The Drag Race Rankdown #2

[Elliott]

09. SHARON NEEDLES (S4, 1ST) & SHEA COULÉE (S9, 3RD)

AVERAGE: 7.83

 

RANKINGS - SHARON:

Dee - 2

Zoey - 6

Derek - 7

Vee - 9

Public - 11

Lily - 12

 

PUBLIC:

Victoria - 4

 

Kay - 7

Megan - 7

Tom - 7

Andrew - 9

Chris - 9

Elliott - 9

JC - 12

Andy - 14

 

RANKINGS - SHEA:

Lily - 2

Dee - 5

Derek - 14

Public - 5 

Vee - 10
Zoey - 11

 

PUBLIC:

 

Elliott - 1

Kay - 3

Andrew - 6

Megan - 6

Victoria - 6

Chris - 8

Tom - 8

Andy - 11

JC - 13

 

CHRIS:

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Upon rewatching Season 9 and doing the honorary write-up for RPDR in the TV rankdown, I realize that I surprisingly love Shea despite still thinking her make-up was not the best. Anyway, she hit out of the park constantly on Season 9 from the TV Show to Blac Chyna to Snatch Game to the Roast. She was unfortunately screwed by the twist where Sasha slayed her with "So Emotional". With that being said, Shea is far from being a favourite of mine which is why I gave her a ranking of #8.

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At #9 on my ranking is Sharon. She is good at what she does, I guess - not a queen I would have had in my personal Top 14.

 

DEE:

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"When in doubt, freak 'em out!"

 

Spooky, horrific, trashy, witty, humble, and with a flair for the macabre.

 

Sharon Needles is the single-most important Drag Queen to ever appear on the series.

 

The moment she walked down the runway sporting her Apocalyptic Couture is the moment that RuPaul's Drag Race stopped being a play on pageants and instead became a platform that celebrated artistic expression. 

 

Sharon Needles ushered the show into mainstream popularity, appealing to every LGBTQIA+ viewer and every artist that has ever felt weird, marginalized, underrated, misrepresented, different, or like they simply did not belong. Sharon was bravely authentic to her spooky aesthetic and changed the landscape of not just RPDR, but the drag world for good. 

 

She gave a face to the side of the art form of drag that had not yet been included or praised in a mainstream environment. Her assuredness in her art and her point-of-view helped more people than she will ever know. Whether she was fighting against Phi Phi O'Hara's attempts to write her drag off as Party City level art or Phi Phi O'Hara's attempt to box her into a limited view of artistic interpretation, or standing strong in the face of criticisms from judges that viewed her more often by what they perceived she could not do rather than everything she could do so well....Sharon Needles really paved the way for so many artists that did not adhere to the "rules" of drag. 

Sharon caused discussions. Sharon created spaces and opportunities for others. Drag was no longer about achieving a conventional beauty, but about the ability to express oneself freely. Drag could be spooky and freaky! Drag could be created on a tight budget!

 

UGH. I could go on and on about the impact Sharon Needles had on Drag Race and the community as a whole. What an impact. 

 

She is pretty much the reason why the series achieved the massive spike in popularity that it did during Season 4. The feud with Phi Phi, the unconventional drag aesthetic, the wit, the dominance in all of the challenges. 

 

Runway looks like her Apocalypse Couture, Dress to Impress Look, Inaugural Ball Look, and Finale Look that challenged what viewers had come to expect of queens on the show and shook the foundation of the show-up.

 

Challenge performances such as a funny and spooky version of "Covergirl" during the Glamazons vs. Champions commercial challenge. An exceptionally funny impersonation of Michelle Visage during Snatch Game. Or a brilliantly serious approach to Frock the Vote! with a touch of identifiable Sharon humor. Who could forget the iconic set of looks she delivered during The Fabulous B*tch Ball?

 

By the end of the season, Sharon had not only earned herself four main challenge wins and seven total high placements, but she had impacted the show in a seismic way. Iconic feuds. Important drag. Unique point-of-view. Creative and bold artistry. Hilarious personality. Strong convictions. 

