‘Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK 3×10’ Review
We have finally made it to the finale episode of season three of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK, where one of the top three queens will join icons such as The Vivienne (winner of season one) and Lawerence Chaney (winner of season two) by becoming the next UK drag superstar! Last weeks episode saw the return of all of the eliminated queens, who all sat in the audience of the roast challenge. We saw both Ella and Kitty both perform amazing sets that were full of funny and entertaining jokes, with Ella snatching the win and claiming her fourth win of this season. In all honesty, if I was in Ru Paul shoes I would have probably picked Kitty, as I thought her runway was of a much higher quality but it was clearly a very close competition. On the other end of the spectrum we had Krystal in the bottom (for the first time) alongside Vanity Milan, with the latter being asked to sashay away at the end of the lip-sync. I thought that Vanity looked the best she had all season in both the challenge and the runway but it was her fourth time in the bottom. With Krystal staying this meant that we are down to the top three with one of these talented queens being declared as the season winner in this weeks episode.
I have seen a lot of comparisons online between Ella Vaday’s run on this show and Bimini Bob Boulash (from Drag Race UK season two) where both won snatch game, had four wins throughout the season and both are fan favourites! Ella is clearly a very talented and professional queen, who is able to adapt to whatever is needed of her. We have seen her incredible vocals, her hilarious Nigella Lawson impression, her side-splitting comedy and her acting prowess as Death Shader. She has four challenge wins (and badges) which did make her the front runner going into the final episode. Her looks throughout the season have always been of a high standard which led the judges calling her reliable in this competition. Kitty Scott Clause, on the other hand, is a queen that I cannot wait to see live as I imagine her show are wonderfully entertaining and have you in hysterics throughout. To me, Kitty represents classic British drag with her wonderfully camp, over-the-top and, at times, crude personality which has the audience transfixed whenever she is on the stage/screen. She also did very well in the snatch game and the comedy roast, bringing her personality into everything she does – which fundamentally is what this TV show is all about! Krystal Versace dominated the challenges towards the start of the season where she won two back to back episodes which instantly marked her as a queen to beat on the season. Whenever she graces the runway, you can guarantee that she will look incredible, which has been commented on numerous times in the competition. Krystal has also had an amazing character arc throughout the season, where at first she was portrayed as a very bitchy and mean character but as the episodes have aired we have learnt more and more about this young queen that has given the audience a very different view of her! Realistically any one of the top three queens could walk away with the win so this episode was very important this season… more than ever!
I was so excited when it was announced that this weeks challenge would be the much anticipated musical challenge with a Christmas twist! I am a massive Christmas fan and have been listening to classic Christmas tunes since mid-October, so I was looking forward to finding a new song to add to my playlist. The queens were informed that this week they would be writing, recording and performing an original verse to Ru Paul’s festive tune “Hey Sis, it’s Christmas!” Before we could get to the main challenge however, we saw the top three queens sat on the sofa talking about their time on the show and making some comments about their previous competitors. This was broken up by the returning eliminated queens which created a sort of All-Stars moment, where the people the queens were talking about suddenly appeared in the room. I do think that this surprise, “we were just talking about you” style trope has become very overused in the Drag Race franchise and so maybe the team behind this show could think of alternative ways of reintroducing eliminated queens in the future! The reunited queens all talked about what they thought about the roast but this would not be the last time we would see all the queens back together! The top three queens had to each appear on a podcast style interview with Ru Paul and Michelle Visage which strangely took place on the runway adorned with wonderful Christmas decorations. This was the moment where we get to learn about the people behind the queens and some of the obstacles they have had to overcome. This is why I thought that it was amazing that Ella talked about her real male name and how she wanted to differentiate Ella from Nick as she wanted her talents in drag to not be based on her following from being an actor. We have had many discussions throughout this season about the backstage politics of the theatre industry which is obviously important for any viewers who are interested in getting a job in this field so that they know what to expect!
The song itself was a much more sensual Christmas tune than I am used to (it’s definitely no Silent Night or Ding Dong Merrily On High), with no lyric reflecting this more than when Kitty told Santa that he should pull down her knickers! This is however a very energetic and upbeat song that would fit into any Christmas party seamlessly and deserves a spot in my Christmas/Drag Race playlist! All three queens appeared to do their own interpretations of a sexy Mrs Clause look and all brought their personalities and what they are known for to their individual sections of the song. I have to admit that I was a bit concerned about Krystal in this challenge, as she has shown throughout this season that she struggles picking up choreography and her two peers are both trained theatre performers. But she did not seem out of place in the performance in fact, in my opinion, she was one of the best dancers on the stage. Her verse was very fierce and sexy which is what her drag personality has become known for! Ella also delivered an excellent verse where she showcased how much of a theatre performer she truly is. A highlight in this verse would have to be her incredible vocals, which took a different approach to the song to allow her singing talents to shine! Kitty brought all the camp and comedy that we have come to expect from her with the inclusion of her impressions of Gemma Collins, Cilia Black and Nadine Coyle making an appearance. We also saw another appearance from all the eliminated queens which is always an emotional moment on the show. “Hey Sis it’s Christmas” is now available on all music streaming platforms with a portion of the profits being split between Comic Relief and Children in Need!
The returning queens were given the opportunity to walk the runway one final time and showcase how much they have grown since being kicked out of the competition. The most surprising would have to be Anubis who wore an incredibly Egyptian inspired, sparkly outfit that looked amazing on her while also being very on-brand for her too! Charity Case obviously did a very spooky version of a Christmas look which she probably made herself. Also, I was very surprised by Veronica Green walking the runway in a very striking nude allusion as this is totally not what I have expected from this theatre queen… although she did look absolutely incredible in it! Every queen on this season was awarded yet another badge which if you have read my reviews you will know my feelings about the badges so I don’t want to focus on this award for too long! The final three queens however had to walk the runway in a Final three “Eleganza Extravaganza” category which where they show off a show-stopping outfit that they have been keeping for this very moment! I thought that Ella looked incredible in her glittery purple gown complete with massive hair and a wonderfully festive bow! When the judges said that it reminded them of a purple Quality Street I couldn’t get that out of my head but I suppose the chocolates are known for being a Christmas staple so it did fit the Christmas theme of the episode! Kitty wore a white Christmas fairy-inspired look with her make-up being absolutely stunning and her hair being one of the best I have seen this entire season. Krystal decided to go for a black velvet gown that was covered in gold chain which led to one of the judges shouting “Lawerence Chainey” which I thought was a hysterical heckle. This was the second reference to the previous season’s winner amd there was a reference to purple reign during Ella’s runway which was a nice little nod to the drag race thread. It was announced that all three queens would be lip-syncing to decide who would be declared as the winner of this season. “You don’t own me” by Lesley Gore is an incredibly iconic song but it a very serious choice for a finale lip-sync in my opinion. Kitty tried throughout the performance while also giving the occasional comedic moment, which I personally enjoyed, but it was Krystal Versace that was declared as the winner of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK season three! A massive congratulations goes to all of the top three but especially our newest drag superstar Krystal Versace – as not only has she won the season but she is the youngest ever queen to do so! I can’t wait to see this amazing queen walk the red carpets all over the world and I am most excited to see what she will wear!
Overall, this was a very entertaining episode that allowed each queen to showcase what they do best/are known for in the performance. We crowned a new queen which many people had called since very early in the season but in my opinion, any one of the top three could have walked away with the crown and would have done great things with the newly found platform! I can’t wait to see what these queens get up to in the near future.
