Drag Race UK viewers devastated by latest elimination: ‘Worst decision in herstory’
A Drag Race queen has said missing out on the crown made them feel like ‘such a loser’. (BBC)
Drag Race UK season five is already nearing its end, and the top four queens have officially been decided – but one fan favourite failed to make the cut, and viewers are distraught.
(Warning, spoilers follow).
In episode eight, which aired yesterday (16 November), the remaining five queens had to take on the classic drag family resemblance challenge, this time giving drag makeovers to volunteers for the UK’s Switchboard LGBT+ helpline.
Sadly, the Drag Race UK makeover has historically been the kiss of death for season fan favourites, with Cheryl Hole and Dakota Schiffer getting chopped in season one and four respectively.
In season five, that trend continued, as comedy icon, confessional queen and infamous runway liar Kate Butch was sent home.
This week, it was Michael Marouli who impressed judges RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Graham Norton and designer Daphne Guinness the most, after being paired with 65-year-old builder, Peter.
The pair paid tribute to the victims of the AIDS crisis, with Peter emotionally revealing that he lost two former partners to the disease. In terms of their makeover, Michael was praised by Michelle for looking the “best” she’d ever looked, thanks to her softening her make-up.
Three-time RuPeter badge winner Ginger Johnson also placed high after receiving very positive critiques from the judges – and even more positive critiques from the viewers – while Eurovision star Tomara Thomas was deemed safe.
Unfortunately, that left Buxton babe Kate Butch and Kent queen DeDeLicious in the bottom two, battling it out via a lip-sync to “This Hell” by pansexual pop princess Rina Sawayama.
Kate was ultimately told to sashay away, before hilariously quipping to RuPaul: “You can’t fire me, I quit! Oh sh*t, too slow.”
Thanks to her endless wit, ample charm and crusty runway looks, Kate had become one of the most beloved queens in Drag Race UK history, and her untimely elimination has stung the fandom – a lot.
Some fans have gone as far as to claim that the lip-sync was edited favourably for DeDeLicious, even though Kate was “killing it”.
Others are furious that season fives most comedic queen was eliminated before next week’s comedy roast challenge.
How the roast will play out is yet to be seen, but the real question is: which queens will make it to the top three?
Tune into RuPaul’s Drag Race UK on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer on Thursday 23 November to find out.
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