 

Sharon Needles is responsible for the success of this show, and for opening the door to so many artists that we know and love.

 

A real game-changer, Sharon Needles remains one of my drag icons and favorite television personalities ever. Meeting her in person was such a special moment for me. The long-lasting effects of her time on the show speak to just how incredibly powerful and iconic her drag truly is.

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"Do I look upset to you?"

 

 SLAY COULEÉ

LOOK AT THE EDGES I SNATCHED TODAY

I SEE YOU WATCHIN' HOW I SASHAY

THEM OTHER GIRLS BEST GET OUT OF MY WAY

'CAUSE I WANT IT, I GET IT 

AND CAME UP IN HERE AND DID IT

AND GIRL I'M READY TO SHOW 'EM, HOW THESE B*TCHES I OWN 'EM

GOT THAT SUPERMODEL SWITCH

MS. COULÉE SHE A REAL REAL BAD B*TCH

LET ME ROCK THIS MIC

LEAVE 'EM IN MY DUST LIKE TINA DID IKE

I'M SICKENING, NO?

AND REAL FIERCE TOO

CHICAGO IN THE HOUSE, GURL WHATCHA GON' DO?

ABOUT TO SHUT IT DOWN

COME ON MAMA RU, BRING THE QUEEN HER CROWN

I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE AND ALL I'M GONNA SAY

IS I'M SHEA COULEÉ AND I ALWAYS...

 

*breaks into flawless choreography section where she performs multiple pirouettes while wearing at least five inch heels*

 

Shea Couleé in the finals of the Rankdown as she deserves. Hopefully she is not robbed in the final placements like she was during the Season 9 Live Finale twist.

 

The way this flawless queen dominated Season 9 only to be done so, so dirty by this twist. Seven high placements. Four main challenge wins. Only one bottom two appearance. Sickening look after sickening look. Memorable challenge performance after memorable performance challenge. One of the most flawless drag queens in RPDR Herstory. All of that drag excellence...washed away by a lip-sync twist. And then avalanched by a wig snatch, rose petals, and a bald head. 

 

THE DISRESPECT. THE HORROR.

 

Honestly, watching Shea Couleé lose in such an intense fashion is the thorn of Season 9. By the end of the season, Shea had become one of my favorite drag queens of all-time. From the moment I saw her in the cast reveal/promo shoot, I knew Shea would be a force in the competition. I was so right. So, so right.

 

Shea is a beast of a performer, and one hell of an artist. Funny as hell in the confessionals. Shady and quick with her words that can cut right through a b*tch. Not afraid of confrontation. Dancer. Actor. Costume wizard. I really feel like Shea is an all-around badass that can do it all. Season 9 is proof that Shea is one of the strongest competitors ever. With a track record that is only behind Bianca Del Rio and Nina Flowers, Shea really is that b*tch.

 

Shea is everything I want to be. LOL.

 

Let me get into her looks on the runway first:

 

Hometown Look? This is the moment I knew that Shea needed to win in the competition. LOL. B*tch came out with a Chicago hot dog on her head and still looked STUNNING. The outfit is so clean and the body is so right.

 

White Party Realness? SLAY SLAY SLAY. One of my favorite outfits of the season, very underrated.

 

Princess Fantasy? Disney Movie villain status. Flaw free. 

 

Faux Fur? Campy, quirky, perfection. Shea has such an awesome sense of style, and this is one of my favorite looks of the season.

 

Club Kid Couture? PERFECTION.

 

Rainbow Look? High fashion editorial model in Vogue. Adore.

 

Sexy Unicorn Look? Sexy BDSM mythical creature and she is selling the fantasy.

 

Village People Look? ICONIC LOOK REMAINS ICONIC.

 

"Category Is..." Look? Yas. Very Ciara in a music video. I stan.

 

Finale Look? LOOKING LIKE A MILLION DOLLARS. RED CARPET GLAMAZON.

