Hello Kitty Girls!

Well, thank God for Season 10 already. After the middling and at times disappointing All Stars 3, the tenth season of Rupaul’s Drag Race is off to a great start. This episode delivers the perfect balance of drama, dirt and drag, and thanks to that Vh1 money, there is an added element of polish that really helps the show get that extra sheen it always deserved. None of the conflicts this episode had to be instigated by the editors or the shenanigans of the show itself, but where natural and organic parts of the interactions of a much livelier bunch of queens than the past two seasons. While Seasons 8 and 9 did have its fair share of drama, the BFFness of most of the queens restricted the kind of “gay faggotry” that made some of the earlier seasons juicier (remember Tatianna vs Tyra?), but right off the bat it seems like this group of queens are ready to throw down regardless of pre-established friendships or new alliances, and I’m here for it.

The episode makes great use of the Drag Race pantheon of queens to introduce this season’s cast by asking them to shantay and sissy in front of the intimidating array of stars from the show, and it’s a wonderful mini challenge that provides some highly entertaining moments courtesy of the old and new queens. It instantly breeds a sense of familiarity, as well as introducing an element of intimidation that challenges the new girls to really stand out in a crowd, and most do. We get Bob cheering on her daughter Miz Cracker, Mayhem Miller doing a cartwheel in a full-length gown egged on by her sisters Morgan, Raven, Delta and Detox, Aquaria accidentally slapping Jinkx, The Vixen being messy and Adore’s face when Kameron does the splits (granted, we were all a bit O-faced at that). The cast established themselves as a truly entertaining bunch with some really shining personalities. I really couldn’t find many boogers in the lot, although I would like Blaire St. Claire, Kameron and Dusty Ray Bottoms to amp it up to match the others, particularly next to such huge personalities as Team Black Girl Magic (The Vixen, Monique, Monet and Mayhem), Cracker and Yuhua.

The main challenge this week is a throwback to the very first main challenge in Drag Race herstory, Drag on a Dime. Basically, turn trash in to treasure. The queens have to use discarded materials from thrift stores or the street to make some couture outfits. We know the sewing challenge is coming every season, so there are no excuses at this point in time, and surprisingly we don’t get the mandatory “I don’t sew” shpeel from anyone (Vanessa Vanjie Mateo does chime in that she don’t do drag on a dime). It’s not just about sewing a serviceable outfit, but making an impactful outside-the-box runway presentation that really makes a BAM! first impression on the main stage without the trappings of stuff they can just buy from stores or have made from designers back home. There are honestly no real disasters in the vein of Shangela’s many (MANY) custom couture makes, or Jiggly’s baked potato Hedorah-tribute outfit and some standouts that really do stand tall and proud (though I didn’t see anything quite as great as Roxxxy’s first runway or Dela’s Golden Girls fantasy). Things got interesting during judging, though, when the judges reintroduced “Farrah Moan” as a surprise new contestant, which actually turned out to be a gay way to introduce special guest judge Christina Aguilera. She was really game, and down to really play up the shtick and I was pleasantly surprised at how charming and approachable she came across (because I personally don’t quite fancy Aguilera as an artist much). She had some solid critiques and seemed to genuinely enjoy her stint. I must say, though, compared to Gaga, she was given kinduva short stick here and I lived. Speaking of the short stick, I don’t agree with the judges choices on the runway, and I’ll point them out in my ranking of the queens in my own Top, Safe and Bottom queens list. Once again, like All Stars 3, points will be awarded to performance in the main challenge and runway this season, but since it’s a runway challenge, we’ll limit points to the entrance runway and mainstage presentation, with the mainstage outfit carrying more weight overall.

The Mehs

Blaire St. Claire: Blaire out of drag looks like some high school boy just wandered into the workroom and is now a temp there. Blaire in drag looks like a high school girl from the 50s who wandered onto the mainstage and now doesn’t know what to do. Her entrance look was cute, and her mainstage presentation was serviceable but a bit big for her petite figure and she didn’t carry it off well enough for me, so I was surprised that she was named top 3 this episode. And her personality has yet to make a mark, because she’s kinda floating there being sweet and unassuming, especially in Untucked when Kalorie basically sold her down the river talking about how she wasn’t impressed with Aquaria’s mainstage look. She was clutching onto that couch for dear life, gwurl. She will have to really shine bright soon or grow a personality to stand out enough and not be just coasting on pretty.

