Bon retour, mes chers lecteurs, dans plus de classements! Drag Race Belgique Season 2 Episode 3 was titled “Jawadde Dadde,” which had nothing to do with its Girl Groups challenge and Art Nouveau runway theme.
(The internet is cagey on the literal meaning of the Flemish expression “Jawadde Dadde,” a phrase uttered by guest judge Gaëlle Garcia Diaz. As far as I can tell, it’s an idiomatic phrase of that can mean anything from an exclamation of surprise (“oh my god” or “no way!”) to an expression of incredulity or exasperation (“oh my” or “really?”). It doesn’t have a direct translation in part because it is written phonetically the way it is spoken in certain regions – the actual words would be “ja wat dat.” If you translated it directly you’d get something like “Yes-what, that?!” If any of you readers can offer a better explanation, please comment!)
Jawadde Dadde was a study in contrasts, with a disastrous main challenge and a runway that reminded me of the reasons I loved Drag Race Belgique Season 1.
This episode’s Girl Groups performance posed the question: What if a Drag Race cast completely failed at one of the show’s standard challenges? I’m not sure if Girl Groups simply aren’t all that revered in Belgium or if we have an entire cast of non-singing non-dancers. Whatever the reason, it resulted in some truly questionable vocals and what surely ranks amongst the worst choreography in the history of Drag Race.
It’s a pity it turned out that way, because – as the queens pointed out – the instrumental track they were handed was a perfect rip-off of Robin S.’s “Show Me Love.”
The results could not have been more different on an Art Nouveau runway, which showed off the intellectualism and obsession with art that was so proudly on display in Season 1. Every queen presented something with at least one magnificent detail, which caused the judges to briefly feud over what ought to be considered Art Nouveau or allowed on an Art Nouveau runway. We saw one truly stunning runway hit the bottom purely for mixing up its period references.
(Yes, we’ve seen RuPaul go nuclear over 60s bouffant hair on a 70s outfit, but none of those 70s outfits were as opulent as this one!)
I love that Drag Race Belgique can assign an entire art movement as a runway theme with confidence that its cast will think deeply about how to symbolize it. I don’t think many of the other franchises could get away with that. Imagine if American Drag Race assigned ” Art Nouveau” as a theme! I’m sure we wouldn’t see the same results.
To me, this episode makes a good argument that if Drag Race continues to appear around the globe that some of its staple challenges ought to be better localized. Yes, we’ll always want to see Snatch Game and a Ball Challenge, but I wish we could see a full main challenge on Drag Race Belgique that leans into the show’s obsession with fashion and art history rather than it being constrained only to the runway.
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.
(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 3 – “Jawadde Dadde” Power Rankings
Before we get to our power rankings and before we get to Rita Baga’s looks, feast your eyes on the absolutely wild hair extensions worn by our new Drag Race Belgique Season 2 permanent judge, Lio. I know I’m a sucker for all things pink, but this hair is wild! Even though my hair isn’t pink and purple anymore, I might have to figure out how to get my hair to do that.
Now, lets take a moment to admire Rita Baga’s looks.
While the show is still doing her a criminal disservice by shooting her from beneath her chin, at least her style team didn’t seem to have a vendetta against her this episode! Her suit in the workroom had the best tailoring we’ve seen on her so far this season, and her runway was as weird as ever but the proportions flattered her rather than fought against her.
#1 – Alvilda – 1 win (was #2, 2)
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Alvilda continued her trend of showing intense vulnerability alongside a killer instinct for drag. I have my doubts about her nerves in the long run, but her electricity on stage is undeniable.
Alvilda crushed her Identitties Girl Groups verse. Of all eight queens, she looked the most like she was participating in an actual 90s Girl Group both in her look and her movements. Even though her melody stayed mostly static, she changed up the rhythm between lines to create contrast. She handled fast patter with no issues and delivered it in a rather lovely mixed voice.
Also, Alvilda’s lyrics weren’t just adequate – they were great. She used so much internal rhyme and wordplay. Adding in the choreography of fading into the grasp of the other queens on “laissé mes démons envahir ce que j’ai de sacré mais me relever” followed by a lift at the end of the line cemented this for me as the best of all the performances, by far.
Alvilda followed the trend of several of the queens by dressing as a character from an Art Nouveau painting while also incorporating Art Nouveau elements into her outfit. Per Alvilda, it was inspired by Franz von Stuck’s “Tilla Durieux as Circe,” though I wouldn’t say Alvilda closely resembles that piece.
