Welcome to the DollHouse - Power Ranking RuPaul's Drag Race S16E06

RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16, Episode 6 was a two-for-one “Welcome to the DollHouse” challenge that tested the queens in both design and branding as they had to create an outfit for themselves and their own special edition dolls.

This was the first chance this season we’ve had to see the queens flex their intelligence and aptitude for marketing, and it yielded some interesting results.

Many RuPaul’s Drag Race veterans (including Trixie) love to say that the real race begins after the season ends. We’ve seen Drag Race finalists disappear from view and from fan conversation. We’ve also seen early outs lean into their personal brands to become cult favorites amongst the fandom – including Katya and Trixie trailblazing with YouTube content nearly a decade ago, Yuhua Hamasaki with Bootleg Opinions, and Maddy Morphosis with Give It To Me Straight.

That’s why I love it every time the queens are handed a challenge with a marketing element, and this one is one of the best. It’s not about designing an energy drink or making an inane commercial. It’s literally about the queens selling themselves in the form of their own dolls! We’ve seen RuPaul, Manilla Luzon, Alaska, and Trixie all sell their own dolls over the years

The secret to winning this challenge wasn’t just designing a gorgeous garment. The queens needed to figure out a way to create a “Special Edition” of themselves that felt both essential and toyetic. Even if none of them have the chance to create their own dolls, the ability to boil down their brand to a single image will serve them in all of their future merchandising endeavors.

I was delighted to discover that almost this entire cast of queens was up to the challenge, giving us a week with many strong contenders and only a few certified peg-warmers. OMG, get your mind out of the gutter! A “peg warmer” means the figure in a toyline that no one buys, though it stays “warming” the metal pegs that products hang from in a toy story.

So, which queens were a sell-out and which ones, um… got pegged? The results were interesting, and they caused some surprising shuffling compared to last week’s Girl Groups Power Rankings as the picture of our Top 6 becomes increasingly clear.

Readers, start your engines. And, may the best drag queen win!

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.

RuPaul’s Drag Race, Season 16 Episode 6 – Welcome to the DollHouse Power Rankings

Before we get to our power rankings, let’s take a moment to appreciate a week of knockout fashions from RuPaul!

I’m obsessed with this “competing problem patterns” suit look. I love how at a distance it completely blends in to the pink walls of the workroom. I would 100% wear this look and immediately went searching for a similar blazer online.

While it’s not unusual to see Ru with her legs out in a super-short dress, it’s not every week that we see her in something so fashion forward. I love the shiny ombré material of this dress and how it uses both color contrast and ruching to add to the illusion of Ru’s hips. Plus, I love the big shoulders and high neckline.

It looks slick and futuristic in a way that isn’t too common for Ru these days. I could absolutely imagine seeing this on the Grammys red carpet.

#1 – Nymphia Wind, 2 wins (was #1, 1, 2, 1)

Nymphia Wind continues to dominate every challenge. It feels like she was left out of the top group this week just to make it less obvious that she is running away with the season.

Even if Q won the week for her fantastical design, I think Nymphia may have had the most-impressive Welcome to the DollHouse look. The fit of this dress and the draping on the shoulders is impressive, even if the length is hateful. Why would she have this dress stop at the ankles rather than have a train?!

Of course, the banana-yellow elephant in the room is the question of why the giant boy on the doll is yellow instead of pink. It makes no sense! Even if it took Nymphia down to the final second to finish her dress, snipping an extra bit of pink fabric to tie to the doll would have taken all of two minutes.

Could the missing pink bow be the reason Nymphia wasn’t in the top this week? Nah. It was all down to math. With Q getting a win and Plane Jane getting critiqued, putting Nymphia in the top group again would’ve softened the narrative that we’ve got a strong competition in our hands. It was much more useful for production to give Dawn a positive critique. (More on that in a moment.)

