RuPaul’s Drag Race Recap: Your Story Is Quite Harrowing

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This week’s episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race was particularly harsh towards Suzie Toot, a contestant who has been quite controversial this season. Watching it made me feel quite sympathetic towards her. However, I can’t deny that it wasn’t engaging. The final 15 minutes were classic Drag Race, showcasing a fierce competition that sometimes feels like the theater queens are being tested solely to be criticized. It’s just unfortunate that the rest of the challenge didn’t live up to that intensity.

The climactic event of the season, which is essentially the reason we’ve been following this series – The Great Fall of Suzie Toot – doesn’t quite live up to expectations. The show manages to create enough intrigue for emotional impact, but the challenge presented is just too bizarre and lacks sufficient buildup. We miss seeing Suzie’s repeated mistakes that could have led to a more impactful conclusion. Frankly, this challenge seems absurd. It’s supposedly modeled after auditioning for RuPaul’s Drag Race Live!, which makes sense in many aspects as it’s something these queens might encounter in reality, but the audition process is an odd assortment of tasks that no one excels at. The judging appears disjointed. What truly matters? The aspects that significantly influence the judging are things we never witnessed them prepare or even consider. When and how did they learn the dance? When was the video promo recorded? Why weren’t original verses used? Why were there no girl groups throughout the season? It’s all very puzzling!

The show kicks off with a burst of excitement as Onya and Jewels have been rescued, leaving the ladies ecstatic that they’re still among the top five. Then RuPaul makes an entrance and unveils a complex task: creating a promotional photo and video, interviewing Latrice Royale, and performing “Gift Shop” song. It’s quite a load! The reason for so many components in this challenge is that, during my initial viewing, it seemed like events were just unfolding haphazardly on the screen. The queens would chat, then an event would occur, which continued throughout the promotional clips that we’re revisited during judging when they finally materialize. However, the key aspect of this opening exposition is one word: LAS VEGAS! Regardless of what tasks they face this week, the successful queens keep their eyes on the prize.

In my perspective as a dedicated fan of Drag Race, the initial scene following the challenge unveiling had the ladies discussing their plans while clutching notepads – a detail I later realized was for drafting their promo videos, but initially thought it could be for unused verses. Frankly, I’m puzzled about why they opted out of verses this season; it’s one of the aspects I eagerly look forward to each episode. Could it be because everyone showcased original songs during the talent show? I wasn’t a fan of those performances, and I can’t wait to hear Lexi rap! As the creative process unfolded, Suzie shared her intention to adopt an “Anything Goes” theme, while Sam hinted at embracing her country roots. Onya and Lexi expressed their skepticism about these ideas in separate confessionals, which, as it turned out, proved accurate. Let’s see how this plays out!

Next, we move on to the photoshoot, guided by RuPaul. This segment is exceptional because it provides insight into the creative process and the final presentation on the runway. Jewels takes center stage first, perfectly embodying a “Vegas showgirl” persona. Onya follows, her portrayal of Vegas as a glamorous brothel owner fitting quite well. Though her attire adds maturity to her look, it’s not necessarily a negative aspect, as Sam will later demonstrate with her own runway choice. Surprisingly, Sam commits an error by selecting an outfit and wig that restrict her movement excessively – a blunder I wouldn’t have expected from someone as seasoned as herself. Suzie struggles significantly during the shoot, her costume being quite unfortunate in appearance. Even if she had intended to portray “Anything Goes,” her depiction falls short of the glamourous Reno Sweeney and instead resembles a supporting cast member. The design is cheap. Throughout the week, I’ll often mention Suzie’s performance and emphasize that if one’s drag lacks the versatility to encompass “Las Vegas,” then it is quite limited indeed. Lexi battles self-doubt, but her outfit photographs well, which is a significant factor in this competition, and she eventually relaxes as time goes by.

Following this, we observe the girls’ interviews with Latrice. Sam initiates the conversation and strikes a good balance between being polished yet genuine, avoiding an overly rehearsed impression. Michelle criticizes Sam for appearing arrogant, and I suspect it might have been more noticeable in a full, uncut interview where Sam frequently boasted about her abilities. In the condensed format, she appears acceptable. Next up is Onya, who elects to abandon her “Onya Nurve” persona and instead speak sincerely during daytime drag. While suitable, I yearned for a touch of her usual drag flair. After that comes Suzie, who shares a connection with Latrice from Fort Lauderdale (quite extraordinary). However, Suzie’s performance sometimes feels staged, making me wish she would speak more casually like a real person. This is further emphasized by Lexi, who delivers an authentic interview effortlessly. Lexi struggles to maintain her genuine nature at times, but it works in her favor here. Jewels follows, expressing her desire to merge burlesque and high-energy dance. Although I question the feasibility of this combination, she presents it convincingly. However, when Latrice asks about her future plans, Jewels struggles due to Drag Race seemingly being her ultimate objective. This moment is both intriguing and revealing – it aids her in winning the challenge, but such vulnerability could potentially jeopardize her chances for the entire season.

