The Drag Race Rankdown 3.0

[Elliott]

14. CRYSTAL METHYD

S12, 2ND/3RD PLACE

 

AVERAGE: 9.91

@#jeah - 3

@Deeee - 5

@Solaris - 7

@*Chris - 8

@FrogLenzen - 9

@JC - 9

@sublymonal - 12

@~Tom~ - 13

@Elliott - 14

@*Lily - 14

@*Wallace - 15

 

ANDY:

Thrilled that I got Crystal to the final vote and frankly I think she stacks up pretty comparably to this really talented top 15 and I objectively thinks she belongs in the ranks of most unique and creative queens of all time. Crystal is adorable out of drag in confessionals and seemed kinda under the radar and nondescript at first. I think she was my #1 after only 2 or 3 weeks though as I loved what she brought to the runway and could tell she was a breath of fresh air in a competition full of pageanty, comedy, or strictly look queens. She kind of ended up dominating the actual challenges by the end, placing high several weeks in a row and winning the competitive one-queen show challenge. I would talk more about my love for Crystal if I didn’t feel rushed to get these in but yeah I’m so glad she made it to the end! Sorry Wally! Get better taste

 

DEE:

 

"I need just a table that we can do science on."

 

Crystal Methyd. I truly do not think there has ever been a better underdog storyline. A better growth arc. The best in Drag Race history? EASILY. 

 

I also think it has been quite some time, but I can easily say Crystal Methyd is one of my favorite Queens of all-time. I was obsessed from the second she hit the Fall Runway showing off her Freddy Kreuger couture. I never abandoned that train.

 

Even though it took Crystal some time to find her footing in the competition, there is absolutely nothing better than watching her slowly ascent to the greatness we all saw from her in the second half of the competition. By the time the season ended, she had delivered one of the best Rusical performances ever, the greatest Makeover in Drag Race herstory, and what might be the greatest collection of looks ever. I said it. I firmly support Crystal as truly one of the greatest Queens in Drag Race history.

 

Her emotional rise to her potential is one of the reasons why Season 12 is so top-tier. And despite all the criticism she faced early on in the competition, Crystal never lost sight of herself. In fact, she stayed true to her zany, whacky, out-of-this world point-of-view, and it's her originality that keeps the world of drag fresh and blooming with artistic integrity. 

 

Also, if you want to see the greatest lip-sync performance in history, look no further than this gem.

 

Easily a top five of all-time for me. I love her so much. Beyond glad that she made the finals, though I am sure that her time is short among this group of strong finalists. Which I will judge all of you for.

 

SOLARIS:

My favorite from Season 12.  I started out watching Season 6 confused by Crystal.  I did not know if she had the chops to go the distance.  It was early on that my confusion became obsession.  Crystal may only have one challenge win to her name but she left her mark on the season.  Obviously, her body builder-sque outfit that is an erotic dancer was a hit.  She slayed her part of the Madonna Rusical, the presidential debate.  You could tell Ru wanted to band him with that mullet.  I hope El Debarge was getting royalties every time that song was playing.  Honestly, Crystal Methyd killing her lip-sync at the Top 5, and her I am like a Bird lip sync only further my appreciation for Crystal.  She was not going to beat Gigi or Jaida, but I am so happy she was runner-up.

 

CHRIS:

  

 

"I'm Crystal Methyd and I'm a little devil that likes to raise hell in the Bible Belt."


Crystal Methyd recently competed on the 12th season of RuPaul's Drag Race where she made it all the way to the finale to finish as a runner-up. But her journey to the crown was not an easy one as she started the competition as the underdog - Crystal found herself either safe for the first half of the competition although I probably have given her a top placement for the "Ball Ball" challenge.  During the first half of the season, Crystal also found herself in the bottom for the "World's Worst" challenge and the Snatch Game where the judges' did not feel her impersonation of Poppy. After a placement in the bottom three of the week, Crystal Methyd was able to find her calling in the competition : she received high placements for her performance in the Madonna Rusical, her invention of a magic mullet, her performance in the political debate, giving an amazing makeover to a superfan - I believe she should have won, this episode.  And with 5 high placements, Crystal finally scored her first win of the season following her performance in the One-Queen show - this win came on Week 11 which is one of the longest stretch before a queen scores their first win.  I think it's fair to say that Crystal's track record on the show is quite impressive despite 3 appearance in the bottom with one appearance in a LSFYL battle, which she won. 

