RuPaul's Drag Race S9E10 - The New Ru Crew
Saturday, May 27, 2017 at 1:00PM 
by Chris Feil
After last week’s shocking fall from grace and resulting elimination for Valentina sent the RuPaul’s Drag Race fandom into such a tizzy, it’s a relief that this episode was largely all love.
For all the quibbles and bitching among fans of the show and the drama that inevitably comes between contestants, the show always comes from the heart. From the cruelest villains to the most resilient champions to the sad queen learning to accept herself, Drag Race loves every competitor who crosses its gates. Its a major reason why it elicits such a passionate response.
But Drag Race’s love extends far beyond the competition, and this episode showed us a little bit more of Mama Ru’s extended family. Past queens have mentioned in interviews how tight knit they become with the crew as well as their sister queens, but this challenge allowed that affection to be featured onscreen: for this season’s makeover challenge, the queens had to dragify a crew member.
What made this one of the best makeover episodes in the show’s history is the very effusive enthusiasm from chosen crew members. Even the more chill guys seemed pretty stoked to participate, certainly moreso than a lot of the makeover participants in past seasons. Perhaps their closer daily proximity allowed them to get more invested in seeing these queens succeed. Bonus points for resisting showering congratulations and gratitude on these straight guys for participating in something queer!
Great Moments in Baby Shadethrowing:
Each queen was paired appropriately to personality - thanks, last week’s winners Shea and Sasha for sparing the drama. Except Shea herself, perhaps at her first disadvantage of the season with her awkward new drag sister (Shea is decidedly not Team Portman, fellow actressexuals). Meanwhile Nina found a kindred spirit in her sensitive artist partner, and actually seemed to listen to his perspective on her self-loathing routine we’ve heard ad nauseum all season. How many times can this be the topic of conversation? Nina always wants to talk about it like Ru always wants to talk about Squarespace.
Trinity Taylor is dubbed The Tuck for a damn reason and her poor teammate should’ve known what he had coming for him before our pageant queen even pulled out her duct tape. Trinity was one of the few contestants not overshadowed by her partner, so she took that tuck (“Took That Tuck”, there’s your single, Trinity!) straight to her third win. I sense a MAJOR threat to snatch the crown, especially with Shea slipping this week.
The standings on the runway were fairly predictable based on the workroom struggles, with Shea and Nina being the fairly obvious bottom two. I’m guessing Shea was working overtime to shove some grace into her crew member and that’s the reason for a lot of sloppiness like visible bra straps and flimsy wigs. The judges were way too tough on Alexis and the expected nature of her space hooker looks - the two were adorable and among the strongest family resemblances on the runway.
C’Mon Season 10 - The episode’s unrivaled MVP was Peppermint’s crew member Sarge AKA Winter Green. Girlfriend was serving face and jokes, completely bringing the judges panel to a standstill and possibly rescuing Pep from another appearance in the bottom 2. While we don’t support pulling the attention away from the queens (unless you’re Ru herself or Michelle Visage), this was a real treat and season highlight. You busy next season, Winter Green?
The lipsync between Nina and Shea went as you might expect. A now three-time lipsync queen against one of the consistently top performers? We know what’s coming. While Nina threatened to “pull a Charlie”, she delivered a defeated version of her focused chill. Shea was as precise as usual, but a little encumbered by her dress.
It was the sad girl and her biggest champion facing off, Shea stifling her tears and Nina dejected, But at this point it is underwhelming to see Nina go. She had been a bottom-dweller for weeks both in attitude and performance, a shame after such a wowza of a debut. Like her doting, patient competition, I think we’ll always believe in Nina and know the sweetheart underneath the constant self-doubt. Like Ru said, she's part of the family now.
This week on Untucked, Nina showed how much she had really given up while the girls were giddy about the challenge. You get to see a little bit more of the crew's investment in doing well for the queens, sweet and sad in equal measure. My biggest burning question: why did Nina walk half her runways in corsets and bodysuits if she had such colorful dresses??
While this episode was very thin on story, it was a lovely and light bit of world-building under Mama Ru’s “everybody say love” umbrella. The next two weeks will be very crucial to help deciding a quickly narrowing race, one I’m not sure Alexis can turn around for herself. Will Shea end her run as strong as it began, or will Trinity continue to ascend? Can Sasha stand out from her bestie Shea, and can Peppermint maintain the polish she’s finally achieved in recent weeks?