Nymphia continues to look like the queen to beat in this cast, and it’s already obvious from her past performances that she’s likely to do well in next week’s Rusical. However, Snatch Game is sure to follow in one of the following two episodes – on a regular season it usually occurs when the cast is between 8-9 queens. That might wind up as Nymphia’s first chance to show off her humor while totally flying solo. I doubt we’ll see much change in her narrative or trajectory until then; production already knows she can crush her tiny part in group challenges.

#2 – Plane Jane, 1 win (was #4, 5, 5, 3)

Plane Jane continues to show off how relentlessly well-prepared she is for every single challenge Drag Race can throw at her. In addition to being our best villain in ages, is she also one of the best all-arounders?

I am growing obsessed with Plane Jane’s level of self-awareness. I’m convinced that she realized she needed a softer episode after coming off from an episode packed with heated confrontations. Not only did she dial her bullying all the way down, but she didn’t focus her doll character on being a “mean girl.”

Plane’s “Aquatic Edition” doll didn’t make the most sense and she leaned into that in her monologue, questioning if she is a “magical mermaid or a retired ice-skating instructor.” Even if the branding wasn’t the strongest, the narrative worked for her presentation.

And, it was a strong presentation. On a lot of queens this look would be a bodysuit with a little skirt pinned onto the bottom. Plane Jane made it feel like a real costume with solid construction and thoughtful embellishment. Also, she matched her doll perfectly – probably the most of the entire cast.

I’m fascinated with Plane Jane’s trajectory this season. Based on what we’ve seen in RDR Live and Girl Groups, I fully expect she will do fine with the dancing and comedy of a Rusical next week. Also, there is no way a queen this smart will bomb Snatch Game. At this point,I think it’s less a question about a specific challenge tripping her up and more a case of if she can pivot her narrative to show off her growth as a person a la Bianca del Rio to become a credible contender for the crown.

If that sounds like a long-shot to you, consider this: Plane Jane has the most storyline out of all of our potential finalists so far and an impressive amount of screen time in critiques, in the workroom, and in confessionals. The editors don’t do that by mistake. That edit is almost always reserved for the queen who doesn’t quite make the finals (to set up her All Stars redemption) or for the heavy favorite to win.

#3 – Sapphira Cristál, 1 win (was #2, 2, 1, 2)

Sapphira Cristál showed a rare crack in her confidence this episode, downing her Immunity Potion to escape critiques and flee to safety.

It was clear from the edit that Ru and the other judges were surprised by Sapphira’s choice, so the early chatter online is already beating her down for choosing wrongly.

However, I have to stand up for my Philly sister here. I think she made the right choice. If you aren’t seeing an edit of the show at home, it’s just not as obvious what everyone’s storyline is or could be. Sapphira had one of the simplest garments of the night, and it was entirely possible she could have been in the bottom for it. She had no way of knowing who her opponent could be. Sure, if it was Geneva then Sapphira could easily prevail, but running into Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige in the lip sync could have led to a shocking elimination.

I wish we could have seen this dress with the planned opera coat, because having another garment to add to it would have made it feel more like a “Special Edition” doll.

Ultimately, being over-cautious and safe hurts Sapphira’s chances in the long run much less than the chance of getting negative critiques or having a lip sync early in the season. I think she’s still just as strong as ever heading into a Rusical where she is certainly a favorite to snatch another win.

#4 – Q, 1 win, 1 lsft-win, 1 lip sync (was #3, 3, 4, 7)

Q finally came through with a richly-deserved win, once again proving herself to be one of the most talented designers in the history of the show.

What can I even say about this “Fantasy Edition” doll and matching runway? I think there are very few queens who could make a layered outfit rendered all in gold and brown work on the runway. It would be a mess. For Q, it was child’s play.

There are so many impressive parts of this Welcome to the DollHouse look. The gold-on-black leopard print turtleneck catsuit, which is a base for entire garment. The structured gold breastplate, which is such a toyetic element. The fucking headpiece. Good Lorde.

I don’t think there was any possible way for the show to edge Q any further by denying her a win for this look, no matter how much they puffed up Plane Jane and Dawn in critiques. The only credible competition would have been Nymphia.

