Culture

RuPaul’s Drag Race season 11 episode 12: Worst season ever?

  • May 17 2019
  • Written by Charlie Jones
Drag Race royalty Vanessa Vanjie Matteo.

Miss Vanjie. (Netflix)

We tuned in to the Drag Race tunes this week as RuPaul announced the final five would perform his song “Queens Everywhere.”

Who made it to the finale, and who went anywhere and everywhere apart from actually staying there?

Drag Race Season 11 Episode 12: Queens Everywhere, the verdict

How much Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent was episode twelve packing?

Overall: C.U.n.

For a standard episode of Drag Race it was pretty good.

But for the culmination of a lacklustre season, it was—and there’s really only one word for it—meh.

Challenge: C.U.n.

Forget Snatch Game, the song is the real MVP of Drag Race.

It cemented All Stars 2 as TV gold. It stopped All Stars 3 becoming a TV fold. Season 9 and even 10 had me sold. But these lyrics just left me cold.

 Thankfully, there was the odd exception.

RuPaul looks unimpressed.

RuPaul sums up Season 11. (Netflix)

Runway: C.u.

Category is: Best Drag.

It was truly a gag to see Yvie Oddly’s best drag—she was certainly worth her weight in extra body parts this week.

But the others were meh-diocre.

Drag Race episode 12: A meh song

I don’t know much about music but that was one trebled performance.

It was a bit more imaginative than “American,” but felt messier and ultimately fell flat.

Miss Vanjie had both major and minor setbacks, A’keria Davenport gave a half-hearted performance after taking a hot minuet to learn the choreography, the style was definitely not Brooke Lynn Hytes’ forte, and Silky Nutmeg Ganache just needed to guitar act together.

Yvie’s clef-fer verse was the one high note, and we should all harp on about it.

Drag Race finalist Yvie Oddly.

Sasha who? Yvie embodies the oddly. (Netflix)

Drag Race episode 12: A meh runway

Brooke wore a dress very like the one we all saw her arrive in for the finale—only much, much less impressive, Vanjie’s dress was resolutely basic, and Silky and A’keria stuck to yet more pretty (uninspiring) gowns.

 

Is this the worst EVER season of Drag Race?

Yep. All tee.
Nah gurl, there’s been worse.

Drag Race season 11: A meh season

It might be time to admit defeat with a season that has been all edge and no satisfaction for the last 12 weeks.

Take those final speeches. Silky and Yvie only managed to dig a tiny bit deeper than Brooke, A’keria and Vanjie—who all lifted theirs straight out of a generic pageant answers box.

Or the What’s the Tee segments. Out of five interviews, I learned precisely one fact—A’keria is raising her nephew. Was it endearing? Of course. Was it enough to justify the whole segment? Meh.

It’s hard to know whether the staleness is down to an oversaturation of Drag Race content, a less talented cast or the fact they are now more self-aware than ever.

Drag Race finalists Brooke, A'keria and Silky.

Best drag? This is your BEST DRAG? (Netflix)

But it’s missing the satisfying narrative arcs of early seasons. The remember-where-you-were moments that littered All Stars 2. The sheer force of unique talent emanating from Season 10 and All Stars 4. The mind-blowing final numbers of All Stars 3 and Season 9. The shade evident in every season past. But most of all, it lacks originality.

And that is why the judges eat Silky up and forgive her the sins that have sent so many others packing. It’s why Vanjie got to the final five without a single win.

Because here, at least, are two queens giving us what we crave—something new.

I have mixed feelings about Silky, but Michelle Visage is right—I would buy a ticket for her show because I know it won’t be cliché.

Whereas it feels like we’ve seen better incarnations of the other finalists’ drag.

What can Brooke do that Aquaria can’t? How can Yvie out-weird Sharon Needles, Jinx Monsoon or Alaska? Could A’keria ever really beat Asia O’Hara?

RuPaul, Michelle Visage and Brooke Lynn Heights take a selfie.

Why though? (Netflix)

An a-meh-zing last couple of episodes?

I’m still hopeful the last couple of episodes will be cracking.

Multiple dramas—such as Soju’s shock at how she was depicted last week—have surfaced since filming stopped, and you can trust the laundry will be well and truly aired during next week’s reunion.

After which we’re treated to a finale where—hopefully—we can expect an epic Brooke vs. Yvie rematch for the crown.

But even so, I find it hard to imagine two great episodes will feel like justification for 12 underwhelming weeks—and we might not even get those.

Drag Race season 11: Who will snatch the crown?

My winner is…

Yvie Oddly
Brook Lynn Heights
Silky Nutmeg Ganache
A’keria Chanel Davenport

Yvie Oddly

Many happy Farrah Moans were released watching Yvie slay the day and reap the reward. Judging by the edit, she’s the one to beat. But she wasn’t actually awarded a win for this week, which means she’d be the first winner to have only won one challenge.

Edit: Kooky, talented oddball

Place: 1st

Drag Race front runner Yvie Oddly.

Triple threat. (Netflix)

Brooke Lynn Hytes

She shouldn’t have been in the bottom this week, but Vanjie was going, and the producers wanted their lip sync. I’m not pressed about it.

Edit: All there on paper but not the winner

Place: 2nd

Silky Nutmeg Ganache

She’s as divisive and salty as that M&S LGBT sandwich, but I wouldn’t have wanted to watch this season without her.

I doubt she’ll win. But she’s likely feeling the pressure to deliver on her lip-sync promises, so I reckon we’re in for a show.

Edit: Villain-lite

Place: = 3rd

A’keria Chanel Davenport

She’s a fantastic pageant queen who has defied expectations, but she would also be the least original winner in herstory.

Edit: Black horse

Place: = 3rd

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