The queens are shook as DD Fuego has become the first queen eliminated from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 18.
They speak fondly of their brand and offer kudos to Jane Don’t, while Mandy Mango is clear that her own look was universally loathed by the entire panel. RuPaul enters the Werk Room and gives the queens their next challenge: the eagerly anticipated RDR Live! The queens had varying reaction to the challenge, with Juicy Love Dion being particularly concerned about how she may perform during this challenge, as she didn’t have a great deal of acting experience. (Myki Meeks portraying a young Michelle Visage was a stroke of casting genius.)
Jane Don’t and Athena Dion found themselves battling it out for the same role, but the decision ended up being quickly made when Briar Blush had interest in playing the host’s “inner saboteur”. Briar seems to enjoy being Athena’s prickly adversary and ultimately, Athena took the role of the host meaning they would be playing against each other during the challenge.
RDR Live! rehearsal commenced, with the queens showing varying degrees of acting abilities, and some of the queens truly showed that they could shine in front of the camera during an acting challenge. The guest judge this season was Saturday Night Live standout Sarah Sherman, who came into the Werk Room with Ru to offer the queens some comedic assistance. Some of the girls truly fan-girled, and for Myki Meeks, doing RDR Live! after a childhood filled with SNL was a full circle moment. And Ru got to tell Discord Addams how much she loved Addams’ truly unique runway walk! Sarah also announced the Main Stage runway theme for the week also; it’s Animal Attraction!
RDR Live! commenced, and the first sketch was featuring Mia Starr, Mandy Mango, Discord Addams, and Darlene Mitchell. Mia and Discord were a strong pairing, but Darlene was the true star of this challenge. Athena’s experience as a host in Miami and Mykonos made her a natural host for RDR Live!, while Briar’s attempt at playing the foil as the “inner saboteur” fell a tad flat. Vita VonTesse Starr, Nini Coco and Kenya Pleaser took on the sapphic roles for the next challenge, and had a bit of a love triangle going, with varying degrees of success. The Weekend Update-style sketch showcased Briar Blush (again) with Ciara Myst Jane Don’t found a place to truly shine as Ciara’s mother during this sketch, ironic considering the Werk Room bickering that occurred over this role. The Young Michelle Visage sketch is going to go down in herstory as a fan favorite, as two queens really stepped up during this challenge. It was evident that Myki Meeks was truly in her element during this challenge and Juicy emerged as a comedic stand out as well!
Post-challenge, we head to the Main Stage and RuPaul was joined by Michele Visage, Ts Madison and Sarah Sherman (along with Little Sarah, adorned on Sherman’s lapel). Jane Don’t hit the runway as a macaw, while Discord Addams was an albino alligator and Nini Coco was a poison dart frog! Juicy’s pangolin was a stroke of genius, right down to the last custom piece on her garment. Athena, Discord, Mia and Nini were safe, as were Kenya, Mykie and Ciara (Myki Meeks being safe was a shock to many, Myki included)! Mandy, Vita and Briar landed in the bottom, while Darlene, Jane and Juicy all were in the top. Juicy deservingly grabbed the win, while Mandy and Briar landed in the bottom. The song was Lizzo’s “Love in Real Life” and despite Mandy Mango’s effortlessly energetic moves across the stage, Briar Blush came out ahead in this lip sync and Mandy was sent home, the second queen to depart the competition.
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