RuPaul’s Drag Race - General Discussion Thread

[Deeee]

Just now, Elliott said:

And yet, outside of Gaff-In, it's still better than most of All Stars 3 and the last two episodes of All Stars 4 and so far All Stars 5

 

All Stars 2 still remains that bitch

 

I wish I agreed with you...

 

Oh wow look, I agree with you. 

[.Rei]

1 minute ago, Elliott said:

Her comment about how Alexis and Yara should be in the bottom because she couldn't understand what they were saying.

 

It turned into a big "omg Latrice is racist~" argument in the fanbase (despite it clearly being a joke, albeit a cringey one) and occurring right after Alexis calling Latrice her "biggest" competition while miming someone who was overweight. People still bring it up as Latrice being a bad person, yet nobody ever brings up that it was a reply to Alexis.

 

And Alexis's "I just saw Manila girl" from earlier that episode has become a meme even though the basis of that joke is that all Asian people look alike.

oh okay, didn't know this.. definitely a double standard from whoever does this

 

but I agree with you. All are offensive comments done by both Alexis and Latrice

[Elliott]

Just now, Deeee said:

I wish I agreed with you...

I didn't ever really find All Stars 1 terrible (again, aside from Gaff-In) as much as I just found it boring, whereas I hated most of All Stars 3 and the last two episodes of All Stars 4. And other than Jujubee and Shea, AS5 has just left me feeling very underwhelmed so far.

[Deeee]

Just now, Elliott said:

I didn't ever really find All Stars 1 terrible (again, aside from Gaff-In) as much as I just found it boring, whereas I hated most of All Stars 3 and the last two episodes of All Stars 4. And other than Jujubee and Shea, AS5 has just left me feeling very underwhelmed so far.

 

I think that is just the Chad Michaels fan in you overlooking the fact that it is really the worst season in RPDR history. All Stars 3 was weak, but the strengths of BenDeLa + Shangela far outdo anything that was done on All-Stars 1. All Stars 4 is a mess, but Trinity the Tuck was super strong every single week. Monique Heart and Manila Luzon obviously carried the season.

 

All Stars 1 has terrible challenges, a weird cast assembly, low quality all-around. The season peaks with Everyone vs. Mimi.

[*Lily]

5 minutes ago, Elliott said:

 

And yet, outside of Gaff-In, it's still better than most of All Stars 3 and the last two episodes of All Stars 4 and so far All Stars 5

 

All Stars 2 still remains that bitch

All Stars 3 got messy and obviously some bad results but I’d much prefer to watch it again than 1. And I’m enjoying 5 so far. Pretty much anything beats the end of 4 though.

 

But yes, 2 >>> the rest.  

[Elliott]

1 minute ago, Deeee said:

I think that is just the Chad Michaels fan in you overlooking the fact that it is really the worst season in RPDR history. All Stars 3 was weak, but the strengths of BenDeLa + Shangela far outdo anything that was done on All-Stars 1. All Stars 4 is a mess, but Trinity the Tuck was super strong every single week. Monique Heart and Manila Luzon obviously carried the season.

 

All Stars 1 has terrible challenges, a weird cast assembly, low quality all-around. The season peaks with Everyone vs. Mimi.

Perhaps. Chad, Jujubee and Raven were three of my favourite alumni so them in the final 4 was fine with me, and if I enjoy the winner of a season, I tend to like it more than in seasons where I don't like the winners. I don't think AS1 was good, necessarily, but I still enjoyed parts of it, like I even did with AS3 and AS4. I didn't think AS1 had a weird cast assembly considering, outside of Mimi and possibly Nina Flowers, everyone was a fan favourite and/or made it far in the show, whereas AS3/AS4 had people like Milk and Farrah Moan being considered an All Star (even Gia based off her S6 run, but it was clear that was purely to help rid some of the transphobia controversy the show was undergoing.)

 

I don't think Trinity was super strong every week in AS4. She had Jersey Justice and the Lady Bunny roast, and her half of the You Spin Me Right Round lip sync after the club challenge (where I think Manila, Monét and Monique all did better than her, personally). Don't get me wrong, I like Trinity, but her winning just felt meh to me considering (I felt) two of her wins were questionable and I thought she did the worst of the finale. That said, she's done a lot with her win afterward so I can't fault the show for gifting it to her.

