When life gives you lemons, lawyer up…
It’s a new week, and a new episode of Canada’s Drag Race is finally here. Last week we said goodbye to Montreal queen Kiara after this season’s most memorable lip sync. After another week of critiques of the judge’s critiques we are back back back again, and ready to see what our queens will serve us this week. Our Canadian queens are taking the world by storm and gaining international fans. We simply love to see it. I don’t know about you but I’m ready for more. It looks like we’re getting another acting challenge this week, so let’s get into it!
This week’s episode starts in the werk room following Kiara’s elimination. The queens read Kiara’s full mirror sized message, and the top seven congratulate Jimbo on her Snatch Game win. Priyanka notes that she is part of the top and bottom club, and Scarlett Bobo notes that she and BOA haven’t had to lip sync yet. Could this be foreshadowing? It’s a new day in the werk room, and with only seven queens left the competition is getting fierce. Rita Baga feels like she has to represent for the French queens, and the queens ask BOA how she’s feeling after getting a warning from Stacey last week. After Ru’s video message, Jeffrey enters the werk room and tells the queens that this week’s mini challenge the queens will be feeling the Miss Cleo fantasy as psychic hotline operators. It’s an improv challenge, and the queen that makes the guest caller laugh the hardest wins. The guest caller is Drag Race UK alumni Crystal. Priyanka has redeemed herself from her Miss Cleo snatch game performance last week. Other standout performances include Scarlett, Lemon, and Jimbo. Jeffrey announces that Lemon is the winner of this week’s mini challenge.
Jeffrey also announces that in this week’s maxi challenge, the queens will work in teams to make commercials for their late-night law firm television commercials. As this week’s mini challenge winner, Lemon gets to choose the teams. She snags Priyanka for herself, pairs Ilona and Scarlett together, which leaves Jimbo, Rita, and BOA as the final group. The queens get to working on their commercials. Priyanka and Lemon seem to be getting down to business fast, and their ideas are solid. Our trio also has some great ideas, but BOA is feeling the pressure to contribute material without getting in her head too much. The sissies, Ilona and Scarlett decide that they will be lawyers, and also hitmen. Jeffrey does his werk room walk around with his first stop at Lemon and Priyanka. The two say they’re being ambitious with their scenes, but excited for this challenge. Next up he visits Scarlett and Ilona, and he reminds them that neither of them has won a maxi challenge yet, and the pressure is on. The trio’s stellar idea of combating disrespectful bachelorette parties at drag shows is solid, and after sharing a bachelorette story involving a bride to be, a rogue finger, and his booty hole, Rita Baga breaks down the three simple rules for straight women in gay bars. One, Do NOT touch without consent. Two, GET OFF THE STAGE. Three, BE RESPECTFUL in other’s spaces! PERIOD!
It’s time for the queens to film their commercials, and Stacey is helping with the direction. First in the studio to film are Priyanka and Lemon. They came prepared, organized, and ready to split. From the filming it looks promising. Next is Jimbo, Rita, and BOA. It starts off rocky for BOA, and the time is slipping away from them. Jimbo, and Rita really pull it together for the group though. Last up is the sissies, Ilona and Scarlett. They start by saying they’re filming out of order, and it’s a bit of a mess, but it looks promising.
It’s elimination day in the werk room and the queens ask Lemon if there was specific reasoning behind her team pairing. She explains that she believes everyone left in the competition is talented, and she knew however the groups were divided would have been good. The other queens call bullshit, and claim she’s obviously trying to snatch the miss congeniality crown. At the makeup mirrors, the queens share their experiences with dreaded bachelorette parties in drag bars, and BOA shares a tragic personal story of assault and how she uses it to speak out to help others who might find themselves in similar situations. The queens rally around her and thank her for continuing to share her story to spread awareness.
Out on the main stage this week’s guest host comedian Tom Green introduces our judges, and on the runway, category is Canadian Tux-She-Do. It’s denim on denim on denim, and all of the queens are serving, even though we all know the judges will have something to say about something. Following the runway, it’s time to watch their legal commercials, and all of the groups produced a good video. Because we’re down to a top seven, everybody is getting critiqued this week. First up the judges loved Scarlett’s performance in her commercial, and her outfit on the runway. Jeffrey thought Ilona’s face was painted to perfection, but her booty needed full coverage foundation. Was it too harsh? And the other judges thought her acting was a bit one note. The judges saw BOA get in her head in the acting challenge, and Tom Green surprisingly has worn this outfit before. Where BOA stumbled, Jimbo picked it up. The judges loved the club kid look, and how outrageous her acting was in the challenge. Jeffrey told Rita she looked stunning, and she was a gem in the commercial challenge. The judges agreed that Priyanka did well in the challenge, but Brooke Lynn said her runway wasn’t as good as it should have been this late in the competition. They also thought Lemon did well in the commercial, but the role was a bit too similar to her Her-itage Moment. And while her runway walk served, her repurposed denim look didn’t. following the critiques, Brooke asks the queens which one of their sisters should they send home. Scarlett Bobo, Ilona, BOA, and Jimbo all say Lemon based on her runway alone. While Rita, Priyanka, and Lemon say Ilona based off her critiques from the acting challenge.
While the queens untuck backstage all of the girls who said Lemon’s name kind of gang up on her to justify their reasoning, but from where I’m standing it looks a lot like jealousy. Out on the stage, the judges deliberate where the queens stand. The judges announce Rita Baga is the winner of this week’s maxi challenge. Jimbo, Bobo, Priyanka, and Lemon are safe. This leaves Ilona and BOA as this week’s bottoms. The two queens lip sync for their lives to Alessia Cara’s Scars To Your Beautiful. After a passion filled, but slow lip sync, Brooke Lynn tells Ilona she is safe to see another week, and thus sending BOA home. She may have been a bitch on arrival, but she left a star.
Front runners of the week: Rita, Priyanka, and Jimbo are all on a steady upward climb to the top.
Canadian-ism of the week: The celebration of the Canadian tuxedo was it for me.
What we’ll see next week: The queens compete in a unique pageant, and it looks like they’re getting some more harsh critiques from the judges.
Missed a week?: Read our Canada’s Drag Race season 1 weekly recaps right here!
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