RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE: SEASON 9 - GRAND FINALE

I went into last night’s finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race truly torn on who I’d like to win. How could I possibly declare myself Team Trinity, Shea, Sasha or Peppermint when a case could be made for all four performers to take the crown? After a lot of hemming and hawing about the merits of season nine, the charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent has never been higher than this season’s final four.

Still, a queen must be crowned, and last night’s Grand Finale put a fun twist on the format that took full advantage of the final four. 

Last week’s reunion got a lot of catchup with the eliminated queens out of the way, so last night’s special could really focus on the finalists. It was such a smart move. I felt so much more invested in the ending without having to sit through Jaymes Mansfield or Kimora Blac telling us we haven’t seen the last of them, or whatever.

Instead, the first half of the episode was dedicated to one-on-one interviews with all four gals that endeared each one even more to the audience. Peppermint spoke about her experience as a trans woman (including a live appearance by friend Trace Lysette and a taped message from Laverne Cox, as well as a short appearance from made-over crew member Wintergreen). Sasha introduced us to Papa Velour and made a very funny and self-aware observation: “They say that if you look into a mirror and talk about sad things, I appear behind you to give you a queer history lesson.” (She also got a taped message from Katy Perry that made me audibly groan when she appeared on screen.)

We got a glimpse into Shea’s personal life as she shared a truly touching story about losing her father and her sister to cancer shortly after casting. But, instead of ending on a sad note, we got to meet Shea’s mom, the Reverend, whom I wish we saw more of during the show/Untucked. Finally, Trinity Taylor introduced us to her hot new boyfriend that she met on a sex app, which she said so nonchalantly, it almost felt like an act of resistance.

With all those niceties out of the way, the show moved into a new segment. This season the gals had to compete in a lip sync tournament to declare a winner. On the one hand, it made the finale feel much more urgent and allowed the final four to show off how badly they want this. But, on the other hand, it also felt like it discounted a lot of the successes that came earlier in the season.

Ru spun a wheel with all the ladies’ names on it, landing on Trinity Taylor. Trin got to choose her lip sync opponent, and she chose Peppermint, which seems like a bold move. The two had a showdown to Britney Spears’ “Stronger.” Trin came out swinging, but it was Peppermint’s wild wig AND dress reveal that stole the show. Yes, a reveal like this could feel cheap, but she pulled off such a grand reveal so perfectly timed, it felt earned. Ru declared Pep on to the next round, sending Trinity to sashay away.

Round two pitted besties Shea and Sasha against one another to Whitney Houston’s “So Emotional.” Another fierce lip sync from both queens, but Sasha got a boost with a little extra creativity, adding small bursts of rose petals stowed away in her gloves and, dramatically, under her wig, resulting in a wig reveal reminiscent of Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ 2004 MTV Movie Awards performance.

Again, the theatrics could be dismissed as gimmicky — and they are — but they also added a dimension to Sasha’s performance that highlighted her creativity. It was the better lip sync of the two. But! Does that Hobby Lobby bag of fake rose petals somehow outweigh Shea’s consistent dominance of the competition? It did last night. That might stick in the craw of some viewers, and had Shea been dispatched by a lesser queen than Sasha, it could’ve soured me too. As it went down though, Sasha earned her spot (and let’s not forget that she never landed in the bottom two all season).

The final lip sync between Sasha and Peppermint was set to another Whitney song, the legendary “It’s Not Right But It’s OK.” Sasha brought the drama with a mask that was part Gaga, part Alien, part, um, rosebud?, which she deconstructed during the performance for maximum effect. She removed the mouth piece first, bringing all the attention to a deep scarlet lip that showed off her lip syncing against her otherwise all-white lewk. Then she cracked the rest of the helmet off at the perfect moment in the track. It was very effective. Again, reducing this move to a “reveal” feels cheaper than it was. This was the biggest performance of these two queens’ careers — they HAD to bust out all the stops.

Peppermint was no slouch, either. This season’s “lip sync assassin” gave it her all, of course, but Sasha’s strange sort of angry lip sync exudes a certain kind of passion that plays better on camera even more than Peppermint’s polished routine.

