Drag Race S9E8: Roasting is Fundamental

by Chris Feil

Last week, RuPaul’s Drag Race gave us a stellar episode thanks to a nearly across the board strong performance by all of the queens. This week, we got an equally great episode but for the opposite reason.

The queens are challenged with the one-two punch of the Reading is Fundamental mini-challenge and a revival of season five’s RuPaul Roast (and six's photocopy Queens of Comedy). There may not have been a Laganja-level meltdown this time, but it has its share of Roxxxy flatline drama. Until know, you may have missed that we are short a comedy queen this season - though many of them can bring the funny when needed. [extreme Patti LuPone voice] They are wonderful, you know, performers for what they do, but they are not stand-up comedians...

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Drag Race S9E7 - 9021Ho No She Better Do

by Chris Feil

[a large cardboard giftbox rolls in and after a few confusing seconds, Chris emerges] I’m back, bitches!

Forgive my Shangela moment, I’m just that excited to be back on the Drag Race beat after Nathaniel kindly took over in my absence for last week’s fantastic Snatch Game. But while that episode felt like a real return to form, this episode was the show at its peak, serving full talent, drama, and emotion the way its best episodes do. The 90210 challenge and big hair runway concept were relatively unfussy, proving that RuPaul’s Drag Race excels by keeping its focus on the queens...

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Drag Race S937: Madonna & 'Snatch Game' Do-Overs

Nathaniel R stepping in for Chris Feil, our usual lipsynch queen, who has the weekend off which gives yours truly a chance to funk with his "current rankings" in Drag Race's 9th season. [Insert evil cackle here].

I didn't know when I offered to sub that I'd be paired with the do-over of the Madonna runway. Since Madonna is my all time favorite celeb and the last episode devoted to the Queen was arguably Drag Race's most embarrassing (how could they allow their entire cast to act like the big M had only ever come up with 4 looks when she popularized giving yourself a makeover every single damn time you showed up to werq? [You can't see me but I'm stroking the chip on my shoulder. Shhhhh baby. There, he quiet now.]

No mini-challenge and no Pit crew again? May I suggest a mini-challenge...

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RuPaul's Drag Race S9E5 - Kardashi-lame

by Chris Feil

This season of RuPaul’s Drag Race has a celebrity problem.

I had complained about the show taking attention away from the queens and making the show all about famous faces at the beginning of the season. However, this episode was the most egregious offender for being starstruck by celebrities who weren’t even there! The main challenge was a mini-musical on the Kardashian family, an overlong performance that spread our time with the girls much too thin. But let’s not jump ahead for the sake of complaining!

We actually did get what has been missing from the season so far: a mini-challenge and the Pit Crew! The gals got into quick drag for a swimsuit selfie with the boys (including new Crew members Jared and Yadir), with the girls being shockingly tame. Alexis took a much needed win, but I’d have given the Instagram like to gorgeous goofball Valentina for insisting Ru announce her as Miss Venezuela. Yes, my frost for her is thawing.

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RuPaul's Drag Race S9E4 - The Knives Are Out!

by Chris Feil

Hope you wanted some drama this season on RuPaul’s Drag Race! You could almost consider this week’s episode an ode to machetes for how much the knives came out across the board.

No one was safe this episode: Aja continuing to go in on Valentina, Eureka’s spoiled brat defensiveness to Trinity and Sasha, Charlie’s mean-spirited micromanaging of Cynthia. While I think this season is losing it’s eye somewhat on discussing drag as an art form, it’s at least back to the days when the drama didn’t feel manipulated by editing or the queens feared backlash on social media. And this was a fantastic challenge (ripped off somewhat from season 3, but we’ll allow it): two teams performing their own live morning talk show. Throw in Glee’s Naya Rivera for some star-gazing and you’ve got a pretty dynamic episode...

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