{"id":80631,"date":"2019-03-09T08:59:26","date_gmt":"2019-03-09T13:59:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/the-queens-are-acting-up-on-rupauls-drag-race-recap-and-rankings\/"},"modified":"2019-03-09T08:59:26","modified_gmt":"2019-03-09T13:59:26","slug":"the-queens-are-acting-up-on-rupauls-drag-race-recap-and-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/the-queens-are-acting-up-on-rupauls-drag-race-recap-and-rankings\/","title":{"rendered":"The Queens Are Acting Up On \u2018RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u2019 [RECAP and RANKINGS]"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Queens Are Acting Up On \u2018RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u2019 [RECAP and RANKINGS]<\/b><\/p>\n

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OK, y\u2019all, week two is down, and I\u2019m feeling way more optimistic about this season.<\/p>\n

First off, I\u2019m a little surprised to be in such a small minority that is #TeamSilky. I knew she\u2019d be a polarizing figure, but I have yet to encounter a single other Drag Race<\/em> fan charmed by Silky. Yes, she\u2019s A LOT, but, you guys<\/a>, this is reality-TV about drag queens: A LOT is table stakes.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m wondering now how many opinions have changed following this episode. Academia is not exactly the friendliest environment to a plus-size, black, queer, effeminate Southern man<\/a>, but Silky is working toward a PhD. That\u2019s amazing! Yas, Silky, take up space! <\/p>\n

But how did everyone else come across? Let\u2019s look back at the queens first real chance to break out of the pack.<\/p>\n

We kicked the week off with the gals still ob-cyst with Soju\u2019s little problem<\/a>. In one of her several hilarious lines of the night, Vanjie talked about a potential cyst the size of \u201cGauntomino Bay,\u201d and it was impossible not to love her.<\/p>\n

Following her big win last week, Brooke was feeling herself, which irritated Scarlet. On the one hand, she warned us \u201cWhen you feel your own oats so hard, you forget that there are other oats there,\u201d which, really is just good advice for anyone, I guess. More troubling though is Scarlet\u2019s belief that her snoozer of a runway outfit last week was worthy of win. I\u2019m getting strong Milk vibes off this one, and I do not mean that as a compliment.<\/p>\n

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Our mini-challenge is a favorite: The celebrity photobomb. It requires all the gals to throw together some quick drag \u2014 a great equalizer among queens of varying skillsets \u2014 and then depend on their charisma, vision and point-of-view. Everyone seemed to have some fun, but two queens really go for it: Brooke \u2014 showing off a little booty \u2014 and Silky, who got fully nude<\/a>. <\/p>\n

They both were awarded the win, which meant they were the team captains for this week\u2019s acting challenge. The gals were split into two teams to parody a pair of Oscar-nominated films: Good God Gurl, Get Out<\/em> and Why It Gotta Be Black \u2026 Panther<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Brooke led the Marvel spoof along with Nina West, Ra\u2019Jah, Honey, Shuga, Plastique and Ariel. During prep, Brooke floated the idea to Plastique that her character should lean real hard into a cartoony Asian accent, and it\u2019s \u2026 complicated. On the one hand, this is the kind of humor this show all too often defaults to, and Plastique seems genuinely into the idea. Still, I\u2019d rather this idea originated with Plastique. Even though Brooke prefaced it by saying it might be problematic, that\u2019s sort of like saying \u201cno offense\u201d or \u201cnot to sound racist, but \u2026\u201d Acknowledging it almost makes it worse, because it\u2019s premeditated. Sorry, I\u2019m a #snowflake.<\/p>\n

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Anyway, the real juicy stuff happened when Ru swung by to visit, and the gals \u2014 particularly Ariel \u2014 leapt at the chance to throw Silky under the bus for being too much. They seem seem petty and bitter, and Ru is having none of it. \u201cAre you trying to one-up her?\u201d Ru asked the group. They all shake their heads and act coy like Alyssa Edwards as Katy Perry in the season five Snatch Game. No, Ru, never! But Ru was having none of it. \u201cYou might want to think about it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, RuPaul did not become a multimedia mogul by accident, child. So he sashayed right over to Team Silky and reported right on back. When Ru confronted Silky about the assertion that she sucks all the air of the room, Silky responded by saying she\u2019s not sorry for having such a big straw to suck! YAS!<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s when Silky tells Ru about her Master\u2019s Degree and work toward a PhD, and I \u2014 someone who recaps reality TV professionally and won\u2019t stop using the word \u201clewk\u201d \u2014 am mightily impressed. You show them, Silky! You show them all!<\/p>\n

Michelle and Ross were directing these romps, and it felt like a real mixed bag. Brooke\u2019s team was up first, and goddamn, her instinct was spot on. Plastique is crushing this challenge. If only Brooke had as much vision for her own part. She could barely wrap her pretty little head around a straight-forward joke: \u201cBeyonc\u00e9 WHAT?!\u201d Shuga Cain was having fun with her part as a weed smoking Auntie Maxine, and Ariel struggled to not add \u201cgurl\u201d after every sentence. (I feel that, gurl.) I have no idea what story they were telling or what the plot was, but it was sort of fun!<\/p>\n

