Drag Race RuCap: "The Mother of All Balls"

For the next few months, Nick Taylor and Cláudio Alves will be following and recapping RuPaul’s Drag Race season sixteen…

CLÁUDIO: Dear readers, it feels only polite to apologize for the delay in posting this much belated RuCap. Although the next Drag Race episode is almost upon us, there are still 42 runway looks and a whole episode full of shenanigans to discuss. Then again, the Oscar nominations were just announced, so there was a lot to do this past week, when awards fever reached its boiling point. So excuse us and let’s move on to “The Mother of All Balls,” a rather smashing hour of drag competition that overcomes the hurdle of coming too soon in the season. 

NICK: Yeah. Sorry we’re late, the Oscar noms happened. I just woke up from a medically induced coma, and when I saw Margot Robbie missed I immediately went back under in sheer distress. Don’t believe me? Good. Go fuck yourselves . . . .

Anyways, the moment we’ve all been waiting for for so long we’ve turned around to resenting it: our recap of the Ball! The categories are very fun, and the episode itself is a real hoot. Group dynamics are starting to establish themselves, and because these early episodes are longer than last season, we get more time to really see the queens suss each other out and announce who’s the real bad bitch of the bunch.

Before we get to the runways, what do we want to go over with the readers?

CLÁUDIO: First things first, the two groups finally meet at the start of the episode, prompting a bunch of interesting interactions. Plasma tries to throw some shade Sapphira’s way but fails miserably, while Plane Jane immediately pounces on Amanda, making fun of the other bitch in that un-charming way of hers. More importantly, we discover that the Bostonian queen and Miami’s Morphine are part of the same extended drag family. There’s also a hilarious confessional where Dawn calls Megami the Eeyore of Drag.

The next day, our cast finds two mysterious boxes waiting for them in the werkroom. Of course, they’re there to present Sapphira and Plane Jane with their immunity potions, fashioned after the Death Becomes Her props. If only Isabella Rossellini could be persuaded to guest judge on Drag Race.

Ru later appears, dressed like he’s ready to star in The Boy from Oz, and explains that the queens will have a chance to use their safeguard in the competition, preventing themselves from being up for elimination altogether. They can even save one of their competitors. However, the potion only works once and, according to Mama Ru, it has an expiration date. How mysterious, how frustrating.

NICK: Ru promises more will be revealed later, and I for one cannot wait to learn how immunity functions this season. The altruistic component is an interesting wrinkle, and the limited time frame makes me very happy, given how my immediate instinct would be to save it until the very end like a Master Ball. Nonsense is always possible, but there’s plenty of ways a strategic player could use this, and both Sapphira and Plane strike me as very calculating.

Next, Ru announces the first elimination challenge of the season is the Ball. We’ve discussed the mechanics of the ball and its roving placement throughout the series’ history, though it’s noteworthy that this is the second time it’s been used with the full Drag Race cast in attendance. The theme is Mother, with three separate runways involved: First up is Mother Goose, requiring the girls to dress as characters from nursery rhymes. Second is Significant Mother, where any historical mother from history is fair game. Third and most important is Mother/Father realness (I forgot the name). The queens are given a catalog of menswear they must transform into elegant women’s clothing.

One more twist comes with this challenge: The Rate-A-Queen system makes its (alleged???) final appearance. The queens will select the top and bottom three of the night, while the judges select the challenge winner and the queens who will lip sync for their lives. Everyone is decidedly not thrilled by this announcement, but there’s a wary sense that no one wants to be sneaky and inflect any karma on themselves.

CLÁUDIO: For sure, especially when Ru gives the queens their premiere rankings. For someone so invested in becoming the season’s villain, Plane Jane is mighty nervous about her sabotage becoming public knowledge. 

Later, she’ll joke with Nymphia about it, as the Banana Buddah seems suspicious that her Russian rival voted more dishonestly than she says. It’s a very awkward interaction that reeks of producers’ meddling. At some point, the queens even glance at the cameras as if to make sure that they’re paying attention. Honestly, I’d respect Plane’s grift a bit more if it felt less forced. No shaking in your boots about strategies revealed or fake niceties. If you want to be a bad bitch, be a bad bitch - own it!

