RuPaul’s Drag Race review: RuPaul’s Best Rigged Race

This week’s RuPaul’s Drag Race gave fans something to talk about, and not for the right reasons. Let’s talk about the shocking elimination!

Are you ready for a makeover? This year’s RuPaul’s Drag Race makeover challenge had the queens turning the eliminated queens into their drag sisters, and some of them definitely struggled. But when Ru brought up the age old question “Who should go home?” the claws came out, and the drama unfolded — but it was the shocking elimination that really made everyone’s jaw drop.

As far as the runway goes, most of the queens really knocked it out of the park. The top three were A’keria, who made over Honey, Vanjie, partnered with Ariel, and Brooke, with Plastique. Vanjie finally impressed the judges and it was heartwarming to see her so graciously accept their praise, but she wasn’t the one to snatch the win. Brooke and Plastique’s impeccable — and theatrical — pageant presentation wowed the judges more, but even Brooke agreed (on Untucked) that it should’ve been Vanjie.

The two queens who received the harshest critiques were Silky and Nina. Silky was paired with Soju and their styles clashed immediately. Silky proved she can only do one face, and her face did not work on Soju — she looked bruised!

Nina tried to make a statement with her and Shuga’s runway looks, wearing a rainbow flag and dressing her drag sister in a trans flag. But the statement was lost in the overall tackiness, and Shuga’s makeup was also a bit of a disaster.

They both landed in the bottom two, despite the fact that none of the queens had even suggested Nina be eliminated when Ru asked– they all said Silky or Yvie.

It’s been a while since an elimination has really rocked the fans, but tonight, fans are not happy. It was Rigga Morris, girl!

Now, let’s just get right to the point: Silky has not been growing in this competition.

If anything, she was starting to slip. The judges always seemed to love her, even when she wasn’t at the top of her game, but Michelle has been sure to put her in her place. They clocked her for always doing the same makeup, her uneven pads, and her inability to take risks on the runway.

And yet, Silky still refused to take their critiques and grow, and just kept giving them the same thing. Meanwhile, queens like Vanjie are killing themselves to improve every week and are still getting dragged through the mud.

Silky made Soju look like she got punched in the face with a way too dark contour. Their outfits weren’t creative and looked cheap. Then when she landed in the bottom two, her lip sync — to an iconic song like “No Scrubs” no less — was lackluster to say the least. She went for a wig reveal and it didn’t have any punch, and the whole thing just fell flat.

Nina was no better. I honestly didn’t know where to look, and if anything, it should’ve been double elimination. Ru said exactly what we all felt after that lip sync: “Meh.” But yet again, Ru favored Silky, and I can’t help but feel like it’s calculated at this point. There’s no reason for Silky to have gotten this far, and plenty of other fans agree with me. She is not on the same level as the other queens, and it’s almost an insult to them for her to be saved.

Are they keeping Silky around because she’s good TV? That wouldn’t surprise me at all. Here’s hoping the queens who truly deserve to be in the finale are the ones who make it through, but you never know what stunts Mama Ru might pull.

Random Ruflections

• “Get the hell out of Brooke’s ass, that’s Vanjie’s position now.” – A’keria to Nina
• “I don’t know a whole lot about Canada or the people in it, but judging by your Snatch Game, neither did you.” – Yvie to Brooke
• When did Honey get so hot? That beard is working for him!
• If I have to hear about Soju’s cyst one more time…
• Why are we still talking about Ariel’s damn wigs?!
• “Oh yes honey, and bitch I’m from Chicago!” – Lena Waithe knows those Drag Race quotes, honey!
• “Clearly they’re sisters, they have the same jeans!” Ross about Yvie and Scarlet.
• A’keria and Honey look related — oh wait, they are.
• “So slow, though, it’s like the Real Housewives of Molasses.” – Wanda about A’keria and Honey’s walk.
• Okay Brooke and Plastique!!!! They both look amazing, but what else is new?
• “How is the cyst?” “Haven’t had any complaints, Ross!” – Soju
• Vanjie crying always tugs at my heart.
• “I think we should call Issa Rae because that whole thing was Insecure.” – Wanda about Silky and Soju