Camo no she didn’t…
Last week we said goodbye to the forever fierce Mariah Paris Balenciaga. Now that we’ve gotten a fair taste of what this All Stars cast can bring to the table, am I wrong in saying this season of All Stars is shaping up to be so different than any of the previous seasons? For one, the group of queens are so different than the previous casts we’ve seen. There is such an array of different types of queens, and aesthetics it really is such a fun season to watch. With that being said, let’s get into this week’s episode.
As always, the episode begins in the werk room following last week’s elimination. The tone of the room is intense. Shea is feeling grateful to be able to stay in the competition. The queens open the box to reveal who put in what lipsticks. While the majority of the queens picked Mariah to leave, Shea received two votes, while India also received one. Is there some shady business going on here? Or were they going off of last week’s critiques alone? Surprisingly Mayhem was the one that voted for Shea in what she believed would be strategic voting to get the strongest competitor out. This obviously backfired. Alexis also put forward Shea’s lipstick “based off of critiques”. I call shade. Shea didn’t come to play, and I hope she bounces back this week stronger than ever.
The next day in the werk room Jujubee is still high off her win, and we love to see it. Around the table, Alexis brings up that every week, last week’s tops end up in the bottom. Could this be true? This week is all about navigating bad publicity, and handling scandals, which is unintentionally very pertinent to the current climate. This week’s maxi challenge will see the queens working in teams on improv sketches in a TMZ-style show. The teams are India and Mayhem, Jujubee, Blair, and Cracker, and the last team is Shea and Alexis. The tea is starting to boil. As the queens start rehearsing their scenes, it is clear that the improv challenge can go a few different ways. Shea and Alexis’ read-through starts rocky, but Shea wants to win, and I don’t think she’ll let working with the person who wants her gone getting in the way. The characters are oddly specific though. Team Cracker, Blair, and Juju starts their rehearsal off with Cracker asking Blair if she was strategizing ways to get Cracker out of the competition. Blair denies the allegations, but Cracker isn’t sold, but Juju breaks the tension, and we love her for it.
After the break SheMZ makes its television debut with the queens playing both the roles of the SheMZ reporters, and also their respective queens. First up Alexis and Shea are caught having lunch together. Burgers were thrown, fake pregnancies were debunked, and just like that we’re on to the next story. Jujubee, and Blair have been arrested for paying college officials to get admission to Drag U, with Miz Cracker being the fixer. As far as this scene went, Cracker and Jujubee stole it completely. The last scene sees India Farrah get caught shoplifting, and Mayhem is not letting her merchandise go without a fight. There were donuts involved. It got weird, it fell a little flat.
The next day in the werk room the queens prepare for their “Camo Couture” runway. The queens all feel good about their performances in SheMZ, but nobody is safe. Shea says she had a lot of fun with Alexis during their scene, but she’s still looking over her shoulder. I don’t blame her. At the makeup table, Juju asks the other queens if anybody has ever been involved in a scandal that has made it to an online platform like TMZ. Blair reveals that the week she was eliminated from her season, an article started circulating about a DUI she received earlier in her life. Mayhem reveals that she has two DUIs from her past, which opened up a conversation about Mayhem being arrested in drag, and how she was treated in the aftermath of her arrest. The queens thank her for sharing, and Mayhem is glad she’s not holding back like she did on her own season. Out on the runway the queens are serving us in different versions of camouflage. Based on the performances in the challenge, and the runway Ru declares Shea, and Blair are safe for the week.
It’s time for the queens to receive their critiques from the judges, and this week’s guest actress Sarah Hyland. The judges loved Jujubee’s performance in her scene, and her look this week. They also loved Cracker’s performance in her group, and her look was to die for. Michelle applauded how she didn’t let her doubts sabotage her performance this week. The judges loved Alexis’s take on camo, but they weren’t crazy about how she talked over Shea in their improv performance, and let a lot of good comedic moments go because of it. While the judges agreed that Mayhem’s performance started really well, it did fizzle out, and it did take a while for the scene to get anywhere. The judges agreed that they liked her look on the runway, but it needed a little something extra to boost it up. Mayhem quickly got on the defensive, and although I love her, and she did look stunning, we have to all admit that it was a leotard and thigh-high boots. Not exactly a new concept on this runway. India is up last, and the judges love her look tonight, but her performance was a little lackluster. Based on their performances, and the critiques, Ru announces Miz Cracker is the top all star of the week. Jujubee and Alexis are safe, leaving India and Mayhem in the bottom, and at risk of being eliminated.
Back in the werk room the queens get to deliberating. It’s a little awkward with Mayhem pleading to Cracker. She doesn’t want to do it, and it might hurt her in the end. India is crushed because she really did think she delivered a good scene and takes a small opportunity to throw Mayhem under the bus. Jujubee feels like Mayhem isn’t fighting for her spot to be here, and I have to say I’m a little confused as well. After all of the queens cast their vote, and Cracker picks her lipstick it’s time for the lip sync. Miz Cracker is competing against this week’s lip sync assassin, Morgan McMichaels. The queens lip sync to Rihanna’s “Where Have You Been,” and it’s a tight lip sync. Both queens are pulling it all out, and really having fun with it.
Ru has made her decision and Morgan McMichaels wins the lip sync BUT WAIT! Miz Cracker is also a winner baby. This means there’s a possibility both queens could be going home. Morgan reveals that the queens have chosen Mayhem, and Miz Cracker has also chosen Mayhem, thus sending Mayhem home. It’s always sad to see a queen go, but Mayhem seemed at peace with her departure from the competition. She will ultimately slay another day.
What we’ll see next week: Snatch Game of Love is back, India takes a risk, and some shady business goes down.
Missed a week?: Read our RuPaul’s Drag Race All Star 5 weekly recaps right here!
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