RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6 Episode 9 begins with the post-Laganja elimination kiki. We’re establishing that most girls think Joslyn is going home next, which means she probably isn’t. Other than that, there’s just some good-natured wholesome banter among the girls. The guest judges this week are Paula Abdul, Cher’s mom Georgia Holt and Cher’s son, Chaz Bono. The trifecta of close, but not-Cher.
This week’s mini-challenge involves Mr. Scruff of the Scruff social network app and of the Scruff pit-crew. It’s basically Wheel of Fortune but with no Wheel, a lot of A-S-S and letters on the butts of the Scruff pit crew. Ru calls it Hung Man. For some reason the girls that guess the puzzle in 1 letter don’t get extra points, but who’s quibbling. BenDeLaCreme wins the mini-challenge and a lifetime supply of fake eyelashes.
The main challenge is a talk show. The girls are interviewing two of their extra-special guest judges Chaz Bono and Georgia Holt. Joslyn knows she’s been read for her look pretty consistently, so she decides to focus on her wardrobe first. So the other girls read her for the outfits she’s picking out in their confessionals.
In Ru’s check-in with the girls, most queens are scared or unsure about what they’re doing. And if they’re confident, then Ru gives them something to be scared about. BenDeLaCreme needs to figure out how to show his real personality. Courtney Act flat-out asks “what do the judges want from me?” Joslyn decides she’s going to go with comments about who came out of whose vagina. We’re setting up for a semi-disaster.
And then we get to see all of the awful bits of each queen’s interview. No one seems to do well. Adore isn’t really listening. The response to ‘depression’ of any kind is never ‘party.’ Bianca has too many questions and doesn’t ask Georgia Holt anything. Trinity keeps calling Chaz Chad. Darienne is kind of blah and pieces of her outfit keep falling off her. UPDATE: Want to see more? Logo just posted the talk show intros in a bonus scene from the Queens of Talk.
The two queens that do well are Courtney Act and BenDeLaCreme.
And then there’s Joslyn. Poor, poor Joslyn. First she keeps the Chaz coming out of Cher & Cher coming out of Georgia in her intro. Out of a sense of respect she doesn’t use the word vagina. Psst… Joslyn… that word wasn’t really the issue. She also decides to ask Georgia Holt how she feels about abortion. Why, Joslyn? Why?
The runway theme is ‘animal jungle fever.’ Darienne goes for elephant realness. Really it’s just a grey sack with some fake tusk earrings. Adore has a sparkly Hannibal Lecter mask and some cheetah print, but that’s about it. She claims she’s a jaguar. Ok. BenDeLaCreme has a fly outfit with some fly walking realness mannerisms that’s really cool. Bianca goes cheetah. And we get three birds – Joslyn goes with a jacket over her usual bikini with a few head feathers. Trinity has a huge tribal explosion of feathers coming from her back. But Courtney Act’s huge expandable wings take it for me. They’re super-cool and moveable, which I think gives her a slight edge over Trinity. She also did not call anyone Chad.
After the judging Bianca Del Rio is safe, as is BenDeLaCreme. Courtney Act is declared the winner. Darienne Lake is safe. Up for elimination is Adore Delano and Trinity K Bonet. Were you thinking Joslyn should be in the bottom? Of course Joslyn isn’t in the bottom; all the girls have set up that she would be in the bottom. Too predictable. Michelle Visage does read her for her meaty tuck. She does not get read for wearing a bikini. Again. I assume because everyone is sick of saying “STOP WEARING A BIKINI!”
Adore is reasonably scared as Trinity has sent a lot of girls home with her lip-synch. However this is Adore performing a Paula Abdul song in front of Paula Abdul after having been judged by Paula Abdul on American Idol. The girls must’ve done a little ki-ki-ing about their performance ahead of time because they interact with each other like Raja and Carmen Carrera did on season 3 (which was also to a Paula Abdul song – if you missed it, it’s the video below. Enjoy. Fair warning, the naughty word that’s always bleeped isn’t bleeped.). There’s even a bit I think Logo decided was a bit too naughty so we get to see a shot of RuPaul instead.
