Megan Watches RuPaul's Drag Race International (Right Now Canada 1)

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Despite having watched the US drag race since literally the first season as it was premiering, I've barely touched the International seasons. I've watched UK1 and UK2 but I'm hearing that there's like 40 seasons a year now. So I'll be making my way through them all.

 

Canada 1

Episode: 1/2

Edited February 20, 2023 by totes4totes

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this thread brought to you by @Deeee who gave me his WOW log in. LOL.

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CA1, Episode 1

 

Wow, getting me to watch Canada has really been like an uphill climb because not only am I like everybody else and am annoyed by Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman (who somehow then gets succeeded by the even more annoying Brad Goreski who we have to thank for Real Friends of WeHo) but Brooke Lynn-Hytes has done nothing for me ever.

 

 

The mini-challenge was standard. I think my only standout there was Jimbo. I will say I am now learning that Rita Baga and Baga Chipz are two different contestants on two different countries. You might think "Megan you watched UK1, you know who Baga Chipz is" and the problem is that every time I saw Rita Baga my brain just cut in Baga Chipz. That's how it goes. I know now. The main challenge is all sewing so I'll go through the outfits when I see them. LOL. I am LIVE BLOGGING this like I am on Twitter.

 

I do like a sewing challenge though. I would love an entire season where it's just Project Runway RuPaul's Drag Race. Get Tim Gunn here! Make it work! It's like how I'd like Logo (or I guess it would have to be on WOW now) to just do a parody game show and give us full 30-minute Snatch Games. WOW I am here take my ideas.

 

You know, I have been rewatching the Logo seasons to relive my youth. And it's wild how much the format has changed. There were mirror makeup moments but it was more for things like Alyssa telling Coco her makeup was so orange and less for the standard now "Mirror Trauma Dump." This episode has TWO mirror moments: one queen talking about how they moved to New York at 19 and learned how to like live on no money and two queens talking about sobriety. I don't know any names. I won't know all names until there are single digits of queens. That's how it works.

 

Okay wait I had to pause. I thought Brooke Lynn-Hytes was supposed to be the RuPaul but they have the guest judge doing all the RuPaul work of introducing the challenge and runway and also themselves? Is that something that persists? I can't say I hate it, but wild. Elisha Cuthbert is great. She's married to a former NHL player which is probably the most straight Canadian Celebrity thing you can do.

 

I'm watching the Runway twice so I can really take it in. Also because I was impressed by one look at first and figure I should choose 3 Tops and 3 Bottoms. Okay not listening to the judges so I can list my Tops and Bottoms:

 

Top:

Jimbo - Impressive. A clear win in my eyes. The only one that I immediately put at my list of Tops.

Anastarzia - Though I'm not sure how much of it is her lucking out with that shiny, stretched, quilted fabric.

Tynomi Banks/Priyanka: Tied because I think both tell a full story and neither looks like they are a strong gust away from

 

Bottom:

Kyne - Literally falling apart on the runway and her wig looks THIRSTY. Somebody said I think when Kyne walked in they learned to do wigs from her and now that's...suspect.

Lemon - I like the concept but I think it looks kind of slapped together. The panel in the middle does nothing for her or for the outfit.

Juice Boxx - This is...bad.

 

OMG WOW ISN'T LETTING ME SCREENSHOT. WELL LET ME SEE WHAT I CAN DO.

 

(well thank you tomandlorenzo.com for having screenshots).

 

Okay so it looks like my Bottom 3 is the actual Bottom 3. But SHOCKED at BOA and Rita Baga hitting the Top. BOA was definitely selling her outfit but it's...not great. I hate the potato tits. Sorry Elisha Cuthbert. Rita Baga's makeup looks good (this is what the judges were looking for from Marcia x3's frostbite look). The poncho looks good. The dress below looks AWFUL and I disqualified it for that. Juice Boxx having a panic attack! I'm sorry you have to be sent home if you are having a panic attack the FIRST EPISODE RUNWAY. Because that means you aren't built for a REALITY TELEVISION SHOW. It doesn't mean anything else but having watched 1000 seasons of the Bachelor (LOL including International Versions), I know that Reality Shows can destroy your mental health so you cannot last like 8-10 episodes if you are already faltering in episode 1.