Entrance: 7 Main Stage: 7

Aquaria: Aquaria is probably amongst the most well-known faces that walked into the workroom this year, and her attitude and look really shows. Her look is very polished and fashion, and her makeup is really top notch. Here’s hoping she doesn’t flounder when it comes to challenges that require her to pull a personality out of her or requires her to be messy, because I’m getting rich white gay boy vibes and I don’t live for it. Also, she calls out Miz Cracker for copying her look, and I see how similar they paint their faces, but not this episode, not really. Also, Cracker definitely stood out a whole lot with her personality and runway choices than the apparent fashion girl, so maybe spend less time being bothered with Cracker. Aquaria seems to have the chops to really shine, because she IS from New York and those queens are deadly.

Entrance: 8.2 Mainstage: 7.1 (very MAX’s green look with a hoop skirt, this was).

Eureka: Eureka sashayed away on Season 9 thanks to a torn ACL, but returns with a sunnier personality and I like her a lot more this time around. She doesn’t really standout that much, but it’s better to stay safe when you’re not in your element than standout for all the wrong reasons. Her entrance look is very Fawkes the Phoenix, and the mainstage look is cutesy girl, both polished and polar opposites, so good job with that. I expect her to do better in challenges that require performance, so I’m not really worried about Eureka as of now. She did look terrified during the mini challenge surrounded by the alumni, so may be she’s not as confident yet, but she’ll probably pull it out.

Entrance: 8.4 Mainstage: 7.2

Asia O’Hara: I have the same issue as Yuhua, I haven’t yet managed to differentiate a few of the chocolate divas out of drag yet, so Asia hasn’t really sunk in as a contestant thanks to a safe entrance look and a messy yet safe mainstage look. She seems to have a fun personality, but I honestly don’t remember much, and had to look her up…so there’s that. I had issues with the mainstage look, which was Jiggly Caliente levels of busy and overworked and still undercooked. She’s a pageant girl, so maybe not the most fashionable, but it’s mostly polished and the makeup looks good. More, bigger, better next time.

Entrance: 6 (Basic) Mainstage: 6 (Too much)

Kameron Michaels: Kameron is a hot guy in drag. He’s hotter out of drag, but doesn’t do much for my gears I’ll be honest. The entrance look was very Kelly Mantle Butch Queen realness, and the mainstage look was just not enough. She says she goes for cutesy fishyness in her looks to compensate for her masculinity while as a boy, but I totally didn’t get it. Milk in her entrance look looked more feminine than that. But Kameron’s look for the premiere party was one of my favourites, so it’s apparent that she can pull a more feminine look together, so maybe she has to have the right outfits to do that, and I’ll cut her some slack for now. Also, personality-wise, hot-boy doesn’t satisfy me so maybe order one from Ebay soon. NEXT.

Entrance: 6 Mainstage: 6.3

Monet X Change: Monet has a personality that instantly draws you in. She’s like a Bob the Drag Queen with much better makeup, and I live. She walked into the workroom dressed as a sexy janitor, and her mainstage outfit is made of dishwasher sponges, but neither outfit cleans up that great, although her performance in the mini challenge was fun and funny. I expect she’ll do better in performance challenges, and her runways aren’t bad, just not top notch yet. The runway outfit looks like fabric with sponges hot-glued in desperation. Being a New York queen instantly means these girls know how to perform the house down, so great expectations, bitch. A totally serviceable showing this time around but hopefully a lot more is to come (look, even Shea was only middling that first episode).

