{"id":68360,"date":"2018-05-11T14:25:28","date_gmt":"2018-05-11T18:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/cher-and-cher-alike-on-rupauls-drag-race-recap-and-rankings\/"},"modified":"2018-05-11T14:25:28","modified_gmt":"2018-05-11T18:25:28","slug":"cher-and-cher-alike-on-rupauls-drag-race-recap-and-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/cher-and-cher-alike-on-rupauls-drag-race-recap-and-rankings\/","title":{"rendered":"Cher and Cher Alike On RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race [RECAP and RANKINGS]"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cher and Cher Alike On RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race [RECAP and RANKINGS]<\/b>
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After one of the weaker episodes of the season<\/a> last week, this week\u2019s RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em> delivers a knockout.<\/p>\n

A spectacular runway was preceded by a hilarious mini-challenge and a Rusical fit for a Kween. The episode featured some great moments with the queens bonding and an excellent lip sync that ended the episode on a high note. What more could you want? Loved it all.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s turn back *Cher voice<\/em>* taouuiimmmmme, recap everything that went down and see who was \u201cStrong Enough\u201d to make it to next week.<\/p>\n

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Just when i thought I couldn\u2019t love Asia\u2019s fish mask more, we get the joy of seeing her take it half off. Watching her defend her decision to suggest Vixen deserves to go home while holding her fish lips AND waving her finger around the Vixen\u2019s face was the sort of triple-threat I didn\u2019t know I needed! Then she removed the mask to reveal the black makeup mustache, and I nearly lost it. Oh, Asia, never change.<\/p>\n

Vixen is still upset about being throw under the bus, and, yes, she\u2019s still mad at Eureka.<\/p>\n

As the gals ditch their mermaid lurks, Monet pines for her first big win, and Aquaria is feeling the pressure now that her Snatch Game victory has placed her in front of the pack.<\/p>\n

Our week kicks off with RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race All Stars<\/em> season one winner Chad Michaels appearing via video<\/a> in full Cher regalia. Get that hair flip ready, ladies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Even this week\u2019s mini-challenge has a Cher flavor to it. Ru comes in to challenge the girls<\/a> to say something extra sassy and react to a big, Moonstruck<\/em>-style, \u201cSchnap out of it!\u201d slap. (Think season two\u2019s iconic RuPaul slaps<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

The result is way better than last week\u2019s reading challenge. The digs are sharper, and each queen sells the slap like a pro. (Highlights include Aquaria simply reminding Ru that she was born in 1996 \u2014 ugh! \u2014 and Monet telling Ru that she wears it \u201ceh \u2026 \u201c) The winner is Asia O\u2019Hara, who not only reads Ru for hitting like a girl<\/a>, not looking one, but she took an actual accidental slap from Ru and gave us the best reaction of the bunch. At one point she marched around holding her back. It was art.<\/p>\n

The gals this week are tasked with telling the story of the Dark Lady\u2019s career in a new (unauthorized) Rusical. Each queen will be assigned a different incarnation of the legend\u2019s 60-year career. And they\u2019ll be singing LIVE. As if that\u2019s not intimidating enough, Cher is one of Ru\u2019s idols, and Mother Darling knows her better than her Wikipedia.<\/p>\n

Rehearsing with Todrick Hall is rough. Vixen and Asia struggle with selling Cher; Kam comes across meeker than usual; and Eureka reveals a crippling singing phobia. Her dad wanted her to sing, but she was too nervous. And now singing is a very triggering experience for her. I will say this about Eureka, she really knows how to craft the perfect episode-long arc of overcoming a struggle so each performance feels like a triumph over something. She\u2019s basically her own story editor, and you gotta admire that.<\/p>\n

Speaking of Eureka, Asia pulls the Vixen aside to have a little chat<\/a>. In one of my favorite scenes on this show, they have a candid conversation about Vixen\u2019s attitude. Not unlike this week\u2019s Real Housewives of New York<\/em>, where Bethenny confronts Dorinda about her drinking problem, Asia discusses Vixen\u2019s attitude problem with care and kindness. In an interview, Asia perfectly encapsulates my own feelings of the Vixen: \u201cIs Vixen handling it the wrong way? Yes. Do I understand where the Vixen is coming from? Absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asia cuts right to the heart of the matter, positing that Vixen\u2019s issues with Eureka are actually more reflective of Vixen\u2019s past than her present. Perhaps Vixen\u2019s lifelong struggle \u2014 and the racism rampant in the gay<\/a> community she alluded to in a recent story about bartenders complaining about \u201csouth side trash ruining Pride\u201d \u2014 has her reacting so strongly to the judges\u2019 fawning over the likes of Eureka and Aquaria.<\/p>\n

The Rusical itself is fun, but the performances vary in quality. Kameron opens the show as \u201860s Cher, and it\u2019s not bad! She\u2019s got the voice and mannerisms DOWN, but I still think it lacks a little of Cher\u2019s star presence. If you squint just a little, you might\u2019ve thought it was Chad Michaels after taking a little too much Benadryl.<\/p>\n

Monet gets lucky with the meatiest comedy material, skewering Cher\u2019s Native American headdress with a high-energy tune about cultural appropriation. She gives it her all, and the result is a crisp, charming homage that still feels very Monet.<\/p>\n

The Vixen has a tougher time with Variety Show Cher. Wearing a less iconic lewk (sure, her duet with the Jackson 5 was memorable, but it\u2019s not as immediately accessible as the \u201cIf I Could Turn Back Time\u201d leather and mesh, for example \u2014 Vixen barely serves any Cher. It\u2019s disco Vixen, but not much else.<\/p>\n