Now, things get interesting. Why? Because rewarding Q with a win could easily be the end of her narrative on the show. Next week is a Rusical, and we already know Q can’t dance. She could be sent home with a complete story arc as an early frontrunner with a critical weak spot.

Or… what if Q’s theatre experience means she has the ability to slay a narrative musical in a way she couldn’t figure out how to do with a brief Girl Groups performance? If Q gets an “overcoming her weakness” edit next week, it could be a sign the show is ready to forgive her dancing deficiencies and keep her positioned as a potential finalist.

I’m very curious about the second option, because I really want to see Q in some individual challenges in the back half of the season. Snatch Game. Makeover. And… comedy? I could see her both dominating and flopping once the queens have more room to show off their unique personalities. Having Q in the mix down to the semi-final could keep things very interesting.

#5 – Dawn (was #5, 4, 7, 8)

Dawn finally scored a glowing high critique, and it came just as she was at risk at receding into the pack of cannon fodder.

I hate Dawn’s look, y’all. I understand that it had fashion references that appealed to the judges, but to me it just looked lumpy.

I think some of the details of the look made much more sense on the doll than they did on Dawn. Everything on the doll has more definition. On Dawn, the skirt is a shapeless mess, the blue shoulders aren’t as cleanly designed, and the hood doesn’t have an obvious peak. However, I do think the exposed silver shoulders work better on Dawn. I’m not sure why she didn’t echo them on the doll.

Even if the fashion references of Dawn’s outfit were lost on me, I loved her Welcome to the DollHouse story. I think she really needed this moment to explain the origins of her drag character without shoehorning it into another challenge or runway. I’m obsessed with her idea of being from “The Valley of the Dawns.” Also, is “Galaxy 919” a joke about “Marvel 616”?!?!

Dawn, are you reading my comic book guides? DM me, girl.

This was the perfect moment for Dawn to score a top placement. She has had a few positive critiques so far, but nothing that underlines her potential to go farther in the competition. Here, she was made out to be a real contender. Was it my imagination, or could we feel the show slightly shifting some of its eggs into Dawn’s basket as “New Yorker fashion weirdo” as production cools on Plasma and doubts Q can survive a lip sync?

Right now it feels like production is keeping Dawn warm as a lovely first alternate to the likely finalists. If she continues to outrank Plasma and keep pace with Q every week, she could sneak her way into the finale… and, in a Lip Sync For the Crown format I could see her pulling out a shocking first-round win against Saphhira or Plane Jane (but, probably not Nymphia).

#6 – Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige, 1 win, 1 lip sync (was #13, 13, 10, 6)

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Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige finally hit her first Lip Sync For Your Life and she didn’t disappoint. That’s a blessing and a curse, since the show will have a vested interest in seeing more lip syncs from her – but, it also likely means she won’t be a finalist.

Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige may not have done the worst when it came to constructing her outfit, but even if it was well-made I think it may have been the worst look of the night.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this Welcome to the DollHouse catsuit with a boob window. It matches Mhi’ya’s doll and it looks snatched to her body. For me, the problem is her cape-arms. On the doll, they’re rendered as a capelet that still allows Mhi’ya to show off her figure. On her runway, they are massive unlined wings that stretch down to her knees and obscure the shape of her body. They were distracting and looked tattered, which took away from the strength of her garment.

In a cast full of capable designers, that faux pas was enough to send Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige to the lip sync. I know I was skeptical about her status as “The Queen of Flips.” It’s not that I doubted her flipping abilities (especially not after last week). It’s just that we’ve already seen so many explosive lip syncers on this show who can incorporate gymnastics into their routines. I wasn’t convinced Mhi’ya could show us anything unique.

Well, I know how to admit when I’m wrong. Mhi’ya pulled out some tricks that we’ve never seen before. But, she wasn’t all tricks. I felt like there was a consistency and rhythm to her performance that wasn’t just all flipping and desperation.

