RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Recap: The Power of the Dog

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The end of Pride Month was marked by “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” maintaining the spunk in Pride celebrations! This week, they challenged the queens to explore pup play! Solidarity at its finest!

This week marks the final stage of the tournament-style format, and I must say, it feels like the brackets aren’t living up to their potential. While they do offer a wider variety of queens than we typically see on All Stars, the focus on scoring seems to have overshadowed the overall storyline. Last week’s results were disappointing, but an entertaining drag performance, especially a strong runway look, can’t be ignored.

This week’s Messy Points Tribunal stands out as one of the season’s most impactful, yet it remains frustrating. Acid’s strategies appear to have resonated with the queens, leading Cynthia to accumulate a mini-fortune of points. This sets off a lengthy episode-long conflict, where Daya becomes emotional over Alyssa’s assertions about “consistency,” despite also voting for Cynthia. It seems either Daya can’t fathom that Alyssa genuinely believes Cynthia is more consistent than Daya (who was admittedly the weakest verse last week), or Daya is fretting over being left behind in points. It’s quite a spectacle over a mere one-point gap.

Following a brief interlude, the trivial dispute propels Daya back into the spotlight of the episode, yet it swiftly leads nowhere. Unable to drop the matter, she reignites the argument before reaching the runway. Having a heated debate on the same issue within the same episode is like consuming Jägerbombs, endorsing a well-known Scientologist, or keeping childhood plush toys in your dorm: Only one is allowed. In an episode that frequently follows predictable patterns, my alignment with Alyssa in the drag feud took me by the greatest surprise. Barbara, “consistency,” please!

Only one can happen. In an episode that usually unfolds as expected, my backing Alyssa in the drag squabble took me by surprise. Barbara, “consistency,” please!

As a movie critic, let me delve into the world of “Pup Play” in this edition of The Golden Bitchelor. In an unusual twist, our drag queens were assigned to portray canine bachelors, squaring off against Zane Phillips in an improv battle. However, I must confess, it fell short compared to the side-splitting hilarity displayed by BenDeLaCreme or Kennedy Davenport during All Stars 3’s non-canine episodes.

That said, the challenge format itself is commendable and deserves a second chance. The unique twist? Each contestant donned prosthetic dog noses – a far cry from the fish face of Asia O’Hara or Drag Race U.K.’s “Rats! The Rusical.” Now, we’re dealing with full-blown dog-nose prosthetics and an overabundance of “bitch” jokes that would make any dog proud. RuPaul even chimed in with a nod to the Baha Men.

Best friends Acid and Cynthia are the most entertaining duo; they never fail to crack everyone up. Although some might argue that Acid’s humor is repetitive, it consistently delivers laughs. However, the main source of amusement from Acid’s BDSM character, the oh-no-she-better-dogberman, isn’t found in her dom-sub commands. Instead, it lies in her impeccable physical comedy – she never breaks her deadpan stare or smile. In fact, it is Acid who manages to make the dog-wig-and-makeup transformation hysterical from the get-go. Meanwhile, Cynthia serves as a perfect comic counterpart with her characteristic eccentricity.

In their individual presentations, Ginger and Alyssa showcase their humor effectively, but they don’t interact with each other as spontaneously as some other groups do. Alyssa’s single mother routine doesn’t seem to be particularly captivating; her jokes are average rather than exceptional. Compared to the rest, Ginger makes a powerful first impression with her well-developed character, but her jokes sometimes come off as overly rehearsed. The performance is almost outstanding, and I want to acknowledge her clever reference to Brandy’s discography, but it falls just short of being truly impressive.

Daya and Denali have great chemistry, yet they fail to deliver the humorous climax in their performance. Instead of focusing on her role as an “emotional support dog”, Denali emphasizes her British character, which slightly dilutes its intended impact. Despite Kerri Colby’s rap roast not explicitly calling out names, it’s evident that this competition might not go well for her, even though her accent is good and she manages to elicit some laughter with her overall demeanor. On the other hand, Daya has a clear idea of her character but falls short in providing humor, even when trying to keep pace with Denali’s energy.

The contestants in this episode of Drag Race really shone, especially Daya and Denali who paid tribute to their heritage and family. Alyssa went for an asymmetrical carnival style, Ginger channeled Shakespearean drag (with a hint of Kill Bill), and Acid continued the tradition of Marie Antoinette parodies in a stunning way. Unfortunately, Cynthia’s look, which was meant to celebrate her cancer remission, didn’t quite hit the mark this time.

