RuPaul's All Stars Drag Race: Family That Drags Together
October 6, 2016 10:06 PM - Season 2, Episode 7 - Subscribe
The (much-awaited?) makeover episode! The five remaining queens are tasked with turning members of their nuclear families into members of their drag families.
I generally really like Alaska and think she's talented, deserving, etc, but her meltdown reminded me of this Bobby Newport moment.
posted by Pizzarina Sbarro at 11:41 PM on October 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Pizzarina Sbarro at 11:41 PM on October 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
Now it really is RuPaul's Best Friend Race vs. Katya.
#TeamKatya
Also #TeamKatya'sMomPat
Me, when people's family shows up on other reality contests: God, this is such bullshit emotional manipulation.
Me, when they do it on Drag Race:
[gif of crying Roxxy being left talking about being left with her sister at the bus stop by her mom]
posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:15 AM on October 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
#TeamKatya
Also #TeamKatya'sMomPat
Me, when people's family shows up on other reality contests: God, this is such bullshit emotional manipulation.
Me, when they do it on Drag Race:
[gif of crying Roxxy being left talking about being left with her sister at the bus stop by her mom]
posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:15 AM on October 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
This episode made me go from thinking the win was a foregone conclusion for Alaska but cheering for Katya to hoping Katya steals it from Alaska. That meltdown was not cute - and I'm surprised Alaska's bribe offer wasn't cause for disqualification.
Also, kinda mad at Detox for denying me one more episode of Alyssa's strangely alluring face (which I cannot stop looking at).
posted by urbanlenny at 6:50 PM on October 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
Also, kinda mad at Detox for denying me one more episode of Alyssa's strangely alluring face (which I cannot stop looking at).
posted by urbanlenny at 6:50 PM on October 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
Re: Alaska, it is super weird watching her act like such a Gila monster -- my charitable explanation is that it was being around her family that brought old crappy dynamics to the surface?
I'm surprised Alaska's bribe offer wasn't cause for disqualification.
Ha ha, well, if you don't already know, Alaska apparently violated her NDA after filming by spilling all the details to her then-boyfriend (including most of the elimination order and the top 3): when they broke up, he took revenge on her by leaking all of the details before the show aired. Super messed up, but also could put Alaska in a lot of hot water legally since the penalties for breaching those kinds of contracts are apparently super intense. I've been kind of uncertain how they were going to deal with that, but watching how she comes off in this episode, I think production might be preparing us to see her get Angelea'd out of the crown. I don't think it was unintentional that they gave that ha-ha-only-serious joke center stage.
Anyway, Alaska's strangely detached, above-it-all edit in the first few eps finally makes sense to me after last night -- I was wondering why they weren't showing much of her talking heads (which were legendary in S5), or showing much of her interacting with the other queens at all (except in some of the online footage). I think the editors have been preparing us for this moment, when we discover that she's been cast as "the villain" -- much like they did in subtle ways with Phi Phi well before she imploded.
The conspiracy theory I'm partial to is that Alaska was actually cast as "the protagonist," which is why she got such a good reception from the judges and why she won so many challenges, and that it was only after the NDA leak that the producers re-cut the footage to prepare the audience for her being DQ'ed or losing to someone else. Not that she didn't give the producers plenty to work with with that tantrum, but they might well have softened it up a little if she was ultimately "supposed" to win.
Whether or not any of that's true, it's a pretty surprising face-heel turn for a fan- (and Ru-)favorite like Alaska.
posted by en forme de poire at 9:18 PM on October 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
I'm surprised Alaska's bribe offer wasn't cause for disqualification.
Ha ha, well, if you don't already know, Alaska apparently violated her NDA after filming by spilling all the details to her then-boyfriend (including most of the elimination order and the top 3): when they broke up, he took revenge on her by leaking all of the details before the show aired. Super messed up, but also could put Alaska in a lot of hot water legally since the penalties for breaching those kinds of contracts are apparently super intense. I've been kind of uncertain how they were going to deal with that, but watching how she comes off in this episode, I think production might be preparing us to see her get Angelea'd out of the crown. I don't think it was unintentional that they gave that ha-ha-only-serious joke center stage.
Anyway, Alaska's strangely detached, above-it-all edit in the first few eps finally makes sense to me after last night -- I was wondering why they weren't showing much of her talking heads (which were legendary in S5), or showing much of her interacting with the other queens at all (except in some of the online footage). I think the editors have been preparing us for this moment, when we discover that she's been cast as "the villain" -- much like they did in subtle ways with Phi Phi well before she imploded.
