The season 5 queens make contact with their first acting challenge. Canadian music icon Peaches is a guest judge…
Last week we met the new group of Canadian queens who will be representing our glorious drag scene to the world over the next few months. They learned that first impressions really do matter, but it was a safe week, so instead of the bottom queens going head-to-head in a lip sync challenge, the top queens did. In the end The Virgo Queen came out on top and won the first lip sync, and cash prize of the season. This week the queens will come face to face with the first acting challenge of the season. Who will have what it takes to impress the judges and move on in the competition? Let’s get into it.
This week’s episode begins back in Untucked where Miss Beaver is waiting for the girls over on the blue couches. Everybody celebrates surviving the first runway and everyone congratulates The Virgo Queen on her win. She tearfully thanks them for her kind words. The bottoms talk about how this first runway has pushed them to go even harder. They talk about what they think the beaver’s appearance this season could mean for them.
It’s a new day in the werk room and the queens are feeling ready to take on a new challenge. The queens once again congratulate The Virgo Queen on her win but ask Makayla how it felt being so close to that win and tip money. Jaylene interjects and tells her how inspiring it was to see a 21 year-old trans woman owning her moment and claiming her space on the stage. In confessionals, Makayla mentions how full her heart is having a trans elder like Jaylene in her corner. Around the table they discuss the logistics of the beaver and how it will work when they’re interrupted by some Ru-Mail. After Ru’s cryptic message about Uranus exploding, Brooke enters the werk room to tell the girls about this week’s challenge.
This week the queens will have to work in groups to write, act, and direct short instructional videos to share what earth is like for aliens. First they’ll need to pick their teams. As the bottoms, Tara, Tiffany, and Pearla are the team captains. They pick queens one by one, gym class-style, until the group widdles down to Sanjina and Makayla. Once everyone is in groups Brooke presents their video topics which range between manners, sexuality, and families In the sexuality group Makayla gets a little emotional talking about getting picked last, but her teammates reassure her that they’re excited to work with her. Over in Tara’s group, Uma takes the lead with the writing, taking everybody’s thoughts and tips into consideration. They also talk about team Pearla potentially being the weakest out of the groups.
Meanwhile over in team Pearla’s corner, they are working together really well and they know they’re underestimated. Tiffany’s group finds themselves in a bit of a time crunch and they don’t have much on the page yet. Xana and Uma bicker a little bit and Uma feels it’s a little pointed.
Out in the studio Tara’s group is up first and the pit crew returns! Tara’s team seems organized and they get their shots done in a timely manner, but Xana is definitely acting more like the leader than Tara is. Tiffany’s team is up next and they didn’t include a script with their storyboard which confuses Brooke, and it has them off to a rough start. Makayla takes the lead with the directing but the whole thing is a scrambled mess. Finally, team Pearla is up with their PSA on manners. Helena forgets her line immediately but she turns it around fast. The other queens are kind of gagged about how funny this group is.
Back in the werk room it’s a new day and it’s elimination day. Someone is definitely going home this week. Over by the mirrors they all discuss who they think did the best this week. Makayla tells the queens she’s super excited to bring her Carribean culture to the runway this week and Jaylene educates her castmates on the Sixties Scoop, which is part of her personal history, and how important it is for her to reconnect with her Indigenous culture. Xana reveals that her grandfather was also a victim of the Sixties Scoop and how it completely robbed them of the experience of growing up with their culture. Jaylene leaves and returns with a Métis sash to give to Xana, so they can take ownership and pride over their culture which gets the whole room emotional.
Out on the runway Brooke introduces this week’s panel of judges, which includes Traci Melchor, Sarain Fox, and this week’s extra special guest judge, the legendary Peaches! The category on the runway is “Time and Place” and the queens stun and strut in showstopping looks representing a place during a time period of their choice. While some queens chose to use it to spotlight their heritage, others chose creepy or campy looks.
Following the runway it’s time to watch the PSA’s. Team Tara is up first with their ad on families. It’s ok, a little rough around the edges, but the message gets across. Tiffany’s group is up next with their video on sexuality. They were the most disorganized while shooting and it doesn’t really have a clear point but Jaylene was the breakout star of the group. Finally Pearla’s group is up and they get laughs from the other judges and queens.
Brooke announces that they will be judged individually based on their performances and their runway presentations. She calls Jaylene, Sangina, Makayla, The Virgo Queen, and Uma forward and tells them they are all safe for the week. Before they head back, Sarain takes time to tell Jaylene how important it was seeing her traditional regalia on the main stage. The rest of the queens represent the tops and bottoms and critiques start with Tiffany. All of the judges love her Vietnamese look, but the sexuality PSA fell a little flat. The judges all agree that the group was all over the place and it showed in the ad. Helena is next and Brooke tells her that her look is cute but she hopes to see more elevated outfits in the future. However she gets praise for how much fun she was in the ad and how much of a joy she was to direct. Pearla is next and Traci loves her 1888 London look and she gets an A++ for her role in the manners PSA. Brooke commends her on delivering her personality, which was her brief during last week’s critiques. The judges also loved Minnie’s character and they give top compliments with how their group all worked together. Xana is up next and she gives a wordy explanation about her PSA but Brooke says the problem was that her performance wasn’t memorable, but everyone is in agreement that her runway look was top tier. Traci tells Tara that she made a cute alien but she could have done more to pop on the screen but the judges all like her nod-to-Newfoundland runway look.
Based on the critiques Brooke announces that Pearla is the winner of this week’s maxi challenge, with her teammates trailing closely behind her in their safe positions. Tiffany, Xana, and Tara are all in the bottom this week. Pearla now has control of the beaver, so she can save one of the bottom three from lip synching for their lives. Backstage they congratulate Pearla on her win and she takes the time to also recognize how her teammates helped her get there. The bottom three get to pleading their case for the golden beaver.
Back out on the main stage Pearla reveals that she’s handing the beaver over to Xana, saving her from the chomping block this week. This means Tara Nova and Tiffany Ann Co are this week’s bottom queens, and unfortunately someone is going home. The two queens lip sync for their lives to Fuck the Pain Away by Peaches. Both queens are giving it their all in their own specific styles. Both Tara and Tiffany left it all on the floor, the judges decide that the first queen to be sent home this season is the east coast’s own Tara Nova. We’ll miss you queen!
Next week on Canada’s Drag Race: The slay-offs are back but this time, they’ll be lip syncing in teams!
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