Sorry I’m tardy to the party people. Let’s get started! RuPaul’s Drag Race season 8 episode 2 brings the reality – someone’s going home. Every time. Probably. Unless they do that “you’re both safe” crap again. Eye roll.
Jamal Sims, Lucian Piane, Ester Dean are this week’s extra special guests. Did they make a bigger judges table for this?
Mini-challenge: a Latin dance-off in quick drag. AB Soto is the guest judge for this mini-challenge, featuring a song he created with RuPaul. I’m sure it’s available on iTunes.
Cynthia Lee Fontaine and Chi Chi DeVayne are the “winners” & get the “honor” of being the 2 group leaders. They’ll be creating the drag movie Bitch Perfect. It’s an a capella lip synch. Huh? How is that possible?
Cynthia Lee Fontaine – Team Lady Bitches
Bob the Drag Queen
Derrick Barry
Laila McQueenRobbie Turner
Kim Chi
Chi Chi DeVayne – Team Shady Bitches
Acid Betty
Thorgy Thor
Dax ExclamationPoint
Naomi Smalls
What follows is an analysis of Acid Betty. We see her push Chi Chi to get things done. Then we hear Thorgy’s inside NYC tea – Acid’s a bitch and no one in NY wants to work with her because she’s such a bitch.
Bring a sweater.
The rest of the episode goes back & forth between Acid being a bitch/Chi Chi saying she’s going to be the leader of the group and discussions of Kim Chi’s lack of rhythmic ability. Bob the Drag Queen says Kim Chi has 2 left feet & vertigo. She’s bad. It’s sad.
In other drama – Laila is worried she won’t stand out. While Kim Chi knows she’s a bad dancer, and has apparently never heard of the movie Pitch Perfect, Dax keeps talking about all the things she needs in order to be a good dancer. Stop talking & start doing Dax.
Chi Chi’s group won’t shut up. They blah-blah-blah about each other to Ru. They do it again in front of choreographer Jamal Sims. They won’t shut up. For some reason they didn’t see Naysha saying “I don’t sew” as the reason why she went home. She probably wouldn’t have gone home if she just kept her trap shut.
And as if the confessional shots in front of the lips weren’t enough, for some reason now Ru has added The Shade Tree room. It’s where the contestants can say WHATEVER they want in total privacy. I guess the queens have become too staged in front of the producers. We’ll see where this goes over the season.
Kim Chi is the first queen to take advantage of the Shade Tree. She’s really insecure about her dance moves. As the episode moves on, we learn that she’s insecure about a lot of things.
Getting ready for the mainstage, we learn that lots of these girls were bigger – Kim Chi, Dax and Acid Betty were big kids. We learn Chi Chi had a gun & wanted to be in a gang because she was fighting her sexuality. Kim Chi admits that she’s still a virgin. Bob assesses that Kim Chi doesn’t realize that she’s a good-looking 6 foot tall man.
Bob also says she’ll never read another queen on TV again, since now she knows how hard Drag Race is.
On the mainstage we get the Bitch Perfect performance and the girls have to come out in movie awards realness. How long did this runway take to film?
In the tops & bottoms are: Laila McQueen (bottom), Kim Chi (bottom-ish), Chi Chi DeVayne (top), Acid Betty (top), Dax ExclamationPoint (bottom) and Thorgy Thor (top).
In the bottom lip synching for their lives are Laila McQueen (again) and Dax ExclamationPoint (Both in green. Coincidence?). They’re performing to the classic I Will Survive. Someone better bring it this time, since last week’s was so boring. With Dax’s “disco’s not my thing” I’m not hopeful.
And yep! It’s still boring! And Laila goes for the desperation-disrobing. You’ve got underwear on, girl. If you had a different outfit to reveal, that would be different. To one of the most classic songs ever. And instead of a no-elimination, we get a DOUBLE elimination. But is anyone else noticing that it’s kind of anti-climactic? Laila just runs off the stage, but then seems fine in the workroom giving us her final thoughts. Dax doesn’t react much either. Maybe this is why the first episode didn’t mention Dax being Violet’s drag mother. You would think she’d have gone further.
Oh, yeah, and Chi Chi gets the deserved win. With an eyeroll from Acid Betty. Pictured here because, let’s face it. That ear jewelry piece thingy is fierce.
Then there’s THE PHONE CALL. Who was Ru calling? Did Ru actually call anyone? Is Naysha coming back? BenDeLaCreme? Trixie Mattel? Magnolia Crawford? Shangela? Who? Anyone? Let’s speculate below!
Just a wild guess…….but how about a British queen?