Now we have a bona fide lip sync assassin on our hands instead of just a lip sync survivor. There’s no way the show is going to be able to resist having Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige lip sync at least two more times. The big question is whether RuPaul is over trying to crack Mhi’ya’s contradictory “shy & outgoing” personality. If Ru still sees some potential for a breakthrough with Mhi’ya that will be the difference between Mhi’ya being sent to several lip syncs in a row versus the show taking some time with her.

Either way, I’m increasingly sure Mhi’ya will be used to dismiss Morphine – who is a capable lip syncer who could pose a threat to queens higher in the ranking. However, if Ru is still enjoying her, she could also be used by production to knock off a queen with more momentum that they don’t want to interfere with their finalists, like Dawn or Plasma.

#7 – Plasma, 1 win (was #7, 6, 3, 4)

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Plasma broadly missed the mark this week, with perhaps the weakest outfit of the night and a story that didn’t make a lick of sense.

I’ll give Plasma one bit of credit here: I understood her Welcome to the DollHouse concept. She was shooting for the idea of an old Hollywood glamour doll taking a trip on the high seas.

The problem with that – apart from the unflattering garment – is that it’s just too many different themes to connect in one runway presentation. Plasma had to establish her own identity as a a glamorous queen, explain why she’s traveling, carry the travel theme into her garment, and also give something nautical.

I think just about the only thing that told that story was her head scarf, which was the cause of a wardrobe malfunction. Also, the doll had a purse – where is Plasma’s purse? This seafoam-y blue/green color was completely unflattering on Plasma, especially in red hair. Plus, the cut of the top of the dress is unflattering (and, I feel like she realized that and covered it up with the sash).

This is the second time we’ve seen her design badly for her petite figure in just a few episodes, so I think it’s fair to say she’s not a fashion queen when left to her own devices. It also hurt her momentum out of last week’s Girl Groups episode, where she was gorgeous and performed well.

Next week’s Rusical is going to be make-or-break for Plasma. With scripted comedy and Girl Groups out of the way, it’s probably her best chance to score another win unless she has a killer Snatch Game character. Just placing high is not going to give her the momentum she needs to crack into the finalists now that Q also has a win.

#8 – Megami, 1 win (was #14, 9, 8, 5)

Megami had one of the most well-constructed and chic looks of the night. The choice to pass over giving her a critique in favor of Dawn telegraphs that production has no plans to establish a narrative for her despite her win last week.

Megami’s Welcome to the DollHouse outfit was really, really good. It was beautifully constructed and looked amazing on her figure. Honestly, I find it kinda stunning. My only critique would be that it would have been nice to have one pop of contract outside of her accessories. I’m not sure the belt would have worked in orange, but perhaps the trailing cape? Any kind of contrast against her suit would’ve just emphasized how well-made it was by making the lines of it pop more.

This would have been an easy look to put in the top group. It’s as well-constructed as looks from both Plane Jane and Dawn. If production had any vested interest in giving Megami more momentum after last week’s win, she would have been critiqued. They could have even replaced Plasma in the line-up with Megami to give her a high/low critique complimenting her outfit but critiquing her on something else.

The absence of critiques during a standout week tells me that production is narratively done with Megami. She has a shared win, which puts her a step ahead of the similarly under-critiqued Morphine and Xunami, but I also feel like the show could be in more of a hurry to eliminate Megami before Snatch Game. They won’t want to give her a chance to be the “DeJa Sky Memorial Surprise Winner,” which would give her too much momentum.

Mark my words: Megami’s run on this show is already over and there is no way we see her play Snatch Game. The only variable in her final placement is how many episodes are left between now and Snatch Game.

#9 – Morphine Love Dion (was #9, 12, 11, 10)

Morphine Love Dion continues a quiet surge with another week where she could have potentially been in the top… if the judges cared to give her any critiques. At this point it feels like she is destined to be mid-season fodder no matter how well she performs.

I tend to come down hard on queens who get through a design challenge just on the power of some artful draping, but this is draping with structure! It’s a fantastic beach holiday dress made for a “Miami Bimbo Edition” doll.

