RuPaul’s Drag Race Recap: Oops! All Karens

by

You need to be careful what you ask for, because even something beautiful can hurt you. This episode explores that idea, starting with a disastrous puppet challenge. I used to love the “Everybody Loves Puppets” mini-challenge from earlier seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race; it was fast-paced, funny, and allowed the queens to be playfully competitive. But it disappeared, and honestly, after seeing how the Reading Challenge has declined over the years, I shouldn’t have expected it to return well. This season’s puppet show was a complete mess. As one queen put it, everyone failed! The queens struggled, and while the editing didn’t help, it was important to show just how bad it was to explain who deserved to win the prize money. RuPaul ended up awarding the prize to the crew, who had to sit through what was likely the most awkward puppet show since the movie Being John Malkovich.

After Discord Addams’ elimination, we’re down to the top five queens on Drag Race. This week’s challenge is one-on-one improv with RuPaul, where the queens will act out scenes with her playing different, over-the-top “Karen” characters inspired by viral videos. While I’m not a huge fan of improv challenges this late in the competition, it’s fun to see RuPaul get to play a role and be silly. Surprisingly, the queens quickly and easily decided amongst themselves who would play which Karen character without any drama or arguments. Nini Coco joked about changing her mind, and Jane Don’t pointed out how ironic it is that they’re all being so well-behaved for a challenge about Karens, but this season’s top five are clearly polished and refined queens.

The queens brainstormed detailed backstories and motivations for their ‘Karen’ characters – a funny exercise reminiscent of Emma Stone’s performance in ‘The Actress’ (Nini even jotted down ‘gay husband’!). Nini and Jane, known for being perfectionists, were getting a little anxious, but Darlene Mitchell offered helpful guidance to Juicy, encouraging her to create a Karen persona that would play to her strengths and impress RuPaul. RuPaul then gave everyone quick coaching on embodying the ‘Karen’ archetype before they began the challenge.

The show films its ‘Karen’ challenges in either a basic office set or the parking lot. I actually like when the contestants get to leave the main studio—which they’re stuck in all season—and film outside, and that’s the best part of this challenge. We saw they were given notes outlining key moments they needed to include. The challenges all follow a similar pattern: the contestants pretend RuPaul hits them and fall to the ground, they film Ru with their phones, and they use props like receipts or plane tickets to play their roles. It’s frustrating to watch because the ‘Ru’ characters are inflexible and always say ‘no,’ leaving the contestants with nowhere to go. Let me explain further:

Juicy portrays Parking-Stop Karen, a character who angrily confronts Ru over a parking space. She delivers a surprisingly good physical performance while Ru is dressed as a uniquely unsettling take on a disco-themed version of the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.

Okay, so Darlene’s character – a shoplifter named Karen – had this really interesting scene at the self-checkout with the security guard, Ru. But honestly, what started as a confrontation just completely fell apart in the best way. She’s hilarious! She instantly connected with Ru, bouncing energy off him and building on his ideas – pure improv gold. I especially loved when she, in character, accused him of trying to provoke her, saying she was getting ‘baited’ just by being at the mall. It was brilliant. The thing is, even when she’s playing a potentially unlikeable character – the classic ‘Karen’ – she’s just so charming and relatable. She’s a total mood, which is fantastic for entertainment, but it does make it tough to judge her objectively in this competition. She’s fundamentally not a Karen, and that’s both good TV and a bit of a problem for the challenge.

Myki Meeks played the role of ‘Karen’ during the traffic stop challenge. She delivered a subtle and realistic performance, using her background in fine arts to create a believable character. While many queens relied on over-the-top accents, Myki’s approach was more understated, though the performance could have been more dramatic.

Jane, portraying a demanding traveler named Karen, claimed she was rushing to catch a flight for a girls’ trip to Palm Springs. She had a detailed story prepared, even explaining she was bringing knives to make ceviche, but she wasn’t connecting with the gate attendant, Ru, and the interaction lacked warmth.

Okay, so this new clip features Nini, who is clearly channeling that classic HOA busybody. She marches right up to her neighbor Ru’s Ring camera and demands he take down his Christmas decorations. Honestly, she tries to make a point, but Ru just…doesn’t play along. It’s the same problem we’ve seen in all these videos – instead of a conversation, it quickly spirals into just two people yelling over each other. It’s frustrating to watch because there’s no real back-and-forth, just escalating volume.

Runway is presenting a playfully suggestive collection, moving from innocent to daring with each outfit. One standout look features a character inspired by Alice in Wonderland, playfully holding an oversized bottle labeled “Smell Me.” A single sniff reveals a hidden costume – a Cheshire Cat suit complete with a cat-o’-nine-tails. The overall effect is imaginative and visually striking, reminiscent of comic book art.