And that’s how Sasha was crowned season nine’s winner and America’s Next Drag Superstar. All hail the kween.

Now, once more for old time’s sake, here are my rankings of the final four queens following last night’s performances. Agree, disagree and leave your thoughts on the queens in the comments.

1.   As I mentioned, I really do think all four gals are great, but Shea Couleé is still my bae. She’s already dropped three singles, so she’s not letting this moment pass her by. I’m looking forward to seeing her slay on All Stars 3, which cannot come soon enough.

2.   I’ve already seen some grumbling about Sasha’s win online, but, whether or not you like how it was all decided, she is a worthy champion. Her intellectual schtick can come off a bit stiff, but it’s nice to have someone who cares deeply about our history and community representing us on arguably our most mainstream stage. Plus, she is an incredibly talented performer. You can say it’s too gimmicky, but there’s no denying her work is unique. When all the season nine gals performed in NYC ahead of the premiere, Sasha brought the house DOWN with her iconic projector-assisted performance of Sia’s “Cellophane.”



 (Though, let’s be real for a minute: It was a little eyeroll-inducing to see her yell out “Let’s change sh*t up!” as a white, cis male winning over a trans woman of color.)

3.   Ru nailed it when she discussed Trinity’s early “low approval ratings.” I personally wasn’t sold on the pageant gal until she started showing us her full range. Now, I can say I’m fully onboard with Team Taylor. She’s earned her place in the pantheon of great Drag Race queens, and I’m so glad to see this experience provide her with the exposure to fuel the next phase of her career.

4.   Peppermint’s place at the bottom of this list is hardly an insult in this crowd. Considering the competition, Peppermint probably came into last night the least likely to snatch the crown. Despite a few slip-ups and the occasional sloppy fit, Pep dazzled with her lip syncs and won over audiences with her sparkling personality. The finale’s lip sync format allowed her to shine, snagging a spot in the top two she probably wouldn’t have taken had it just been an assessment of her work all season. And yet, I was still happy to see her talent recognized. She’s already a star in the drag scene, and this only cements her legacy.

What did you think of this season?

SOURCE: TOWLEROAD

RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE: SEASON 9, EPISODE 12 - "CATEGORY IS"

I have no problem admitting that RuPaul’s Drag Race is my favorite show. New episodes are the highlight of my week, I watch each one at least four times, I discuss it endlessly with friends (and strangers) and I even stream old seasons to pass the time.

And yet even I think this season has felt too long.

Fourteen queens is a lot, especially when it was weighed down with so many ladies that fizzled out in such disappointing fashion. It would’ve at least felt like a tighter race without Jaymes, Kimora, Charlie, Farrah and Cynthia Lee Fontaine in the mix at all. Plus, we had a premiere where no one went home AND an episode where Eureka’s injury spared both Farrah and Cynthia Lee Fontaine at a time when a double-elimination would have been justified.

All this is to say that last night’s twist felt like we were still dragging deadweight across the finish line. If ever there was a season where the queens desperately needed to be shaken out of complacency, it’s this one. I mean, we had a lip sync where a queen did. not. move. AND a sync where the queen didn’t know the words! Come on. Season nine does not deserve Ru’s mercy, mama.

Nor did the queens’ performances really feel like they warranted a final four in the finale, honestly.

Last night’s challenge was the typical multi-part season-closer. In lieu of the beloved (and dearly missed) Tic-Tac luncheon, the gals joined Michelle and Ru on their podcast What’s the Tee? They also recorded a “rap” verse to one of Ru’s songs and learned complex choreo to accompany the track on the runway. It’s the same basic gamut Alaska, Detox and Katya slayed on All Stars 2 (the less said about Roxxxy Andrews’ skills on the mic, the better).

In typical reality-TV fashion, this penultimate episode is crafted to make us believe any one of these queens could win. Peppermint and Shea were naturals in the studio and in the dance rehearsal, while Trinity and Sasha struggled with both, but everyone pulls it off fine on the runway. Each queen gets to share a difficult personal struggle on the podcast, and they all got another teary moment on the runway when giving advice to their younger selves.