NICK: You know who’s really being her authentic self in the werkroom? Nymphia Wind. Several queens express their delight at being able to show off their sartorial talents for the Ball - Dawn and Q even treat each other as rivals in their confessionals. Nymphia is similarly hyped to prove her couture credentials for the collective cast, and we do see her assembling her outfit in the background of shots or fiddling with stuff while she peeks in on someone else’s drama. But do we get one second of her explaining what she’s doing for the camera? No, we just see her flit around acting like a loon, gleefully distracting other queens without a care in the world.

No one seems particularly bothered by this. Nymphia’s like an exotic bird, specifically the one from Up, just popping up to do something odd and leaping away. Meanwhile, Ru quizzes the girls on who can and cannot sew. Most of the cast claims some ability to make their own clothes, but Ru counters a few bitches to determine who can actually sew. She also gives Amanda a fantastically backhanded compliment, telling her she looks so much better without her makeup on.

Hershii, Mhi’ya, Mirage, and Morphine reveal they can’t sew, though Morphine is the most confident at being able to throw something together. Mirage seems confident as well for a hot minute, though it’s not clear if she’s planning to do anything but carve up a sweater into a slutty onesie. Hershii is visibly flailing towards a skirt of hot-glued church socks, and Mhi’ya feels relatively good about making her first garment. Girl really believes in plaid. Who else stands out from the crowd for you, Cláudio? 

CLÁUDIO: Geneva stands out because she’s decided to make a basic bodysuit out of material from the fabric wall. To make it fit the challenge premise, she’s added a few details from a deconstructed suit, but it doesn’t seem enough. As much as I might bristle against Plane Jane’s attitude, she’s right to criticize Geneva’s approach. Not that her work is any better, mind you. 

These mirror interactions culminate in yet another swing of Nymphia silliness. It seems the Taiwanese queen thinks herself a polyglot and is eager to learn Spanish from her Latin sisters. Pouncing on the opportunity for nonsense, the queens make a carrier pigeon out of Miss Wind, having her go back and forth, delivering insults and asking for some leche.

After that, it’s runway time. On the main stage, Ru models tacky drag with shoulder plumage and a hemline so short you can almost see the good china. Joining her are Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, and extra special judge Isaac Mizrahi. They’re here to judge “The Mother of All Balls” and so are we.

Going queen by queen, Geneva Karr is our first victim. For the Mother Goose category, she comes dressed as "Miss Muffet," sporting cheap polyester, stuffed and heavy-looking. In her description, Geneva mentions the 1800s as inspiration, but those voluminous skirts were achieved through understructure or layered petticoats. That’s why they moved beautifully instead of just dragging. I also don’t care for the Toys ‘R’ Us spider stuck to her dress.

Her Significant Mother of choice is Salma Hayek in a mesh jumpsuit. Why she chose this red carpet outfit is beyond me for it’s hella unflattering. Finally, her Mother/Father Eleganza look is simple to a fault with an unappealing color story. 

NICK: It’s such an unflattering series of looks. The "Miss Muffet" dress looks like two sleeping bags stitched together - she brought that from home?? Geneva’s Salma Hayek realness does not recall the actress at all, and the seemingly random placement of the flowers doesn’t look fashionable at all. Hayek’s original outfit looks much better, in part because the floral arrangements look more purposeful and help shape the garment. I don’t like her third look at all, which read as 'we have Kandy Muse at home.'

Dawn is next, stepping up her game so much higher than Geneva does. I don’t know if I ever heard of "Cushy Cow" before this challenge, but it’s a fantastic look, all red and white and ethereal with a mug that makes her look like some sort of cow goddess. Her Significant Mother is Audrey Hepburn on the Breakfast at Tiffany’s poster, albeit in a zombified tone with her ghostly pallor and white eyes. Dawn’s a chic cigarette holder. Last but not least, her original outfit reads like an elfin spin on Shea Coulee’s construction worker from the Village People Ball. The orange headwrap and thigh-high boots with the suspenders make a great body for the outfit, and the cape’s mismatched cutouts read like kaleidoscopic fashionability. The red skirt-thing looks a bit like an attempt to safeguard the body from accusations of being a leotard, but it still flows with the color scheme. 

