Drag Race RuCap: “Girl Groups”

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

Nymphia Wind introduces the latest innovation in Vajazzling.

CLÁUDIO: Welcome to another week of the Plane Jane show, where one of the most forced villains in Drag Race herstory continues to dominate the edit to such a degree it’s impossible to imagine the season without her. I’m almost certain she’ll make it to the finale, if nothing else, because the other candidate for season protagonist was just given the boot. Apologies, dear reader, for my grumpiness. I had high expectations for the episode airing on the franchise’s fifteenth anniversary, but what I got was pure disappointment. Thank heavens for the Banana Buddhah amid it all - vote yellow!

NICK: Plane’s trying so hard, and I’m very annoyed at how well it seems to be working. Frankly, I’m even more baffled at every decision that went into this week’s elimination . . . . 

Click to read more ...

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 . . . .

Click to read more ...

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 . . . .

Click to read more ...

Drag Race RuCap: "Queen Choice Awards"

Bukkake, but make it BARBIEcore.

NICK: There’s nothing like a timely, provocative recap published several days after the episode aired, amirite? The second half of season 16’s split premiere has come and gone, providing us with another talent show and, most importantly, another chance to see Derrick Berry. I wouldn’t say this batch of bitches is categorically stronger than the first group, but they’re all distinct drag artists who I cannot wait to see interact with the other queens. Two contestants stand out from the pack as ones to watch, albeit for very different reasons, but before we get into all that, how did you feel about this episode, Cláudio?

CLÁUDIO: First of all, thank you for not making any hollow promises of succinctness on our part. We love to see such self-awareness, personal growth… 

Click to read more ...

Drag Race RuCap: “Rate-a-Queen”

Paraphrasing Alyssa Edwards, the RuCaps are back back back back back again. For the next few months, Nick Taylor and Cláudio Alves will be following RuPaul’s Drag Race season sixteen…

Since Queen Bey won't do it, Sapphira Cristál provides her own RENAISSANCE visuals.

NICK: Okay, let me just say this to the readers right off the bat: These will not be as lengthy as they were last year, god willing. This is a challenge, a plea, a threat made to us, by us, for us. We are back, and we promise that no matter how long it takes us to finish, we’re gonna go over these episodes with so much depth, such thoroughness, that your heads will spin off your fucking necks. At least the split premiere means we don’t have to jump out of the gate evaluating fifteen queens. I for one enjoyed meeting half of this season’s contestants, all of whom seem entertaining and eager to be there. What did you think of season 16’s debut?

CLÁUDIO: First of all, I make no such promises cum threats. I know us and our propensity for verbal diarrhea so that just seems like an invitation for disappointment. We’re two size queens at heart, and we might as well accept it…

Click to read more ...