Adore is safe and Trinity is sent home. She’s been unstoppable in the final lip synch for so long, but not this time. She gives Ru a heartfelt thank you as she gives a classy farewell. A nice change after last week. It feels like Trinity got what she needed from the competition, and it was time for her to go.
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Was it Trinity’s time? Were you disappointed in the lack of word salad from Paula Abdul (I was)? Will Joslyn go home next week? Apparently there are makeovers of brides next week, so we’ll see who can handle the drag makeover challenge. If the queens have to make wedding gowns, I’m guessing that Adore & BenDeLaCreme will have the toughest time. Is anyone going to make their bride cry?
What do you think?
Ruthie-Ru, my darling!!!!
First things first, as always, a fantastic recap!
Now let’s get down to things shall we??
Second things second…YES!!! YES!!! and more YES!!!! Now THAT…was a lip-sync worth talking about and to quote Ms.Abdul “THAT WAS THE BEST,” and it was the best lip-sync of the entire season! SO worth it, you were right, I was VERY pleased if you can’t tell from my over use of CAPITAL LETTERS but it is SOOOOO necessary, and the only way I can think of expressing my delight of the event that took place! GREAT JOB!!!
I liked how the episode opened up not cuz ganja wasn’t there anymore but because they all acknowledged that they left it on a bad note and they all showed human feelings like “that sucks it ended that way” and how its not like they sat around and said she deserved it or needed to go home, just that she did, it sucked how she did, and on to the next event, and I definitely loved Trinity’s maturity when the girls were semi-stunned that the message she left was so short…she was like “as if you girls were expecting something long, she was upset, but it’s a new day.” a least it will be when they come in the next morning!
Now let me dissect these girls…
Darienne: I saw in Untucked they’re starting to clock her for her shady (albeit for me, slightly hilarious) back-handed remarks…I don’t even think it’s necessarily that she says them but how, and it comes off as snooty and above it and THAT”s what the other girls aren’t feeling I’m guessing. At the taping she did…just middle of the road, I’m a bit surprised her jewelry and stuff was falling off, she’s one of the polished queens so I was like hmm…she was kinda just floatin this episode, no horrid mistakes or great accomplishments, and I think that could come back to get her…her runway elephant realness was just that, I did like that her sleeves reminded me of elephant ears, and the tusks earrings were not bad, she did gray hair and even added a crown which gave me some BABAR royalty realness ( I almost forgot that show til just now, never really loved it but I appreciated elephants speaking proper English as royalties with their fellow kings and queens being lions! hahaha) I also thought her intro was decent but you’re right, did she run a marathon prior to cuz she sounded out of breath! It’s like girl, if you know you have to talk just do the sway back and forth and conserve energy!
Bianca: I think this is the first time Bianca just blended in with the pack truly, I know she’s been safe before but this is the first episode (besides seeing her on the runway) that she was very good, not great. I still loved her intro to the show, first time we’ve all seen her in something above the knee, she has good legs, I wish she’d show them more but that’s probably not her style, she does seem more of a gown girl. I think if she had managed the time a little better or picked up the cues from Chaz she woulda aced this challenge but she did have a natural flow with Chaz despite ignoring Grandmama Holt. Loved that she made up for it by asking her something on the runway. Speaking of runway, loved the body paint, and hair, that’s also something that we’ve never seen with her too so it’s nice that she’s still pulling different looks out, she is in no rut!