CLÁUDIO: She’s really serving bovine deity with that first look. The heel-less hooves are especially fierce, and the cattle tag as an earring is inspired. I’ve seen some people online criticizing her Audrey look for being too removed from the inspiration, but I love it when queens put their own spin on stuff. As you said, she’s Audrey in Holly Golightly costume, but she’s also her cigarette holder - genius. Finally, her eleganza outfit is almost too much, straining at the seams with details to grab your eye. It’s a testament to her styling talents that Dawn looks cohesive rather than chaotic.

Hershii LiqCour-Jeté starts strong, embodying "Burnie Bee" in apian couture. The fur stole makes for a great contrast against the latex of the gown, adding visual interest to a simple yet sensational number. Sadly, it’s diminishing returns from there. Mother Earth is her Significant Mother, an interesting choice that could have resulted in some Demeter drag instead of this latex letdown. Far too basic, the micro-dress (that she describes as demure) is a conundrum of odd material-theme pairings, and the supposed flames(?) licking up her bust don’t read as fire. Maybe they are leaves? Saving the worst for last, Kornbread’s sister went for middle-aged lady realness. Honestly, it’s bad but inoffensive until you realize half the outfit came ready-made. That alone would have been enough justification for a bottom placement.

NICK: Her church lady realness gave me huge flashbacks to Mystique Summers Madison and her Country Realness runway, which I take no pleasure in recalling. She looks good, and the Manila Luzon slice of gray is a solid touch, but it’s very basic. I had no idea the green objects on Hershii’s bust and arms were supposed to be flames, but maybe I was too distracted by the continents printed on her latex - a fun choice the outfit doesn’t serve. Skin a globe! You like the bee outfit more than I do, though I agree about the clashing materiality of it. I would not have minded a better mug to accompany the outfit, though perhaps I’m holding Sasha and Jax’s busy bee puffers too harshly against Hershii.

Mirage comes next, another queen starting with her strongest outfit. Her rendition of "Ba Ba Black Sheep" has a nice balance of glitter, fluffy fabrics, and bare skin. The mug is giving rich-bitch heiress to Victor Garber’s wool empire. La Llorona is a phenomenal choice for Significant Mother, but it mostly looks like Mirage wanted an excuse to wear a nude illusion bodysuit. She’s glam, but if a runway ever called for a wet wig and a gross, sad face, here it is, and she utterly fails to meet that dimension. I would give the raggedness of her final outfit more credit if it read as more purposeful, but it just looked sloppy, and the different straps, belts, and accents made her look like a low-level fantasy character. Very, very underwhelming.

CLÁUDIO: I was disappointed in Mirage. The first look is her best but, even then, it comes across as half-assed, down to the unnecessary t-shirt top. Significant Mother is a good idea, but her conception of La Llorona through an airbrushed full bodysuit needed more oomph. If you want to play with hair as costume, you have to go full Mistress 9 for it to be worthy of the Drag Race runway. Her last look reads sloppy, even with smart styling.

I admired the idea behind Megami’s "Little Bo-Peep" more than the outfit proper. The mismatch of polka dots is fun but amounts to a too-busy look when you add the exposed corset and hoop-skirt. That latter piece was so flimsy that the weight of the half-skirt kept pushing it up on the front, making for a lopsided effect. Also, the sheep purse needed to be bigger to register. The second lewk was unremarkable and a bit tired, featuring one too many props. We’ve seen better Gaga drag on this runway many times before.

Finally, like Dawn, Megami explored a juxtaposition of construction worker roughness and feminine couture. Unlike her elvish sister, the Eeyore of Drag didn’t make all her moving parts cohere. She’s in desperate need of some sartorial editing, even if the outfit itself is well-made enough to warrant safe placement. 

NICK: I’m into the very femme energy of her outfit, which her drag from the previous episode didn’t really incorporate. Roberta the Builder was my favorite of Megami’s outfits, and her interest in trying to cohere so many clashing colors and materials and lines at least speaks to an artist creatively exploring her drag. Even so, all three of them seem like they would benefit from some streamlining.