 

Overall my AS rankings would be 2 > 4 (great at the beginning, but the last two episodes are among my least favourite episodes ever tbh) > 1 > 3 (barely any chemistry in the cast, the clear riggery with Thorgy's elimination, DeLa quitting, Shangela not making the Top 2, etc.).

[#jeah]

I HATED AS4 by the time it was over. Great cast on paper but super disappointing and the only juicy drama imo was Farrah vs Gia and Naomi voting out Manila and her LIFE'S NOT FAIR moment  Besides that, just ugh. Latrice lasting too long, Trinity being the most boring frontrunner ever, Monet low key disappointing me even though I wanted to stan so bad, Monique getting cut right at the end, and the unnecessary tie. Ugh ugh ugh

[*Wallace]

16 hours ago, JC said:

Top 2 perfection! Tati and Juju = perfection

 

Glad you agree, JC!   

[*Wallace]

Ooh and I finished the DILF episode on Season 4. LOL WHO IS this Mike guy? Sharon and Mike were such a hot mess and hilarious duo. Had me cracking up.  

[Elliott]

6 hours ago, #jeah said:

Latrice lasting too long

I would’ve mostly kept her as long as she lasted. I just would’ve cut her a week earlier at the makeover.

[Elliott]

Drag performers in Atlanta are coming forward about Violet’s racism.

[Deeee]

3 hours ago, Elliott said:

Drag performers in Atlanta are coming forward about Violet’s racism.

 

[.Rei]

AS1

 

I'll echo everybody's comments and agree that AS1 was pretty terrible. Horrible format, horrible challenges, it was really a waste of talent given the really great group of All Stars they brought together. Except for Mimi and Tammie, the cast was really great (even If I don't enjoy Manila, I just can't deny her talents). Having said that most of the performances, runways and challenges were underwhelming and except for one queen, all their original runs were far superior.

 

 

1. Raven

 

All Stars 1 sucks, that is a given by now but if any queen really benefited from All Stars that was definitely Raven. Raven was the only one that really gave me iconic looks and moments in this season. Her superhero outfit was definitely one of my favorite looks of all time and her final one was simply perfection. Her stand-up act? Brilliant!!! This is the only run that I will rank in the same league as her original or even better. During S2 most of the time she came across as cold and bitchy specially against Tatiana, but this time around she totally changed the attitude and looked like a really good person which just made me root for her. I also love her friendship with Jujubee and the two together were easily my favorite duo from All-Stars. And even if Chad S4 is one of my favorite queens of all time, I think Raven was the one that actually deserved to win this time around. 

 

2. Jujubee

 

To be honest I loved Jujubee in S2 mostly because of her personality and iconic moments rather than her drag performances. But this time around she really rocked some of her outfits and she looked much more refined and beautiful which I really liked this time around. Her day time Superhero persona was stunning and she has never looked so beautiful before imo. She also displayed her amazing personality once again, and I believe I love her even more now. She is just a star and was always meant to be in reality television. Like I said before, I loved her friendship and with Raven and the two gave me life this season. Also my favorite moment of the season is when they had to lip-sync against each other cause they were so EXTRA!!!!!!! but I loved it

 

3. Chad Michaels

 

My main problem with this season is that it didn't allow most of the queens to really tap into their talents. My thing with Chad is that even though she did pretty great as usual I wasn't really wow'ed like I was in season 4. During season 4 I just got one iconic look after another from her, which is the reason why I truly believe she should have won season 4, but this time around it felt maybe a bit safe. Having said that I put the entire blame in the whole format. I did love some of his looks and moments in the season though. Her daytime superhero look was breathtaking and her friendship with Shannel was really funny at some points as I think Chad was most of the time annoyed with Shannel. She still is a flawless queen who I still love and adore and in the end I was actually happy that she left with the big fact check on her hands.

