I’m back with more coverage of the Drag Olympics of Drag Race! RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs. The World Season 2 Episode 6 – Strictly Come Prancing, a choreographed partnered dance challenge with a “Business In The Front, Party In The Back” contrasting runway.
I am not a dancer, but I love dancing – both doing it myself as watching other people do it! I grew up dancing all the time in my living room, at parties and weddings, and on the sidewalk in front of my grandmother’s house with my boombox blasting “Pump Up The Jam.”
As an adult I’ve discovered I have no head for learning choreography (as divined by working with my competitive dancing sister-in-law to try to learn the American Foxtrot). I’ve never taken a proper dance class, but I leap at the chance for any gym class with a hint of choreography.
Even if I’m no dancing queen myself, I am very well-acquainted with this week’s guest-choreographer Janette Manrara (and her dance partner, real-life husband Aljaž Škorjanec)!
I fell in love with Janette’s dancing from the moment I first glimpsed her on So You Think You Can Dance Season 5. She executed everything flawlessly, but with a casual air that reminded me of the chic Italian women of the 80s at all those parties and weddings. I’ve rewatched her routine to “Ruby Blue” with Brandon Bryant so many times I can play it back perfectly in my brain! And, she is one of the few (only?!) celebrities who I personally follow on Facebook, where I’ve kept up with her transformation from reality show contestant, to professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing (the UK’s Dancing With The Stars), to becoming a co-host and media personality in the UK.
Manrara has been on both sides of dancing competitions – as the contestant and the pro – and she brought a no-nonsense approach to instructing our queens without a whiff of for-the-cameras drama.
The result was a predictable winner and an obvious eliminated queen, without many surprises in the middle. That did lead to one key change from last week’s Power Rankings for Seven!: The Rusical, which might make a real difference heading into the finale in two weeks!
(Want to watch RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs. The World outside of the UK? For most of the world, it’s available with a Wow Presents Plus subscription as soon as the episode is done airing.)
Readers, start your engines. And, may the best international drag superstar 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 UK vs. The World, Season 2, Episode 6 – Strictly Come Prancing Power Rankings
Before we get to this week’s Power Rankings, let’s appreciate a pair of casual looks from RuPaul. Her workroom outfit was “I’ve got a lunch meeting after this” realness. And, on the runway, Ru was giving “I just threw something on” unlined garment quick drag (although there was nothing quick about this killer mug from Raven).
#1 – Marina Summers, 3 wins (was #1, 3, 3, 5, 2)
[DRPh-S01 Runner Up, Pre-Season #3]
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Marina Summers notched a second win in a row with a professional calibre dance performance and a runway that was totally in on its own joke.
There’s no question that Marina Summers was the winner of Strictly Come Prancing. In fact, I wouldn’t be shocked if she got an invite to an actual Strictly / Dancing With the Stars franchise in the UK, Philippines, or Australia once this season is over. Her level of confidence, her muscularity in hitting the steps, the clean lines she delivered throughout the performance – it was really amazing stuff. I think she is one of the strongest dancers we’ve had on a RuPaul-hosted season.
Whenever there is a very specific runway phrase like “Business In The Front, Party In The Back” there’s some question as to whether it was written that way on the queens’ runway brief document they receive in the lead-up to the season. A runway like this one might have really been called “turnaround surprise” or some other benign description.
If that’s the case, this outfit isn’t just a marvel of construction, but a turn of great luck for Marina – because a chic black dress fit for an award show backed by a Karaoke machine is absolutely perfect for the runway prompt of “Business In The Front, Party In The Back.” She couldn’t have hit the brief any harder if she tried.
Also, this outfit is a marvel of construction. Even if all of the speakers are just sprayed cardboard, it still took some doing to mount them so seamlessly into the peaked shoulder. And, the actual functional flat screen on Marina’s back!? Even if it’s just a cheap tablet showing a slide show on endless repeat, that’s the kind of thing that took some planning and then even more construction to get right.
This really shows off just high next-level Marina’s approach to the runway is. And, it’s entirely fashionable – not like a queen wearing an entire boxy karaoke machine as her outfit.
That lead us to a third transfixing Marina lip sync and a third Marina lip sync win.
That briefly catapults Marina into frontrunner status heading into next week’s semi-final episode. Unfortunately, that challenge is a roast – and being laugh-out-loud funny as herself instead of as a character is one of Marina’s few weak spots. I fully expect Marina will be in the Bottom Two (or Three) next week for vulnerability, but also to give the top queens a chance to make a shocking “Jimbo / Pangina” cut right before the finale.
Marina being cut before the finale would be tragic, but the show still has three solid frontrunners ready to take her spot. Plus, it might be convenient for Ru to have Marina out of the game so Tia has an easy run at the crown. Yet, would any of Marina’s competitors actually chop her at this stage? It feels like she has nothing but good vibes with the remaining cast member. But, those good vibes might be the reason the other cast members don’t snatch the crown if Marina makes it to the finale – where she could be unstoppable.