 

Oh it's like UK where there's a short "untucked" segment the judges deliberate. I am still as surprised as Kyne that BOA made the Top.

 

The judges have absolutely no chemistry together. Like the Real Friends of WeHo, I'm convinced they just threw like three people together they thought would make good judges and had no chemistry test to see if they were actually interesting together. I'm surprised they seem so low energy because Brooke Lynn-Hytes and Jeffrey have been on Drag Race in various roles and Stacey McKenzie has reality judging experience! They are certainly the worst part of this show so far.

 

Hmmmmm. Rita won. I do NOT agree.

 

Wait Brooke Lynn-Hytes saying that Lemon brought her "Anime game but your look isn't so kawaii" is this look Anime inspired and I just missed that? Or is it just HOCKEY inspired because it's CANADA. I guess she has some Sailor Moon ponytails. I do like Lemon's lemon button-up in the confessionals.

 

The lip sync was good. Lemon deserved the win.

 

Jimbo is my winner for the episode.

 

[Zoey]

I also didn’t agree with the Rita win at the time. Especially next to Anastarzia. She did well but Anastarzia was another level for this challenge.

 

I am 100% with you on the Brooke Lynn Heights comments. I felt as if she brought zero to the show but I think she proved herself during the second season. I still don’t think she makes the show like some other of the judges so in other countries but I can live with her making integral decisions. I think they only did guest hosts for the first season and then it’s guest judges with Brooke Lynn, Brad, Traci and Amanda going forward from season two. That’s off my the top of my head though.

 

I’m guessing you know the winner of each season? I don’t want to make any comments that spoil it for you. Drag Race Canada is one of the few franchises which keeps the pace going each season. There really hasn’t been a lull or bad season yet which I appreciate considering I originally didn’t like the season one. There really are some incredible queens who would piss all over the other countries and it wasn’t expected (for me). I’m hoping you fall in love with Scarlett and Priyanka asap so we can stan together!

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10 hours ago, Zoey said:

I also didn’t agree with the Rita win at the time. Especially next to Anastarzia. She did well but Anastarzia was another level for this challenge.

 

I am 100% with you on the Brooke Lynn Heights comments. I felt as if she brought zero to the show but I think she proved herself during the second season. I still don’t think she makes the show like some other of the judges so in other countries but I can live with her making integral decisions. I think they only did guest hosts for the first season and then it’s guest judges with Brooke Lynn, Brad, Traci and Amanda going forward from season two. That’s off my the top of my head though.

 

I’m guessing you know the winner of each season? I don’t want to make any comments that spoil it for you. Drag Race Canada is one of the few franchises which keeps the pace going each season. There really hasn’t been a lull or bad season yet which I appreciate considering I originally didn’t like the season one. There really are some incredible queens who would piss all over the other countries and it wasn’t expected (for me). I’m hoping you fall in love with Scarlett and Priyanka asap so we can stan together!

Yah. Like I said, maybe the judges gave her a safety because she got good fabric but that was something that I'd put in the top over BOA.

 

It will be interesting to see how she grows more as a host in Season 2. It feels now they have all three of the panel doing RuPaul's various jobs. Like I know RuPaul and Michelle are both on Australia and UK so IDK why Canada was a stretch for her. (LOL maybe she just didn't want a Canadian vacation). They just have like no chemistry together at least this first episode. Maybe it grows or maybe that's why they switched the entire judging panel except Brooke Lynn.