 

4. Alexis Mateo

 

"As soon as Manila was in the room, I still know that Manila is annoying" were the first words that Alexis said when she saw Manila and I really couldn't relate more  Was her run in here better than her original? No. Did she still give me great moments?? Hell yeah. To me it was super hilarious how Yarlexis kept getting great critiques and how all the other queens were fuming about it. But I actually agree with the judges in those instances. Like their Bad Girls Chic Looks was easily the strongest from the bunch and they rightfully won that week's challenge. I was truly wow'ed when I saw them walking the runway. Having said that, Raven demolished them during the Lyp-Sinc so I was okay with them leaving at that point. But the little I got from Alexis this season, I most of the time loved it so it was nice seeing her back even if she (and the other queens) deserved a better season.

 

5. Shannel

 

Lol Shannel is so delusional sometimes! I find funny how she didn't really learn anything from her first season and made the same mistakes again. She overthought and over performed again this time around which led me to believe that she is truly her own worst enemy. Having said that I love me some delusional moments and instead of cringing, I found myself most of the time laughing at her, for example when she was annoying the crap out of everyone by being bossy during the superhero group performance. Even Chad was not having it! I personally don't like that much Shannel's style of drag as the whole show girl act is not really my cup of tea. Having said that, I cannot deny that she is a beast when it comes to her style and just does it like a pro. I did like some of her looks in this season, specifically her Opposites attracts and I was entertained by her most of the time.

 

6. Yara Sofia

 

Is Yara annoying? Yeah, sometimes. Does she know how to rock a runway? Hell yeah. What I love about Yara is how she doesn't give a crap about what everybody else thinks about her and just focus in doing her stuff. Then she slays the runway and all the other queens hate on her when she is actually outperforming them. While her run here is not nearly as good as his first one, I still love some of her moments and Yarlexis was a fun pair to root for. She also gave me iconic looks and performance like the two above and her Charo impersonation. She did deserve to leave at the point she did so I was fine with her and Alexis placement. But the little I got from Yara was great enough for me.

 

 

7. Latrice Royal

 

At first I though Latrila was going to rock the season but I was soon proven wrong about it. I believe Manila and Latrice didn't really suit each other like some of the other pairs (Shad, Yarlexis, Rujubee) and it also didn't help that Manila was focusing more on her than actually working as a team. Latrice ends up in this position just by default cause I prefer her over the queens below and because she also didn't do anything that I would consider reallly terrible during her short run. My favorite from here was her Opposites attracts look which was really fierce.

 

8. Nina Flowers

 

Like Chad Michaels said in the first episode, Nina Flowers is truly a legend. But girl really flopped this season by picking Tammie! Why would she do that when there were so many amazing queens to pick from??? This season format really did such a disservice to Nina's talents and she was never able to grab us the same way she did in season 1. She ends up here cause while I truly don't believe she did anything remotely near to her flawless run in season 1, it wasn't really her fault. Her 60 Glam's look was pretty great though.

 

9. Manila Luzon

 

After this season I can honestly say that I just don't like Manila and her personality just rub me the wrong way. Do I think she is not talented? Not at all, in fact I would pick her as the one deserving of S3's title, but I just don't connect with her and most of the time I find her annoying. Having said that I really did like her Bad Chicks Girls Look.

 

10. Pandora Boxx

 

Poor Pandora looked so miserable during her short run, but one could hardly blame her after being paired with Mimi. I would probably look the same way. Unfortunately for her, she pulled the wrong stick with the awful format of the season and was doomed from the beginning.  

 

11. Tammie Brown

 

I wasn't really sold on Tammie's whole crazy act this season and most of the time I was just annoyed by her. She ends up here just cause I can't stand Mimi.

 

12. Mimi Imfurst

Seriously? Mimi is the best queen you could get?? Girl bye!

 

Season Rankings so far:

1. Season 4-  Gold Television

2. Season 1- Great start for the series

3. Season 2 - The cast wasn't the greatest but had iconic moments

4. Season 3 - First half of the season was terrible. Had some iconic moments throughout though 

5. All Stars Season 1 - Horrible format. Horrible challenges. Don't ever do it again.

 

Top 10 Favorite Contestants so far:

Bebe Zahara Benet

Nina Flowers

Shannel

Raven 

Jujubee

Alexis Mateo

Sharon Needles

Chad Michaels

Latrice Royale

Willam

 

 

   @*Chris  @Elliott @Solaris @Deeee @#jeah @Zoey  @FrogLenzen

[Elliott]

We have the same top 3 from AS1, albeit in a different order (swap your #1 and #3 and that's my ranking of them). Chad slayed  Also I didn't really care for the Dancing on My Own lip sync but it's the best of AS1 by default I guess

[*Wallace]

Slow down a bit Rei.    LOL JK. Another review I have to ignore and read later.  