Ultimately, this is a blue corset with some metallic accents and red velvet draping. Seen up close (as on Instagram), it’s not all that impressive – and, actually, a bit lumpy and undefined around the crotch. Yet. Alvida styled it well and walked it confidently while projecting a character.
That’s not too different from why Alvida was the best in Girl Groups. For as much as she seems to lack nerve off of the runway, once she hits the stage there is something electric and compelling about her. Can she hold off her nerve and self-doubt for the rest of the season to make it to the finale? And, could Drag Race Belgique crown someone as plagued by anxiety as Alvilda? I think Rita’s reaction to Alvilda’s vulnerable lyrics this episode suggests the answer could be “yes.”
#2 – Loulou Velvet – 1 win (was #3, 1)
Loulou Velvet continued her quiet domination, earning a special comment from Rita Baga despite not actually being in the top for critiques. The suggestion to me was that Loulou was clearly amongst the tops of the week, but that it was more convenient and productive to give Chloe Clarke some positive notes on a job well done rather than lavish more praise on Loulou.
Loulou had one of the duller verses across both Girl Groups, but also one of the better looks and perhaps the most-competent run through her choreography. I didn’t notice her looking visibly lost at any point.
In most Girl Groups challenges that would merely make her safe. In this episode competence merited a special note from Rita.
Loulou Velvet took an incredibly similar approach to Alvilda for her Art Nouveau runway – both in inspiration and in construction. For me, this gold vinyl corset is a little more exciting than Alvilda’s, but the draped skirt is plainer. Plus, Loulou lacked Alivilda’s prop of the lantern to tie things together.
I’m fascinated with the subtle confidence Loulou showed in this challenge. She was one of the only queens to seem completely unrattled by the Girl Groups experience. To me, she seems to be emerging as the strongest all-arounder in this cast. More than that, her quiet confidence means Loulou draws you in rather than assaulting you with the full force of her personality. That’s a powerful trait for any performer, but especially for a queen on Drag Race.
#3 – Chloe Clarke, 2 lip syncs (was #8, 8)
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Chloe Clarke finally came away with a positive outcome, despite a few literal and physical stumbles this episode.
This might be my most-controversial placement – and it might come back to bite me in the ass next week – but I think Chloe came out of this episode with a clear narrative when other queens lack one. She is getting a “you’re growing” edit while the rest of the queens lower in this ranking haven’t had a similar positive note.
Chloe Clarke’s runway was sublime – it’s what earned the “Jawadde Dadde” remark from guest judge Gaëlle Garcia Diaz. This combination of poof skirts and hobble dress was visually stunning – and, it absolutely had Art Nouveau flourish to it. Even if Chloe had some slight difficulty in walking it, the impact wasn’t lost.
Some viewers might be as surprised as Chloe was at her positive critiques on her Girl Groups performance with SLYC. However, I caught two subtle aspects that made me sure she would get positive notes even before the critiques began.
First, Chloe was alive behind the eyes for her entire performance. After her tentative Talent Show in the first episode, every time we’ve seen her dance it has been with a ton of animation in her face. It made her seem “in it” the entire time she performed, even when her body language communicated that she had missed a step in the choreography.
Also, whether it was a mistake or intentional, Chloe was often the queen who had movement while the other queens were in unison, which made her look like she was the lead singer. Combined with her killer outfit, that really put the emphasis on her.
Second, despite being a non-singer, Chloe had a clear separation in the rhythm between the lines in her verse. The first pair of lines each ended with a pair of quick triplets on “je m’appelle Chloe Clarke” and “tout le monde me remarque.” But, as the verse progressed, the ends of her lines had increasing emphasis, starting with eight notes bracketing “LIP sync assass-IN” and closing with the slowest line ending on “bon, voilà.”
A lot of Drag Race queens will default to getting quicker at the end of their verses, because they want to be their own rap feature. Yet, it’s starting out fast and then slowing down at the end of your verse as it hits the chorus that makes your final line memorable. Saphhira just did the same thing on the American franchise Girl Groups challenge! Even as someone who isn’t especially musical, Chloe managed to intuit how to do this right.
Next episode will be a make or break moment for Chloe Clarke – and, the preview was strangely evasive on what the challenge will be! Surely it will not be another design or dancing challenge, which makes me suspect it will be some form of acting or branding. If that’s the case, Chloe will need to overcome her tentativeness and serve something assertive and memorable to stay out of the bottom and continue her positive trajectory. Otherwise, this will turn into a “High > Elimination” cadence we’ve seen many times over, where a queen gets her flowers and then is quickly dismissed.
