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RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 4, Episode 8 Recap: RuPaul's Best Judy's Race

Are you a friend of Dorothy?…

Fresh from Valentina’s departure last Friday, this week’s episode starts off with the queens in the werk room enjoying Valentina’s cheeky goodbye message she left the mirror before leaving All Stars to perform in Rent: (not quite) Live, and while the queens are mourning the loss of V, Naomi is gagged that she has another shot in the competition. Trinity revealed that she also chose to eliminate Valentina because she was the weakest of the week plain and simple. Trinity explains that she chose to keep Naomi around simply because she wants to compete against the best in the final. That’s fierce, and I respect it. The queens talk about how the competition is getting way harder, with all of the queens being legendary, and it will get harder and harder to send each other home. Silly queens, nobody said this was RuPaul’s Best Friend Race. Somebody has to win.

The next day in the werk room, the queens arrive to find a lot of Judy Garland around the space. Ru arrives and announces that this week’s challenge would pay tribute to the icon and legend Judy Garland, and her influence on the gay community. This week, the queens will be making over their best Judy’s including the queen’s friends, boyfriends, and husbands, with strong family resemblance required. HALLEJUDY! IT’S NOT AN ACTING CHALLENGE!!! Aside from doing a total makeover, the queens also have to choreograph a musical tribute to Miss Judy herself.

During the werk room walkabout, Ru asks each of the queens about the bond they have with their friends, and it gets real, linking each of the queen’s triumphs and struggles back to Judy Garland’s influence. It’s an important history lesson and a nice break from the reality show of it all. Monét is concerned because it was this same challenge that sent her home on her season last year. She is going to pull out all the stops to get family resemblance, including shaving off her Judy’s eyebrows. The other queens didn’t come to play either. Manila and her husband are willing to do whatever it takes to win this challenge. Latrice, her Judy, and Ru have an emotional moment together talking about friends that lift you up in tough times and it was heartwarming.

Challenge/elimination day is upon us. Everything is at stake, and the queens are feeling the pressure with only six of them left. Beards are gone, and eyebrows are flying. Naomi reveals she is going to do boy drag this week in an effort to step outside her model comfort zone, as per Ru’s request. As we all know, it could either be amazing, or it could send her home. With the queens and their judies painted, its time to make it work in front of the judges, and this week’s guests Frances Bean Cobain, and Ellen Pompeo. First up is the musical tribute. This was less original, and entertaining (sorry) than I thought it would be but Monét, and Naomi really came out on top. On the runway, the queens and their Judy’s all look incredible, family resemblance or not. The judges praised Monét and her Judy for their fun performance, and gorgeous outfits. While Manila, and Latrice were both clocked for lack of family resemblance, and uninspiring/costume gowns. Naomi’s boy drag that was questioned earlier in the werk room paid off big time, and she had one of the most memorable lewks of the week. Trinity and her Judy were given thumbs up for their vintage Versace lewks, but the winners of the week are Naomi, and Monét, which in my opinion were both well deserved. Monique and Trinity are both safe, making this week’s bottoms Manila and Latrice, queue the tears.

Back in the werk room the queens are gagging over the goopery of it all that out of all of the queens, the best Judy’s are in the bottom together. With Latrilla both up for elimination, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Latrice isn’t willing to sacrifice herself to save Manila, she also knows that her record isn’t as good, and Monét agrees. Manila knows she probably has a better shot at sticking around solely based on her report card. It gets pretty emotional for both of the bottom queens, and Farrah is probably sitting at home, pissed that everybody else gets to cry freely on camera. This week’s elimination could go either way, but whichever way it does go a legend is going home, and the competition will be shaken up.

For their legacy, and the power to eliminate, Monét and Naomi are lip-syncing against each other to Judy’s Come Rain or Come Shine. For Naomi’s first time in the top, she took advantage of that whole song, and everybody is gagged. After a sparkly and bright performance with some props included, it was no surprise that Naomi smalls won this week. But as we all know, with great power comes great responsibility, and someone has to go home. In the end, Naomi chose to eliminate Manila… wait, what? Sigh… it seems that Latrice will be able to coast through another week on her legend status.

Takeaway from episode 8: Everybody is scared to eliminate Latrice Royale again, and we all know it.
Frontrunner of the week: Naomi, who has been fading into the background this season, has finally arrived to the competition. Is it too late?
What we’ll see next week: An acting challenge parody of Sex and the City. Some drama post-elimination, and the werk room heats up, as we get closer to the finale.
Missed a week?: Read our RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 4 recaps right here!

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