Following the two-part season premiere, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 16 threw the queens straight into the fray with ‘The Ball,’  a runway challenge consisting of two outfits from home and a third that the queens create in the werkroom. I think this is one of the most difficult challenges the show offers, not only in concept, but runway looks also open up the queens to harsh critiques from the judges and viewers. The third and final look usually holds more weight in the judging, as it is homemade and especially open to scrutiny. I’ll be offering my thoughts on who I think the top three and bottom three queens were, with brutally honest critiquing of each performance. 

Important to Note:

The first runway category was a dragged-up version of a common nursery rhyme.

The second runway category was a take on either a metaphorical or literal “mother.”

The third runway category was a homemade look using men’s apparel to make feminine drag garments.

My Top 3 of the Week:

1st place – Nymphia Wind – Nymphia dominated the competition this week. Her first runway was “Little Boy Blue,” and she gave such a stunning feminine take on the traditional male dress of nineteenth-century England. She continued to kill this challenge with her second look as Angelina Jolie. Nymphia chose a bridal look, continuing to pull her Taiwanese culture into her drag by incorporating children’s art on the back of the dress and the train. Finally, she took the win with her final look, crimping and twisting ties to create various accents in a neutral-toned outfit. Making interesting outfits out of lesser-known concepts, her culture, and generally bland colors, Nymphia Wind deserved the win she was given, on both the show and my blog this week.

2nd place – Dawn – Dawn brought a vibrant flowy and regal look to her “Cushy Cow” look for the first category. I love how Dawn took her ethereal elf aesthetic, which is usually accompanied by larger elf ears, and downturned those ears to be cow ears decorated with jewelry. As Audrey Hepburn, Dawn managed to make her eccentric makeup fit in selling the illusion of a more natural face. Her black and white outfit was simple but gorgeous. Just like Nymphia, Dawn shone on the third runway as a talented seamstress. She knew exactly where to place the brighter orange to draw attention to her patchwork “construction” look. She is phenomenal at pattern and color mixing and, in my opinion, was robbed of a spot in the top three.

3rd place – Mirage – This may be the most controversial pick I have on this list. I chose Mirage not for her first two looks, as neither fully stood out, but rather for her third and final look. Mirage was running extremely behind and had a piece of fabric on her mannequin that looked horrific. However, she turned that scrappy mess into a scrappy masterpiece, drawing inspiration from her father’s experience in martial arts. The black eye makeup is the perfect touch that draws this together and proves her ability to think on her feet and innovate conceptual design looks.

My Bottom 3 of the Week:

12th place – Amanda Tori Meating – No, no, no. I was very upset that there were too many people worse than Amanda last week for me to give my opinions on her, so I’m glad she flopped so hard again this week. Amanda keeps trying to have goofy fashion, but attaching dead cats along her arms is not the way to do it for her first runway. Her second look was of the judge, Michelle Visage, which is always a risk especially when your makeup looks like Amanda’s. Her eyeshadow feels improperly blended, and as Dawn said in the first week, it’s crazy that her amazing bone structure out of drag doesn’t read when she puts makeup on. For her final look, the fringe on the skirt is busy and badly executed. It could’ve gone away and we would have gotten a much better look.

13th place – Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige – Mhi’ya’s first look was great, except that the feathers around the top of the dress covered her face. Mhi’ya has the best natural makeup of the season right now in my opinion, so I wanted to see it with this yellow look. Her second look was absolutely horrible. Her wig as “Lil’ Kim” was rough, and the outfit was boxy and felt unfinished. Finally, her custom look seemed structurally well made, but the concept was lacking. The safety pin through her nose felt like an afterthought, and the pattern mixing of the plaids seemed strong in the front but was weak with the cape.

14th place – Hershii LiqCour-Jeté – Hershii was eliminated from the show for her performance on this episode, and I have to say I agree, although I was surprised because I envisioned her going all the way to the end. Her first look was ugly; with brash colors, the yellow shoal and those “tassels” around her waist hiding her figure, the entire look became overwhelming to look at. Somehow, her second look was even uglier. With wrinkly latex and continental patterns plastered randomly across it, the second that she walked onstage as “Mother Earth” I was instantly repulsed. Unfortunately, it only got worse, with her boldly choosing a pedestrian woman look for the last runway. The look reminds me of something a grandmother would wear, and although it’s flattering in a sense, that isn’t the type of critique that is good on a drag competition show. Furthermore, she didn’t even make the pants, so what did she expect to happen?