Ru just crowned The Vivienne her RuPaul Drag Race UK ambassador, maybe they are flying her over? I think it would be different and certainly better than bringing back someone we’ve already seen (as much as I love all the queens). Who knows, we’ll just have to wait and see, ahhhhhhhhh!
I love how someone else thought of this! I’m also thinking The Vivienne might be who Ru is bringing in. Great way to throw shade that the American girls aren’t bringing it, and also a fantastic way to lure in some UK fans, since Ru wants to launch a UK Drag Race in the near future.
Not sure, but this post on Ru’s Instagram is probably a clue – https://www.instagram.com/p/BDEKqR-iypi/?taken-by=rupaulofficial
Perhaps a Season 7 queen coming to bring the smackdown?
Katya is coming back!
I wish!
I hope so. But I’m pretty sure she’ll be on All Stars 2.
That’s the general consensus. But that does make a case for her being around when they were filming Season 8… maybe?
I love this show and have watched since the beginning but doesn’t this elimination just prove that it’s all staged? I KNEW something was up because we could hear Ru saying “this is THE song to lip sync too” and we NEVER hear them speak before. That was my first hint something was up. I could just tell the energy was lacking and had a feeling both were going home. Then Ru does that whole phone bit.. OBVIOUSLY that was set up that way. I know these shows have to plan ahead for certain things but it makes me sad to know that this is all staged and they probably know exactly when they are going home. I’ll never stop watching though!
Of course it’s staged – it’s a TV show! But that lip sync was bad. I’m looking forward to a GOOD LSFYL from season 8, cause we haven’t seen one yet.
Of course Mama Ru didn’t actually call anyone. But I think she planned to do a double elimination this season and then call anyone back.
We can’t deny that both Laila and Dax fuck the LFYL up!
Even my 80-year-old grandma would do a better performance that those bitches and she’ll shanté stay.
Ha! Yeah. That’s my only quibble with this season so far – 2 lackluster lip syncs. Here’s hoping whoever’s in the bottom this week brings it!
Hey Ruth-thay!!
Ok, so overall I loved the episode, clearly the strong personalities, are coming through and this season is not about being able to coast. You better stand out or else!
I won’t go through the particulars since you already did, wonderfully might I add, but I will say I see that Acid and Thorgy do know each other quite well. But I sorta understand Acid Betty how she is now because she’s doing it alone, so to do the group work and not be the leader must be hard to take the backseat but she needs to learn how to chill and then find a way to stand out like she did. Otherwise she’s gonna catch that bitch edit, and that can be a killer if it comes down to top 3 and people have to vote ya know? But I get it, first group challenge and it’s a dance one, might be hard to just let Chi-Chi do her thing. Oh and I just love Thorgy, i would hang out and we can sip some tea together, the real stuff and gossip! haha
Speaking of, Chi-Chi came alive a bit for me this episode, i thought she was gonna middle of the road for me as simply pagent queen but I like personality, she’s fun and quirky but she needs to hone in on her runway skillz. It’s like what Michelle said…BASIC. which is a bad word for a girl who’s suppose to be a SUPERSTAR, so she needs to amp it up! But that New England, not knowing where it was? Not England girl, NEW England…Hilarious. I squealed!
Now let’s get to the bottom, since all the other girls took a backseat this week but I did dig their runways…P.S. what is the runway song this year? I still think the best runway song was Season 2 (jealous of my boogie) and Season 5 (I bring the beat) had a good bounce to it when you walked!
Kim Chi- While I think Kim Chi’s looks are bomb, I think agree with Michelle, she can’t keep hiding behind character as far as walking goes, believe me I know it, heels are a bi*ch! But drag queens gotta come correct with it. But I don’t mind her doing a character for challenges if that’s what gets her through, don’t want her to knock a good skill, if you’re not a good dancer you better make me think about laughin and not looking at your feet. Like remember when Phi-Phi told Jiggly not to be funny for that magazine cover and that’s what Ru and Michelle were expecting? Like go with your strengths and then grow. But I had no doubt she was gonna lip-sync, they just wanted her to know, we diggin the fierce looks but we see you tryin to hide and we not doin the slindin no more! But I think she’ll be around for a while!