 

In fact, there is not a single look Ms. Couleé delivered that is bad. In fact, nearly every single runway look is fabulous. She is one of the few queens to impress me on the runway for the entirety of a season. 

 

Now let's get into the best of her challenge performances:

 

Shea nailed her role as Flirty in "She Done Already Done Brought It On."

 

One of my favorite challenge performances has to be Shea in "Good Morning Bitches," covering the DIY portion of the news broadcast. F*cking hilarious. 

 

But her best performance of the season is easily the portrayal she delivers of Blac Chyna in Kardashian: The Musical. No matter how salty Nina Bo'Nina Brown becomes, she will never have been better in the part than Shea.

 

Shea definitely gave me some belly laughs with her impeccable impersonation of Naomi Campbell during the Snatch Game.

 

9021-HO is more proof that Shea was an unstoppable phenom in every single acting/comedy/improv challenge. Her performance as Grandrea Zuckerwoman is easily one of the highlights of that challenge.

 

Shea continued to slay by going first during the Roast of Michelle Visage and still killing it with the jokes.

 

"Just remember - if you liked my performance, my name is Shea Couleé, and if you hated it, it's Nina Bo'Nina Brown."

 

Teets McGee in Teets & Asky - the show that I wish was real. My second favorite performance of Shea's this season and one of my favorite skits in RPDR Herstory. Hilarious.

 

Slayer of The Gayest Ball Ever.

 

Slayer of "Category Is..." - second only to Katya in being phenomenal and perfect in every way during the music video challenge.

 

The only time Shea fell in the bottom was during the Makeovers: Crew Better Work challenge. In all honesty, Alexis Michelle should have fallen in the bottom because Shea did not do a bad job. But of course, production shenanigans called for drama, so Shea needed to send her nemesis home, obviously.

 

Then she came to the Season 9 reunion ready to throw down with Valentina and gave us some iconic moments during that episode. Her season-long feud with Nina over the role of Blac Chyna and Nina's constant negativity also made for good television.

 

Shea is clearly just a superstar and needs to quickly hurry up and return to my television screen.

 

I wanted her to win Season 9 so bad. The twist had me a little shook, since Shea's first and only lip-sync attempt was lackluster. But I figured she had this competition in the bag. And the rest is history. LOL.

 

Shea lost in such a horrible fashion that she canonically is considered the fourth place finisher of the season. Logically, you could argue that Trinity is fourth since she lost first. But Shea did so much worse than Trinity that in my head she placed fourth. That damn Sasha Velour stunt. LOL. Maybe the biggest upset in RPDR history...until Shangela lost just a few months later. LOL. But still, what an upset. 

 

Shea did not win, but she walked away from Season 9 as a champion of Drag Race and a true legend, in my opinion. I look forward to her return and hope that she slays this final ranking. One of my favorites of all-time and a real goddess.

 

DEREK:

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Sharon Needles of Party City, USA, the undisputed winner of Season 4. Upon re-watch, I realized that Chad did pretty good on the season too, lol, but I was rooting for Sharon from the start and I refused to consider anyone else the first time I watched. Sharon's post-apopoloptic runway is the definition of iconic. It changed the landscape of drag race. It was a revolutionary moment. I'm sure Sharon didn't invent "spooky" drag, but she brought a new aesthetic to the masses. It was thrilling to see her drag alongside the more polished pageant drag the whole season. It made for really interesting and eclectic runway shows. And can we talk about the Bitch Ball? All the looks were flawless, but the white fur boots with the poodle... it was amazing. Legend. Iconic. Did I say that word as much before I met Dee?? idk. Anyway, Sharon absolutely deserves a spot in the Top 14 of all time.

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I'm very sorry Shea that I have to rank you so low. But I really think someone was going to get rid of you in the final cuts and I could not live with myself if I let that happen. I also really thought that Alyssa and Tatianna were going to survive final cuts so I guess I'm a moron. But honestly I would save Shea over those two, as much as I love them. Shea deserves the spotlight. Shea deserves recognition. Shea deserves to win a season of all stars. No spoilers please.

