RuPaul’s Drag Race Recap: Sabotage!

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In this instance, you’re referring to a particular episode of “Drag Race” as a meticulously crafted reality TV show. The producers and editors have put in extensive effort to create a flawlessly dramatic conclusion, with the queens contributing significantly by enthusiastically following the plotline, resulting in several gasps from viewers like myself.

This week, the competition has turned fierce all around, with Jewels and Arrietty standing out as key contenders, though nearly everyone seems to be involved at one point or another. Interestingly, Lydia and Lana, who are yet to secure a win, seem to be driven to focus more intently on their work. Their eventual success only serves to ramp up the excitement. The episode’s unpredictable results and the palpable intensity from the other competitors breathe new life into a season that was starting to feel stale. The consequences of this week’s events will ripple forward: Butthole now has a potential route to the final four, which could see one of the main contenders leaving earlier than anticipated. If one can depart sooner than expected, who knows what next week might bring? While I still believe Lana is likely to leave next week (no hard feelings), her resilience suggests otherwise. Season 17 still has some fighting spirit left in it.

Let’s discuss the series of events leading up to the main fight: Jewels versus Arrietty. Remarkably, a number of circumstances had to align for this narrative to unfold:

1. The competition had to reach the roast round.
2. Arrietty needed to advance past her early elimination and outperform in every comedy challenge so far.
3. Jewels had to emerge victorious in the previous challenge.
4. The mini-challenge had to be questionable, necessitating the winner of the last challenge to determine the order.

None of these events could have been scripted for this specific plot development. However, Jewels chose to manipulate the sequence, and thus, the action commenced.

To put it simply: I have a feeling Jewels manipulated the order of performances for her own advantage in this competition. Normally, the better or worse performance of contestants would not significantly impact the judges’ decisions. However, given Jewels placed Arrietty after Onya, it appears she was trying to set Arrietty up for failure since Jewels knows Arrietty struggles with comedy. In all honesty, Arrietty’s comedic skills are rather poor compared to other competitors, making her an underdog in this competition. To me, it seems like the challenge is beyond Arrietty’s capabilities, causing Jewels to feel worried and upset.

And that’s where she makes her most underhanded move yet – stealing some of Jewels’ jokes to throw her off. To clarify, it’s a competition, but what Arrietty did is different from Jewel’s questionable running order. The joke-stealing act is something new and unacceptable.

In the show’s presentation, it appears that Jewels struggles early in her set due to one of Arrietty’s stolen jokes, causing her to falter for the rest of the performance. However, this could just be an editing choice. Nevertheless, I will address the story as told by the show.

In essence, Arrietty’s poor comedic skills lead her to intentionally sabotage Jewels and bring her down with her through unsportsmanlike conduct, making for riveting television. And when they have to lip-sync, it’s a performance that even “Lip Sync for Your Life” was created to showcase. Who would have thought an episode featuring Arrietty, who had already been told to leave, could be so captivating?

The episode’s intensity is reinforced from every angle. Firstly, Arrietty shares Jewel’s disdain with Lexi, a queen who repeatedly undermines herself. Despite securing her desired position (last), she becomes unhinged by Suzie appearing before her. Interestingly, Suzie isn’t just irritating to Lexi; her presence, particularly her education, triggers all of Lexi’s insecurities. In the Werk Room, Lexi erupts at Jewel for placing Suzie ahead of her and later falters during their performance due to a casual joke from Suzie about her lack of friends. It’s heartbreaking to witness Lexi self-destruct week after week in the Werk Room. She somewhat resembles season-seven Katya or Nina Bo’nina Brown: A queen with immense talent and charisma who may be overlooked by other queens because they can maintain focus on their performances.

Up until now, Onya and Suzie have primarily stayed out of the primary drama this week. However, I wanted to draw attention to an incident during their training session with Michelle and Whitney Cummings, where Onya called out Suzie for playing the game and attempting to set expectations low. This is a strategy often seen on Drag Race, with Ben DeLaCreme’s Snatch Game being a notable example. It shows intelligence on Onya’s part not to let Suzie control the narrative. In the early stages of the season, I found myself criticizing the other queens for allowing Suzie to receive a “Jinkx Monsoon” edit. Given that Onya seems to understand the art of manipulating the camera, it’s no surprise that she knew how to prevent this from happening. Onya and Suzie appear to be the standout queens this season, with exceptional skills in playing to the cameras (with Sam excelling at impressing the judges), and it’s entertaining to watch them compete, not just on stage but also in shaping their narrative.

