Ron Does Stuff

We saw Sum Ting Wong go home in last week’s episode, which makes her the second international queen to go home. While I want the Filipino queens to win, I do hope that it’s not a one-sided battle. Let’s see what’s in store for us in this new episode!

Returning to the Werk Room after Sum Ting Wong’s elimination, Yuhua asks the question that the other international queens are probably asking themselves as well: Were they really that bad. And, well. At least from this viewer’s perspective? You guys kinda were. But I do hope the show isn’t just Filipina queens winning over and over. While that would be great as a Filipino viewer watching, it won’t be as entertaining for the rest of the world. It’ll also handicap there ever being a second season of this show.

Ivory is feeling good, at least, since both Arizona and Viñas picked her lipstick. I really want the other international queens to win something! Anything! Let’s not just roll over and give up! Also, production, come on. Give the international queens some leeway!

In the Werk Room the next day, Kitty is declaring that she wants to be on top, she wants to be in front, and now I’m so worried that she’s the next queen going home. That’s always the case when you manifest out loud on Drag Race! Save Kitty Space! Ivory Glaze also declares that she’s the one winning this week, and my goodness. Are we looking at our potential bottom two? Is Kitty Space going to be saved this early?

The RuMail arrives and it looks like it’s going to be an unconventional materials challenge? Something to do with chocolate? I don’t know! But we do get a mini challenge that plays into the whole Hep Hep Hooray thing that Filipino and Filipino-adjacent peeps will get immediately, but of course with a Drag Race Philippines twist.

And, of course, since it’s such a staple of Filipino pop culture, the international queens are immediately at a disadvantage. Yuhua and Siam are immediately taken out, followed by Suki Doll. It’s only after Suki that a Filipino queen eliminated in Viñas, who won in the previous episode anyway so that’s fine.

Kitty Space puts up a good fight and lasts until it’s just her and Brigiding, but ultimately, it’s Brigiding that ends up winning the mini challenge. She gets P20,000 and also the advantage of picking the color of the fossilized cacao leaves that she’ll work with for the Maxi Challenge. Yes, the Maxi Challenge is a design challenge where they need to use cacao leaves fossilized by local farmers and I really like how they’ve put the farmers to the forefront for this challenge. Brigiding also can pick who will be the last one to pick their color, and she picks Suki Doll, which is what I would have done as well. Suki Doll is a designer, and I’d handicap her any way I could.

Arizona, ever the comedian, tries to make it look like her design challenge outfit during her season was a win, but of course, it wasn’t. Tessa Prieto tried to go viral on that episode, remember? She’s looking to redeem herself in this episode, and points out that it would be a great plot twist if she’s the top queen in this challenge, but also acknowledges that she only learned how to sew fabric, not cacao leaves.

Elsewhere in the Werk Room, Ivory asks Suki how she feels about the disadvantage she got and Suki is very nonchalant about it, pointing out that you just have to work with what you’ve got. Sorry, but just from this interaction, Suki Doll better win this challenge because it is definitely Rigga Morris if she doesn’t.

Another queen that has design experience is Kitty Space, which I honestly do not recall if she shared during her season of Drag Race France. She wants to really represent France with her design this time around, and doesn’t want to be in the bottom. Which just marks her for elimination, I’m sorry. That’s the rules of television!

During the walkthroughs, it’s actually Kitty Space that gets handicapped, because Mama Pao points out that the silhouette she’s making looks like the one she made from episode one. See, see, they’re already setting her up to fail. She’s going home this episode. Ivory looks like she’s going to be in the bottom as well, but this is Philippine TV so they’re not going to send home a conventionally attractive person just yet.

As the queens start preparing for the runway on elimination day, we get to learn more about Ivory Glaze and how she’s always done what her parents expected from her, but now it’s given her a complex about being perfect or not achieving perfection. We also find out that she learned she was cast on Drag Race Down Under during her mother’s funeral, and that being on the show was confusing for her because…well, it’s kinda self-explanatory, isn’t it?

BUT, her getting a backstory just tells me that it’s her time to go. I guess we did save Kitty Space!

Arizona Brandy is the first queen to step on the runway and…well, it’s better than what she did on her season, I guess? I kinda wish she used more of the cacao leaves, though. This looks like she just glued the leaves onto already existing fabric. It’s not like she made fabric out of hair or something.

Arizona’s outfit looks especially bad when Kitty Space walks out. I like her outfit! I’d say it looks like her previous silhouette, but I may just be thinking that because the show already implanted the idea in my head earlier.

I don’t know what it is about the Filipina queens outfits, but it doesn’t look like it fits their body well? Maybe it’s just me, but Khianna’s outfit doesn’t seem like it fit her well. But again, take my opinions with a grain of salt because I am not a fashion gay at all.

Siam’s outfit…well. I’ll just wait for what Pangina has to say about it. Suffice to say I didn’t like it and Brigiding walking in after her made her outfit look even worse. However, I don’t know if Siam’s outfit looking bad made Brigiding’s outfit look better, or Brigiding’s outfit was good on its own, even if Siam’s outfit wasn’t bad. I hope you guys made sense out of that word salad.

Viñas looks like she might get another win because Pangina is very vocal about her appreciation of Viñas outfit. And to be fair, it really does look great! I’m just a little meh about this being another rout of the international queens. Like I said, I want the local queens to win, but don’t make it so obvious!

Suki Doll comes after Viñas, and maybe it’s because I overhyped her so much in my head, but I was whelmed by the look? Don’t get me wrong, I think it looks great, but I was just expecting more, considering Suki Doll’s resume? But she is definitely not going to be a bottom queen this episode.

Khianna, Brigiding, Bernie, and Yuhua are the safe queens for this episode. The critiques start and the judges basically say the same thing about Arizona Brandy that I did. Maybe I do have an eye! Kitty Space gets good critiques, but Siam gets destroyed by Pangina, which I kinda understand. It really wasn’t a striking look in my opinion, and Pangina even pointed out a lot of things I didn’t even notice.

Ivory also gets read, and I really think she might be going home, you guys. She’s getting a lot of screen time this episode, even crying on stage, and I feel like it’s the production’s way of maximizing her exposure before she leaves. Viñas and Suki obviously gets great critiques, and I thought that they would be the ones in the top, but it’s actually Viñas and Kitty who end up as the top two queens of the week. Not mad about it though!

Back in the Werk Room, Suki is a real doll standing up for Kitty Space after the safe queens expressed their surprise at Kitty getting the top spot. I didn’t think she would be top two, but I didn’t think she was going to be in the bottom like the safe queens did. And it was really gracious of Suki to ensure that Kitty doesn’t feel like she’s not good enough, even at the cost of Suki not getting that top two spot.

Both Ivory and Arizona are emotional about their bottom placements, and it’s fully understandable for both of them. I can see where the emotion is coming from, and at least for this viewer, I don’t think it’s being put on and it’s genuine on their part.

The lip sync starts and…come on, Kitty. Do you even know the words? It’s a sure win for Viñas, who will now be the frontrunner with two badges if I’m correct. And I think I am because she’s just demolishing Kitty. She even gave Kitty money!

So, we get to who goes home today, and I truly think it’s Ivory Glaze, because we learned all about her background already. And I’m right! It’s heartbreaking, but was there really a different outcome?