Entrance: 7.5 Mainstage: 6.9 (It was just sponges on fabric)

Yuhua Hamasaki: Yuhua is presently one of my favourites. She’s from China (hello neighbor) and looks like a softer Bianca Del Rio so obviously I love her. She backs that look up with a funny, quick-witted personality so it’s easy to root for her. Is she the first Chinese origin queen on Drag Race? I loved her interaction with Cracker regarding her Chinese origin and yet Japanese name. Her entrance look was gorgeous and fully thought-out, an obvious nod to her roots. Her goofy personality on the mini challenge was winning, and her mainstage look was fully realized (even though she had no idea about the origins of the Ankh on her head). The use of caution tape (even though it’s been done by Ivy Winters before) was campy, and the silhouette fashion, so a totally great way of establishing herself as a contender so far. She was my favourite of the safe girls, barely missing out top 3.

Entrance: 8.9 Mainstage: 8.7

Dusty Ray Bottoms: As soon as Dusty walked in the door I thought “Oh Michelle gon read that ho”, and I wasn’t disappointed. Dusty Ray Bottoms has a very unique makeup style, where she applies dots on her face, and we all know how much Michelle loves an original weird queen who does out-of-the-box stuff. Almost every season we get Michelle going hard on one of the queens for doing their signature standout looks while the pretty girls with pretty makeups basically get commended for being pretty (oh she says don’t rely on that body, but that never really hindered any of the body girls did it?). One of the cardinal requirements of a Drag Race queen is Uniqueness (It’s right there, in the C.U.N.T), and yet year after year, the most unique queens of the cast are torn apart for being unique and asked to compromise their uniqueness to fulfill Michelle (and the judges) arbitrary notions of drag. We saw it with Milk, who was asked to be typical fish and then promptly sent packing, with MAX who was unfairly questioned on her grey hair choices (even when no two wigs were same while others basically did the same hair every week *cough PearlGingerTrixieCourtneyKatya cough* and never even heard a peep), and Acid Betty who was challenged because she was… too good and thus expected to fail? Michelle asked Miss Bottom to basically change her face after just one episode, and if that shit means Dusty goes to the bottom next week, I’ll have a fit, I swear. Also, she’s real cute out of drag. My basement flooded. Her entrance look was kinda simple and discombobulated, but her mainstage look was a good one, showing she can work well with unconventional materials and still present a finished and unique product. She did not deserve that bottom 3 placement, and I’m absolutely sure there are many others out there who agree.

Entrance: 6.5 Mainstage: 8.3

The Yess Gawds

Mayhem Miller: Mayhem comes from a long line of Drag Race royalty, and has applied for every season of the show, and when she finally gets her chance, she really makes a stunning presentation out of it. Her entrance look was a gorgeous gown and a beat face (reminiscent of Kennedy or Chi Chi), and her personality is charming and very welcoming (with the right amount of sass). On the mainstage, she presents a flawless black look made of plastic gloves that is chic, fashionable and very tastefully done. It’s not as grand as say the first runways by Raja or Shea’s riveting look from the Gayest Ball Ever, but it stands out on it’s as a really solid effort by someone who really wants this. A well deserved win, and her crying makes me want to give her a hug.

Entrance: 9 Mainstage: 9

Miz Cracker: Probably the easiest queen to root for this season, Cracker came with guns ablazing. Her entrance look was fun and fabulous, but it’s her personality that really shines brightest. She’s Bob’s daughter, so obviously she’s a smart, witty comedienne with one-liners at the ready flying fast and loose. Her makeup is also excellent, and both her looks were successful this week, especially the mainstage presentation. The dress made out of straw hats was architexture, hunties, and she sold it with her sad-clown makeup and her body language. She also had funny answers ready for each of the judges questions and her personality really shined. Here’s hoping this continues in the coming episodes. On a side note, online most people seem to be siding with Cracker in the Cracker vs Aquaria makeup issue (it’s a non-issue, really) and I assume it’s because she has a much more approachable personality than Aquaria who comes off more as an entitled millennial. I personally would rather wait and see what happens between the two, because clearly they’re great friends in real life and constantly supporting each other.