The judges consistently support the same viewpoint and announce Ginger as the joint champion with Daya. In the Untucked segment, it appears all queens believe Acid will finally claim victory, but the judges are perplexed by Acid’s ability to play both dominant and submissive roles (it seems they haven’t had personal experiences!). The “Mama Used to Say” lip sync performance is smooth and sisterly, with Daya being chosen as the superior performer of the two. As we progress into the semifinals, I anticipate a more spectacular lip sync than what we’ve seen so far this season.

In conclusion, after a long wait, we’ve reached the final round of Messy Points – similar to Sandra Bullock in Gravity, we’ve held on tight to reach this point. If semifinals involve points, I think it was predicted as the fifth sign of the apocalypse! With Daya and Ginger moving forward, the final tense moment lies between Denali and Cynthia. Ultimately, it’s Acid who casts the deciding vote, doing so tearfully to advance her friend Cynthia. In Untucked, Denali humbly admitted she knew she wouldn’t progress due to their bond, and I believe the audience shared that sentiment as well.

Currently, Cynthia is the sole contestant who has reached the semifinals without claiming a challenge victory. As a loyal supporter of Cynthia, I must admit that it’s puzzling to see her progress given what seems like a subpar runway presentation this season. However, if we consider those two facts alongside the fact that another contestant has been awarded three challenge victories, which some might argue were not entirely fair or predetermined, I find myself questioning more about the wins rather than Cynthia’s advancement.

Contestants like Olivia and Kerri came very close to achieving what Cynthia managed, but ultimately fell short. They were left with tears (boo-hoo), while we are left celebrating Cynthia (Cucu).

A more disappointing turn of events is that neither of the brackets’ top-performing queens will move on to the semifinals, with Acid Betty being one who arguably didn’t receive a fair chance. It’s not just about Ru favoritism, which we typically anticipate. Instead, what’s confusing is that the audience witnessed one scenario, while the judges presented another. Denali and Tina Burner are now the only queens this season who haven’t progressed despite winning challenges.

It’s quite surprising that Denali won’t advance to the next round, but it’s even more astonishing that Acid Betty has never triumphed in a challenge despite meeting the main criteria for All Stars: She significantly improved her looks from her initial season and willingly took on challenges that were beyond her comfort zone. On the other hand, Ginger has received only positive feedback, while minor flaws have been disregarded. However, the judges have had to nitpick minor details to find reasons – some might call them excuses – for why Acid Betty and Denali weren’t even considered for the top spot. Diana Riggamorris!

However, let’s consider the unforeseen scenario where the randomly chosen queen makes a comeback for the ultimate lip-sync battle. While Acid is rooting for Denali as soon as she steps off stage, there’s also a chance that the past bracket drama could benefit Olivia or Kerri. To be honest, I didn’t start this season backing Denali, but at this juncture, if you’re not favoring her out of personal preference, your support should wholeheartedly be with her.

To put it simply, the atmosphere wasn’t great. This competition didn’t provide any new insights about the queens or make us want to support them more. The excitement of watching outstanding drag performances was overshadowed by biased judging. Despite some exceptional performances from certain queens, it’s fair to say that this event wasn’t worth watching – it was more like my dog skipping over a stone in the river.

Extra Two Pieces and a Biscuit

If Acid is designing for Cynthia in the upcoming round, then any victories she achieves could be viewed as victories for Acid as well, correct? Correct!

How might people perceive this semifinals lineup if it were presented as an ordinary “All-Star” lineup? I believe it would be received more favorably within the context of this tournament format rather than outside it.

Instead of focusing on Acid’s BDSM Doberman and all the puppy play, let’s talk about the less discussed aspect from this episode: Cucu’s spanking sandal fetish.

In this episode of The Trade, Alyssa’s Cronenberg-inspired six-breasted dog image added to the unsettling body-horror theme, following last week’s disturbing Untucked eye booger performance.

Or, more casually:

Alyssa’s six-boobed puppy was another creepy body-horror moment on this week’s The Trade, topping off the weirdness from last week’s gross Untucked eye booger show.

In a subtle manner, the show hinted that Ginger had already clinched the Snatch Game title on two previous occasions, and the following week will once again feature this popular challenge. [A heavy sigh, assembles Bosco’s prayer group.]

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2025-06-27 14:54