This week’s episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race started off with a bang. There was instant drama. Widow Von’Du was confused about why ever was pretending to mourn the elimination of Aiden Zhane and Heidi N Closet called out Gigi Goode for questioning her lack of makeup evolution. It was juicy!
Anyway, it was a new day in the workroom and tensions were high. Before we got any more drama, RuPaul interrupted. No mini-challenge this week, just straight into the main challenge. The queens would be paying tribute to Madonna in a Rusical. Everyone would be portraying different eras of Madonna. The queens had to record their own vocals, unfortunately for us, and learn choreography. Again, unfortunately for us.
No one was in charge of assigning roles, so it got interesting. Nobody wanted early Madonna, but they pinned it on Jan. Brita and Gigi butt-heads over who was going to be cone bra Madonna, but Brita refused to budge so she got the role. We all know how that worked out for her in the end…
Next came the recording session. It was as terrible as you could imagine. Michelle Visage was there because of course, she was. I dare you to try to name a bigger Madonna fan. Jan recorded first and being the only one who could sing, it only got worse from there. Then came the choreography. This went a little smoother than the recording session. Jan shined again while Brita’s Roger Rabbit was terrifying.
It was Rusical day. Everyone was getting ready in the workroom and Heidi opened up about losing her uncle to HIV when she was young. Crystal Methyd also opened up about her father’s battle with Parkinson’s Disease. It was a rough one, guys!
In lighter news, my absolute hero was on the judge’s panel this week with Ru, Michelle, Carson Kressley, model Winnie Harlow and Congresswoman and Drag Race superfan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez! In the midst of this political climate, it was nice to see someone attempting to make a difference in the White House on our favorite show!
My first thought when watching the Rusical was one of appreciation for the audio engineers who were somehow able to make these queens’ voices sound somewhat decent. Jan, Gigi, Crystal, and Widow’s performances stood out the most for me. Also, can we talk about how the editors are really nailing this Sherry Pie scandal? I completely forgot she was even on the show until her part in the Rusical came up!
On the runway, the category was night of a thousand Michelle Visage’s, which was a lot of fun. I loved Gigi’s ode to blonde Michelle, Jaida Essence Hall‘s All-Star icon look, and Jan’s jet set eleganza. Jan, Gigi, Crystal, Jackie, Heidi, and Brita were the tops and bottoms of the week, leaving Widow, Jaida, and Sherry safe. Jan and Gigi got the highest praise. Brita’s outfit was well received, but her performance fell flat. Crystal finally got some positive critiques! Heidi’s performance was well done, but she didn’t feature any true ‘madonnaisms’. In the end, Gigi took home the win while Brita and Heidi fell into the bottom.
Brita and Heidi faced off to Burning Up by Madonna. Heidi didn’t know the words that well but she really pulled out all the stunts. The real winner of the lip sync was Michelle Visage though. In the end, Heidi was safe while Brita sashayed away.
How did you guys feel about this week’s episode and elimination? Let us know in the comments below. I’ll see you next week when we get to watch the queens create and pitch their own product. That should be… interesting! Until then, wash your hands and stay inside!