After the #BenDeLaChrist moment last episode, I was expecting this to feel a tad lukewarm.

After all, how do you come back from a queen who managed to break Rupaul’s system and even make the Queen Mother feel guilty? You don’t – but even so, this challenge was good, and the runways were gorgeous. However, the workroom did seem to be missing BenDeLa’s charm – even though some queens are starting to think she was never all that charming to begin with.

THE POST-CHALLENGE MEET UP

Right away everyone is gagged about BenDeLa leaving – they all lament how they are surprised that she would do that and speculate as to why she would. They are confused, and a lot of them are annoyed. After all, why show up if she didn’t like competing? Why waste people’s time? Of course, other people recognize that this had been a lot for BenDeLa throughout the season.

The only outlier seems to be Shangela, who is still convinced that BenDeLa was playing some kind of game. I’m not convinced, but who knows? Maybe it was a scheme to maintain her positive status? I wouldn’t be surprised at all of the mind games these girls have played up to this point.

The only person who seems to be moving forward is Trixie, who talks about how real the idea of the other queens winning is. After all, BenDeLa was the frontrunner and the expected winner.

Another interesting tidbit is Bebe, who refused to show the other queens who she chose to come back and leave the competition. The other queens think Bebe is being shady, and trying to save her ass, just in case another queen gets angry with her. And I’m inclined to agree with them – everybody has shown their lipsticks up to this point – what makes Bebe so special?

THE ASSIGNMENTS

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The next day, Ru comes in with Nancy Pelosi of all people, and delivers a beautiful speech about Pelosi’s love of the gay community and how we need to stick together and keep working hard. The other queens got very excited, and Pelosi told them all that she thought they were amazing. It was a very sweet moment, if not one of the weirdest ones in Drag Race herstory.

Afterward, Ru reveals that the challenge is an acting challenge. The girls will be given “award-winning” roles and star in a raunchy comedy called My Best Squirellfriend’s Dragsmaids Wedding Trip! Morgan is allowed to assign each queen their parts. And she assigns them as follows:

Bebe: The Queen

Shangi: Actavia

Trixie: Sharon Frackovich

Herself: Beige Swan

Kennedy: La La

Trixie was not happy with her part and wanted to musical-inspired La La, but in the end, she accepted the part that she had.

THE CHALLENGE

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The small scene that we had for the challenge was not very promising. Both Trixie and Shangela killed it. They were funny, they reacted to people’s lines, and they made sure the jokes landed. They were the clear winners of the challenge based on the one or two lines we actually got to hear from them in the end.

Meanwhile, you have Bebe – who played a very stiff, and very boring Queen of Everything. She believed that the character was stuffy and stuff, and that’s what she gave. Unfortunately, that meant there were no laughs. Kennedy and Morgan were equally flat – Morgan failed to capture the insanity of Natalie Portman in Black Swan, and Kennedy just kept on kicking the air like it slapped her Mama.

It was sad to see such talented queens fall so hard, but what are you going to do?

THE RUNWAY

RED FOR FILTH

Bebe: 10/10 – She came out in this beautiful red cress and complimenting red mask. She was stunning, brilliant.

Kennedy: 7/10 – She came out in this red, stoned outfit. It was beautiful, but not very creative.

Morgan: 8/10 – A beautiful red costume that flowed beautifully.

Shangela: 6/10 – My brother tells me it’s high fashion, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the droopy spikes.

Trixie: 10/10 – She came out in this latex ensemble and looked really hot. I loved her so much!

The judges basically felt the same as I did about the performances – both Trixie and Shangela got praises for their outfits and their characters. Meanwhile, the other queens had amazing looks, but most of them fell flat on everything else.

WINNERS: TRIXIE, SHANGELA

BOTTOMS: MORGAN, KENNEDY, BEBE

DELIBERATION

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Nothing stuck out of this deliberation this go around except Bebe’s attitude. The other queens tried asking her where she thought fell flat, and Sis believed she didn’t do anything wrong. She said that she played the character how it was meant to be played, and that the judges loved her look. It was crazy because it reminded me of so much Milk, and I think that it is because this is the first time that Bebe’s confidence has really been shaken this go around.

Morgan also worries, because she knows that queens who get brought back always go home the next episode and she doesn’t want it be her.

LIP-SYNCH

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When the queens came out for the lip-synch, Shangela obviously dressed for a fat-suit reveal, and Trixie dressed in the sexiest outfit I’ve ever seen. They did a RuPaul song – and Shangela turned it out, really taking advantage of her comedic timing by revealing to a fat suit and then a fat-suit-wearing pasties. It was hilarious and I loved every second of it, and while Trixie looked beautiful, she wasn’t up to snuff and ended up losing to Shangela.

Shangela sent Morgan home, unfortunately, prolonging the curse of the returning queens. It stinks, because I think Morgan could have been such a fierce competitor.

Shann Smith is a freelance writer, screenwriter, playwright, gamer, and film/TV lover. When he’s not working on his columns for Popdust, he’s doing his best to create and consume as much media as he can!

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