RuPaul’s Drag Race: “Heavens to Betsey!”

CLÁUDIO ALVES: Another week, another stellar episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17. I’m really enjoying the show this year, even though I probably preferred the overall cast performance of seasons 15 and 16. Not sure if it’s a triumph of production or editing or the queens, mediocre though some of their work may be at times. It helps that they have great chemistry and a tendency for mess that’s more akin to the series’ origins than its later years. That said, “Heavens to Betsey!” featured a high level of craft from our contenders, with only two queens flopping. Moreover, the challenge was a delight, made even better by this week’s extra special guest judge, fashion designer Betsey Johnson. She was sweet and inspiring, she got emotional and did the splits as she always does. What’s not to love?

NICK TAYLOR: The sheer quality of the guest judges has been lovely this season. It’s not an essential component, but you can feel the lack of it when it’s missing...

There’s a genuine element of suspense to this season I can’t say was ever really in the last two seasons. Compared to Sasha Colby’s supremacy in season 15 and the duel between Sapphira and Nymphia for the crown last year, it still feels like four or five queens can plausibly claim a winner’s narrative at this point. On top of that, there’s no frontrunner in this cast who’s tried my patience like Q and Plane did. This is a damn good group of queens, almost all of whom have been well-managed by the edit, with seemingly minimal rigga morris to keep them in the competition. We can argue tonight’s bottom two was an example of this rigging, but at least we got a phenomenal payoff.

The episode starts with the obligatory mourning of Acacia Forgot, a tough cookie the girls never totally bought as a serious threat. Her state-appointed executor Kori King is rattled from being put in the bottom two again, and is very aware she either needs to put up and win a challenge or go the fuck home. At least she has Lydia’s shoulder to cry on. Sam Star is high on her second win, and will not let Arrietty’s snarky asides bring her down or derail her speechifying. Apparently, the queens got wasted during Untucked on those House of Love cocktails last week, and I wonder how much they’re still riding that high at the start of this episode.

We also get the first real moment of the queens sizing each other up between challenge winners and empty-handed hoes. Jewels, Kori, Lana, and Lydia are all hungry for a maxi challenge win. Miss Sparkles really needs her hot streak at the top to lead to a victory this week, while the other three queens need to turn around their bottom streaks so they can stay in the game, Lexi sees herself in the same boat, having not won since the talent show, and the stress is getting to her.

The next day at least gives the queens an opportunity to let out some tension with everyone’s favorite mini challenge. It’s time to open the library and READ. Arrietty’s the only one who outright bombs - the only laughs come from people making fun of her jokes. Silky’s finally got company among Drag Race’s illiterate population. But my God does Suzie read the girls for filth. Telling Lana all she has left to do is disappoint the judges? Ru howled so bad I think Lana could sue for abuse in the workplace.

CLÁUDIO: Poor Lana, forever haunted by her failures, Rosa Parks most of all. Onya’s read about her coming to Drag Race to end rather than launch her career was brutal, but at least Luxx’s baby looked cute in a patchwork faux fur coat that’s almost like a premonition of Jewels’ design later in the episode. But speaking of Miss Sparkles, she was more hilarious in her asides and reactions than the reading proper. There was also a lot of clowning on Lydia and Kori, which was lovely, and especially sweet because the couple is the first to make fun of themselves. That said, Lexi’s read for Kori had nothing to do with the wifey and it genuinely made me gay gasp. Not Mrs. Scott King-Kollins being the first brick thrown at Stonewall. Our Love goddess also played well off her sisters, making Sam and Suzie’s reads funnier with her antics. Taking off her hoops as if she was getting ready for a fight was fantastic. Indeed, either Onya, Lexi or Suzie would have made good winners.

Where was this comedic energy for Snatch Game?

Anyway, since she won the mini-challenge, Suzie gets to choose which Betsey Johnson collection she’ll evoke with her designs. Oh yes, this week’s maxi-challenge is an hommage to the queen of camp fashion, and there are three specific millieus to explore within her aesthetic, each bringing a different set of materials. The “Punk Grunge Flappers” is a spin on a Fall 2002 Ready-to-Wear collection that’s all about bohemia, velvet, and furs. “Betsey’s Prom” is a pink explosion, full of satin and a demarcated 1980s vibe. Finally, “Prenup” is a black-and-white spin on bridal couture mixed with the fashion house’s irreverent cum cutesy brand. 