Courtney: I MUST start with the runway…THOSE WINGS!!! I agree with Ru, some of these girls are bringing “production value” to the runway, and I am all about it! I also appreciated her just askin Ru, what do the judges want from her and its pretty basic…being able to appear human and not so perfect cuz no ones perfect, just be human, I think what she said in Untucked should get her that vulnerability she needs, still throwin shade at Jos, but appearing focused on prize. Her intro and interview were great, very professional and fun and light, I thought it was nice…a deserved win??? Well…I think it was the runway that sent her over the top.
Bendela: Speaking of the top…MY HOMEGIRLS BACK ON IT!!!! WHOOP WHOOP!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think she did great at the interview, she was still Bendela but we also saw bits of BEN and making the interview personable and funny and very BENDELA…I thought she did great! I loved her outfit on the runway, buggy realness, very unique, no one else went insect, so she gets points for being original!
Adore:…Ugh…your girls starting to do that thing where she coasts. Like you said, the response to depression is never “party”…I understand that’s the way she talks but in interviews might want to take a second to really listen to what the person is saying and after you hear depression you still think party is the response, then you may need some party pills! I know she’s young though so I’ll chop it up to that. Her runway was. not. the. business! Except maybe the mask but wrong week to wear it, I’ve said it before and I’ve said it again even though her stuff looks way more expensive and put together than Jos, I think sometimes she’s just like I LOVE THIS SEPERATES AND AM GONNA THROW THEM TOGETHER TO MAKE SOMETHING WORK…and it didn’t this time, that leopard vest…she woulda did better to just wear the leather body suit and say its dead wild cow realness (not a real animal but you know what I’m saying)…her lip sync…well, I’ll get to that.
Joslyn: That girl be saying some stuff..just off the wall stuff, that being said…I’d still be her friend cuz you know she’d say some off the wall stuff that would keep you laughing! Her interview…yikes. Brick wall after brick wall. And its sad cuz she did have about a minute of good report with Chaz and Barbara before it all went down the fallopian tubes (if you know what I mean)…such a bad time to bring up THAT subject. But her apology on the runway was heartfelt and you can tell she won’t ever do it again so you live and you learn…except for her on the runway. I mean this girl…I don’t think she really grasped the entire concept…I feel like her and Adore were like I brought one animal piece so lets just run with it and make the rest of the shit up!!!! hahaha. I don’t know where I’ll ever use the term “meaty tuck” thanks to Mama Visage but I now plan to use it before the year is up, it is my duty, I will not shirk it, somebody will get meaty tuck attacked somewhere soon, hahahaha.
Trinity: I thought she was very mature this whole episode and really enjoyed her, remember I told you at the beginning I was not checking for her but she showed up on my radar and this s like a very nice full circle moment, now not only was she accepting the bad she did, she accepted the criticism and knew she needed to improve. She really became a better queen, I felt, for being on the show and definitely became a sweetie! That being said…that interview!!!! THIS is the reason she went home, if she had gotten CHAZ’s name correct, she woulda been safe, but constantly getting your guest name right is like interview 101 and I hear she had cue cards, so not cute hon. If she had just said the name right she would have stayed cuz her runways was rock-a-doodle wonderful, feathers every and I was all about it! Ugh…this is one of the times you wish she woulda paid attention to that one detail and it woulda changed the course of the game but in the watcha packin with Mama Visage she was very much at peace with her exit and that shows a lot of maturity. She will be missed!
THE LIPSYNC WAS AMAZING!!!! I agree, some definite Raja/Carmen honoring going on, not AS sexy as their cuz that was ridiculous, but definitely up there as quality partner work and hot, I was highly impressed, those girls have a good connection!
Now to the questions….
Was it Trinity’s time??? Yes…and No…had she got the name right I don’t think she would have been up for the lip-sync so if she had paid attention to the names of the guests I fully believe she would have been safe. And honestly I believe in the lip-sync that she really did wonderful, but Adore pulled out a cartwheel and did some really cool signing with the Vibeology spelling, so it was time but it’s sad cuz her lip-syncs were the best of the season, so I’m a little worried for the lip-syncs now , homegirl went out with a bang, so she should be proud of herself!
