The remaining queens write and perform a roast for some of the show’s most iconic villains. Comic Whitney Cummings is a guest judge…
Last week we said goodbye to Kori King after a Betsey Johnson sewing challenge landed her in the bottom, forcing her into a now iconic lip sync for her life against partner Lydia B Kollins. Lexi, Jewels, and Arrietty all had stand-out looks, but it was Jewels Sparkles who won the top spot. This week the queens get back into comedy when they write and perform roasts in honour of villains from the seasons past. Let’s get into it.
This week’s episode begins in the werk room following Kori’s elimination. Lydia kisses Kori’s message on the mirror and says she’s sad that she had to see Kori leave but she’s happy to still have a spot in the competition. Over on the couches the queens congratulate Jewels on her first win. Lexi tells the other queens she’s disappointed in herself for not winning and Lydia says she doesn’t think her look deserved to be in the bottom, and suggests that Sam’s bra and skirt perhaps deserved to be in the bottom.
It’s a new day in the werk room and Lydia knows she needs to swing big because Kori isn’t there to “distract” her anymore. Michelle enters the werk room and tells the queens she’s sad because she’s missing a key player that left too early this season, and no it’s not another queen, but the beloved bedon-a-dunk tank. The queens get into clothes they can get wet in and head out to the main stage. Each queen will take a seat on the tank and answer a series of questions, but the gag is, they’re all getting dunked. Once they’ve all had a turn in the tank, Michelle tells them that for this week’s maxi challenge they’ll be throwing the ultimate shade by hosting a villain’s roast. They’ll be honouring Mistress Isabelle Brooks, Kandy Muse, and Plane Jane. Since Jewels won last week’s maxi challenge, she’ll get to assign the order.
The queens head over to the table and Jewels asks each of the queens where they want to be in the order and why. She deliberates and places the queens with Onya opening the show, followed by Arrietty, Jewels, Lana, Sam, Lydia, Suzie, and closing the show is Lexi. Arrietty feels a little stabbed in the back for the placement, and Lexi is even more pissed that she has to follow Suzie. They head out to the main stage where they’re met with Michelle and this week’s guest comic Whitney Cummings for a table read workshop of their jokes. Onya starts with her jokes and Michelle and Whitney both love everything she brings to the table. Arrietty gets some tips from Michelle about writing her material since she’s so scared of comedy challenges. Jewels has some good starting material but she needs to edit it down. Michelle and Whitney tell Lana she needs to bring the funny, while Sam makes them laugh from the jump. Whitney tells Lydia with a name like hers she has to be funny and Suzie worries her jokes may be too “cerebral” for the audience, which Onya claps back at right away. Finally, Lexi is well on her way with her jokes. In confessionals Arrietty reveals that since Jewels is going to “play the game” she will too…by taking some of her jokes. Yikes.
It’s roast day and Sam is feeling confident especially because so many of the queens are pissed about their place in the order. Lydia is counting on her delusional confidence for this challenge, and she’s actually pretty excited about it. Over in the corner Arrietty and Jewels are dead silent and the tension is THICK. Arrietty moves stations because she doesn’t want to argue with her and Jewels tries to clear the air but Arrietty isn’t having any of it. Lexi gets into it about her place in the roast with Suzie and Lana and she keeps saying she won’t be thrown off by the final position she asked for, but she seems pretty bothered. Jewels tries to explain her reasoning to Arrietty and apologizes. There’s so much tension in the room nobody is talking and Suzie says she hopes they can all shake it when they get to the stage. Arrietty goes off on her and Onya whispers to Jewels that she has “officially wrecked these bitches” which sets Lexi off.
Out on the main stage, Ru introduces this week’s panel of judges, Michelle, Ts Madison, and this week’s extra special guest judge Whitney Cummings. The roast begins and Onya opens the show and she does a good job roasting the villains and her fellow queens. Arrietty is up next and she stumbles over her material which is painful to watch. Jewels realizes she’s stolen some of her jokes and she’s gagged because she has to go next. Jewels takes her place at the podium and gets a laugh at the jump but starts to stumble because she has to create new jokes on the spot. The jokes aren’t good. Lana’s set is shockingly good, which surprises everyone. Sam Star goes next and gets a lot of laughs too. Lydia starts with jokes about the judges and she does a good job with all of her jokes and delivery, it has everyone laughing. Suzie is next and she was expecting to lift the energy after Lydia so now she has to scramble. Her jokes are a little more mean but they still land. Finally, Lexi Love takes the stage and she’s so in her head her jokes aren’t hitting like they should. The villains have their own things to say which close out the roast.
On the runway the category is “Who Wears Short Shorts?” and the queens walk in their teeniest shorts. Ru calls Onya, and Suzie forward and tells them they are safe for the week. Critiques start with Arrietty. Michelle tells her that she started well but as soon as she stumbled, the whole set came crashing down. Ts tells her that her look is her favourite of the night. Next, Michelle tells Jewels her set started good but it fell off, but she commends her for pushing through it. Ts tells Lana that her jokes were really funny, and Whitney congratulates her on her jokes. The judges don’t love her Naomi Campbell cosplay. All of the judges love Sam’s roast and her football-inspired look equally. Next, Whitney tells Lydia her timing was perfect and Ts compliments her on her jokes too. Michelle doesn’t really get short shorts from her look but Ru tells her only Lydia needs to get it. Finally, Michelle tells Lexi she was good to let the audience in when she didn’t land a joke but the jokes weren’t good. Ts clocks her for her dramatic trains week after week. Lexi tells the judges the beef she had with her placement and comparing herself to Suzie but Michelle tells her that her and Suzie are two completely different queens and Whitney tells off her inner saboteur.
Following deliberations, Ru announces that the winner of this week’s challenge is Lydia B Kollins! Sam and Lana are both safe. Joining them at the back of the stage is Lexi Love, meaning Jewels Sparkles and Arrietty are lip syncing for their lives. The two bottoms lip sync to “Ya Ya” by Beyoncé. Both queens put their own electric spin on their performance of the Cowboy Carter song. In the end it’s Jewels who will get to stay in the competition, so it’s the end of the competition for Arrietty.
Next week on RuPaul’s Drag Race: It’s another over-acting challenge and singer Sam Smith is a guest judge.
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