Another sewing challenge? Huh! For the second season in a row, RuPaul’s Drag Race is returning to its roots. In the early days, particularly on the show’s infamous third season with two balls, they did design challenges galore. In the show’s latter years, however, that’s mostly been condensed down to one sewing challenge and one ball — season 13 didn’t even bother with the sewing challenge, just hitting the single ball. Then, last season they put the girls through three separate sewing challenges — one ball, one weird “branding” based challenge where they had to make a doll outfit two, and one challenge inspired by goths. At the time, it seemed like that was because the girls of season 16 were especially capable with sewing, particularly Nymphia, Dawn, and Q, but now it plays as a choice that Drag Race is leaning into going forward.
Generally, I support the decision. Adding additional sewing challenges refocuses the competition and makes it so girls with money can’t just skate through by paying designers to make them nice outfits and learn one pattern. Including these late-stage sewing challenges makes it so the girls’ design abilities can be judged harshly, not just on ability, but on taste. Looking over the past two examples of these challenges, I’d note that last year showed the extra sewing challenge’s value as an “eliminator,” while this week’s showed its value as a narrative device for the top performers.
Here is a little recap of what happened in the goth challenge last year: Q won, while Nymphia and Dawn were the runners-up, and Plasma went home (shockingly, given her two wins). Eliminating Plasma was a thrilling choice by the show — she was more expendable than we realized, because there was still enough top-level talent for the endgame without her — especially because a queen like her, who had the money and connections to pay for extravagant looks, wouldn’t normally be in danger after eking through the ball. So, it ended up being an effective use of the sewing challenge to get out someone who wouldn’t be in danger if it wasn’t there.
This season, though, has a lot more fat to be trimmed in the cast — the top five is pretty much guaranteed at this point (Onya, Jewels, Suzie, Sam, and Lexi, duh), and there is a huge differential between those five’s facility with Drag Race versus the others’ lack thereof. So, they really can’t afford to have the sewing challenge be an interesting eliminator. Instead, it functions as a way to push some girls who haven’t yet gotten to the top for a sewing challenge to do their best work. Jewels and Lexi both score their first top placement for design this week, which stands in contrast to last year, when Nymphia, Dawn, and Q were the queens who everybody knew were the best at this and then they just … continued to be the best. This season, by continuing to foist difficult design challenges onto the girls, the show allows these two queens to earn a minor arc by tracking their work in similar challenges throughout the season.
It’s nice to see Jewels and Lexi get some shine this week — they’ve been near the top of the pack in my mind the whole season but haven’t seemed near the top of the judges’ list in comparison to Suzie, Onya, and Sam. But, with none of those queens in the top this week while everybody gushes over Jewels and Lexi’s work, it feels like we are officially off to the races with them.
For what it’s worth, I think it’s high time that Jewels was considered a legitimate contender to win the whole season. She was in the top for Snatch Game, the Rusical, and is now a sewing challenge winner. Nobody else this season can claim that they are that well-rounded. Plus, I think she’s charming and silly in the Werk Room, and it’s been a while since we’ve seen one of the Drag Prodigy archetypes (think: Luxx, Aquaria, Adore.) win the whole thing. At this point, if they don’t give it to Onya, my official vote is for Jewels.
After a brief moment mourning Acacia, the episode this week starts in earnest with the reading challenge. Honestly, people complain about Snatch Game, but it’s the reading challenge that’s had diminishing returns for me over the years. The reads are all pretty clearly prepared before the show, with queens’ names just being slotted in, and I have a theory that most queens save their best jokes in case there’s a roast coming up (like there is next week). On that note, not to sound like a crazed stan, but I’d probably give this win to Jewels because all her jokes were so specific that they had to have been thought of on-set. To clarify: Her jokes are not very funny, but, also, nobody’s are. Plus, she gets a good, improvised quip back at Arrietty. The best single joke is certainly Lexi’s read to Kori: “When Marsha P. Johnson threw you, how bad did it hurt?” Suzie wins, and I will not be gaslit. That shit was not funny. It was actively unfunny, even. I did not laugh, chuckle, or snort. Bad!
