Another week, another episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. And let me tell you, this one was a corker. It had everything from tears to tantrums to Tia Kofi being iconic — no surprises there. As usual, we meet the queens just after the recent elimination, and after winning the lip-sync, Tayce claims she never wants to be in the bottom again. Tayce wipes away the farewell message, as our queen’s cry out their love for the beloved Cherry Valentine. However, Veronica’s sprightly and says she’s thankful for speaking up and seizing the part of Evita, which ultimately resulted in her main-challenge win. I think Veronica Green’s one to watch, as Ellie Diamond claims in her confessional. There’s no denying her talent, and although she can come across somewhat vacant, she certainly has a distinct yap waiting for those who undermine her.
Just before the queens don their festival-gear for a Notting Hill Carnival-inspired mini-challenge, a pre-recorded RuPaul asks them ‘are you a fashion spoiler or a frock destroyer?’ Prompting A’Whora to squeal in joy at the prospect of a fashion design challenge. But first, we have the mini-challenge to attend. It’s easy to overlook the often ridiculousness of mini-challenges on Drag Race, but this one was super-fun. Watching the queens perform the limbo in their wild and wacky costumes was the dose of serotonin I needed during another week of lockdown. Tayce and Veronica impressively managed to limbo their arseholes down to the floor and were declared joint-winners of the mini-challenge.
When RuPaul asks the queens to buddy up with their best Judy, she reveals that their best friend will become their ‘fashion frenemy’ and compete against them in this week’s main challenge. The task is to create a look that outshines their fashion frenemy, and as winners of the mini-challenge, Tayce and Veronica must assign specific colours to the pairs. As usual with design challenges in Drag Race, there’s a selection of queens who can hardly sew a button onto a jacket. So, the prospect of creating a full-on garment rightfully scares them shitless — mainly Tayce, who has the honour of being paired with a literal fashion designer in A’Whora, and Tia Kofi (who wouldn’t know what appliqué meant if her life depended on it). On the other hand, some queens can sew but face different kinds of challenges. RuPaul dares Ginny Lemon to flaunt her sexy-side, Ellie aspires to step out of Lawrence Chaney’s shadow, and Bimini Bon Boulash wants the judges to forget all about last week’s balloon disaster. Boom! The pressure’s on.
The great thing about this episode was the much-needed conversations that took place on various topics. During the walkthrough, Ellie and Lawrence explain there aren’t many financial opportunities in Scotland regarding drag. A fact that did and didn’t surprise me at the same time. Scotland isn’t renowned in establishing and commodifying well-known drag queens, but it’s a well-developed nation that should afford to pay and respect their drag queen’s time and craft much better. Ginny also spoke about her experience living as a non-binary individual, first confiding in this year’s de facto drag queen therapist Sister Sister. It was plausibly the most heartfelt moment of the series so far, as she explained her struggle with loving herself and how it impacted her upbringing. The beauty of the moment culminates when she discusses the subject with fellow non-binary Drag queen Bimini. Bimini quite rightly emphasises that life is a discovery, and hardship is inevitable for those who don’t match the norm.
On the runway, model Jourdan Dunn joins RuPaul, Michelle Visage and Graham Norton to judge this week’s fashion-themed maxi challenge. Another fun guest judge who genuinely looks excited to be there. Fun! Tayce is the first to strut down the runway in a sexy Maleficent-like number, but A’Whora’s chic disco look and blatant eye for fashion overshadow it. Ginny commits to a sexier appeal but looks boring in contrast to Sister Sister’s club-kid aesthetic. Veronica oozes sensuality wearing something I could see Jennifer Lopez in, and confidently outshines Tia who still hilariously manages to sell her poorly constructed design. Asttina Mandella, unfortunately, looks drab despite accentuating her gorgeous legs. Bimini, however, proves her worth in a brilliantly designed fashion-forward dress. Lastly, Ellie and Lawrence are arguably the strong pair of all. Ellie showcases a unique take on Marie Antoinette, while Lawrence combines both style and character in a mature yet sophisticated look.
A’Whora, Sister Sister, Veronica, Bimini and Lawrence are declared winners of the ‘who wore it best’ aspect of the challenge. However, it’s Lawrence Chaney who ironically takes gold while wearing gold by winning the challenge overall. On the main stage, the judges applaud Ellie and Tayce’s looks compared to the other bottoms. Rightfully, the judges commend Ginny for stepping out of her comfort zone and displaying a different side to her persona. Tia hilariously charms the judges to avoid criticism for what is objectively the worst look, but Asttina receives a frosty reception after being told she looks like an ice-skater.
After the judges deliberate, Asttina Mandella and Tia Kofi land in the bottom two. Asttina makes the kiss of death by asserting that the other queens aren’t ready for her lip-syncing skills. Girl! Do you ever watch reality tv? TV producers love to make reality show contestants eat their words. So it’s no surprise that despite offering a good lip-sync, the judges choose to keep Tia. It’s genuinely upsetting to a see a queen like Asttina go so early. However, it was clear the judges wanted to see more from Tia, and I think it’s fair to say the audience do too.
Braden MacDonald 