The conspiracy theory I'm partial to is that Alaska was actually cast as "the protagonist," which is why she got such a good reception from the judges and why she won so many challenges, and that it was only after the NDA leak that the producers re-cut the footage to prepare the audience for her being DQ'ed or losing to someone else. Not that she didn't give the producers plenty to work with with that tantrum, but they might well have softened it up a little if she was ultimately "supposed" to win.
Whether or not any of that's true, it's a pretty surprising face-heel turn for a fan- (and Ru-)favorite like Alaska.
posted by en forme de poire at 9:18 PM on October 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
Me after last week's episode: I love Katya the most but I wouldn't be mad at an Alaska or Detox win :)
Me after last night's episode: Fuck Rolaskatox
posted by Pizzarina Sbarro at 11:08 PM on October 7, 2016 [4 favorites]
Me after last night's episode: Fuck Rolaskatox
posted by Pizzarina Sbarro at 11:08 PM on October 7, 2016 [4 favorites]
My god, if RuPaul does another fake out like she did with Katya in the crowning for Season 7, I will plotz.
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 8:01 AM on October 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 8:01 AM on October 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm just imagining the producers doing the math, figuring out that TWO contestants had parental death anniversaries within a few days of each other, and rubbing their hands together in terrible glee. This episode honestly made me more annoyed with the structure and less with Detox making a foolish decision and Alaska losing her shit after getting a crummy critique in front of her mom who was SO PROUD of what she'd done so far. And I was thrilled with Katya's slow rise, good instincts, and awesome Boston mom.
Has anyone else felt like the lipsynchs have been getting less and less energetic? As the game goes on I feel like neither queen wants the responsibility.
posted by tchemgrrl at 2:14 PM on October 8, 2016 [2 favorites]
Has anyone else felt like the lipsynchs have been getting less and less energetic? As the game goes on I feel like neither queen wants the responsibility.
posted by tchemgrrl at 2:14 PM on October 8, 2016 [2 favorites]
Katya mentioned in her web show she wasn't expecting to be in the Top 2 and didn't really know the words. I do think the lip syncs have been a little lackluster at times, but with some bright spots, like Alyssa and Tatianna. Definitely would not have predicted that Katya would go 0-3 for lip syncs, though.
posted by en forme de poire at 3:24 PM on October 8, 2016
posted by en forme de poire at 3:24 PM on October 8, 2016
Yeah Katya needs to bring her lip synch a-game. I know she is capable.
Alaska really did not come off well in this episode. Her runway look wasn't that bad, just a bit ho-hum, but that backstage meltdown made me realize that we haven't seen all that much of Alaska personally this season. If this defines her persona, it is bad news.
I am becoming a surprisingly big Katya fan girl! I have never cared this way about a reality contestant. I love her surreal sense of humor. I love her highly specific fashion references. I love her characters. I love the way she portrays women who fall outside of the narrow range of conventional drag glamour. Mom types, frumpy types, sleazy types. I would watch her in anything, her YouTube shows as entertaining as the main show.
posted by mai at 7:22 PM on October 8, 2016 [2 favorites]
Alaska really did not come off well in this episode. Her runway look wasn't that bad, just a bit ho-hum, but that backstage meltdown made me realize that we haven't seen all that much of Alaska personally this season. If this defines her persona, it is bad news.
I am becoming a surprisingly big Katya fan girl! I have never cared this way about a reality contestant. I love her surreal sense of humor. I love her highly specific fashion references. I love her characters. I love the way she portrays women who fall outside of the narrow range of conventional drag glamour. Mom types, frumpy types, sleazy types. I would watch her in anything, her YouTube shows as entertaining as the main show.
posted by mai at 7:22 PM on October 8, 2016 [2 favorites]
Alaska's breakdown is possibly the weirdest thing I have ever watched on reality television. I wonder how long it went on? Did we see the entire breakdown or was that edited down?
Katya's brilliant moment of saying "Party" to Alaska at the end of the episode after Alaska called her Adore at the beginning of the show gave me LIFE. Clap back, hunty.
Alyssa's exit was classy which was to be expected from her, and I love her sister sticking up for her.
posted by Julnyes at 11:33 AM on October 10, 2016
Katya's brilliant moment of saying "Party" to Alaska at the end of the episode after Alaska called her Adore at the beginning of the show gave me LIFE. Clap back, hunty.
Alyssa's exit was classy which was to be expected from her, and I love her sister sticking up for her.
posted by Julnyes at 11:33 AM on October 10, 2016
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posted by roger ackroyd at 10:47 PM on October 6, 2016 [10 favorites]