Shea seemed like an obvious lock. Peppermint could’ve been sent home for shining less brightly than her three competitors throughout the competition. Sasha or Trinity could’ve justifiably sashayed away for just not knocking tonight out of the park. But, instead, Ru spared everyone and now we have a top four. Yay? I could sincerely see any one of these ladies snatch the crown, but the same could be said about Katya, Latrice, BenDeLaCreme and Detox. Part of what makes the show exciting is that there is a scarcity of success. You can’t just give everyone a crown. This isn’t the end of Mean Girls.

Still, it’s Ru’s world, Ru’s rules, so a top four it is. Let’s see where our gals stand in our rankings below.

1. I’ve had Shea pegged as a top contender since day one, and she’s barely stumbled since. Her one appearance in the bottom two felt arbitrary, and last night was particularly solid evidence of her claim to the crown. She’s got looks, she’s got moves, she’s got attitude. An upset isn’t out of the question, but no one else has delivered excellence as consistently this season. (Though what was up with the chest on that final runway look? It was mesmerizing for all the wrong reasons.)

2. It’s Sasha by a nose in the number two spot. If you countered this is Trinity’s slot, I wouldn’t fight you on it, but I still think Sasha did something more interesting with the challenge this week, even if it wasn’t as polished as Shea or dynamic as Peppermint. As usual, she put her signature Sasha flavor to things, and it was fun to watch. It’s not the kind of thing I’d stream on Spotify (mostly because I listen almost exclusively to Carly Rae Jepsen, and that’s my business!), but she had a vision that she executed pretty successfully.

3. During last night’s judges’ pow-wow Michelle basically said what I said last week: Trinity is better than she even realizes. I am aware of my own bias against pageant queens, but Trinity has charmed me all season. Plus, I like that she’s maintained a real, naked competitive spirit. (Alexis Michelle’s dedication to the sisterhood became grating once she bared her fangs as soon as she was feeling the heat.) Trinity isn’t as fun as Alyssa, but she isn’t as sloppy as Alyssa could be either. Her last runway look was her best all season, and I was truly gagged.

4. Objectively, Peppermint is the least deserving of the win. She just hasn’t managed to conquer the given challenges the way Shea and Sasha have. But! There’s an undeniable likability and presence to Peppermint that makes it hard to deny her the title of “superstar.” She’s given us the only good lip syncs this season, and her rap was killer. It was a bold move saving that last dress for tonight, because it was the best thing she brought with her. Pep’s a proven commodity, so it’d be unwise to count her out. However, a win here feels like it undermines the show’s ability to reveal the next drag superstar. If you can still win over queens that defeated you at nearly every challenge, what’s the point of any of this?

How would you rank the remaining queens?

SOURCE: TOWLEROAD

RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE: SEASON 9, EPISODE 10 - "GAYEST BALL EVER"

Who would’ve thought that it would take putting on hooves for the claws to come out. For a few weeks there, I was starting to think this really was RuPaul’s Best Friend Race. Down to the final five, Friday night’s Drag Race turned up the heat between the remaining queens.

The Gayest Ball Ever had it all: Ribbon dancing! Unicorns! Construction couture!

But before the gals hoofed it (literally) down the runway, we’ve got puppets!

Though there’s been a disappointing lack of mini-challenges this season, it’s good to see the classics. The puppet challenge isn’t too far from the reading challenge, but there’s an added dose of levity, because, well, puppets. Last night’s puppet theatre didn’t quite live up to some of the better seasons (season six in particular was a strong one), but there were a few zingers.

Shea turned out a Peppermint puppet that was a shrieking, screaming, mean mess. Trinity’s Shea puppet basically just yelled about being from Chicago. Peppermint’s puppet version of Alexis Michelle was a singing Broadway diva, but she saved it with a quick change into Alexis’ green roast makeup. Alexis herself? Not great. She did a Sasha puppet that ended up just being more mean than funny.

Once again though it’s Sasha that nailed the humor. Her barbs aimed at Trinity had just the right amount of bite, but there were also real jokes in there. She scored a double burn when she accused Trin of being into horse play (sex with Nina) and pillow play (sex with Nina’s padding).