It appears we’ve been summoned to the conference room for Amanda Tori Meating. Her Mother Goose look, a character named "Little Pussy," gets remixed as killer cat lady glam. I wanted more from the outfit, though the gag of hanging her dead cats on her arms made me laugh. Love the pearls. Picking Michelle Visage for Significant Mother is great, with the removable breast plate and reveal of that streak of white on her giant wig compensating for outfits that don’t totally read as Michelle to me. The different colorful prints adorning her last outfit are fun, though the gray skirt is a dead space. ‘80s businesswoman realness by way of arcade carpet patterns, a look I honestly want to own. Also, the leap in quality and scale of her makeup to match her own outsized energy is so delightful. Lotta nitpicks, but I liked it. 

CLÁUDIO: I’m not a fan. That said, the second look is a winner, elevated by Amanda’s smart presentation - honestly, it’d have made for a better Ruveal runway than the one she presented on her premiere. The remaining ensembles are more middling to me. I enjoy the head styling of her Eleganza but the garments themselves are uninteresting, and while fun, the Little Pussy runway doesn’t feel fully realized.

In comparison to Amanda’s mess, Morphine Love Dion’s package is tidier but less exciting. For Mother Goose she went with “A Man and a Maid” but forgot to include any masculine twist to her fairly standard maid costume. It looks like fetish gear she reporpused for the runway. The same goes for her Kris Jenner - it’s just a random suit with half of the jacket cut out. Finally, she struggled with her all-denim Eleganza Extravaganza, but the peekaboo butt detail was cheeky fun. I’d cal her mediocrity personified if not for the mug. That thing’s beat for the Gods.

NICK: Morphine looks good! Not super exciting as paired with the prompts, but she knows her proportions and how to walk that walk.

Mhi’ya Iman LePaige is next, serving more personality than Morphine but less sense of how to flatter herself. Going as “Mary’s Canary” for Mother Goose, she looks stunning in yellow, but the feathers flying out of her bust end up swallowing her neck and jaw. Her diamond earrings and necklace are so gorgeous, but the feathers blocks them almost completely. The Lil Kim look for significant mother is fine - lengthening the jacket gives it more movement, though the fluff and color of the fabric look a little too close to Grinch pelt. I liked her Eleganza outfit, stitching different plaid fabrics together in a way that reads very Forever21. She’s cinched, the wig and nosering paperclip are right, though I don’t think it needs the cape, and even with the cape, is it that much?

CLÁUDIO: That third look was giving more Melinda Verga than Vivienne Westwood, that’s for sure. It’s … fine, perfectly serviceable. Like you, I think that the Tweetie look was too much, obscuring Mhi’ya instead of framing her beauty. The Lil Kim cosplay was Ok, though the rapper’s real outfit almost reads draggier than this version, give or take the glittery bodysuit.

At long last, it’s Q’s turn to show these bitches how it’s done. Her Mother Goose ensemble is a riff on “The Man in the Moon,” hinting at militaristic regalia re-imagined through storybook glitz. That headpiece is major, and even more impressive when you remember she makes all of her drag. For the Significant Mother category, Q models a stunning recreation of the same Judy Garland dress referenced in the Oscar-winning Judy. Only this drag queen’s take on it is much more accurate, with extra beading to add dimensionality and a sense of amped-up glamour. Her final outfit is another winner, though I found it lacked finesse and finishings. Q denotes Thom Browne as a major influence but that designer’s tailored precision is lacking from this queen’s creation. Still, it’s plaid-tastic!

NICK: It’s a pretty incredible package! The "Man in the Moon" headpiece is jaw dropping, arguably the best of that category, and like another queen’s Mother Goose look, I have no idea how it could possibly fit in a suitcase. The mug keeps me ever so slightly less enthused about her Judy, but it is a remarkable interpretation of that most famous dress. Any other season and Q would probably walk away with the whole ball, no questions asked.

Alas, the question must be asked: Who's next? The answer: Nymphia Wind!! Every single one of her outfits could be considered best of the evening, starting with the frilly, natty androgyny of her "Little Blue Boy." Such gorgeously jewel-toned colors, with the best prop of the Mother Goose brigade. Tilda could have worn that in Orlando. For Signature Mother, Nymphia adapts Angelina Jolie’s wedding gown, redesigning it as a qipao while keeping the maternal sentiment. The dress is decorated with drawings and celebrations from her six drag daughters, all wishing her luck on Drag Race. Lastly, for her Eleganza look, a feat of wizardry. Nymphia’s outfit is dripping in ties wired in all sorts of positions, made even more fatherly by her mostly beige and brown color palette, plus some yellow accents. You can describe the magic of this better that I can, so take it away bitch.

