Drag Race UK fans divided as RuPaul announces another shock elimination twist
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK fans are divided. (BBC)
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season five has aired its second elimination twist in just three weeks, while fans are split down the middle over who won this week’s challenge.
This week’s episode (12 October) saw the remaining nine queens take on the iconic girl group challenge, which has previously birthed iconic numbers including “UK, Hun?” and “Break Up (Bye Bye)”.
Episode three saw the queens write lyrics and perform the original song, “Don’t Ick My Yum”, in front of RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Graham Norton and this week’s guest judge, pop music queen and trans ally Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Group one, named “Fierce Force Five”, featured housemates Tomara Thomas and Cara Melle – fresh from their beef last week – as well as Cornwall’s Vicki Vivacious, Michael Mourili, and Krystal Versace’s sister, DeDeLicious.
Group two – hilariously titled “The M52s” after ‘80s new wave band The B-52s, and the motorway that runs through Lancashire – was made up of Ginger Johnson, last week’s challenge winner Banksie, Kate Butch, and Miss Naomi Carter.
The latter, though, had injured her knee while playing around with DeDeLicious, and had to complete the performance while sat on a prop sofa.
On the runway, the queens had to serve looks under the category of “Night of a Thousand Pop Icons”.
Cara Melle and Miss Naomi Carter both slayed as Beyoncé, while queer legends including Elton John, David Bowie, and Freddie Mercury were all paid homage to.
Kate Butch gave a hilarious runway presentation as Canadian country goddess Shania Twain, while Michael Marouli appeared as all five Spice Girls in one. Chaos.
For the second time in just three weeks, RuPaul revealed a shock elimination twist, declaring that both performances were so impressive that no one would be going home.
Fierce Force Five were declared the challenge winners, with Tomara Thomas and Cara Melle going head to head in a lip-sync battle to “Remember”, by queer pop singer Becky Hill.
Thought both queens gave an impressive performance, Cara Melle ultimately bagged the win, and the RuPeter badge.
While half of the Drag Race UK fandom were bowled over by Fierce Force Five, particularly by Tomara and Cara, others were shook to their core that The M52s didn’t claim victory.
Despite one of the band members being injured, The M52s managed to serve camp and comedy with their tongue-in-cheek lyrics and on-stage antics, with Ginger Johnson playing Miss Naomi Carter’s injured leg like a saxaphone.
“M52s not being the top group? B*llshit Vivienne, b*llshit,” fumed one fan, referencing an iconic quote from season one finalist Divina De Campo.
“This is an M52s stan account already,” wrote another fan on X, formerly Twitter, while a third declared: “The M52s are my new favourite girl group.”
Though fans were divided by Mama Ru’s final decision, the fandom did come together to celebrate what was dubbed “the best episode of Drag Race in a long time”.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK airs on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer in the UK and streams on WOW Presents Plus in the US.
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