#4 – Star (was #4, 3)
Star performed adequately in her Girl Group, but a diaphanous runway with mixed references was almost her downfall. I never expected the judges to come for our most-experienced queen quite so hard.
I can see Star’s argument in defense of this runway as well as the judges’ arguments against it.
Alphonse Mucha is one of my favorite artists – I have multiple prints of his work hanging in my house and on coasters at my dining room table! It was immediately obvious to me that Star was dressed as one of the women in his paintings. Yet, I think the judges were right that the actual Art Nouveau elements on the costume were few. Mucha often depicted a somewhat plainly dressed woman accentuated by a headpiece or by the design elements that surrounded her.
Star’s downfall, as correctly noted by the judges, was that she wore a dress rendered all in matte, flowing, white fabric with huge draping sleeves. It looks beautiful when carefully posed such that all of the folds and draping give distinct textures, but in motion under the stage lights her figure was obscured by a wash of white.
I absolutely loved Star’s electric yellow hooded dress in her SLYC Girl Group performance. It felt like a color-swapped version of a Kylie Minogue look, which is slightly idiosyncratic for a group performance but still easily fulfilled the brief. I thought it was interesting that the show barely aired any critique of her verse and focused only her runway.
The suggestion I got was that they viewed Star as one of several safe queens when it came to her performance, but her runway acted as a (negative) tie-breaker.
This low placement leaves me uncertain about Star’s future in the competition. She remains the most-experienced queen and I think she has a certain assertiveness to her that many of the other queens lack. Yet, the judges have yet to be impressed by her and she has not displayed the distinct spark of drag veterans who took home the crown on Drag Race España and Drag Race Sverige. Whatever next week’s mystery challenge may be, it’s critical for Star to shine in order to jumpstart her upward trajectory.
#5 – Gabanna, 1 lip sync (was #9. 5)
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Gabanna bills herself as a singer, but she mostly talked through an unimpressive Girl Groups verse and a clumsy take on choreography. Yet, she had the biggest transformation on the runway – showing that there may be much more to her than meets the eye.
Gabanna’s Art Nouveau runway wasn’t perfect, but it was the most impressive garment we’ve seen from her so far. Even if they made a joke about it, it was clear that the trio of permanent judges were gobsmacked by her transformation.
I think Gabanna was unique in both echoing Art Nouveau elements in her garment and also in her makeup and styling. She commented that her skirt was meant to read as tiers or stairs, which I didn’t get. I think it would have been more remarkable if it tapered up or down from a thicker point to give Gabanna shape below her waist. Yet, there’s also something compelling about it just as it is – she looks like a glamourous cake-topper or a figurine that pops up in a music box.
I think Gabanna was fairly called “safe” based on her Identitties Girl Group verse. It had some clever wordplay. I loved the line “queer, androgyne, masc ou juste une fille, tous bienvenue ici, c’est la famile.” I think many Drag Race verses trend in the direction of quoting Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” but this captured the same sentiment while feeling original.
Yet, Gabanna also wasted her first two lines on talking, giving her no time to flex her supposed vocal prowess. And, her Girl Groups outfit was… I don’t even have words. Competing animal prints and a fringe of hair at the waist? Also, once again Gabanna wore a wig that is flatter and more boring than my actual hair right now as I type this siting on my couch.
Combined with the flat hair in her runway I am left wondering: WHERE. IS. THE. DRAG?
Gabanna brands herself as a young, edgy, multi-threat queen, but we’ve yet to see anything particularly youthful, transgressive, or multi-talented from her. If she has any hope of making it further in the competition she needs to surprise the judges in a challenge as much as she did on this runway.
#6 – Morphae (was #5, 6)
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Morphae continued her trend of petulance and missing the point with a dull Girl Groups verse and an even-duller runway. She’s lucky there was another queen whose time on the show had truly run out.
Morphae’s Art Nouveau runway was ugly. I think it showed off a lack of thoughtfulness and ingenuity. Yes, Tiffany stained glass lamp shades are instantly evocative of Art Nouveau. But, what in this outfit is saying “Tiffany lamp”? The hat is too small, too flat, and seems to lack the clear symmetrical design elements that distinguished those lamps.
