‘Ru Paul’s Drag Race 14×03’ Review

I have to admit that the last two episodes of Ru Paul’s Drag Race season fourteen have been some of the most exciting episodes in a very long time! We saw two smaller groups of queens showcase their posing skills in unique photoshoot mini-challenges and then gave them the opportunity to show off any hidden talents in the CNT (where the only thing missing is you) which was nice as we got to see the queens in very similar challenges! I usually don’t like repetition but the fact that we saw a smaller group of queens perform in similarly structured episodes allowed us to get to know each queen more, allowed the queens more screen time and meant we could easily figure out any potential front runners in the race from the first episode! Both Kornbread ‘the snack’ Jete and Angeria Paris VanMicheals win their respective episodes with entertaining original lip-syncs which means they walk into this latest episode with the confidence/pressure of an early win! On the other end of the competition, we saw the elimination of both Orion Story and Daya Betty (in that order) after both losing their respective lip-syncs which many people were gutted about as these queens were not given as much chance to show their drag! It must be very stressful in appearing in the opening episode of any show especially Drag Race as you have to showcase your talents but also present yourself in such a way (in just an hour) to get the viewers to like you.

The latest episode was crammed full of dramatic moments and twists. The show opened with the two groups of queens finally meeting up together to compete in one overall race (despite still mentally splitting the queens which I will talk about later.) This moment of the two groups of queens is always very exciting as it’s the first time that they met each other and/or know they are competing against one another. Now it was not only the remaining queens that were joined together but we also saw the return of the two previously eliminated queens that I discussed earlier. I think this twist was a good inclusion (even though it happens every season) as like I said these queens did not get enough time to showcase who they are or what they do! The next twist was something unique and exciting that I have never seen down before across any of the Drag Race franchises. All the queens were instructor to pick one of the Ru Paul’s Drag Race chocolate bars to sign and keep of hold of which either contain a normal chocolate bar or a golden ticket. After the bottom top, lip-sync has occurred and one queen is told to sashay away, they will open up their chocolate bar and if they have a golden ticket they will be given a magical second chance and not leave the rest but if it’s a bar of normal chocolate they will have to leave the show. I think this randomised saved is a direct response to the allegations regarding Kandy Muse in the previous season, series 12, being saved as she is supposedly of Ru Pauls personal favourites. My only concern with this chocolate bar twist is that it may negate the purpose of a double save when we see a stellar lip sync. There is nothing more exciting on Drag Race than a double save (or even the more dramatic double elimination) and so to see them become void is very disappointing to me!

There was no mini-challenge in this weeks episode, instead, we skip right to the maxi challenge which was a colossal one! The queens had to walk the runway in two different balls the first being the “Hide and Chic” (which is a very clever pun as lots of the categories were safari-themed) ball and secondly the “Red, White and Blue” ball. The deciding of which ball the queens took part in was based on which part of the premier they appeared on which to me didn’t really make sense as they have just joined the queens together so why are they one group if you are still going to split them thematically. Due to the number of queens and the fact that see ball theme is split into three categories, this means that we get to see forty-two unique looks from the queens which does explain why there was no mini-challenge in this weeks episode! The structure of the runway presentations were fairly confusing and I thought that if they had to split the queens into two balls they should have showcased all the looks from one ball and then all the looks from the other. This flicking back and fourth did make it somewhat difficult for the viewers to keep track of which queen was a part of which ball and which look was from which category which did not make for the most coherent viewer experience!

Going into this episode we were made aware that my early favourite Deja Sky is a professional seamstress and so we should expect to see her create some wonderful looks. If you have seen any of the ball episodes in previous Drag Race seasons you will know that there is always one queen who helps the others in the room with the outfit creations and usually this hinders their own performance. The one expedition to this trope was last season’s Utica who managed to create one of the greatest design challenges looks made of a sleeping bag that the show has ever seen! We saw Jasmin Kennedy working very close with Keri Colby to help the latter create her look as she has tremendous respect for who Keri’s drag mother is. We also saw Kornbread helping Willow a lot during this episode but for a very good reason. Willow Pill has already talked to everyone about how she suffers from a condition that mainly affects her eyes and hands and has a direct effect on her motor skills. These elements are key factors in these design challenges so it was nice to see Kornbread helping this queen who was clearly struggling with the effects of her condition. On a much more jovial note, we saw Daya Betty eat a dead dragonfly that was found in the werk room after Kornbread promised that she would pay her $1000 if she did so! This sort of almost laddish behaviour is not something we have seen on Ru Paul’s Drag Race before and really helps the audience to see past the perfect presentation of drag queens and allows them to get to the people behind the queens better.

As there is forty-two looks in this weeks episode I will not be critiquing every single one but instead will be doing one highlight run through and also will be going through one ball category at a time so all the “Hide and Chic” queens will be first and then the “Red, White and Blue” queens will be second with each category in order. First up in the zebra print resort category was Bosco who wore a head to toe zebra-striped jumpsuit with some sort of horns on her head. It is clear that this artistic queen loves to wear horns which were shown during her signature drag look in the opening episode. Willow Pill looked absolutely incredible in a black-on-black print outfit that made her standout amongst the classic zebra print design. I think that Willow’s hair and the make-up combination was amazing together! I hate to admit it but I did think that Kornbread first look in this runway was very basic that was a very simple safari-inspired look that did not really fit with the other books in this category. I thought that June Jambalaya’s first look was great where she wore a zebra bikini with a wonderful coat that was serving almost executive realness. I thought that the coat itself was a highlight and the overall look was so much better before she removed it but that’s just my opinion!

