Following the season’s first elimination last week came episode four, a comedy challenge themed around the popular television show, “Saturday Night Live.” In this episode, the queens performed a set of live comedy sketches in roles they chose for themselves. I detected what I believe to be the first instances of unfair judging this season, which is always a staple of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” regardless of how much the producers attempt to dispel all claims of foul play. Stay tuned for this and more hot opinions in this week’s blog.
My Top 3 of the Week:
1st place – Plasma – The definition of bodying a challenge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is what Plasma was able to do in this comedy challenge. We knew that Plasma has been a massive Barbra Streisand fan for such a long time from her speaking about it earlier in the season, but this performance cemented her ability to portray the character. I fully believe that she was so resistant to doing this role because she was planning to have Barbra Streisand as her Snatch Game, an upcoming challenge that will also require a celebrity impression. But even more than just her comedy, Plasma’s look for the “Night of 1000 Chers” runway was glamourous, showing diversity from her usual more goofy fashion.
2nd place – Plane Jane – Plane’s role was made for her in this episode. Her brand for the whole season thus far has been crass humor, which her sketch allowed her to show in full form. I much preferred her crude humor in this episode than her more vacuous talent show number. Also, her runway in this episode was gorgeous. The white feathers below her waist were seamlessly incorporated into the garment, and Plane supplied an elevated version of her reference image, altogether making this the perfect choice for her.
3rd place – Mirage – Robbery occurred to Mirage’s detriment in this episode. Although her delivery was slightly shaky, she had quite a few strong jokes and arguably the most difficult role. In comparison to the rest of the cast who mostly flopped, she did well enough to be safe. Furthermore, Mirage is the strongest runway of the entire episode. While I understand the critique that her ’60s hairstyle didn’t match her ‘70s outfit, her reference was mixing Cher with her Las Vegas nightlife style. The hair and the long ponytail were describable with her style, and I’m just happy that they bumped up the ponytail to give the hair the volume I’d expect from a drag wig. I can’t believe she went home for her performance in this episode.
My Bottom 3 of the Week:
11th place – Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige – I want Mhi’ya to go home right now. The fact that she is still in the competition after deserving the bottom for three weeks straight is crazy. Her comedy challenge was funny, but it was overaggressive. She put too much energy and flatlined in her performance. Her runways have been horrible all season, and I can’t believe that Michelle has not read her to filth. I wholeheartedly hope that she goes home next week, and if she doesn’t, I will be violently upset.
12th place – Sapphira Cristál – The amount of rigging it took for Sapphira to stay clear of the bottom is a lot. Next to Nymphia who was swinging for the fences, and Plasma who was killing it, I felt like Sapphira really faded into the back for me. I was bored by her performance, and she didn’t embody Barbra. I will cut her some slack as a QPOC queen in this challenge, but even that isn’t enough to save her performance in this episode. She tried hard to elevate the Cher reference, but she did it in a way that made the outfit uglier, with that massive collar fitting awkwardly around her shoulders. Sapphira has a tall body that is difficult to feminize, but I don’t think that collar was the move.
13th place – Geneva Karr – Geneva should’ve gone home this week without a doubt. In her comedy challenge, she was given a role that had the possibility of winning the entire challenge. As South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, she could’ve played up his personality and flamboyance, but she failed to inquire about the role when she didn’t recognize the character. She played the politician as a woman, which is not accurate to the character. Also, her runway was rough this week, as it is difficult to make a suit feminine enough for a drag runway. Furthermore, her semi-translucent garment did not read well on television. While I liked her hat, she should’ve done so much better this week, and as this was her second lip sync, she should’ve been gone.
Make sure to return for the next episode of the Racer Ru-view, where I will be breaking down more hot opinions on “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Season 16, Episode 5” ‘The Girl Group’ challenge.