 

I just finished watching Season 4 today. So i'll get to posting my thoughts on those in a bit. Feel free to guess my faves if you want.  

[Elliott]

Chad, Phi Phi, Latrice, Dida, Kenya, Willam, Jiggly. And you aren’ta fan of Sharon but you acknowledge her having a good winning journey.  

[*Wallace]

27 minutes ago, Elliott said:

Chad, Phi Phi, Latrice, Dida, Kenya, Willam, Jiggly. And you aren’ta fan of Sharon but you acknowledge her having a good winning journey.  

All goood speculations here.  Working on finishing my comments.

[*Wallace]

Season 4 Thoughts

 

Alisa Summerss: I was kinda surprise she was the first one out as I thought she had more potential to last longer. I would have liked seeing more of her run too.She had an underwhelming lip-sync battle so it made sense she left first.

 

Chad Michaels: Chad was consistent but I also found her kinda safe and boring at times. Chad is clearly a strong competitor making it to the finale and had some great classy runway looks. She does bring a high level of professionalism (which i greatly respect) and perfectionist with her looks. I did really love her Cher impersonation and she wash hilarious with that on Snatch Game. Chad was funny in some other challenges but I can’t remember them as much as her Cher impression. Chad was nice and I can’t really think of anytime she annoyed me - but I also never strongly rooted for her. That time she popped off on Mike on the DILF episode who was rude towards Chad did crack me up - but i loved that fiery side and how Chad stood up for himself there. She deserves to be in the finale which I had no issue with but it was above just there for me - for my caring/rooting of her. I don’t know why I was missing that connection with Chad  as Cha was a rally strong competitor.

 

Dida Ritz: Dida Ritz lasted a long time.. and longer than I thought. She was fine and decent enough but I felt she was just there through most of the season. I can’t remember anything of her sticking out or making me want to root for her.  The thing I remember was sometimes her wigs were messy. And she would always show off her legs and one time she was ashy which wasn’t a good look. Ooh and actually I think her thing was that she either had great outfits and bad wigs or bad outfits and great wigs. Her look was never 100% spot on. So yeah she was okay to underwhelming in challenges considering how far she got and I felt other Queens stood out more than her. It was a nice moment knowing her parents and family supported her drag profession on the reunion show.

 

Jiggly Caliente: “May I call you Jiggly?” Aww i liked Jiggly and found her to be a rootable underdog type character. I do feel like she shone more at the start of the season, like on that wrestling challenge she was really great at that. I also enjoyed her energy and performance skills on her lip sync battles. Sadly towards the end, I felt she was losing her spark. She seemed clueless and unsure of herself with many of her challenges and did really miss the mark on her last two weeks. Although her “oh damn” when she mentioned about writing about eating a pound of chicken and not going that route for the exercising dragazine theme was hilarious.

 

Kenya Michaels: I didn’t expect Kenya to go as soon as she did. I really enjoyed her, as I found her bright, bubbly and energetic. She was great on the runway walks with her outfits and always looked fierce. But yeah there were some challenges she struggled on and messed up on - like the Queens Behind Bars episode and then her Beyoncé impression was bad…. much worse than Tyra Sanchez’s. Lol please tell me someone does a good Beyoncé impression on this show. I get it’s hard to make her funny but it’s possible. Even though I dislike the comeback twist I do love it this time around and was glad as I felt Kenya had the most to offer that we didn’t get to see. But was sad it was so short lived (but the DILF she had for the challenge was bad…. there wasn’t much she could do there).

 

LaShauwn Beyond: I was surprised LaShauwn left so soon. I felt she had potential with great runway looks but her lack of confidence & quiet personality did her in. Being a quiet personality myself, I could relate to that. I really would have liked seeing more of her. I really liked her friendship with Latrice so I’m sad that was so short-lived. I am sure LaShauwn could have been one of my faves had she had more time.