Her puppet performance earned Sasha the mini-challenge win and the chance to choreograph the rhythmic gymnastics opening number on the runway. Unfortunately, Sasha hasn’t figured out how to intellectualize rhythmic gymnastics, so she struggled to corral the other queens in rehearsal. Shea dominated with suggestions, and Alexis felt ignored. It’s the first thing she bitched about in the ep, but it certainly wasn’t the last.

This season’s ball looks included a rainbow-themed ensemble, a sexy unicorn and one lewk inspired by one of the Village People. As far as ball themes go, this one wasn’t as ridiculous as the Bitch Ball, but it’s pretty close.

Shea took the win despite a rainbow outfit that looked less like a Pride class and more like it was bought at a Rainbow. Sasha is a real stunner, but her chic fashions seemed to go over the judges’ heads. Peppermint’s unicorn look was a little slouchy, and Alexis trotted out one snooze after another on the runway, landing them both in the bottom two. Alexis again blamed the other queens for not discouraging her fashion choices.

Finally, with all the cannon fodder gone for good, we had the first great lip sync of the season, and to “Macho Man” no less! We’ve had some good performances before, but I think this is the first where both queens really felt like they were fighting to survive. They were both great, but you just can’t out-sync Peppermint. Ru made the right choice to send Alexis back to Broadway, baby.

Let’s see where our ladies stand in our rankings below.

1. Since the beginning, I was convinced Shea was going to runaway with this whole thing. She still might, but Sasha and Trinity are hot on her heels. I wasn’t wild about her puppet jokes, and I just didn’t think that “rainbow” dress was sickening enough to justify failing to satisfy the challenge. However, her construction worker-inspired outfit was one of the series’ best. Plus, her sexy unicorn made me feel weird feelings.

2. Sasha slayed all three parts of last night’s challenge. I am obsessed with her color-blocked rainbow ensemble, her battlefield unicorn was an excellent choice and, although it was simple, her cowgirl couture was expertly crafted. Sasha is a lock for the top three, but can she snatch the crown?

3. Although I was slow to warm to Trinity, I am all in now. She’s a star. Part of me just thinks she’s not even aware of how good she is. She thinks she’s just a pageant girl, but she’s hilarious, she’s creative, she’s got a vision. I love how she interpreted Policeman last night. Trin is also a good bet for top three, and she may be the dark horse that wins this whole thing.

4. In a way, I wish Peppermint was in the bottom two every single week just so we could see her crush these lip syncs. I mean, I felt like she pulled out that amazing move from the Janet Jackson “If” video for me personally. It was amazing. Sadly, I don’t think she has the skillset to outdo the top three ladies in a challenge or on the runway. At least we’ll get to see her lip sync one more time.

5. I feel badly that Alexis Michelle had to go out on such a sour note. She’s obviously incredibly talented, but every single one of those runway looks last night was a dud. Plus, her defensiveness is such a turnoff. Again she blamed the other girls for not clocking her outfits before she wore them on the mainstage, and she even tried to backtalk Michelle. (Big mistake. Huge.) I think her behavior on the show (and especially on Untucked) made her a bit of a villain, but I don’t think she deserves to be remembered like another Phi Phi. Instead, I’ll look back fondly on her Liza and Kris Kardashian.

How would you rank the queens?

SOURCE: TOWLEROAD

RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE: SEASON 9, EPISODE 10 - "MAKEOVERS: CREW BETTER WORK"

After last week’s shocking, devastating RuPaul’s Drag Race, this week’s lighthearted romp felt like a bit of a palate cleanser. And thank goodness for that, because I don’t think I could take another week of heartache.

I’ve been reflecting a lot about last week’s surprise elimination (which if you haven’t seen it yet, I’m about to spoil, so go back under whatever rock you’ve been hiding for the last week). It wasn’t so much that I was enamored with Valentina, although I was. I also adored BenDeLaCreme, but wasn’t nearly as shook by her elimination. It was watching Valentina clearly crumble on stage that was the perfect visual representation of so many of our greatest fears (and regrets). Who hasn’t chased a dream or goal and then failed spectacularly when it mattered most? Maybe not at the same scale, but it’s a feeling that resonates to the core.