 

After surviving the final LSFYL battle of the season, Crystal Methyd found herself in the finale against Jaida Essence Hall & Gigi Goode - it is fair to say that Crystal was one of the underdog in the finale despite an impressive track record.  With a drag style that is quirky, Crystal used it to her advantage in the finale by creating an iconic lipsync "Like a Bird" which was hilarious & the best lipsync of the virtual finale, in my opinion. As mentioned earlier, Crystal finished as runner-up and I am sure this is not the last we will see fron her.

As a drag queen, I absolutely love Crystal especially for her personality and her unique style of drag - she was probably in my Top 3 of the season. However, I cannot really justify having her any higher than this as my love for her is still recent compare to some of the queens in this final ranking whom I have been following for years.  With that being said, I will conclude this write-up by showcasing some of my favourite looks from Crystal as she certainly offered some iconic look throughout the season:

  

  

  
  

 

DEREK:

Crystal Methyd dressed up as a bird and barfed into her own mouth. And forced the judges and all of us to watch it. Crystal Methyd dressed up as a pinata and farted out confetti. In the first episode, I was so intrigued by Crystal and adored her runway looks. But she screamed fodder. This was a filler queen. Michelle was going to tell her to stop doing makeup a certain way and she would fade away and go home. BUT SHE DID NOT DO THAT. RuPaul saw the mullet and decided that Crystal was going all the way to the finale. She placed low and safe for her first five episodes but then? Started killing it?? Placing high four times in a row and then winning? Madonna reverb, slayed. Droop hammering wigs, killed. Choices 2020 glitter for all, hilar. Superfan Makeover twisted Sesame Street, legendary. One-Queen show dump it, the only true winner. Crystal went from fodder/safe to dominating the challenges and the season, and it was so great to watch. Michelle had to shut up and accept it. She had to thank Crystal for the purple runway monster. 

 

My one qualm is I wish she had demolished Jackie in their lip sync. If you're going to lip sync for your life, that's fine. It doesn't disqualify you from the win or from people loving you. But you have to show up. Crystal did just okay in that lip sync. Deserved to win the lip sync, deserved to stay, deserved the finale, but that showing didn't give her the momentum she needed to be competitive for the crown. So instead she became a farting barfing icon. Wow her mind. 

 

JC:

At first I thought Crystal Hydrangea made the finals and I was like WTF are we all drunk? And then I realized I still feel the same way about Crystal Methyd. Sorry betch. Just kidding, but I honestly thought Crystal was interesting and I have decent feelings towards her but again she was part of this season full of queens that I was mostly meh on. Crystal definitely was one of the more interesting queens of her season, as I would have liked her winning better than Jaida, but I was never exactly rooting for her or Gigi either. Anyways, congrats to her fans for getting her to the finals.

 

ANDREW:

 

I think we all knew that Crystal was the clear 3rd placer in that finale, based on her track record, but I also couldn't help but love Crystal. I think, like Heidi, she grew a lot over the course of the season. Her makeup and drag was elevated and she also stayed true to who she was. Personally, I think Crystal should have won the Madonna Rusical (or Jan or Jaida... just not Gigi tbh) and while she didn't win the makeover challenge, her Bert and Ernie look will live rent free in my mind forever  She continued to bring that unique flair to the finale with her iconic piñata look and her lipsync to Nelly Furtado's "I'm Like A Bird" as... an actual bird. Love her or hate her, she's entertaining and I wouldn't be surprised to see her back for an all-stars season at some point.

 

TOM:

Crystal Methyd was on the most recent regular US season of RPDR, season 12, and she quckly grew from an underdog to a frontrunner. I'll admit to thinking her a bit messy at first, but her story of growing up in a small conservative town was relatable and she was also close with a fellow IDFer at one point. Her unique runway looks, makeover challeng performance and sweet personality helped to win me over by the end of the season and she ended up being my #3 behind Heidi and Jaida. Her growth arc was good to watch since Gigi ended up disappointing a bit. An ideal candidate for All-Stars!

 

ELLIOTT:

I had an interesting journey with Crystal Methyd in S12. I didn't really care for her at the beginning of the season; I think she was close to last in my rankings of the twelve queens. As a horror stan, her Freddy Krueger look left me confused and I didn't care for her looks during the premiere and I thought she was the worst in the rap challenge from her group.  But as the weeks went on and the judges actually offered Crystal some solid advice (for once), Crystal toned it down and began to emerge as a competitor. While I was solidly #TeamJaida, Crystal soon began to eclipse most of my other favourites that season and actually wound up as one of my favourites by the end of it all. Jaida and Heidi are still my top two, but I think Crystal may be third? Or fourth, depending on if I'm looking at photos of Jackie Cox out of drag BUT I DIGRESS.