I was so upset with the lack of Abdul-ness but that’s what happens when Ru has more than 2 judges, didn’t I say that a while back that when you get too many judges that the audience gets shortchanged, it’s not all Ru’s fault, hour show after all, (45ish without commercials) so I know she’s excited but I wanna be like S P A C E T H E M O U T so we can enjoy them ya know? But she did say that was best her typical Paula wasy so that was nice!
Will Jos go home next week???…hmm….I feel like maybe..her style is somewhat wah-wah so for her to design a wedding gown, is going to be interesting with the taste level and what not so I do see her lip-syncing…not for putting her bride in a wedding bikini, ahahaha, but for maybe just looking like she got the dress at the 99cent store. Hodge Podgey and way to much goin on…editing is Jos’s enemy so if she PAYS ATTENTION to what the judges have been telling her, look back to her FIRST challenge where she looked like a crazy flamenco parade float girl, she may have a shot, but I think she may be bottom 2.
I also think Darriene or Courtney or Adore would be on the bottom with Jos. Mainly because they’re both so polished I think they get their outfits tailored for them so they may not know how to do for others, also their first challenge, Darrience did nothing special and we know how Ru feels for safety in this comp and Court went for dressin for her body, but what if her brides not equally as shaped up?? I think that could be a real challenge. And Adore…well her first challenge just looked like she wrapped a sheet around her and tied a ribbon on it and called it something, she knew it was crap so if hopefully she’s gonna ask Bianca for as much sewing or Bendela for as much hotgluing help as possible cus honey needs it!
I think Bianca will win it…she’s a freakin seamstress. This challenge was MADE for her. And I think my Bendela will rock it as well, she killed it the first challenge, shit looked sewed and couture! She did joke that hot glue and desperation but look what hot glue and desperation DID, she clearly has been practicing with her hot glue gun!
Hey Kei!
Thanks so much! Next week is going to be interesting. I think the winner & loser of the Wedding Gown challenge is going to depend on what Ru’s looking for. Is she looking for a really polished look? Is she looking more for a ‘family resemblance’ between the bride & her drag queen, but not really caring if that look is executed well? (I mean, a queen that can’t sew in episode 1 is not going to magically get all these new sewing skills by week 10. In real filming time, it’s probably only been 2-3 weeks since these girls started the show.)
Besides which, if you’ve been clocking the looks people have been wearing in Untucked, there are at least 2 outfits we haven’t yet seen Adore in, so I assume (and we all know what that can do) that she will be safe this week. Which will probably raise some ire as I assume her outfit will be the worst constructed.
I do think that, like with Trinity & Ru setting up her story arc of insecure queen to fully confident, Ru is now setting up a story arc for Darienne. Sure she’s been shady, but we also haven’t heard much from or about her. Now that Trinity is off the show we’re seeing more of her & it’s all focused on being shady or having a bad attitude. We don’t have enough time in the season to have another ‘transformation’ arc, so I think this is setting up her eventual elimination. Maybe not this week, but I don’t think she’s making the top 3.
As I mentioned below, Ru MAY be setting up Joslyn as the dark horse in the top 3, but I just don’t know. She’s really sweet but she’s REALLY bad about taking a note/listening to the judges. I’ve seen some screengrabs of next week’s show on Reddit and it doesn’t look like she’s wearing a bikini this week (thank the lord above) so MAYBE she can be taught. I just don’t know how far Ru’s going to push her.
Either way, I’m excited for the next couple of weeks to see how this all shakes out. Does anyone know, has the live finale been filmed yet? I guess not, but it’s gotta be soon!
I like all the queens that are left except for Courtney. Like Ben said, she is alienating; and those reads on Joslyn turn me off big time.
I think Darienne – when performing – can be really really funny.