Onto the challenge: The design challenge asks them to produce looks inspired by three separate Betsey Johnson collections. There is Punk Grunge Flapper, Betsey’s Prom, and Prenup. Suzie gets to pick first, and chooses Punk Grunge Flapper, which does not shock the room, then chooses Lydia to pick her category next. Notably, during this segment, Lydia forgets that she’s in a showmance with Kori and instead picks Lexi to go next, kicking off the couple-focus that the episode has. From my perspective (regardless of what happens outside the show), it seems like Kori was a whole lot more invested in this relationship plot than Lydia was. Maybe Butthole just realized that they’d be forced to lip sync against each other at some point, who knows?
As for the specifics of this challenge: I mostly like it. Like the goth challenge, it’s separate from something like the Monopoly challenge earlier in the season not because it has harder materials, but because it requires an actual design sensibility. It’s one thing to be able to sew, it’s another to be able to interpret a design challenge. This requires both the skills and the taste level to interpret another designer’s work through your own lens (which might explain why it’s the only one where Sam Star didn’t score a top placement…).
Betsey comes in and for the walk throughs with RuPaul, which is very sweet and classy of her, even if she doesn’t provide much in the way of actual advice. Ru makes it very clear to Kori that she expects to see something other than a cocktail dress. Kori hears her, then later goes back to what she knows. Kori’s limited drag being the thing to send her home feels entirely correct at this point. She was charming enough to fake her way through things like Snatch Game, but it was past due for a queen who was that limited to go home.
The Werk Room is pretty drama-free this week, a first for this season’s sewing challenges. Lexi has a minor breakdown, which Sam coaches her through. I really love this friendship — it’s helped open up both girls to me, but especially Sam. You can really see what Sam gets from her mother. She’s extremely competitive but clearly wants to beat people who are working at their best, and her friendship with Lexi strikes me as entirely real. They’re two shady bitches who have each other’s backs. It’s sweet.
Jewels goes through it a bit during the sewing process that we see — not having enough of any one fur to do what she wants, and ultimately landing on the risky move of combining them. Arrietty, meanwhile, gets to just smile and wave. It’s polite of them to give that girl a week to just breeze on by, since she’s been going through it for weeks now. (I think she probably goes home next week.)
But let’s get to the runways, since that what we all came here to chat about.
Punk Grunge Flappers: Jewels is up first and looks great. Truly, inspiration from all three descriptors can be found in her outfit, her makeup looks gorgeous (and a little different from her typical fare), and she’s come into her own while selling the look on the runway. She chose to go against what the judges would predict for her this week, and not do the prom theme, and clearly that’s for the best. Betsey gives her the best compliment of the night: That when she closes her eyes, this is the collection. Can’t beat that. Good for her!
Butthole is next, and, to her credit, this look is very, very her. I could pick it out of a lineup. Unfortunately, it is also hideous and poorly fitted. I think she ends up in the bottom two this week at least partly because of the Kori connection (too good for them to pass up, I mean come on), but she clearly has some aesthetic issues of her own. She has a vision, which is half the battle, and something many queens never truly arrive at. But that vision is just not fully realized yet, or maybe she just doesn’t have quite the skills to execute it. I hate the fringe hanging off the bottom.
Suzie’s look is ugly and could have been in the bottom. Hate the wig!
Betsey’s Prom: Kori goes first, and right away I knew she was going home. The details are off — badly made hemline, breastplate showing on the side, bow askew — but the more important part is that she just keeps making the same dress over and over. It’s very “workaday” drag. It was good enough to keep her out of the bottom two when Joella was still in the competition, but not now.
Next is Onya, who ends up with her first bottom placement this week, quite rightly. The bows are certainly in the wrong order and the length is hideous. But she also sells it on the runway, and styles it well. Love the wig!
Finally, it’s Lana, who puts together a ruffled ‘80s prom dress inspired look. I know people think she needs to go home, but let’s be real: This does the job it’s supposed to. Still, she needs to start wearing pads. Her drag is very rarely the kind of fashion drag that makes this kind of uber-skinny look make sense. Instead, she has a preference for the girly, cutesy look that requires the wearer to buy into the feminine fantasy. This outfit would look 10 times better with, to quote A Chorus Line again, some tits and ass.
