power Rankings? Some shake-ups from the Episode 1 “De Retour” talent show rankings as a quiet queen makes her move, a confident queen stumbled, and a safe queen seems to be doing pretty darn well.
(Want to watch Drag Race Belgique outside of Belgium? For most of the world, it’s available with a Wow Presents Plus subscription as soon as the episode is done airing.)
Lecteurs, start your engines. Et, que la meilleure Drag Queen gagne!
Reminders: I consistently refer to Drag Race artists with their drag names and with she/her pronouns even when they are not in drag, which is the convention of the show. Some performers may have different personal pronouns. Drag is inherently brave, political, and artistic, and all drag is valid. It’s also hard to do. Every drag artist in the world deserves endless essays dedicated to their talents and life stories. I’m commenting on drag artistry in how it fits the established expectations of this specific television program, but the reason I’m commenting at all is because I am obsessed with drag and the people who create it.
Drag Race Belgique Season 2 Episode 2 – Drag-en-Ciel Power Rankings
Before we get to our power ranking, let’s spend a moment with our host Rita Baga – because I’m starting to think that the production and styling team have a specific vendetta against Ms. Baga.
First, in the workroom, we never get full-body shots of her aside from a quick sprint down the stairs. I have to play the episode at 10% speed to catch just one useable frame. Plus, the mid-shots are shot from beneath her face. No person of a certain age wants to be shot from beneath their chin.
Despite the camera work, I actually loved this ensemble. The gold-patterned suit is sharp and tailored well (finally!), and I love that Rita is extra enough to wear it sans shirt and dripping in gold chains. It’s altogether camp as tits and I love it.
Then, on the runway, the sabotage continues for a second week. This “Bene Gesserit by way of The Matrix” costume has some attractive elements, but… there are problems. No drag queen is done any favors by a head sock. The deep emerald of the wrap around the bustline is too dark to read against the black vinyl. It just looks muddled. Is it the same color as the interior of the half-cape, which looks so much brighter?!
If so, we’ll have to add the lighting designers to the list of production team members who have it out for Rita.
#1 – Loulou Velvet (was #3)
Loulou Velvet is the queen in this cast with the the most fully-realized aesthetic (and seemingly the most fashion experience), so it was no surprise to see her walk away with an uncontested win in the Drag-en-Ciel design challenge.
Loulou’s pouf dress with a plunging square neckline gave us a marvelous silhouette. It had some baggy, wrinkly qualities, but I think that was down to the texture of the fabric she chose to work with (linen, perhaps?) and not due to any errors on her part. This look might have been more thrilling rended in white leather or vinyl, but it would have lost the softness that made the skirt work so well.
Also, I loved that Loulou used her own hair in this look. Last episode hinted that she might rely on severe “black hair / red lip” Bettie Page burlesque styling, but I think white and pastels suite her just as well. She didn’t even need such a dark lip to anchor the look – something paler with a more glistening makeup look may have fit this runway even better.
Right now it feels like Loulou Velvet could be a full-package queen who could push all the way to the finale in this cast. Yet, I still worry about her subtle qualities when it comes time to be loud and stupid. Next week’s Girl Groups challenge should put that to the test. If Loulou doesn’t fade into the background we could have our first confirmed finalist on our hands.
#2 – Alvilda (was #2)
(Facebook | Instagram | TikTok)
Alvilda est peut-être la reine qui m’excite le plus dans ce casting. She has punk energy and a boundary-pushing vision in her drag. Yet, she is also one of the many queens in this cast who seem to lack nerve – and, it do take nerve to win Drag Race.
Alvilda’s incredibly simple halter dress for this “Drag-en-Ciel” runway was saved by good styling and presentation, including her orange wrap, lengthy train, sexy runway walk, and makeup that screamed “Paris Hilton.” Yet, despite her confidence on the runway, Alvilda seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown both before and after she walked her look.
Combined with her slip-up in the Talent Show last week, I get the picture of a queen whose outer confidence is being undermined by an overthinking inner saboteur.
Can two spectacular showings in a row shake the anxiety out of Alvilda and help her build up her nerve? If she shows weakness in next week’s Girl Groups challenge I think more-confident performers like Star and La Veuve are going to quickly surpass her. In a season this short, there’s really no time to ease your way into showing the judges the strength of your nerve.
#3 – Star (was #4)
Star turned in one of the best-constructed “Drag-en-Ciel” looks of the evening.I was surprised she was not in the top for it over a puzzling look from Madame Yoko or Alvilda’s plain-but-well-presented dress.
Even if it wasn’t exciting, Star’s mauve leather wrap dress with an exposed bustier was one of the most-coherent looks of the “Drag-en-Ciel” challenge. It was clear how much work she put into the construction from the pleating on the front. Yet, I think the unlined, un-dyed interior of the leather really dragged this down.