 

Latrice Royale: I won’t even hold it out to the end…. Latrice was easily and by far my favorite this season…. by a long shot. I can say that the Top 3 Queens of the season were stronger/more consistent over her but I didn’t connect or root for them as much as Latrice. Latrice has a great fun bubbly personality. She had so many funny quotes and sayings that cracked m up. I enjoyed her energy and even when she was shady I found her hilarious. She also had a great deal of vulnerability with her prison past. I think her shining moment was that Queens in Jail episode. Such great comedic timing. Sadly her last few weeks weren’t her best where she was in the Bottom 2 three weeks in a row but I love how much emotion she poured into the songs she lip synced. So glad Lartice won the Miss Congeniality title because i couldn’t think of anyone else more deserving of it. 

 

Madame LaQueer: I felt bad for her always being picked last and being resorted as that person “stuck” in a group. It was nice that she won that wrestling challenge on Episode 2 with the whole bad knees thing she went through. But her acting in the Queens Behind Bars episode was really bad, so wasn’t surprised she left then. She was alright for me overall.

 

Milan: Milan is alright but did kinda annoy me throughout the season. I guess I got this vibe that she was better than what she was. For instance, being an actor major graduate, she was super underwhelming in that challenge which she should have nailed. Milan was in the Bottom 2 lip sync battles 3 weeks in a row. She always gave it her all and gave great high energy in the battles - but the whole taking your clothes and wig off and performing like a man got old - especially as the judges felt she wasn’t really a proper drag queen. Oh and I was kinda bitter and over her when she won the battle over Kenya too.

 

Phi Phi O’Hara: I am conflicted on how I feel about Phi Phi because sometimes I feel I really like Phi Phi but other times she really annoyed me. Of the Final 3 Queens, she should be and is the one that should appeal to me the most.. But I felt she was so game-on focused and lacked any fun and character. Don’t get me wrong, she did great winning many mini-challenges, did well on the main challenges and her runway looks got better and better as the season. Loved a number of her looks too. Then she had this whole “I love everyone” and “I’m an angel” shtick when she doesn’t love everyone was weird and fake. Her rivalry with Sharon was kinda funny and I liked how they warmed up to each other by the end. Ooh and when she tried to be funny I felt it fell flat most of the time (and that The Help joke at Dida and Latrice was racist and I don’t get easily offended but I was offended at that). Ooh anther thing…. I feel she comes off too peasantry. She did have a few touching moments like her giving Chad the phone call win, the DILF emotional moment she had in front of the judges and the convo about her estranged/abusive father to RuPaul. Those did make me feel and warm to Phi Phi. So maybe all of that stuff kept her so game focused. So a strong competitor for sure but lacked the fun character for me.  

 

The Princess: Didn’t really care for The Princess at all. And her saying she didn’t deserve to Bottom 2 or get eliminated where she barely brought it or showed much personality was annoying. She came off as delusional.

 

Sharon Needles: Sharon is one of the most confusing Queens for me. Okay so Sharon Needles is kooky, strand and out there. Sharon scared the heck out of me for a good first few episodes of the season. Sharon did really well throughout the season - but early on she did really well with her creepy character persona on the Post Apocalypse Couture look and The Champion informercial. I did worry she would be one note and stick to this creepy persona and not be able to do anything. I would have liked more versatility from her but she did showcase a bit more versatility on things as the season went on. She always remained a strong competitor throughout the season. Ooh just remembered her Michelle Visage impression which was hilarious too. Sharon isn’t my style but I do love how she embraced and owned her weirdness and would bring that to every challenge and always kept true to herself. She had so many innovative creative and iconic looks for sure. Sharon slowly but surely progressively grew on me. I started fining Sharon and her humor very hilarious as the season went on. Namely the DILF episode with Mike. Then after Latrice is eliminated and come the finale the most shocking thing happened….. I was rooting for Sharon? And whoa she won it which I was happy about. She was unconventional and different from past winners but a very deserving winner on this season. So I would say Sharon was an unexpected fave of mine and grew the most on me. I feel like I would appreciate Sharon more if she did an All-Stars season or if i ever rewatch this season.