Dax- I actually liked Dax, she looked like a member of the Misfits from Jem and the Holograms when she came in! Plus I like her voice, and honestly she just seemed cool, and THAT was the problem…she was WAYYYY to cool. If you have ever watched any of these episodes that you have to choreograph, then you know to take it seriously and practice full out. And if she had, maybe they could have corrected some things or add some things and she would have been safe cuz she didn’t do horrible she was a step below Naomi for me as far as remembering her in the dance, as my stands-outs were Chi-Chi, Thorgy and Betty. But I would have loved to seen more what she could’ve done, I hold out a little faith for her for All-Stars 3 or when Ru gets ready for Drag Race: REDEMPTION! (Muahahaha) (Ru Cackle)
Laila- Poor thing…She was right, in her state she probably is the bees knees but with all that talent packed in she just got lost! I did see her in Untucked though and #DeathSplat, I saw some energy I was like where was that this whole time?
Lip Sync: YIKES! A STAPLE SONG! Not just a staple song but you have Ru and Michelle clearly excited about what they’re about to see and then they get…whomp whomp. I mean here we go again with the prancing around and dramatic arms and I swear Ruth, if another queen never TEARS OFF HER DRESS AND LIP SYNCS IN HER UNDERWEAR…I will be ok with that. I mean seriously what is the deal? I thought we settled that with Milan’s Born this way disaster? Stop takin off your clothes if you know you had not intention to, but are just desperate for attention! I did think Dax did better than (although I hated that “i don’t do disco excuse!” Honey it’s RuPaul, prepare yourself for ALL forms of music and challenges!) Leila BUT like I said, Ru is not about the bullsh*t this year…I almost thought during it, she was gonna be like STOP THE MUSIC…now I said LIP SYNC FOR YOUR LIFE…and if you can’t you’re out! But instead she was like deuces to both of ya’ll. Major ouch.
Who’s on the phone: Maybe Shangela, but not to come back just for hilarity, and if its not her then someone who’s going to help them with their next challenge. Cuz I KNOW she ain’t calling none of them back, not Dax or Leila for sure and sorry Naysha that limited creativity was a no no for me, so I don’t think it’ll be another contestant, I thik Ru just wants to make everyone sweat!
OMG – you’re right! Dax was TOTALLY a Misfit! Yeah, I wanted to like her, and I liked her Hello Kitty look but everything else from her has been so ‘Meh.’ Plus, I figured she might not make it that far since they never mentioned she’s Violet’s drag mother. You would think they would harp on that if she were going far in the Race.
Any queen going into this show who thinks they’re going to stay in their comfort zone the whole time will go home early. Period. That’s been all the eliminations thus far: “I can’t sew,” “I’m insecure & don’t know how to stand out,” “I don’t like getting sweaty” I mean, I know we’re not on Survivor but you’re still going to be challenged.
Rumors are swirling that Ru will bring in someone OTHER than a drag queen. She never actually SAYS she’s bringing a queen back. Maybe it’s someone to yell at the girls & tell them they need to step their p* up. Remember last season when Ru apparently reamed the girls out in the judging panel (oh man what I wouldn’t give to see that!)? Maybe something like that is coming instead.
We’ll have to wait & see!
I don’t think Ru should have eliminated both queens. They were not great, but they knew the words and moved, and danced. If you think back to just before the lip synch, Ru and Michelle were talking about the song and how fierce it was and a “gay anthem”; that had never been shown before. I think Ru had this cooked up before she even saw the lip synch. And if that is the case, I think the integrity of the show took a hit.
Meh, it’s a TV show, and it’s Ru show as she’s stressed over and over and over and over again. Her sandbox – she can set it up however she wants. That said, if you watch it again, Dax is really shaky on the words. And the disrobing…. sigh…
I thought Kim Chi was HYSTERICALLY FUNNY as the “nerdy Asian Girl” in the Bitch Perfect performance and her runway look was FIERCE!! I love her walk. It’s very geisha. She should have definitely been in the top.
And where was Naomi Smalls? Her runway look was BREATHTAKING and her performance in Bitch Perfect was spot on. She should have definitely been in the top as well.
As far as who is coming back…
Trixie Mattel? She’s a good friend of Kim Chi and their make up is very similar. I don’t know if she could hold her own with Acid Betty, Bob the Drag Queen and Thorgy Thor. They are some touch cookies!!!
Yeah, Kim Chi did a great job at B*tch Perfect without having great dance moves. I do find her lumbering runway walk a bit much. I’d like to see her try something graceful, if only once.
Naomi is pretty, but I’m just not finding her interesting yet. I’d also like to see her wear boobs once. Just once. Maybe it won’t do anything for her, but it can’t hurt to try.
And the more I think about Trixie coming back – I think she would be too similar to Kim Chi and it really wouldn’t be fair to either of them. I’m thinking it’s got to be Naysha or a queen from a previous season that didn’t get very far would be the fairest. Not that fair necessarily matters.