Speaking of disco, that\u2019s Aquaria\u2019s Cher incarnation, and it\u2019s fine. She looks great as a golden goddess, and she incorporates a quick joke about the cumbersome costume that she ad libbed in rehearsals. Asia came out next as movie star Cher, wearing the Moonstruck<\/em> grey streak well. Her actual performance though was lacking. There wasn\u2019t a ton of Cher, and it all just felt sloppy. She made a little joke about messing up the words, which is a better reaction than just sweating through it, but the whole thing just felt deflated.<\/p>\n

Eureka \u2014 so brave \u2014 conquered her fear of live<\/a> singing. She started a little timid, but blossomed into a rollicking take on the rocking \u201cTurn Back Time\u201d diva. Cracker is given the most complex choreo, juggling a vocoder mic to tell the story of Cher\u2019s big turn of the millennium comeback with \u201cBelieve.\u201d<\/p>\n

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After a sparkling glitter-themed runway, the judges (including guests Andrew Rannells and Billy Eichner) offer some mostly predictable feedback. They tell Kam she killed both the opening number and her sparkling harem pant. Monet\u2019s Cher was definitely a hit but her glitter runway wasn\u2019t \u201cDressed to Kill.\u201d The judges clock some visible tape, even though her makeup and overall concept are strong.<\/p>\n

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Vixen\u2019s colorful construction foam gown is gorgeous, but her Cher wasn\u2019t up to snuff. Of course, Aquaria gets praise for her runway \u2014 a golden, Baroque fantasy that would\u2019ve been right at home at this week\u2019s Met Gala red carpet \u2014 but her Cher was missing some quintessential Cher-isms as well.<\/p>\n

Asia\u2019s Cher probably gets read the most harshly, but the judges love her sparkly clown getup (minus the suede shoes). Eureka looks stunning, but the judges think her makeup is a bit too much. Michelle tells her the performance felt \u201ctemporary.\u201d (It\u2019s so obvious she meant tentative, but Michelle stubbornly refuses to accept Ru\u2019s correction.) Finally, the judges praise Cracker\u2019s creative glitter look, which included a glitter skull puking glitter on her already glittery ensemble, but, in the only bit of surprising judging, they feel like she went too far with her Cher. (How that\u2019s even possible in a drag competition, I\u2019ll never know.)<\/p>\n

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Kam gets the win, and Vixen and Asia are facing off in the lip sync. Thankfully, it\u2019s one of the better battles. Set to Deee-Lite\u2019s \u201cGroove Is In the Heart,\u201d it feels like two friends putting on a great show together. I mean, is it possible to NOT have a great time to that song?<\/p>\n

After multiple times in the bottom, it\u2019s Vixen\u2019s time to go. I know she wasn\u2019t a universally beloved queen (yes, I read the comments), but I do think her presence introduced a number of interesting perspectives to the competition. I admire her charisma, uniqueness and talent, but it\u2019s her nerve that will be most missed.<\/p>\n

That leaves our top six. Where does everyone stand? Find out in our rankings below, and leave your rankings in the comments!<\/p>\n

1. Eureka<\/strong>\u2019s ascension continues. She is consistently a strong performer, and the judges clearly love her. Her drag is so polished and singularly Eureka, and she does steal attention every time she\u2019s on stage (which is a good thing, despite the Vixen\u2019s gripes). With former frontrunners like Asia and Cracker slipping, it feels like Eureka and Aquaria in a race to the top. Eureka has more of an all-around edge.<\/p>\n

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2. I think we might have another cross-over star on our hands with Aquaria<\/strong>. Like Carmen Carrera and Milk before her, I think Aquaria could realistically break into the fashion world in a big way. There is this alien element to her that is fascinating to look at. Again, she surprised with a little humor, though her singing left a lot to be desired.<\/p>\n

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3. This should\u2019ve been a bigger week for Miz Cracker<\/strong> than it was. Both the challenge and the runway catered to her strong suits, and, if you watched this episode on mute, you\u2019d think she excelled. The judges just weren\u2019t feeling the lovable little weirdo. I still think she\u2019s got a chance to surge in the latter half of the competition, but there\u2019s a chance she never figures out how to fully sell her quirks.<\/p>\n

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4. This week might be\u00a0Kameron<\/strong>\u2019s peak. Maybe I\u2019m reading too much into the preview for next week, but for a queen to already be so in her head just when the competition is heating up is not a good look. Still, Kam is solid on the runway, and definitely gave the best Cher of the night.<\/p>\n

5. Even when Monet<\/strong> looks great, she still don\u2019t look great. Every other remaining queen BRINGS it to the runway, and no matter how funny or charismatic Monet is, that\u2019s going to catch up with her. She may be able to limp to top four, but her wardrobe will be her undoing.<\/p>\n

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6. I really, really, really would love to see Asia<\/strong> in our top three. It\u2019s not completely outside the realm of possibility, but she\u2019s so hit or miss. Depending on the next few challenges, Asia could crush or be crushed. She\u2019s got all the tools to make it to the end, but based on this week, she\u2019s falling behind.<\/p>\n

7. The thing about the Vixen<\/strong>\u2019s attitude, regardless whether you feel it\u2019s justified or not, is it\u2019s EXHAUSTING to maintain that level of heightened emotion. I could feel Vixen burning out a bit, and it seemed like her time to go. I appreciated what she brought to the competition, and I do think she will inspire more girls<\/a>. Like Cher in one of my favorite so-bad-it\u2019s-good films, Burlesque<\/em>, we haven\u2019t seen the last of the Vixen. She\u2019d be a hand grenade to throw into a future All Stars<\/em> season.<\/p>\n

What did you think of the episode?<\/p>\n

The post Cher and Cher Alike On RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race [RECAP and RANKINGS]<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Cher and Cher Alike On RuPaul’s Drag Race [RECAP and RANKINGS]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n