Little time is spent mourning the loss of the Latina star. Instead, we’re catapulted quickly into another one of Nina’s shame spirals. She turned out that lip sync, but no amount of praise is getting through to her. All the other queens are over it, and, gurl, so am I.

A new day in the workroom means a new maxi-challenge, and Mama Ru is there to introduce this season’s makeover challenge. We’ve seen vets, husbands-to-be, LGBT activists and more in previous seasons, but this time we’re going to genderflip the Drag Race crew. And, be still my throbbing tuck, they are a handsome bunch!

Shea and Sasha get to assign the girls their crew members, but honestly they’re all winners. The guys are not only comfortable with drag, but their experience on the show also helps them understand what makes good, quippy TV. They’re game for anything the gals throw at them, and they even throw better shade than a lot of the gurls in the room.

Sasha has a ball with daddy Duncan, the tough guy associate director with a heart of gold. Trinity wants to make sure her (exceptionally handsome) partner, Rizzo, has that signature tight Taylor tuck. (I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE.) Peppermint is paired with Sarge, a burly cameraman and former military man. Oh, you wanted a twist?! He’s the most natural in drag. He’s got the look, the attitude, the wit. I’m obsessed. #TeamSarge

Nina is off with her partner deciding now’s the time to learn how to sew when she’s got two lewks to churn out. Oh, honey, no. After wasting probably too much time, she reconsiders.

On the runway, the gals need to strut their sisters out, then perform a lip sync to RuPaul’s track “Click Clack,” which I guess is just mostly repurposed from the far superior “Peanut Butter.” Trinity’s showgirl worth ethic translated nicely to a performance as tight as her tuck, earning her the win. Sasha shined as well, her focus on her partner keeping her from getting too in her head. Shea stumbled with a sloppy sister and Nina failed to fully realize her vision, landing both in the bottom two.

Shea turns out her lip sync to Demi Lovato’s 2k15 bop “Cool For the Summer,” but Nina can barely bolster an effort greater than Charlie or Kimora before her. Her heart just wasn’t in it. Hopefully the remaining girls have enough ambition to turn around this season’s lip sync stinkers.

Nina sashays away, leaving us our final five. How do hey stack up? Check out our ranking below, and leave yours in the comments.

1. Some winners never land in the bottom two, but more often these shows like to see a frontrunner sweat so it gives the viewer something to root for. I suspect that’s the case with Shea. Yes, Bae was a mess, but that hardly seems like enough to sink her chances. I wonder if the gown forced her to hold back some tricks in the lip sync, but even without kicks, splits and flips, Shea twirled the runway down. My money’s still on her to win it all.

2. Sasha continued to impress this week, and for the first time it felt she could really win this whole thing. Her high-fashion, high-concept schtick seamlessly served humor on the runway. It felt like she and Dunatella were having the most fun in their lip sync, and that gag where they spelled out LOVE then VELOUR was the perfect little wink.

3. Trinity Taylor has more than proven she’s a real threat. She might be a pageant girl, but I’ve been thoroughly sold on what a multidimensional performer she is. I admire her commitment to her tuck, but I admire her commitment to her performance more. I wonder if she pushed that to the forefront of her brand I would’ve been a fan sooner.

4.I can’t disagree with the judges that Peppermint and Winter Green’s ensembles looked hideous together, but they were both cute separately. More importantly, their energy complemented one another splendidly. Peppermint is such a lovable queen, and I wish she and Sarge could take this show on the road.

5. I’m completely soured on Alexis after weeks of bad behavior. The judges were right to clock that Party City space invader outfit (though was it just me or did Rye Anne Stardust look a lot like Jaymes Mansfield?).  My gut says she’s next to go.

6. Oh, Nina. What a sad mess this was. I’m usually all for her unique style of drag, but this was sloppy. Michelle nailed it; it was arts and crafts. Maybe she wasted too much time attempting to sew, but their whole runway performance was just so joyless. I hope Nina watches this back and learns to love herself, I really do. At the very least, I hope she watches it and stops overusing that hacky “Sue me!” joke.

How would you rank the queens?