I know full well how much effort it would have taken to line this entire leather skirt without making the exterior hopelessly puckered. But, a darker purple interior to the skirt would’ve been much more striking than the tan leather that was nearly the same color as Star’s leggings.
It’s hard to say at this point if the judges are holding off on giving a veteran like Star her accolades so she isn’t such an obvious frontrunner or if Rita truly isn’t feeling her. I strongly suspect Star will be in the top next week for Girl Groups unless she comes off too dowdy, and she could also be powerful in Snatch Game and acting challenges that are sure to follow. That’s could create a string of high placements for Star that will solidify her standings in the home stretch.
To reach that point, It might really come down to whether Star has the power to excite the judges on the runway. That became a real dividing factor as things got tighter last season.
#4 – La Veuve, 1 win (was #1)
(Facebook | Instagram | Links)
La Veuve delivered a surprise this week – but, not a good one! After a carefully considered talent show performance last week, she barely escaped a lip sync this week with a plain, draped dress with many unconsidered details.
I’m not sure what to say about this “Drag-en-Ciel” dress except that it was underwhelming. It really was just a loose tube of fabric that La Veuve belted in the middle. The chest was so underwhelming. Trying to distract from it with a flimsy scarf and an unhemmed bolt of loose fabric as a sash didn’t do her any favors, nor did her poof of hair.
I think any number of simple changes could’ve completely altered this look for the better. The skirt could have had a slit that revealed the interior was lined with the sash fabric. Or, the sash fabric could have been a panel of the skirt, at first hidden in its folds but then revealed during La Veuve’s runway walk. Anything to take away from the intense plainness of the garment.
Even if we give the plainness a pass, I was surprised by a muddled runway presentation from La Veuve. Her insistence to infuse her runway walk with “evil queen” acting was already on the cringe side for me before she stumbled over the folds of her dress. I think there was a way to walk this with a severe attitude to give the same vibe without taking it to such a play-acting place.
Altogether, I found La Veuve’s trip to the bottom in this episode very deserved but very surprising. I had her pegged for a confident queen who would always sweat the details, but this suggests that she has some drag delusions to contend with. It was a combination of overthinking and underthinking. I’ll be interested to see if this is a one-off stumble, or if this will be a trend on future episodes.
#5 – Gabanna, 1 lip sync (was #9)
(Facebook | Instagram | Merch | TikTok)
Gabanna managed to land firmly in the middle of the pack in this “Drag-en-Ciel” design challenge … in an outfit that would’ve surely sent her to the lip sync on many other franchises.
This gold ensemble barely had a single coherent idea to hold it together. The skirt was just a bolt of fabric pinned at the waist. The four awkward straps at the neckline were hanging on to the bodice for dear life, which made the top of the hem look uneven. One leg had a golden legging while the other was nude for no reason whatsoever. The massive neck cuff combined with long hair made it look like Gabanna’s head was floating with no connection to her body. And, the hair was a wretched color choice (and, once again, flatter than my actual hair).
I remain in shock that Gabanna wasn’t in the bottom for this instead of Chloe Clarke, whose outfit was at least based on a coherent idea. Also, I don’t understand why Gabanna paints so heavily when she has a very soft, handsome face. Even on her Instagram all of her looks are so severe. You have to really scroll to find shots that plainly show off her natural beauty.
So far, Gabanna’s drag just isn’t very draggy. It lacks a perspective to stamp it as uniquely her own. Yet, there is a solid chance that she could emerge a surprise winner of next week’s Girl Groups challenge as one of the best singers in the cast. Even if she doesn’t, I get the feeling that Gabanna may have a ticket to mid-season safety for being the only somewhat-bitchy queen in this cast who is willing to be slightly outspoken and villainous. There are several duller queens to cut before her time comes.
#6 – Morphae (was #5)
(Website | Instagram | TikTok)
Morphae is a needy young queen seeking validation from the judges for turning in the barest scraps of conceptual work.
Morphae’s “Drag-en-Ciel” dress was… adequate. An asymmetrical bustline doesn’t automatically make something avant garde fashion. It was like a watered-down Drag Couenne look and the construction was awkward… but, not as awkward as Morphae slouching back to Untucked after she was called safe, where she threatened to quit because the judges don’t “understand” her drag.
Rita very kindly threw her a bone with a comment back on the runway, although there was a double entendre quality to it as if Rita was saying, “we can hear you talking about us backstage, Morphae.”
Altogether, Morphae is giving “pampered art school A-student with no experience in the real world.” That kind of petulance never plays well on Drag Race – and certainly not coming on the heels of a trio of powerhouse drag visionaries in last year’s finales (or when seen alongside Loulou Velvet, who is quietly doing everything Morphae can do but better).