 

When I first watched Shea's season I didn't fully appreciate her. It's kind of hard to pick a favorite or a frontrunner in that season, IMO. There was a lot going on with Valentina implosion and Eureka injury and Peppermint being terrible then really great and Shea winning challenges with Sasha together and Nina complaining about Blac Chyna. But upon re-watch I really honed in on Shea's talent. She was a powerhouse. Her makeup is probably one of my favorites of any queen. Her runways are great. Her performances in the challenges are some of the most consistent ever. Makeover week was a low spot, but Shea murdered the whole season. She only lost because of the finale twist. I am not going to argue that Shea should have beat Sasha in the lip sync or that I feel bad that Shea wasn't as prepared. But Shea losing the season does not detract from the work she put out in the universe that year and she remains legendary. Slay.

 

ELLIOTT:

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While I've made no secret that, overall, Tatianna is my favourite Drag Race alumni, this feels like a good time to confess that if I had to award my favourite single-season run, it would be Shea Coulée. The fiercest bitch alive. The queen who said she came to slay and did just that. The queen who gave no f*cks that the fandom would hate a strong, confident, black queen. Shea Coulée should change her name to Slay Coulée because she's just type of queen. The only queen to win four challenges in a regular season alongside Sharon Needles. One bottom two placement that honestly should've been Alexis Michelle's. The legendary soundbite of "WHO'S AFTER PEPPERMINT? WHY Y'ALL ACTING BRAND NEW?" that continues to send me to this day. Shea and Sasha were my two favourites so watching their friendship grow over the course of the season was great. I'm still convinced that there was a double crowning planned between them, and the lip sync for the crown kind of threw a wrench into that plan. I agreed that Sasha deserved to win that lip sync, but watching Shea get taken out of the finale like that was absolutely heartbreaking. But if there was any benefit to it, it's that the finale being taped before the reunion meant angry, pissed off Shea was ready to fight in the reunion. She gave no f*cks that Valentina was beloved and called her out on everything, and I stanned. She's allegedly in All Stars 5, and I'm ready to watch her slay once more. IF she doesn't get a crown this time around, Earth needs to be canceled. Now if you'll excuse me, time for a daily rewatch of her Category Is... verse and performance.

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Despite my love of horror movies and all things kooky, I just never latched onto Sharon Needles as much as one would expect. Don't get wrong, during the season, her and Chad were by far my favourites (though nowadays, Willam probably takes her slot after Chad in my rankings) and it was clear that she was the show's pre-ordained winner since she's the only winner to win four challenges. Not that I can fault them, because she brought something different and exciting to Drag Race. Her poodle look is still iconic. Anyway, she was a big staple in Drag Race being the juggernaut it is today, so no issues with her making it to the top 14 in both rankdowns.

 

LILY:

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She said it herself - she didn't come to play, she came to slay. And that she did. Shea slayed Season 9. Track record-wise that season was hers and rightly so. Four challenge wins, between the ball, acting & improv challenges, and the Rusical. She showed how well-rounded she was in the competition. She barely had any stumbles, the only real one being the makeover but otherwise, she was a true professional throughout. Shea would have had that crown on any regular pre-LSFTC season. Unfortunately, while she should have won based on the overall season, her loss to Sasha was fair in the end because Sasha slayed the lip-sync. But Shea deserves to be a winner or in the Hall of Fame. I've been eagerly anticipating her All-Stars return and have always been a little disappointed when she didn't show up to AS3 or AS4. But I know she's just been spending even more time perfecting her craft and when she comes back she's going to do great things. Also she has not hit 1M followers on Instagram because the fandom is less willing to support black queens. So if you aren't already following Shea on Instagram, do it!