SOURCE: TOWLEROAD

'

RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE: SEASON 9, EPISODE 9 - "YOUR PILOT'S ON FIRE"

Did y’all feel that? At about 8:55 p.m. Eastern last night there was a rush of air as the country was engulfed in a collective gay gasp. RuPaul’s Drag Race delivered the strongest episode of the season with a shocking ending.

Part of the reason this episode felt so strong was because it seemed we were finally free from a lot of also-rans taking up too much screentime. Any of these top seven could believably be a top contender for the crown.

That heightened competition is also bringing out some juicy drama. The tension between Nina and Shea carried over from last week’s Untucked. Nina has a paranoid delusion that Shea’s been talking smack, which is unfortunate. Shea has been one of Nina’s biggest defenders, and we’ve seen her support Nina on several occasions.

When Ru announces it’s going to be a pick-your-own-team challenge, you know Shea wanted to get as far away from Nina as possible. She wisely makes a bee line to Sasha; Alexis, Peppermint and Trinity form another team; and Nina and Valentina are left to pair up.

Each team will be creating a trailer for an original pilot, including coming up with the idea, the script, the voiceover, etc. They get to use the Pit Crew, a green screen and whatever collection of garbage they picked up at some Palm Springs estate sale.

Team Sasha and Shea crush it with a blaxploitation buddy cop parody “Teets & Asky.” Shea is the Pam Grier ass kicker, while Sasha is a Soviet spy. Together they put together a sincerely promising pilot that I would 100 percent support if it were a webseries on Indiegogo. Every joke lands, and there are plenty of them to enjoy.

Peppermint, Alexis and Trinity pay homage to guest judge Noah Galvin’s recently-canceled sitcom The Real O’Neals with a sitcom that skewers religious institutions. The humor is broad and bawdy, with Peppermint and Trinity leaning in to the ridiculousness, and Alexis fading a bit in the background.

Then there’s Valentina and Nina. Oof. They barely prep before filming, which is always a sure sign of struggle in front of the judges. They wring some laughs out of their flailing just by nature of their personalities, but it’s a mess. Their concept is something about former prostitutes that discover Drag Race in a sparkly folder in prison, or something? Honestly, I have no idea.

This week’s runway challenge is Club Kid Couture, and the gals all bring it. Even those that didn’t quite stick it (Alexis and Valentina) still made bold choices that popped. Plus, seeing everyone in their wackiest wear made everything seem a little sillier. Like when Alexis tried in vain to cover up how badly she was throwing shade at her teammates when the judges put them on blast. It was her, dressed like some background actor in The Fifth Element, repeatedly saying that they all did all the same amount of work, but she did the most work and came up with all the funny ideas. Not cute. Peppermint and Trinity don’t let Alexis get away with that, and I cannot wait to see how that plays out on Untucked.

Sasha and Shea win, of course, and Nina and Valentina are our bottom two, leading to the most shocking lip sync in Drag Race herstory.

Valentina begins the lip sync wearing the bejeweled mask from her club kid ensemble. As the song starts, Michelle, Ru, Noah Galvin, Lisa Robertson, Trinity, me, James Comey all wonder if she’s really going to try to do this lip sync while covering her mouth.

Then, in an unprecedented move, RuPaul HALTS the lip sync mid-Ariana Grande and tells Valentina to take off her mask. She does so, begrudgingly, and then it becomes clear she doesn’t know these words. It’s heartbreaking. She knows she’s done for, but she has to finish this lip sync. Nina, meanwhile, is not only slaying the song, but doing so in hot pink skeleton makeup, which, if I weren’t so distraught over Valentina, I’d be gagging over.

The song ends and Valentina is sent sashaying away. Given how it went down, it was the right call, but I’m still shook to see her go before Alexis and Nina at the very least.

So, how do the gals measure up now? I’ll share my rankings here, and I want to hear yours in the comments.

1. I want to continue saying Shea is an obvious frontrunner, but after last night’s episode, can you really count on anything? Shea delivered another knockout performance in her pilot. She was even more funny than she had to be to be successful. Like Bob before her, she has such a keen comedic point of view. It’s her small choices that really shine. (“Espadrilles” are so much more funny than, say, “loafers” or “boat shoes.”) She also feels much more natural on camera. Her runway this week was a total bullseye.

