Hello, RuPaul’s Drag Race fans! We’ve met the 14 queens competing to become America’s Next Drag Superstar and this week, they finally hit the runway together for a fashion-filled runway. Ru also brings surprises and a plot-changing twist. Who dazzles and who fizzles? Read on and find out.
We open the episode right after Daya Betty’s elimination and before Deja gets to wipe away her mirror message, Alicia Keys appears behind the mirror, All Stars 2 style, says “Look over there” (obviously without knowing the context of that iconic catchphrase) and the first seven queens arrive, marking the first time the queens come face-to-face.
The next day, our 12 queens enter the werk room for the first time together and RuPaul comes in with her first surprise of the episode – Orion Story and Daya Betty are back for a second chance for the crown (which I am insanely happy about. June Jambalaya, not so much, stating this new development was “straight-up bullshit”) And if that wasn’t enough, Ru calls in the Pit Crew, who enter with a tray covered in RuPaul candy bars. Ru Wonka tells the queens she’s leaving something up to the “drag gods” this season. Each queen chooses a bar and that bar now follows theem through their time in the competition. One bar possesses a “golden ticket” – if the queen who loses the lip sync has that ticket, she will live to slay another day. What a twist!
Sadly, we have to wait at least a week before our first quick drag mini-challenge of the season because the dolls have a lot of work cut out for them this week. Ru says she loves a pair of balls, so this year’s ball challenge is double the fashion, double the fun, as the two groups of queens are facing off with not one, but two balls. Each ball has three fashions per queen, so we are treated to a staggering 42 looks this week. The first batch of queens are attending the “Hide ‘n’ Chic Ball”. Their first look is zebra print resort wear and their second look is leopard print evening wear. For their final look, they need to create (from scratch) animal print wedding eleganza. Our second set of queens are bringing the “Red, White & Blue Ball” to the runway. Look one is “red hot resort”, look two is “why it gotta be white?” evening gowns and lastly, a made-from-scratch (and patriotic) wedding gown fantasy.
I am not going to go through all 42 fashions (you’re welcome), but here are some of the top looks. In the Hide ‘n’ Chic ball, Bosco’s “apres-ski on Mars zebra print fantasy”, June’s “zebra rich bitch” and Kornbread’s canteen purse were standouts in resort wear. Bosco’s “formal” leopard print culottes, Willow Pill’s black on black leopard print gown with gold chain accents and Kerri Colby’s pink leopard mini dress with spinning hat were winners in the evening gown competition and Willow’s “corporate lesbian/t rocker chick” wide leg jumpsuit stood out as the clear champion of the wedding looks.
As for the “Red, White & Blue Ball,” Angeria Paris Van Micheals‘ 60s inspired a-line dress and Jasmine Kennedie’s pinup look (revealing a set of lobster claws for a delightfully campy touch) were the top resort looks. Deja Skye’s sleek, wide leg pantsuit, Jorgeous’ oh-so-elegant white gown (that I now covet) and Lady Camden’s 3d/architectural take on an evening gown were the tops. Lastly, Daya’s ugly 80s bridesmaid dress and Angeria’s incredible red sequined gown blew away the other brides.
After an over-caffeinated Ru, Michelle, Carson and guest judge Christine Chiu (I have. No idea who she is, but she is stunning) deliberate, Willow Pill gets a much-deserved victory, with Angeria and Jorgeous also getting high marks from the judges. Alyssa, Bosco, Kerri, Kornbread, Daya, Deja, Jasmine and Lady Camden are safe, leaving June Jambalaya (again) and Maddy Morphosis in the bottom two. The pair lip sync to Kylie Minogue’s “I Love It”. June removes the bulk of her dress (and gives us a wig reveal) during her performance, with the discarded fabric almost tripping Maddy up a few times. I honestly think June’s awkward striptease (oh, and she took off her shoes, which we all know is an LSFYL no-no) cost her, as Ru deemed her the queen to sashay away. But wait…there’s the candy bar…which is ticket-less. So, the lovely June Jambalaya is the first officially eliminated queen of the season.
This week’s obvious MVP is our challenge winner, Willow Pill (and thankfully, to Ru’s credit, she only did that “she’s not a big pill” thing once during the episode), but so many queens had their moments this week that I’d rather give them props. Daya Betty ate a dragonfly, y’all. Of course, she did it for a $1K payday from Kornbread, who can’t stop calling her “Diabetica” (and, in case you’re curious, she said it tasted like grass.) She also noticed (as we all did) Maddy’s disorientation when trying to get her candy bar and quipped “It’s a straight thing.”
When seeing Kornbread’s short bob, Angeria hilariously noted, “Kornbread, she looks like a good time, but girl, Miss Thing got on a Mary J. Blige wig.” Bosco gets best werk room entrance of the week by strutting in and exclaiming “Catchphrase.” June’s confessional moment where she admits that, “the only craft I enjoy is mac ‘n’ cheese” made me snort-laugh, as did Kerri and Angeria’s exchange about my girl crush actress – with Angieria asking, “Who’s Sharon Stone? Some famous white lady?” (And now, a moment of silence as her question made me feel a million years old.) Oh, and Deja called her breasts “boobsicles” which made me happy.
Other than laughs, we got some sweet moments from the queens. Jasmine helped out Kerri “do I look like I sew” Colby out with her dress, and Kornbread helpfully got Willow a cup of hot water to hold onto to relieve her cold fingers (a result of her medical condition.) Orion shared that her drag was a tribute to her mother who passed away after a struggle with mental health issues and Kornbread had a breakdown as Kerri recalled her parents disowning her after she came out as trans. It’s only week three, but I love all these queens already.
And, that’s it for episode three. Join us next week as we get our first acting challenge and J-Lo makes her Drag Race debut. Until then, remember that if you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else? Can I get an “amen”?
LINK LOVE
SL RECOMMENDS
Like most websites, Socialite Life uses affiliate links where available, which means we earn a little commission if you click through and buy something. Also, as Amazon Influencers, we earn from qualifying purchases.
TRENDING ON SL
Celeb Snaps – MTV VMAs 2024: Sabrina Carpenter, Benson Boone, Lisa, and more
Meet Instagram Hottie: Ellis Iyayi
Last update on 2024-09-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