I don’t know if you could hit the mark any better than that. Morphine made sure everything stayed symmetrical, which isn’t easy with all this draping. The hip windows were placed perfectly, and I loved the completely exposed back. That said, I don’t think this outfit was robbed of a top placement. When seen from the sides it was obvious how rough some of the hemlines looked. Altogether, it was unlikely to be top, totally fair as a safe.

I think Morphine Dion Love’s last possible chance to get in the game this season is next week’s Rusical. We saw in the Girl Groups challenge that she’s a strong dancer. If she can finally score a positive note next week, I could see her getting a “we see you – keep pushing” edit of a late-season contender that would let her sneak past a declining Plasma to make it into the top half of the season. However, it feels like Dawn already has that edit, so Morphine will have to do a lot of heavy lifting next week to get there – the judges aren’t going to do her any favors.

#10 – Xunami Muse (was #10, 11, 9, 9)

Xunami Muse leaned into her “pants on the runway” brand to deliver a truly doll-like set of separates with a lovely color story. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to give her a story when she desperately needs one to reach much farther in this competition.

I think out of the entire cast Xunami must have been the one to play with dolls the most as a kid, because Xunami’s entire Welcome to the DollHouse presentation feels the most like an actual doll on the shelf of a toy store to me. Of course, that also means she somewhat undershot the more fantastical aspect of making a “Special Edition.” This felt more like the regular edition.

I love the royal blue, turquoise, and coral pink color story of this outfit, but there’s really not much to it that pops. I think the broader cummerbund looks better on Xunami but the cut of the pants is more interesting on the doll. I love how they hug the doll’s figure more closely only to flair at the very bottom. Xunami’s pants are more of a wide leg cut – which I personally like, but the doll just looks cooler.

Also, Xunami had one of my favorite doll monologues. think she nailed the narrative of her doll (and her own brand) better than a lot of the other queens. I loved “she is good at walking back and forth from the bank to the bodega” and the typical silly doll packaging detail of her having a pet dolphin. Also, the wordplay of “shopping, photography, and Photoshop” was delightful.

It seems like Xunami is actually one of the smartest queens in this cast, and if we had more branding-style, self-written challenges earlier in the season she could have stood out more. This season is notable for not featuring a commercial challenge in the first few episodes, where she might have excelled.

I’m not sure where Xunami Muse can possibly go from here in this competition. I think the battle lines between the top group of queens are drawn at this point in the season in a way that would make it nearly impossible for Xunami to notch a surprising win in next week’s Rusical even if she is amongst the top performers. I think that means she is primed to be the next queen sacrificed to Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige. Or, she could be the opponent of a first-time lip syncer production wants to keep, like Nymphia or Plasma.

Eliminated: 11th Place – Geneva Karr, 1 win, 1 lsft-win, 3 lip syncs (was #6, 10, 12, 11)

Geneva Karr had the misfortune to wear the dullest Welcome to the DollHouse outfit of the evening and have no remaining storyline aside from lip syncing. The outfit actually wasn’t horrible! It was constructed better than her last design challenge effort, and it looked fine on her body. I twas simply the most-forgettable look of the night.

I’ve been tough on Geneva’s drag from the start, but as early outs go she has proven herself to be capable at the game of Drag Race. She has the outgoing personality and most of the right skills, and was mostly felled by her eye for design – which sent her to the bottom for two of her three lip syncs.

With some time, experience, and a bigger budget for better designers I could see her coming back to make a mark on an All Stars season.

12th Place: Amanda Tori Meating, 1 lip sync (was #11, 7, 6)

13th Place: Mirage, 1 lip sync (was #8, 8)

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14th Place: Hershii LiqCour-Jeté, 1 lip sync (was #12)

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Welcome to the DollHouse - Power Ranking RuPaul's Drag Race S16E04 – Crushing Krisis says:

February 22, 2024 at 6:36 am

[…] does that mean for our Power Rankings compared to last week’s “Welcome to the DollHouse”? One queen fights her way back into the Top 3 while another queen falls out of the Top 4 for the […]