 

I do generally know the winner of each season. But I don't really know the order, who is high etc. You don't really have to worry about spoilers for me! My rule of thumb is that if it is a COMPETITION reality show that has already passed and like the next season has already aired, then I'm not going to be mad at learning the winner when I'm on episode 1. And I hear Canada is quite good from the gaggle of everybody who watches here so I'm quite excited. Again the only reason I skipped it was because I was entirely underwhelmed by the selection of the judges.

[Solaris]

Canadian television has certain regulations in place. Much like UK television can't give prize money to shows they can't prove aren't rigged,  the main host of the show has to be Canadian and a certain amount of the panel has to be from Canada. As such RuPaul can't host CDR. 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Solaris said:

Canadian television has certain regulations in place. Much like UK television can't give prize money to shows they can't prove aren't rigged,  the main host of the show has to be Canadian and a certain amount of the panel has to be from Canada. As such RuPaul can't host CDR. 

 

 

Ah interesting. That makes sense.

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CA1, Episode 2

 

All right let's go. I'm skipping Magic Mike for this because I've decided that I'm NOT leaving my apartment at 7PM on a Sunday.

 

 

That was a fun mini-challenge. I miss mini-challenges on the US show. It's not even a time thing. They've been missing since the show has moved to 1.5 hours. (Again, back in the Logo days, they had mini-challenges and a coherent storyline).

 

 

Well it's good to know that the skits are not any worse than they are in the US. I kind of wish they would just get rid of them altogether. I think going to the more improv style and letting the queens script their own skits has worked a little better. The writers are just stuck in the same gay jokes that have existed since IDK the internet was invented. Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman looked like he was enjoying this far more than I am watching this.

 

LOL a SHADOWHUNTERS actor. If we wanted to go to the depths of what I know about like early fandoms, I'd go in to Cassandra Clare.

 

 

There's only 11 so I'll hit highlights when I can:

 

Lemon: why did she wear that dress when she has no bust

Rita Baga: Ugly. I mean I guess her first drag look was also ugly as hell so this is technically an improvement. One thing is that Rita's face looks very harsh.

Tynomi Banks: meh

Kiara: Basic.

Anastarzia: Pageant in a good way. So far the best runway. It does look like an elevated version of her first drag.

BOA: based on BOA so far this is so much better than I would have imagined from BOA. For somebody who has really sold herself the past like runway and mini-challenge, I don't think she sold this.

Kyne: MEH but in a bad way.

Priyanka: I like this but I'm not necessarily seeing how this is an evolution of her drag. I know Priyanka wins so I assume she ups her runway presence. This was kind of lacking in energy!

Scarlett Boba:  Okay I actually really like this. More fire on the runway!

Ilona: This doesn't look like an evolution of her first look in drag as much as it looks like a more expensive version of her first drag look.

Jimbo: Again wins the runway for me two episodes in a row.

 

Jimbo was probably the best of sketch 1. Priyanka was also fun. I think both benefit from getting to be in scenes without BOA who was the CLEAR WORST of this first group. It also doesn't bode well enough for Ilona and Scarlett that I didn't know who they were in the skits until I did a little process of elimination. Skit 2 Lemon benefits from playing off Tynomi who was so low energy that it made her look MUCH better in comparison. Kiara also benefits from getting like a little solo bit that was probably the funniest part of the entire sketch. Though the skit was so bad an unfunny it's hard to say like somebody was better than anybody else.

 

Lemon won this because Lemon wore a runway that Brooke would wear. Because she did not deserve this win this week more than Priyanka and Jimbo.

 

 

Honestly, I would have had BOA in the bottom over Kyne based on the fact that she was the worst between both sketches. However, the fact that Kyne clearly doesn't want to take in any of the criticism or admit any faults was enough to cause her downfall. Anyway, the heterosexual in me heard "If You Could Read My Mind" and thought "Read My Mind" by The Killers. How embarrassing for me to admit but in this Liveblog I value TRANSPARENCY. Tynomi was good but it helps her that Kyne seemed to throw in the towel in this lip sync about halfway through.

 

My Tops: Jimbo, Priyanka, Anastarzia, Kiara