Entrance:8.7 Mainstage: 8.9

Monique Heart: Monique has an instantly recognizable face in drag, with her big googly eyes and quirky makeup, and I was thoroughly entertained. Her entrance look was Derrick Berry approved hemstastic, and her mainstage look was one of the best. An outfit made out of playing cards (all hearts) and hair fashioned out of plastic? GAG. And yet somehow she didn’t make it to top 3. That’s as questionable as Trixie not being top 3 in the Glamazonian Challenge and Fame not lipsyncing in Snatch Game, gwurl. Monique has presented herself as a true contender with a keen eye for looks and a winning personality and I’m looking forward to a long Drag Race journey with her. (Also, her facial expressions particularly in Untucked are GOLD).

Entrance: 8.9 Maintage: 9.2

The No Ma’ams

The Vixen: Messy and unpolished are my impressions of Vixen so far. She shantays into the workroom ready to fight in a busy little thriftstore getup, and she wasn’t joking, bitch. She was ready to throw it down in Untucked and instigate a showdown between Aquaria and Cracker, but Monet smartly intervened and steered the situation away. As far as her outfits go, both were boots for me. The first one came apart during the mini challenge, and the second one was barely an outfit. It looked like couloured sponges stretched across her awkwardly like inflated noodles and it wasn’t cute. How she escaped the bottom 3, lord knows. She said earlier that she doesn’t spend much on drag, and it shows. But you don’t have to spend much, look at Chi Chi, who fashioned outfits put of trash bags that were constructed beautifully, or even Monique’s dress of cards. I’m unimpressed.

Entrance: 5 Mainstage: 3

Vanessa Vanjie Mateo: This was also a slight shock, because I expected much more for the daughter of one of my Season 3 favorites miss Alexis Mateo. Vanessa entered into the workroom in a gorgeous outfit and an even better personality that lives up to her name. Banjie. She’s like a rougher, more outspoken version of Aja (how is that even possible, you say?), but it’s very honest and endearing to me. She’s real and you know all of that is not artifice, just someone who’s very comfortable being the fabulous fag she is. She throws down in the mini challenge, runs her entertaining mouth throughout the episode and then crashes and burns in the main challenge. Her look wasn’t the worst on the runway (that would be Vixen), but I think the judges expected a better silhouette. But honestly, if she had taken out the flower choker and maybe done her hair up, it wouldn’t have been that terrible, because the flowers and Barbie outfit was cute, just not serving the traditional hourglass silhouette the western aesthetic prefers. When she was put in the bottom 2, I was ready for her to slay Kalorie and come back stronger, but damnit, she froze. You could see the terror and disappointment in her eyes, and the fear of going home first basically impeded on her ability perform freely and meant that she went home. That was a surprising but inevitable outcome of the lipsync. It just goes to show, never take anything for granted because you never know what could happen to whom at any given moment and that the lipsyncs mean something again. Vanessa was a delight this episode and I secretly harbor hopes for a ruturn, because if Carmen Carrera and Naysha Lopez get second chances, Vanessa definitely does too.

Entrance: 8.3 Mainstage: 6

Kalorie Karbdashian Williams: Probably the least engaging person on the cast this time for me, Kalorie is all about the Kardashian associations, apparently. Her entrance look was basic and uninspired, and she thinks she’s a far better twerker (in drag) than she actually is. She can pull out a fat-girl split, but we’ve seen it done better before, and nothing she did this episode really made a great impression for me. She was entertaining during the Untucked, going after others for their looks but seemed completely oblivious to the fact that her own outfit was terrible. She decided to make a gown out of dollars, which has been done by Manila, Raja, Yara, Alexis and Acid Betty before, and all of them did it so much better than her. Her’s just looked like dollar bills stuck on hideous shiny lime green fabric. But her performance in the lipsync was good, and she definitely earned her place back from the edge, but she won’t survive a lipsync against some of the others who won’t have to rely on twerking and a dazed and blank-eyed opponent in the lipsync.

Entrance: 4 Mainstage: 3

The first episode of Season 10 has definitely done much to wash away the bitter taste f a disappointing all stars season, and I hope this continues to be as entertaining and all about true drag artistry than manufactured drama (because clearly these girls will bring their own).