Silky\u2019s team was a much better time, but not necessarily due to her involvement. Off the top, Vanjie was stealing the show. <\/p>\n

Scratch that.<\/p>\n

Vanjie started stealing the show when they picked teams, and Scarlet was picked last. \u201cMiss Scarlet is looking pressed like a panini, bitch!\u201d Vanjie screamed into the confessional camera<\/a>. Then, when Vanjie got a copy of Good God Girl, Get Out<\/em>, she reacted: \u201cI\u2019m looking at this script like it\u2019s the Da Vinci Code<\/em>!\u201d <\/p>\n

Truly, a gift.<\/p>\n

As the dorky dad, Vanjie didn\u2019t know what she was giving us exactly, but it was definitely both entirely wrong and completely perfect at the same time. Forget Alexis Mateo, I think Vanjie is a descendant of Alyssa Edwards. SHOW ME THE DNA TEST!<\/p>\n

Silky was just OK during filming. She seemed to be having more fun than we were, and it bordered on unprofessional. Kahanna and Mercedes really struggled with their small parts, failing to register any discernible character choices.<\/p>\n

The real stars were Yvie and Miss \u201cLast Picked\u201d Scarlet herself. Yvie mopped the floor with her role as \u201cMarnie\u201d (lol), while Scarlet managed to play the \u201cstraight\u201d man<\/a> (lol) in a way that uplifted the entire final project. They are two of the strongest performances to come out of one of these silly parodies I can recall.<\/p>\n

As the ladies<\/a> prepped their looks, Yvie decided to poke the cyst (it\u2019ll catch on) by asking all the gals who was the shady queen who tried to throw Silky under the bus. To her credit, Ariel did step up and own her part in the bus throwing \u2026 under. Anyway, the other girls<\/a> were not as quick to take responsibility. <\/p>\n

Ra\u2019Jah in particular did not take too kindly to this Yvie inquisition, and she unleashed \u2026 well, it wasn\u2019t a read, necessarily, it was more like one of Silky\u2019s full collegiate courses: \u201cHave you ever seen someone finger paint with their feet? That\u2019s Yvie\u2019s mug. No, bitch, You could never. A girl<\/a> that looks like you, smells like you, acts like you? No ma\u2019am. An ugly girl<\/a> could never come for a pretty girl<\/a>. No. It\u2019s an ugly bitch like you crawling out of the swamp to come for me? Mm-mm, girl<\/a>. I\u2019m over it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That read needs a works cited, honey, because there is so much to unpack. It\u2019s the first Ra\u2019Jah moment I am wholly here for.<\/p>\n

The runway theme is What\u2019s Your Sign? We\u2019ll go over most of the outfits below in our rankings.<\/p>\n

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The judges loved Plastique\u2019s dark, fantastical Aries, and they gushed over her just over-the-top enough performance. Yvie also had an impressive runway (hers was modeled on a mechanized lion in honor of Leo), and the judges were very into her work alongside Scarlet, another one of our top performers this week. Shuga received some praise for her performance, but on the runway Michelle was not getting Scorpio. I have to agree. It felt more Mortal Kombat<\/em>. Our winners were Scarlet and Yvie.<\/p>\n

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Brooke\u2019s look (ahem<\/em> Brewk\u2019s lewk) earned high marks from the judges, but her performance was flat. Ariel didn\u2019t wow in either department. Then our clear bottom two, Kahanna and Mercedes were just out of their depths. Mercedes\u2019 runway was something I could put together in one Forever 21 trip. Not good enough.<\/p>\n

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Earlier in the night, however, we learned about how Mercedes, the show\u2019s first Muslim queen, was put on a no-fly list. The additional travel burden took such a toll on Mercedes she had a stroke. It\u2019s a very tough story, and you can\u2019t help but root for her. <\/p>\n

The lip sync was \u2026 not great. Set to Britney\u2019s iconic \u201cWork Bitch,\u201d a song literally any gay<\/a> man<\/a> could do a lip sync to at a moment\u2019s notice, I was expecting so much more. Mercedes gave us a little wig reveal with what Ra\u2019jah described as a \u201cToni Braxton\u201d moment. Kahanna literally was doing round-off back handsprings in heels like a lunatic. And yet? Neither seemed to hit the beats. Kahanna I think at one point almost ended up fashion roadkill, while Mercedes gave us a jump split at the wrong time, and it just felt super awkward.<\/p>\n

Mercedes got the win (yay?), and Kahanna was sent on her way.<\/p>\n

So where does that leave the rest of our gals? Check out my completely subjective rankings below, and leave yours in the comments!<\/p>\n