Suzie obviously picks the flappers and then gets to choose which of her sisters will pick next. Miss Toot throws her twink twin a bone and Lydia also goes for the grunge flappers. But then, scandal comes down on the werkroom as the Butthole snubs her old lady and lets Lexi have the next turn. Nobody’s more gagged than Lexi herself, while Kori is steaming. It may be a trick of editing but it’s hilarious just the same.

NICK: The funniest part is Suzie turning to Lydia almost immediately to ask “What about your boyfriend?”, who seems genuinely shocked by the question. Her reflex was to thank Lexi for being such a grounding presence throughout the competition, helping a sister when she can - it seems as though picking Kori next simply never crossed her mind. So instead, Kori is among the last girls picked. She’s not even picked! She’s among the leftovers sent to Prenup Prom once the other groups are filled up. Our lineups are: 

Punk Grunge Flappers: Jewels Sparkles, Lydia B. Kollins, and Suzie Toot
Prenup: Arrietty, Lexi Love, and Sam Starr
Betsey’s Prom: Kori King, Lana Ja’Rae, and Onya Nurve

Ru quickly jokes about the racial makeup of the Prom category - all the Black queens are in the same category, and Ru asks if they’re all going to the same high school. Martin Luther King Jr.? No, Rosa Parks High, says Jewels. Lana’s the only one who actually picked that category, while Onya and Kori never got the baton passed to them by the other queens. I’m not gonna be the friend that’s too woke about this, but it’s a discordant note among their camaraderie.

Anyways! Jewels is eager to use the Punk Grunge Flapper fabrics as an opportunity to get out of her comfort zone. She went into the competition expecting her designs would be noticed by the judges, and is very bothered about not getting a top placement in the previous design challenges. Lexi’s in a similar position over her assumed skill set, only she’s freaking out about if she can live up to Betsey Johnson’s unique style, rather than funneling that panic into a higher calling. She’s in tears telling this to Sam, and jokes she can’t seem to stop crying since she started taking hormones. Sam takes all of this in stride, and has some genuine words of encouragement for her sister. It’s such a sweet moment between two queens who’ve really come to support each other this season. The Sam Starr humanization campaign is unfolding beautifully and believably, which I would not have expected from the earliest episodes.

CLÁUDIO: Between her moments with Lexi and the delightful nonsense that was this week’s Untucked, Sam Star is quickly becoming a favorite. That might be the season’s biggest surprise so far because I, for sure, wasn’t expecting to see myself warming up to Trinity’s daughter with all her pageantry and Southern Belle polish. Onya might have done well with some of that starling guidance because the bitch is lost in another design challenge. 

Lucky for her, Betsey Johnson’s in the house, ready to dish out advice and kiki with the girls. Again, the splits-enthusiast proves to be one of the best guest judges we’ve had in years, bursting at the seams with love for the girls, the art of drag, and even some good pointers here and there. I’ve seen people criticize Johnson for being too positive in this episode, but what else would one expect from this notorious kook? The sense of positivity is part of the charm and makes the hour feel even more like a celebration of a designer who’s long been an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, including drag performers. And well, she does get Onya to give some shape to her tube of fabric, so that’s something. It won’t save Miss Nurve, but it’s something.

Lexi is moved beyond words to be in Johnson’s presence and Sam gets praise for leaning so hard into the designer’s classic brand. Arrietty, on the other hand, puts herself in the position of an artist paying homage to a colleague but not copying them. Her creation will be half Betsey, half Arrietty. Jewels wants help editing her ideas - she’s got so many - and Suzie seems to know exactly what she’s going to do for the challenge. Lydia, on the other hand, has a random doodle for a sketch and feels confident in her improvisational approach to dressmaking. At this point, any seasoned Drag Race viewer is starting to ear alarm bells in the distance. Lydia, you’re in danger girl. Not as much danger as the wifey, though.

NICK: Johnson is a fabulous guest judge. I don’t see her as being overly positive but incredibly encouraging of the queen’s ideas. She wants them to find the Betsey in their designs where they see it rather than adhering hard to a pre-set template. We may be worried for Lydia, but Johnson is totally onboard with this approach and sees some of her own process in it. I am too, frankly! It’s also quite powerful to see Lexi light up when Ru names Johnson as the first designer to have trans women model her garments at any major fashion week. She’s so awed, and suddenly her panic is replaced with an aspiration to live up to Betsey as a trailblazer for her fellow dolls.