 

I think Crystal's turning point came in the Madonna challenge. Though nearly the entire cast slayed the challenge (like imagine a challenge so good where Jaida making us all confused about our sexualities for 90 seconds is just "safe," get my pocket book I'm leaving), I actually remember at the time thinking Crystal should've won it. After that point, I found myself endeared to her. Her makeover was iconic, even if I still vehemently maintain Jaida deserved that win  (But it could've been a double win, tbh.) Nonetheless, of this Top 15, Crystal is one of my lesser favourites and one of the ones I'm least attached to, which is why I'm ranking her here. But hey, since y'all keep letting J*nkx in the final vote, at least she's not last!

 

LILY:

I've decided to rank Crystal at #14. I really enjoyed Crystal on the most recent season, however... do feel that her making it to the top 15 is perhaps a little bit of recency bias. (who am I to judge though honestly, after I dragged then-recent 10th placer Tinashe to the final round of the DWTS rankdown two years ago :wub:). Crystal was a super nice and entertaining queen who I think really found her feet in the competition over the season, which was a nice journey to see.

 

For the first half of the season, Crystal struggled to make an impression. She had a couple of slip-ups, although I don't think they were big fails. She placed low in the World's Worst improv challenge which was a mess of a challenge anyway, and then her Poppy on Snatch Game was... actually not a bad impression from what I know of Poppy, but also not a good fit for that challenge.

 

Crystal really had her breakout from the Madonna challenge onwards. Pretty much everyone did great in this challenge but Crystal seemed to really get into the groove (excuse the pun) and let go with the performance. We saw Crystal really tap into the 'El DeBarge/magic mullet' persona that Ru was shoving down everyone's throats afterwards too, which was impressive considering she had no idea who he was. Other moments I really enjoyed of Crystal's journey were her Bert and Ernie makeover, and her one-woman show. On top of this, her runways felt consistently stronger over the season.

 

Overall I really enjoyed Crystal and her journey, and I'd be keen to see her back in the future. But based on this top 15, she has to receive a lower ranking for me unfortunately.

 

WALLY:

 

Y’all really let The Clown make it into the finals of this game? And by y’all, I mean Andy?  I can’t. Lol okay I’m a bit harsh there.

 

Crystal is one of those contestants that people think I hate, which I certainly do not. I doo think she’s overrated and I don’t completely get the love or buzz for her.  I do think Crystal is a very nice and rootable person sooo I can get that in a way. With Crystal, I get more of a performance arts artist/performer vibe rather than a drag queen (which I may have gotten a Drag Queen feel from her  a few times but not all of the time like the other competitors on the show). So I guess that makes her unique and a one of a kind. She is my least favorite of the Finals, so it’s an easy decision ranking her at #15. Oh and Crystal fans should be thankful and lucky because Andy got to me (after those 4 person noms battle rounds) to not nominate her on the one chance I could nominate her…. otherwise, I would have certainly would have and would have targeted her more.

 

But I did think Crystals run on the show was good. I do feel like her earlier weeks get forgotten and overlooked, which were weaker and she didn’t really stand out to me on those earlier weeks. She definitely grew and got better as the season progressed  on the second half of it and had some great moments. I’ll let everyone else cover those moments.

[Elliott]

The other rankers to @*Wallace:

[#jeah]

I don’t agree with the sentiment that Crystal being in the top 15 is recency bias. She was (along with Jaida) the most popular queen with the fans in S12 and my love for her has only grown since the season ended. I’m super glad I got her to the end

Edited December 1, 2020 by #jeah

[*Chris]

"Crystal Hydrangea" - @JC

[Elliott]

Someone please take this over for me so I don't have to do two things in this final vote

 

ANDREW:

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. Jimbo

11. 

12. Crystal Methyd

13. 

14. 

15. 

 

ANDY:

1. 

2. 

3. Crystal Methyd

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. Jimbo

9. 

10. 

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. 

15. 

 

CHRIS:

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. Crystal Methyd

9. 

10. 

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. Jimbo

15. 

 

DEE:

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. Crystal Methyd

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. Jimbo

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. 

15. 

 

DEREK:

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. Crystal Methyd

10. 

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. 

15. Jimbo

 

ELLIOTT:

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. Jimbo

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. Crystal Methyd

15. 

 

JC:

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. Jimbo

10. 

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. Crystal Methyd

15. 

 

LILY:

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. Jimbo

9. 

10. 

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. Crystal Methyd

15. 

 

SOLARIS:

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. Crystal Methyd

8. 

9. 

10. 

11. Jimbo

12. 

13. 

14. 

15. 

 

TOM:

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. Jimbo

10. 

11. 

12. 

13. Crystal Methyd

14. 