 

Willam: Willam is…. someone that conflicted me a lot. There were times where I found Willam hilarious and there were times I found Willam annoying. The thing is that Willam would brag about her acting career and things or well everything she’s done. She did come off thinking and feeling like she was much better than everyone else there and people were below her. But then sometimes I did find the delusions hilarious and if I didn’t take her too seriously then I was able to enjoy her. She did do really well on a number of personality base challenges - loved her Jessica Simpson and she read great on the float your Boat challenge. And her Frenemy duet with Latrice was lots of fun. She had great runway looks too. I also kinda felt a coldness  and lacking vulnerability from her. Then the time she came off vulnerable to the judges came off as acting 101. The whole DQ thing was crazy and weird - the show made her look bad for that but with the story Elliott told me made me see things in a different light. She was a solid competitor and a very big character that I enjoyed. I can get why people love and find her iconic even though I am not on that boat about her. #SorryNotSorry. I did like her but do wish I liked her more. 

 

Rankings:

1. Latrice Royale
2. Sharon Needles
3. Kenya Michaels
4. Willam
5. Chad Michaels
6. Jiggly Caliente
7. Phi Phi O’Hara
8. Dida Ritz
9. LaShauwn Beyond
10. Milan
11. Madame LaQueer
12. Alisa Summerss
13. The Princess

 

Rankings are hard to figure out. My Top 3 are for certain on those spots. The rest….can be interchangeable. S4 made me miss S3. It was a good/fun/entertaining season but it was a season where I didn’t love/root for/connect with too many people? Elliott did well predicting my Top 7 though.

[Deeee]

@*Wallace proud of you for having the correct top two! I have them swapped, but your taste is showing. 

[Elliott]

8 minutes ago, Deeee said:

@*Wallace proud of you for having the correct top two! I have them swapped, but your taste is showing. 

[Deeee]

Just now, Elliott said:

 

I love Chad, I do. But I do not find Chad nearly as relatable or entertaining as you do. Chad is just an all-around solid drag queen, but there is nothing about what he did on his seasons that I found intriguing. Chad is still a fave of mine though and I respect the hell out of what he does. 

[Elliott]

1 minute ago, Deeee said:

I love Chad, I do. But I do not find Chad nearly as relatable or entertaining as you do. Chad is just an all-around solid drag queen, but there is nothing about what he did on his seasons that I found intriguing. Chad is still a fave of mine though and I respect the hell out of what he does. 

I'm friends with enough messy drag queens that my favourites on Drag Race tend to be the polished, put-together queens.

[*Wallace]

11 minutes ago, Deeee said:

@*Wallace proud of you for having the correct top two! I have them swapped, but your taste is showing. 

Awww thanks Dee!   I do and can admit Sharon was objectively better. I thought my opinion would be unpopular as I had Willam and Chad kinda low.  

 

Just now, Deeee said:

 

I love Chad, I do. But I do not find Chad nearly as relatable or entertaining as you do. Chad is just an all-around solid drag queen, but there is nothing about what he did on his seasons that I found intriguing. Chad is still a fave of mine though and I respect the hell out of what he does. 

I feel the same way about Chad - well at least regarding the one season of his I did see. There's nothing bad I can say about Chad.... but just a lack of connection. I guess he's too polished? IDK.

[Deeee]

3 minutes ago, Elliott said:

I'm friends with enough messy drag queens that my favourites on Drag Race tend to be the polished, put-together queens.

 

Chad Michael is like the epitome of drag excellence, but not a particularly innovative queen (on the show) or an entertaining queen (on the show).

[Deeee]

Just now, *Wallace said:

Awww thanks Dee!   I do and can admit Sharon was objectively better. I thought my opinion would be unpopular as I had Willam and Chad kinda low.  

 

I feel the same way about Chad - well at least regarding the one season of his I did see. There's nothing bad I can say about Chad.... but just a lack of connection. I guess he's too polished? IDK.

 

Willam and Chad are not low on your list. Being placed below Kenya Michaels is certainly questionable, but you ranked them well. 

 

I think Chad is just so good and so focused on his craft (he is also considerably older than most queens on the show and had been in the business for so long), which does not read well for a reality television show contestant. Chad is certainly one of the best ever though.