Darlene’s outfit starts with a cheerful yellow top that she rips away to reveal a simple white tank top underneath, complete with a playfully outrageous, embellished stain and a yellow handkerchief tucked into the back pocket of some very short denim shorts. I’m completely smitten with Darlene, and one thing I appreciate is her knack for putting together fun, inexpensive, and memorable looks reminiscent of the early seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race, when creativity mattered more than a huge budget.

Myki’s outfit is striking, starting with a vibrant red, ruffled dress that she dramatically discards to reveal a bold, spiked leather corset and a whip made of rose vines. Her bright red wig is a memorable part of the scene. Jane enters wearing a large, white Victorian gown and carrying a candle, portraying a grieving widow in her home. Beneath the dress, she wears a completely ruby-red lingerie set. The scene includes elements of wax play, with candle wax being dripped onto her chest.

Nini’s final look was a wonderfully bizarre Statue of Liberty, seemingly from around 1886. The statue playfully ‘shed’ her robe to reveal revealing lingerie in a striking green patina. She also wore a spiky crown-like face covering and had ‘wax’ dripping from her torch, scattered across her chest and shoulders. It perfectly captured Nini’s drag style – always polished and impressive, even if it doesn’t quite settle on one specific character. The look prompted the funniest moment of the episode when guest judge Julianne Nicholson, known as Janet Planet, seriously commented on how ‘nostalgic’ it was to see Lady Liberty, especially given current events. It really makes you wish Ellie, the New York Liberty mascot, could share her thoughts!

The judging has been inconsistent and confusing. After last week’s strict focus on a specific look, this week felt overly subjective. The judges criticized Jane for not being over-the-top enough, but praised Myki’s more realistic performance as embodying the “Karen” stereotype. Darlene, a skilled improviser, was marked down for not being “Karen” enough, which seems to contradict RuPaul’s usual emphasis on fun and laughter in comedy challenges. Juicy showed improvement and did well, but Myki’s win was particularly important for her as she heads into the finale. She won $5,000 and tickets to RuPaul’s upcoming movie, Stop That Train. It’s almost comical.

Honestly, the tension really ramped up this week! Suddenly, everything felt so much more serious. Nini and Jane ended up in the bottom two, and they were battling it out, not just to stay in the competition, but for a spot in the top four! It was shocking because Jane has been amazing all season – she was clearly the one to beat. She hadn’t even been in the bottom two until now, and for nine weeks straight, she was at the very top! I just couldn’t believe she might be going home before the finale, it seemed impossible!

Forget any expectations! As soon as the music starts, everything explodes onto the stage, and Nini Coco is ready to dominate. Despite often getting caught up in her own thoughts this season, Nini truly shines when it counts. She delivers a powerful, energetic performance – think a fierce, aerialist Statue of Liberty set to a Lady Gaga song. Jane does a good job, but Nini one-ups her with a more complex tumbling move, and finishes with a stunning twist into a split. Jane connects with the audience emotionally, but Nini is simply unstoppable.

Well, the season just took a huge turn! Jane, who was expected to win, was unexpectedly eliminated right before the finale. I’d been hoping for more excitement this season, since Jane was so far ahead. I wanted a real competition, and now… be careful what you wish for, I guess!

And also on Untucked …

As Juicy Love Dion observed, this season of Untucked is noticeably different from what viewers are accustomed to. Myki Meeks added that the atmosphere in Untucked feels particularly somber this time around.

Myki thought this season was unusually simple, without any unexpected surprises like special prizes or silly challenges. But she’s about to find out things are about to get much more interesting.

• Seeing Darlene Mitchell cry was heartbreaking.

Wow! Everyone’s shocked that Jane didn’t make it to the finale. Looking back, it seems inevitable, doesn’t it? This season hasn’t been full of surprises, but this elimination is a huge one and will probably be what everyone remembers. I felt bad for Jane, especially after seeing her reaction on Untucked, but this could be amazing for her career. The fans are going to be in chaos, which is good for her publicity. I’m rooting for Myki to win, and I’m hoping Juicy can sneak into the top three ahead of Nini. —Jason P. Frank

Last week, Jason predicted Myki, Jane, and Darlene would be the top three. Now, it looks like Myki, Juicy, and Nini might actually be the frontrunners. I already thought Myki had a strong chance of winning, and her lip sync performance as Lea Michele was particularly impressive.

Thanks for being patient while I had a substitute teacher this week! It was a bit of a stressful situation, so I’m taking some time to relax and watch my favorite video.

Read More

2026-03-28 04:57