#2 – Tia Kofi, 3 wins (was #6, 6, 2, 1, 1)
[RPDRUK-S02 7th, Pre-Season #4]
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Tia Kofi continued her string of adequate performances, though she fluffed it up with her loveliest runway so far. With next week as a comedy challenge, she is a lock for the finale.
To my eyes, Tia seemed good but not great in her Quickstep performance for Strictly Come Prancing. I don’t think she missed any steps, but there was a slight clumsiness and lack of extension in some of her movements. I feel like you can see that in the shot above, where La Grande Dame is giving gorgeous lines, but Tia is somewhat “scrunched” together.
It was exciting to see Tia in proper high glam on this runway. If I was Michelle Visage, I’d be giving her one of my patented “this is the most gorgeous you’ve ever looked” comments. While this dress isn’t something to write home about, Tia’s makeup here is set to stun.
We’ve seen make “arrows in the back” looks on Drag Race at this point, but for me the show here wasn’t just the arrows. It was the train, how it comes to a perfect point in the small of her back and drapes so evenly down to the ground. The red glitter blood is perfectly dense. It’s just well-considered and well-executed in a way that helps tell the story of the garment without only relying on the arrows. I loved it.
Tia Kofi remains in a powerful position heading into next week’s roast – and, I think she’ll exit it as the frontrunner in the finale. There’s just no way Tia doesn’t kill a roast. It’s probably going to be her most-deserved win of the season, which will set her at four wins. While we’ve seen many queens with the most wins fail to snatch the crown in the finale, I don’t know if we’ve seen that happen to a queen who Ru is as obsessed with as he is with Tia. I’m not sure anyone has any hope of stopping her march to the crown unless she draws a high-drama, low-comedy lip sync in a final tournament.
#3 – Hannah Conda, 2 wins (was #3, 4, 5, 2, 3)
[RPDRDU-S02 Runner Up, Pre-Season #1]
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Hannah Conda delivered a surprisingly exact dance routine which garnered a second win despite perhaps her biggest runway flop of the season so far.
Hannah Conda was surprisingly effective as Marina Summers’ partner in Strictly Come Prancing. I couldn’t recall Hannah handling this much choreography this cleanly in her run on Drag Race Down Under, but she really didn’t make a single misstep that I could detect here. Plus, she managed some really nice extensions – which were critical to selling their Samba, since Hannah is so short (and somewhat stout).
On the runway, Hannah Conda was giving me Baga Chipz.
Many fans compared Hannah to Baga when she first popped up on Drag Race Down Under. I suppose they share a faint visual resemblance in their figures and inflated lips. Yet, I never really saw the comparison, in part because Hannah never relied on an easy joke to sell her runways. She went as high-detail, high-glam as any other fiercely competitive queen.
Yet, this runway felt like Baga Chipz to me – because all it had going for it with the silliness of Hannah walking the runway in catface makeup. The gold iridescent tuxedo wasn’t all that impressive or flattering to begin with, and on top of that the “Party in the Back” revel was some glued-on mice with slogans on doilies. That’s just not an All Stars level outfit! Also, it repeats Hannah’s oddball mouse obsession from the ball challenge.
I’m just not sure I could’ve let this look win if I was a judge on this episode. I don’t think it’s forgivable that it was unflattering and it didn’t fit the runway brief in the slightest.
Despite a flop on the runway, Hannah delivered a solid lip sync (which was high camp, since she was still in her cat face!) but rightfully lost to a powerhouse performance from Marina.
I think Hannah Conda would be out of contention for the crown if next week’s challenge was anything but a roast. However, Hannah is utterly hilarious and quick with writing jokes. I fully suspect she will win next week… not only win, but also handily win a lip sync against Tia (or maybe La Grande Dame).
Then, Hannah will not only be in the three-win club with a lip sync win, but she’ll have the chance to cut Scarlet – which she hinted at wanting to do this week. That will give us a well-matched Top 4, and it will give Hannah enough momentum to be a credible threat to both Tia (for humor) and Marina (for polish) in the finale.
#4 – La Grande Dame, 2 wins (was #2, 1, 1, 4, 4)
[DRFr-S01 Runner Up, Pre-Season #2]
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La Grande Dame delivered a somewhat awkward Strictly Come Prancing performance, but was saved by being game to make things silly with Tia Kofi.
After re-watching Strictly Come Prancing a few times, La Grande Dame is the only queen who I specifically noticed missing choreography rather than just looking a bit clumsy. There are a few points where she is visibly late or behind. However, it’s very subtle. And, for much of her paired dance with Tia Kofi she delivered lovely long lines – sometimes much better than Tia did.
While this bridal look is an absolute showstopper, I’m not sure gluing some glittered plastic weapons to the back of it stands up to the level of perfection we’ve come to anticipate from La Grande Dame on the runway. It was worth a chuckle, but the undifferentiated lump of guns and swords just comes off a bit limp.
Maybe the weapons would’ve worked better for me if they hadn’t all been so tightly packed, or if they had some metallic colors mixed in, or if there was a proper reveal to show them off. As it was, they seemed like an afterthought.
