RuPaul’s Drag Race is back and as sparkly as ever, which should be expected with Season 18’s “Let There Be Light” theme. This time around, each of the 14 queens feels polished and seasoned. Perhaps that correlates to the majority of queens being over 30, or maybe it’s due to better casting. Either way, Season 18 is shaping up to be one of the show’s most exciting seasons in recent years.
After the controversy stemming from Season 10 of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, most fans are ready to get back to basics and discover some new names to fall in love with. With Drag Race going back to its classic formula, you’ll find few complaints from us. And since RuPaul loves a good acronym, we’ll be conducting our reviews using the word DRAG (Drama, Runway, About That Challenge, and Gooped, Gagged, and Goated). Read on for our thoughts, musings, and reactions to RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 10.
Drama: Where do we stand on “Safety Pin Gate”? Do you think Discord was pushing the limits, or totally justified to get creative?
Jeanette: No shade to Discord because I can’t imagine standing on the stage of RuPaul’s Drag Race and having everyone label me the “queen who should go home,” but I stand with the other queens. Listen, they foreshadowed this moment in the Werkroom, with someone (Darlene? Nini?) asking Discord if the safety pins were allowed, and Discord responding with something like, “Yes, but only if they’re essential and not used for a purpose other than their intended function.” That’s not the direct quote, but you get the idea.
Flashforward to Discord using literally 800 safety pins, and I’m sorry, but you cannot tell me that all 800 of those were necessary to hold the look together. They were embellishments, and yes, they looked cool, but they were embellishments all the same. The real issue here was that Discord wasn’t happy with what was in her box, and instead of going outside her comfort zone (like, use that yellow fabric, girl), she found a workaround.
Aside from the Discord drama, though, I really enjoyed how lighthearted this episode seemed. We got a lot of fun moments, from the queens rifling through Darlene’s questionable bag of wigs to them going on and on about the great drag queen that never was, Crystal.
MORE: Catch up with our RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 9 Breakdown
Lyra: I stand with Jeanette and the other queens. A couple safety pins here and there is fine. But she used 800 safety pins. They were an integral part of her outfit and took over the look. So yeah, it’s giving cheating and hoping that no one else notices. Too bad for Discord, everyone noticed and called it out. What is super messy is that production absolutely knew this was a problem. But they let it go on because they knew it was a good confrontation for later.
As for the rest of the episode, I love how we saw them just being friends and goofing off. Because drama is great and all, but we need something to balance that all out. And that happens by showing us how these Queens have actually connected over the weeks.
Lizzie: No disagreement here, I think it was pretty obviously a way to get around the rules. I think Discord was hoping it was one of those things she was going to be allowed to get away with, and it ended up not being that. Which I almost can’t blame her for. Sometimes having audacity works! But I feel like in shows like this one it’s still not a good idea, because even if it works in the moment, people watching are still going to notice. But I often think the queens aren’t really thinking about how they’re going to be perceived afterward, which is a mistake.
I’m not saying do everything for the cameras, but at least remember they’re there.
Runway: Any looks you want to scream about?
Jeanette: Truthfully, the looks were all really strong this week. I loved Nini’s colorful outfit with the matching makeup. Kenya’s bellbottomed disco number was adorable, and Myki reminded me of Fran Fine from The Nanny going skiing, so yes!
However, I still think the real MVP of this challenge was Jane. The Ciara Myst sabotage was equally horrific and hilarious, but funny enough, I never doubted that Jane could make it work. She originally said her dress was nothing special, but I disagree. The thing was made from literal scraps and looked like you’d find it on the racks of some high-end store.
Lyra: Jane was the MVP of this episodes challenge. Sorry not sorry. She was given literal scraps. And she created magic. Nothing compares on the stage when it comes to technique, creativity, and the actual structuring of the outfit. I admittedly don’t love the color of the wig. But I guess she needed something to pop with all those dark colors on the dress.
As for other outfits I liked, Darlene. There is just something so sunshine about her. You want to get to know her and get caught in her field of just “I’m here for a good time” while absolutely killing it. Her outfit was fun, flirty, and structured real well. I also like how she took some risks on her makeup and contouring. And the mullet. It just all works together.