Yes, it’s true, some of the lamps had a stylized woman holding up the shade. Yet, despite narrating about that, Morphae’s dull beige outfit didn’t read as anything and had no Art Nouveau detailing on it at all. It would have been more striking if she was rendered in a metallic color, or if she included flourishes like those on Alvilda or Loulou’s corsets.
As a result, not only was this runway ugly, but it did not read as Art Nouveau at all.
In a similar disaster, Morphae’s verse in the Identitties Girl Group was awful despite her having sexiest Girl Group look of all eight queens.
First, she began her verse by directly addressing Rita, which to me came off as cringe and also failed the brief of writing a good 90s-style pop song. Then, her entire rhythm was “blah, blah-blah. blah, blah-blah” again and again.
I was shocked that queen with a classical music background was unable to at least play with some syncopation, even if she happens to be tone-deaf as a singer.
The thing that really struck me is how quickly Morphae gave up on the idea of singing while in the workroom. Her rendition of “Happy Birthday” was reticent. If you’re truly here to win, why not go for it and try your best? To me, that cemented that Morphae simply isn’t ready to learn and grow from her Drag Race Belgique experience. She just wants to be complimented for what she brings to the competition, which so far has been meagre.
This episode finds Morphae officially inheriting my “Bitch Eating Crackers” award for Drag Race Belgique Season 2, joining such illustrious alumnae as Vanity Vain from Drag Race Sverige Season 1, Drag Chuchi from Drag Race España Season 3, and last week’s departure from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16. Yet, just two weeks ago I was so enamoured with Morphae for bringing true Art Pop to the talent show! I hope there’s a way for her to exert that amount of vision and control into her performance again next week, because I want to enjoy her… but, her attitude and styling might hold her back both with me and the judges.
#7 – La Veuve, 1 win, 1 lip sync (was #1, 4)
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La Veuve was rightfully called out for a Girl Groups performance that was basic in every way, and her plain Art Nouveau runway could not save the day.
Like Star, La Veuve rendered herself all in white and elected to embody a woman in an Art Nouveau painting rather than bring many Art Nouveau elements into her garment. This garment had more texture and interest to it than Star’s, but it failed for similar reasons. While La Veuve didn’t merit many comments from the judges on her runway, I felt as though she was using her white contacts to make up for the fact that she was wearing very little makeup at all!
La Veuve’s verse started strong – on-pitch, on rhythm, and with a clever welcome line including her name. However, every line after that was largely the same melody. Each one also featured her walking side-to-side in the same was, aside from one little spin. She felt stuck on idle, and even on a close rewatch it’s hard to remember anything about her performance because there was so little to it. Plus, she stood out as the worst dancer every time the full group was shown during the chorus.
Usually am am annoyed when judges call out a queen for seeming tired or low-energy on the runway. Not everyone needs to bounce down the runway like a rubber ball! However, I think the comments were apt when it comes to La Veuve. After defining herself in such a spritely, comedic fashion in the Talent Show, she has seemed half-asleep since then. It leaves me wondering what excites her about her own drag. Perhaps we’ll get a hint of that next week in what seems as though it may be a solo challenge. Even after two bottom placements, I think La Veuve could easily surge back to the top of the Power Rankings – and, even win the season – if she starts showing energy and taking chances.
Eliminated: 8th Place – Madame Yoko (was #7, 7)
Madame Yoko had a chance to make her mark in the Girl Groups challenge thanks to her live singing experience, yet she delivered a restrained verse and confused choreography.
To me, it seemed like it would be easy to keep Yoko this week and send Morphae to the bottom, but the judges dissented on if Yoko’s altogether stunning runway look had enough Art Nouveau elements in it to qualify for the theme. That seemed absurd to me – certainly Alvilda and Loulou’s corsets weren’t the ideals of late 1890s fashion! Yet, it’s this level of articulation about art and fashion history that makes me appreciate Drag Race Belgique uniquely among all the franchises.
Ultimately, I don’t think it mattered whether Madame Yoko’s garment was the best of the night (it may have been) or if her Girl Groups performance was the worst (it may have been). I think it was already clear to the judges that Yoko isn’t the winner of this season. As much as I am bored by Morphae’s petulance, she’s much more likely to deliver an outstanding television moment than the more laid-back Madame Yoko. She is one of many queens who have the talents and stage presence to make a career out of drag as a live performer, but aren’t made for standing out as a competitor on Drag Race.
[…] intellectual episode evened out our powers rankings a bit compared to last week’s disastrous Girl Groups challenge and its big power rankings shakeup. I think we now have a clear-eyed look at how this season might progress from […]