CLÁUDIO: Once again, Nymphia contrasts the goofy persona we see in the werkroom with a fierce main challenge performance, showcasing the two sides of her Janus-like brand. Like you, I loved her fusion of period costuming and drag sensibilities for the Mother Goose runway. The qipao twist on Jolie’s wedding dress felt inspired, even if I quibble with its open back and how it exposes Nymphia’s corset. It’s a minor quibble that stands out amid perfection. Lastly, Nymphia explores the androgynous potential of the Mother/Father theme better than anyone else this week, playing with ties that look caught in frozen windsweep and aspects masculine tailoring. I only noticed it on re-watch, but her hat is made from a folded and cut-apart suit jacket. Amazing stuff.

Nymphia’s coutourier skills are impressive, but Sapphira’s talent for packing may be even more awe-inspiring. How in heaven did she get that giant pumpkin from Philadelphia to Los Angeles when they supposedly have a limited amount of luggage permitted for Drag Race? In any case, Madame Cristál’s “Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater” is a stunner, maybe the best in the category. Her goofy portrait of Eve for the Significant Mother prompt is also excellent. The snakeskin shoes are the cherry on top. Sadly, I wasn’t as impressed by her Extravaganza, even if the construction seemed solid. To me, the proportions feel off.

NICK: Another femme construction worker, kinda! Sapphira’s first two looks are definitely superior to her Eleganza, but she’s set such a high bar for herself that the difference doesn’t feel wildly consequential. The sheer level of detail on her Eve rendition is inspiring, and she pulls off a nude illusion bodysuit beautifully.

Plane Jane is another queen whose last look is her least interesting, though the gap between Plane and Sapphira is a bit wide. Her Eleganza is not for me, 'deconstructing' one suit in a way that reads as using the term to get away with some random elisions and symmetries. The giant blonde tresses are fun, but the outfit looks haphazard coming after Sapphira. Also, why can’t she match her makeup to her stockings to her breasts to her skin color? Girl was three different shades of white up there. Octomom’s a bigger hit, making a hospital gown slung with newborn babies into a glamorous stole. Plane manages to look bedraggled and gorgeous at the same time. I honestly can’t think of anything to say about her “Pussycat by the Fire” bit. I’m getting tired hun. We’re so close to the end.

CLÁUDIO: That feline look was just a dress she had with a cheap faux fur trimmings on top and cat whiskers facepaint to make it on theme. Only the wig works for me. Curious that, for all the shit she has to say about Amanda, hers is the lesser of their feline-inspired Mother Goose ensembles. I loved Octomom, even it borders on tasteless and is certainly beyond the border of crass. The last look is a big ol’ nothing.

Xunami muse is the second-to-last queen, opening with one of the night’s best looks. Her “Humpty Dumpty” fantasy is to die for, resolving into an eggy RuVeal that’s a million times better than the ruby-red mediocrity she served last time. Attagirl! The Significant Mother piece is a fun homage to her drag mother, perfectly executed with what I presume is Mama’s original boombox purse. Compared to such hits, her Eleganza look is something of a disappointment, though I did appreciate the nerd chic styling.

NICK: I did not expect a ton from Xunami based on her talent show introduction, but damn if she didn’t come out guns blazing for this runway. The "Humpty Dumpty" realness made me screech in pure delight - no one was this silly and this glamorous, and the eggs silhouette was to die for. The Kandy Musery of it all was smart nepo baby action, and while I agree her last look wasn’t up to the level of her first two, it’s still fairly smart tailoring. She looked great.

Last and maybe a bit close to least, Plasma, whose Mother Goose runway as "Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee" stacked on top of each other is beautifully deranged. Showing twice as many asses as everyone else, it’s on the right side of stupid. Her Anne Boleyn realness is a huge step down. It looks so costumey, more painfully yellow than the Banana Queen herself. Finally, her in-house Eleganza, bookending this whole Ball with looks that resemble taxidermied sleeping bags. The black-on-black patterning of whatever clothing she mauled does not pop on camera or flatter her bone-whiteness. I expected more from her.