The prom divas are, once again, picked last for their conference call. Lana has the most concrete design idea, telling Ru and Betsey this is her chance to live out her prom girl fantasy after her own ceremony was canceled by COVID-19. Boy did that make me aware of the passage of time - Lana’s a goddamn baby. Who’s letting all these 20-somethings compete on live television?

Kori’s got a solid idea too, and a familiar one: a miniskirt. Ru bluntly reminds Ms. King she’s presented this on the runway several times now, and repeating herself is the last thing that will keep her in the competition. Kori reads this loud and clear, and vows in her confessional not to make another hoochie mama dress. We’re gonna have a gown. You can hear seas of faggots cheer for her at this moment, a prayer that the season’s confessional queen will stick around another week. 

Onya’s design is pretty concrete too, though perhaps not for the best. It’s a traditional dress, with three big bows starting from her bust and going down her body. Johnson offers her some tips to modify Onya’s design, make it more her house style, but much like her Bathing Beauties runway, the vibe still reads as too matronly for this prompt. Still, hands down the biggest twist of this design challenge is how no one gets into a shouting match with Onya about her sabotaging their work.

Drama in general is on a tight leash this episode. Everyone walks away from Betsey with a good sense of direction, regardless of whether we at home think it’s the right one to take. Most of the queens are too busy with their own designs to claw at each other. The real drama comes from the frantic choices some of these girls make as we get closer to elimination day. Will Lydia’s design cohere at all, or at least be productively incoherent? Will Suzie go down the runway as Alicia Keys? Will Jewels be able to fix a fuck-up from assembling her velvet dress incorrectly? Frankly, is that even a problem, given the excess already built into her vision? I mean, if you’re going to use literally all of the furs available to you, why not do the velvet backwards? Wear your heels as gloves! The world is yours!!!

 

CLÁUDIO: Am I crazy for thinking Lexi was trying to destabilize the person she saw as her biggest rival this episode? In any case, it didn’t really work. It also didn’t inspire much drama since this episode is all about being chill and enjoying the good vibes. Lydia and Kori are certainly enjoying each other to their sisters’ delight. They dominate the pre-runway mirror moments - alarm bells again - and are, overall, extremely sweet about it. After seeing that video that’s going around when, pre-Drag Race, Kori said she wanted to meet her love on the show, that they’d be a twink, I’m convinced the producers planned for this when casting. Jewels, Lana, Lydia, Sam, and Suzie, maybe even Arrietty, were all unknowingly playing The Bitchelor: Kai Kai edition, and Miss Butthole is the apparent winner. Good for her!

Following all that drama-free business, it’s time for the runway presentation. Ru is sparkly in a lingerie look that’s an interesting departure from her usual stylings, while Michelle is devilish in red. Carson is the rotating judge - where’s Law? - and Betsey is here, gorgeous in polka dots and that crazy hair of hers. But let’s get to the good stuff. Without further ado, category is…Punk Grunge Flappers… and Betsey’s Prom… and Prenup…

Jewels Sparkles is the first flapper on stage, serving attitude in a tight Marcel wave and cascading bling. Not to mention the pelts, all stuck together to create a rainbow of faux fur. Honestly, I’m not too fond of the effect, but it’s what takes this ensemble from retro drag to a Betsey Johnson homage. Indeed, the designer is visibly moved, describing Jewels’ work as a perfect encapsulation of her collection. Can’t argue with that.

NICK: All the spikes and studs on her breast line and midriff are pretty sensational. I adore how the wig and mug are relatively chic and collected compared to how florid the furs are, a smart accent to an otherwise loud ensemble.

Lydia B. Kollins is next down the runway. On the one hand, I love watching all those stoles flapping around as she struts down the catwalk. Her facekini is a pretty inspired way to frame that ferocious mug of hers, and the relatively limited color palette is a good compensation for the excesses literally everywhere else. Still, when frozen I can better appreciate the judge’s critiques about the fit of her dress being off. Stand her next to Jewels and it’s clear who’s actually mastered controlled chaos. 

CLÁUDIO: I really like this, even though I cosign all those caveats of yours. Its movement is mesmerizing, the color palette and the contrasting materials read weirdly harmonious. Honestly, I’d toot this if not for how lace covers her hands and how loose the facekini is - it became evident during the lip sync.