Lastly, let’s discuss Butthole. I was pleased to predict last week that Butthole would shine among the girls who were seen as disposable, but her performance this week took me by surprise. This week’s narrative for Butthole revolves around her position in the competition following Kori’s departure. Navigating the competition alone after being part of a duo all season is risky (Spice never fully grasped this), but Butthole handles it admirably this week: She expresses sorrow over Kori, acknowledges her gratitude for still being there, keeps a low profile, and delivers. This strategy proves effective. Now, let’s analyze the performances in detail.

To begin with, Onya kicks off the presentations this week. Impressively, she excels among everyone throughout the entire week, captivating her audience effortlessly without straining. We’ve always known from RDR Live! that she’s an exceptional public speaker. However, this week reveals that while she delivers jokes with style, they don’t quite land. It’s impressive, but it’s not a successful roast because she plays it safe.

Arrietty follows behind, demonstrating the importance of a well-prepared appearance, even when humor falls flat. Her acts are so disastrous that they’re not entertaining in any way. When she steps on stage, she crumbles, and her lines fall apart before they can be delivered. It’s not amusing or enjoyable – it’s simply what happens when a contestant in a comedy competition with strict guidelines (RDR Live!) relies too heavily on her looks instead of her comedic skills. This is the kind of performance she delivers.

Afterward comes Jewels, who, as mentioned earlier, delivers one joke followed by a somewhat disorganized performance. She’s quite youthful and giggly, almost to the point of being chaotic. Notably, a large proportion of her humor is centered around weight-related jokes – this, combined with general performance issues, suggests a more restricted viewpoint than I initially assumed Jewels possessed. It’s less than ideal for someone who appears to be the most slender at 22 years old and not have much else to mock apart from “fat.” However, despite her flaws, I do believe she is superior to Arrietty, but that doesn’t say much.

In my humble opinion, Jewels takes the stage with an unexpected gem this week – Lana Ja’Rae. To my astonishment, she shines brighter than expected, showcasing a hidden talent. I must admit, I wasn’t fully convinced of her charisma as a presenter prior, but she certainly brings personality to the table and delivers her jokes with precision. This week was challenging, yet Lana rose to the occasion impressively. I’m genuinely thrilled for her success. A particular joke that stood out was when she jokingly referred to Sam as someone whose family might have owned hers ancestors. This, coupled with her portrayal of Rosa Parks, hints at a potentially edgier side to Lana that we haven’t fully explored yet, but in this instance, it proved effective.

Sam follows closely, standing out among Onya’s presenters due to her sharp humor. Unlike Onya, she delivers some solid jokes that make an impression. In response to Lana’s comment about her being white, she cleverly labels her as a “family friend,” which brings laughter, and then continues to impress with her wit. So far, Sam has managed to keep her cool in this competition, and I must admit, I’m finding myself drawn to her charismatic persona. She’s entertaining, feisty, and undeniably gifted. Here’s to Sam!

Instead, it’s Lydia whose act this week outshines Lana’s triumph so profoundly that I can’t help but feel a tinge of empathy for Ms. Ja’Rae. It transpires that Lydia is an exceptional joke writer, and although she may not be as prominent onstage as Sam or Onya, her unique witty manner when speaking in character adds depth. The fan oscillating joke, in particular, is quite amusing. Her roasting style most resembles Willow Pill’s (who should have won the roast during her season, my apologies to Bosco): Her delivery of some drier, more risqué jokes is even funnier because her stage presence is relatively understated.

Instead, it’s Suzie who holds her own quite well. Her jokes are decent, not exceptional, but her stage presence truly caught my attention this week. There was an undercurrent of something in her demeanor that I found a bit subdued or serious? Perhaps unenthusiastic? She didn’t quite manage to deliver the vivacious, energetic vibe necessary for a roast to really shine. Appropriately cautious.

