Tuning in to “RuPaul’s Drag Race”
Monday night, I asked myself, “Do I want to live in a world without Katya?” But
of course, she’s not dead, she’s just not on the show
anymore, and so I turned my attention to the little cat fights on the screen. We’re
down to the final four and bitches be nervous: Ginger Minj
needed “a smoke and a nap.”
Michelle Visage came into the workroom and announced the maxi
challenge for the evening: each queen would be starring with RuPaul in the new video for her single “Born Naked.” #BornNakedEach contestant was also
invited to have one last meal with Mama Ru. At the end of the episode, not only
would one of the queens be eliminated from the show, she would also be
eliminated from the video.
Candis Cayne
was brought in to help with choreography, which was in the style of 1980’s pop
idols like Sheena Easton and Paula Abdul. Violet apparently doesn’t know what
the 80’s are because she was born in 1992. Do your research, girl; No excuses.
If you don’t know “Cold Hearted Snake,” I don’t want to know you.
Time for dinner with Ru, otherwise known as “Ru is going to
bring up something deeply personal from your past and try to make you cry.” Kennedy’s dad told her on his death bed to go
on “Drag Race” and she has spent most of her life looking after her mentally
challenged sister. Ginger Minj uses humor to mask the
pain of never really knowing her absent father. Pearl had some serious trauma
starting at a young age. And Violet was Violet — she has gotten away with not
really revealing anything from her past. We learned that she had a sister that
had some drama that put Violet on the backburner. She’s like the human
equivalent of vaguebooking.
It was time to shoot the music video which, despite some wig
and earring problems from Pearl and Violet, seemed to go relatively well. There
were some of the same issues from previous challenges in terms of choreography
but nothing that I’m sure cannot be overcome by the time we see the final
product. One fun tidbit we found out was that everyone call’s Pearl’s dance
moves “Pearl Smash!” because her moves are super aggressive. Love it.
The second part of the video involved acting out a scene with Ru — which
definitely had its hiccups — but more of the same old shit. Pearl needed
encouragement to come out of her shell, but nailed the “mom on pills”
character; Ginger was great; Violet was forgettable; and Kennedy forgot her
lines.
More cattiness ensued in the workroom while everyone got
ready for the runway. Kennedy and Ginger don’t think that Violet or Pearl are
mature enough to deal with all the responsibility that comes with being crowned
the winner. Instead of lashing out, Violet just listened, which Pearl praised
her for. You all know I love the Minj, but I saw a
side of her on last night’s episode that was just mean: you can tell she’s
feeling the pressure of the final four and reacts by trying to intimidate and
berate the younger contestants.
Runway time! Judges were “just family” for the episode: Ru, Ross Matthews,
Carson Kressley, and Michelle Visage. The queens were
instructed to put together a runway look that represented their best drag.
Kennedy came out in full pageant rainbow glitter. Violet’s
outfit was very Violet, I thought, and she described it as Victor/Victoria
meets classic burlesque. Ginger Minj was all glitter
and fringe. And Pearl came out in her nighty.
Ru then held up a picture of each contestant as their
younger, male, selves and asked them what they would say to them, knowing what
they know now. Is the point of this episode to make everyone cry or have a
breakdown? Jeez. I was crying; the dog was crying; it was a mess.
It was time for judge’s final critiques. Carson thought that
Kennedy’s acting was not Oscar-worthy but Michelle liked her runway look.
Carson thought Violet’s acting was better and Michelle hated her runway look —
which I completely disagree with. The look was definitely Violet Chachki and that was the point. Michelle thought Ginger Minj’s characters were great in the video and Carson loved
the dress. Michelle thought Pearl did great in the video and loved the runway
look.
Ru asked each queen why she should be crowned. Kennedy took
the opportunity to rip into Violet and Pearl again, saying they were too young
for this. Ginger did the same thing. Violet said she feels like she already won
— such a Violet answer. Pearl says she appeared tired on the show because she
WAS tired. She’s exhausted from working hard and busting her ass for everything
she has.
At this point, neither I nor my friend knew what the hell to
expect. I had no idea who was going home, who I even wanted to go home, who I
wanted to stay, if I left the oven on when I left the house. Nothing! All the
queens were lip-syncing to RuPaul’s “Born Naked” and
then Kennedy was gone before I even knew what happened. That leaves Ginger Minj, Pearl, and Violet Chachki
in the final three.
Who are you rooting for?
This article appears in May 20-26, 2015.