Current Ranking:
- Shea Couleé AND Trinity Taylor (We don't usually support ties here at TFE, but in the words of Nina: Sue me.)
- Sasha Velour
- Valentina OUT
- Peppermint
- Eureka O'Hara OUT
- 🔻Nina Bo'Nina Brown
- Farrah Moan OUT
- Alexis Michelle
- Aja OUT
- Cynthia Lee Fontaine OUT
- Charlie Hides OUT
- Jaymes Mansfield OUT
- Kimora Blac OUT
Gif as Episode Grade:
Reader Comments (22)
my favorite episode of the season bar none. I had such a great time watching it. A different side to nearly everyone (but for Nina the broken record)
Nathaniel, I'm surprised you liked it so much. I felt like it was one of the most obvious episodes in terms of producer manipulation. Seemed like Sasha is destined to get Courtney Act'd (will make the finals but be deprived of a significant storyline/enough visibility during the season and thereby not going to win) as she missed another win. And it seemed so clear that they wanted that Shea vs. Nina lip sync as a way of concluding Nina's storyline, as Alexis was saved from the bottom 2 for another week in a row...
Nick -- except that Shea absolutely deserved to be in the bottom two that week. That presentation was a mess. Alexis, who is obviously not as strong as Shea overall, was obviously better this week and it is supposed to be a weekly challenge competition!
Still crushed after Valentina's elimination, I am almost angry I enjoyed it so much lol It was a lot of fun, very sweet episode. Don't really like the dismissal of Chris' towards Nina's attitude, which *had* gotten tiring throughout the season, but this episode she got a lovely sendoff. Talking about it pretty openly, admitting her dealing with depression, her self-awareness at how people try to bring her up but it's often all in her head. It was a very nice and genuinely sad moment to see Nina's not self-deluded or genuinely paranoid, an awareness of her mental illness and the slow progress it takes for her to deal with. That it came from a straight guy and her drag partner was amazing.
I've warmed up to Trinity over the season. She was initially set up as the villain, or if not, at the very least her early episodes and clashes with Eureka left a very sour taste in my mouth. Seeing her have fun, be more loose and rise up to the challenge once more makes me like her more and more.
Shea's slip up was major. I also would've put Alexis in the bottom again given the boringness of her outfits and how safe they were. Defs over Shea's endearing sloppiness, but I assume Ru couldn't resist the good tv that was having Nina vs. Shea face off. Though that combined with a seriously underwhelming lip-sync was a hit. Whether it was the song or the dress or both, I presume had she faced a more willing to fight Nina she might've not been so lucky.
Regardless, to me the top 3 seems obvious. While we had a strong top 7 two weeks ago, it seems now there's also a level separating certain contestants and an obvious top 3 that (should Shea not slip again) will waltz towards the finale.
When I saw Wintergreen, all I could see was Terence Stamp in Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
I am also quickly joining Team Trinity. Shea has done consistently well, but she's never really wowed me except perhaps for her opening "B--- I'm from Chicago!" Trinity just brings a little more of the 'tude I'm looking for in my favorite drag queens.
It was a nice episode, but a bit pointless in my opinion. Nina was clearly gonna go, unless she pulled out all the stops. If she had, and had had bagged another win this late, it would've been reeeeally interesting to watch the next couple of episodes unfold lol. Had Valentina still been there, I think the episode would've been even more interesting in that aspect.
Hopefully Alexis goes next and then we can have the best final four possible, now that Valentina is gone.
I never thought I'd be Team Trinity in the beginning, but bitch is amazing. One of the most well-rounded "pageant" queens ever on the show. I didn't think she had a chance at winning, but it's starting to seem more possible... hm. I hope so!
Nick - while I do think the story beats of this episode were quite obvious, they hardly felt manipulated. I think this episode is pretty fair and square regardless of how Nina, Shea, or Alexis have done in the competition otherwise. And I seriously doubt Nina would have outperformed Alexis on that song anyway.