Ultimately, Lexi was quite underwhelming. She started the episode with high hopes of winning, but ended up delivering a disorganized, unfunny performance instead. Despite her potential as a natural performer and her extensive comedic background – as shown by her impressive Gilbert Gottfried impression for Snatch Game – she seems too preoccupied with interpersonal issues to fully capitalize on it. It’s unfortunate because Lydia Butthole Kollins appears to be thriving in the competition, and it would be a real pity to see Lexi go at the top six.

The category for the runway is shorts, which isn’t particularly impressive. Onya’s denim outfit is acceptable, but it doesn’t convey ‘shorts’ to me, even though it’s made from jean shorts. I really like the color of her wig. Arrietty, as usual, has the best look of the night. Jewels receives a half-yelled rebuke from Michelle for doing Marie Antoinette, but I think it could be argued that this is suitable for a saloon setting. Either way, she looks fantastic. Lana performs a Naomi Campbell “Dsquared” fashion look, which I recognized and appreciated as a reference, but I can understand why the judges wanted more flair from it. Sam delivers a well-executed, predictably polished football look. I think the shoulder pads could have been extended slightly more, but that’s a minor complaint. She looks great. Lydia’s unusual drag outfit is more tolerable when she delivers a strong challenge performance. The shorts are disappointing, but the Balaklava is impressive. Suzie’s look is good, and it seems expensive. Lexi creates a shredded jeans short look that outperforms Onya’s. I don’t understand why TS Madison would have issues with all her trains. She’s a drag queen!

As predicted, the bear contest turned out as anticipated. Lydia secured her first victory, whereas Jewels and Arrietty found themselves in the bottom two. Their performances were lackluster, not only due to their subpar delivery but also because the storyline was ripe for the picking. It’s hard to imagine they could have missed that opportunity!

Once again, the lip sync performance excelled on its own merits, yet it was the narrative that truly elevated it. The selection was “YA YA” from Cowboy Carter, a track I consider flawless for lip-syncing. If I were to rate the girls’ performance, I’d give them an eight out of ten. Jewels showed more promise, although her concern about the wig coming loose towards the end was evident. Nonetheless, Lydia deservedly took the win. Regrettably, Arrietty had to bid farewell, a departure that felt merciful in nature.

And also on Untucked…

• In a casual, unbuttoned style, “I” is absolutely bold. Onya and Suzie initially enjoy themselves, but when more girls arrive backstage, it turns into a wild free-for-all. I admired Onya’s defense of Jewels, and it was heartwarming to discover the bond between Lexi and Onya for the first time. It’s really touching. I was pleased to see Lexi genuinely apologize. If I were Jewels, I might have scolded Arrietty about the joke theft, but I think Jewels had moved past it to the point where she didn’t react.

From each of the antagonists, Arrietty hears “Learn the melody,” “You’ve been spotted, sister,” and “You’ll be returning home next.” I apologize for any confusion, as these phrases were indeed directed at Arrietty in the original statement.

• Ru’s description of Suzie’s look as “Merchant of Penis” is really, really stupid.

I’ve held off discussing Whitney Cummings, a topic I wanted to bring up with my colleague Jesse David Fox (author of the book “Comedy”), until now. After all, Cummings recently appeared on CNN’s New Year’s Eve show and made some edgy jokes, such as saying that the pro-choice party didn’t give voters a choice for their presidential candidate, and that Kamala Harris was “forced” upon them. More troubling, she has also made transphobic jokes, like commenting on Shania Twain’s appearance on the show being reminiscent of this year’s Paris Olympics theme: “Man! I feel like a Woman.” This all came after filming “Drag Race.

I inquired from Jesse about his thoughts on her participation in ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’, to which he replied, “Historically, drag queens were recognized for their witty humor and lack of political correctness,” adding, “I believe there exists a group of ‘Drag Race’ enthusiasts who may be more sensitive than the queens themselves.

• Forecasted top four contenders: Sam, Onya, Suzie, and it appears Jewels could also make the list. However, Lexi seems to be struggling more than usual lately.

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2025-03-08 06:56