42 thoughts I had watching Drag Race season 15, episode nine: ‘She should be illegal’

RuPaul’s Drag Race hits its 200th episode with season 15’s crystal Ball, where the queens have to contend with both a very special design challenge and producer meddling.

Following the second lip sync LaLaPaRuza of the franchise to send home one of the best lip syncers (Jax) of its respective season, the queens are feeling the crunch. Sasha Colby gets another win – which should be her third, but who’s counting – we get some sickening looks from the gworls and RuPaul enters her Spice-free era.

Loosey continues to become ever so slightly more unhinged with each passing episode, and there’s just a touch of tension that I really hope boils over in the 30 seconds of werkroom footage we’re going to get next week. A few dodgy placements throw off an otherwise solid episode.

Here are 42 thoughts – she had the time this week – I had watching episode four of RuPaul’s Drag Race, season 15.

• Anetra calling Jax “Simone Biles” is objectively hilarious – and true. Jax was giving floor routine with all of her lip syncs last week.
• Roople announces that to celebrate the show’s 200th episode, the queens will be doing a mini challenge photobombing iconic moments in the show’s history – can’t wait to see which ones they picked.
• Of all the moments over two hundred episodes, which producer decided to pick Serena Cha Cha’s underwater photoshoot?
• The gworls are having a ball! A crystal ball, nonetheless. I hope we get a look of the same calibre as Lala Ri’s bag book.
• Love it when Drag Race just leans into its own narcissism; we’ve reached the point where episodes of Drag Race are Drag Race themed. It’s like Inception, innit.

• For me, the path with this group of girls to the top four could not be more clear and I am henceforth staking my claim on this elimination order: Spice to go this episode, then Malaysia, Salina, Marcia x3 and Loosey getting the chop before the finale, with Luxx and Anetra making the top four and Mistress and Sasha Colby as top two. Periodt.
• Spice is a soundbite machine – “These girls aren’t playing any games!” Yes, give us more non-specific commentary, queen! She literally could have said this four episodes ago and the producers chopped her in.
• Anetra is making me laugh – “Time is of the Jaida Essence Hall”.
• Weird seeing fashion superstar Carson Kressley in the wild (i.e. not behind the Judges’ Desk). He also reads Spice to the ground, which is fair.
• Mistress is such a breath of fresh air for the Drag Race franchise which has skated dangerously close to becoming stale and overproduced in recent years. She has personality, talent and is damn good TV.

• Can anyone tell me what the pun is in Salina EsTitties’s name?
• Ru hears one iota of emotion in a queen’s voice and goes: ‘AND HOW IS YOUR TRAUMA?’ Clockwork. Salina is giving tears and to be honest I’m still mad she was in the bottom on that first design challenge.
• The girls taking the mickey out of Loosey LaDuca is such good telly – a gaslighting slay!
• Emotional werkroom chats are such an important part of the show, despite sometimes feeling forced – my heart breaks for Anetra and her story. The only caveat of a queen spilling their life on national TV is that I simply cannot take anything seriously when the girls are mid face beat.
• LOVE Ru’s look this week. Giving sexy firefighter gladiator.
• Also love when Ru feels her full fantasy and performs for the children with that stiff dance. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; Ru would not win her own show.

• First category is an updated racing suit lewk and Mistress looks RIGHT, complete with big girl quotes.
• Spice. Another mini-skirt. Not to be Michelle Visage but “No.”
• Malaysia’s suit – there’s something wrong with it. Don’t know what it is and I’m not going to try to explain.
• Sasha Colby looks so sickening it should be illegal.
• Second category is ‘My Favourite Ball’, referencing previous Ball challenges from Drag Race – and these runways are still too short.
• Malaysia’s Hair Ball look – what is it? I don’t know what I’m looking at.
• Salina; I so wanted you to do well in this challenge but unfortunately your wardrobe did not agree.
• Sasha Colby is a literal bag of weed, she is so unserious – I love her.
• Category Three is the ‘Crystal Ball’ – and these are the ones the girls made; Spice actually looks sickening but I feel like the judges will be reading.
• Marcia has a crystal on her vagina? Ok.
• If Malaysia isn’t in the bottom I will be confused.
• Anetra looks GORGEOUS – a fully crystalised spine? Drag is so FUN.

• MALAYSIA IS SAFE? WHAT?
• It’s critiques time and Michelle came to read. “I love your personality but I want to be in love with your drag.” Ouch.
• LOOSEY MADE A RUNNER-UP LOOK AND THEY PUT HER IN THE BOTTOM THREE. HELP.
• Michelle needs to let the green critique go. Like, it’s a colour. How are you going to be mad at a colour?
• Taking up another bullet point for how stunosha Anetra’s dress is.
• Sasha Colby becomes our first double winner of the season – deserved.
• I’m still bamboozled and perplexed on how Malaysia is safe? Bottom two should have been her and Salina – and I’m not a Spice apologist!
• Although maybe I am after she says “I actually know this song because me and Sugar did a TikTok to it once.” Like … she is so funny.

• This lip sync happened.
• Why is Salina giving Razzie nominated actress to a Lil Nas X song – it is not that serious.
• This is one of those weird cases where it felt like Spice’s time to go overall, and yet she actually performed really well this week, in my opinion. Her look was better than Jorgeous’s and Gottmik’s design challenge WINS from previous seasons.
• Spice trotting off stage, right in front of Michelle’s salad – gotta give it to her. Legend.
• AND ALL THE GIRLS TROTTING BACK ONTO THE STAGE. It’s called impact.
• The preview for next episode is wild? I want Mistress and Loosey to fight.

• Drag
• Dec 09 2023

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