2. Sasha is at her best with Shea. She’s a smart queen, but can be a little wooden. A partner like Shea can take Sasha’s elevated humor and add a little bit more levity. Again, Sasha wisely chose a character that made her stiffness part of the schtick. This week’s runway look was right in her wheelhouse, so I wasn’t surprised to see her nail it. Given this week’s shakeup, Sasha could sail into the finals, but I could also easily see her get in her head and totally bomb an upcoming challenge.

3. I came into this season so skeptical of Valentina, but she quickly won me over with her quirky personality and absolutely sickening style. Week after week, she murdered the runway and charmed the judges. Despite her lack of experience (and my own early feelings about her lackluster lip sync skills), I had become convinced she was a lock for the top three, at least. Did she deserve to be in the bottom two last night? Absolutely. Her pilot was a huge miss and her runway look barely qualified as club kid couture. However, all she had to do was a halfway decent lip sync to send Nina packing. The bar was so low. And it was a pretty current Ariana Grande song! This wasn’t some CeCe Peniston B-side. I find it hard to believe that this adorable, LA gay boy wasn’t feeling all of his oats last summer to that entire Ariana Grande album! Come on! For once, I really don’t think this is the last we’ve seen of Valentina. Despite this huge misstep, I still think she’s a bigger star than some of these other remaining queens.

4. It feels like Peppermint really started showing up these last few weeks. After that killer lip sync, she turned up the heat on all her performances. In her group’s pilot, I think she was a bigger presence than even Trinity. (Where were all these neck rolls — neck rolls?! — when she was serving NeNe in Snatch Game?)

5. Trinity has never looked better than she did on this week’s runway. Not only did she deliver the aesthetic, but her whole performance on the runway was spot-on. Maybe there’s more to this gal than even she seems to realize. I thought her work in the pilot was good by Drag Race acting challenge standards, but I didn’t really laugh at anything she did.

6. Ugh, Alexis. I’m sorry you’re getting the villain edit this season, but you’re not really making it any easier on yourself. You can swear up and down that you’re not throwing anyone under a bus, but when you’re holding a Greyhound over your head and you’ve got Miss Frizzle on speed dial, it becomes a little suspect. It’s like saying “No offense” when you’re absolutely about to say something offensive. I’ve got nothing more to add on Alexis’ performance or runway look the judges haven’t said already.

7. Nina is a very lucky gal. Very lucky. Whatever charm she came in with has all but disappeared at this point. That pilot was terrible (and she knew it), and I’m less and less impressed with her makeup. This isn’t Skin Wars, girl, this is Drag Race.

How would you rank the queens?

SOURCE: TOWLEROAD

RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE: SEASON 9, EPISODE 8 - "RuPAUL ROAST"

We all know the old say: Comedy equals tragedy plus wigs, and last night’s episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race certainly had plenty of both. It’s just that some girls pulled off one better than the other.

It all started with the traditional reading mini-challenge in the workroom. Ru opens the library, but, honestly, it doesn’t feel like any queen really reigns supreme. They show at least one decent joke from each gal, but certainly no one rises to the level of, say, any of the season 6 queens’ reads.

Valentina gets the win, but, more importantly, Alexis ends up offended by some jokes about her body from the likes of Nina and Farrah. On the one hand, I totally get it. Lots of gay guys have issues about their bodies (including, full disclosure, myself), and the idea of being read or roasted for sport legitimately terrifies me. That’s why I only say mean things about people on the internet and not to their faces!

However, the reading challenge is an integral part of this show, as Alexis, who has auditioned over and over for years, is well aware. And more importantly, Alexis should know Ru’s feelings about being oversensitive. An important part of Ru’s whole brand is the notion that the ego is inherently ridiculous, and nothing should be off limits. It’s a personal philosophy that’s been problematic for the legendary queen in the past.

And beyond that, it’s not like Alexis’ reads were much gentler. She called Farrah a whore, and she ripped on Shea’s teeth. I’m unclear why a dig at someone’s teeth is any different than a dig on their weight. The whole situation just made Alexis look terribly tone-deaf.