CLÁUDIO: I HATED everything she served on that runway. The bitches on Untucked were right when they came for this season’s Miss BFA in Musical Theater. Her Mother Goose luck was a cool idea and a catastrophe of execution, so much so that it was hard to discern the intended gag.

While Anne Boleyn is a cracking choice for Significant Mother and the color references one of the woman’s bitchiest moments (allegedly, she wore yellow after Catherine of Aragorn died instead of mourning attire), it was rendered cheaply. In summation, the thing’s horrible as historical costuming but not stylized enough to work as drag. As for her last outfit, it’s just a monochromatic ill-fitting tube with the idea of a train glued to its back.

Surprisingly enough, the queens are asked to rate each other right after the runway presentation. That means that, this time around, they don’t have the judges’ feedback to guide their vote. The resulting top three is fair enough - Q, Nymphia, and Sapphira - even if Dawn looks a bit pissed at having been declared safe for the second time in a row. The bottoms are more surprising. The sisterhood decided on Geneva, Hershii, and Mhi’ya, while I would have gone with Hershii, Mirage, and Plasma. Who would you have chosen?

NICK: I’m 100% with the sisterhood on Geneva and Hershii, even if Miss Jéte’s too charming for me to wish her any ill will. Plasma or Mirage would be more deserving of bottom placement than Mhi’ya, who’s understandably rankled and being ranked so low by the other queens again. As for the tops, I may have swapped Dawn in for Sapphira, but they’re both so indelible I’d probably make it a top four. Besides, the winner is obvious no matter what: Nymphia Wind score her first win of the season, with several more likely on the way. Q’s not living for it, but what can you do?

CLÁUDIO: I must say, Mhi’ya responding to RuPaul’s spiel about her timidity with a soft but decisive “no” was quite amusing. While it makes me fear for her longevity in this competition, I always enjoy when someone asserts their truth whenever the judges’ critiques diverge from assessing craft to pulling apart a queen’s personality. Good for her.

NICK: The judges then declare Geneva and Hershii must lip sync for their lives. Our first elimination song is “Maybe You’re the Problem” by Ava Max, and both queens tackle it with pop-girl buoyancy. I honestly don’t know if I could say one really out-performed the other, especially when they were having fun fighting for their lives. The bit of interplay on the bridge? So cute. Hershii’s high baseline of charisma makes me think she was holding back a bit, though Geneva performed this much better than last week’s mess. It’s a charming lip sync.

CLÁUDIO: I concur - cute. Let’s hope the lipsyncs improve moving forward, because this is probably the best of the season so far and yet, it’s simply cute.

And so, it’s goodbye for our chocolate queen, the candied Porkchop of season 16. I can say with great conviction that I’ll miss her even more than I missed Irene DuBois last year. Hershii might not have been ready for primetime - as she said in her prophetic entrance line - but she was a lovely presence throughout. May she go home and delight in Tyler Perry’s Madea movies which birthed her love for drag.

As we wrap-up this convo, the next episode is already on the way. Tomorrow, the queens will star in an SNL parody, just like in All Stars 8. Hopefully, the results will feel less rigged this time around.

Previous RuCaps: 

• Episode 1: “Rate-a-Queen”
• Episode 2: "Queen Choice Awards"

Comments

[NATHANIEL R]

tbh i thought of joining you for this chat but then i thought of the 40+ outfits and I was exhausted all over again. But good episode and the right person won even if the bottom two was not the right decision

[Philip H.]

Hershii is SO charming, but absolutely deserved the bottom two. I don't think Geneva Karr was a terrible choice either, but I would say Plasma and Amanda Tori Meating should feel lucky. Mhi’ya's looks were not great, but she's going to have problems bc of her personality more than anything else,

Plasma specifically is a bit annoying as a character of the cast and her ball looks were legit atrocities. How anyone could look at that Tweedle Dee + Dum look and even understand what was being presented, let alone like / defend it is beyond me. I lived for the girls denouncing it in Untucked and I hope she understood once she watched the show lol.

[nore]

I'm into this season and generally the cast so far! And have to say that Nymphia's workroom look was simply OUTSTANDING. Amanda Tori Meating had a better outing than last time but should still feel lucky to (again) not be in the bottom two. I'm really feeling Nymphia, Sapphira (go Philly!!), Dawn, and Q. Let's go, girls!