Crushing Krisis

Comic Books, Drag Race, & Life in New Zealand

RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 7

RuPaul’s Drag Race, S7E10 Recap: Prancing Queens

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Last week on drag race: the queens had to do their best Divine-inspired performances for John Waters, and Fame just wasn’t the right kind of terrible – which meant Trixie is still in the competition and the ranks got shuffled.

After the Elimination

The girls are all giggles as they head back into the workroom fresh from the runway and Miss Fame’s elimination. Violet seems to have grown some genuine, Real Girl TM emotions and will miss Miss Fame, and Katya’s eyes tell the same story. Violet unintentionally calls back to the best Untucked of last season, interviewing, “Fame probably felt really attacked.”

Well, we all know how that can go, right Laganja?

Violet also feels how close her brush with the bottom was as the only remaining non-lip-syncing contestant – which maybe leads Katya to declare war on her? It’d be smart; Violet is the Top-3-bound lady who Katya is most likely to knock off head-to-head.

The rest of the queens seem to be over the elimination (and Miss Fame, in general), which isn’t a big surprise. Despite not being a villain in the slightest, Fame had a lot to say and never quite put her talent where her mouth was. Pearl, particularly, takes exception with Fame calling her out in the “Who should go?” quiz in front of the judges panel. She claims that the ire will only inspire her to greater heights.

A New Day!

The ladies return to their stations to discover Miss Fame left them all brief individual notes, because she is that thoughtful. Everyone is rude about it (Kennedy slightly less so, maybe because her note was so glowing, calling her a “class act”), because outta sight outta mind! They don’t want to be reminded of the girl they just left behind the day before. [Read more…] about RuPaul’s Drag Race, S7E10 Recap: Prancing Queens

RuPaul’s Drag Race Power Rankings, S7E09 – “Divine Inspiration”

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This week we got another funny challenge, and while the challenge itself didn’t shake things up too much compared to last week, Ru’s judging decisions did. What queens performed well but worsened their outlook?

#1 Ginger Minj (avg 2, was #2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4)
As she hits the three-win mark we have Ginger back in the pole position and guaranteed for the final I was an early fan of her fashion, but I’m noticing a distinct lack of willingness for the judges to tag her on anything at all! Is this a free pass for a bigger girl who finally brought a closet full of silhouettes that can compete? Or, is that when she’s performing live her personality actually the biggest thing in the room?

#2 Kennedy Davenport (avg 3, was #3, 2, 5, 3, 4, 6, 2, 2)
Kennedy flew under the radar again this week, but much like Ginger the judges are seeing something special about her that isn’t shining through on this side of the screen. What fascinates me is the SHEER NERVE of her playing it coy this far into the competition. Any subtle performance or runway could easily yield another lip sync! I don’t think we’ve ever seen another competitor as unflappable, and none of the other queens are coming for her at all. [Read more…] about RuPaul’s Drag Race Power Rankings, S7E09 – “Divine Inspiration”

RuPaul’s Drag Race, S7E09 Recap: Divine Inspiration

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Previously on RuPaul’s Drag Race, all of the queens returned but only Trixie stuck around, while long-time fashion victim Jaidynn Dior Fierce said goodbye with Tempest Du Jour lashed to her back.

After The Elimination

The girls are disconnected from their departed twins and all wrung out. As Ginger approaches the mirror for the ceremonial wiping-away of the eliminee’s message, she owns up to how out-of-sorts she was for the twins challenge. “This was my wake-up call,” she interviews, “Ginger, you’re better than this, you need to make sure you pull it together.” She tears up a bit as a producer comforts her.

Trixie becomes the first queen in drag race herstory to be called back and then make it to the next episode! Trixie makes an attempt to laugh off the bad vibes from the other girls about someone coming back who skipped so many challenges, but the bad mojo is real from a few of them.

Katya interviews, “You can smell the resentment in the room as much as you can smell Violet’s BO.” [Read more…] about RuPaul’s Drag Race, S7E09 Recap: Divine Inspiration

RuPaul’s Drag Race Power Rankings, S7E08 – “Conjoined Queens”

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We’re now past the halfway point in the season, and thanks to Ru’s ingenious method of bringing a queen back we didn’t even get any inflation. What we did get was a shake-up! Every queen is in a different position compared to last week, and not just due to Trixie’s return. However, as we inch closer to the final the top three seems more solid than ever. Will any of the top trio be unseated?

#1 Violet Chachki (avg 2, was #3, 2, 4, 1, 1, 1, 1)
Violet continues her ascent to likable, young, talented queen, and as the only queen not to hit the bottom (aside from Fame – we’ll get to her in a minute) she is back as the competitor to beat. This is the Adore story with a redemption arc and sans messiness, and it’s pretty damn compelling. Given that Ginger would be a repeat of Bianca’s mean red-head vibe, she ought to be getting a bit scared of an upset. Violet has some weak spots, but one of the next three girls are going to have to overcome some flaws to upset her march to the top three. And, not for nothing, but I discovered via YouTube that Violet is a lip sync addict who at one point was debuting a new song in her act almost weekly. She’s one of the few queens who could potentially survive a lip sync against Kennedy at full power.

#2 Ginger Minj (avg 2, was #1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4)
Despite hitting the bottom, Ginger really only descends a spot due to Violet’s continued strength. Why? Two words: Sasha Belle. Even though the silly idea this week was all Ginger, we’ve never seen her miss the mark on execution before and probably won’t again. Also, the “I don’t sew” came off as protesting a bit too much given the snugness of their costumes. If anything, I think a trip to the bottom ensures her trip to the finals as we seek to avoid a repeat of last year’s two never-bottom-two girls making it to the end. Plus, she’s an able lip sync artist who would only be slayed by a dancer dropping splits left and right – but, there’s two or three of those girls still in it. [Read more…] about RuPaul’s Drag Race Power Rankings, S7E08 – “Conjoined Queens”

RuPaul’s Drag Race, S7E08 Recap: Conjoined Queens

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Previously on Drag Race: Max fell impressively from grace while Ginger and Kennedy locked up their top spots with a shared Snatch Game win.

After The Elimination

The girls return to the room tired and seemingly bummed about Max, but neither emotion can top their ennui about the idea of a dismissed queen returning. Ginger wants Jasmine back (NO), which Fame quickly shoots down, proposing Kandy Ho. (Katya: “She can’t lip sync four times.”)

Katya interviews: “How can I say this delicately? I DON’T WANT ANYONE ELSE TO COME BACK. Nobody wants another bitch to come back! Nice to know you. You’re beautiful. Stay home.”

A New Day!

The girls enter the room expecting to be greeted by a returned queen or, preferably, a large gift box that they could set aflame. No one has positive feelings about the situation. Ginger suggests they all go on strike until the queen is removed and begins singing a protest song, which Violet finds hilarious.

RuPaul’s video message is a confusing mix of references to Wizard of Oz, bus-throwing, and hitchhiking – but it’s clear that the returned queen is meant to mess with everyone’s plans. Fame turns into a Katya-like cartoon character as she has an imaginary fist-fight with Ru.

Ru enters. “Are you decent? Because we’ve got company!” Everyone groans until Latrice MFigg Royale enters in her Tuckahoe County Prison uniform! The queens are more excited for Latrice than they’ve been for any actual star so far this season, because: LATRICE. [Read more…] about RuPaul’s Drag Race, S7E08 Recap: Conjoined Queens