In the fourth episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 13, we finally unite the queens in the competition and, sadly, we have to say goodbye to the first one.
This week, the queens’ acting skills are put to the test as they star in holiday movies for the “RuPaulmark Channel.” Delani, Olivia Lux, Elliott and Kahmora Hall star in the Valentine’s Day movie “Misery Love’s Company,” Symone, LaLa Ri, Utica and Rosé star in the Flag Day-themed “God Loves Flags” and Gottmik, Tina Burner, Joey Jay, Kandy Muse, and Tamisha Iman celebrate April Fool’s Day in “April Fool’s Rush In” (as a writer, these apostrophes really bother me.
Michelle Visage coaches the queens, trying to get a convincing Cher impersonation from Tamisha and attempting to explain cultural catchphrases from Mommie Dearest and Bette Davis movies that I am sure these girls are too young to know.
The resulting movies definitely separate the wheat from the chaff, with standout performances from Tamisha, Symone, Rosé, Kandy and Gottmik, while Kahmora turned in a very wooden performance as, of all things, a tree. We even got a cameo from Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, who appeared in all three movies as Prince Harming (and a Prince impersonator in one.)
The runway theme was “Trains for Days” and the queens showcased some fierce fashions. In the end, Rosé, Symone and Kandy came out on top, with Symone emerging as the week’s winner. The news wasn’t as good for LaLa, Kahmora and Denali, who were the bottom three. It all came down to Denali and Kahmora, who had to lip sync for their lives.
The queens battled it out to Crystal Waters’ dance hit “100% Pure Love” and Denali knocked it out of the park, forcing our “Bob Mackie Barbie,” Kahmora Hall, to sashay away. I am genuinely sad to see her go, as I was very much looking forward to seeing her fabulous runway looks.
This week’s MVP: Symone
Symone is already proving to be a force to be reckoned with, winning the lip sync in episode two and triumphing in the challenge and on the runway. Her performance in “God Loves Flags” was hilarious, especially with her pronunciation of “factory” (from here on out, it will always be “fact-ry” to me.) She also stunned on the runway in a silky track suit, giving trains a whole new meaning with a flowing do-rag.
She also had the best revelation in the werk room, telling her fellow queens that her first time in drag was at her high school prom in Arkansas. She recalls getting a dress off the rack and a shake and go wig and marching right into the dance. She told the other queens, “I had no fear. Drag took that away.” She goes on to say it was an “empowering moment” and the first time she felt “seen,” adding, “It was the first time I felt strong and not scared to be myself.” All this and rocking acrylic nails make Symone a winner in my book.
Runner-up: Utica Queen
She was deemed safe this week, but this towering queen gave us some of the best laughs of the episode. Her character in “God Loves Flags” was a pot smoking hippie, and when RuPaul asked her if she ever partook in the wacky weed, her wordless response had Ru convulsing in laughter. Later, on the runway, her train look was a tribute to Carol Burnett from her legendary Bob Mackie-designed costume from her show’s Gone with the Wind parody.
Do you agree with our choices? We’ll be back next week with more from the queens of season 13.