Prenup: Arrietty is the first girl on the runway in the Prenup crew, wearing a bodycon black dress, with a great bowtie detail. As expected from her, this look is great and impeccably constructed. Still, I think she’s pretty solidly in third place.
Sam Star comes out next, wearing a Madonna-esque look that is incredibly Betsey without much Sam Star in the mix. Totally competent, not particularly exciting.
Finally, it’s Lexi, who wears the showstopper of the episode. Her wedding dress has an enormous, sheer veil that covers her entire body, and is otherwise dressed in lingerie. It’s no surprise that Lexi, the avowed fashion girlie of the bunch, is able to dream up this concept, but after she wore the tarp, I wasn’t sure about her construction abilities. This shut me the Hell up. It’s gorgeous, it’s dramatic, it’s draggy, and I’m not sure about the rainbow wig. Otherwise, though, a perfect look.
I got back and forth on Jewels versus Lexi, personally, for the win this week. In totality, I think the dragginess of Lexi’s look is what puts her over the edge for me. Still, the more exciting part is that I think both looks deserve to be in the all-time pantheon of Werk Room-made outfits. Exciting challenge performances this week!
Lydia and Kori end up in the bottom, which Lydia claims to be surprised by. I’m not here to say if she was or wasn’t, but I will say that if she’s being honest, then she’s pretty naïve. There’s something to be said for her point of view on fashion being enough to save her from the bottom, but there’s also something to be said for the producers doing their job and making sure that both Lydia and Kori’s only storyline this season pays off.
And pay off it does! I’m shocked that this storyline, which I’ve mostly rolled my eyes at, resulted in what is clearly the best lip sync of the season. We’ve known for a while now that Lydia is a shockingly good performer, but Kori, too, gives her best lip sync of the season to “Kiss Me Deadly” by Lita Ford. They both interpret the song well, but, of course, the greatness comes in when they make out. It’s great! It’s gay! It’s stupid and fun and Kori gets to go out on a high. Lydia stays in the competition, a burned lover who will have to fight to stay in the competition.
• I’ve started to really come around to loving Sam Star. Her impromptu creation of union signs about the fact that Kori and Lydia need to be in the bottom together is hilarious, and she’s great in the prank fight with Lana. She’s loose and fun! She’s best friends with Lexi! She’s sold me!
• I could not believe that Kori had the nerve to wear those shoes on the runway again. Legitimately could not believe it. Open mouth, agape.
• Nothing has ever made me feel older than Lana Ja’Rae’s high school prom getting canceled because of COVID.
• Gay thoughts from mom people: When I was growing up, I used to make my mother watch early seasons of this show alongside me, and she became a minor expert on the show. These days, she doesn’t watch, but she was in town last week and I made her watch the episode. I thought it might be informative to see who she remembered, who she didn’t, and what she thought.
She remembered one “Beautiful, beautiful queen that I kept talking about,” which turned out to be Arrietty. “Do I remember anything about Arrietty’s talent?” she asked. “I do not.” She also remembered that “there was the couple, who were the monkeys.” In her estimation, “The little one was great. The taller one just couldn’t get low enough.” Then, she also remembered “the Broadway queen, the bitchy Broadway queen,” who, of course, was Suzie Toot. “My actual opinion of her is that she thinks she is a lot more talented than she actually is. I thought she did okay. I like all the New York queens—” At this point, I explained that she was actually from Florida, to which she responded, “That explains everything.” She did not remember anything about Sam Star, Lana Ja’Rae, Lexi Love, or Jewels Sparkles.
• Predicted top four: Eh, staying on Suzie, Jewels, Onya, and Sam. The more important thing to note is that I think Arrietty and Lana will be the next to go, rendering Lydia a sixth-placer, which feels pretty late into the competition for her to last. Still, I think her lip syncing could pull her through. They haven’t even done girl groups yet!
