RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6 Episode 6: Reading is Fundamental Recap

RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6 episode 6 starts with Laganja Estranga letting us know up front that she’s not used to losing. Oh honey you’re going to have to get used to the not winning. It happens a lot in life, even when you try your best or when you’re a really great person. It’s called life. Hunty.

With that, we set up potential future conflict between Laganja and Adore as well as BenDeLaCreme and Darienne Lake. To be clear: Darienne is mad at BenDeLaCreme because Ben is happy she won a 2nd challenge. Again, Darienne, sometimes people win more than one challenge. They are usually happy when they do so. This reaction should not surprise you. But Darienne is bitter, so she’s now bitter at BenDeLaCreme, unbeknownst to her.

We also get a very non-shady start to this episode with Trinity making sure the girls that were not in the lounge with her know that she is HIV+. That Trinity can be pretty defensive, but she can also be pretty classy. Go to the light Trinity – stay out of the shade! Don’t drink the fish oil!

This week’s mini-challenge is a favorite – the library is open hunties! In the tradition of Paris is Burning: Reading is what? Funda-mental! Trinity reads the other girls, and herself by taking off her clip-on ponytail.  As in all years there are some good reads like from Bianca and Adore, and some clunkers, most of which shown were from Laganja. Darienne Lake is ultimately crowned the winner, and she did have some good reads. It’s always hard to tell who SHOULD win, since we don’t hear all the stinging shady reads. Logo! Web exclusive maybe? Someday? Please? [UPDATE: YAY! Logo heard the crying of a nation & has released an extended clip of the reading mini-challenge!]

The main challenge is a rap battle challenge. Two teams will compete writing a rap called “Oh No She Better Don’t.” For some reason we only have 1 winner of the mini-challenge so Darienne gets to pick four girls to work with her & the ones that aren’t chosen are in the other team. So we’ve got:

• Darienne Lake
• Laganja Estranga
• Adore Delano
• Courtney Act
• Bianca Del Rio

up against:

• Milk
• BenDeLaCreme
• Trinity K Bonet
• Joslyn Fox

BenDeLaCreme is worried about her group, however if the commercials are any indication, I think they will be ok. Well, at least Joslyn will be ok. Darienne might be a little TOO focused on taking BenDeLaCreme out & not focused enough on her own performance. She’s one of the more scattered and nervous performers during the rap filming.

Each team does end up with a choreographer – Trinity in one team and Laganja in the other. Adore doesn’t want to do any boy-band choreography because they’re supposed to be rappers and not a boy-band. Spoiler alert: they end up doing that dance move anyway. I assume the Adore/Laganja blow-up will be happening at a later date.

Eve and Trina are this week’s experts and they give the teams feedback during their performance. The first group is Darienne’s, also known as the Panty-Hos. Bianca and Adore do well while Darienne and Laganja falter. We never get to see Courtney Act, which makes me think she’s really good.

Then the Ru-Tang Clan take the stage. Most of the girls on this team have issues starting their raps. BenDeLaCreme gets it together; Milk does a crazy dance. Trinity starts her performance with a disclaimer that she might not be very good. And then she’s not very good, at least from what we’re shown in the episode. Does anyone else think she looks like Whitney Houston in that wig? In this group we don’t see Joslyn Fox, who from the commercials we know is really good.

As they are prepping for the runway critiques, BenDeLaCreme asks Darienne why she didn’t pick her for her team. Darienne says it’s none of Ben’s business. Yikes! Darienne, please stop trying to be like the younger queens & get your stuff together. You were more likable when you weren’t spending all your time being jealous of BenDeLaCreme. Please tell me she did say nice things that ended up on the cutting room floor.

On the mainstage, Courtney Act, BenDeLaCreme and Laganja Estranga are all declared safe, although Courtney gets told not to rest on pretty. Oh, wait – didn’t I think that maybe Courtney would be really good? She was ok. Maybe she & Milk need to get together & switch roles – have Milk make Courtney weird & let Courtney make Milk pretty.

During runway critique time, Trinity claims to not be one of those girls that make excuses. Uh, huh. Please see the Milk’s image to the left. She’s in the bottom with Darienne and Milk. Bianca, Adore and Joslyn are in the top.

Adore wins this week’s challenge and Laganja is seen rolling her eyes, a bit like Milk in the picture, but with a lot more eye makeup. She’s used to winning! She’s better than Adore simply for the fact that she knows Adore from outside the competition! Her look is stronger! WHINE! Sorry bout it!

Trinity and Milk are the two queens lip synching for their lives. Milk gives a lot of energy but is ultimately told to sashay away. Bummer! We don’t get any sort of vulnerability reveal from Milk before she goes. But Trinity did bring the realness to the lip-synch where Milk was a bit scattered. Based on her rap challenge performance, I would’ve had Darienne in the bottom instead of Milk, but alas. It’s not my call.

By the way, the song “Oh No She Better Don’t” is now available on iTunes. In case you had any doubt. Proceeds do go to charity, so make that $.99 purchase today!

Was it Milk’s time to go? Did Trinity really slay that lip synch? Are we excited or exhausted by having 2 episodes of Drag Race next week? Let’s have a kiki about it below!