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 14.
Drama: Let’s just get it out of the way now – the drama is Jane’s elimination last week. Have you recovered?
Jeanette: Absolutely not! And from what I’m seeing online, it seems to be a point of debate, specifically whether track record should count or not. Personally, I think it should—and it normally does. Let us not forget that Ru and the judges always go back through the queen’s track record at the finale. Does it only count there? Why not on every challenge? I get it if somebody completely bombs a lip sync, but Jane didn’t bomb, even though she didn’t entirely slay it, either.
Let’s all say it AGAIN: Jane has the best track record in the entire franchise. So, the fact that she didn’t even crack the top four feels criminal. Not sure how Ru can sleep at night. Here’s hoping Jane gets to return in All Stars and secure the win that she deserves.
MORE: Catch up with our RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 13 Breakdown
Lyra: It feels weird now that Jane is gone. And not because she’s my favorite. She isn’t. That’s Darlene. But even I could see that Jane was a front-runner from the jump. And now I’m just left feeling disoriented and looking at the girls with new eyes. Because Myki is the clear front-runner now. Is Darlene going to be the one she’ll go up against in the finale? It’s just all making me reevaluate the show.
As for track record… I’m on the fence if I’m being honest. If you bomb that week and your lip sync sucks, it is what it is. But that’s not what Drag Race has taught us. Queens have been saved time and time again even if they didn’t do well in the lip sync because the show has a narrative they want to push forward. So what’s the narrative with eliminating Jane? That’s what I keep asking myself. Because this show really has no rules besides “what story does production want?” And unfortunately, every season is different.
Runway: Any runway looks you want to scream about?
Jeanette: NINI COCO, THAT DRESS AND WIG IS EVERYTHING! Was Myki’s celestial dress cute, too? Sure, but it feels like something I might be able to find and wear to a fancy event (minus the wire thingy), and I don’t like my drag to feel that simple. There’s no denying Nini absolutely killed it here. Honestly, she’s the only one that I think truly delivered “drag excellence.”
Lyra: Nini for sure. That outfit was absolute art. And you can tell how much thought and love went into every piece. Just look at the wig. Absolute seamless transition between dress and hair. Also, I love how the far piece felt out of this world but also like it made sense. Just magic.
Besides Nini… I kind of didn’t like anyone else’s dresses. Myki had that cheap looking wire around her that took away from the dress. Juicy had so much going on that I didn’t know where to look because it felt unfinished. And Darlene was giving drag from old Drag Race. Nevertheless, their different styles were front and center and I know love and work went into each.
About That Challenge: Are we all in agreement that Darlene and Myki deserve their own spinoff show à la Trixie and Katya?
Jeanette: I clocked the way Darlene (politely) grabbed onto Myki when Ru first announced the challenge. Obviously, Myki has proved herself competent in all the improv/acting challenges thus far, while Darlene has carved out her own niche brand of humor that I’m calling “Peg Bundy does drag.” Despite them having very different styles of humor, it absolutely works! Plus, the CHEMISTRY!
When they both hit Zane Phillips with that simultaneous, cheesy “Hiiiiii!” I knew we were watching something special, something that could arguably earn them their own spinoff show or special in the future. Their improv wasn’t perfect, but any little fumbles were easily covered up or glossed over with ease. I’m not sure we will ever get a duo like Trixie and Katya again, but I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to a Myki and Darlene giving it a try.
MORE: Need more? RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 12 Breakdown
Lyra: Darlene and Myki were perfect together! I was so nervous after the previous episode and how I felt like the queens really didn’t do well with the comedy challenge. But this had a little more guidance and they had each other. And what really sold this is that they met each other at where they were. Like when Darlene was reading the teleprompter and Myki was like “stop spitting on me.” It was playful, met Darlene where she was at, and ended up supporting her. That’s teamwork.
I will say… Darlene stood out for me on this challenge more than Myki. And it had to do with the catwalk. Darlene could’ve just done a regular catwalk to teach Zane Phillips how to walk. But no. Darlene created a whole story that made Zane’s stress literally fall away. And it made us invested because we too would look back at some good food.
Gooped, Gagged, and GOATED: Do you agree with RuPaul’s choices for bottoms and tops in RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 14?
Jeanette: To start, to reiterate, and to harp on: JANE SHOULD BE HERE! Truthfully, that was in my head throughout this entire lip sync. If Jane had been here, who knows what that bottom composition would look like? Or the tops? That said, Juicy and Nini, unfortunately, deserved the bottom spots. The effort was there, but the chemistry wasn’t. And, honestly, neither were the jokes.
I’m happy that I’ve gotten to see another side of Juicy. Just like last week in the Karen challenge, she feels a bit freer in her performances. She took big swings and let loose; the comedic timing and sensibilities just need some polish. Likewise, Nini is undeniably talented, but her delivery—just like the roast—feels really harsh and almost cold.
Also, major props to Nini for serving despite the constricting gown. We all know she can dance and do the tricks, but whether intentional or not, this outfit forced her to rely on emoting and emotions, and I think Ru appreciated seeing another side of her that wasn’t just a backflip.
As for the tops, I’m all for Darlene and Myki getting the double win!
Lyra: Sorry not sorry, but these bottoms make sense. Juicy and Nini weren’t funny. In fact, sometimes it felt like what Nini was saying to Juicy felt mean during the morning show challenge. And then Juicy was just leaning on sexual jokes to a point where I didn’t see Juicy’s personality. It was flat, not fun, and I would change the channel if this was my 8 a.m. show.
Then there’s the lip sync. Look. There comes a point where the flips and kicks can’t save you. We’ve seen it time and time again on Drag Race. A queen will end up at the bottom over and over again but make it out because they can dance. But it gets to a point where Ru clocks you for not actually singing the song. Even worse, Ru clocks you for not embodying the song.
It’s moments like Juicy’s elimination that I think back to Lydia B Kollins lip syncing to “Boogie Wonderland.” Lydia embodied that song in a way that made her the clear winner no matter what movies Arrietty pulled. And even though I think Nini’s lip sync was mid in this episode, she embodied that song better than Juicy even if the latter was doing amazing flips and footwork.