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  1. What a gift we have in Miss Vanjie<\/strong>! Everything that comes out of her mouth is hilarious. I\u2019m obsessed. She\u2019s thankfully not one-note. She\u2019s not entering and exiting every room, conversation and Presidential race like \u201cMiss \u2026 Vanjie,\u201d and I so appreciate that about her. Is she an actress? Absolutely not. She got by though on personality and commitment, and that\u2019s more than I can say for a lot of these other gals. Plus, she looks fierce as hell every time. Last night\u2019s look was particularly riveting. <\/li>\n
  2. It was a pleasant surprise to see Plastique<\/strong> so easily let herself become the butt<\/a> of the joke. Often times the prettiest gals are often the most tightly-wound. The attention to detail that makes the ensemble come together is typically so meticulous there\u2019s not a lot of room for \u201cfun.\u201d <\/li>\n
  3. Silky<\/strong> did not hit it out of the park this week, but she remains the biggest presence so far this season, eating up camera<\/a> time like cookies. She was having a bit too much fun during filming, but her runway was fun. <\/li>\n
  4. Shuga<\/strong> served us a bit more Snore-pio than Scorpio on the runway, but that performance was perfect. It was just campy enough, but it also stayed at the right intensity for the scene. Shuga\u2019s short time doing drag may come back to bite her on the runway. It could be a matter of just not thinking big enough. We\u2019ll see. However, I love her personality, I think she\u2019s a natural comedian and she has some real stage presence. If her runways are passable, she could go far. <\/li>\n
  5. After last week\u2019s strong start, the cracks are already showing on Brooke<\/strong>. She took the starring role, and then she immediately shrunk in the face of the task. The runway outfit was great. I loved the plastic neckpiece, but a strong runway is usually not weighed more than a strong challenge performance in overall scoring. <\/li>\n
  6. Good week for Yvie<\/strong>, on stage, off stage, on camera<\/a>, just all around. She flashed her teeth in the work room, and she flexed her acting muscles in the challenge. That runway look was just like three decisions away from being a craft store disaster, so kudos on that. But even in its success, it still gave me pause. I hope we see Yvie rise like Sharon in season four \u2014 a little odd, a little kooky, but there\u2019s a vision and some polish there.<\/li>\n
  7. Oh, Miss Scarlet<\/strong>. Last week\u2019s Violet Chachki runway was a dud. Then, to have that holier than thou attitude is not a cute look, friend. However, she slayed this challenge, no question about it. I loved the bubble guns on the runway, I loved the blue makeup. It was like Elsa from Frozen<\/em> blew Papa Smurf on her way over, which is just truly my aesthetic. Scarlet could steadily climb the ranks, or she can be this season\u2019s villain. Too soon to tell.<\/li>\n
  8. Nina <\/strong>acquitted herself nicely this week. She didn\u2019t steal the show, but she didn\u2019t flub it either. Had her runway been a little stronger, she may have ended up somewhere on the upper half of this list. Instead, I got a lot of fire from it, and not a lot of lion. Runway is not where Nina is going to excel, so she needs to bring it extra hard to the challenges. <\/li>\n
  9. I\u2019m not entirely sure who Honey<\/strong> is. No, literally. I had to check my notes. That means she hasn\u2019t been a disaster, but it also means she hasn\u2019t been memorable. The lion get up was a little too on-the-nose for my taste. Hopefully she\u2019ll get her moment.<\/li>\n
  10. All hail the shade queen, Ra\u2019jah<\/strong>. There\u2019s attitude there that I am very into. They went out of their way to show her struggle with her lines, so we should probably not get too attached. <\/li>\n
  11. A\u2019Keria<\/strong> is another queen that just hasn\u2019t had a chance to shine. She was fine in the film as Rhonda from the DMV, but, again, just not memorable. Runway was polished, but not super creative.<\/li>\n
  12. I\u2019m not here for Ariel<\/strong>\u2018s attitude. I\u2019m always a little put off by a self-identified \u201cInstagram queen.\u201d (In truth, I\u2019m put off by an \u201cInstagram\u201d anything \u2014 queen, model, influencer, body-positivity icon, stylist, designer, whatever.) It wasn\u2019t that she was a bad actress (she was), but it\u2019s that she was so clearly in her own head. For someone who came in so determined to show us how she\u2019s a real entertainer and not just a walking Facetune or whatever, she immediately crumbled. The outfit was OK on the runway, but the judges were right to call<\/a> out the poor timing of the little flash. It just illustrates a rookie move and a poor command of an audience. Sorry!<\/li>\n
  13. Mercedes<\/strong>\u2018 win did not feel like a triumph. It makes me wonder if we brought out the sad backstory this soon, and THAT was her big redemption number, maybe she\u2019s not long for this cast. It didn\u2019t feel emotional or like emotional climax I wanted. Her runway was beyond basic, and she couldn\u2019t even commit to holding the bow and arrow. Come on, girl<\/a>!<\/li>\n
  14. Kahanna seems lovely, and she is very hot as a boy<\/a>, but two week were two too many. Her entry look and runway last week were inexcusable. Had it not been for poor, sweet Soju, Kahanna would not have had the chance to re-enter the work room today. Her gymnastics are impressive, but they lacked musicality in the context of the lip sync. There\u2019s talent there, she\u2019s just not fully baked yet.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How would you rank the queens?<\/p>\n

    The post The Queens Are Acting Up On \u2018RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u2019 [RECAP and RANKINGS]<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad Gay News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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    The Queens Are Acting Up On ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ [RECAP and RANKINGS]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n