The next category in this ball theme was leopard print evening wear which I thought Alyssa Hunter absolutely nailed! She wore and outfit with the most wonderful over-the-top sleeves with a matching hat that promoted the judges to make a joker about her Hunter related name. I loved Willows black and gold outfit which looked so opulent and fierce which I did not expect from her. I assumed (wrongly) that Willow is a queen who liked to hide behind a character-based in her entrance look but I could not have been more wrong! Her look this week was amazing! Kornbread decided that she would use this category to show off her incredible body with a black velvet drag that exaggerated every one of her curves to create a very powerful and strong look. It is clear that she had carefully thought about the placement of the classic leopard accents which really worked to make this look fit the category but also stand out enough in the lineup! I thought that June’s lame look at first glance was incredible to look at. However, the fitting and length of the outfit did not work for her as she kept tripping up over the hem of the dress which distracted from her presentation which she even mentioned in her own confessional! Her make-up and hair were extremely beautiful but the modelling of this outfit really let her down.

The final theme was bridal couture of which many of the queens used the obvious prop of a bridal bouquet which they then threw once they got to the end of the runway. I enjoyed the reference to weddings but I did think it was an obvious reference but it did become fairly repetitive. Yet again Alyssa looked absolutely stunning in her leopard printout with gold accents and this is a queen that I look forward to seeing on the runway every week! I thought that June’s make-up for this final look was very beautiful wind she had somewhat thought about cohesion in her outfit. The floral bouquet she walked with fitted perfectly with the overarching African influences in the overall look. The look was nice but the sash on the top of the outfit was very bulky and was a distraction from everything else. I totally understand what the judges said about June carrying the bouquet as if she was covering part of the outfit which may have been caused by the upper sections. Also, I did think that the heels she decided to wear with this outfit did not particularly fit the outfit and as leopard print heels are such a common thing I was surprised this was not considered!

In the “Red, White and blue” ball we saw Daya Betty showcase a very child-like and jovial look which was very fun! It’s clear that Daya had considered how the wig and outfit would work together as she choose a pigtails hair to match the red and white polka dot outfit which worked very well together. At first glance, I thought that Jasmine Kennedy looked insanely beautiful in her 1950s inspired look but she decided to add a bit of whisky and comedy to this classic beauty look. At the end of the runway, she revealed bright red lobster claws on her hands which I have to admit did make me chuckle! It is almost a guarantee that whatever Jorgeous wears on the runway she will look incredibly stunning and yet again she did not disappoint! I was very surprised by Lady Camden’s look this week as yet again I assumed she would be a very theatrical queen but this look was very sexy. She wore an outfit almost made entirely of a draped material that really showcased her incredible body!

The next theme was evening wear in white which clearly encouraged the queens to showcase wonderful over-the-top outfits that would be a show stopper in any setting! Daya Betty walked the runway with a crystal white outfit with the biggest, most over-the-top sleeves that to me was giving very Lady Gaga from American horror story vibes. I am so glad that she had the opportunity to return to the race as the looks she has shown so far have been incredible and if she had gone home we would have missed out on these incredible outfits. Despite what the judges said, I really loved Maddy Morphosis evening wear look. She wore a wonderfully theatrical outfit that was covered in gold moons and stars with a wonderful cape that glided behind her. This look was almost club kid-inspired with a touch of magician stirred in which I think would be an absolute crowd-pleaser in a nightclub setting!

The final theme was “Red , White and Blue wedding” inspired which I thought was much more bridal inspired than the looks from the other group of queens. I thought that Angeria looked absolutely stunning in her perfectly fitted red ball gown that was absolutely covered in wonderful sequins and jewels! The puffy sleeves/arm capes (as they were referred to as on the show) was a very nice touch to this already amazing look! Despite boasting her sewing abilities all throughout the episode, it was not until the final look that she really shone! Her asymmetric red and black gown was incredible and she added to the contrast by having one massive, puffy sleeve and one non-existent one. Deja’s looks in this episode were nice but it was not until this final look that she really had a moment to reveal her abilities!

There was something up with Ru Paul during the judging sections in this episode as her mannerisms were absolutely wild! She constantly made strange noises and did weird impressions of herself which were very surreal to experience. It was declared that Willow Pill was the winner of this week which I have to admit I totally agree with! Her looks were incredible which was even more incredible as they were not what I was expecting from her. As the winner, she gets rewarded with a $5000 tip but at the other end of the competition, we saw Maddy and June at the bottom which means they have to lip-sync against one another to see who could potentially go home. To begin the performance June tore off the bulk of her outfit (that both I and the judges commented on), did a very fun wig reveal, kicked off her shoes and did the splits which was already a lot. On top of all this, her dress was also falling off which she had to constantly amend while performing. June was very high-energy which already didn’t fit the more subsided song but all these theatrics did come across as very messy by the end of the song. It was revealed that Maddy would be staying and if June’s chocolate bar was not a golden one then she would be leaving the race. Unfortunately, she took off the wrapper to find a plain old normal chocolate bar and so she is the first queen of the season to officially leave the race which is quite upsetting as I really enjoyed some of the stuff she was showcasing!

Overall, this third episode saw the two groups of queens join together which a heavy focus on fashion. We saw two dramatic twists within the opening moments of the episode with many incredible looks being shown throughout both the ball themes. This was a very enjoyable episode that helped to set up potential dramatic moments in future episodes and this is such a talented cast so I have no idea who will go home next!

****½  4.5/5

Ps. Just want to remind all the UK fans of the show two things. Firstly we can catch all episodes of Ru Paul’s Drag Race US season fourteen on the WOW Presents + app for just under £5 a month! Also, keep an eye out as the new Drag Race UK vs The World will be premiere next month on BBC3!