Do two episodes offer enough points to triangulate a potential top three? Last year, Adore was still a train-wreck at this point… well, I mean, she never stopped, but later the train wreck started being the whole point of her.
Which queen might still surprise us by coming from behind? Let’s take a look.
#1 Violet Chachki (avg 1, was #1)
Another week in the top spot? Why not? Despite my dislike of her french fry dress, the judges clearly dig her more outré fashions. Add to that her ability to deliver as a performer and to stay cute even when she’s being a bit annoying in the workroom. It’s her game to lose, but her downfall might be her Visage Venom. Being contrary to Michele never works in the long run. If she eventually takes a Michele suggestion to heart (a la Jinx), she’ll be set.
#2 Kennedy Davenport (avg 2, was #2)
She quietly delivered this week with only a minor fashion misstep. We have still yet to see all she has to offer, and even on her low-intensity setting she’s easy defeating the majority of the other queens. Plus, she seems to have a pretty positive attitude. I have a hard time picturing what’s going to trip her up.
#3 Ginger Minj (avg 3, was #4)
A rightful win, fantastic strategy and leadership, and fashion strong enough to not only survive being off-theme but WIN for it. That’s a fierce queen. If she can deal with her minor shading issues and keep up the comedy this could be our first big-girl winner – and you KNOW Ru was listening to “All About That Bass” when she was shooting this season.
#4 Max (avg 6, was #9)
This week’s biggest gain and the ranking I struggled with the most. The old lady schtick went right out the window as we saw Max is ready to fight for the win when it comes to challenges. It turns out she is a ham who knows how to hit her mark. Plus, we saw her be fashion forward yet again in the final runway. The old lady game might just be a red-herring hiding a major glamour queen, but at some point she’s going to have to give some genuine personality. Her Gaga meets Manson vibe pegs her as a student of Ms. Needles, but it’s crucial she avoids hewing too closely to that past winner’s mold.
#5 Trixie Mattel (avg 6, was #8)
Strong strategy, imaginative fashion, able to get along with the other queens but willing to put them in their place, and clearly a comedienne. Her final placement is going to come down to whether she gets clocked for the over-the-top make-up. If she can scale it back and break out of her glambot box she could wind up near the top. I am rooting for her a little.
#6 Katya (avg 6, was #6)
Yes, she bombed the lip sync. Yet, she can dance well and her fashion has been strong. Plus, she is already the star of the interview segments. The deciding factor here is whether this challenge flub was truly a fluke or if she will be a Jujubee level of otherwise-perfect choke-artist. I am rooting for her A LOT. She feels like the best bet to disrupt that quickly-solidifying top three.
#7 Pearl (avg 6, was #6)
While her opiated commentary is a delight and her performance okay, her Madonna-obsessed fashion is going to hit a wall at some point. That said, she’s clearly a club kid who knows how to turn it out when necessary – I don’t see her losing her first lip sync.
#8 Ms. Fame (avg 5, was #3)
This is my biggest drop of the week. Fame has the will to win, but I don’t think she has the way. No amount of ambition will grant her the capacity to ditch her Fashion Robot identity and loosen up in as brief a span as this show’s shooting schedule. I’m certain she’ll be an adequate lip sync artist, but between the lacking performance chops and the hit-and-miss fashion, she’s not going to outlast all of these other full-package girls.
#9 Jasmine Masters (avg 10, was #11.)
Holy shit, did I actually move her up a notch? Yep. Her performance ability was sheer delight and she is clearly going to send a queen home in her first lip sync. Yet, she cannot dress herself. I’m not sure if it’s lack of taste or lack of budget, but it’s going to be a problem. I am secretly hoping that she’s just burning her cheap outfits on the early weeks so she can stun later on.
#10 Mrs. Kasha Davis (avg 11, was #12.)
Kasha showed her ability to ham it up this week, but she really needs to glam up her fashion to stay in it. I hate to count her out – she could displace several queens above her if she keeps delivering what she hinted at this week, and Ru and Michele showed a willingness to root for her.
#11 Kandy Ho (avg 9, was #7)
Aside from resolving her shading problems, Kandy was wallpaper this week and her lip sync wasn’t life-altering. She is not long for this world.
#12 Jaidynn Diore Fierce (avg 11, was #10)
She faded into the background this week when we needed to see her bust out to overcome her lamentable fashion. Even if she’s an amazing lip sync artist, I don’t think she has the power to send any of these girls home.
(Here’s where I’d have Sasha. It was your time, girl.)