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I really enjoyed Sharon on Season 4, and she totally slayed that season. Just looking at her performance in the first three episodes - winning two challenges and placing high in the other? This season felt like a done deal for her from the start. And rightly so, she introduced a form of drag that we really hadn't seen on Drag Race by this point, but did it so effortlessly. She stood her ground against Phi Phi, and in the one challenge where she really struggled which involved them being together, she deserved the lip-sync win tbh. Justice for Willam. With four wins over the season and some other great highlights, Sharon rarely put a foot wrong. I really like this final group and just like some of the other queens more hence the lower placement, but definitely a deserved placement.

 

MEGAN:

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why is this queen here

 

VEE:

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Sharon was the first one to actually introduced that drag style, spooky and not particularly fishy, to the mainstream. Alaska is her ex-husband. She wasn't the first I'm pretty sure but she was the first to do it in drag race which was already pushing into the mainstream television at that time. She had her iconic fight with Phi Phi and some iconic looks. I particularly loved that look of hers with the injection. Anyway, she wasn't a drag queen I would root for but between the three queens who had the chance for the crown, I rooted for her. She definitely deserved her win as she did well in the challenges too. I would always remember her Michelle Visage snatch game. That was iconic. Ranking her here because I do like the other queens more. Also, she does a great Caitlyn Jenner. Way better than Trinity. 

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I am fine with Shea but this is just a strategic ranking of course. She may have deserved the win for her season but sadly she lost the lipsync to Sasha. This was the first season to have a lipsync for the crown and of course everyone was going to do something spectacular. Trinity had a reveal. Expected one though. Peppermint had reveals. Kinda mediocre to be honest. Revealing a mediocre dress and a mediocre wig? Okay, hun. Sasha slayed and changed the game in ruveals (with Roxxxy of course but that's not a lipsync for the crown, is it?) with her petal reveals especially underneath the wig. I thought at least Shea would put up a fight in this lipsync. She didn't have a reveal though. I mean I guess she would have not needed to if she actually slayed the lipsync, which she did not. She just walked around turning here and there making facial expressions that did not connect with the emotions of the song. Well. I could not deny that she definitely did great the whole season though. Even if she wore swimsuits a lot...

 

ZOEY:

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I want to say that season four was the first season that I saw the entire way through all at once. I remember watching season two as it was aired on a British television station years ago but it vanished halfway through due to poor ratings. Oh how that’s changed.  Sharon was something new for Drag Race. Her spooky aesthetic hadn’t been seen in the previous three seasons and I think RuPaul knew drag was evolving at this point. Sharon entered the workroom in a cheap black dress and cheap witches’ hat. I don’t think the other queens took her seriously at all. Especially the vile Phi Phi O’Hara, who didn’t think drag was good unless you was polished and delivered something from a pageant. Sharon fast became one of the front runners and delivered something that was probably a signature look for her in the first runway.

 

L  I  V  I  N  G
I think it was this look that changed Drag Race forever.

Sharon went on to dominate the competition and only stumbled twice on her way. Only landing in the bottom two once and if that had been a real lip-sync then she would've easily won against PhiPhi. Now on to that relationship! I think this was the first time during Drag Race where one queen actually seethed hate for someone else. Tatianna was a b*tch but her and Tyra's arguments were back an forth and they were as bad as each other. PhiPhi genuinely sounded as if she hated Sharon and Willam. She belittled Sharon's drag on multiple occasions, she spoke poorly of her behind the scenes and she held herself in a higher regard to anyone else. I think it was also the first time we saw a good vs evil dynamic on the show. Sharon came out of it smelling like roses whilst PhiPhi was hated by many. It's hard to root for a queen that shows zero redeeming qualities in thirteen episodes. Anyway, back to Sharon. 

Sharon is also one of those queens who I don't see myself falling out of love with. She's one of the most iconic queens and one of the most memorable. I find her fascinating to watch and find myself excited to see what she's either doing or wearing next. She was at a club down the next street before all this COVID-19 crap and it's one of my biggest regrets not going

I GET TO SEE NO DRAG QUEENS IN THE COMING MONTHS BECAUSE OF THIS AND IT'S BREAKING MY BLACK HEART.