That said, I think Adore and Trinity were the right choices for the bottom 2 because of the main challenge. The screwed up their interviews big time. I would have sent Adore home if it was judging solely on the lip sync, but apparently many people think Adore slayed it. I am a huge Adore fan, but I thought her energy and moves were off for that song.
Well Courtney serves fish like no one else. She needs to work on her attitude but other than that, she brings it. Still think Joslyn had the worst interview. Chaz was even smirking at Trinity like he thought it was funny that she was calling him Chad. The questions and comments in Joslyn’s interview clearly had them uncomfortable.
Yeah, I think Joslyn is just a bit socially awkward. I think she’s super sweet, but she doesn’t have a filter that says “Hmmm, even though this is in their family history, maybe I shouldn’t ask this question.” I think her apology definitely kept her out of the bottom 2.
I agree that if RPDR were strictly about bringing the fish, Courtney should win it. Other than that, she just really hasn’t been that strong of a performer. Great singer. Knows how to play up to her strengths, but I’m still kind of Meh about her.
Really? I loved her in the lip synch. That said, the editing of the episode didn’t really show you much of Trinity’s performance, so she could’ve done better than we were shown. But Adore was staying, so I’m sure that’s why she got more screen time.
I want to see what the judges saw when Trinity’s head went south while they were both standing up 😉
Joslyn was horrid in her interview and her runway look had nothing to do with the look that they asked for. She should have packed her bags this week. I was so disappointed in that decision. My name is Corey and I would be less offended if someone called me Chris in an interview than if someone asked me inappropriate questions or made an inappropriate comment. #justSayin
Trinity should NOT have had to shashay away.
Ru may be keeping Joslyn around to be the girl that everyone else says “why is SHE still here?”
Although I don’t think she should be, she may be in the top 3. Remember that conversation she had with Courtney in the Queens of Comedy episode? She talked about the actress that everyone laughed at who ended up winning the Tony. Is Ru trying to set that story arc up for Joslyn? We’ll have to wait & see on that one.
I saw on Instagram that Sharon Needles dressed up as Sally Jesse Raphael for the Queens of Talk episode.
Was Sharon part of the show and edited out?
No, that was a viewing party appearance where Ms. Needles was channeling Sally Jesse. I would think if they were bringing Sharon back they definitely wouldn’t cut that out.
Why would Dela be the one having a hard time making a wedding dress? She won the first challenge with a spectacular dress. And there are other not so talented sewers like Courtney, Darienne, Joslyn and as you mentioned Adore. I think Joslyn might be the one going home next week, she just lacks the capability of adjusting even when she focusses on it. STOP WEARING BIKINI’S! So what if she didn’t really understood this weeks theme that bikini was unforgivable. I also feel like Darienne could be going home soon, now that we’ve officially established she’s the new bitch of the season and everybody (of the viewers) hates her (I still love her though, I get that dry humour, she’s not a bad person) and she also always performs underwhelming. Though the grey sack was a much needed refreshment from her usual black glittery sack.
Dela did make a beautiful dress, but she mentioned it was held together with hot glue & desperation. It’s one thing to make a dress for yourself, but another to make a dress for another person. I figure if she isn’t confident in putting together an outfit from scratch she may not do well.
Otherwise, especially in interacting with their ‘client’ I think Dela will do well. I think you’re right that Darienne may be in trouble on this one because of her increasing nastiness. Having to work with a client may be the last straw for her. You’re right on the show’s focus too – we seem to be building the ‘Darienne is nasty’ narrative.
Joslyn too. She’s sweet & would be able to work well with someone HOWEVER you know something weird is going to come out of her mouth at some point. Hopefully it’s charming & not embarrassing. I also hope she doesn’t try to put her bride into one of her bikini’s. Yikes!
Have you seen the first 10 minutes of next week’s episode on the Logo TV App? Of course they have to make up the grooms to look like brides. It’ll be interesting to see if they also have to make up the brides too. This could be a hot mess of a challenge.