Lizzie: Weird episode where I don’t really have much to complain about, I liked most of the looks. I agree 100% about Jane being the best, because it looked so expensive and we know it wasn’t. I always marvel when they manage to put together a look that would fit at a fancy event from basically nothing. So, in general, I’m always like this is magical. And Jane did perform magic this week. But I feel like she wasn’t the only one.
The other one I really liked was Nini. It was just fun, and since they all looked great, I have to go with fun.
About That Challenge: Did anyone pick a suitcase that you didn’t expect them to?
Jeanette: While Juicy picking Mia’s suitcase and Kenya picking Vita’s didn’t surprise me, I didn’t see Myki choosing Briar. Myki had the first pick, so I guess I expected her to select Vita, or someone more known for turning a look. I suppose her justification for them having a similar aesthetic makes sense, but color me surprised nonetheless. (Sorry, Briar.)
MORE: Need more?RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 8 Breakdown
Lyra: Real talk, I forgot about Briar. Was she good friends with Myki? I thought she was attaching herself to Juicy? Idk. If anything, I was surprised that Juicy didn’t pick Athena. But then again, she knows Athena better than anyone. She knows what she would pack. And Mia’s suitcase treated her so much better.
Lizzie: I agree that Myki choosing Briar was a surprise, but I think that was pretty much the only surprise. Like Lyra, perhaps I would have expected Juicy to pick Athena, but I think she was trying to pay a risk and it paid off.
Gooped, Gagged, and GOATED: Do you agree with RuPaul’s choices for bottoms and tops in RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 9?
Jeanette: Maybe this is controversial, but why is no one going home? Yes, everyone did a really good job with this challenge, and yes, the critiques primarily came down to, “Hey, you should’ve worn a better shoe,” but we’re getting down to the wire here. If it were me in RuPaul’s position, I would’ve put Discord in the bottom, solely for not following directions–or, maybe more accurately, pushing the limits of those directions. Juicy would’ve also earned a bottom spot. Her outfit was just fine for me, and as the judges said, it became too bottom-heavy with a dark shoe.
Are all these things super small in the grand scheme of things? Sure, but again, we only have a few episodes left and SEVEN queens. Not to mention, there are some queens still here that I feel like are skirting by. Don’t get me wrong. I loved Kenya’s look this week, but she has an unprecedented four lip sync mess-ups. I also think her booming voice carried her through the Rusical last week. In reality, her performance wasn’t that much better than Juicy’s.
That said, I don’t want to harp on Kenya too much. I loved the bellbottom look (the girl wasn’t kidding when she said she could sew). Her top placement was well-deserved. And, if you read my entry under the runway section, then you already know I think Jane is worthy of a top spot, too. Still, I think this week should’ve been a lip sync to stay, not a lip sync for the win. I just know Athena Dion is sitting at home being like, “What?” Because, let’s be real, if anyone deserved the double save–even if it was just for the sake of good TV–it was Athena and Juicy.
Lyra: Is Drag Race playing it safe? Because that’s what this season is giving. Kenya has messed up lip-syncs, the holy grail of this show, multiple times. That gets everyone and anyone eliminated. But Kenya is still here? I’m worried that they’re keeping her because she’s an easy elimination towards the end. And she deserves better than that.
Her look was beautiful this episode. And I do think that she embodied the lip-sync song. But if we’re basing it on the design, Jane won and Discord and Juicy should’ve been in the bottom. But Juicy being the dancer she is, she would’ve sent Discord home. And the show absolutely wants to keep her so she can be drama in the next episode. But Untucked proved that she’s not here for the drama so…
Lizzie: I hate episodes like this one because it’s when you start to see the reality aspect of it all instead of the competition aspect. Like, yes, competition is more or less straightforward, even if there’s a level of opinion, but when the show is manipulated to make it so that competition doesn’t matter some days, it’s a little annoying. There’s always better and worse, even in a strong week. And no elimination this week means it’s gonna get messier later. Which again, good for the spectacle, bad for the competition.