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I remember being a Shea fan during her season but I did have a couple of others ranked ahead of her. Shea was so consistent during her journey and I think she definitely deserved her place in the finale but season nine just wasn’t a great season for me. I only really connected with a couple of queens and those connections didn’t last. I don’t really remember many of the challenges or anyone’s journey in particular and it’s such a choir to rewatch something you wasn’t in love with the first time. I loved Shea’s looks as they were some of the best that season. Her Village People look is iconic as is her finale interview look. Everything else is a blur and I get the feeling I wasn’t as much of a fan as I initially believed. I’m not mad that she’s this high but I could probably take a few others over her. I blame the people around her! I probably remember more of Shea’s standouts than anyone else that season. I was pretty sure she was taking the crown and it’s a shame she didn’t because she could do fantastic things as a winner. The new finale format either makes of breaks you and unfortunately, someone who as invisible most of the season stole the crown at the end. That said – I don’t think Shea performed well during the lip-sync and it’s as if she wanted Sasha to win. I just expected more from previous lip-syncs and mainly because of “Category Is” which was only one episode earlier. I'm so excited to see her back for All Stars because I think she still has a ton left to show and to see how much her drag has evolved.


I  C  O  N  I  C

 

This is the final tie of the final vote.

From here on out, all queens are their own placement.

Which means we will only have one winner this rankdown...

Edited April 19, 2020 by Elliott

[Elliott]

Not me talking about Shea and Sharon being the only queens to win four challenges in a regular season and not even make the connection they were being posted together.

[Zoey]

I love Sharon so much.  She changed the game for a lot of queens. So happy that she was able to pave the path.

 

I love Shea, but my love for her has faded. I’m excited for All Stars to fall back in love with her.

[Elliott]

Everyone clearly needs to rewatch this, I'll wait  

[FrogLenzen]

It is my great honor and privilege to bring Shea into the finals and see her make Top 10.

[Deeee]

This is disgusting...

[~*8Kay8*~]

Cheryl, Naomi, and Monique all came up on the mid-to-lowish end of my rankings because they  weren’t on seasons I watched, so I got most of my impressions from YouTube highlights which only gives you so much. So I’m good with all of those placements (though I feel like after watching the season I may have put Monique higher, since a lot of people mentioned her confessionals which I didn’t see). 
 

Sharon and Courtney were both queens that were in the top of their original seasons for me, but have faded over time. Sharon less so than Courtney... but I’m not super upset over either of their placings.

 

Shea  She’s the first one that I’m sad didn’t make it higher in the rankings. I definitely think she’s at least top 5 worthy out of this bunch. 

[Elliott]

33 minutes ago, Deeee said:

This is disgusting...

On the flip side, both of your immunities are the only two immunities who haven’t been revealed.  

[FrogLenzen]

Wow, so Sharon is the first queen without a mandatory bottom ranking to be revealed here. I'm a little surprised. 

[Elliott]

1 hour ago, FrogLenzen said:

Wow, so Sharon is the first queen without a mandatory bottom ranking to be revealed here. I'm a little surprised. 

I didn't even realize that because I forgot Cheryl was given immunity but you're correct! She placed low in the first final vote, too. She seems to be one of those queens that's universally appreciated but doesn't have enough support to garner a high ranking.

[Elliott]

#8 will be up on the next page!

[totes4totes]

!

[Elliott]

 

[Zoey]

It’ll be another of my favourites. 

[Zoey]

I actually think it’ll be this queen.

 

[Elliott]

Just now, Zoey0069 said:

I actually think it’ll be this queen.

[Zoey]

1 minute ago, Elliott said:

 

[Elliott]

 

 

[Zoey]

Or Juju.

[Elliott]

21.

[Elliott]

22.

[Elliott]

23.

[Elliott]

24. 

[Elliott]

25. 

[Elliott]

JK this is 25.