This is a perfectly fine and serviceable look, the definition of safe, which is miles better than Suzie’s last design challenge performance. I almost wish the wig wasn’t as literal, but it’s a nice callback to the actual hairstyles of that runway show, so kudos to Miss Toot. Love lil’ Betsey, that fur thing she’s got on her shoulder. Every runway should include a mascot.

NICK: Miss Toot has clearly watched Johannes Sacrebleu!! It’s safe, sure, but basic to the point where I sort of resent it. I see what she’s going for, but there’s none of the movement or extravagance of her fellow flappers. If Kori were wearing this, I think this would've been rightly called out for not doing enough, and this is practically Suzie’s brand. Girl.

The aforementioned Kori King is next, and it’s a jump scare. I want to know exactly what went through her mind when she decided to go back to her hoochie mama miniskirt. It’s the worst of her three design looks, far too simple for Betsey and just badly made. That hemline is scary. This could’ve been a Cyndi Lauper moment and it just wasn’t, and that makes me sad. Cute necklace, at least?

CLÁUDIO: I have so many questions. You already mentioned the worst hem in Drag Race herstory, but what is up with those straps? Why are they a different color? Why doesn’t the dress even begin to cover that breastplate seam? Why the hip bow? Did she realize halfway through that it was comically simple for a Betsey Johnson challenge and didn’t know what else to do? I was going to compliment the shoes, but the fashion house gifted the queens with the heels so that wasn’t even on Kori. Her mug looks good, I guess. Slay?

Onya’s garment isn’t as disastrous at the level of execution, but it’s ugly as fuck just the same. What saves our frontrunner is that, again, she’s a master of the Drag Race runway, performing her looks like each new outfit is a new character to sell. Moreover, she styled the fuck out of this. Take a picture from the breast up and Onya is serving. You just have to ignore everything else. 

NICK: I would agree about Onya’s styling if I didn’t hate the wig. Why are the buttons on her breasts, vagina, and knees? Just a lot of baffling choices, though I completely believe her when she says she likes it and likes herself in it. Victoria Black’s ghoulish prom dress on Dragula: Titans outserves this so hard.

Lana Ja’Rae walks onto the runway with the best garment she’s made on Drag Race. It’s an easy feat to be the best in her group, but she looks good in a dress vaguely in the middle of the Prom and Prenup categories with its bridal whites. Again, why does she have a bow on her pussy? But the best part is that she sells it with a girlish vivacity I haven’t yet seen from Lana. For once, she’s not kidding when she says this is new territory for her.

CLÁUDIO: The train should be longer. That’s my only negative critique for this lewk, which is, indeed, the best creation of Lana so far. Hell, I’ll go ahead and say it - this is the best maxi challenge performance for this bitch. Let’s hope she can keep it up. Attagirl!

Arrietty looks incredible, but she doesn’t really give Betsey Johnson in the same way many of the other girls do. Then again, the more one looks at this groom-meets-bride fusion fashion, the more little cutesy details one finds. There are bows everywhere, embellishments as far as the eye can see, and even the hair has a classic Betsey Johnson vibe going on. The white accents at the neck and wrists are pure genius.

NICK: Arrietty’s authorial voice reigns supreme, but as you point out, I see Betsey in the intricate embellishments all over this dress. LOVE the bow, and the way Arrietty has stayed true to the prompt and to her persona while self-consciously picking a palette and style that stands out from the crowd. Savvy as hell, and maybe the best look she’s made on this stage, which is saying a lot.

Much like Lana before her, Sam Star looks like she went straight from her prom to the chapel. I’m not wild about this dress, but it’s perfectly solid. The train is fantastic, as is the chain belt saying RIDE ME wrapped around her waist. This is the Cyndi Lauper moment I wish Kori had.

CLÁUDIO: I can’t help but find this a tad clichéd, an uninspired interpretation of Betsey Johnson that’s closer to puerile caricature than homage. Nevertheless, Sam deserves props for that belt and for making gloves from scratch, which can’t have been easy. Safe to a fault.

Saving the best for last, Lexi Love knocked this one out of the park. She’s not the first Drag Race queen to be inspired by Julia Fox’s Wiederhoeft bridal number, but she puts Pearl and Lemon to shame. Part of it is how she takes the fashion moment to drag levels of drama, and how, through that bow, that styling, Lexi takes it to Betsey Johnson’s kooky world. Hell, I think this bitch looks better than Fox herself. The gold pen bouquet is the cherry on top. 