15. 

 

WALLY:

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. 

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. Jimbo

15. Crystal Methyd

[Elliott]

2 minutes ago, *Chris said:

"Crystal Hydrangea" - @JC

I couldn't figure out if he was referring to Crystal or Blue Hydrangea.

[Elliott]

With Jimbo and Crystal's eliminations, Priyanka and Jaida Essence Hall maintain their 2020 victories!

[*Chris]

Absolutely love Crystal - one of the highlight of her season, and everyone described her journey perfectly beside Wally. 

[Elliott]

1 minute ago, *Chris said:

beside Wally. 

[*Lily]

46 minutes ago, #jeah said:

I don’t agree with the sentiment that Crystal being in the top 15 is recency bias. She was (along with Jaida) the most popular queen with the fans in S12 and my love for her has only grown since the season ended. I’m super glad I got her to the end

 

Understood! Not meant in a bad way - the rankings show I'm in the minority on that one.  Still think she's an awesome queen!

[FrogLenzen]

[FrogLenzen]

Not a surprising ranking, but still would have liked to see her get a bit higher. Many thanks to Andy etc. for keeping Crystal out of last place! No question that Crystal will be back for All Stars one day, and I can't wait to see her twisted style and irrepressible optimism on our screens again.

[Deeee]

Crystal Methyd deserved better than this! Deserved better than @*Wallace calling her a clown. 

[*Wallace]

13 hours ago, 1234567890 said:

Which is not funny or hasn’t caught any traction besides you and the other person who finds it amusing.

Lol I was gonna comment..... I don't remember finding that nickname funny.  

 

13 hours ago, 1234567890 said:

@~Tom~ must be pressed December is coming and everyone knows it’s the month of Mariah.

 

 

(Ugh I want to watch her upcoming Christmas special.  )

 

12 hours ago, ~Tom~ said:

She's here to make Christmas overwrought and boring, just like she did Happy Birthday. We hate to see it.  

 

I'm aware. You hate one of the RPDR legends Shangela. That and liking Mariah, imagine...

Or you c ould be like me and love both Shangela and Mariah!  

[Solaris]

Of course Wally would do that.

[*Wallace]

2 hours ago, Elliott said:

The other rankers to @*Wallace:

Lol I would be shocked if people  didn't expect me to rank Crystal last though.

 

But oooo wasn't actually expecting Crystal to show up now.   But of course I'm good with this and no complaints from me!  

[*Wallace]

3 minutes ago, Solaris said:

Of course Wally would do that.

????

 

I would do what?

[.Rei]

Wally the villain of this rankdown?? I stan! 

[*Wallace]

2 hours ago, Elliott said:

With Jimbo and Crystal's eliminations, Priyanka and Jaida Essence Hall maintain their 2020 victories!

#bless  

 

2 hours ago, *Chris said:

Absolutely love Crystal - one of the highlight of her season, and everyone described her journey perfectly beside Wally. 

LOL Well I knew everyone else would give her great write-ups and I did say I'll leave it to everyone else.  

 

1 hour ago, *Lily said:

 

Understood! Not meant in a bad way - the rankings show I'm in the minority on that one.  Still think she's an awesome queen!

We're in agreement regarding rankings pretty much though.   

35 minutes ago, Deeee said:

Crystal Methyd deserved better than this! Deserved better than @*Wallace calling her a clown. 

She dressed up as a clown though.  It was only meant as a joke. But apologies to those that I offended there.

[*Wallace]

4 minutes ago, .Rei said:

Wally the villain of this rankdown?? I stan! 

  

 

I'll bask in my moment now since that villain role will end for me for the future spots..... and I'm certain JC would take over it.

[Elliott]

7 minutes ago, .Rei said:

Wally the villain of this rankdown?? I stan! 

*gasps while looking in the mirror*
Is Alexis Wally the villain?

[Solaris]

2 minutes ago, *Wallace said:

  

 

I'll bask in my moment now since that villain role will end for me for the future spots..... and I'm certain JC would take over it.

 

me not being a villain for once.    But I am never the villain.  Anti-hero maybe.

[Alex95]

Wally's the og rankdown villain

[*Chris]

Wally having ranked Jimbo & Crystal in the bottom  tier for being "clown", I guess we can figure out that his #13, #12, #11, and #10 will be :

 

 

 

 

Edited December 1, 2020 by *Chris

[JC]

3 hours ago, *Chris said:

"Crystal Hydrangea" - @JC

LMAO for some reason I had Crystal Hydrangea in my mind - I just realized it's actually Blu Hydrangea  I can't keep all these recent queens straight because none of them matter