RuPaul’s Drag Race Recap: Big Pharma? I Hardly Know Her
How do you solve a problem like Eureka?
Are you feeling tucky, punk? The OG ball tamperers are back (sandpaper? I hardly know her) and all signs still point to this season of RuPaul’s Drag Race hitting it for six. TOPICAL REFERENCES!
Now my contractually obligated search engine optimisation is out of the way, let’s take a look at the sophomore ep of RPDR season ten.
How Do You Solve A Problem Like Eureka?
Eureka is totally that kid in your drama class who did a solo performance about their chronic fatigue set to ‘In the Arms of an Angel’.
Lately, a lot of chatter on the information superhighway (have I mentioned that my 1998 Yahoo chat name was ‘CyberSpice’?) has been focused on the fandom being unnecessarily cruel to the queens. BenDeLisaSimpson, the patron saint of patronising, recently asked us all to remember these queens are artists, and in going on the show they are making themselves incredibly vulnerable.
So, with that in mind, I want to make it Roxxxy Andrews-clear when I say the following: Eureka is a fucking punish. She was a punish on season nine, and she’s even more of a punish on season ten. This week, Eureka got back on her bullshit and straight out the gate was up to her old tricks of running her mouth and centring herself in her own drama — and then dropped the ball in the challenge.
When Eureka was moon-booted off last season, I was happy for the reprieve, but in the back of my mind I knew she’d be back and Ms Swerves and Curves 2.0 would still get on my damn nerves. So I put my eye roll on layby, and here we are.
Oxygen thieving aside, Eureka’s grating personality seems to be the result of some genuine issues relating to her confidence, self-worth, and ability to relate to others. There is a lot of overcompensating going on, and I hope this season she gets to the bossy bottom of it all.
The Challenges
This week, Andy Cohen stopped by the ruvamped work room for a ho-down mini-challenge (mini challenges in week one and week two!) Andy Cohen is legally required to make an appearance on every homosexualist TV show in America, and his appearance on RPDR means we are one. step. closer. to getting his non-sexual bum chum Anderson Cooper as a guest judge.
Season two of Westworld looks lit.
The mainstage challenge was another riff on a classic, a lip sync musical performance. Keep them coming, show runner! Pharmarusical the Musical was never going to top the Kardashian musical from last season (but look at them, who’d wanna top a Kardashian?).
Lo and behold, who should be the guest choreographer for the main challenge? Why, it’s none other than Drag Race royalty, Alyssa Edwards! After last week’s alumni mini-challenge, I am tongue-poppingly pleased to see season ten is rolling out more guest appearances by beloved queens. Fingers crossed and legs uncrossed we get more classic queens and classic challenges.
In the RuPaul’s Drag Race royal family, Alyssa is definitely the Fergie.
On the mainstage, the pharma challenge was a little episodic and disjointed but had some hilarious moments that allowed a few of the queens to shine through. The Vixen walked away with the win as the team leader of the top group of the week, and she did well onstage and off, stirring the Miz Cracker/Aquaria pot all episode.
Now the drags don’t work, they just makes you worse.
The Lip Sync & The Elimination
It was the battle of the big girls, with Kalorie and Eureka duking it out to stay in the game. Whatever was going on with Eureka earlier in the ep melted away and she turned out a tight, soulful lip sync.
Kalorie Karbdashian: beware the ides of starch.
This meant that poor little Kalorie was sent up to the house. The online fandom had her picked as the first to go since the promo dropped, and you can see why. RPDR isn’t just high school, it’s Cruel Intentions*. You might not want to be the Sarah Michelle Gellar, but you sure as hell can’t be the Selma Blair…
*Young persons, Cruel Intentions was a 90s teen film. I apologise that I do not have a more updated reference. The “CyberSpice” joke from before really should have given that away.
Who’s Taking The Tammie Crown?
Miz Cracker VS Aquaria, who will win?
Aquaria caught me off guard this week with her main stage performance, her drag nouveau look, and her insightful to-cameras. I had her pegged as a more-famous Violet Chachki, but she may have more to her than just youth and looks.
Meanwhile, her ‘twin’ Miz Cracker was the real star of the mainstage challenge. Whatever ‘it’ is, Miz Cracker has it and I could not take my eyes off her as she performed. It would, however, be kinda dull if season ten was the battle between these two.
The Vixen is causing way too much drama early on to be a real contender for the crown, but shoutout to her consciousness-raising pharma-themed Insta post this week.
Happy Easter, I Hardly Know Her, everybody!
–
RuPaul’s Drag Race is fast-tracked from the US on Stan. Read more Drag Race recaps here.
–
Nic Holas has written for The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, Archer Magazine, and Hello Mr. You can find him on Twitter @nicheholas, or in his role as co-founder of HIV movement The Institute of Many.