Ru-Paul’s Drag Race: Queens of Talk

Even though last week fans were treated to Rupersized episodes of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” only one queen went home in the two-part installment, so it was really only like one episode (a moment of silence for our fallen queen Laganja Estranja. . .mmmmk?).

So now it’s down to seven queens. We’re getting very close to the end of season 6 when Ru will crown the next drag superstar (or superdud if she goes with Adore).

I’m sure all season long you were thinking, “Wow…when is there going to be a moment during this season where I am going to be uncomfortable watching this with my parents?”  Enter this week’s mini-challenge! And for this mini-challenge, enter the entire Scruff Pit Crew in tiny, purple briefs for a game called “Hung Man.” This show keeps getting better and better, no? RuPaul would give a clue, and one by one, the buff, shirtless Pit Crew would turn around to reveal a letter on their bum. Whoever buzzed in first and guessed the word correctly received a point. And a boner. These aren’t mini-challenges anymore. They are excuses for 16-year-olds to get around the parental controls on their home desktop.

For the ladies’ main challenge, they channeled RuPaul circa 1996 and became talk show hosts set to interview Cher’s mother Georgia Holt and Chaz Bono.

“I’m really excited about this,” said Trinity K. Bonet.

Um. . say what? Trinity? Happy about a challenge? What a difference a couple of weeks makes.

Adore was first up to interview Georgia and Chaz, and she ended up reminding Georgia of how poor she was.

“It was during the Depression,” said Georgia.

“That’s amazing, so cool,” said Adore.

First of all, Cher’s mother, who’s 87, looks more put-together than most of Adore’s runway looks, so girlfriend should have been asking Georgia about THAT instead. It was a bit alarming how much Cher sounds like her mother, as well. Double takes were abundant.

And then poor Trinity. Despite a strong showing in the last couple of episodes, she’s back to having a mouth full of marbles.

“Trinity kept calling me Chad,” said Chaz.

Really? You’re on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and you don’t know that Chaz Bono is CHAZ Bono? That’s like not knowing who Cher is.

On the other hand, Courtney Act nailed the hosting duties, with charm and aplomb, and even flirted with Chaz in the process (which when you actually think about it, proves to be the most confusing relationship ever).

DeLa also recovered from last week’s disastrous comedy routine.

“You’re way too young to experience the Depression,” said Georgia Holt.

“I’ve experienced other forms of depression,” said DeLa, causing a snicker from the hard-to-read Ms. Holt.

But even though Bianca Del Rio forgot to even talk to Georgia and Darienne Lake had a bad Cher impersonation, the worst interviewer was Joslyn Fox, who brought up abortion on her talk show and made everyone visibly uncomfortable, especially when she repeatedly grabbed her boobs and winked at the camera.

For this week’s runway look, the theme was Animal Kingdom, and some queens pulled out all the stops. Trinity donned a huge, elaborate bird costume.  DeLa hobbled down the runway like a fly (Georgia was impressed) and didn’t stand upright until the end of the runway. Courtney even strapped on a huge set of wings that expanded when she hit the runway’s apex. Girl isn’t a cliche no more.

Some of the other girls (cough, Adore, cough, Joslyn) didn’t fare so well. Adore strapped a bejeweled Hannibal Lecter mask on her face, and The Silence of the Lambs jibes were flying the entire time she was on the runway. Joslyn kind of looked like a chicken showgirl. She stuck some feathers in her hair, and lifted up her skirt to (yet again) show her behind.

Let’s take a moment to acknowledge that guest judge Paula Abdul said she remembered Adore and her voice. Who the hell could forget that mewling, nasally, nails-on-a-chalkboard voice of Adore’s? We’ve been trying to forget that voice since the competition began. It was also pointed out that Paula Abdul is the most “Lip Synced Artist in Drag Race Herstory,” a fact that’s about as impressive as being the most-used condom brand at orgies across these United States. Interesting, but no one really cares.

When it came to the critiques, Courtney and BenDeLaCreme received the most praise. Georgia and Chaz (not Chad? Just making sure) complimented both on being very conversational and easy to talk to. The guest judges also agreed that Adore’s lack of focus really showed this week, and Joslyn’s decision to go all Diane Sawyer was met with criticism. When Georgia expressed how uncomfortable she was, Joslyn apologized, citing how much of a big fan she was of Ms. Holt. In the end, Courtney won the challenge. It probably didn’t hurt that Chad, dammit, Chaz had a thing for Australian women.

The bottom two this week was puzzling. Adore was definitely in the bottom two, and it looked as if Joslyn’s time at Drag Race was up. They hated her runway look, and her interview went a bit sour. BUT WAIT! Trinity must lip sync for her life?! The judges LOVED her runway look, and it was obvious that the producers edited this episode to look like Joslyn was getting the boot. All the girls were admitting they didn’t think she belonged there, and Trinity finnnnally started to show progress in the competition. Was it because Trinity yet again explained that this challenge wasn’t her forte? Does Joslyn’s ass actually have hypnotic, reality show saving powers?!

Trinity and Adore lip-synced to Abdul’s “Vibeology,” further cementing her status as the most impersonated artist on Drag Race’s stage. This performance was fun, because the queens actually interacted with each other. Trinity and Adore were not shy about getting into each other’s business and grinding on each other to enhance the performance. I’m sure Georgia Holt loved that. Loved it, and was not a bit confused. Adore was told to stay, because, you know, RuPaul just loves her (this season’s Tyra). Trinity, despite a late surge last week, was asked to sashay away, but she seemed rather grateful of her time on the show.

Shade of the Week:
“Lady Bunny is like school on the weekend. No class.” – Ru

Lip Sync for Your Life:
Adore versus Trinity

Shantay You Stay:
Adore

Sashay Away:
Trinity