The queens take on improv comedy with a Saturday Night Live-inspired challenge. Actor Paul W. Downs is a guest judge…
Last week we said goodbye to the fashion queen of L.A, Miss Joella after landing in the bottom for the second week in a row. The queens wowed the judges with parody songs based on iconic moments from past seasons, which Onya took the top spot in. Crystal and Suzie trailed right behind her. Joella lip synched for her life against Kori King, but Joella didn’t know all the words to the lip sync,which meant she, and her now viral quilt runway look, were sent packing. This week, the remaining queens take on an improv comedy challenge, and another queen will be sent home. Let’s get into it.
This week’s episode begins in the werk room following Joella’s elimination. Kori reads her message on the mirror and vocalizes feeling annoyed about being in the bottom before cleaning the mirror off. Over on the couches the queens congratulate Onya on her win. She feels good and excited to keep growing in the competition. Crystal says it sucks to not win when you’re so close, but the validation from the judges is enough, but the other queens aren’t buying it, she’s pissed. Onya’s reading the disappointment in the room, but she knows she’s still the winner of the week.
It’s a new day in the werk room and everyone is feeling fresh and ready for another challenge. Around the table, Arrietty is ready for her villain era and Jewels asks who’s going to be the piggy of the week (someone who is constantly eating. it. up). Ru interrupts and tells the queens that for this week’s maxi challenge they’ll be performing in RDR Live, the sketch comedy show. They’ll get to choose their own parts before going live later in the day. They’ll need to create funny and memorable characters that make the judges laugh. They pass the folders around and read through the scripts.
They get to split the roles out and Onya doesn’t have to fight anyone for the host role. A few of the queens get their first choice without having to battle for them. Some of the queens have to plead their case for a role, but it happens without too much of a fight. After all of the roles are cast, the queens break into their groups to get their lines learned, and scenes down. Everyone is feeling confident in their groups. Lexi, Crystal, and Suzie are covering the weekend update, and while Lexi and Crystal are on the same page, Suzie is really taking a director role with it and turns everyone’s ideas down. Hormona is feeling rotten about not getting the role she wanted and gave to Lydia. Jewels, Sam, and Hormona are hosting a lesbian podcast in their sketch and they spent the majority of their rehearsal time nailing their accents down. Lydia and Acacia are doing a Golden Girls-inspired sketch which Acacia is really excited about (since she’s a big Golden Girls fan), but Lydia admits she’s not as familiar with the season.
The sketch show opens with Onya, Kori, Arrietty, and Lana’s cavewoman town hall sketch opens the show and they all deliver strong performances. The lines all land and it gets some laughs. Onya comes back out on stage to deliver her monologue. It goes smoothly, and rolls right into the next sketch. Hormona, Sam, and Jewels beaver podcast, they’ve made choices with their accents, but they get through all of their lines without breaking and it’s pretty funny. The show is broken up by a musical performance by Ru, which transitions into the weekend update sketch. Lexi and Crystal are solid anchors, and Suzie’s role as RuPaul’s babysitter is a homerun. Acacia and Lydia’s Golden Girls hospital sketch is the final of the episode and it features this week’s special guest, Paul W. Downs as the doctor. Acacia is all in with her character, but Lydia’s delivery isn’t as convincing.
Following RDR Live, the queens are back in the werk room and it’s elimination day. Most of the queens are feeling really confident about their performances in their sketches. Hormona compliments Acacia on her performance and accent and congratulates both Acacia and Lydia on their performances. Lexi and Lana talk about the cliques that are forming among the queens. Lexi coins the “Kumbaya Girls” (the queens you can’t really read and kiki with). Over by the makeup mirror, Suzie is trying something different with her face and hopes Michelle takes notice. Lexi tells Suzie that she’s an executive girlie by day which has the other queens gagged. Lexi tells them that her co-workers still misgender her all the time and hopes that being on the show will change that for her in her real life.
Out on the runway, Ru introduces this week’s panel of judges, Michelle, Ross, and this week’s extra special guest judge, actor and writer Paul W. Downs (Broad City, Hacks). The category on the runway is “Tickled Pink”. The queens strut one by one in their rose-tinted lewks. Following the runway, Ru calls all of the queens to the stage and asks Kori, Lana, Jewels, Crystal, Lexi, and Acacia forward and tells them they are safe for the week.

The rest of the queens represent the tops and bottoms of the week. Critiques start with Onya. Ross tells her that her padding is exceptional, but Michelle tells her she needs hair. Paul liked her scene in the show and compliments her charisma in the monologue. Ru calls Arrietty’s outfit dynamic and showstopping. Ross appreciates that she swung big in the sketch, but she was at 100, the whole time which lost the dialogue. Michelle loves Hormona’s hair and look, and Ross loved her in the sketch, and Michelle called her the star of her scene. Michelle tells Sam she’s not quite sure she chose the voice she chose and Paul gives her some comedy tips (like she should have stuck with her natural southern accent) but everyone agrees that her look is a 10. All of the judges love Suzie’s vintage pink clown look as well as her role as Ru’s babysitter. Finally, Michelle tells Lydia’s Sophia didn’t go as hard as it should have, but her giant penis outfit on the runway has the judges gagged.

After deliberations, Ru announces that the winner of this week’s challenge is Suzie Toot! Hormona Lisa and Onya Nerve follow her in second and third place, and are safe for the week. Suzie is the first queen with two challenge wins this season. The last queen safe for the week is Sam Star. This leaves Lydia and Arrietty both up for elimination. The two bottom queens lip sync for their life to Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind & Fire and The Emotions. Both queens are giving it their absolute all, not sparing a single stunt or gag. Ru decides that the winner of the lip sync is Lydia Butthole Kollins. The only thing standing between Arrietty and a spot in the competition is choosing the right lever that will send Michelle into the dunk tank. Arrietty chooses lever one, which sends Michelle right into the water, and saves Arrietty from elimination. Nobody is going home this week!
Next week on RuPaul’s Drag Race: It’s time for a ball! The queens create sickening looks with ocean garbage, there’s drama surrounding Lexi’s design, and stylist Law Roach returns as a guest judge.
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