Drag Race RuCap: “See You Next Wednesday”

Like last year, Nick Taylor and Cláudio Alves are following and recapping RuPaul’s Drag Race season sixteen…

In design challenges, these two are unbeatable. They're dressmaking monsters!

CLÁUDIO: Another design challenge! What’s this, season 3? 

Regardless of repetition, it’s time for this year’s batch of queens to refamiliarize themselves with the sewing machines, for Drag Race has devised a challenge to celebrate Neo-Goth style. But of course, it’s closer to a Tim Burton lovefest, complete with Wednesday references and whatnot. Indeed, as much as I appreciated Kaia Gerber’s presence on the panel, MTV should have found a way to nab Colleen Atwood as the episode’s Extra Special Guest Judge - now there’s someone who knows how to make magic happen with black fabrics and a spooky outline. But maybe I’m getting ahead of myself...

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Drag Race RuCap: "Welcome to the DollHouse"

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

At long last, Law Roach makes his Drag Race debut.

CLÁUDIO: Hi Barbie! This week on RuPaul’s Prison Experiment, our host and MTV have figured out how to tap into the frenzy unleashed by Greta Gerwig’s plastic fantasy without the need for something as bothersome as copyright payments or bending the knee to the Mattel Empire. Then again, this episode might be the twins’ fault since they did parade through last year’s finale red carpet with doll doppelgangers. In any case, whether Queen Barbie or Princesses Sugar and Spice are to blame, “Welcome to the Dollhouse” is a fun hour of television. Or, at least, I had fun. What about you, Nicky Doll?

NICK: I had a lot of fun with this episode! As much as it pains me to say this after Ms. Meating has left this televised coil, “Welcome to the Dollhouse” is my favorite episode of the season thus far. . . .

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Drag Race RuCap: "RDR Live!"

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

Last week's episode was an eleventh hour tearjerker. Everybody cried.

CLÁUDIO: As ever, I’m disappointed with the Drag Race take on comedy challenges. In this episode, the dolls reprised an idea from All-Stars 8, doing RuPaul’s take on Saturday Night Live. Indeed, they even recycled some of the archetypes and scenarios from that latest All-Stars season, causing some in the fandom to accuse one of the new queens of copying an old gal who found herself in the same shoes. But we’ll talk about that later. All in all, this was my pick for the worst episode of the season so far even before its heartbreaking finish. But I know you have more affection for Drag Race comedy challenges than I do, so your reaction may have been radically different. Was it? 

NICK: This one let me down. I suppose the mediocre writing of the bits made it more authentic to the SNL experience, but almost everyone felt ill-served by the format of the challenge and the bits as scripted . . . .

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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 . . . .

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Contemporary Costume Watch: "Pain Hustlers"

by Cláudio Alves

Where does one draw the line between period and contemporary costume design? It's hard to tell, and sometimes, it depends on the intentionality behind a given sartorial choice. Some filmmakers aim to capture the specificity of time and place, even when chronological proximity would excuse some adaptations to current sensibilities. Others forego that exactitude altogether. And then there's the way even the Costume Design Guild muddies the waters. How is the early 90s style of Rent considered period in 2005, but Precious' 1987-set narrative is still contemporary in 2009? All this to say that, for this article's purpose, let's interpret Pain Hustlers' wardrobe as a work of contemporary costume design. An outstanding one at that…

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