After watching “Gift Shop”, a performance that left me anticipating the number’s start throughout, I found myself rewatching it. Here’s my take on the performers: Lexi stood out, boasting an attention-grabbing outfit and impressive performance; Sam followed closely as she was the only other one with a stylish wardrobe. Onya wasn’t the top pop music dancer but managed to keep up; Jewels barely caught my eye, while Suzie unfortunately lagged behind due to her nude character shoe that I found quite offensive.

if someone told me that the person wearing it was 50 years old, I would believe it. However, Sam Star is only 24 years old, and this type of “grand dame” outfit doesn’t seem to suit her or fit her personality as she lacks the necessary gravitas.

I adore Suzie’s look – it’s fantastic and my favorite of hers all season!

As a movie reviewer, let me share my thoughts on this week’s performances. Jewels delivers a commendable act, yet her line delivery is slightly off-mark by an inch. She’s nearly there, but it’s the finesse that Onya possesses which truly captivates. The judges seem enamored with Jewels, given her Vegas-like charm. Unfortunately, Lexi’s performance falls flat this week. Her lines read awkwardly and she veers towards overt sexuality. Despite these flaws, Lexi managed to execute several aspects correctly, making her mistakes less impactful. Onya receives universal praise for everything except her talk-show attire (there’s always something to criticize this week). Her performance is leagues ahead of everyone else, leaving us speechless at the disparity in talent. Sam’s act, however, is a case of “death by a thousand cuts.” The critics don’t despise anything she does, but they find room for improvement in almost every aspect of her performance.

After Suzie’s performance, she faced some harsh criticism, which was difficult to witness. Although I agree with the judges’ comments, the way it was delivered felt unnecessarily harsh. Michelle was frustrated that Suzie didn’t change her approach enough, yet this concern wasn’t explicitly mentioned by the judges until now. It seemed as though Suzie had been overlooked in terms of constructive criticism previously. This week, Suzie clearly underperformed, but it’s worth noting that she had never received feedback on what specifically needed improvement before this instance. This leaves me questioning whether the judges could have played a role in Suzie’s poor performance this week. Furthermore, I can’t help but wonder why Suzie chose to perform “Anything Goes” for Vegas, and why she selected that unfortunate shoe for her number. Additionally, her promo video was less than impressive, which is something I haven’t discussed yet, but it was truly terrible. This has been a challenging week for Toot indeed.

Jewels triumphed in the contest, causing quite an upset to the calculations: She had to win or face elimination, and she did. Well done, queen, but this victory leaves every other competitor at risk. The dance-off, deservedly, came down to Sam and Suzie. Some may argue that Lexi should have been in danger instead, but I find that argument baseless. They performed “Love Child” by Diana Ross and the Supremes, a fitting choice given guest judge Tracee Ellis Ross. However, this song didn’t seem to fit either queen particularly well. Nonetheless, I believe Suzie outperformed Sam in the dance-off. Apologies aren’t necessary: While Sam delivered a more traditional Diana Ross performance, she struggled to pull off her costume convincingly. In contrast, Suzie fully embraced the song, making it her own. I think she wins decisively. Yet, she still departs from the competition. It appears that RuPaul may not have been fond of her drag overall? We can only speculate.

Farewell to Suzie Toot (1920-29), who has been the center of conversation throughout the entire year, the lead character in Season 17, and now, its ultimate casualty. Your absence will surely be felt!

Also on Untucked …

• Sam Star does not practice the song, which I do not find surprising given her performance.

Don’t forget to check out my interview with Suzie Toot, scheduled for release on Vulture around noon on April 5. I appreciate your attention and look forward to sharing some great content with you!

• The hilarious Ross Mathews looks like a sci-fi villain this week for some reason.

Michelle Visage has been quite outspoken in her critiques this week, offering praise such as “Your tale is incredibly intense” and “That leaves a strong impression on me.” I find myself saying a blend of the two phrases around my apartment, “Your story is incredibly intense, that leaves a strong impression on me,” almost like I’m talking to myself.

• It’s even more amusing that they are aiming for a top four position again, given their decision to eliminate Q right before the final last season, essentially saying, “We don’t want her, specifically, to be in the finals.

• Absolutely bonkers that the last person eliminated before Suzie Toot was Lana Ja’Rae.

Genevieve Koski, my editor, is quite bummed that Suzie departed this week as it hurt her “Drag Race” league standings. Let’s all raise a glass in sympathy for Genevieve’s league rankings! [Editor’s note: Appreciated.]

• Winner pick: Onya Nurve all the way. Dark horse Jewels. Don’t see it for Lexi or Sam.

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2025-04-05 04:54