La Grande Dame is having a challenging All Stars arc of coming in heavy at the start of a season only to sputter a bit while other queens shine. Even though she is on par with the other queens with her two wins, they feel like the least fresh of everyone’s since they came in the first two weeks. If Ru was living for Scarlet more, I’d say LGD is in danger in next week’s comedy roast. Yet, I think in a straight-forward roast setting without the need to shoot a whole commercial of material, LGD could actually be very funny – though I don’t think she can sneak past Hannah or Tia for a win.
If Scarlet gets chopped next week as predicted, I think that puts La Grande Dame in the weakest position with the least momentum in the finale. That means her only hope for a win is killing either a final remix or a Lip Sync For The Crown – possibly both!
#5 – Scarlet Envy, 1 win, 1 bottom (was #5, 5, 4, 3, 5)
[RPDR-S11 10th, RPDRAS-S06 9th, Pre-Season #5]
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Scarlet Envy has nowhere left to hide from RuPaul’s indifference in a slim field of five competitors, as we saw from this bottom placement for a solid showing in both the challenge and the runway.
I watched Scarlet like a hawk in this Strictly Come Prancing choreography. I never saw her significantly falter, but she also never stood out. Perhaps that’s because she was wearing the longest skirt and the most-voluminous hair. I think both of them swallowed up some of the clean lines of her movement.
Also, I do think Choriza had the most trouble with the choreo out of the entire cast, which dragged Scarlet down. She likely would’ve turned it out if she was paired with Marina.
Scarlet Envy’s homage to Barbra Streisand is pure glam There’s nothing Scarlets loves more than a mermaid moment on the runway, and I absolutely love how this pantsuit has its own train. It’s ingenious, the proportions are right, and it looks mega-expensive. Plus, she found a way to show her ass that wasn’t just chaps. Chaps rarely look good on Drag Race!
Where I have to pause is on the presentation of Scarlet’s ass itself. It’s… lackluster. Not the ass itself! It’s just that she’s wearing what looks like a very plain black G-string panty, and her ass is just… there. No stones on the undies, no body glitter or anything. I think if the panties sparkled to match the suit and her buttocks were a little shimmery this would’ve had a lot more of an impact. We’ve just seen so many “ass out” looks on Drag Race at this point. It doesn’t have impact all on its own.
I don’t think it was unfair to place Scarlet low since she was in the least-thrilling pairing in Strictly Come Prancing. Yet, I think it stings a little since she missed out on two weeks of what felt like slam dunk wins. I thought I was just deep in my delusional Scarlet fandom, but it seems like the internet broadly agreed that the fix was in for Tia Kofi in Seven!: The Rusical and that second top spot did rightfully belong to Scarlet or Hannah.
Unfortunately, I think Scarlet’s track record and Ru’s indifference to her will spell her doom in the roast next week. Ru isn’t going to laugh at her jokes, and as the only queen with only one win and a bottom placement she is the easiest to cut.
That just sucks. But, even if Scarlet had a better track record, at this point, I don’t think Ru’s indifference will ever change.
Eliminated: 6th Place – Choriza May, 2 bottoms (was #4, 7, 7, 6, 6)
[RPDRUK-S03 6th/7th, Pre-Season #6]
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Choriza May may not have won any challenges on RuPaul’s Drag Race vs. The World Season 2, but I still think she had a redemptive run. She was more confident and put-together on this season than she was on her original run on Drag Race UK. Even if I didn’t like many of her runways, they were all deliberately styled and none of them looked cheap.
Yet, I also got the sense that Choriza simply isn’t meant for Drag Race. Her sense of humor and her absurd concepts don’t fit comfortably into the rigid restraints of each episode. Choriza enjoys blue humor that borders on bad taste – after all, her big single is “My P*ssy Is Like a Peach.” There’s not enough room for that on Drag Race, and when she shoehorns it in her bawdiness often comes off too raunchy or just unfunny. Plus, the format of the show restricts perhaps her best talent – her charisma as a narrator and a volleyer.
Hopefully this stronger, more-assured run on the show lets Choriza May find the opportunity to create whatever kinds of vivid drag visions she has in her head. I see her more as an international style clown in the vein of Jimbo than I do as the typical glitzy, lip syncing Drag Race alum.
Eliminated: 7th Place – Gothy Kendoll, 3 bottoms (was #8, 8, 8, 7)
[RPDRUK-S01 10th, Pre-Season #10]
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8th Place – Keta Minaj, 2 bottoms (was #7, 2, 6) [DRHol-S02 4th, Pre-Season #7]
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9th Place – Jonbers Blonde, 1 bottom (was #9, 9) [RPDRUK-S04 3rd/4th, Pre-Season #9]
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10th Place – Arantxa Castilla La Mancha, 1 bottom (was #10) [DREs-S01 7th, Pre-Season #11]
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11th Place – Mayhem Miller, 1 bottom [RPDR-S10 10th, RPDRAS-S05 7th, Pre-Season #8]
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[…] hilarious for audiences of all ages. That gave us a tiny but critical shuffle to the rankings compared to last week’s Strictly Come Prancing power rankings. What does that mean for next week’s finale? I think we have a clear powerhouse pair of […]