NICK: I am in love with this dress. The rainbow wig, the giant bow, the sheer heft of the ruching at the edge of the train. Put on a fog machine and Lexi could pass as some kind of trans angel or ghost, maybe a cunty version of the first Mrs. Condomine in Blithe Spirit. Her garter belt? Iconique. Drama, beauty, doll power, as effervescent as a snail, this is just art.

The best part of the whole episode is the victory lap across the catwalk all the queens take once they’ve all had their turn in the spotlight. All the queens look so damn proud of themselves with Betsey Johnson closing with a classic split on the runway. How can she do that? Can she teach me?

After this, Ru announces Lana, Sam, and Suzie as the safe queens of the week. Arrietty, Jewels, and Lexi are top queens of the week, a just and fair call. Part of me wants to give Lana some kind of special accommodation for really excelling this week, but I can’t put her above our top three. Lydia, Kori, and Onya make up the bottoms, and I have a differ to beg about Ms. Butthole’s placement. Yes, you simply can’t beat the inevitability of Lydia v Kori as pure dramatic stakes, but I’d rank Sam and especially Suzie’s painfully unimaginative designs below Lydia’s messy, kinetic furs. But now we’re at the point in the competition where you can feel who Ru sees as expendable, even if she likes them. Kori and Lydia haven’t won a challenge yet, and even if I say Onya should have been lip-synching for her life this week, they’re not gonna throw a bitch with two main challenge wins against Ms. King. 

CLÁUDIO: I like Suzie’s creation more than you, but would certainly rank Sam’s pedestrian creation lower than Lydia’s mess. In the end, Jewels takes the win and I can’t disagree too much, even if Lexi was my favorite of the week. First, she’s been deserving of a win for weeks on end, so this feels like delayed justice. Second, Betsey’s perspective values a lot for this challenge and her words on Jewels’ look are the best sort of compliment, praising the queen for conjuring a dream memory of a past collection. It’s a fair victory, though a tie would have been even sweeter to me. Lydia’s bottom two placement is as inevitable as it is unfair, but, at least, it did provide us with a smashing lip sync.

They kill it to the sound of Lita Ford’s “Kiss Me Deadly,” with Kori pulling her usual energetic tricks while Lydia swishes around before punctuating the beat with some cartoon-like mugging. I love how animated she can be, the silliness of it all. Kori isn’t at her level, mostly because we’ve seen all of these moves before from her. Well, almost all of them. Facing off against her beloved twink, Kori Scott King plants a kiss on the Butthole and two make out to their hearts’ content. It’s a fabulous moment, bound to forever live in compilations of iconic lip-syncs from the show’s herstory. It was their first kiss, too…allegedly. This was undoubtedly Kori’s time to say goodbye, but she got one hell of a farewell party. I’ll miss her confessionals if nothing else.

NICK: The structure of this season simply doesn’t support a double shantay, but I’d have loved to see them both called safe. They would never stop kissing about it. Lydia earned her win, but Kori gave my two favorite non-kissing bits from the lip sync: pointing at Ru when the song gets to “borrowed $10 from dad”, and the death drop immediately after the kiss, tongue sticking out and playing air guitar with the biggest grin. It’s an unbelievably sappy expression of love.

We can say whatever we want about Kori’s time on Drag Race - and we’ve said plenty already - but I give her credit for coming on and having the best time of her life. She got a beau, she killed some lip syncs, she’s been so entertaining on Meet the Queens and on her insane IG Live and Cameo videos as Michael Jackson in white face (which would have won her Snatch Game) and as Suzie Toot’s Tethered. I will miss her silliness, and I have no doubt she’ll be on the main stage again soon. Even her goodbye in the werkroom is hysterical. Next week’s challenge is the Villain’s Roast, with some bad bitches from the past four seasons dressed in devilish attire. It’s a shame Kori won’t be there to roast her sister. May her wife win that battle for her.

Previous RuCaps:

• Episode 1: “Squirrel Games”
• Episode 2: "Drag Queens Got Talent"
• Episode 3: "Monopulence!"
• Episode 4: "Bitch, I'm a Drag Queen!"
• Episode 5: "RDR Live!"
• Episode 6: "Let's Get Sea Sickening Ball"
• Episode 7: "Snatch Game"
• Episode 8: "The Wicked Wiz of Oz: The Rusical!"