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 15.
Drama: Jane Don’t versus Ciara Myst and the great sabotage debacle: Whose side are you taking?
Jeanette: For a largely feel-good, fun episode, it’s pretty hilarious that the biggest drama came down to that darn design challenge. Honestly, good on Jane for asking these questions—because I’m nosey and want to know. Personally, I find it hard to believe Ciara didn’t employ a little sabotage with what she packed in the suitcase, but then again, drag is expensive. So, maybe Ciara really is that scrappy and planned to craft a masterpiece from literal scraps.
That said, I don’t think I can fully pick a side, but I’m leaning toward Jane *said in a whisper*.
MORE: Catch up with our RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 14 Breakdown
Lyra: Ever since the beginning of Season 18, I didn’t like Ciara. And it was simply because she gave off “nice but for clicks” vibes. You know the types that go “bless your heart” and are sneaky about saying something mean? That’s who Ciara is. So yes, I 100% believe she did it on purpose.
But what really annoys me about this and there’s no sense of camaraderie with Ciara. Even Nini Coco, who tells the worst and most flat jokes tries with the queens and connects with them. Ciara doesn’t, meaning that whenever she replied to Jane, it felt mean spirited instead of a kiki in the workroom for the cameras because after-all this is TV.
Runway: No typical runway this week, but what looks gagged you during the RuPaul-A-Paruza Smackdown?
Jeanette: Discord looked fierce. Very Lady Gaga goes Western punk. While she was my favorite, I really dug Mia’s makeup, and Kenya was meant to wear a ponytail like that, just saying.
Lyra: Honestly I was really surprised with how much I liked Discord’s outfit. You could tell that this outfit was a little more tailored and thought out. And it did look like something you would see a popstar wear at a concert.
Now as for outfits during the RuPaul-A-Paruza, I really like how Juicy did that handstand, shook off her dress, and then popped up in something cute. Reminded me of Violet Chachki’s iconic fall runway reveal. People will try to recreate this.
As for flops, Ciara is the frontrunner. She keeps going on and on about how her looks are conceptual and mean something. But this is not the moment to wear something where I can barely figure out what you’re doing during the lipsync challenge. That first look absolutely swallowed her up for no reason. And then the second look was cute but also gave nothing.
About That Challenge: We all knew this would come down to Juciy and Mia, right?
Jeanette: Don’t get me wrong, I was impressed with a lot of the queens. Ciara and Mandy, particularly, but this was always the Juicy, Mia, and Kenya show—and no offense to Kenya, but I had a feeling it was really Mia and Juicy who were the headliners. Both of them are excellent performers, and they put on one heck of a show. Juicy, in particular, is such a powerhouse. She really understands how to balance dance with tricks, and she doesn’t reuse the same move over and over like some queens. In the other corner is Mia, who has such a unique style and presence on stage. (And you best believe I haven’t forgotten about her Talent Show act. In fact, I frequently revisit it.)
I laughed out loud when poor Jane was on stage with all three of these powerhouse lip syncers. But I give her credit. Jane knew she was out of her depth, but she didn’t let it stop her. Honestly, her accepting her defeat mid-lip sync and pretending to sweep the stage behind Juicy had me cackling. It obviously wasn’t enough to win, but it was memorable, and sometimes, that’s the most important thing you can be on Drag Race. Plus, her picking “Sissy That Walk” for her lip sync with Discord—priceless.
MORE: Need more? RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 13 Breakdown
Lyra: It was always going to be Juicy versus Mia. They’re the most talented dancers but also performers. They understand the songs, how to find a balance between tricks and emotion (most of the time), and know how to work an audience. Plus Mia literally has toured with major popstars. They had this in the bag.
I will say though… the more that I watch this season the more I get upset about Jane Don’t being booted from the show. Also, the more I get mad that Ginger Minj won All Stars. Because I like Ginger Minj. But she was out of her depth in every lipsync at the end there and was up against some really talented dancers. Yet somehow she did the same things as Jane and still won but Jane lost. Make it make sense. What are the rules on Drag Race?
Gooped, Gagged, and GOATED: Did any of RuPaul’s winner choices surprise you in RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18, Episode 15?
Jeanette: For the most part, it felt pretty fair to me. I think the only exceptions might be Athena’s elimination. Ciara’s mutated monster suit kept her stagnant for most of the beginning, and then the reveal itself was distracting and clunky. While she was taking it off, I was drawn to Athena, who just gave us that subtle but stunning red blouse reveal and flung herself across the stage.
Did Ciara look c*nty after? You bet, but I still thought Athena served more consistent humor and stage presence. I think this one could’ve gone either way, but Athena seemed like the more likely contender to me. So, color me surprised when she appeared in the Werkroom.
Lyra: Still absolutely bamboozled that Ciara won over Athena. Riggery because we couldn’t even tell what Ciara was doing in the beginning of the lipsync. As for the rest of the picks, it makes sense, especially Juicy and Mia. They’re the queen bees of dance and lipsync’s here. And yes, I’m still bitter that Kenya booted Mia because the former didn’t know the words on a lipsync aka the essential thing you need to know.
As for the winner of it all, both Juicy and Mia killed it. But it’s the Juicy dress reveal that put her over the edge and made her the winner. Nevertheless… Mia did it for me. There was just an energy there that felt refined from the dance to the lipsync. But at least the win is still in the family.
