‘Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK vs The World 1×04’ Review
On paper, last week’s episode of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK vs The World seemed like it should be made perfectly for me! Drag performers taking on a lip-sync performance inspired by an iconic musical theatre star which included parodies of Liza Minnelli in Cabaret and Tim Curry in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (which is one of my all-time favourite films) should be something that I would want to be a part of and at the bare minimum really enjoy but I have to say I thought that, compared to previous Ru-sical challenges, this one fell flat! When you think that the halftime show challenge from All-Stars 6 (which also had the queens impersonating iconic performers) had the highest production value, fantastic costumes and back-up dancers whereas the UK versus the world version just about had props, it does mean the overall package does pale in comparison! It seemed like me declaring my love for any of the queens on the show was an almost guarantee that they would be sent home that episode and last week was no exception. At the end of the episode fan favourite and front runner of the season, Jimbo was sent home by the episode’s winner Pangina Heals. The elimination of Jimbo can as an utter shock to the majority of viewers and means that Canada is no longer being represented in this season. While I don’t totally agree with the decision of sending the queen of clowning home, I appreciate that as the winner of the challenge Pangina can send whoever they want home, for whatever reason they like and so doesn’t deserve the horrible messages she has been receiving. Now if I was in Pangina’s shoes then I personally wouldn’t have sent Jimbo home, instead I would have selected Jujubee but the shocking decision are what you expect when the queens are given the power to select who they want to go home!
This week’s episode was probably the most iconic challenge to come from the Drag Race franchise and that is snatch game! The queens have to do another celebrity impression in an almost Family Fortunes style performance. As the winner of last week’s episode, Pangina was given the authority of splitting up the queens into two groups – one of which would be captained by Michelle Visage and the other by Katie Price and the queens had to create answers in character that their respective captains would choose one (or their own) to put forward as the group’s answer. I quite liked the little twist they put on this iteration of the snatch game, as it has become a staple challenge in every season of Drag Race – a challenge that will become repetitive when you consider how many seasons are released every year! Pangina split the teams before being aware of what character everyone was doing and decided to work alongside Baga Chips and Jujubee both of which did extremely well in their latest appearance in the snatch game.
On All-Stars 5, Juju did a hilarious impersonation of Eartha Kitt, with the memes from this performance still making the round in social media every so often. When Juju revealed that for this challenge she would be doing an impression of Cher I was concerned as this was a very bold choice – one that was done excellently already on Drag Race by Chad Michaels. Juju decided to do an almost impersonation of Chad’s impersonation where she regurgitated slightly alter catchphrases from this original performance including the iconic chicken shit gig skit! Despite all this however she was funny at times and looked absolutely incredible in the classic Cher outfit! During Drag Race UK Baga did a wonderfully over-the-top impression of the former prime minister Margaret Thatcher and this time decided to do the rather unhinged Kathy Bates from Misery! Baga was so ridiculous and hilarious in this physiologic /intense character, staying in character and straight-faced throughout, which was excellent! On the other team, Mo Heart revealed that she originally wanted to do an impression of Gordon Ramsey, however was encouraged by Ru herself to do Billy Porter which is a very sharp contrast to the aggressive chef! Mo’s portrayal of the iconic pose star was brilliant, especially considering it was a last-minute change and she was able to flawlessly improvise against whatever Ru threw her way! I thought that Blu Hydrangea as Austin Powers was such a clever choice as their crude comedy lines up perfectly. Halfway through the challenge, Blu was able to switch to Dr Evil and both of which were hilarious throughout! Pangina decided to take on the role of Mariah Carey and while she seemed to struggle with the improvised structure of the challenge I thought that she looked amazing and just like Mariah!
The runway category this week was “Luck Be A Lady”, where I thought Blu looked absolutely incredible in her green and gold look! I have to admit at first I didn’t notice the metallic black cards on the hem of her bodice which actually looked amazing in the close-ups. I thought the idea of Jujubee’s golden lucky cat could have been an amazing idea but the execution was not up to the standard of the other queens. It was only when she performed the arm action that I was able to see it was a cat look as nothing else on the outfit was cat-related, which was especially disappointing considering her love of cats outside the competition! Personally, Mo’s look this week was one of my favourite things I have ever seen her wear across her three performances on Drag Race. She decided to wear this massive Mardi Gra/Vegas showgirl inspired look with the most wonderful wings and the outfit itself lighting up when she was on the runway. This was an absolutely incredible spectacle to look at and the added theatrics made it even more interesting to look at! Pangina walked the runway in a slot machine inspired look which had coins that cascaded down onto the runway as she walked, which was wonderfully fun! The look was head to toe gold with a wonderfully glittery gold wig which I loved!
It was declared that the two remaining UK queens Baga and Blu were the top two queens this week which I agree with! We have reached the point in the competition however where if you are not in the top, then you are potentially up for elimination. I was totally shocked to witness Baga doing a cartwheel and rolling around the stage during her number as this is not something the fans expect from her camp and comedic persona. It was Blu however who was revealed as the winner of this week’s episode and it was her choice of elimination that really shocked the world! Blu decided to send home Pangina who until this point had been in the top every week and was clearly a forerunner in the season. It was painfully clear that no one on the show wanted Pangina to leave (including the judges) and her exit was extremely emotional, with her crying heard even after she had left the stage. Her elimination means that Thailand are now totally out of the competition but I do have to say that this queen has proven herself as the perfect choice to host the Thailand version of the show!
Overall, this twist on the classic snatch game worked very well while still allowing the queens to showcase their impersonation skills. I found myself laughing pretty much throughout the challenge and I think that more praise needs to be given to Mo for changing her character so well but still performing excellently. And I cant wait to see how the Pangina’s elimination will affect the next few episodes!
