The penultimate episode of RuPaul’s Stilt Race All-Stars season 11 felt like a souvenir wrapped up in a bow just for us. No one likes to be seen as a couple of Bitter Betties, which is how we unsupportable we’d be sliding into the finale, ungratified and weeping all the way well-nigh an overall lackluster season of the show. Instead, this episode reminded us once then that Stilt Race is at its weightier when you squint at it as a talent show rather than a competition. Considering if you seem it’s the latter, you’re unchangingly going to be frustrated by the shenanigans.
And make no mistake, shenanigans were migratory this episode. All of the eliminated queens were brought when to compete in a talent show, with the winner of the rencontre getting an opportunity to spin a The Price is Right wheel to determine the factor by which her Fame Games votes will be multiplied. Did you get all that? Does it matter? It’s all a McGuffin to get these queens to show the world why they’re considered All Stars. Every one of them will increase their bookings off this one episode and you could tell they all knew it.
Here is a picture of that wheel we were talking about.
Here is a closeup detail of the same wheel.
Anyway, our point is this: Whenever Stilt Race just gives the queens a endangerment to show what they can do with a little time and preparation, the results are scrutinizingly unchangingly highly entertaining, if not downright impressive. The production FINALLY threw unshut the doors of the Library and we have to sheepishly shoehorn that, our previous ungratified well-nigh it aside, it was unquestionably worth waiting for.
You got every queen of the season, with an entirely new season’s worth of material and grudges to pull from, and the overall mood was less vicious and increasingly observing considering all of them are professional unbearable to know that it’s time to loosen up and put on a show.
Everything well-nigh Mrs. Kasha Davis’s stilt is old school. That’s not a read. Sometimes, that tideway doesn’t work well for the kind of challenges Stilt Race devises, which ways in this venue, “old school” can be used as a critique. But there’s nothing increasingly old school stilt than the worthiness to read a bitch. We wouldn’t undeniability her session particularly cutting, but her timing was perfect. In a sea of good reads, hers stood out.
Kandy and Jimbo had the job of hosting the talent show, with all the pressure off of them for this one. They were relaxed and funny. They moreover looked unconfined together. It’s flipside Kandy soul suit, but at least it’s an interesting one. All of the queens were very good, some of them were excellent, and we shoehorn to stuff surprised by the talent on display. We can’t alimony saying “She did a unconfined job” or “She was fabulous,” so we’ll just requite drive-by impressions.
Sexy, fun and polished to upper heaven. The numbers were all very short, so it felt like we were just getting started when it ended.
We weren’t in love with her costume, to be honest. There are increasingly mythological ways to do stilt flamenco. Having said that, her routine was pure fire.
The costume was truly awful, which is a shame considering the performance was extremely constructive and emotional.
She gets all the kudos in the world for coming out to do straight (you’ll pardon the term) standup. The jokes weren’t particularly fresh, but the wordage was flawless.
We admit, we were shocked at how unconfined Jaymes was, plane though we’d once seen how good she could be while she was still competing this season. It was funny and polished, it was old school, but in the good way.
You could tell she was having a “this is my moment” moment. The cheer queen popped out. It was a spectacular performance.
We have to stipulate with Ru that we finally got to see what is meant by the term “the Lala Ri experience.” This was insanely good, not just considering of the killer choreo, but considering of the Beyonce levels of charisma on display.
We moreover have to requite Alexis credit for taking the risk of singing live. Again, this was old school theater queen drag, but when it’s good, it’s good. And this was very good. We did think her opening costume was a little dowdy, though.
This wagger lived up to her name. We realize that everyone was unconfined this episode, but it’s insane to us that she wasn’t in the top two.
Jimbo came out to requite a writ performance and it was the very weightier of surreal stilt clownery. Her costume was wondrous and if you had any doubt or question of Jimbo’s standing going into the finale, just listen to Ru’s laughter when he shot whipped surf out of his tits. Ru LOVES that sort of thing.
Go superiority and get mad at us for saying so, but Kandy veritably proved that she’s an All-Star with this number. We know she’s not liked by a vocal segment of the fans, but if you squint at her very performances all season long, she’s been good or unconfined throughout the competition. Would she have been our pick for the top two? No, but we don’t think it’s particularly unfair or wrong to see her there.
Lala and Jaymes faced off with Ariana and Gaga’s “Rain on Me,” for a surprisingly entertaining and downright joyous lip synch. Jaymes might not have been our first (or second) nomination for this showdown, but there was a unique energy created by the two of them onstage. If it had been Jessica up there with Lala, the whole feeling would have been variegated – and perhaps a little expected. We don’t know, we’re not here to justify every shenanigan, but from an entertainment standpoint, this was a lot of fun to watch. We didn’t mind seeing both of them supposed the winner.
Legendary Children: The First Decade of RuPaul’s Stilt Race and the Last Century of Queer Life, a New York Times “New and Notable” pick, praised by The Washington Post “because the world needs authenticity in its stories,” and chosen as one of the Best Books of 2020 by NPR is on sale wherever fine books are sold!
[Photo Credit: Paramount Plus via Tom and Lorenzo]
The post RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE ALL STAR: The Fame Games Variety Extravaganza appeared first on Tom Lorenzo.