Nathaniel - agreed but very interesting to think how this episode showed a different side of each queen. Especially some vulnerable/humility from Shea, and Sasha kind of relaxing a bit
Three lip syncs and done is pretty standard, but there are notable exceptions. Jujubee made it to the finale after three lip syncs in Season 2 and no wins. Alexis Mateo also won her third lip sync to come in third the next season. The format changed with the live finale, so it became less common but much more interesting. Darienne managed the same thing with even stranger circumstances (lip syncing against Bendela twice) in season 6.
Coco Montrese was the lip sync assassin of Season 5 and very well may have been eliminated against Detox for dual-narrative purposes (Coco triumphed over Alyssa and wasn't going to win, and Detox was part of the RoLaskaTox group up against Jinkx). She went home on her 4th lip sync.
Had Nina done what Nina can do versus what Shea did with the song, Nina might have forced Ru's hand. There aren't enough episodes left for a double shantay followed by a double elimination, so someone was going home. But Nina pulled a half-Charlie with a Valentina twist and then turned it on a little bit, so she rightfully went home. Shea was boring, but at least she tried.
I think the better question is: did Nina deserve a Bottom 2 placement? Alexis was spared another lip sync again for putting a crew member in her literal entrance look and wearing a worse looking leotard herself. Nina was placed in the bottom two because of corsets and body suits, but at least it was a new look under those particulars. Peppermint sucked, too, but Winter Green was so damn charming she was safe. So four of the contestants could have fit in the bottom 2 (I frankly thought Shea should have been safe, as the wig was easily fixed for the dance and critiques) and, conveniently, a storyline from throughout the season reached its conclusion before the more important Final 5 to 4 episode.
Robert - even though I appreciate Nina;s look for being so out there and original, the execution was notttttttt good. Same silhouette AND sloppily put together.
Ugh... Sasha should have won this weeks challenge. I suspect she didn't win because of the comedy of "the tuck" and because if Duncan had "won" it would have looked like favoritism. But one of the BEST episodes of the entire series run so far! I laughed and loved a lot.
RuPaul has some good looking crew members!!!
Do we know where RuPaul gets his suits?
Is it weird that Ru has no female crew members?
Mareko - i'm not sure that's true. I coulda sworn seeing a couple in other episodes.
The Unbeatable Shea Coulee, ladies and gentlemen!
Mareko - from watching the episode twice, I definitely spotted at least one woman in the workroom and another in the Untucked walk of shame. While this is still pretty measly, hopefully there are more among the art/editing/etc teams
Hayden - not sure why you're still hanging onto this every week, but I stand by my comment. If it's a lipsync that makes you bring this up, more winning queens have had a bottom 2 placement than haven't. What did you think of the episode?
Philip & Robert -- I don't know. Can we really use the word "original" with Nina when she kept ripping off herself? It was always a non-human head using construction paper paired with a black corset. Just because the head changes, doesn't make it original.
Nat - I think it's fair to call Nina original but not working to her full capacities re: her paint. But it's definitely the repeated corset and lingerie that made her aesthetic boring. And you can make a hoe aesthetic varied (see: umpteen queens in the show's history)
Sasha was my favorite for a long time but who can deny Trinity Taylor at this point?
She has all the gifts the competition requires and she works so hard. Plus her personality is popping and she brings the unintentional comedy (just funny as a human being) that Drag Race thrives on. That duct tape tucking scene is iconic. On Untucked she's the one who spoke truth to Nina in a compassionate but firm way.
I hope Alexis doesn't outstay her welcome by one more week. She's really one of the most insufferable people who's ever appeared on the show. I'm confident that Peppermint, Shea, and Trinity could slay her in a lip sync and I don't see Sasha landing in the bottom, ever.
All that said I'm Team Trinity.
Hopefully Sasha wins the next Challenge, than Shea, Sasha und Trinity has all three wins so the winner is not so obvious, although I think the favorite is still Shea, but my favorite is Sasha for the win. I dont see Trinity as the winner - I just can´t. Still sad that Valentina is gone. Why Ru cant bring her back as she did it with Kenya, Carmen or Naysha. Maybe like Trixie or Alyssa/Tatianna with a Challenge or like Cynthia next Season, but that Spot will go to Eurkeeka. ;-( Maybe we will see Valentina in All Stars 3. Hopefully.
I like the way of how to detox