RuPaul's Drag Race Season 6: Episode 10
Joining me this week is James Campbell, designer of DRAG BALL: The Game! We kiki about the queens rather than dissect much of the main challenge, since neither of us were especially engaged with it.
Chad: So this week's main challenge gave our queens the task of giving some grooms-to-be a bridal makeover. Do you think it resulted in fabulous drag drama, or was it too convoluted for its own good?
James: You know, I actually thought it was a little tired. I mean, we already had the bridal challenge in Season 2. The twist of "OH HEY guess what? The women you are picking mean NOTHING" was a little shady and, really, made Bianca's mini-challenge win almost pointless.
Chad: See, I thought the fake-out was pretty clever, but the overall challenge didn't really grab me.
James: Doing it with 6 people was just way too many. It was too much going on.
Chad: There were so many older white guys, they were hard to keep straight (so to speak). Why don't we start with Joslyn? Were you as enamored of her as a lot of us were?
James: Joslyn was definitely my cup of soup. I had a secret theory that she was definitely going to make the Top 3, and I was convinced that she was going to send Courtney home.
I felt like the editing was setting up that storyline, with Courtney being a bit of a bully toward Joss. I felt like it was going to be a watershed moment of the season.
Chad: I have to say, Courtney is a serious contender in this competition, and Joslyn, as fabulous as she was, certainly made it much further into the season than I ever would have expected. She really is a goofy, good-natured queen, and she's got performance chops. But her runway looks....
James: Yeah. Her looks needed a little work, but the personality and the humor were there. She was a helluva lot smarter than she wanted us to think.
Chad: The whole pre-credits scene of this episode was about Courtney and the other queens reacting to her second win. What did you make of that? Setting her up for top 3?
James: I feel confident that Courtney is going to be in the Top 3. Courtney is the villain of the season, and every Top 3 needs a villain.
Chad: A lot of the drama in this season seems to be coming from one queen getting a big head and then the others cutting her down. Dela made a few overly-confident comments early on, earning her several episodes of Darienne's smoldering wrath. Courtney's bravado earned a lot of catty comments this episode, and from the preview of next week, it looks like Bianca is the subject of some shade during the mini-challenge.
James: Well, it's about time for that one. Don't get me wrong, I worship the ground she walks on, and I want to bear her children. But I didn't sign up for this lovey, doing-Laganja's-makeup shit.
(Even though, secretly, I love her even more for that.)
Chad: Well, actually, my one concern about this season is that Bianca seems like such an unstoppable powerhouse. It doesn't seem like any other queen has a chance at the crown! Do you feel like there's any drama left if she's dominating like this?
James: That is true. I feel like America as a whole loves Bianca. We'll be PISSED if she doesn't win. But I know exactly what you are saying. Who else can anyone see winning but Bianca at this point?
Chad: It seems like Adore is being set up as a contender, the diamond in the rough. And I do love that girl. But she just hasn't risen to the level, yet, where I could see her winning this whole damn thing.
James: I think she makes the Top 3, for sure. I just feel like she's the Jujubee.
Chad: Despite the emotional trauma she probably endured, I actually enjoyed seeing her lip sync twice in a row. It really demonstrated her passion and skill.
James: I do have to say this, though. It would be really easy to give that high energy performance WHEN YOU AREN'T WEARING SHOES. I don't get these queens taking their shoes off all the time. Thank God she didn't flip her wig.
Chad: Indeed! What are your thoughts on Dela?
James: First off, boy Dela is a CUTIE, but my sex life notwithstanding...
I kinda love Dela as a person but I also kinda don't want her to make the Top 3.
Chad: SACRILEGE. Okay, defend yourself, before I come at you, boy.
James: She's lovely and adorable and I would KILL to see her live. BUT I feel like she's a bit Jinkx 2.0 and, even more....
It bothers me because I feel like she likes to play the victim. NOT in an obnoxious way like Laganja, but remember how she had that confessional last week? Where she was like, "I wish Bianca would notice when Darienne is being mean"?
David (my business partner) thinks I am an ignorant asshole for this, though, and feels like she has the biggest transformation of the entire cast and loves everything from the look to the voice change.
Chad: So, first, you are an ignorant asshole.
(Mostly kidding.)
James: No, I am.
Chad: Second, I've made no attempt to hide my undying adoration of Dela. I think she's skilled, and extremely smart. And she's HILARIOUS live--her song parodies and physicality are pure joy to behold. BUT, I really have no idea if she'll make it to the final rung of this competition.
James: There can only be a Top 3. Someone has to get cut, and I feel like Dela would benefit the most from a Final 4 chop. A la Latrice Royale.
Chad: Dela would benefit? Or the show would?
James: Dela herself.
Chad: How so?
James: I'm going to paraphrase another reality competition show. (GASP!)
After season 1 of Project Runway, the runner-up, Kara Saun, said something akin to, "I'm so glad that I didn't win. I've gotten so many calls from people who said that if I had won, they never would have called me because they would have assumed that I was too busy."
Not making the Top 3, people are going to feel like Dela was ROBBED, and they will support her even harder.
Chad: Yeah, that might be the case. I feel like the winners of past Drag Race seasons have really suffered from the expectations their fans have foisted upon them. Like, "well, what have they REALLY done?"
James: Except for Jinkx. My bestest queen.
Chad: Well, I even hear that about her! After having an outrageously successful show in New York! Whereas Alaska has continued to ascend into drag superstardom.
James: This is true. I do love me some 'Lasky. We come from the same hometown, you know.
Chad: Juneau? Anchorage?
James: Thunderfuck.
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But seriously, James really did grow up in the same small town as Alaska--he's pretty sure they shopped at the same Wal-Mart.
James Campbell also designed DRAG BALL, a fabulous party game where you pick a queen character and compete against all your best squirrelfriends.
I worked with him to design all the queens and judges for the game--we had a blast! Get your copy of the game hereor follow all the latest news on the DRAG BALL Facebook page! For more about James, follow him on Twitter!
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This week's Drag Race art is available on The Sellout Store and Etsy, so add some queens to your collection!
If you're in the Midwest this weekend, you should come to C2E2, The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo! It's a huge, spectacular show this Friday through Sunday, and I'll have my Drag Race work and comics in Artists Alley, Table E8! I'll also be in a panel discussion with GEEKS OUT about queer characters in comics on Saturday at 12:30pm! Click here for more info!