This week, our very special emotional moment focuses on the plight of LGBTQ people in Russia. Peppermint shares a story of being detained at the airport for her gender not matching her ID, and Sasha chimes in with some of her experiences living in the former U.S.S.R. Of all these very special moments, this one felt particularly rushed.

The main challenge is the RuPaul Roast, but Mama Ru isn’t the target: Michelle is. It’s a perfect twist. Michelle provides a wealth of easy material — she’s a whore! she looks ridiculous! she’s a D-list celebrity! she’s from Jersey! — and she’s much more intimidating than warm, joyful Ru.

Joining the panel this week are Fortune Feimster, Tamar Braxton and a live audience. Peppermint, Shea and Sasha shine. Trinity struggles with a country-bumpkin character. Farrah has plenty of insults, but no jokes. Alexis has jokes, but they’re all bad, which I think is worse.

Farrah and Alexis land in the bottom two, and they lip sync to one of my personal favorite songs, “Baby I’m Burning” by the iconic Dolly Parton. (As an aside, the best part of the whole episode was RuPaul pantomiming the laser sound effects in the track. Someone please find me that GIF ASAP.)

After weeks of languishing in the bottom, Farrah is sent packing.

Where does that leave the ladies? Let’s discuss their standings in our rankings below.

1. As she reminded us early in the episode, Shea has yet to land in the bottom all season. She turned in another strong performance last night, delivering a competent roast. I would be shocked to see her not make the top three.

2. Honestly, I have no idea what Valentina was doing during that roast. Was it a character? Who cares! I loved it, and I love her, and there’s nothing short of tearing up a photo of Erika Jayne a la Sinead O’Connor that will change my mind at this point. I think Ru feels similarly, having arbitrarily awarding V the win of the mini-challenge despite not displaying any real dominance. No matter what she’s doing, Valentina is a delight.

3. I sincerely want to hear Tamar Braxton explain why Sasha’s outfit worked with her being analytical. Was that a very analytical hat? Does she maybe not know what analytical means? Either way, like Ross, I was once again pleasantly surprised with Sasha’s self-aware approach to the challenge. She is a true talent and an icon in the making, but I’m just not sure she has the CHARISMA to win this whole thing.

4. Trinity and Peppermint are neck-and-neck for me. Peppermint definitely out-performed Trinity in the challenge this week, but I still feel like Trinity might have the edge to pull into the top four. I get what she was doing tonight with the character. She was obviously trying to pull a Coco Montrese, but she would’ve been funnier just getting up there and being her ridiculous, bitchy, Trinity self.

5. Thank goodness for Peppermint. That roast was getting bleak, y’all. She fired off a slew of great jokes delivered in a classic roast style. I’m so glad we’re getting to see Peppermint do what she does so well. I don’t think she’ll make it in the top 3, but top 4 isn’t out of the question.

6. Like Trinity, Nina opted to do a character. And, like Trinity, it wasn’t nearly as good as the Coco Montrese touchstone. Coco’s character made sense in the context of the roast; it was a direct reference to Ru’s roots. What was the purpose of this character here? Her “BMW: Body Made Wrong” read in the mini-challenge felt ripped from a novelty T-shirt at Spencer’s Gifts or a keychain at a boardwalk.

7. Ugh, Alexis. Regardless of her survival tonight, she really sealed her fate. One of the worst things you can be in the eyes of Ru is humorless. She decked herself out in green for the sake of one throwaway joke, so it ended up being more of a distraction than anything else. Add to that the reemergence of that awful Subway Fish voice, and it all leaves quite the bad taste. Alexis has become a bit of a monster on Untucked, and I actually think she stands to lose more fans the longer she kicks around.

8. Finally, Farrah has left the building. I never hated Farrah, nor do I think she’s a “bad” drag queen. She’s just young, and having this experience is only going to make her stronger. Was I surprised she tanked this challenge? Not at all. Was I impressed with how spectacularly she failed? Sort of! It was so strange and off, it almost felt like performance art. I want to add the sound of her awkwardly sighing to my summer playlist.

How would you rank the queens?

SOURCE: TOWLEROAD