Ron Does Stuff

It’s the weekend! Another work week done and now I have time to werk and watch another episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars!

Despite teetering very near that breakdown edge for multiple episodes, Shannel doesn’t have to actually go down that road as she finally won a challenge in the previous episode. And of course she’s happy about it. Even I’m happy about it!

Another queen who’s happy about the previous episode’s result is Jorgeous, who thanks to Shannel’s badge gifting is now a frontrunner with four badges. Nina has thoughts about that though, as she thinks Shannel’s choice has only entrenched the badge differences present on the current leaderboard. Well you should have given that extra badge several episodes ago to her, Nina!

The next day, after Jorgeous shares that she had a wet dream about Vanjie — wet in that Vanjie was chasing her around with a hose — Vanji reveals that she and Roxxxy had a history and I’m like hold up what?

Roxxxy says she was the orginial Brooke Lynn Hytes??? They were in a flirtationship??? This is news to me and everyone else on the cast as well. And probably other Drag Race fans as well. But nothing physical happened between the two of them.

ANYWAYS, after that revelation, Ru enters the Werk Room and tells the queens that this week’s Maxi Challenge is the Lalapaaruza and Nina is still grumbling about how Shannel shouldn’t have given Jorgeous her extra badge since she’s a great lip sync performer. Nina. Girl. You gave Roxxxy a badge. You don’t have any room to talk.

Anyways, Ru says that there’s still time to win more badges and be part of the top three and I’m like…bitch how? But I’ll guess I’ll just have to wait until further in the episode to find that out.

Jorgeous, not without reason, is feeling very confident going into the Maxi Challenge. After all, she is a fierce lip sync performer and is going into it with four badges. She even shoots a pointed comment at Plastique’s way and you know what? Plastique deserved that, looking at how she’s performed in the past lip syncs.

But then again, this could just be production setting up Plastique’s redemption story. Could this be the day that Plastique actually wins a lip sync? We shall see!

All over the Werk Room, the queens start assessing their overall lip sync performances during the season as well. Gottmik hasn’t lost one yet, while Vanjie provides what I think is a clear look at the chance of each queen winning, depending on the song choices.

Shannel and Nina have that discussion as well, since both of their lip sync styles aren’t exactly like the younger queens with all the tumbling and twirling. Which they also point out isn’t necessarily a better way to do it and I think Shannel proved that was the case way back in season 1 with that lip sync wearing the Medusa hairpiece.

However, the undisputed Lip Sync Assassin has got to be Roxxxy Andrews and to Roxxxy’s credit, while she’s proud of the achievement, she does not diminish the other girls’ capabilities at all. As a viewer, it really has been such a joy seeing how much Roxxxy has grown over the years.

Since she’s undisputed, the girls don’t even bother coming for her and it’s Jorgeous and Angeria who end up having a little friction instead heading into the Lalaparuza. Jorgeous feels like Angeria has a tendency to block her opponents and Angeria thinks it’s a skill issue if you allow yourself to be blocked and I have to agree with Angeria on this one.

First up is Gottmik versus Angeria and since the queens think that’s a bad choice my immediate instinct is that Gottmik is going to win this lip sync because the producers just love doing that. Angeria chooses “My Lovin’” by En Vogue and by the way Angeria is so confident about I still think Gottmik is going to win it because the producers love striking down the sin of pride.

AND I’M WRONG! Angeria wins the lip sync and Gottmik is sent back to the Werk Room, although to be perfectly honest I thought both the lip syncs were mid? During the breakdown in the song all I could think about was Detox in Boy Is A Bottom.

And of course I also remembered when Raven lip synced to this against Nicole Paige Brooks from Atlanta, Georgia. Come on now.

Up next is Vanjie versus Plastique and I’m not even going to guess on who’s going to win this because look at what happened with Angeria versus Gottmik. They’re going to be lip syncing to “When I Grow Up” by the Pussycat Dolls and honestly? I think Vanjie demolished Plastique. There’s only so many times you can slap your pussy, Plastique!

The next lip sync battle is between Nina and Shannel and I guess Nina got cornered into doing that? Because if she picked either Jorgeous or Roxxxy those two would pick songs that would be out of her wheelhouse. Shannel picks “You Spin Me Round” by Dead or Alive and you really see her years of experience because her whole outfit and makeup helped her win that lip sync. Nina’s outfit was too distracting and I think that cost her the lip sync.

Jorgeous and Roxxxy, the lip sync assassins of the season, are the last pair to battle it out in the first round and they’re going to be performing “Holding Out For A Hero” by Bonnie Tyler. And like the queens themselves said, the hairography? Now those are quality wigs! Practically nailed to their scalps. Roxxxy wins, but that said, no lip sync to “Holding Out For A Hero” by Bonnie Tyler can hold a candle to Tandi Iman Dupree’s.

The second round starts with Vanjie versus Shannel and they’re going to be lip syncing to “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan. And to Vanjie’s credit she’s been very strategic with these picks! So far all the queens she’s gone up against have chosen songs Vanjie knows she’s good at.

As the lip sync starts, I actually found Shannel more compelling? It felt a little like Kenya Michaels going up against Latrice Royale. Shannel just felt the song more for me and Vanjie was…too modern? That’s probably not the right word for it but Shannel just felt right for me. Shannel wins and Vanjie is sent back to the Werk Room.

The penultimate lip sync is between Angeria and Roxxxy and they’re doing “Groove Is In The Heart”. And Roxxxy’s lip sync shows humor that I feel like she hasn’t shown yet in her previous lip sync appearances on the show, so it’s no surprise that she handily won this one.

The final lip sync between Shannel and Roxxxyy is to Ariana Grande’s “Break Free” and Roxxxy’s hair? They should have cut up all of her wigs because that hairography is just decimating these queens. It’s no surprise she won the whole thing!