I’m being tough on Morphae, but that’s because I see many shades of myself here. The intense self-seriousness, the claim of rejecting exterior validation while still craving it… it’s very Krisis. That’s not a version of yourself you want documented for the world to see on a reality show. It’s also very “mid-out” when it comes to Drag Race.
Morphae needs to loosen up and show some humor in next week’s Girl Group challenge or I strongly suspect she will be lip syncing.
#7 – Madame Yoko (was #7)
Madame Yoko may have delivered the best “Drag-en-Ciel” construction out of all of the queens in the cast with her look inspired by Le Petit Prince. Yet, much like La Veuve, Yoko’s obsession with concept over presentation and lack of attention to detail dragged her down.
In fact, I think it cost her a win here.
There is something so chic about this cropped jacket and long pleather pants peeking out from within a cobalt half-skirt. Yet, I was distracted the entire time by the exposed corset in the middle as well as the stiff crown appliqué on the chest – which had no reason to exist other than to scream “LITTLE PRINCE!”
Also, I agree with the judges – this hair was hateful.
I think if Yoko had stepped back from this look with a critical eye she could have refined a few details to make it much more striking. I think it would have made a big difference if the crown appliqué fit onto both sides of the jacket rather than just sitting on top what was an obvious opening. Also, a higher hair in a lighter color wouldn’t have made her look so squashed.
The judges were enamoured by the construction of this outfit, but Loulou’s look was more thoughtful on the whole. That made it an obvious winner. That’s not so different from the problems with Yoko’s Talent Show performance last week – none of which were critical failures, but all of which detracted from Yoko’s total package.
Madame Yoko doesn’t have the nerve or attention-to-detail of a Drag Race winner. She has passed up two potential wins not due to any lack of talent, but simply a lack of editing. Will her singing skills land her in the top next week for Girl Groups? Or, will she once again give away a win that could have easily been hers?
#8 – Chloe Clarke, 2 lip syncs (was #8)
(Website | Instagram | TikTok)
Chloe Clarke designed a confusing garment, but I still think it had the visual interest and styling to be more impressive than several other “Drag-en-Ciel” garments on the stage.
The idea of a single-color raincoat dress is stylish and modern, but Chloe lacked some of the finishing touches that would make it pop properly. That beige panel of the reverse side of the red leather is unforgivable. She could have lined that the same panel in another red. Similar, the dress needs a belt in some sort of contrasting textured red to define her waist.
Yet, even without those elements, this is a familiar shape that flatters Chloe’s figure.
At least we can say Chloe’s mug is not the problem. She has one of the most blended mugs out of this entire cast. I think it’s hard for some queens to get away with such a blood-red lip and dark eyes, because it can make a face look masculine and severe. On Chloe, it looks like pure 80s film star, not dissimilar to Katya’s go-to style.
Alas, Chloe’s intense lack of nerve continues to fail her, even though it seems like she has a lot of the tools a queen needs to be successful on Drag Race. I think a queen with more confidence could have sold this look harder and made it work on the runway. Instead, Chloe shrinks under the judges’ gaze.
Perhaps she will make her mark in the Girl Groups challenge next week, but I think it’s more likely we see her lip sync for a third time and finally be told to sashay away.
Eliminated: 9th Place – Sarah Logan (was #6)
Sarah Logan failed to light a spark last week, and followed it up with an unsightly emerald garment for the “Drag-en-Ciel” design challenge that couldn’t be saved with a flimsy “earth mother” storyline.
Sarah presents a version of drag that significantly ages her beyond her years. There’s nothing wrong with going for an older drag character – many queens do it! But, Sarah Logan’s version simply isn’t all that flattering to her face or figure. I don’t mean that there is a single, “correct” way to paint a face or cinch a waist, but the choices Sarah made on the show (and on this episode in particular) just don’t look great on her.
That’s shocking to me now that I’ve spent some time on Sarah Logan’s Instagram (remember: I didn’t do a Meet The Queens pre-season ranking for Belgique Season 2). Sarah’s aesthetic is “polished showgirl,” and her make-up looks exponentially better than what she presented on the show – even if you go back to images from well over a year ago before the casting process began.
It’s hard to say what went wrong for Sarah on the show. Maybe her paint doesn’t work for TV. Maybe she was doing a lot of photo filtering. Or, maybe she was just unlucky to start with two weeks outside of her areas of strength and she would have crushed upcoming singing and comedy challenges.
I think that’s a good reminder of the fact that Drag Race is truly nothing like real life, and something as random as challenge order can make an experienced queen look unprepared and a novice queen look like a powerful upstart. I hope Sarah’s exposure on the show helps her be even more booked and blessed than she was before.
[…] An uneven episode led to uneven power rankings, with a new queen surging to the top and a surprising queen in contention for the finale compared to last week’s “Drag-en-Ciel” design challenge recap. […]